Love & Redemption Read online

  “Son of a bitch!” Terrance screamed. “Stephen, we’ve got a problem. Get your ass to the elevator.”

  Gavin’s muscles shook with fatigue, and he was sure Shelley must be in pain from being drug across the rough cement, but now was not the time to relax. He hurried to untie the rope restraining him and hopped up from the ground, extending his hand to assist her.

  “We’ve got to run,” he said. “We’ll take the stairs.”

  She shook her head, though she did run toward the vestibule containing the elevator and stairwell. “No running. Give me my gun. When the elevator door opens, I’ll shoot them before they get organized.”

  “You’re assuming they won’t start shooting as soon as the doors open. They know what floor we’re on. What if they get you first?”

  Without another word of argument, she headed for the stairway door and Gavin followed close on her heels. About halfway down the first flight, she paused and took off her remaining shoe, clutching it in her hand. After that, they gained more speed, but Gavin had to wonder where Stephen and Terrance were. Surely they already figured out the diamonds weren’t in Shelley’s suitcase.

  If Gavin and Shelley reached the cops before the thugs caught them, there wasn’t much they could do. They wouldn’t risk getting arrested. Gavin was sure of that. Although he wasn’t the super criminal Shelley made him out to be, he had run across a few during his time in jail. True criminals always looked out for themselves first.

  Then again, when he thought about it more, Gavin didn’t want the cops looking too closely at his background. He wasn’t sure going to them was the right course of action. Even if Shelley worked for some secret anti-terror thing, that didn’t mean the cops would believe Gavin hadn’t done anything wrong. Besides, he did steal the diamonds. There was no denying that.

  They were getting close to the first floor and still no one had entered the stairwell. Gavin figured someone would be waiting when they stepped out, but he didn’t know if it would be cops or Terrance.

  He put a hand on Shelley’s shoulder to slow her pace, thinking even more about his criminal past. “We need to get out of here without the cops catching us.”

  She glanced back with narrowed eyebrows. “Why? The cops are who we want to see when we step out the door.”

  Gavin reached inside his suit pocket and pulled out the black jewelry bag. “Maybe not with these.”

  “You got them?” Shelley’s mouth dropped open, but then a wide grin broke across her face. “How clever are you, my sneaky thief? I thought I ruined everything by putting them in my suitcase. Now we can still give them to Jenessa and stop Paul’s plans.”

  Gavin slung Shelley’s purse off his neck and unzipped it, dropping the diamonds inside before handing it to her. “Unless Stephen and Terrance went to the cops and told them we set the bomb off. I thought they wouldn’t go to the police, but maybe they did. It would be our word against theirs.”

  “Oh.” Her mouth drew into a frown. “I didn’t think about that, but it’s a risk we can’t afford. It is odd that they never came in here to get us.”

  He was glad Shelley at least gave some thought to his fears instead of brushing them aside. “It’s more than odd. They must have a plan to get the diamonds back. The cops don’t know who the bad guys are yet.”

  She sighed. “If you have another plan about getting out of here, please tell me it doesn’t include scaling the building.”

  “Maybe just one floor.” He laughed.

  Shelley punched him lightly in the shoulder. “That better be a joke.”

  “Of course it is.” Gavin squeezed her arm while stepping past her. He cautiously looked through the small window in the doorway. The ground-floor vestibule was empty. He wished he knew if the whole garage was. “I can’t see anything.”

  “Stephen said they put up a barricade,” Shelley said. “Maybe no one could get in at all.”

  “Then why haven’t they come inside the stairwell to kill us?” he asked, glancing up at her.

  “I wish I knew.” She shrugged. “Only one way to find out. I’ll go first and check things out.”

  She still wanted to protect him. While he appreciated that, today had proven they were partners. Shelley had no special skills to get them out of this situation. She floundered around and needed him as much as he needed her. While he wished it wasn’t life or death, it was nice to be useful again. He’d been so used to being treated poorly in the past year, he’d almost forgotten how great it was to have a purpose and a place in the world.

  He offered his hand. “How about we go together?”

  ***

  Shelley took Gavin’s hand and squeezed his fingers tightly. She’d feel safer with her gun instead, but there were policemen out there. They had enough troubles as it was without cops shooting at them.

  “I remember there being a side door for emergency exits or something,” she said, nodding her head to the left. “The cops will mostly be at the main entrance. Maybe we can sneak out the side and leave quietly.”

  “You don’t want to go to the police at all now?” Gavin’s eyebrows rose. “What about letting them know Stephen and Terrance set off the bomb?”

  She shook her head. “You’re right. It’s our word against theirs. I have an illegal gun in my purse and millions worth of stolen diamonds. We look like the criminals, not them.”

  “But Nick wants you to catch those guys.”

  Sighing, Shelley tried to tamp down her frustration. It wasn’t Gavin’s fault he hit on a sore spot. “I never agreed to work for Nick,” she said as calmly as she could. “Stephen and Terrance are his problem. All I agreed to was getting you out of here alive, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

  “I like living.” A grin curved half his face. “I’m down with that plan.”

  “Thought you might be.”

  Knowing they shouldn’t waste more time, Shelley cautiously opened the door, and they walked into the vestibule together. A quick glance at the lights above the elevator revealed the car was on the fourth floor.

  Weird. No one else came down the stairwell. Could Terrance and Stephen really be on the fourth floor still? If so, why? Not that it mattered. There was nothing she could do about it. Where they were didn’t change her plan.

  “It’s now or never,” she said.

  Gavin nodded. “Let’s hope the cops are looking the other direction.”

  Looking out to the main entrance, Shelley realized why no one had entered the space. Parked diagonally across the entrance and exit ramps were two cars. From the cops milling around and the wide berth onlookers gave them, Shelley could only guess the bright red lights blinking inside the front seats of the cars were attached to more bombs.

  She wondered how long before the bomb squad would arrive. They must keep busy in a town this size. Unsurprisingly, vans from news stations already lined the street, and cameras and reporters stood behind the yellow police tape. Didn’t take them long. Reporters seemed faster than police some days.

  One thing was sure, it would be easy to sneak to the emergency exit. Right now, no one even paid attention to the inside of the garage, and none of them wanted to go near the bombs barricading the way.

  “What bothers me,” Gavin said softly into her ear, “is how Terrance and Stephen plan to get out.”

  “True. I don’t think they’d really trap themselves behind bombs. Maybe they’re fakes.” Shelley led the way across the lot, sticking to the shadows of the far side—no sense drawing media attention to their escape plan. The concrete was frigid against her bare toes, and she couldn’t wait to get into the sunlight outside.

  Gavin’s hand tightened in hers. “Do you think they’re just going to ram through it to get out? Maybe their van is bullet proof so they aren’t worried about police guns and stuff. If so, what about all the people standing out there?”

  Shelley slowed and glanced at him. “For a criminal, you sure are worried about others.”

  “I’m not a crim—”
>
  The sound of squealing tires cut off whatever he’d been about to say.

  At the top of the ramp to the second floor, the white S.A.T.O. van peeled out, heading straight for them.

  “Run!” Shelley screamed, tugging Gavin along.

  “We need to get between the cars,” he said, fighting to pull her the opposite direction she wanted to go.

  “No!” She released his hand and kept running. The door wasn’t far. They could make it. “They’ll ram the cars into us. The door is our only chance. Don’t stop running.”

  Suddenly, the windshield of a truck exploded, showering glass shards in her face. Shelley flinched, but didn’t slow down, blocking out the sharp pains in her feet as she stepped on broken glass.

  “They’re shooting at us again,” Gavin yelled.

  How could you tell, smart one? Even if it was a stupid thing for him to say, Shelley saved her breath for running. Just a few more yards and they would be there. She didn’t even dare turn around and see how close the van was, but she heard it bearing down on them. The tires made a terrifying whirring sound against the garage floor.

  More windows shattered along their path, but only two cars stood between them and freedom. She finally glanced over her shoulder. Gavin lagged slightly behind, and the van was too close for comfort. “Hurry, Gavin!”

  She hit the exit door at a dead run, slamming her body into the bar running across the middle that released the locking mechanism. Stumbling onto the sidewalk, she reached behind her to catch Gavin’s arm and yanked him to the side, taking them both down in a messy tumble on the ground and rolling far to the side.

  The van slammed into the doorway, seeming to shake the very foundation of the building, but the metal frame held and the vehicle stopped. They had no time to waste. Terrance would back up, and he and Stephen would come after them on foot. Shelley knew nothing would stop them from getting the diamonds.

  “Where are the damn cops?” Gavin asked. “They aren’t even guarding this door.”

  “They must not know about it yet. Probably more concerned about the bombs out front.” Shelley stood, helping pull him to his feet. “Trust me, we don’t want them here anyway.” She stepped to the road and stuck her arm up, thankful when an anonymous yellow cab pulled to the curb. They’d be lost in a sea of cars in no time. “Let’s go!”

  She hopped inside the backseat, thankful she hadn’t lost her purse in the dash to escape. “Take us to Penn Station, please,” she told the driver.

  Gavin climbed in beside her, holding her single shoe in his hand. She didn’t even remember where she dropped it. “First,” he told the man, “pull up to the corner and wait for me. I have a shoe to find.”

  Chapter Eight

  Luckily for Gavin, the cabbie spotted the shoe and pulled beside it. Gavin didn’t even have to get out of the car; he just leaned out and grabbed it. The driver took off again almost before he even sat back up, goaded on by Shelley’s panicked urging.

  “Why did you do that?” she demanded, yanking the high heel from him and shoving it on her foot. “We could have bought a new pair at the station. Are you trying to get us caught?”

  It seemed, now that the heat of the moment was over, Shelley shifted her fear and anger to him. So much for his hopes of slipping the shoe onto her foot and being Prince Charming for the day. Gavin sighed and looked out the window. The cab turned onto a new street and promptly became blocked by the row of stopped cabs. It would take time to reach the train station in the busy traffic, and he was stuck with an angry woman. How lucky.

  “Of course I don’t want to get caught,” Gavin finally answered softly, hoping the taxi driver wasn’t listening to them. Luckily, the man had taken a phone call and talked loudly in a language other than English, not interested in their conversation. “I was trying to do something nice for you. If this is your normal reaction, I can see why you aren’t familiar with the concept.”

  Shelley stared at him for a long time before looking down at her clasped hands. “It was thoughtful. I shouldn’t have yelled.”

  That was probably as close to an apology as she would give. Although he knew it could get him in further trouble, Gavin put his hand across the top of hers and patted them. He did understand why she was upset, after all. “Don’t worry about it. We were both afraid. That wasn’t the greatest way to start our morning.”

  “I haven’t even had coffee yet.” She sighed loudly. “I’m kind of grouchy without my coffee.”

  Gavin was grateful she decided to calm down instead of pick a bigger fight. “I wasn’t kidding about not having much left to my name, but if you pay the cab fare, I’ll spring for coffee and donuts before we get on the train.” He paused, wondering about that. “We are getting on a train, aren’t we?”

  Shelley nodded. “Yeah. My rental car’s not going to get us to D.C.”

  No kidding. “Do you think it’s smart to go to D.C.? When you tried to make me leave you, I thought you said they’d know that’s where we headed and I shouldn’t go there.”

  Shelley scooted closer to him on the bench seat and wrapped her arm around his waist. Though it surprised Gavin, he cradled his arm around her back and let her lean on his shoulder.

  “Thanks for not leaving me,” she said softly. “I haven’t been much help to you so far, but I’m glad you played hero today.”

  Her words left him warm throughout. Shelley was so assertive and in control, he was sure she didn’t often find herself thanking others.

  “You helped me last night,” he replied. “It seemed fair. Plus, it would be a waste to let that lovely body get shot by Stephen or Terrance.”

  She giggled. “Nice to know you have your priorities straight.”

  Though Gavin expected she would move away from him, Shelley snuggled closer as the cab finally started moving again.

  “I wish I knew how they found us so fast,” she said.

  “It’s not my fault.” Gavin shook his head. “I did exactly what you said to with my phone. Besides, I don’t think they even know who I am yet.”

  “I agree,” she said. “That means they either followed us from the opera, which I really don’t think happened, or they somehow found us through my phone.”

  “Or Nick’s.” Gavin hated to point out the obvious, but if this Paul guy was Nick’s sworn enemy or whatever, wouldn’t he look for ways to hack into Nick’s networking system? “If I were hiding from Nick, he’d be the person I’d hack.”

  “Which means I can’t contact anyone in the organization.” Shelley sighed. “Maybe President Sharp, himself, but I’m sure he’s much too busy to take a phone call from me.”

  Gavin wasn’t sure Shelley was right about that. President Sharp seemed to truly care about the people. He would want to do whatever needed done in order to protect everyone. At least, that’s how the media portrayed him. One could never be certain what the truth was.

  “What about your friend?” he asked. “The one working at FBI headquarters? If anyone’s phones are hacker proof, it would be theirs.”

  Shelley sat back up and stretched, dislodging a few pieces of glass from her dark hair. “Good point, but I can’t call her from my cell.” She turned and looked out the side window. “We’re almost to the station. I do have an idea where we can hide out until Nick can help us.”

  “Well, that’s a plus.” Gavin was glad Shelley knew where to go. He had nothing and nobody. Forget about just a lack of family—after Crystal was done with him, he didn’t even have friends who would help. “Where are we going?”

  Shelley visibly shuddered. “They say you can’t go home again.” She put her hand to her temple, looking like the headache she feared earlier had finally hit. “Unfortunately for us, that’s just where we’re going.”

  ***

  The woman at the Amtrak ticket counter handed change to Shelley, and then slid their tickets across the counter with their IDs on top. “Thank you, Miss Golden,” the lady said. “You and Mister Hart enjoy the trip.”
/>   Shelley turned around and led Gavin from the counter, handing him his ticket and ID. They had no problems buying tickets, and her dizziness was going away. Her shoulder still ached, but didn’t seem to be actually dislocated. At least a few things were going right.

  “Miss Golden?” Gavin raised his eyebrows. “That’s original.”

  Nick wouldn’t let her out of town without three different identities to chose from. Carlie would have been furious if he had. They all knew what a danger Paul still was.

  “When you know someone’s hunting you, you bring several IDs,” she explained with a shrug. “Unfortunately, Petunia Golden doesn’t have any credit cards. We need to go shopping before Shelley Daniels’ train to Washington D.C. leaves.”

  It was a clever idea, even if she said so herself. Shelley bought two tickets for D.C. using her current ID and credit card through the internet. That train left in a little over an hour. If they were tracking her now, Paul’s men would assume the diamond thief accompanied her on that train ride.

  In actuality, they used cash to buy tickets on Amtrak’s Vermonter train to Saint Albans, Vermont, which was the opposite direction. Shelley figured it was safe enough for Gavin to use his own identification. He was probably right. Chances that S.A.T.O. already knew who he was were small. Using his own identity, if they were stopped for a random security check, his ticket information would match his driver’s license.

  Gavin put his ticket and ID inside his wallet. “What if they figure things out and beat us to Saint Albans?”

  After stowing everything in her purse, she looped her arm through his and led the way to the large Kmart across the concourse. She’d heard they had clothing on the top level, and she and Gavin both needed a few shirts and fresh underclothes at the very least. Since Nick got her into this situation, he could pay the credit card bill later.

  “Don’t worry about Saint Albans,” she said as they walked into the store. “Even if they do somehow figure it out, we’re only going as far as Essex. That stop is about an hour earlier then they’ll expect us to get off the train. After that, we’ll catch a bus to my parents’ hometown. It’s about twenty-five minutes east of there. No one knows anything about my parents. They’ll never find us. We’re safe for now.”