Page 79 of Fatal Betrayal

"I spoke to Flynn a few minutes ago. He said they brought her in, but they don't believe she knows where her son is. Did Neil say anything else?"

"He said Larry's ex-wife dropped by to check on Claire but then made a point of asking if Larry was having an affair with a young blonde, maybe his nanny."

Andi's brows shot up in surprise. "Seriously? Larry and Kristine."

"Neil doesn't believe it's true, although he said Larry is a runner, too."

"I guess that's another angle to check, but it seems odd. Why would Larry's ex-wife even bring that up to Neil with everything else Neil is dealing with?"

"That didn't make sense to me, either." Pausing, he added, "This is quite the setup." He waved his hand toward the bank of monitors showing every angle of the house. "I wonder how often this place is used."

"Probably quite a bit."

He couldn't help noticing the gun on the desk beside her. "Do you think you're going to need that tonight?"

"I think I'd be a fool not to have it with me at all times," she returned.

"Maybe I should have one, too. Since we're together, and you're a target."

"Do you know how to shoot?"

"I do. I've gotten to be friends with a private investigator who has helped me with research, and he's taken me out to the range a few times. I can hold my own."

"Shooting at the range is very different than a real-life situation."

"I'm sure, but I still think I need a weapon."

"And I think we should talk about your involvement going forward."

"No," he said, cutting her off with a decisive shake of his head. "I'm in on this. I'm not walking away."

"Cooper—"

"Don't even bother. I'm not hiding out somewhere until this is over. I was in your house, too. I could have been killed. I want to catch the people who took Elisa and tried to kill us. I'll follow your lead. That's the only concession I'm making." He was suddenly distracted by a movement on one monitor. "Hey, what's that?"

Andi's gaze followed his to a shadowy figure approaching the back of the house. She jumped to her feet. "That is not good."

"Shit! There's one in the front, too," he said, tipping his head to the other monitor. A flash of light showed an armed figure with a hat pulled low over his head. "They can't get in, right? This is a fortress. We should call 911."

Before they could do that, they saw one of the figures punch in some numbers on the keypad by the front door.

"Dammit," Andi swore. "They have the code."

"How the hell would they have the code?"

She didn't answer, just grabbed her weapon and ran toward a door that he thought led to a closet. She put in another code and opened it, then waved him inside. As she slammed the door, he heard a hail of gunfire. Andi dropped to her knees, put in another code and pulled up a trapdoor. "Go," she said, steel in her eyes. "We have to get out of here now. We're out of time."

CHAPTEREIGHTEEN

"You first,"Cooper said, afraid she would stay behind to fight once he left. "You know the way."

As the gunfire got louder, Andi climbed onto the ladder and turned on the flashlight on her phone. She hurried down the rungs, and he followed, pulling the trapdoor closed behind him. They must have gone down twenty feet. He could hear bullets bouncing off the metal of the door leading into the closet. If there hadn't been an escape hatch, they'd already be dead, a fact that he couldn't even grasp at the moment. There was too much adrenaline running through his veins.

They hit the ground a moment later and made their way through a long, dark tunnel that seemed to go on forever. He kept waiting to hear someone coming after them. They reached another ladder, and this time, he wanted to go first.

"I've got this," he said, jumping in front of her. He climbed up to the top of the ladder, where he faced another lock. "Give me the code."

She rattled off six numbers, which he punched into the lock. It clicked open. "Before I push the door up, do you have any idea what we're walking into?"

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