“It’s good to see you,” Maya said. “Are you really turning yourself in?”
“I am. I made a promise to you and I’m keeping it.”
They stared at each other, Maya again conflicted. Eric had eluded arrest several times. The daughter in her wanted to tell him to go. Run. Get away. Then he wouldn’t serve time and she wouldn’t have to visit him in prison. That maybe somehow they could have a relationship and get to know each other in a different way that had nothing to do with criminals—especiallyAbigail Harper. She could know her father the person, not her father the fugitive.
The law enforcement side of her won out.
“I’m glad you’ve kept your promise,” she said. “But why now? And why here?”
“I’ve been looking into a case that I want resolved before I’m sitting behind bars,” Eric answered. “It has to do with Abigail, of course. Probably no surprise there.”
There was still a part of Maya that was hoping somehow Hope’s kidnapping was all coincidence. That some random strangers took her and just happened to be in the part of Colorado where Maya patrolled. Did Eric know about Hope yet?
Maya glanced at her phone. No call from Kessler. Abigail had to be locked up still. There was no way she could be out and yet if anyone could find a way out of federal lockup, it was Abigail.
“You’re right, no surprise about Abigail,” Maya said. “You’ve never told me much about my niece, Hope.”
Eric stared at her, his gaze intense, but also questioning. “I haven’t. What do you want to know?”
Maya pulled her phone out and brought up the picture, showing it to Eric. “I already know this is her. Do you by any chance know the people she’s with?”
“Oh my God... I do know them. They’re thugs from my town. Arrested them a few times. I knew it. My source in my old department told me that he thought Abigail was stirring things up in prison. I was hopingthat wasn’t true. I’m worried Abigail is going to escape and come here. Use Hope to get what she wants.”
“How are they connected to Abigail?” Maya fired back. She wanted her questions answered first. In some ways, she felt that Eric owed her that after everything they’d been through.
“I believe they’re on Abigail’s payroll. I don’t know for sure, but she did their last few arrests and suddenly they were out. Abigail’s planning something big. I can sense it. That’s why I decided to come today. I thought about looking for Hope on my own, but I don’t have the resources and I’ll admit, I’m getting tired of being on the run.”
Maya nodded, putting her phone away. She caught Eric up on the phone she and Juniper found along with talking with Nick. “This has to be Abigail. But why? Why now? What do you think she wants?”
Eric hooked his fingers in his jean pockets. He too, having been a cop, did this like he had a duty belt on. Cops didn’t like to cross their arms because they might need their hands free to defend themselves.
“Probably the case I’ve been looking into,” he answered. “This one was important to me personally. I felt like I needed to make things right before I went and rotted in a cell for however long. I thought if I could bring the truth to light and add one more charge to Abigail’s long list, it would mean she’d never get out. I have a feeling she found out I was asking questions. I should have known better. I still have sources within the department who I trust to not narc on me. She has lots of informants. Even without looking into this case,she would want revenge. No one ever told Abigail no, much less put her away. But I never thought she’d be so low as to take Hope. I figured she’d come after us and leave everyone else alone.”
“I want to hear more,” Maya said. “But before you tell me about the case, you never told me my brother was a marshal.”
“What can I say? The law enforcement gene runs strong in the family,” Eric said with a smile.
Pops cleared his throat. “I look forward to hearing more about Maya’s brother, but right now, I need to know about this case and about Hope. There’s a fire out there moving fast and it’s going to limit our response to finding her. I need to know anything you can tell me about this case and how it pertains to our missing girl.”
“Yes,” Eric said, sitting back down. “Time is of the essence. I’ll tell you what I know.”
Chapter Twelve
Abigail waited patiently, glad the women who were staring at her earlier had gone back to playing cards. She was certain they wouldn’t try anything until shift change when there were fewer staff. She’d closed her eyes and taken a short nap, still thinking about payback. She’d thought again about the fact she could walk out of here and go south. Forget seeking her revenge, but at this point, she didn’t care.
If she did that, then what? Sitting on a beach drinking a cocktail was only fun for so long. It would eventually become boring and she would only be thinking about how she was stuck in a foreign country on the run while Eric and Maya were able to live their lives wherever and however they wanted. She knew this much: she sure as hell wouldn’t rot in prison for the rest of her life. If she was going to escape, she wanted Eric and Maya to pay. Then she’d be able to relax on the beach and have a cabana boy bring her more drinks. But first, she couldn’t wait to see Eric’s face when she held a gun to his precious granddaughter’s head. That’s what he got for sticking his nose into things he shouldn’t.
She’d received confirmation from her outside source that he’d been talking to people and investigating a case that was personal to him—the death of a young officer. He was more involved than he wanted to admit. Probably felt guilty. There were active warrants out for his arrest, so she was amazed he’d been able to find out any information. Her partner had caught wind of it and let her know. That’s when she realized Eric was never going to stop until she had a life sentence or even the death penalty—unusual for federal crimes, but possible. If Eric could add this crime to her list of charges and she was convicted, she’d never be out and could get the needle. No one would do that to her.
No one.
As she sat there thinking, her phone buzzed. She had to be careful about checking it with these women watching her. They would probably love nothing more than to get the phone, use it for their own purposes and then turn her in. If that happened, she’d be moved back out of low security. She turned toward the window near her bed so that she was at an angle where she could reach into her bag and no one would see her.
The message made her smile.
Plan is in motion. We lucked out. Thompson already knows about Hope. The idiots who have her screwed up which is how Thompson found out, but she called Kessler. I’m in on the investigation too. See you soon. I love you and can’t wait to be with you.
Abigail stuffed the phone into her bra. She would need it to keep communication going with her partner. Other than that, she didn’t need anything else than to leave when the time came. Bright light suddenly hit her eyes through the window, making her turn back around. The angle of the sun had changed, indicating it was almost time for her to leave.
