Debra & Regan Webb & Black - To Honour And To Protect

“No marriage on record,” Thomas confirmed. “What we do know is that she turned over damning evidence and abruptly left town. She hasn’t been seen anywhere in just over two weeks.”

It didn’t make sense. Drew thought of the little boy, wondering if the kid belonged to Addison or Everett.

“The evidence Addison provided against Everett is excellent, but I think she knows more.”

“If the evidence is so great, why do you need more?”

Thomas sighed. “Because I was informed last night that Everett escaped during a transfer between facilities.”

Drew swore, unable to sit still any longer. He shifted in the chair, pushed a hand through his hair. “How’d you let that happen?”

“I didn’t.” The director’s voice went cold. “Reviewing everything we have, I’ve concluded Everett’s connections are too good. I believe Addison can confirm my suspicions and help me plug what must be a leak on the government side.”

Better and better, Drew thought, but he couldn’t get the image of Addison, scared and on the run, out of his mind. “What did Everett do?”

“Based on this initial evidence, he’s used his contacts among import-export businesses to start a sideline brokering deals for controlled software and hard intel on human assets in sensitive areas. We’re not yet sure if it started as his idea or—”

“She had nothing to do with that.”

“You sound sure.”

“I am.” No matter how she’d moved on with her life, Addison wasn’t a traitor. He could only imagine how angry she’d been to discover the secrets this Everett guy had been hiding.

“For the record, I agree with you.”

No surprise. Thomas would’ve done all the background research on everyone involved in what must be a fiasco from the government side. It wouldn’t take much legwork to look at Addison’s background and find her first near-miss marriage. He clenched his fist. Her fiancé would’ve heard all about her past without the hassle of gathering intel. “Why am I here?”

“As I said, she’s gone missing, and I think you’re just the man to find her.”

Would his past never stay buried? “I don’t know anything about her anymore.”

“Which is precisely the kind of advantage I’m looking for. No one on my team has found a trace of her since her BMW wound up in a used car lot in Arizona.”

Just because she’d been south and east of San Francisco didn’t mean she’d keep going that direction. “That leaves a lot of territory to cover. What about Everett?”

Thomas’s expression clouded over. “Also off the radar right now. He could very well be searching for Ms. Collins, too, planning to buy her off or to silence her.”

Drew understood which option was more likely. Addison had integrity in spades.

“My hope,” Thomas continued, “is that you can find her first and bring her in. I can protect her.”

Drew felt a hot lick of panic. This couldn’t be happening. “What do you expect me to do? What do I tell her?” He’d seen the fallen hero obituary in the scrapbook his father had created. He’d read the few letters Addison had written to his dad in the months following their interrupted wedding and his capture. “She thinks I’m dead.”

“I understand this is overwhelming,” Thomas said. “We have resources here. Why don’t you consider yourself a consultant? Give me a direction, some idea where she might be hiding, and help guide the team I send out to find her.”

If Drew’s gut instinct was right and Addison was heading to her home turf, Thomas’s team wouldn’t stand a chance. The woman he’d known, the woman he’d planned to marry, had always been ferociously independent and smart as a whip. If she was on the run and didn’t want to be found, there was only one place she’d go. And if anyone cornered her there, she’d strike first and ask for identification later.

“No.” Resigned, Drew accepted his fate. He couldn’t leave this to anyone else. Whether or not he was thrilled by the idea of seeing her again, he figured he was the only one with a chance of convincing her to come out of hiding. “I’ll find her.”

“That’s the best news I’ve had since they dumped this on my desk,” Thomas admitted.

“I’ll need gear.”

“We have the best.”

“I’ll need cash for a car and cell phone in addition to the travel expenses.”

Thomas pursed his lips. “Done.”

“I’ll find Addison, but I can’t promise to bring her in.” He cut off Thomas’s automatic protest. “We both know she won’t be safe until Everett and that leak are contained. She knows that, too. I’ll monitor the news and do my best, but don’t count on a quick resolution where she’s concerned.”

“Agreed.” Thomas pressed a button on his phone. “My assistant will show you downstairs. Take whatever you need to get the job done.”

“Yes, sir.” If he thought about timelines and proximity, he’d lose it. Reminding himself life was a day-to-day effort, he focused on the first step: gearing up.

The T-shirt, warm-up pants and sneakers weren’t going to hold up to what amounted to a manhunt through some difficult terrain.

Drew turned in his seat when the door opened and stood up as the receptionist returned. If he was right, if he still knew the woman at all, he’d soon be face-to-face with Addison. Surreal was a vast understatement. He couldn’t decide if he should be terrified or ecstatic at the prospect. He supposed her reaction would help him decide.

Chapter Three

Thomas pushed his chair away from his desk and stood, restless and uncertain about what he’d just set in motion.

Not so long ago he’d been given a second chance and reunited with the only woman he’d ever loved. His personal success should give him hope for Drew and Addison, but he couldn’t quite drum up that elusive emotion for this situation. Sending Drew to track down Addison could backfire. Not just for the two of them—three if he counted the little boy—but for the integrity of the operational mess he’d inherited.

It seemed more and more challenging lately to think of his Specialists as assets. They were all capable and strong people who, at the end of the day, were here as tools to be applied to specific purposes and operations. It was a particular trial when the people he assigned, like Drew, weren’t even part of his elite program.

Time to hand over the reins. He stared through his big office window, blind to the stunning view. A knock sounded at his door. “Come in,” he called without turning.

“I saw Bryant leave,” Deputy Director Emmett Holt said. “Did he agree to help?”

Thomas loosened his tie as he returned to his desk chair. There was no need to stand on formality with Holt, who understood all too well what was riding on this operation.

“He agreed.”

“But?” Holt sank into one of the visitors’ chairs opposite Thomas. “You look like you’ve eaten bad fish.”

“I feel a bit like that, to tell the truth. This could backfire. In a big way.”

“Were there other options?”

Thomas drummed his fingers on the supple leather arm of his chair. “No.” The whole reason they’d brought Drew into this was because Addison had disappeared. Completely. “But it’s a lot to ask.”

“He’ll manage.”

Thomas met Holt’s sharp gaze. “I meant her. Addison’s running for her life, for her son’s life, and we’re sending out a ghost to find her. She has no idea what happened—only that he never made it to their wedding.”

“Then I stand corrected.”

Thomas arched an eyebrow. “He won’t manage?”

“No. She will manage.”

It sounded like a magic-wand theory to Thomas’s ears, and that was one theory everyone in his line of work always rejected. “He’s not a trained Specialist.”