Protected Secrets Read online

  “I thought electronics were frowned upon,” Bruce commented.

  “The Marshals make sure we use only the most secure devices.”

  So did he. It was tempting to argue with her, but he gave her the benefit of the doubt that she knew what she was talking about. Delaney sat down next to him on the couch, and Winnie reached her arms out for her.

  He’d never seen his daughter act so forward, and he’d never seen a woman bolt so fast. Delaney popped up and moved to a wooden chair across the room. “I can probably type better over here.”

  Bruce wasn’t so much offended as perplexed. Winnie didn’t have a cold at the moment so it couldn’t have been a germ-related phobia.

  Delaney typed rapidly on her keyboard. “I’m afraid I need to get a few questions out of the way to provide the best protection possible. Do you have any loved ones in town?”

  “Besides my daughter? No.”

  “What about your parents?”

  He sighed. If only. “My mom remarried and retired in Arizona. My dad died when I was young.”

  Her gaze snapped up as if to comment but instead she returned to typing. “Your case file says you have a stepbrother.”

  Wow. They were going to hit on every sore point of his life in one swoop. This was going to be more fun than a visit to the doctor. “Trevor Schultz. He’s also my former business partner. He asked me to buy him out six months ago. Last I heard he was catching rays in the Cayman Islands.”

  “I see you divorced over a year ago. Know the location of your ex-wife?”

  “No.”

  Delaney stared at the screen for a bit before she looked back up. “Listen, I know this is hard. I really do. But I need to find out if there are any weaknesses someone might exploit to get to you.”

  If there was one thing Bruce had learned over the past couple of years, it was how to spot sincerity. He could see Delaney’s genuineness. She hated asking the personal questions as much as he hated answering them.

  He leaned over and pulled out Winnie’s favorite pop-up book from the duffel bag, hoping it would keep his daughter distracted. “Shannon left over a year ago. She...” He let his voice trail off because he wasn’t sure how to explain. Shannon had thought Bruce became boring after they got married. She’d wanted to live in Silicon Valley instead of the Silicon Prairie. She’d said she wasn’t cut out to be a mother, but only brought that up after they had adopted a baby. He couldn’t see a reason the Marshals would need to know all of those things. “Shannon left me for another man,” he finally said. “I didn’t ask who, and I honestly don’t know where she landed.”

  Delaney’s gaze flickered to Winnie and back.

  “I have full custody.” The fact was that Shannon didn’t want anything to do with Winnie, something Bruce still couldn’t understand.

  Delaney twirled a strand of hair from her ponytail as she stared at the computer screen. It was a cute gesture that he doubted she did consciously. “How well did you know Andy Williamson before he was hired?” she asked.

  “Not at all. In fact, Trevor hired him. He ran the daily operations of the company and had the final word in all marketing and HR matters. I took care of the product development.”

  “Did you socialize with Mr. Williamson after work hours—or speak to him about your own social behaviors? Any hobbies, activities or locations you frequent that he might have known about?”

  “I don’t do any socializing with my staff, and aside from the office, church and day care, no other recurrent locations.” He used to have personal goals, aspirations...friends, even. There were more important things in life now.

  Delaney blew out a breath as if gearing up for another onslaught of questions. “Dating?”

  “No.” It wasn’t a ridiculous question. He’d thought about dating before, but how could he risk bringing another woman into Winnie’s life after what had happened with Shannon? He didn’t have the best track record at picking trustworthy people.

  Her fingers flew over the keyboard. “What about the gym?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “The gym?”

  Delaney glanced at his arms before staring wide-eyed at her screen as if berating herself for looking at him. A fiery red began at her neck and worked its way upward. Bruce fought a grin, though he’d admit building muscle came relatively easy as long as he had time for strength work. “I have a jogging stroller. Otherwise, I work out with weights at home.”

  Delaney closed the laptop without comment and avoided looking in his direction. “I think I’ll check in with the team and see how close they are to arriving.” She strode in and out of the bedrooms located on each side of the living room. “It looks like we need a portable crib, and I imagine you’re getting hungry.” She put her hands on her hips. “How about I have someone pick up some barbecue?”

  Bruce didn’t eat out often. He liked real food and found cooking relaxing. Besides, he hated to spend the money on restaurants if it was something he could cook, but the suggestion made his stomach growl. “If you know a place that’s good.”

  She leveled him with a look that said “Trust me.”

  He answered the unspoken challenge. “I’m placing our safety in your hands. Obviously, I’m willing to trust you to pick the food.”

  Her bravado faded and her long eyelashes fluttered. She straightened as if bolstered with a new thought. “You won’t regret it. I’ll make sure of it.”

  Bruce felt certain neither one of them was thinking about the food anymore. She strode to the back door, one hand on her weapon and one hand on her phone.

  He closed his eyes and nuzzled the top of Winnie’s head as he prayed that, for once, he’d placed his trust in the right person.

  * * *

  Monday morning, Delaney pumped her arms in rhythm as she ran around the block. The weekend had been torture. She’d been assigned to protect the most handsome man and the cutest little girl on the planet. Every time Winnie smiled it felt like a vise around Delaney’s heart, reminding her that she could’ve been a mother if only she’d gotten her life back together a little sooner. And Bruce...

  Everyone liked Bruce. He stayed remarkably positive about their time cooped up in the house. He made comical faces to keep Winnie laughing and took turns playing two of the deputies in a game of Scrabble while the third was on patrol. He provided a list of groceries and made the most delicious stir-fry she’d ever tasted. In her line of work, often the witnesses had their own seedy, criminal pasts. While she appreciated their willingness to testify, it often stemmed from wanting to make a deal for themselves rather than from any genuine sense of public responsibility. But Bruce was a hardworking, upstanding...

  She couldn’t even let herself think about it or she’d start wishing for what she couldn’t have. Deputy Marshal Francine Jackson and Deputy Marshal Jim Lewis were guarding Bruce and Winnie while she took an early morning run. It gave her a chance to clear her head and work out, but more important, to get a feel for the neighborhood and potential risk areas. Her phone buzzed and she slowed to a walk to answer. “Deputy Marshal Delaney Pat—”

  “Delaney?” The male’s voice shook on the line. “I, uh... I didn’t expect to be talking to you.”

  “And this is?”

  “Harvey Jeppsen.”

  An awkward silence followed. Harvey Jeppsen had been her lawyer for the private adoption. He’d been there with her in the hospital room when she’d signed away her legal rights to her baby. He’d listened to her sobs before and after. Why was he calling?

  “I was told this is the number to contact my client, Mr. Walker. Are you the marshal in charge?” His voice held a hint of disbelief.

  Her shoulders dropped. “Yes. I’m afraid he’s not able to talk right now. I can have him reach you in thirty minutes.”

  “No matter. I just received word he’ll be at a pretrial interview later this afternoon with
the US Attorney’s Office. Please tell him I’ll meet him there.”

  Delaney didn’t confirm or deny, but she hung up only to get another call from the US Attorney’s Office with the same information. It was last-minute, but in a case like this, that didn’t surprise her. She jogged back to the safe house to start preparing for the trip. At least a brand-new black SUV with all the bells and whistles had arrived.

  She imagined Bruce would be pleased with some forward motion on the case. It’d do him good to get out of the safe house for a bit. Maybe it would make him smile the way he had when... She cut the thought off abruptly. There she went again, thinking about his future facial expressions. The infatuation needed to be nipped in the bud. She lengthened her stride and reached the house in record time.

  Thirty minutes later, she was showered, dressed and ready. “We probably should get going. I like to be extra early to allow time for contingencies.”

  Bruce frowned. He hadn’t responded the way she’d expected. In fact, he seemed to be unhappy about going at all. “Any chance we can bring Winnie?”

  “No.” She didn’t mean to snap. “Francine will stay here and take great care of her.” Francine had fallen head over heels for Winnie. Unfortunately, Winnie acted as if she was set on making Delaney do the same. If she allowed herself to soften, she feared she’d be ruined when the case ended, devastated that she couldn’t hold and snuggle her own little girl. “It will be a fast trip,” she added.

  A knock at the front door signaled it was time to go. The US Marshals had sent a fourth deputy to join in the transport. Bruce scratched his forehead. “Let me just put her down for her nap time.”

  Bruce picked up Winnie and kissed her little porcelain cheek. He started singing a song, tones so quiet and low that Delaney strained to hear it, but the concert wasn’t for her. He disappeared into a side bedroom. A moment later he came out with a video baby monitor and handed it to Francine.

  “Okay, she’s singing to her stuffed animal, which means she should fall asleep soon. You have a way to reach me if I’m needed?”

  Francine nodded. “Of course.”

  Delaney could see the uncertainty building in his eyes. “We have to go. Now,” she said. Tag teaming with the deputy outside, she led Bruce to the door of the black SUV. They all wore plainclothes, which typically meant a polo shirt and pants, so as not to draw attention, but they didn’t compare colors ahead of time. Unfortunately, the other marshals had all decided to go with navy blue, just as she had. If they needed somewhere to hide along the way, they could blend in at Best Buy.

  A silver SUV was in front and a navy SUV was behind them. They would accompany her and Bruce to the federal building in Des Moines. She knew the route well enough to skip the GPS. “An hour’s drive on I-35. I noticed they’ve widened the freeway since I’ve last been here. Should be smooth sailing.”

  She started the car and they drove in silence. A few minutes later, she merged onto the freeway. The other deputies spread out, so as not to be an obvious caravan, but they communicated their movements on the radio attached to the right of her steering wheel.

  Much like a dentist was trained to watch for tense patients, she noticed Bruce’s fingers gripping the sides of the leather seat and dug for something to say to distract him. “How long have you lived in Ames?” she asked. A small part of her wanted an excuse to ask how long Harvey Jeppsen had been his lawyer.

  The brake lights flashed on the car in front of her. Delaney stepped on her own brakes and nothing happened. She shoved harder and the pedal went down to the floor, but their speed remained the same.

  “What’s happening?”

  She couldn’t answer because she wasn’t sure herself, but the distance between the SUV and the car in front was rapidly decreasing. She slid into Neutral and pulled on the parking brake. The speed remained the same.

  She glanced in the side mirror and maneuvered into the small spot between two cars. The radio crackled with questions, but she ignored them because the wagon in front of her wasn’t going fast enough. She swerved onto the shoulder, almost clipping the car full of oblivious teenagers.

  “One more inch and we would’ve hit. Sign says shoulder closed. Why are you doing this? Is there someone after us?” Bruce checked the side mirror.

  She grabbed the radio with her right hand. “Brakes are out. Taking next exit.” She dropped the radio as she used both hands to take the ramp, hoping the sharp curve to the right would slow them down or at least offer an empty pasture. “I can’t talk now,” she told Bruce.

  The radio crackled. “Affirmative. We couldn’t make that exit in time. Will take the next one and join you. No suspicious activity?”

  “I think the brakes going out is suspicious enough,” Bruce muttered. He leaned as far forward as he could and looked out the window. “There is a road to the left that’s pretty unpopulated. Think you can make it?”

  “We don’t have much choice.”

  The grade sloped and the SUV’s speed increased. She pressed the brake hard out of habit. Her head lurched forward and backward as the SUV abruptly slowed. She pressed the brake pedal again to make sure it wasn’t a fluke. “The brakes are working again.”

  Bruce put his hand on the back of his neck. “Were you just not pressing hard enough?”

  She bit back a retort and turned on her left signal. “It’s safe to say that this SUV isn’t as reliable as we’d like.” They passed a gas station on the right. There was nothing but farmland on either side of the little-used highway. She tested the brakes again. Would the rest of the marshals think the whole event was the result of human error, as Bruce did? The vehicle jerked forward and a horrible grinding noise came from the hood. All the dials on the dashboard fell to zero as the motor went silent.

  “The engine died?” Bruce shook his head. “Unbelievable. This isn’t stick shift, is it? You didn’t—” The rest of his words died on his lips.

  Delaney followed his gaze, and her chest seized. A pickup truck full of masked men rounded the corner with guns pointed at their SUV.

  “Get down!” Bruce gave her shoulder a push. While the gesture was noble, she was supposed to be the one protecting him. She turned her head to see he’d followed his own advice as she readied her gun. Rapid pings hit the windshield, side doors and side mirrors.

  “You okay?” Bruce asked. He remained hunched over, his forehead touching the glove compartment.

  While the SUV was supposed to be bulletproof, she didn’t want to take chances. “Yes. Stay down.” The shots had stopped so she jumped out and took aim at the retreating vehicle, trying to read the license plate, but, of course, there was none. Not another vehicle could be seen for a mile in either direction. Where was her team? She kicked at a rock on the road and climbed back into the SUV.

  While Bruce’s face had lost its color, he didn’t look injured. His hand shook ever so slightly as he pointed to the GPS. The blue screen had a message in the middle. Final Warning. Open your mouth and your family dies.

  THREE

  Bruce placed a hand on either side of his face. “It’s been hacked.”

  She looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “What are you talking about?”

  He blinked and tried to slow down the torrent of emotions and thoughts so he could communicate rationally. “This vehicle has been hacked. The brakes, the engine dying, the message on the GPS... Those things can be controlled remotely if someone knows our location. They were playing with us. My daughter—” He pulled in a shaky breath. They’d only been gone from the safe house for five minutes. If someone had been tracking them in the vehicle, then it was likely the hacker knew their point of origin.

  Her eyes widened. “The safe house. You’re saying the attackers know where it is.” She picked up the handset. “We’ve been compromised. I need a new vehicle, stat. Where are you guys?”

  The speakers crackled in res
ponse. “You’re not going to believe it. Our engines died the moment we got off the highway.”

  “Both of them?” Delaney took a deep breath while she checked all three mirrors. Bruce followed her gaze. So far the gunmen hadn’t returned. “They set us up.” Delaney pulled out her cell phone and dialed the police for backup. After the call was completed, she sat back, shaking her head. “I don’t understand how this could be happening.”

  “Newer cars have a few different ways hackers can access control. If this one has a tire sensor, that’s the simplest way to hack into the brakes and disable the engine.” He waved toward the hood of the car. Talking about practical matters wasn’t helping his heart rate. If he thought he could get back faster on his own, he’d try to run back to Winnie on foot. “I need to know Winnie is okay. I need to know now.”

  “There are two deputy marshals watching over her. I’m sure Winnie is safer than we are at the moment. It’s safer if we don’t make direct contact.” She clicked the radio. “I need a status report from Deputy Marshal Jackson. Use back channels.”

  They sat in tense silence for the longest thirty seconds of his life before the radio crackled. “No response as of yet,” the deputies from the other SUV answered. “Backup units on the way from Des Moines.”

  Bruce tightened his fists. “From Des Moines?” He couldn’t wait an hour to find out if his daughter was safe or in the hands of dangerous criminals.

  “Bruce, you’ve been great so far. Look at me.”

  Bruce swiveled and stared into Delaney’s eyes, searching for answers.

  She touched his arm. “We aren’t waiting around. The police will be here in one minute. Sometimes back channels take longer to get an answer. We can’t jump to conclusions.”

  Bruce exhaled, but his insides wouldn’t stop vibrating. Winnie was his all, his everything. She had stolen his heart from the moment he held her tiny form in his arms.

  As promised, a police cruiser pulled up, but Delaney wouldn’t let him step out of the SUV yet. She kept her hand on her weapon as she approached the vehicle, likely checking the officer’s identification. Every moment of procedural caution made him want to jump out of his skin, but if he complained or fought it, he would just cause more delay. Lord, please, just get me to Winnie. Keep her safe.