Fractured Memories (Badge of Honor #1)

Chapter 23

TWENTY-THREE

Rain beat a steady drum against the roof of the ancient truck as Felicity navigated the muddy dirt road leading to God knew where. The directions on the small piece of paper tucked in the visor were easy enough to follow, but it’d taken over thirty minutes to arrive at this remote location. If she’d been followed, it wasn’t obvious. She’d passed several gas stations along the way, and had been tempted to pull over and call Noah using someone else’s cell phone but resisted. The kidnapper could’ve placed a tracker on the vehicle. Felicity wouldn’t do anything to risk Harper’s life.

She prayed the note left on the desk back at the church was enough of a clue for Noah to follow. He was smart. So was Grady. They’d figure it out. The question was: how long would it take? Backup could be fifteen minutes away, or it could be hours before they put the pieces together.

Noah. Her heart ached thinking of him. Hours ago, he’d declared his love and shared his fears about losing another person he cared about. Felicity had no illusions about the danger she was walking into. The chances of making it out alive were slim to none. Her only saving grace was Harper’s survival. The kidnappers had taken the little girl to lure Felicity to this wooded property. Hopefully, once they had what they wanted, they’d let Harper go.

It was a long shot. A desperate move. But one Felicity had to take.

She wouldn’t be able to live with herself otherwise.

Tree branches scraped the sides of the truck as the overgrowth narrowed the muddy lane. The screeching sound tangled with Felicity’s frayed nerves. Her heart thundered against her rib cage. She tightened her hold on the wheel. “Lord, my life is in Your hands. Harper’s too. I pray You will help me protect this innocent child from further harm. Return her to Noah. He needs her.”

A strong sense of calm and purpose took hold of Felicity. She leaned into it. There was no room for doubt. Or fear. She would rescue Harper. That was all that mattered.

The trees parted, revealing a ramshackle farmhouse. Busted windows gaped like empty eye sockets. Overgrown vines clambered up the side of the broken front porch and onto the roof. A listing barn, faded by time and the changing weather, sat a short distance away.

A chill swept over Felicity. She killed the engine on the old truck but didn’t exit the vehicle. Thunder rumbled across the sky .

The place looked abandoned. Was Harper inside? It was possible the kidnappers held the girl in a different location. Felicity scanned the property, but there were no other vehicles on the premises. Maybe they were in the barn. Or hidden in the woods.

She flipped the slider for the interior cab light so it wouldn’t turn on when the door was opened and then scooted across the bench seat to the passenger side. Felicity slipped from the vehicle. She quietly closed the door and crept into the woods. She’d arrived on the premises. They’d know that if they were tracking her vehicle. But she wouldn’t surrender. Not without verifying Harper’s safety.

Rain instantly soaked her. It dribbled down her hair and into the collar of her shirt, icing her skin despite the humid air. Felicity palmed her weapon. She scooted along the edge of the trees, watching for any sign of life. Nothing stirred. What game were the kidnappers playing? Had they rigged the house to explode the moment she entered?

Fear shot straight through her core. The bomb at the bank had been a simple homemade device. Anyone with internet access and some materials from the local hardware store could’ve built it, which meant they could make more than one. The other option was that someone was hiding in the house, waiting for her to enter.

Indecision warred within her. Felicity moved to the rear of the house. The back door was missing, the interior pitch-black. She scanned the surrounding area one more time but didn’t have the sense someone was hiding and watching nearby. Felicity kept moving until she’d circled the house. Now it was time to peek inside the windows. If Harper was inside, hopefully she’d be visible.

The damp ground sucked at Felicity’s boots as she ran across the open space to the side of the house. The first set of windows led to the kitchen. Cabinet doors were missing and the ancient refrigerator hung open. She kept moving, keeping close to the building for protection, her senses on high alert for any signs of movement. Peeking in the next set of windows stopped her heart.

Harper. The little girl lay on the same beige carpeting as in the photos. Her curly hair had fallen from its previously neat ponytail and spilled around her face like a halo. Her eyes were closed. Drugged? Probably. With any luck, the sweet baby wouldn’t remember any of the kidnapping. There was no sign of blood on her small body. Something Felicity was grateful for.

Her instinct was to rush inside the room, but training kept her feet planted. Once more, she searched the surrounding area for anyone lurking nearby.

Nothing.

The glass in the window had broken a long time ago. Felicity shoved against the weathered wood. The sash slid up high enough for her to slip through. She quickly lifted her body onto the sill and then dropped into the room. Water dripped from her clothes onto the carpet, forming dark spots. Mold and some other scent she couldn’t identify swept across her nostrils. Felicity wanted to rush to Harper’s side, pick up the girl, and escape this horrible place .

Not yet. She adjusted the hold on her weapon, her gaze shooting to the hallway. With the sky darkened by the storm and the electricity in the house out, visibility was poor. She sensed another person’s presence. Her brain registered the strange scent she couldn’t initially place.

Cologne. A man’s cologne.

Where was he?

A closet was tucked along the far wall of the bedroom. The door was closed. Checking it would allow someone to sneak in from the hallway. Going to the hallway would give someone in the closet an opening. Either way, she couldn’t clear both without putting herself at risk. Her mind whipped through the options in half a heartbeat. There was only one choice.

She turned toward Harper. Felicity dropped to one knee and reached for the little girl’s wrist as if to check for a pulse. The air behind her shifted. Anticipating the attack, she whirled around as Daniel rushed her from the dark hallway. Felicity fired. Her bullet slammed into his center mass and he stumbled back, but no blood bloomed on his shirt. Instead, he swung wide with the baseball bat in his hands.

She ducked, but the weapon connected with her shoulder. Pain exploded in her body. The gun slipped from her numb fingers to the ground. Daniel kept coming. She barely dodged a second swing at her head. Felicity lowered her shoulder and rushed the man.

Her body collided with something unnaturally hard. A bulletproof vest. Felicity registered the protection even as her mind calculated the options available. Daniel growled as he grappled with her in an attempt to stay on his feet. His grip was bruising. The roar of her heartbeat filled her ears. Training and instinct took over. Felicity used her free hand to punch him square in the groin.

He let out an explicative and crumpled to the ground. She ripped the baseball bat from his hand.

The sound of a round chambering came from the doorway. Felicity whirled around, already raising the bat to defend herself. Her gaze locked on the handgun and then shot to the person holding it.

Kurtis Ferguson.

The sight was familiar. Memories poured through her mind in rapid succession, as if a key had twisted in the lock of an overflowing trunk. Dark rage clouded the edges of Felicity’s vision. “It was you. You killed Brooke.”