More Than a Mission - Caridad Pineiro [70]
“Same perp in the Hummer. Can you get the locals to put out an APB?”
“I’m on it. Do you need backup at the cottage?”
Aidan glanced at Elizabeth for a second, hesitated, but kept his earlier promise. “That’s a negative, Lucia. I think we can handle it for now.”
A long silence filled the air before Lucia came back on. “Aidan. You need to hurry. The shit’s hit the fan here.”
“Copy, Lucia.” With that, he popped the PDA back onto his belt and looked at Elizabeth.
Her gaze skipped away from his knowing one since there was no denying it any longer. Whoever was in the van was likely after her sister and had mistaken her for Dani. There could be only one explanation for why so many people were after her.
Cold settled inside her. And the fear that something else was wrong returned, even stronger than before. Aidan was still holding her hand, and he must have sensed the change that came over her.
“Lizzy? Are you okay?”
She finally met his gaze. His concern for her was clear. Heartwrenching since they were on opposite sides right now. “We have to hurry. Something’s wrong with Dani.”
He didn’t question her. Just inclined his head in the direction of the path down to the beach. “This way?”
She nodded and they raced down the path together, hands still joined.
Chapter 24
The cottage, its outline stark against the skyline at the top of the cliff, was not as large as Lizzy’s. Tall grasses almost hid it from sight as they approached, but then it was there, a lonely dark silhouette in the fading light of dusk.
There were no signs of life. No movement besides those of the grasses as they approached the door.
Aidan pulled out his gun and, standing to one side, motioned Lizzy to the other.
“Call her name,” he mouthed and Lizzy did so. “Dani? It’s Lizzy Bee. Are you home?”
At the silence, Aidan reached out and threw open the door.
Nothing happened, but he wasn’t about to risk either himself or Lizzy. And above all, he didn’t want to trade fire with her sister. He crouched down and cautiously stepped inside the doorway, hit the switch.
Lights flared to life inside the cottage.
On a sofa in the middle of the room, Lizzy’s twin lay slumped. The front of her white T-shirt from her midsection down was soaked in blood. The T-shirt, jacket and jeans were those he had seen that morning on the woman he had called to. That had been Dani and not Lizzy, he realized as he lowered his gun.
Lizzy stepped inside and, seeing Dani, exploded from his side to that of her sister.
“Dani,” she said as she took hold of her twin’s limp, bloodstained hand and stroked a lock of hair back from Dani’s ghostly face.
Dani’s eyelids fluttered open. She smiled weakly. “Lizzy Bee. I didn’t think…” She stopped and grimaced, but fought back the pain to finish. “I wanted to see you.”
Lizzy stroked Dani’s hair once more and smiled tearily. “I’m here, Dani. I’m here. You’ll be okay, Dani. I know you will.”
Dani nodded, but shot a look at Aidan as he approached and stood watching. A look that told him she knew she was dying. Not if he could help it. He picked up his PDA and called Lucia with the walkie-talkie. “We need EMTs, stat. A cottage on the coast road about a mile and a half up and off toward the bluffs.”
“Got your location already with the GPS chip. I’m on it,” she acknowledged, and with that, he sprang into action, pulling a tea towel from a nearby caddy. He kneeled beside the sofa, folded the towel and applied it to Dani’s wound—a gunshot. Fairly large caliber and close range based on the damage done. He applied pressure to staunch the blood still pouring profusely from the wound. The blood was a dark color, causing him to suspect the shot had caught her liver. Not good. She might bleed out before help arrived.
Dani moaned, closed her eyes, and ground her teeth as he applied the pressure.
“Sorry, but—”
“S’okay,” she said, her voice weaker than it had been just moments earlier.
“Why did you do it?” He needed to know not only to accomplish his mission, but to also to protect Lizzy from whoever had tried to kill her. From