Betrayal: A Rory Mack Steele Novel, #1

Chapter 1

HOLLY RAE BURNETTE had been tall, blonde and beautiful. Right now she was tall, blonde and a wet mess. Pushing the fingers of both hands through her hair, she pushed it straight back off her face and spit out brackish water. In an earlier time, like yesterday, she would have vomited at the thought of just being in contact with a swamp, let alone swallowing a gallon of it. Well, that was an exaggeration. She knew that. But still... .

Slogging her way out of the water, Holly wiped a hand under her nose. And promptly gagged. The smell of decaying vegetation and mud clung to her. Her shoes - brand new, black-suede Jimmy Choo pumps  - made a squishy sound with every step across the muddy bank. Her yellow dress clung to her shapely body like a shroud. And as she turned and sat hard on a fallen log, she felt like she was dead.

She knew she should move on. After all, she was being chased by the police. Well, make that the FBI. And probably Homeland Security. She glanced up into the sky, wondering if that would even include the United States Air Force. Shaking her head, Holly wondered what people did when they were 'on the run'. How did they survive? She was so used to using a credit card. Now she didn't have one. Then again, she knew from television shows and her job that the authorities could track her that way.

Tears of anguish burst forth and she put the heels of her hands on her eyes, trying to hold the tears back. Holly Rae Burnette wasn't cut out to be a fugitive from the law.

Chapter 2

Fox Hill, Maryland , USA

IT WAS LATE IN THE DAY, about an hour from sundown, when Rory Mack Steele steered the rental SUV along the narrow access road. Trees reached out and gently scraped the sides of the vehicle. Rory wondered how much he would have to pay to get the black vehicle repainted. Then again, Highlander Investigative Services, the family company would pay for it. A clearing appeared ahead and in a few minutes, he saw the cottage about one hundred yards away. The place was more a fancy, two-story log home than the type of simple, rustic family cottage he was more accustomed to seeing.

He was here on a case, hired by the family in Alexandria who owned the property. The youngest daughter had disappeared. The father, Zachary Stalder, was a high-powered attorney who was convinced his eighteen-year-old Kaelyn had run away with a young man by the name of Matthew Dupre. A young man he and his wife didn't approve of.

Two hundred feet away from the two-story log cottage, Rory came to a stop. His eagle eye had spotted a wet trail coming from the trees over on the left. It led right across the open space to the side of the house. Someone was here.

The double-car garage was over on the right side of the cottage. Through the small windows of the left garage door, he could see a large, dark vehicle. Stalder had told him they kept a Mercedes-Benz SUV up here to use on the property. That would be it. But Stalder had also told him his wife's car, an Audi sedan was missing and he assumed the daughter had taken it. So...if the daughter and her boyfriend were here, there would have to be a second vehicle parked in the other garage bay. Or somewhere nearby. But he couldn't see any evidence of another vehicle. So who was here?

Rory reached across to the glove box, dropped the door and took his Baby Eagle pistol from the shoulder holster inside. Slipping his 6-foot-two inch athletic frame out of the SUV, Rory knelt beside the vehicle, listening. The day was warm and birds chirped happily off in the trees. Moving low across the grass, he looked for some sign of a vehicle pushed into the trees somewhere around the property to hide it. But there was no sign of any tracks or bent or broken branches he could see. Reaching the left edge of the log cottage, Rory could see someone wet had moved to the side of the building and then headed towards the back. Staying low and below the window line, Rory moved cautiously towards the back, weapon up and ready. It was probably some vagrant looking for food and shelter but his old Canadian army training told him you always had to be ready for anything.

Reaching the back edge of the building, Rory knelt on one knee. There was still no evidence of a vehicle hidden in the tree line at the back on the far side of the huge swimming pool. There were a number of chairs and umbrella on this side of the pool as well as a BBQ island and outdoor fireplace. And on the angel stone surface were wet footprints heading to the back door. Slipping along the back, he stayed close to the wall of the building and soon saw someone had broken the glass in the back door. Checking the doorknob, he found the door was unlocked. Opening the door a crack, he listened. There were no sounds. Pulling the door open enough, he slipped through, closing it behind him quietly. Just above the smell of pine and redwood was the slight scent of rotting vegetation. Wet spots were faintly visible across the cork flooring. Moving low in the direction of the footprints, Rory checked behind furniture and inside a closet to clear any threat that might be hiding and waiting. Reaching the kitchen area off to the right, Rory heard a noise just down the hallway. It appeared to be coming from an open doorway up ahead on the right. Turning and taking a quick check in the kitchen, Rory felt safe enough to move ahead. Reaching the open doorway, he stood up and peered around the corner.

A woman was sitting on a chair in front of a desk and she was looking intently at something on a computer screen. In her hand was a can of beans and she dug into the can with a fork and shoveled a pile into her mouth. She was definitely hungry. And from the looks of her disheveled mess of blonde hair and yellow dress, she appeared homeless. But something told Rory she wasn't. The yellow dress and black shoes looked expensive and not that old. And from her profile, when she turned to take another forkful of beans, he could see she was beautiful and there was evidence of mascara streaks under her eyes. Not many homeless women dressed like that or put on expensive mascara when you woke up in your cardboard box bedroom.

Rory went on alert as the woman straightened in her chair. She put the back of her hand against her mouth, holding in a small cry of shock. With her full attention on the screen, it gave him his chance. Holding the pistol with the barrel up, Rory slipped into the room and moved towards her.

The woman must have seen his reflection on the computer screen because she whirled around in the swivel chair, tossing the can of beans backhanded, threw the fork and then kicked out with a yell.

Rory moved to the left, letting the can fly past. The fork bounced off his shoulder. Reaching down with his left, he caught her ankle in the air. He pulled hard and the woman flailed wildly, spreading her arms and her legs wide apart, fighting hard to maintain her balance and her spot on the chair.

But she couldn't and the woman was yanked off her perch. The chair tipped over on her as she landed hard on her back and hitting the back of her head on the floor. Her legs were high in the air and the yellow dress slipped high up her legs as she grunted in pain, her hands holding the back of her head.

Grabbing the bottom of the chair, Rory pulled it out of the way, reached down and flipped the woman over onto her stomach. Setting his handgun on the desk, he quickly pulled a set of plastic handcuffs he carried from a side pocket, forcefully pulled the still-stunned woman's hands together and zipped the white material tight around her wrists.

The woman swore at him and tried to free herself.

Pulling her dress down, Rory then grabbed an elbow and said, Sorry about that. Why don't we get you back on your feet?

Pulling a knee under her, the woman managed to stand with Rory's help, still spitting expletives at him.

Rory checked the yellow dress for pockets and then set the chair upright again and pulled it over, Sit.

The woman sat down hard, angry and sullen, No touching the merchandise.

I just touched your hips lightly. I can't chance you having a weapon you can use, Rory countered. Picking up the handgun from the desk, he looked at the computer screen. His eyebrows rose at what he saw. Looking at the woman he said, That looks like you on there.

The woman's demeanor changed. A worried look swept across her face and she said, I didn't do it. Honest, you have to believe me.

Chapter 3

RORY LOOKED BACK at the sensational headline on the computer screen. TERRORIST ON THE LOOSE. Kills Swat Team At Her Apartment. He shook his head. On the trip up here he had played music, preferring to relax, so he had missed whatever the sensational story was referring to. Underneath the woman's picture was the name: Holly Rae Burnette and Fugitive Sought. He scanned through the writings underneath.

I didn't do what they're saying I did, Holly said.

Rory continued scanning, using the mouse to scroll down the screen, Yeah. And there's an old saying: The jails are filled with people who didn't do it.

Holly's eyebrows knit together, "Well...I didn't...."

Glancing at her, Rory considered the disheveled appearance, You're with the NSA?

Holly shrugged, I just work in the commissary. I serve lunches and stuff. 

Uh-huh. It says here you're a computer network operator.

Looking over at the screen, Holly said, They said that? She shook her head, "They're not supposed to say anything like that. And I'm not supposed to...."

Straightening up, Rory rubbed his fingers against the dark stubble on his chin.  "So exactly how did you kill a Swat team?"

Holly's face screwed up in anguish and anger at the same time, I didn't do that. I didn't.

So why do they think you did?

Holly yelled, I - don't - know.

Nodding, Rory took a few seconds to think and then he pulled out his cell phone, Well, it's not my problem. He began punching in numbers, I'll just call 911 and get the FBI here. Then I can get on with what I'm here to do–

No. Please don't do that. They'll throw me in jail and I'll never get out–

Rory shrugged, So you go to trial and you prove your innocence–

No, Holly said as she shook her head, that won't happen. That's not how it works. I know. I know them. I know how the government works. Something is wrong here. Something is very, very, very wrong.

Okay, that's a lot of verys, Rory said as he placed the cell phone on the desk so why don't you tell me exactly what happened. And no lies this time.

Holly Rae Burnette looked conflicted. Her mind seemed to race through different options. Then she licked her lips and nodded, looking up earnestly into Rory' silver-blue eyes, Okay. I work for NSA headquarters at Fort Meade, Maryland. She glanced at the computer screen, I'm a...computer network operator. Although no one is supposed to know that. I'm not supposed to say that. Anyway... I was home at my apartment. It's my day off and...I got a call on my cell phone from my boyfriend, Nathan. He told me to leave my apartment and go across the street to the small coffee shop. That they had a report that some teenager was swatting me.

Swatting you?

Holly nodded, Yeah, yeah. Some stupid kids think it's smart to call 911 and trick them into sending a SWAT team to some innocent person's house.

Right. I've heard about it. A stupid Internet prank. Rory scratched the stubble on his chin again, How did your boyfriend know someone was swatting you?

Licking her lips, Holly said, He works at the NSA as well. He's...he's an intelligence analyst.

Okay. So a SWAT team showed up?

Tears of anguish filled Holly's eyes as she focused internally, Yeah. They did. I watched them from across the street. I figured, once it was all over and they didn't find anybody inside my apartment, we would all go back to normal. But... there... there was an explosion. It blew out several windows on the third floor. My apartment is towards the back of the building so... it must've been a powerful explosion.

Rory's narrowed his eyes as he listened, wondering about what kind of explosives have been used.

Holly continued, I heard after, on the radio, they said I had booby-trapped my apartment. That I had killed a number of them. Her voice trailed off in choking tears and she shook her head, No. I didn't do that. She looked up at Rory, My place wasn't booby-trapped. I swear.

How do you explain it, then?

I don't know. Maybe...the gas lines?  I have no idea. I didn't do it. I swear.

Rory watched her, wondering if what she was saying was true. Or was she trying to manipulate him? He ran a hand through his black hair, So how did you end up here?

Holly licked her lips, "I...I wandered out into the street after. I couldn't believe what had happened. Everything was chaos. That's when I got another call from Nathan. Before I could tell him what had happened, he told me to get in my car and drive away. That they were putting out an all points bulletin for me as a terrorist. A terrorist? Me? I told him no, that I was going to stay and talk to the police. In fact, I started walking over to the members of the SWAT team that was still outside. But he told me not to. My apartment is...was in the old neighborhood in the New Carrollton area, right near the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. Nathan told me to head to the Beltway Plaza Mall and he would meet me there. That we would get a lawyer before I turned myself in, to clear my name."

Okay.

But...when I got near the junction to take the Capital Beltway, the police were already blocking off the westbound route. So I took the ramp to the right and ended up going south. I was just in a panic. When I got near the junction of 495 and 4, there were police cars up ahead, watching. So I took Route 4 east and I just kept driving. I turned the radio on and listened to the news, hoping they would say it was a mistake–

Did your boyfriend call you again?

No. I turned the cell off. I knew they could track me that way. I figured I'd find a place and call him. Holly shrugged, But I just kept driving because I was afraid to stop. Then late in the day, I heard them say on the radio that someone had spotted me in Calvert Beach. I didn't even know where that was and then I saw a sign that said it was a place up ahead on the road.

Rory cocked his head.

"So I took a road off the highway and then I was on some back roads and then I saw a police cruiser parked alongside the road. After I passed, I saw his lights go on and he started chasing me. I drove as fast as I could but I realized he would eventually catch me. I saw a chance and I veered off the road at a curve, figuring I could hide in the trees. But as soon as the trees closed behind me, I went right into a swamp. I barely made it out of my car before it sank. Lucky the window was down and I could swim...."

The Battle Creek Swamp is all along the roads down here.

Yeah, well I didn't know it was there and I was trying to get away. I guess I just panicked.

Rory considered the woman's story.

Holly's eyes fluttered as she glanced up at him and then her voice was faint, You don't believe me, do you? She shook her head softly and looked down, I'm not sure I would believe me either.

He looked down at the shoes. They were ruined but there was no doubt they were an expensive purchase