Chapter 32
“We should have received a call by now.” Adalyn couldn’t stop pacing, knew she was stressing out Gumbo, so she forced herself to stop and sit in one of the chairs behind Gage and Hailey’s workstation.
“It’s barely been an hour.” Hailey didn’t look up and neither did Gage. “He took him for a reason instead of just killing him.”
“And I think I might have found something,” Gage continued, all calm and steady.
Adalyn picked up Gumbo, let her cuddle on her lap as she waited for Gage to continue. Because badgering them wouldn’t do anything.
“About four months ago, Miller’s dad died. Mom died a long time ago so she wasn’t in the picture. But right around the time his dad passed, it looks like a divorce for Cooper and his wife went through and she got full custody of their daughter. I’m guessing the proceedings had started a while ago because of how long divorces generally take, but it went through about a week after his dad died. A month later he was honorably discharged from the army, but something about that is off. Because it wasn’t time for him to reup his contract or decide to get out. I haven’t been able to figure out more details, but I will.”
“I’ve put in a few calls about him to some former contacts, just waiting to hear back,” Adalyn said, forcing herself to remain calm when she wanted to burn down everything.
Gage simply nodded and didn’t look up from his screen. “Right after his discharge, he basically fell off the grid. The wife kept their house, and he sold or gave away anything he owned—his truck, his boat, some random furniture from a storage unit he’d been keeping. He ditched everything, including the phone he’d had. Then, a couple days later a few inquiries into Omar Ali went up. Then nothing for another two weeks. Then just a couple weeks ago, some inquiries into your sister, and your family, but not you specifically. It’s the only reason my algorithm didn’t pick up the inquiries—and I’ve already changed the parameters of my search functions for future references. But he got your name from somewhere and connected it to Ali and his brother’s death.”
“It wouldn’t have been easy to find out my real identity, considering my former cover is still intact. But if he dug hard enough or had the right contacts…anything is possible. And I made enemies over the years.” Adalyn lifted a shoulder. “He could have found out who I was.” Obviously the guy had.
“And he couldn’t get to you directly, because clearly he doesn’t know where you live. Or I’m assuming he doesn’t. He’d have attacked you at home, otherwise.”
“So he came after my sister, an easy, soft target.” She cursed quietly, closed her eyes as she digested everything. “And he almost killed her too. Either way, he brought me back to New Orleans, right where he wanted me.”
“But you didn’t come alone and he wasn’t counting on that.” Hailey’s whip-sharp voice made Adalyn open her eyes.
“I know.”
“I hope you do know that. Because you’re not alone and we’re going to save Rowan. We’re a team and we’re not leaving anyone behind.”
Throat tight, Adalyn nodded. She hadn’t realized how badly she’d needed those words, but they washed over her, soothed some of her frayed edges. She’d had backup in the field, but usually in the form of analysts back in their offices. More often than not, she’d worked solo, her cover depending on it. “I know. And I’m ready to move whenever—” She froze as her phone buzzed in her free hand.
Unknown number.“Hello?”
“Hey.” It was Stacy Conrad, a former coworker and one of the few people she still kept in contact with at the agency. “I found some info on that guy you asked about.”
Adalyn placed her finger over her mouth, motioning for the others to remain quiet and put the phone on speaker. “What did you find?”
Stacy let out a whistle. “It’s a doozy so I’m just going to lay it out. This Miller guy was honorably discharged but only because he’d saved his CO’s life at one point and he was well liked within his squad—because he’d saved almost everyone’s life during various ops. Guy is skilled with defusing bombs, I’ll give him that. And making them, apparently. He thought his wife was cheating on him and made some violent threats against a guy who turned out to just be a tutor to his kid.”
“What kind of threats?”
“The kind that involved explosives. Then some shit went missing from base. Shit meaning Semtex. He was suspected of stealing it. None of this was provable and he was never brought up on charges, but there had been some complaints about his behavior that I’m simply going to summarize as sociopathic. Not from anyone in his squad, but outside of it. This isn’t in the file but I think the only reason he got to take an honorable discharge is because no one wanted an inquest into a guy with a chest full of medals. There were a lot of letters included in his file, talking about his sacrifices. And putting two and two together, his CO fought for him to get an honorable discharge. And this way he got to keep his benefits. Other than the psycho stuff on his file, the guy really is talented when it comes to explosives.”
“This is really helpful, thank you.”
“No problem. I owe you. If you need anything else, just ask.”
“I will. How’s London treating you?” Adalyn asked, even though she didn’t have time for small talk.
“A lot better than the desert. Look, I’ve gotta go. But don’t be a stranger.”
“That’s certainly insightful,” Gage murmured once she ended the call. “Miller is forced to resign from a job that gives him structure and likely a way to channel what are clearly anger issues, and his father dies, all while going through a divorce.”
“And he loses custody of his daughter. He already lost his twin. He’s got nothing to lose at this point and now he has a target to point at. A mission for his revenge,” Adalyn murmured. “He couldn’t avenge his brother, couldn’t even attend the funeral, then loses his entire family essentially. He’s a man without a cause and that’s a very dangerous thing.”
“He’s hurting and he wants to make someone else hurt,” Hailey said, nodding in agreement. “He blames you for his twin’s death. You were the start of all the bad shit in his life. I mean, not literally, obviously, but…”
“But he sees it that way. Or he’s convinced himself that coming after me will make things better, give his brother ‘justice’ or whatever bullshit he’s selling himself on. And I was part of the CIA, part of the same government machine essentially that forced him to resign a job he loved and was good at.”
“This guy is a walking time bomb. Pun intended,” Gage muttered.
Adalyn simply nodded, then almost jumped when her phone buzzed again. Another unknown number. “Hello?”
“I have something you want.” A modulated voice, not Stacy.
It’s him, she mouthed as she put the call on speaker. “What’s that?” she asked, though she already knew the answer.
A little buzz sounded, indicating an incoming text.
It was a short video.
Pushing back bile, she pressed play, watched the feed of Rowan flat on his back, his hands behind his back, likely restrained. His chest was rising and falling at least, but half his face was red and bruised. She pressed a fist to her mouth, bit back a scream of rage.
“What do you want?” she finally rasped out.
“A simple trade. You for him.”
“Fine.” She wasn’t going to negotiate. Wouldn’t matter at this point. She just needed to get this monster out in the open.
There was a short pause. “If you call the cops, I’ll put a bullet in his head.”
“No cops, just me, you and Rowan. You let him go, you can have me. An easy, fair trade.”
“If I see you or your team, you’re dead. And yeah, I know you’re working with a team. Saw you today with them. You’ve got thirty minutes to be at Camp Sunshine.”
“With Mardi Gras traffic, it’ll take an hour to get there.”
“You’ve got forty-five minutes. Better hurry.” He disconnected.
“He’s not planning to let either of you go alive.” Hailey’s voice was dark.
“I know. Miller’s ex-wife lives in North Carolina, near the coast, right?”
“Yeaaah.” Gage frowned, drawing out the word. “Why?”
“Because I have a plan.” One they might not like, but a plan was better than nothing.