Colby Agency, Chicago
Monday, January 20, 7:45 a.m.
"Victoria."
Victoria Colby-Camp looked up from the Monday-morning
briefing agenda she had prepared and smiled for the
investigator waiting in her open door. "Good morning,
Nicole. Did you have a nice weekend?"
Nicole Reed-Michaels moved across the office and settled
into a chair in front of Victoria's desk. "I did,
indeed." Nicole's lips slid into a pleasant upward tilt.
"Ian and I discussed the possibility of a vacation this
year." Her gaze searched Victoria's. "One that
doesn't include the children."
"Ah," Victoria said, understanding now, "a
second honeymoon." Ian and Nicole had been married for
nine years. Two children, both school age, and their work
had been the couple's focus for nearly a decade. It was past
time the two took some alone time for themselves. Victoria
was more than a little pleased to learn this news. "No
one deserves it more." She didn't have to say that she
knew this from experience. Victoria had long denied her own
needs for her work and her family. "That's excellent
news. Do you have a particular destination or time frame in
mind?"
Nicole relaxed fully into her chair. Before coming to work
at the Colby Agency she had served with the Federal Bureau
of Investigation. No one should be fooled by her silky blond
hair or that tall, runway physique. Nicole Reed-Michaels was
not only extremely intelligent, but she was also an expert
marksman and she knew how to take down an assailant with her
bare hands. She was one of the agency's very best
investigators. Not to mention she was married to Ian
Michaels, Victoria's longtime second-in-command.
Another of those warm smiles appeared, emphasizing the tiny
laugh lines that were the only indicators of age on Nicole's
otherwise flawless face. "The Caribbean, I think. We're
still discussing when and for how long."
"Two weeks," Victoria suggested, "at least."
Before long she and Lucas would need to take a nice,
indulgent vacation. They'd celebrated their sixth
anniversary recently. It was time.
Last summer Victoria's son, Jim, had taken an exciting
vacation to Africa with his wife, Tasha. It seemed everyone
was taking vacations… except Victoria.
Yes, it was well past time.
A stifled scream echoed beyond Victoria's open door, hauling
her attention there. Both she and Nicole were on their feet
immediately.
"What was that?" Nicole whirled toward the sound.
Before Victoria could round her desk, Mildred burst into the
office. "You've forgotten your salon appointment,"
she urged Victoria. "You must go
now!" Her
eyes were wide with fear.
Nicole and Victoria's gazes met briefly even as they rushed
across the room.
Both knew what that seemingly silly phrase meant.
Danger had descended upon the Colby Agency. Victoria had to
leave via the stairwell next to her office.
Now.
But what about Nicole? Mildred? And the others?
"Go," Nicole reaffirmed as she paused in the
doorway. "I'll take care of things here."
Victoria hesitated.
"Go," Mildred repeated.
Fear expanded in Victoria's throat even as her heart
threatened to rupture from her chest. She hurried through
the small private lobby where Mildred greeted Victoria's
appointments, opened the door to the stairwell in the narrow
corridor beyond and flung herself through it.
Dear God. How could she leave everyone else behind? She
should go back… assess the threat.
What was happening?
Don't think, Victoria ordered.
Go!
Her staff would need her to get through this. She couldn't
help anyone with whatever situation was unfolding if she
allowed herself to be overtaken. Whatever was going
on…she had to escape.
Victoria hurried downward as fast as she dared. She ticked
off a mental list of what she would do as soon as she was
clear of the building.
Call Ian. He was off duty today. Having just completed an
assignment, he had the mandatory forty-eight hours off.
Of course she would call Lucas. He had arrived home only
last night from a four-daylong business trip to D.C. An hour
ago she'd left him poring over the newspaper and drinking
coffee. He might even be on his way here by now. He usually
dropped by the agency every day that he was home.
And Jim. Dear God, she had to call her son.
Then the police.
Victoria couldn't be sure if Mildred had had time to
activate the silent alarm system that would notify the
authorities.
The agency's security system was state-of-the-art. As was
the entire building's for that matter. Why hadn't the
security guards alerted her to the threat? Both men had been
at their posts in the lobby when she arrived half an hour ago.
"Good morning, ma'am."
Victoria drew up short as she reached the landing on the
second floor. Only one more floor to go… but she
wouldn't make it.
Dread congealed in her stomach.
The man dressed in black, including a ski-type mask to keep
his face hidden, held a weapon aimed directly at her chest.
"We should return to your office, Mrs. Colby-Camp,"
he said quite cordially. "I'd hate for you to miss the
opening act of the show."
Fury whipped through Victoria, taming her fear and
stiffening her spine. "What the hell do you want?"
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves now." He gestured
with the weapon for her to get moving. "Back up the
stairs, ma'am."
Determination instantly replaced the dread, fueling the fury
building inside her. "Not until you tell me what you
want and who you are."
The evil bastard had the gall to laugh. "You've been in
this business a long time, Victoria. I'm certain you've been
faced with all kinds of situations and all sorts of
people." Those vile lips split into a grin. "I'll
bet that on occasion you've even run in to someone you
really wish you hadn't messed with…." His gaze
bored into hers, relaying just how little he cared whether
she lived or died. "Well, that someone is me."
7:57 a.m.
He was going to be late this morning.
Slade Convoy didn't actually have to be at work today, but
the excitement of closing another case had to be shared. And
no one understood that better than his colleagues at the
Colby Agency.
His last case had been a tough one. A missing child and
dysfunctional parents. The agency had been contacted by the
child's paternal grandparents. Seven days missing, the child
was presumed by many to be dead. Slade himself had had his
doubts about finding her alive.
A triumphant smile slid across his lips. But he'd found her,
very much alive. Right where her bipolar mother had hidden her.
The child was back with her father under the supervision of
loving grandparents. All was right in their world once more.
The story had to be shared. He had to bask in the glory of
victory with the folks who had become his family. The only
family he'd ever had, really.
Slade shook off the ugly thoughts and focused on maneuvering
the Magnificent Mile. As a kid he'd never imagined that one
day he would work in the area. He'd considered himself lucky
to have a decent meal before bedtime each night.
Life was good… now.
He appreciated every single moment.
His cell vibrated as he slowed for a traffic signal. He
tucked his fingers into his pocket and fished out the phone.
He glanced at the screen and immediately recognized Ian
Michaels's number. Ian was his boss. One of them anyway. Ian
and Simon Ruhl were at the top of the Colby Agency food
chain. Victoria ran the show, but never without the input of
those two.
Slade slid the phone open. "What's up?" Strange,
Slade thought, that Ian would call at this hour. Ian had
bragged that today he intended to do something special with
his kids.
"We have a situation."
Ian Michaels wasn't one to mince words and his tone was
always calm and reserved. The man never lost his cool. Never
raised his voice. And never, ever backed down or sugarcoated
anything. He was about as soft as an eight-pound
sledgehammer. But Slade could tell from Ian's tone something
was wrong.
Slade shifted his foot to the accelerator as the light
changed to green. Whatever the situation, it was bad. Very bad.
"A situation?" Slade returned.
"Meet me at Maggie's across the street from the agency.
I'll be waiting on the second floor."
"I'm close. Be there in a sec," Slade assured him.
The connection ended so he slid the phone closed and tucked
it back into the pocket of his jeans as he scouted for a
parking slot on a side street. Maggie's Coffee House had
once been a ritzy restaurant that had slowly shifted focus
over the years to become a street-level café. The
second floor of the artsy coffeehouse that had once been a
private dining room was now used mainly for storage.
Why the hell would Ian be waiting there?
After parking his four-wheel-drive truck, Slade double-timed
it up the sidewalk toward the front entrance of Maggie's. He
hesitated when he saw a familiar face heading in the same
direction from the street.
"Lucas?"
Lucas Camp stopped, one hand on the door leading into
Maggie's. "Convoy," the older man acknowledged,
obviously not surprised.
This was getting more bizarre by the moment. Lucas was
Victoria's husband, but he wasn't on the staff of the Colby
Agency. Slade hustled over to the door. "What's going
on?"
Lucas shook his head. "I don't know the details yet. Ian
asked that I meet him here ASAP." A glimpse of worry
flashed in the man's eyes before he moved forward, leading
the way through the door. At the hostess's questioning look,
Lucas gestured toward the stairs beyond the serving counter.
She nodded as if she understood exactly what was going on.
Slade sure as hell wished he knew what was going on as he
climbed the stairs behind Lucas. Well into his sixties,
Lucas was damned fit, but he'd lost a leg in a long-ago war
and the prosthesis he wore slowed him down a bit. But Lucas
Camp didn't need any sympathy from Slade or anyone else. The
man could be lethal when the need arose. He'd worked
numerous deep-cover operations with the CIA for years. Even
since retiring he still returned to D.C. monthly to advise
the agency on the best way to conduct upcoming operations.
On the second floor, the big single room was cluttered with
boxes of paper goods. Across the room near the windows
overlooking the Mag Mile, Ian Michaels waited. He turned to
face the new arrivals and there was no mistaking the grim
expression he wore.
Whatever was going down, it was bad.
"What's going on, Ian?" Lucas demanded as he and
Slade weaved their way through the stacks of boxes.
"Jim is on his way," Ian advised, avoiding a direct
answer to the question.
Slade stared at the building across the street as he neared
Ian's position. His gaze zeroed in on the windows of the
floor where the Colby Agency suite of offices should have
been buzzing with activity. It was Monday morning after all.
From the outside the situation appeared to be like any other
snowy January day. No smoke billowing, no shattered glass,
no official emergency vehicles in the vicinity of the
building. What could be wrong?
"That's good," Lucas said in response to Ian's
statement regarding Jim, "but that doesn't answer my
question."
Ian shifted his attention to the windows of the Colby Agency
offices Slade still surveyed. "At seven forty-five this
morning, a group of armed men dressed as SWAT agents laid
siege to the agency and everyone inside."
"That's…crazy…." A chill penetrated
deep into Slade's bones. Mondays were early days. The weekly
briefing. Not only was Victoria—Lucas's wife and the
head of the agency—in there, but so was every single
member of the staff except for Slade and Ian…
including Ian's wife, Nicole.
"How many men?" Lucas asked the question before
Slade could gather his wits and utter the same.
With an uncharacteristic shake of his head, Ian turned once
more to face them. "I don't know for certain. Nicole
managed to get a call through to my cell but she was cut off
before…" He swallowed with difficulty.
"Before she could fully assess the situation. She
mentioned five, then seven. But there could be more."
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