Unknown Enemy (Love Inspired Suspense) Read online

  He shook his head and checked out the other window. “Doubtful.”

  “But...but you can’t stay here,” she said, stumbling over the words. That would be taking “within arm’s length” way too far.

  “Of course not.” He left the window and crossed the room toward her, the first hint of a smile she’d seen on his face nearly all day. It suited him, those hard edges softened and the crease in his forehead all but gone. “I want to think you’ll be unbothered tonight, but I’m not about to make another errant assumption after today. I thought I could get a step ahead of this guy.”

  “Or woman.”

  “Yes, or woman. But I didn’t. I made a mistake and you could have been seriously injured. I underestimated the intelligence of our opponent and the kind of reach this person has with their resources.” He paused, tension returning to his jaw. “I should know better.”

  “But how could you have? Your plan was solid. Even the police agreed to it. You couldn’t have anticipated what happened.”

  “Except that’s what I’m trained to do. I promise you, I won’t make that mistake again.”

  Judging by his expression, she believed him, but after today he probably needed a moment of rest as badly as she did. “Do you want a cup of tea before you go?” She hoped he’d take the hint one way or the other. “Since you can’t stay here.”

  Colin sighed, hard edges softening again. “Sure. It’ll give me time to consider the best way to keep an eye on you tonight.”

  Ginny set her electric kettle to boil, then pulled two tea bags from a tin on the counter. She set out two mugs, milk and sugar. After a minute, the kettle still hadn’t boiled yet. Well, she had a rack full of dishes to put away, so she might as well use the time to be productive.

  A chill slithered down her spine as she lifted a plate out of the dish rack. Shoved sideways in the space between her plates was another nondescript envelope. Here. In her home.

  “Colin?” She tried to keep the waver out of her voice, without success. “I found something.” Using a dishcloth, Ginny pulled the envelope out of the dish rack. It was the exact same size and color as the envelope that had arrived at the department office earlier that afternoon. A familiar label on the front listed her name only. No stamp, no return address, no other identifiers.

  Colin entered the kitchen just in time to catch her as her legs buckled. The exhaustion of the day combined with this violation in her own home was too much.

  “Easy there. Let’s get you to a chair before you hurt yourself.” Strong arms slipped around her waist and shoulders. She couldn’t even muster the energy to protest as Colin guided her to the couch and eased her down. “Want me to open it?”

  She choked back a wave of emotion in response, slid the edge of the dishcloth on her finger and under the envelope’s sealed flap to tear it open. Then, holding down the envelope with the hem of her shirt so as to not touch the paper, she used the cloth to slide out a piece of paper the same size and texture as the letter she’d received earlier today. As before, the words looked to have been punched onto the paper by typewriter keys striking the page.

  It appears you are a well-connected woman, Professor Anderson. While I do not appreciate your attempts to thwart the terms of our agreement, I do hope that my small gift this afternoon clarified the extent of my reach. Surely you understand there are consequences for every action. Should you attempt to set another trap for me and my associates, I shall turn it again in my favor.

  However, I am a generous individual and shall consider today’s events an effort at negotiation. I have significant resources at my disposal and shall present a counteroffer.

  Five hundred thousand dollars on the terms mentioned in my previous correspondence. You will collect the aforementioned documents and place them inside this envelope. Leave the envelope on the top of the soda machine located inside the west-facing doors of the Student Services building at four o’clock tomorrow afternoon. I assure you, no incendiary device will accost your personage should you follow these instructions. On this occasion, I advise you to forgo the protective muscle.

  As previously mentioned, tardiness is inadvisable. Negotiations are now complete. Idleness begets consequences, Professor. You would do the same for a petulant student. Consider me the teacher in this particular instance.

  Please refer to the enclosed for evidence of the particulars.

  “Efforts at negotiation?”

  Colin grimaced. “Sometimes I hate being right. This is a back-and-forth game for our opponent. They took the advantage today and they know it. Is there something else inside? What’s the enclosed evidence they talked about?”

  There was something else in the envelope, but Ginny couldn’t bring herself to reach inside again. She already felt dizzy, and the waves of exhaustion had returned. “Can you do it?”

  Colin took the dishcloth and the envelope, then turned it upside down. Two photographs tumbled from inside. The first, a photo of Colin and Ginny visiting Donna in the hospital a little over four hours ago. The second, a photo of Ginny’s apartment building. Her eighth-story apartment had been circled with red marker. Their opponent knew exactly where she lived and somehow had gotten inside her home to leave this here, sending a clear message: nowhere was safe.

  SEVEN

  “Pack whatever things you’ll need overnight,” Colin said. He slid the photos and the letter back into the envelope. “Do you have anyone you could call who might allow you to stay with them tonight?”

  Ginny blinked at him in bewilderment, complexion pale.

  “Ginny, we need to get you out of here tonight. It’s not safe. This individual knows exactly where your apartment is and found a way to access it. We already know they managed to steal keys from your department’s reception desk, so it’s not inconceivable that they’d manage the same thing here somehow. Is there a security system here? I can have the police request the footage from the manager—”

  He heard himself rambling and yet couldn’t seem to stop. Ginny’s blank expression unnerved him. “Ginny?”

  She blinked again. Her chest barely rose and fell with each breath. Alarm constricted his insides. She could be going into shock.

  “Stay with me, Virginia.” He took her limp hand, pressing her cold fingers between his own. She didn’t flinch or shy away, but did shift her gaze to him. Good. A response, at least. “I don’t want to stick around here any longer than necessary,” he told her. “Is there someplace you can stay overnight?”

  “No,” she whispered. “My family lives too far away. Maybe if there’s a dorm room available?”

  “Go pack. I’ll figure it out.” Hotel it was. They’d have to drop by the police station first, and maybe someone there could recommend a safe place to put her up until this was over. A threat in her own home raised the stakes in a significant way. They knew how to get to Ginny and weren’t afraid to brag about it with photographic evidence.

  Intimidation and fear were strong, effective weapons. Good thing neither tactic worked on a fully trained agent of the Secret Service, active or not. No one deserved this kind of treatment while simply trying to do a job, regardless of whether the opposition disagreed with a policy, an action or perceived perspective. In fact, one of the reasons Colin had joined the Service in the first place had stemmed from a strong desire to protect those who had dedicated themselves to bettering the lives of others. Presidents, diplomats and now a young female college professor from this small Pennsylvania college.

  Ginny slipped off the couch in silence and returned a few moments later with a small duffel bag in hand. Her right shoulder sagged, and Colin felt like a bit of an idiot for not realizing that her shoulder had to also hurt from lugging the heavy tablets around all day. If only she’d been able to negotiate a better transportation arrangement—but from what she’d told him, even arranging to have them at all h
ad been difficult enough for Curator Wehbe.

  “Where are we going?” She looked over her shoulder at the apartment windows, frowning. “Are you sure it’s safe to leave?”

  Truthfully, he wasn’t convinced the person behind the letters and the attacks—or their lackeys—wouldn’t be waiting nearby to see what she’d do after receiving this new message, but staying here was not an option. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”

  She grimaced as he stepped forward to take the duffel bag from her grasp. He slung the strap over his head as she folded her arms across her stomach. “Promise all you want, Mr. Tapping, but if you don’t mind, I’m going to rely on God’s protection first.”

  Colin scoffed. “Does God have a gun? Can He shoot the bad guys?”

  The barest hint of a smile appeared on her lips, a brief flash of the Ginny he’d met earlier today. Had he really met her only last night...only twenty-four hours ago?

  “I never said that God didn’t send you to be that protection,” she said.

  If Ginny was relying on him to be her God-sent protection, well, where had He been two years ago when Lynn Gustav had done the same?

  * * *

  Ginny followed Colin into the hallway, grateful that he’d taken the burden of the duffel bag for her. Her nerves were on edge, causing a strange floating sensation thanks to the combination of exhaustion and adrenaline. She’d also barely eaten anything all day due to the nonstop rush from one place to another, and her empty stomach made her feel nauseated.

  “Stay behind me,” Colin instructed. He walked forward with his gun drawn and pointed down at the floor. “Once we reach the stairwell, we move quickly and quietly. Go fast, but also listen for any noises out of place.”

  She swallowed a wave of anxiety and followed in silence. As they entered the stairwell, he glanced back and nodded at her, a gesture that she returned. She was ready to get out of here and find someplace to rest. If anyone could get her out safely, he could. Had God brought Colin to her life to do just that? Navigating all of this on her own today would have been impossible. She’d probably be in the hospital right next to Donna if he hadn’t been around. She remained amazed at Colin’s determination and willingness to protect her today without a single complaint or ounce of hesitation.

  Certainly instinct and training were the only reasons. After all, he’d looked far too surprised when he’d accidentally touched her ruined cheek last night, and she’d seen that look before. She’d dated several nice guys over the years who’d seemed like gentlemen and who’d told her she was beautiful. She hadn’t realized they were so shallow and rude until she’d fallen for them and decided she could trust them. Each time, when she’d finally pulled back the hair that covered her injury, those guys had flinched and given her a tight smile. Everything’s fine, they’d said. You’re still lovely. I can get used to it. As though her injury wasn’t a part of her. As though it was some kind of hurdle to get over rather than accept.

  She wasn’t willing to go through that again. It hurt too much, and in any case, she and Colin were colleagues. She couldn’t allow herself to think of him as anything beyond the protector role he’d slipped into on her behalf.

  They traversed the first five flights of stairs without incident, but when Colin froze on the third-floor landing, Ginny bumped into his shoulder. “Sorry,” she whispered.

  He shook his head and tapped his ear. Ginny strained to hear anything unusual, but couldn’t make out any sound over the thud of her own heart.

  And then she did hear it. A click, like the latch of a door catching. Followed by more silence. Colin pointed above them, then motioned for her to get in front of him. He leaned in so close she felt the heat of his breath as he whispered one word.

  “Run.”

  Her blood turned cold as she gripped the handrails and half ran, half slid down the next flight of steps, a second wind of adrenaline pumping through her veins. She felt Colin’s presence right behind her and heard a tap of feet on stairs high above them.

  Ginny slammed the door open to the parking garage’s ground floor, then veered right to run out of the garage and toward Colin’s car as planned, but Colin’s hand clamped around her forearm and pulled her toward her hatchback.

  “Yours is closer,” he explained. “Dig out those keys and let’s go. I’ll drive.”

  “I can drive,” she protested, pawing through her small purse for her key ring.

  Colin plucked the keys from her hand as she held them aloft. “I want you to get in the back and lie down.”

  He climbed into the driver’s seat and she followed his instructions. “Why am I doing this?”

  “Hang on. You secure back there?” Colin threw the car into Reverse as she clicked her seat belt shut. “Whoever’s after you knows what your car looks like, remember? Sitting up here or driving will make you a target.”

  She peeked over the edge of the passenger window as Colin accelerated out of the parking garage and down the driveway. No one had come through the stairwell door yet, but what if they did? What if they were armed?

  What if it had only been another building resident deciding to take the stairs as a health-conscious option and they’d been overreacting about the whole thing?

  As Colin pulled out onto the road, Ginny saw a brief flash of light from the bushes half a block away. “Did you see that?”

  “We’re being watched,” Colin said. He yanked on the steering wheel and pulled a U-turn, heading away from the flash of light.

  “What do you think that was?” Ginny tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

  “A reflection. Binoculars or some other kind of scope.”

  Ginny heard the hesitation in his voice as he kept glancing in the rearview mirror. She got the impression that if she hadn’t been in the car with him, he’d have driven toward the flash of light rather than away from it. Worry gnawed at her stomach as they drove, the adrenaline of the past few minutes beginning to wear off.

  “Colin, I don’t understand what’s going on. Why do these people want my work? Why do they think I’d give it up for any amount of money?”

  “There are some people in this world who believe...no, scratch that.” He banged his hand against the steering wheel before continuing. “Everyone has a price, Ginny. The right amount hasn’t been offered yet, but these people are trying to give it to you. No, hold on. Just listen. If someone offered you five million dollars, you might think differently, right? But the fact is that this money they’re offering, and any subsequent offer, has come with a threat attached.”

  “I don’t follow.”

  “Honestly, if there’d been no threat? No attempted kidnapping, no grenade? Truthfully, I might tell you to consider the offer. That’s a lot of money on a part-timer’s salary. Under different circumstances, you might be able to negotiate a great deal for your and their rights to your future work, but with all this baggage attached, there’s more at stake than purely losing your research. We’re going to take this letter and photo to the police together and figure out where to go from there.”

  Ginny pushed herself up to a more comfortable seated position, resting her head in the sling of the seat belt cross-strap. “It’s the why that I don’t get. Why me? Why my work? There’s no real value here beyond knowledge, and there’s no opposition to the work that I know of. I mean, the Amaran government sent a representative to help oversee my work, and if I find the right location for this summer palace, we’re talking a massive tourism boost. Once it’s dug up, of course, but the long-term benefits will be extensive for such a small country.”

  “Then we need to look elsewhere. Find out who could benefit from your research being halted before this goes any further.”

  Ginny laughed without humor. “Then we’d better get on it. The second drop is tomorrow afternoon, right? We can’t try the same thing aga
in and they know it. What if they get ahead of us tomorrow, too?”

  Colin’s jaw tightened and Ginny finally saw the etched lines of weariness around his eyes. The day had taken a toll on him, too. She hoped they’d both be able to get some rest tonight, because tomorrow wasn’t shaping up to be much better.

  He sighed and glanced at her in the mirror, her throat closing with anxiety at his answer. “I honestly have no idea, Ginny. And that’s what I’m afraid to find out.”

  EIGHT

  Colin’s first stop had to be the police station, where Ginny could hand over the letter and photos and give a statement. The woman looked dead on her feet. Getting her to a place where she could rest was a priority, but first he needed to talk to someone with authority on the local police force. He’d established a good relationship with the local cops so far, but if the goodwill didn’t extend upward, the dicier the situation became, the more difficult it’d be to keep Ginny safe.

  The receptionist led him and Ginny to a side room with mismatched chairs and a cozy-looking couch. Ginny sank into it as Colin poured them both cups of coffee from a pot set up outside the door. She gratefully accepted the mug and dumped three packets of sugar into it without hesitation.

  Several minutes and a half-empty coffee mug later, the police chief entered the room, easily identified as such by his uniform.

  “Chief Walter Black,” the man said. “You’re Colin Tapping, I presume?”

  Colin nodded and tried to match the chief’s tone. “Correct. Former Secret Service, Counter Assault Team and Presidential Protective Detail. Marine before that.” He didn’t intend to brag by listing credentials, but the chief needed to know he could have confidence in Colin. “With me is Professor Virginia Anderson, the woman who’s kind of had a rough day.”

  “Bit of an understatement, I’d say. My boys have told me all about you, Tapping. There’s been some buzz around the office about your position up at the college. What brings you to our small town?”