FALSELY ACCUSED

Framed for helping her partner smuggle guns—and then murdering him—CIA agent Liz Ramirez must find the evidence that will prove her innocence...before she’s caught or killed. So when her squad’s leader attempts to bring her in for questioning, she knows her future depends on convincing Aaron Foster to go rogue and help her. On the run from the rest of her team and the gun dealers who are convinced she knows the location of their missing weapons, Liz risks losing the proof that would clear her name. But will eluding her pursuers—and trying not to fall for the handsome commander—prove to be fatal?

“Drop the weapon, Liz.”

Aaron’s normally smooth-as-caramel Southern drawl held a steely edge Liz had never heard before. He’d found her. Anticipated her next move.

He stepped closer, the look in his eyes matching his tone. Just for a second she lost what little bit of hope she still clung to. Did he think she was capable of killing her partner?

“Aaron, you scared me.” Her voice shook slightly, her nerves wrecked.

“You need to come with me, Liz,” he said quietly.

She swallowed back the betrayal she felt at those words. She wouldn’t blame Aaron. He was just doing the job he’d been tasked to do.

“I—I can’t do that. I didn’t kill my partner, but someone wants you to think that I did.”

His face twisted with gut-wrenching pain. “I know you didn’t kill him, but running makes you look guilty. I promise we’ll figure it out together.”

Could she trust him? She was close enough to witness the battle raging in him as they faced each other in a silent standoff.

Dear Reader,

Where do you turn when your back is against the wall? When life is going our way, it’s an easy question to answer. But what if you were being blamed for something you didn’t do? In times of crisis, that’s when our faith is tested.

This is the story behind my latest Love Inspired Suspense. For Agent Liz Ramirez, her faith in God has always proved unshakable, even after the death of her husband. Yet her faith in man is challenged when Liz is blamed for her partner’s death. Facing prison time, she turns to the one person who has never once let her down. Agent Aaron Foster.

Liz is forced to go against the principles she’s believed in since joining the Scorpions to find the evidence her deceased partner left behind in a remote cabin in Alaska. Evidence that will hopefully clear her name.

When everything points to Liz’s guilt, Aaron willingly lays his life on the line to save hers.

And when everything is going against us, like it was for Liz, it would be so easy to give up. But it is in our darkest moments that God’s light shines the brightest. And if we let Him, He’ll be there beside us, no matter what. Just like Aaron was for Liz.

All the best...

Mary Alford

MARY ALFORD was inspired to become a writer after reading romantic suspense greats Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney. Soon, creating characters and throwing them into dangerous situations that test their faith came naturally for Mary. In 2012 Mary entered the Speed Dating contest hosted by Love Inspired Suspense and later received “the call.” Writing for Love Inspired Suspense has been a dream come true for Mary.

Framed for Murder

Mary Alford

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

Before you start reading, why not sign up?

Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

SIGN ME UP!

Or simply visit

signup.millsandboon.co.uk

Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

—John 21:25

To my sweet angels, Ava, Kinze and Baylee.

I love you so much.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

Extract

Copyright

ONE

You’re being set up... The moment Agent Liz Ramirez switched on the burner phone and read the text message, her stomach turned to ice.

The number attached had been blocked. The sender wanted to remain anonymous. That it had come through on her burner phone was disturbing enough. No one knew the number except...Michael.

Her fear for his well-being spiraled. It had been growing most of the day.

She thought about her partner, Michael Harris’ earlier depression. When she’d dropped him off at his home after he’d been released from the hospital, she’d sensed something was bothering him even though he refused to talk about it.

Now, standing on his front porch, the same feeling of unease that had followed throughout the day resurfaced.

Liz rang the doorbell. “Michael, are you in there?” she called out when nothing stirred inside.

His car was in the drive. The house looked the same as when she’d left Michael to get some rest, yet the hair standing at full attention on her arms warned her the feeling was neither a figment of her imagination nor a remnant of recent events creeping in.

With the Scorpion team’s latest capture of their top terrorist threat known as the Fox, and the weapons he’d supposedly smuggled into the US still missing, the implication hinted at by his second-in-command still troubled Liz. Was someone else involved in the operation? Someone closer than any of them wanted to believe?

She tried his phone once more. She could hear it ringing inside.

Liz reached for the door handle. It opened freely in her hand. As a member of the CIA’s elite Scorpion team, Michael would know security was critical. The team had been tasked with bringing down some of the most deadly terrorists operating around the world and because of it, they had enemies everywhere. Michael wouldn’t deliberately leave the door unlocked.

With her heart hammering in her chest, she reached for her weapon, eased through the door and into the house.

“Michael, where are you?” The quiet of the house settled around her without answer.

Liz forced herself to breathe as she glanced around the living room. Nothing appeared out of place. His phone lay on the end table as if he’d tossed it there.

“Michael,” she called out as she eased to the bedroom. She touched the unmade bed. It was cold. He hadn’t been here in a while. A quick search of the closet and adjoining rooms proved fruitless.

That left just one more place. The kitchen. Her stomach chewed with tension. Something was wrong; her heartbeat drummed in warning. It felt as if she were walking through cement as she slowly entered the kitchen and saw it. In an instant, her world crumbled and her worst fear became a reality.

Michael lay sprawled facedown on the tile floor. A pool of drying blood framed part of his head.

Her hand flew to cover her mouth. “Michael,” she said in a broken voice then dropped to her knees next to him. He was cold to the touch. Rigor mortis hadn’t yet set in. A single gunshot wound to his right temple confirmed the method of death. But the murder weapon was nowhere in sight.

Bile rose in her throat and she sucked in handfuls of breaths before it finally subsided. She couldn’t wrap her head around the truth staring her in the face. Michael had been murdered.

Tears filled her eyes, spilled over and soaked her jeans, yet she was powerless to stop them. The man who’d become like a brother to her was gone and she couldn’t have felt guiltier.

Since they’d started working together a little more than a year earlier, she and Michael had just clicked. They had the same sense of humor. Liked the same type of action movies, and when they worked in the field, they could almost anticipate each other’s moves. That’s how she’d known something was wrong with her partner. And yet she’d ignored the warning signals.

Aaron. She needed to let Agent Aaron Foster know what had happened. Time was critical. As field commander of the CIA’s elite eight-member Scorpion team, it was Aaron’s job to monitor terrorist activity and prevent the recently stolen weapons from falling into the wrong hands. There was little doubt in Liz’s mind that Michael’s death was related to the Scorpion’s capture of the Fox.

She and Aaron had grown close through the years and Liz trusted him with her life. He was a natural born leader and a good man. She respected him like crazy, even though from time to time, they butted heads.

Aaron answered on first ring. “Liz? Are you okay?” The lateness of the hour was proof enough that she wasn’t calling to chat.

“No, I’m not. It’s Michael...” She stopped when her voice threatened to crack. “Aaron, he’s been murdered.”

The silence that followed her declaration confirmed the magnitude of the news. Aaron was just as shocked as she had been.

“How? When?” His broken questions were heavy with emotion. Aaron loved Michael as well. Everyone on the close-knit team did.

Liz stuffed down her feelings. She needed to do this as a professional. Michael deserved her best.

“A gunshot wound to the head,” she said quietly. “He was killed at close range. From the size of the entry wound, I’d say it was a Glock.”

“Are you in danger?” Aaron asked with his concern for her safety intensifying his voice. Their friendship was just as important to him as it was to her. She struggled to stay focused. “No, he’s been dead for a while. Whomever did this is long gone.”

“I’m on my way. I’ll call in Gavin and Alex. We’ll be there soon.”

She ended the call without answering and stared at the man that she’d shared so many good moments with.

“I’m sorry, Michael. So sorry I wasn’t there for you,” she whispered and meant it as she scrubbed tears from her face and got to her feet.

Michael’s house had now become a crime scene and she had to tread carefully. She’d unknowingly contaminated the door handle by entering the house. It stood to reason that the killer would have touched it at some point. The door had been unlocked.

Using her shirt as protection, she grabbed his phone and checked the outgoing calls. Michael hadn’t called anyone in days. Hers were the only incoming today. Had she been the last person to see him alive until the killer arrived?

She thought about his strange behavior after she’d picked him up at the hospital. Was it all due to his near-death experience? She and Michael had been forced at gunpoint into a chopper by the Fox. They both could have died when it crashed to the ground outside a small town in Pennsylvania two weeks earlier. She’d suffered a fractured wrist, a few bruised ribs and some cuts and scrapes. Her injuries hadn’t been nearly as severe as Michael’s. For a while they weren’t sure Michael would make it.

After he was cleared, the doctor had wanted Michael to go straight home and rest, but Michael had insisted on visiting Sam Lansford in prison first.

It had been unthinkable that someone the team all knew and trusted had turned out to be the Fox. When their chopper had crashed, Sam and several of his men had been captured. The team had immediately transported their prisoners to the Scorpion headquarters outside of Painted Rock, Colorado, for interrogation. The weapons Sam had smuggled into the country were still unaccounted for and they needed to find them as soon as possible.

Still, Liz didn’t understand why Michael had insisted on seeing Sam. Once the two had faced off, there had been no words exchanged between them.

She glanced around the living room, seeing things through different eyes than when she’d first entered. There was no sign of a break-in. Had Michael known his killer?

One of the cushions on the sofa caught her attention. It was visibly out of place as if something were tucked under it. Liz carefully eased it up and found a large manila envelope stuffed there haphazardly. Her name had been hastily scribbled across the front of it in Michael’s handwriting. But it was the next line written there that was the most alarming.

For Your Eyes Only!

Dread wrapped itself snugly around her shoulders. What was Michael trying to tell her that only she could witness? Before she had the chance to open the envelope, headlights flashed across the front of the house.

Liz shoved the envelope in her purse and hurried to the window. She parted the curtains, expecting it to be Aaron. Michael’s place was at the end of a sparsely populated cul-de-sac. A car had pulled into the drive and flipped its lights on bright.

She shielded her eyes and managed to get a better look at the vehicle. It looked like the same car that had Michael spooked earlier when she’d driven him home after that strange visit with Sam.

Once they’d turned onto his street, Liz had caught a glimpse of a car behind them. She didn’t think anything of it until she saw how Michael had reacted. She’d asked if he knew the person, but he’d denied it.

Liz rushed from the house with her weapon drawn as the car quickly reversed and headed down the street picking up speed along the way. The license plate had been removed.

While the shock of realizing it was the same car as before and that someone had gone to great lengths to hide their identity froze her in place, two additional sets of headlights came down the usually quiet street. Liz squinted through the blinding lights and was able to identify Aaron’s SUV. Aaron pulled up beside her. “Did something else happen?” he asked as if reading her thoughts.

She quickly nodded. “I’m pretty sure the car that just passed you was here earlier today when I brought Michael home.”

Aaron got out of the SUV and hurried to the truck behind him. “See if you can catch up with the car we just passed. They might be involved.”

The driver of the truck, Alex Booth, nodded, put the truck in Reverse and made a quick U-turn before flooring the gas.

Aaron came back to her. Liz knew he could see that she was still shaking in reaction to finding Michael and to seeing the suspicious car. “Are you okay?” he asked in that serious Southern drawl of his that was always so charming. Now it was laced with worry.

It was so like Aaron to be concerned about her, especially after she and Michael had barely escaped death. He’d always been there for her whenever she needed to talk. Strong. Caring. A true man of valor. She’d often wondered why someone as handsome and as captivating as Aaron was still single.

He ran a careless hand through his chestnut hair before those intense midnight-blue eyes focused on her and just for a second, she lost her train of thought.

“I’m okay,” she managed.

Aaron had been tasked with heading up the critical investigation into how someone as close to the Scorpions as Sam Lansford could turn out to be the Fox. As a former CIA agent himself, Sam had quit the Agency to go into business for himself as a hostage retrieval agent. On several occasions, Sam had provided the team with useful information that had led to the capture of some very dangerous people. They’d all thought they knew him. They’d been wrong.

The team had been trying to bring down the Fox and his weapons-smuggling activities for more than seven years. No one expected the terrorist to be someone they all knew.

Yet even with the pressure for answers so great and the guns Sam smuggled out of Afghanistan still missing, Aaron had found time to check on her when Liz’s injuries had her sidelined. That was just his way.

He glanced up at the house, his expression solemn. “Take me through what happened. Why are you here so late anyway?” he asked curiously before stepping up on the porch. Was there something accusatory in his tone or was the outcome of the day playing tricks on her?

“I was worried about Michael. I’d been trying to reach him most of the afternoon.” She followed him up the steps to the porch. “Since the accident, he wasn’t himself. I knew something was troubling him, but he didn’t say what.”

Aaron nodded. “I noticed it as well. What did you find when you arrived?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary at first, until I tried the door. It was unlocked. I went inside, searched the place and...” She snatched a much-needed breath. “Found him in the kitchen.”

Aaron took her hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry,” he murmured with sincerity.

From this day forward, they both knew nothing would ever be the same for her. She’d lost someone else she cared about to an unknown enemy. She still mourned the loss of her husband Eric who had been taken from her far too soon. And now Michael was gone. She considered him family.

Liz waited in the living room while Aaron examined the murder scene. A few minutes later, Alex and Gavin returned from the hunt.

Alex Booth and Gavin Dalton had been with the Scorpions since its inception. They were the best of the best and she was glad they were on her side.

“No sign of the car,” Alex told Aaron when he came into the room.

“There’s no murder weapon either, but my guess is it was a Glock. The perp must have taken it with him.” Aaron nodded to Alex. “Search the place. Maybe we’ll get a lead. Call in the local police to canvass the area.” He turned back to Liz. “What’s your theory here? You knew him better than any of us.”

She glanced through to the kitchen where Michael’s body lay and tried to hold back the emotions. “I think he must have known his killer. There’s no sign of a forced entry or a struggle.” She hesitated briefly and then voiced her thoughts aloud. “Aaron, we need to talk to Sam right away. If anyone knows what happened here tonight, it’s the man who almost took Michael’s life once before.”

* * *

Aaron drove to the secure prison inside Scorpion headquarters where Sam Lansford had been held since his release from the hospital. Aaron’s thoughts were working overtime trying to make sense of their fallen comrade’s death.

As much as he wanted to believe Sam was behind Michael’s death, too many things didn’t add up for it to be so. The biggest being how would Sam have managed to order the murder in the first place?

The capture of the Fox was big. The CIA hadn’t taken any chances that Sam might escape. He’d been heavily guarded at the hospital. When he was transferred to his prison cell, a state-of-the-art security system watched his every move twenty-four hours a day. No one got in or out of the compound or the prison without a passkey that was only issued to Scorpion team members.

“What I don’t understand is how did he accomplish the hit?” Aaron asked because he couldn’t make it make sense in his head. As his second-in-command, Liz had a way of cutting through the clutter.

She turned in her seat. “I beg your pardon?” She’d clearly been lost in her own thoughts.

Aaron noticed the exhaustion around her eyes. The way she cradled her fractured wrist close to her body. Even though it had been two weeks since the crash, he could tell it still hurt like crazy. He had no doubt her bruised ribs were giving her grief as well, yet Liz wasn’t one to complain. She’d soldier through the pain, do what needed to be done to solve her partner’s murder.

He smiled gently and asked, “How are you holding up?” He nodded toward her wrist and watched as she swallowed visibly and then quickly dismissed the severity of her injuries.

“I’m fine, Aaron. Don’t worry about me. I want to help.”

He knew her dedication all too well, but that didn’t keep him from worrying about her. She was more than a colleague—she was his friend.

Liz was the kindest and most generous person he knew. It never ceased to amaze him that she hadn’t let her personal tragedy turn her bitter. She’d been devastated when her husband, and fellow CIA agent, had died while on mission five years ago, yet she’d kept going. Fighting the same causes Eric had battled.

“What were you saying earlier?” she prompted in an unsteady voice when he continued to watch her carefully, getting lost in her expressive eyes.

Aaron cleared his throat and focused ahead. “I was just wondering, if Sam did order the hit on Michael, how he made it happen. He’s been guarded since his capture. There have been no visitors.”

She considered it. “But if not Sam then who?” She shook her head. “This has to have something to do with the missing weapons.”

In his mind, there was little doubt. The team may have captured the Fox, but the guns he’d smuggled into the US from Afghanistan were still MIA.

“Maybe Sam’s organization is bigger than we thought. We have no idea how many people work for him.” They’d only just begun to dig into Sam’s background and so far, it was like peeling away the layers of an onion. There were more lies than truths.

Aaron pulled up to the security gate outside the compound and waved his passkey in front of it. Once they’d cleared the gate, he drove the short distance to the prison.

The moment they entered the section where Sam was held, Aaron knew something was dreadfully wrong. Sam’s cell door stood slightly ajar.

He drew his weapon and motioned to the open door. Liz saw and quickly followed his lead.

Aaron pointed to his right and she quietly began searching that section while he did the same.

On this end of the prison, there were only five cells in addition to Sam’s. Aaron eased to the open cell. Sam lay slumped on his cot staring sightless at the ceiling. One arm hanging at an odd angle. There was little doubt, he was dead.

Aaron stared at the lifeless body, trying to grasp the reality of what had happened. He couldn’t believe it. There was no indication that Sam had taken his own life. No real sign of a struggle and yet someone had murdered him. Aaron’s thoughts flew in a dozen different directions. With Sam gone, what did that mean for locating the missing weapons and bringing Michael’s killer to justice? Would they ever know the truth behind any of it?

While he tried to process the scene, Aaron couldn’t understand how someone had gotten into such a secure location in the first place. He recalled the implication from Sam’s second-in-command about someone from the Scorpion team being dirty. Had one of their own team members taken Sam’s life? Impossible. Aaron searched the rest of the empty cells, then stopped next to the ones holding members of Sam’s team who had been captured.

“What happened here tonight?” he demanded of the first prisoner, knowing full well none of the men captured would cooperate. They hadn’t said so much as a handful of words since being taken prisoner.

With nothing but glaring silence coming from the men, frustrated, Aaron went back to Sam’s cell. They needed to find out what happened here quickly because there was no way the two murders weren’t connected.

He looked up expectantly when Liz returned.

She shook her head, confirming what he knew in his heart. “Whoever did this is gone. Just like at Michael’s place. Did Sam’s men give you anything?”

“They’re not talking.” Aaron felt for a pulse, not expecting one. “I’d say he’s been dead several hours. Rigor has just begun to set in.”

There were no signs of an injury. Aaron rolled Sam’s sleeve up. “There’s a needle mark on his arm. He was obviously injected with something deadly,” he confirmed while still reeling from the impossible.

“Both Sam and Michael had to be killed within hours of each other,” Liz pointed out.

Aaron’s gaze locked with hers. “That’s right. There are video cameras in each of the cells. Whoever killed Sam has to be on the tape,” he told her.

They hurried to the command center and Aaron brought up the video for Sam’s cell. The timestamp appeared to be a few hours earlier. The person who entered the prison was heavily disguised. Dressed entirely in black and wearing a heavy jacket and gloves, their face was almost completely covered with a ski mask with the exception of their eyes. He zoomed in closer, but the feed became grainy.

Aaron pulled up the entry log on the computer. It showed every single entry into the compound as well as which secure passkey was used. What he saw there was most alarming.

The passkey used to enter both the compound and the prison before Sam’s death was Liz’s. He stared at her in disbelief, unable to digest what was in plain sight.

Each key had a sensor device in it so that when used, that particular Scorpion member was identified as the user. It couldn’t be faked. There was no mistaking it was Liz’s key. The only question: How?

Her clear emerald-green eyes filled with worry as she shook her head. “No, that’s not possible.” He’d never seen her look so frightened before. He resisted the urge to take her in his arms and reassure her everything was going to be okay. Since his former girlfriend Beth’s betrayal, he hadn’t been able to let himself get too close to another woman. He’d loved Beth so much and yet she’d used him, and in the process she’d destroyed his ability to trust his heart to another. Instead, he kept himself buried in work.

Liz tossed her raven braid off her shoulder. She appeared so vulnerable right now, and yet her fragile beauty was deceiving. As a highly decorated agent, he couldn’t think of anyone else he’d want to have his back.

“It wasn’t me, Aaron,” she said in a shaky voice. “I promise I didn’t do this.”

But if not her, then who? Someone had used her passkey to enter the prison and kill Sam. As much as he wanted to believe her, there was no denying the evidence certainly made her look guilty.

* * *

“I don’t think you killed Sam,” he reassured her because he knew Liz. They’d become close while working together and he’d witnessed time and again that her faith in God was as unshakable as her valor. She didn’t kill Sam or Michael, but clearly someone was trying to make them believe she had.

“When was the last time you used your passkey?” he asked, hoping there was some innocent explanation. Maybe she’d lost it. Had it stolen?

She didn’t hesitate. “This morning when I left the compound with Michael.”

“Where is it now?” he prompted.

“In my purse. Aaron?”

“Go get it,” he interrupted and watched as she flinched at the hard edge in his tone.

She stared at him for a second then hurried away and he regretted the way his words had sounded.

When she came back with her purse, he saw the truth on her face even before she said the words.

“It’s not there,” she said and shook her head. “I have no idea where it is.”

Aaron tried to squash the dread growing inside of him. “I need you to account for your time today, Liz,” he told her and hated that the request sounded like an interrogation.

She never broke eye contact. “After we left here, I took Michael home and made lunch. I hung out with him for a while and then I left him to rest.”

“What time was that? Where did you go afterward?” he asked because they needed to create a timeline before he could her to rule her out as a suspect.

“I left around two. Then I ran some errands and went for a long walk.”

All things that couldn’t be accounted for unless she’d purchased something along the way.

“What type of errands?” he pushed and couldn’t keep the urgency from his tone.

“Aaron, you’re scaring me,” she breathed the words out.

His heart went out to her but he needed answers now. “I know and I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “Answer the question, Liz.”

She struggled to bring her thoughts together. “As I said, I left Michael’s house around two because he insisted. I didn’t want to leave him, but he told me he was tired and wanted to rest. He promised me he’d be okay. He told me he’d call me when he woke up.”

“What did you do first after you left Michael?” he prompted and he watched as she swallowed visibly.

“I went for a drive to clear my head then I stopped by the library in town. After that, I got coffee. Hung out a while, and then drove to the trailhead at the base of Painted Rock Mountain. The view there is beautiful and I go there to think. I was there until late. Then...” She hesitated long enough to capture his full attention. “Then when I didn’t hear from Michael, I went to his house. And you know the rest.”

None of her earlier moves could be documented fully, which meant she could have had time to murder Sam and then Michael. It didn’t look good and he needed to conduct the investigation by the book. He’d have the library and the coffee shop checked. Maybe someone would remember her being there.

“Liz, I need you to go home. Now. You know you can’t be part of this.”

There was no mistaking the hurt written on her face. “Aaron...”

“Like it or not, you’re a suspect because of the passkey and you were the last person to see Michael alive,” he said gently. “Take my SUV. Go home and don’t talk to anyone until you hear from me.” He dug in his pocket and handed her the keys and then walked outside with her.

It was hard to associate the lost expression on her face with the competent agent he knew Liz to be.

“Aaron, you believe me, don’t you?” she asked with a hint of desperation in her tone.

He stopped next to the SUV, squeezed her shoulder and tried his best to assure her. “Of course I do. We’ll get to the bottom of this. There has to be another explanation we’re missing. I’m calling the team in and I’ll have Reyna get here as soon as she’s finished at Michael’s. In the meantime, go home. I’ll call you the minute I know anything.”

Aaron waited as she reluctantly left the prison. Then he went back inside and called Alex Booth.

“Reyna just left. We’re wrapping up here. I called in the local police department as you asked. They’re canvassing the area now,” Alex said, assuming the reason for Aaron’s call.

“Let Gavin finish there. We have a much bigger problem,” Aaron said, his tone brittle. He stared down at the lifeless body of the man who had caused so much pain. “Sam’s dead.” He briefly explained the crime scene.

Stunned, Alex audibly sucked in a breath. “I’m on my way.”

“Good. I’ll see you soon.” Aaron disconnected the call. He knew how bad this looked for Liz, but what he couldn’t understand was why she of all people was being targeted.

Agent Alex Booth arrived within minutes of the call. “Reyna’s right behind me.”

Reyna Bradford was the wife of the base commander, Jase Bradford. As a doctor, Reyna had willingly agreed to head up the medical team for the Scorpions. Reyna was highly skilled and had proven to be a huge asset.

“How did someone get into this secured prison in the first place?” Alex asked in disbelief. When Aaron didn’t answer right away, he prompted, “There’s more.”

“Yes,” Aaron said. “It appears someone used Liz’s passkey. I’ve been unable to determine their identity, as the person was covered from head to toe. Whoever did this had a working knowledge of our security system. They must have hacked their way into it.”

“Unbelievable. Where is Liz?” Alex asked without thinking.

“I sent her home. She can’t be part of the investigation.”

Alex shook his head. “I can’t see Liz mixed up in this.”

Aaron certainly didn’t either. “No, but we can’t afford to dismiss the evidence in front of us. We need to do this by the book, Alex. Call in the crime scene unit. We need something else to go on other than Liz’s passkey. Without Sam’s help, we may never know where the missing weapons disappeared to or what the plan was for them. An attack could be imminent.”

When Reyna arrived she went straight in to examine the body. It didn’t take her long to come to the same conclusion as Aaron. “I have to agree with you, this was obviously something fast acting. The murderer would want to ensure Sam was dead before he left and he couldn’t stick around long. I’ll know more once I have the body at the lab, but I’m guessing he was killed before Michael.”

The killer had somehow gotten Liz’s passkey, then come here to murder Sam. From the video surveillance tape, it appeared Sam had been sleeping when the person entered his cell. When the needle was injected into his arm, he’d woken up, attempted to get up, but was too disoriented. It didn’t take long for the poison to do its job. Sam never had a chance.

There was no evidence that anyone had been there with the killer. It was obvious they’d wanted the team to witness the murder. But for what end? Aaron had studied the footage carefully hoping for clarity. The killer was tall and slim built. It certainly could be a woman. He leaned in closer—even though the tape was grainy, he was just able to make out the color of the perpetrator’s eyes. They appeared green...like Liz’s. He quickly shoved that thought aside.

“Thanks, Reyna,” Aaron said with appreciation. Reyna had been an amazing contribution to the team and she and her husband, Jase Bradford, were good friends to Aaron.

Once the crime scene unit arrived, Aaron knew what he had to do even though he dreaded it. Still, it would be best if it came from him. After the director found out about Sam’s murder it wouldn’t be long before he pulled the case from the team entirely. Aaron couldn’t let that happen. They needed answers and they needed them now.

He took Alex aside. “Let me know the minute you have anything. I need to go speak with Liz.” Just saying the words made him feel as if he’d betrayed her.

Alex patted his shoulder. “I know this is hard, but we’ll find out what’s really going on. It’s only a matter of time.”

Aaron forced a smile. He sure hoped Alex was right. They needed something, anything that would help clear Liz’s name, because he wasn’t about to let someone he cared about get framed for a crime she didn’t commit.

TWO

The moment she opened the door, Liz knew someone had been in her cabin.

Liz reached for her weapon and eased inside. At first glance, nothing appeared out of place. The quiet of the cabin settled around her. A quick search yielded nothing to back up the feeling.

She glanced down at the envelope in her hand.

For Your Eyes Only!

The sense of someone watching her permeated every molecule of her body. Was she simply being paranoid?

Liz blew out a shaky breath, killed the lights and parted the living room curtains. Nothing moved in the early morning world outside.

You’re being set up... The message from the unknown number had troubled her, though at the time, she hadn’t understood its meaning. And in the chaos that had ensued after discovering Michael was dead, Liz had forgotten to mention the text to Aaron.

She grabbed her burner phone again and typed a message to the mystery person.

Who are you? How did you know Michael was dead?

As she stared at the phone, willing an answer to come through, the blank screen in front of her seemed to confirm her suspicions. There was no way the texter could know about her partner’s death if he wasn’t somehow involved.

Liz struggled to make sense of what had happened in less than twenty-four hours. There had to be something more in the works here than what the team had originally believed. This went much deeper than Sam and his deadly schemes.

Through all the unanswered questions, one thing crystallized. She had now become the number one suspect in Michael’s murder. If she let herself be taken into custody, she had a feeling she wouldn’t walk out of the prison alive.

Yet if she stayed, with all the evidence mounting against her, Aaron wouldn’t have a choice but to bring her in. She couldn’t bear the thought of him thinking she was guilty. His friendship had come to mean so much to her.

Either way, time was running out on her freedom and possibly her life, so Liz hurried to her bedroom and stuffed as many things as she could into a backpack, then she went to her closet. The box that held her spare weapon was on the top shelf. Liz felt around until she’d found it. Right away she knew something was wrong. The box’s lid was open. Her Glock was gone.

She was almost positive Michael had been killed with the same caliber gun.

It was as if someone was carefully orchestrating her downfall.

Liz dropped her personal cell phone on the kitchen table. If she took it with her, they’d be able to trace her movements. Instead, she grabbed the burner phone and her regulation gun along with the envelope and backpack and headed out the back door.

Leaving headquarters presented another set of problems. She wouldn’t get far in Aaron’s vehicle. They’d be watching for it. She had one other option.

Don Warren, the ranch’s caretaker, kept a work truck close by in one of the old barns. He let every team member use it whenever they needed. If she could reach the barn, it would at least buy her some time, but after that she’d need to find another means of transportation. As soon as the team discovered she’d taken the truck, they’d be on the lookout for it.

She recalled Michael kept an old Jeep stored on the property he leased for hunting, which was adjacent to Aaron’s ranch. She’d been to the place once, but had no idea if the Jeep’s plates were even current or if it was in working order, but if she could make it there, she’d have a fighting chance of blending in with her surroundings. Jeeps were commonplace here in the mountains.

Liz cracked the back door and listened. Nothing but silence. It wouldn’t last. Aaron would be coming for her soon.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered for him and then slipped out into the cover of night.

The evening was filled with thousands of stars. It was one of the things she loved about the wide-open ranch. Not a city light could be seen for miles.

Liz rushed to the storage barn that held Warren’s old truck. The keys hung in the ignition still. Don kept his passkey secured underneath the driver’s seat. Liz fired the tired old vehicle up and eased toward the back entrance of the compound knowing full well the noise would carry. Hopefully, no one was around to hear it. When she reached the gate, she swiped the key and the gate slowly opened.

“Come on, come on,” she whispered with urgency while keeping a careful eye behind her.

The gate finally opened enough to allow the truck to pass through. Once she’d cleared it, she floored the gas pedal.

It was a good ten-minute drive to Michael’s hunting cabin under the best of conditions. Running for her freedom and constantly checking the rearview mirror expecting trouble made those ten minutes feel like a lifetime.

Once she reached Michael’s property, a single strand of barbed wire was all that kept curious onlookers away. Liz flipped the truck lights on bright and got out. A sense of being watched made her reach for the night vision binoculars she’d shoved in her bag last-minute. She scanned the surrounding area expecting someone to have followed her. She felt hunted and she had no idea who was coming after her. But nothing beyond a few animals searching for food stirred the quiet of the early morning.

Discovering her backup weapon was missing felt like the final nail had been driven into her coffin. She had no doubt the Glock would turn up eventually and be matched to Michael’s murder weapon and then Aaron wouldn’t have a choice. He’d have to take her into custody and she couldn’t allow that to happen. If she did, she wouldn’t leave prison alive.

With her freedom slipping away, there was only one option left. Run.

Liz undid the makeshift gate leading to Michael’s cabin. The grown-up path that served as a road didn’t appear to have seen any traffic in a long time. Still, if she wanted to stay under the radar, she’d have to find a place to hide Don’s truck.

Once she’d cleared her name and the real killer was in custody, she’d let Don know where she’d left the truck.

Liz relocked the gate and eased down the path. Overgrown weeds slapped at the truck’s undercarriage. After a series of double-back bends, the headlights found Michael’s one-room cabin. Tucked in close to the side of the place, his primer gray–colored Jeep was parked under a ponderosa pine.

Nothing about the cabin or the wreck of a Jeep was encouraging. What if the battery had drained due to the cold weather and lack of use? She didn’t even know if it was in working order.

As hard as she tried to shut out her worries, she couldn’t. She had no idea who was trying to set her up. What if the text message was sent to throw her off and get her out in the open and unprotected? The real killer could be waiting inside the cabin right now.

Liz closed her eyes and prayed fervently, then let God have her worries. She’d need a level head to make it through this thing alive. She couldn’t afford to fall apart now.

She parked the truck some distance from the cabin in the shelter of a grove of aspens and peered out the window at the desolate surroundings. A shiver sped up her spine.

Michael told her once that he’d grown up hunting and fishing in Montana. He spoke fondly of his father who had passed away when he was a teen. Yet whenever she’d asked more about his family or his past, his answers were vague. She sensed that his childhood might have been troubled, so she’d let it go. Now she wished she’d been more persistent.

The envelope she’d found at his place called out to her from the passenger seat.

As much as she trusted Aaron with her life, she had to know what was in that envelope before she told him about it. What if something in there implicated her?

Desperate for answers, she ripped it open. A key fell out onto her hand. She turned it over. It appeared to be a house key, but what did it fit? Michael’s hunting cabin didn’t have a lock. He said he kept it secure by propping a chair in front of the door.

More confused than ever, she pulled out the single piece of paper left inside. It contained a rudimentary map and directions to a remote cabin near Black Bear, Alaska, where Michael went salmon fishing. But it was what was scribbled in the note beneath the map that was most alarming. From the handwriting she could tell Michael had written it in a hurry.

Liz, I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. If you’re reading this note, then I’m probably dead and you could be next...

Please forgive me. Tears filled her eyes. What had Michael done?

Go to the cabin in Black Bear. Everything will be explained when you get there. Call Rick Evans. He’s a friend and he can fly you to Black Bear. You can trust him. Rick operates out of a private airstrip near Talkeetna, Alaska. Once you reach Black Bear, talk to a woman by the name of Jessie Chena who can get you to the cabin. I’ve hidden a fireproof box filled with evidence at the cabin. Get there and make sure you don’t tell anyone from the team where you’re going.

Both Jessie and Rick’s phone numbers were written at the bottom of the note.

Don’t tell anyone from the team where you’re going.

Why hadn’t Michael trusted his own team?

Under the best of conditions, Talkeetna, Alaska, was a fifty-six-hour drive from Colorado. Running for her life in a vehicle that was questionable at best, she’d be forced to take as many back roads as possible, which meant the drive would take even longer. Flying was out of the question. She wouldn’t make it through the first security check.

With her heart in her throat, she eased from the truck. She hadn’t felt this alone since learning Eric had been killed while on that final mission for the CIA. The days following his death had been filled with crippling grief and long, lonely nights. The pain almost physical.

Now, every little noise had her jumping, expecting the enemy. Aaron. The team she’d vowed to protect had now become her enemy and it was a bitter pill to swallow.

She’d covered only a handful of steps when a noise behind her grabbed her full attention. It sounded like...a footstep on the creaky porch. Someone was here.

Liz whirled with her weapon drawn. “Who’s there?” Her breathless voice chilled in the early morning cold.

“Drop the weapon, Liz...” Aaron’s normally smooth-as-caramel Southern drawl held a steely edge to it she’d never heard before. He’d found her. Anticipated her next move.

He stepped closer, the look in his eyes matching his tone. Just for a second she lost what little bit of hope she still clung to. Did he think she was capable of killing Michael?

“Aaron, you scared me.” Her voice shook slightly, her nerves wrecked.

“You need to come with me, Liz,” he said quietly with regret on his face.

She swallowed back the betrayal she felt at those words. She wouldn’t blame Aaron. He was just doing the job he’d been tasked to do.

“I—I can’t do that. I didn’t kill Michael, but someone wants you to think that I did.”

His face twisted with gut-wrenching pain. “I know you didn’t kill him, but running makes you look guilty. Come with me. I promise we’ll figure it out together. You’ll be treated fairly.”

She stepped to within inches of him and shook her head sadly. “If you want me to come with you, you’ll have to shoot me.” She was close enough to witness the battle raging in him as they faced each other in a silent standoff.

“Liz... Don’t throw your life away like this.”

Aaron’s cell phone rang and her already-battered nerves had her jumping at the sound.

He didn’t break eye contact as he answered the call. “Yes, Jase.” Would he give her up? Please, God, no. She had to find a way to convince him to let her go. “Not yet. I’m working a lead now. I’ll let you know the minute I have her.”

She blew out the breath and leaned over, hands on her knees. He hadn’t told Jase. She couldn’t imagine how hard that was for Aaron. Jase had been his friend for years.

“I’m sorry, Aaron,” she said once he’d ended the call. And she truly was. This wasn’t the way she wanted things to go. She turned and headed for the Jeep while silently praying she knew him as well as she thought.

“Liz, stop.” With her heart pounding in her ears, she reached for the door handle and then heard it. Click, click, click.

“Run,” she yelled, turning from the Jeep. Aaron grabbed her around the waist and all but hauled her away. They’d barely cleared a handful of steps when the Jeep exploded and fire and shrapnel blasted past them like a tidal wave sweeping them in its wake.

Liz hit the ground hard. Landing on her injured wrist, she screamed in agony as searing pain shot through her and she almost blacked out. Seconds later, the cabin nearby exploded and reality struck hard.

Someone had planted a bomb inside the Jeep to be detonated when the door was breeched. The only question was, who was the intended target? Michael or her?

Aaron slowly moved to his knees beside her. He was bleeding from his forehead and his cheek. There were cuts in several spots on his hands.

“Are you okay?” she asked in concern, immediately forgetting her own pain. She couldn’t bear it if anything happened to Aaron because of his loyalty to her.

“I’m fine,” he dismissed her worry. “How bad is it?” he asked gravely when he saw the way she cradled her injured wrist.

“Not too bad,” she lied. She sucked in a sharp breath and closed her eyes as bile rose in her throat and she fought to keep the world around her from spinning out of control.

He clearly wasn’t convinced. “Liz, you need to come in with me and have that looked at. We can’t stay here. Either that bomb was intended for Michael or someone knew you’d come here and they wanted to eliminate the threat you posed. They don’t need you alive to frame you, Liz,” he added in a quiet tone. “Let me protect you.”

She stumbled to her feet. Cradling her injured wrist close, she put much-needed space between them. “You can’t protect me.” She swept the devastation with her good hand. “Isn’t this obvious? You can’t keep me safe. Let me go,” she urged passionately. “Please. I’m better off on my own.”

He came after her and she backed away, every step taunting her with the realization that alone, she wasn’t sure she was up to what lay ahead.

“I won’t let them do to you what they did to Michael,” he said and she believed he would do everything in his power to fulfill that promise, but at what cost to him?

“Then help me,” she pleaded. “I can’t stay here any longer. If nothing else, the team will have seen the explosion. It’s less than five miles to headquarters. They’ll come here to investigate. It’ll be over for me.”

Liz could see him wavering and she realized how much she needed his help. She quickly told him about the mysterious text message she’d received minutes before she’d found Michael and about the information in the envelope Michael left her. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him about her missing weapon just yet.

Aaron shook his head. “It’s compelling, but it’s not enough to prove you didn’t kill Michael. According to Reyna’s time of death, Sam was killed first and you were the last person to see Michael alive.” The doubt on his face was hard to take.

“Then help me find out who’s behind this,” she forced the words out. When he didn’t answer, she went for broke. “Aaron, you know me. You know I wouldn’t do this. I loved Michael like family and no matter what Sam did, I wouldn’t take the law into my own hands. It goes against everything I believe.” Her voice stumbled for a second.

“Please, I just need time to get to Black Bear and find the evidence Michael left there. That’s all I’m asking.” She needed Aaron on her side. “Aaron, please. Help me prove my innocence.”

Something in the distance dragged her attention from the man standing close to her. She turned in time to see multiple car lights bouncing along the gravel road nearby. Michael’s property was the last place on a dead-end road. No one would deliberately come this way without good reason.

* * *

Aaron whirled as the approaching vehicles shot through the entrance without regard for the makeshift gate. Right away he knew this was not his people, which left only one explanation. It must be whoever set the explosion.

“We have to get out of here now. Come with me—I have a snowmobile parked just over that ridge.” The relief on her face was worth any amount of difficulty he knew they’d face in the future.

Before she could answer, the vehicles opened fire on them.

They ducked low behind a group of trees. “I’ll cover you. Get the envelope and head for that ridge over there. I’ll catch up with you.”

She shook her head stubbornly. “No, I’m not leaving you, Aaron.”

“Now, Liz. I’ve got this.”

With one final look his way, she crouched low and hurried for the truck while Aaron shot at the approaching vehicles, forcing them to stop. Several men got out and returned fire.

Out of the corner of his eye, Aaron saw Liz tuck Michael’s note with the map to the cabin inside her boot. He’d seen her do that many times in combat. Usually, the enemy didn’t think to look inside a person’s boot.

Once he was sure Liz was safe, he ducked deep into the woods and zigzagged up to the ridge until he caught up with her. “They’ll hear the engine noise, but I know this land like the back of my hand. I’ve lived here for years.” He hopped on the machine and she got on behind him. “Hang on tight. It’s pretty rough back here.”

Aaron shoved the machine into high gear and took off at a fast speed through the wilderness without any lights. At least the men following them would have to work to find the direction he and Liz had gone.

As they bounced over the rough terrain, he struggled with what to do. He knew Liz hadn’t killed Michael—or Sam for that matter—but it appeared someone was trying to set her up to take the fall. If he took her into custody, would he be signing her death certificate? Whoever was behind the murders had proven they could get to whomever they wanted at any time. He couldn’t let that happen to Liz. With his head screaming what he needed to do, his heart wouldn’t let him. Right or wrong, he wasn’t going to let her down.

“I can’t keep Jase in the dark for the four days’ time it will take to reach Black Bear. Too many things can go wrong in between and we risk the chance of being caught by those men or our people. We’ll need a faster way to get there. If we can reach my place, I have a plane I bought and restored a few years back. I keep it at the small airstrip I built on my property.”

Truth be told, owning his own plane had been a dream of his for years. Even as a child in Texas, he’d loved the idea of flying. As a teen he’d taken lessons. And when his family moved to Colorado, he’d continued to hone his skills. Then he’d used his flying experience to excel in the military. After he’d left the military, Aaron had become a trainer for special ops. His expertise in flying along with his training skills were some of the reasons why Jase Bradford had initially recruited him for the Scorpions.

Since joining the team, he’d flown just about everything imaginable in all sorts of dangerous situations.

“We can refuel in Talkeetna and then go on to Black Bear once we’ve spoken to this Rick Evans Michael mentioned in his note.” She squeezed his shoulder and her gratitude was worth every risk he knew they’d have to take.

The snowmobile bounced over the snowy landscape strewn with remnants from a recent forest fire. It took all his skills to keep from burying it multiple times while he continuously checked behind them.

The explosion had left him jumpy. So far, they weren’t being followed, which he didn’t like at all. The men would have reached the destroyed cabin by now. They had to hear the noise of the snowmobile and the direction it was heading. These people were smart. Why weren’t they sending people after them?

His hands clutched the handlebars in a tight grip. It seemed like forever before the lights appeared from his makeshift airstrip. He’d smoothed the area out himself. Under normal conditions, there would be no problem taking off or landing, but these weren’t normal weather conditions. It had been snowing for a while. Clouds blanketed the mountains from view, and it was still dark out. He dismounted the snowmobile and headed for the hangar. With just the two of them, would he be able to protect her? He didn’t dare call in backup; Liz would never make it to Black Bear and her chances of staying free would vanish.

Liz was his friend and he’d seen how violent these men were. They’d gone after Sam in a heavily guarded facility. They’d killed a federal agent. They had nothing to lose. Liz wouldn’t stand a chance on her own. He wasn’t about to let her fall victim to these monsters.

Like it or not he was all-in, which meant they were on their own.

Something disturbing tore his attention to the edge of the landing strip. Additional vehicles were closing in. Now he understood why the men hadn’t followed them. Whoever was behind Michael’s and Sam’s murders wasn’t taking any chances. They’d stationed men where they believed Liz would go for help. Michael’s place and his. Which meant they knew about his friendship with Liz. They’d anticipated this move.

“We have to get airborne now if we stand a chance at escaping. I need your help,” he yelled over his shoulder.

She didn’t hesitate. Once they reached the hangar where the plane was stored, Aaron threw open the doors. Liz helped him unpin the jet and then they got inside. Aaron fired the engine and taxied down the runway.

More than half a dozen vehicles charged the airstrip trying to cut them off. Aaron dodged the two lead vehicles, then swerved hard and managed to keep a somewhat steady path in spite of multiple rounds of gunfire coming their way.

With a silent prayer for their safe assent, Aaron throttled the plane sharply and they were airborne. Once he’d reached a safe height, Aaron veered right, and headed over Painted Rock Mountain while the men below continued firing to try to bring them down.

He grabbed his phone.

“Who are you calling?” Liz asked on edge. It hurt that she thought he’d betray her.

“Jase needs to know what just happened back there.” He squeezed her good hand. “Please trust me.” She stared at him with those worried eyes before slowly nodding.

Nothing about what happened over the past few weeks made sense. He’d imagined once Sam was in custody, they’d locate the missing weapons and everything would be finished. Yet reality hadn’t proven that to be the case.

Time was quickly running out for the investigation to remain with the Scorpion team. If they didn’t figure out what was going on soon, Liz would be left to take the fall for everything and they might never find out who was behind the killings or locate the missing weapons.

It took forever for the call to finally go through and once it did the service was so sketchy that he lost it several times.

When he could hear Jase clearly enough, Aaron quickly updated him on what had taken place at Michael’s hunting cabin and then again at the landing strip. He didn’t mention Liz.

“I know she’s with you, Aaron. You need to bring her in for her own safety. This thing is escalating and there’s more. We have uncovered some financial records that show a large amount of money was transferred into Liz’s bank account recently.” The moment he heard those words the bottom fell out of Aaron’s stomach. Coupled with what Jase had texted him earlier, things looked bleak.

“I’ll get Gavin and some men on the way to your place and Michael’s. Whatever else is going on here, bring her in for her own protection, Aaron. And before the stink of this thing lands on you.”

Aaron disconnected the call without answering, his thoughts reeling. Jase was smart. It wouldn’t take long before he realized Aaron had disobeyed his orders and they’d both gone rogue.

He needed to go dark and soon. Aaron slipped off the back of his phone and took out the battery. They could trace the phone easily enough when it was on. Taking the battery out would make it more of a challenge. The first opportunity possible, he’d destroy it.

“Where’s your phone?” he asked when she stared at him without understanding. “They’ll keep coming after us. They’ll find a way to track us. We won’t have much time.”

“It’s my burner, Aaron. I left my personal phone at the house. No one on the team has this number,” she assured him.

He remembered what she’d said about the text message. “Someone knows it. They texted you the warning.”

She squared her shoulders. “We need some way to contact Rick Evans when we get close to Talkeetna. In the note, Michael mentioned he could help us. And how else are we going to reach this Jessie Chena we’re to get in touch with in Black Bear?”

He blew out a sigh. She was right. They’d have to risk it. “You’re right. But keep it off. We’ll only use it as necessary.”

She touched his arm. “Thank you, Aaron,” she said humbly. “Thank you for believing in me.”

He managed a smile...for her. In spite of everything, Liz was a good person. She’d shown that to him time and again. He’d walk through fire to protect her, but he just hoped they could stay alive long enough to figure out who was behind the murders and how the attack tonight was connected to the missing guns.

“What I don’t understand is why are they trying to kill me? They’ve planted enough evidence to make me appear guilty. Wouldn’t killing me only shed suspicion on that theory?”

He spared her a searching look. “Not if you’re discredited already. And if you’re dead, you can’t defend yourself.” He watched her shiver at the implication.

“These people are cunning, Liz. If they were able to kill a federal agent and get to Sam in a secure prison, once they realize you’re still alive and not in prison, they’ll be worried you might know something. You’re better off dead to them. Hopefully, they don’t know about the cabin in Alaska or we’re in big trouble.” He shook his head and tried to rally his confidence.

They’d been so sure Sam was acting alone. Transporting the weapons to the US for his own diabolical purpose, but what if Sam were just the supplier? How did Michael’s death fit into any of this? The note he left Liz seemed to implicate him. The only question was, in what?

He knew Liz was watching him closely and he didn’t want to show his doubts. “We’ll figure it out,” he said with as much conviction as he could muster and then focused his full attention on the task of flying the plane in high-altitude weather conditions while trying to make sense of the last twenty-four hours. Nothing about the murders added up. He had to be missing something key.

“I need you to tell me everything you and Michael discussed and what your last minutes were like with him. I know you said he was acting out of character, but did anything unusual happen?” he asked.

She hesitated and his internal radar went ballistic. Why did she have to think about her answer?

Stop it—this is Liz.

“Beyond his wanting to speak with Sam in prison, you mean?” She glanced his way.

That certainly had been unexpected, as was the outcome of the visit.

He nodded. “Go on.”

“After we left the compound, we went straight to his house...” She stopped as if she’d remembered something. “The car. The one that looked the same as the car last night. It was behind us in his neighborhood. Michael kept watching it. I could tell it made him uneasy, but when I asked if he recognized it, he said no.” She turned in her seat to look at him. “Aaron, I’m almost positive it was the same car.”

Which seemed to indicate Michael’s killer not only knew where he lived but had been keeping tabs on him. Waiting for the moment when he was alone perhaps?

Something she’d said earlier troubled him. “You mentioned that Michael insisted on talking to Sam, but he never spoke to him. I watched the interview. Michael didn’t say a word...” He remembered what happened right before Liz and Michael left the cell.

“He hugged Sam.” Aaron glanced her way. “Right before you left, Michael hugged Sam. He whispered something the recorder didn’t pick up. What was it?”

She shook her head baffled. “Are you sure? I didn’t hear anything.”

Regret hit him like a brick wall. He didn’t believe her. The video surveillance hadn’t lied and she’d been close enough to hear the exchange.

“Aaron, it’s true,” she said, seeing his doubt. “I admit I was surprised when he hugged Sam. He’d been so angry with him earlier. I just thought it was Michael’s way of making peace with the situation.”

He recalled what the previous field commander Kyle Jennings had said. He’d had suspicions that someone from the Scorpion team might have been working for Sam’s organization. Could it have been Michael? If so, then why were both Michael and Sam dead unless there was someone bigger involved? Perhaps, the intended buyer for the guns. Had Sam and possibly Michael double-crossed that person? If so, it had resulted in a deadly outcome.

With no clear answers in sight, Aaron focused on another direction. “Michael obviously had access to your passkey. He could have seen where you put it. The only question is who did he give it to and why did they kill him?”

Liz thought about it for a second then shook her head. “I wish I knew...” She hesitated. There was something else she hadn’t told him, he could tell.

“Aaron, when I got home after we found Sam...” She stopped for a second. “I’m almost positive someone had been inside my cabin. And there’s more.” She hesitated and then said, “I keep my spare weapon in my bedroom closet. It’s missing. Someone took it.”

Shocked, he stared at her in disbelief. He knew she kept a Glock. Would it turn out to be Michael’s murder weapon? Coupled with what Jase had uncovered about Liz’s past, he was certain she was being set up to take the blame for everything.

“Liz, after what happened with the missing weapons in Pennsylvania and the accusations made by Sam’s second-in-command about one of our team being dirty, we’ve been digging into the personnel files of everyone. You’re the only one who has a connection with Sam from the past. You went to the same university for crying out loud, and then you end up attending the CIA training facility around the same time? That’s an awfully big coincidence and to anyone else looking on, it appears the two of you have known each other for a while. It speaks of a possible connection to a terrorist.”

Her face fell. “I told you Sam and I were friends. I was honest about that.”

She was right. Liz had told him that she and Sam had hung out a lot while Sam’s team was working in the same area as the Scorpions and that they’d become friends. Which was Liz’s nature. She rarely met a person she didn’t befriend.

“Yes, but you didn’t tell me about attending the same university or that you were at the CIA training facility around the same time.” He paused for a second to take in her startled reaction.

“That’s because I didn’t know about them. Aaron, I never knew Sam when I was in college and the training facility is big. You know that.”

“There’s more, Liz.” He told her about the large amount of money that had been transferred into her account.

There was no way she could fake that much astonishment. In his mind there was no doubt. Liz wouldn’t betray her team or her country in such a way, but proving her innocence against the increasing evidence that said otherwise was going to be a near-impossible task.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.