Under the Marshal's Protection

“There’s probably a bottle in the bathroom medicine cabinet, if they didn’t ruin that, too.”

“Sounds good. I’ll check it out.” He left her and returned a few moments later with two aspirin and a glass of water. “Here. Take this.” In his other hand he carried a plastic quart-sized bag filled with ice, covered with a damp washcloth. He watched her swallow the medicine, then gingerly placed the ice pack on her wound.

Jessica’s eyes defiantly met his. “I’m still not going to answer your questions.”

Dominic shrugged. “That’s not my primary objective right now.”

“What is your primary objective?”

“Helping you.”

“Even if I refuse to help you?”

Dominic nodded. “Yes. Even if you refuse to help me.”

Jessica let that sink in. When did anyone ever do something for nothing? She wanted to believe him, even though she was rather skeptical. She looked closely at the U.S. Marshal. There was concern in his eyes, but there was no way she could trust the law enforcement officer before her. She leaned back and closed her own eyes for a moment, the ice soothing the throbbing pain.

She had to handle this problem on her own. That was the bottom line. There was no one else to lean on, and this U.S. Marshal was certainly no knight in shining armor come to rescue her from her problems. Somehow, she would figure all this out and find a way to fix it. She had to. She had no other choice.

The phone suddenly rang, and she started in surprise. It rang again and she jumped up, frantically looking for the cordless receiver. She had been carrying the phone around with her for days ever since Michael’s last call, but the events of the morning had thrown her out of her routine and she had to search to find where she had left the handset. She was so preoccupied that she didn’t even notice Dominic stand up and follow closely behind her.

“Hello?”

The voice on the other end was low and threatening, and even though she didn’t recognize it, it nonetheless sent a cold chill down her spine. “Jessica Blake?”

“Yes, this is Jessica.”

“How do you like your house?”

She took a deep breath and her hands started shaking. “What do you want?”

“We want what your brother took from us. We want our computer disk back.”

“What disk? I don’t have your disk,” she said forcefully, her voice tight. “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”

“It’s very simple. We want what your brother took from us.”

“I don’t know where my brother is, or anything about what he took from you.”

“Find it,” the sinister voice ordered. “Find your brother, and find the disk. You have three days. If you don’t return the disk, you’ll be dead, along with your brother.” There was a click, and Jessica knew she was alone on the line. Her ears started ringing and she felt incredibly light-headed. Her knees began to tremble and if Dominic hadn’t caught her, she would have crumpled to the ground.

He carried her back over to the chair and set her down gently. Her whole body felt cold despite the June heat, and he rubbed her hands in a soothing gesture. “So? Who was that on the phone that scared you so badly?”

Jessica met Dominic’s gaze, her own eyes rounded in fear and her breath coming in gasps. She shook her head, not knowing what she should do or say.

“Easy,” Dominic soothed. “Take a deep breath.” He demonstrated by exaggerating his breathing. She finally followed his lead and matched her breathing to his own. “That’s right. Take another deep breath. You’ll be okay in a minute or two. Deep breaths. That’s it.”

Jessica concentrated on calming down, but the task seemed impossible. She was gripping Dominic’s hands without even realizing it, and a numbing fear seemed to paralyze her. They were going to kill both Michael and her in three days if they didn’t get what they wanted. She didn’t doubt the caller’s words for one minute. There had been a coldness in his voice that gave truth to his words.

She finally looked down and noticed their entwined hands and weakly tried to push his away. She didn’t know this man, and in many ways, he seemed to be a threat to her as well. “You have to go now, Marshal. I need to be alone. I need time to think.”

“No way,” Dominic stated forcefully, clasping her hands and stilling their frantic motion. “You need to tell me what just happened on that phone call.”

“I can’t,” she said softly, her voice shaking. “I can’t tell you anything. Don’t you see? They’ll kill him, and they’ll kill me, too.”

“They’ll probably try to do that now anyway.” He squeezed her hands gently, but his stormy gray eyes were like steel. “You’ve just become a liability. These people don’t leave a trail, Ms. Blake. They’ll use you and dispose of you once you no longer serve their purpose. There’s a bigger picture here that you don’t understand. I can help you. The FBI and the Marshals have been going after these guys for a long time now. We know a lot about them and how they operate, but we can’t get them to stop without your help.” Their eyes locked and Jessica felt as if the deputy could see straight into her soul. “Trust me,” he pleaded quietly. “Let me help you, Ms. Blake. Please.”

Jessica tightened her own grip on his hands and gritted her teeth. One thing she was sure of, she couldn’t fight this threat on her own. It was too big, and she was going to need help. Men that killed on a whim were way out of her league.

She heard a small voice in her heart. Come back to Me. Let Me help you. She sighed inwardly and resisted the voice. She wasn’t ready to let God back in her life. Not yet. The best she could do was grab hold of the hope that the marshal was offering.

“Promise me you’ll help me save Michael,” she whispered.

Dominic nodded. “I will do everything in my power to keep him alive.”

Jessica shut her eyes, trying to gather the courage to trust the man before her. “I don’t even know you,” she said, more to herself than to the deputy who was kneeling by the chair.

“I’m sorry there isn’t time for me to build your trust. I promise you, though, that I will do everything I can to keep Michael alive, and I’m a man of my word.” He shifted, still not letting go of her hands. “Tell me about the phone call. Did you recognize the voice?”

Jessica shook her head, plunging ahead before she had time to really think and reconsider her actions. All the doubt and misgivings seemed to suddenly disappear as she opened her eyes and looked forcefully at the marshal. She was scared, and at the moment, Dominic seemed like her only option. She didn’t really have a choice; not if she wanted to stay alive. “No. It was a deep male voice, that’s about all I can tell you. He took credit for the damage to my house. Then he said that he wanted me to find some sort of computer disk. He said I had three days, and if I didn’t give the disk back, then he would kill me and Michael, too.” She swallowed convulsively. “I believe him. He’ll come after us if I can’t give him what he wants.”

Dominic nodded. “Did he say anything else?”

“No, he just wants that disk.” She locked eyes with Dominic. “What’s on that disk?”

“Everything we need to convict the major players in a counterfeiting scheme, we hope.” He gently squeezed her hands. “Ms. Blake, please tell me the truth. Do you know where Michael is?” He met her eyes with his own, probing.

Jessica bit her bottom lip. She needed this man’s help. Michael needed his help. She had to trust someone. She took a deep breath and pressed forward, knowing full well that there was no going back once she had stepped over the line. “Michael called me a few days ago and told me that he was in serious trouble. He didn’t go into details, but he asked me for help. We got cut off before we could finish our conversation. He sounded desperate, and I’ve been really worried about him ever since.” She paused and looked away, then a moment later brought her eyes back to meet Dominic’s once again. “I don’t know where he is, but I have a cell phone number for him. I got the impression from some of the things he said that he’s in the Tallahassee area, but I’m not sure. In the past, if I needed to contact him, I left him a message on his cell and he would always call me back, usually within an hour or so. Since I got that last call from him though, I’ve left a message every day, but he still hasn’t called me back. I don’t know what to think.”

Dominic stood. “Does he normally call you back at your home number or on a cell?”

“Could be either, but I keep the cell charged and with me at all times, just in case.”

“Good. Pack a bag. You’re coming with me, and bring that cell phone and a charger with you.”

Jessica stood, confused. “Where are we going?”

“To a safe house. I’m not taking any chances with you. Once you’re protected, we’ll have you call Michael with a frantic message of your own. When he calls, we’ll use our equipment to trace his call and discover his location.”

“You’re not going to hurt him, are you?”

Dominic grimaced. “I don’t want to hurt him, Ms. Blake, and neither do the people I work with, but he will be arrested. Michael is a fugitive, and it’s my job to bring him in. Does he carry a gun?”

“He was carrying a pistol like yours the last time I saw him, but that was a long time ago. He’s always liked hunting and is pretty good with a rifle.” She came up to Dominic, stopping only inches away, and gave him a beseeching look. “I want to be with you when you arrest him. I want to make sure he’s okay.”

Dominic immediately shook his head. “That’s not how it’s done, Ms. Blake. You could get hurt or caught in the middle.”

Jessica’s eyes narrowed. “Then I’m not calling him,” she said defiantly. “You need to meet my terms, Deputy. I have to be there. That’s all there is to it.”

“You’re pushing too hard, Ms. Blake. I can let you talk to him after we have him in custody. That’s the best I can do.”

Jessica clenched her fists. “He’s my brother,” she said icily, her voice filled with determination. “If you can’t meet my terms, then I’ll go it alone.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying,” Dominic said roughly. “You have no idea how unscrupulous your enemy really is. You don’t stand a chance without my help, and if you think about it, really think about it, you’ll know that I’m right. If you try going it alone, you’ll be dead in three days. That’s a guarantee.” He lowered his voice, his eyes intense. “You’re really not in a position to be demanding anything, Ms. Blake. But I work with a good group of deputies. We always do our best to make our arrests in the safest way possible, for the suspect and for the deputies. I told you I’m a man of my word, and I meant it. I give you my word that we’ll be as easy on him as we can. Our goal is to have him testify against Coastal. That company has been distributing counterfeit medicine on a huge scale, and from what we know so far, Michael was right in the thick of it. We want him on our side.”

Jessica’s eyes rounded. “What if he won’t agree to go on your side?”

“Then he’ll end up in prison, but at least he won’t disappear without a trace or be murdered in the street. You’ll know he’s alive.”

Jessica knew Dominic was right, but that didn’t make it any easier to accept what he was saying. Oh, what she would give to start this day over! She looked into his stormy gray eyes and saw strength and professionalism, and she knew down deep that her choices were few. She sighed.

“All right, Marshal. I’ll pack a bag.” She grimaced, the full impact of his words weighing heavy on her mind. “How long should I plan on being away from my house?”

“Figure four or five days or so for now. If we need to, we’ll find a washing machine somewhere.” Dominic stepped back, looking relieved that she had agreed to work with him. He stood over her shoulder, watching her pack a duffle bag as if he expected her to change her mind at any moment and run. Well, if that was what he expected, he was in for a surprise. If the marshal was going to bring her brother in, then she wasn’t going to let anything stop her from being by his side when it happened. Michael was going to live through this. She’d make sure of it.

And she’d work with whoever she had to in order to make it happen.

THREE

“So where is this safe house of yours?” Jessica asked quietly. Dominic was relieved to hear her speak. They had been driving for almost twenty minutes, but she hadn’t said a word since they left her house. Her hands had been constantly in motion, however, and he’d seen her move a small, silver ring from finger to finger at least a dozen times.

“We’re almost there,” he assured her. “And in case you’re wondering, you’re doing the right thing.”

She glanced out the window again, then turned and looked thoughtfully at the deputy. “I hope you’re right.” She bit her bottom lip. “What do you know about Michael? Tell me more about what he’s gotten himself into.”

Dominic straightened. “The charges against him are interstate counterfeiting medicine and conspiracy.”

Jessica sighed heavily. “And you said all this happened in Atlanta?”

“That’s right.” Jessica winced and touched the sore on her head again. “But you said you were a U.S. Marshal. Why is a marshal interested in Michael? I thought you guys took care of the witness protection program and courthouse security, that kind of thing.”

Dominic nodded. “We do those things, but we also collaborate with the FBI and other governmental agencies on certain cases and track down interstate fugitives. Michael was able to arrange a bond, but then he disappeared. We want him back.”

“Well, what does counterfeiting medicine actually mean? I’ve never heard of that type of crime.”

“It can mean a lot of different things. In this case, Michael has been working for a pharmaceutical company named Coastal Pharmaceuticals for about the last two years. Coastal owns several pharmacies in and around Atlanta, but they are also one of the major distributors in the business, and they supply medicines throughout the eastern seaboard. Apparently someone at Coastal has been diluting medicines, repackaging them and then selling the new bottles for profit.”

“And the FBI thinks Michael is responsible?”

“If he isn’t, then he knows who is,” Dominic answered, his tone matter-of-fact. The district attorney had indicted four men in the Coastal case. Their first arrest had been Don Levine, a former Coastal employee, and when squeezed, Levine had pointed to Michael, Ross Kelley, who was Coastal’s CEO, and Jeff Martin, Kelley’s right-hand man, as the three other conspirators. A few days after the indictments had been handed down, Levine had been viciously murdered. Although the marshals didn’t suspect Michael for the murder, they did believe that he had been a major player in the counterfeiting, just as Levine had suggested. The district attorney had leaned heavily on Levine’s testimony for the indictments, and without him, the AG wasn’t sure he could convict the other players. When Michael had been arrested, he had refused to talk to the feds, but when he had disappeared after he had bonded out of jail, rumor had it that he had disappeared with a computer disk filled with scans of paperwork that laid out the whole operation. That same disk and Michael’s testimony could very well be the proof the FBI needed to reestablish their case and break up the counterfeiting ring once and for all.

Jessica shifted, frowning. “But Michael could be innocent, right?”

Dominic gave her a small smile at her hopeful tone. He could well understand why Michael’s sister would want to defend him. She loved her brother. It was as simple as that. “We’ll know for sure once we talk to him, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up.”

Jessica took a deep breath and wrung her hands. “Did anybody get hurt because of the bad medicine?” She stilled, waiting for his answer, looking incredibly afraid of what she would hear next.

“There was a boy who was hospitalized because of the switch, but so far, we’re not aware of any fatalities. We don’t know how much of the counterfeited medicine was distributed though, which is another reason why we need to talk to your brother. We need to find all of the diluted medicine that made it into the market before it does kill someone.”

Jessica sighed with relief, but seemed to still be reeling from the magnitude of what Michael had gotten himself into. She pulled the silver ring off of her right hand and slipped it on to her left. “I doubt my brother could pull something like this off all by himself.”

“I happen to agree with you, and so does the FBI, but like I said, we need to talk to Michael to discover the facts and find out the full extent of his involvement. We think Michael knows a lot of valuable information that could help us with our investigation of Coastal. He could very well end up being our key witness at trial if he cooperates.”

“I can’t believe he would be involved in something like this,” Jessica said quietly, then slumped in her seat as the full implication of the deputy’s words hit her. She closed her eyes and sighed heavily, then her eyes popped back open as a new thought occurred to her. “So why are you looking for him instead of a bail bondsman?”

Dominic shrugged. “The bondsman is probably looking for him too, but we do our own manhunts. Like I said, Michael could easily turn out to be the key witness in the investigation.”

She raised her eyebrow, obviously churning all of this new information over and over in her mind. “Coastal is a legitimate company, right?”

“It appears to be from the outside, but we need to talk to Michael to see just how far inside the conspiracy has spread. Right now, it seems like there are only a few major players that are actually involved with the counterfeiting and distribution.” He paused. “I know hearing all of this must be hard to swallow, but there is a lot more to it that I’m not at liberty to discuss.” Don Levine’s murder weighed heavily on Dominic’s mind. The marshals were convinced that Ross Kelley at Coastal was the mastermind behind the whole scheme, and that Kelley had ordered Levine’s death to protect himself once the counterfeited drugs had been discovered. If Kelley was silencing everyone who could testify against him, then Michael was definitely next on the list.

Dominic was also concerned about the mystery surrounding Levine’s murder. Levine had been under police protection, yet he had still been viciously killed. How had the murderer gotten past the security detail? The case was still being investigated, but no matter what the result, the bottom line was that they needed to find Michael fast, for his sake, and to save their case against Coastal.

Dominic let the silence ensue for a moment, then stopped at a red light and turned toward his passenger. “So when was the last time you saw Michael?”

Jessica looked up and narrowed her eyes, apparently acutely aware that he had finished answering her questions and was now ready with some of his own. “It’s been about a year, I guess.”

The light changed and Dominic turned his eyes back to the road. “That surprises me. I thought you two might be closer than that.”

“We used to be,” Jessica said softly. “Believe it or not, Michael started out as a really good kid.”

“What happened?” He knew a lot of Blake’s background from the file, but it couldn’t hurt to get his sister’s side of things. In fact, he might just learn something important about his quarry.

“What happened is that my parents both died in a terrible accident and I was left to raise Michael. I did my best to give him a Christian home with Christian values. But somewhere during his high school years, I must have messed it up. Michael got in with the wrong crowd and started changing. At first he was just staying out too late, but one thing led to another, and he barely managed to graduate. He became sullen and defiant, and the older he got, the less he included me in his life. Then a few days after his commencement, he packed up his car and moved away from Tallahassee. I’ve heard very little from him since.”

“How many times have you seen him since he moved out?”

Jessica sighed. “Only twice. He would never tell me much about his life or what was going on with him. Now I guess I know why.” She closed her eyes for a moment, then continued. “I wish I’d had some help, you know? Like an uncle or an aunt to go to for help when his life started to get off track.”

“You don’t have any extended family?” Dominic asked, even though he already knew the answer.

“No one.” She bit her bottom lip again and looked away. “Look, Michael has had his share of problems, but even when he turned sullen and secretive, I still always knew he had a good and gentle heart buried down deep inside.”

Dominic didn’t answer her, so she pressed on. “He’s not a bad man, Marshal. You probably hear that all the time, but it’s true. I know it in here.” She tapped her chest for emphasis. “He must have just gotten mixed up in something bad and not known how to get out of it. He would never hurt someone intentionally. It’s just not in him.”

Dominic still didn’t answer, and when she spoke again, her voice took on a desperate plea. “I don’t think Michael can survive in prison, even if he was involved with the counterfeiting. I’ve seen the news, and Hollywood is filled with horror stories of what goes on behind bars.” She paused for breath. “How long would he have to stay in prison if he gets convicted?”

“That all depends on the extent of his involvement and what he can testify to in court,” Dominic answered. “It also depends upon what information he has on that disk. It must be valuable or Coastal wouldn’t be going this far to retrieve it.” He glanced at his passenger and noticed the turmoil that was etched into her face. It was obvious that Michael was in way over his head, and all of a sudden, so was she. This went way beyond teaching history and social science to fifth graders. When she had gotten up this morning, it had probably just been a normal Wednesday. Now her whole life was in shambles and she was filled with fear for herself and her brother. He decided a diversion was in order, and he swung through a drive-thru at the first fast-food restaurant he came across.

“What would you like? Once we get to the safe house, it may be awhile before we can grab something else.”

She shook her head. “I’m not that hungry. I’m not even sure I can eat anything right now.”

Dominic nodded, understanding. Her stomach was probably tied up in knots with worry and stress. “Okay, how about just a chocolate milkshake? That will at least keep you from starving.” He gave her a grin, hoping to reassure her. What woman didn’t like chocolate?

She hesitated but finally nodded, and he ordered the food, then paid and passed her the shake. He watched her carefully as she took her first sip and had to admit that she was handling everything he had told her today with amazing strength. Despite her negative assessment of her parenting skills, by all accounts Jessica had done a great job of taking care of Michael after their parents had died. She was seven years older than her younger brother and had worked hard to meet his needs, keep a job and put herself through school to earn her degree. According to his research, she had been a fifth grade teacher at the local elementary school for a few years, and apparently she raised and trained horses on the side now and then to supplement her income. Everyone spoke highly of her, and even he found himself admiring her and her accomplishments. Her life could not have been easy. He bowed his head and said a short silent prayer, both for the food, and to ask God to help Jessica persevere, then drove away from the restaurant and continued on his way to the safe house.

They were a few miles down the road before Jessica spoke again.

“So you’re a praying man?”

Dominic nodded. “Yes, I’m a Christian. How about you?”

Jessica shrugged. “My parents took me to church when I was a kid, and I used to be really strong with my faith. After Michael started having problems, though, I pretty much fell away from it all. I ended up giving up on God since God seemed to have given up on Michael.”