Witness on the Run

  Answers are hidden in her past,

  But can she unravel the clues before she’s killed?

  Amid the revelry of a New Orleans parade, WITSEC’s Alyssa Bailey is nearly abducted before investigator Rafe Fournier comes to her defense. Although she’s unsure who she can trust, Alyssa turns to Rafe to help her investigate. Racing around the Quarter to escape whoever has discovered her whereabouts, they soon learn what truths hide in the past. And they’re more dangerous than anything Alyssa could have ever imagined...

  USA TODAY Bestselling Author

  “I had to come home to New Orleans and figure out what was the right course for the rest of my life,” Rafe explained to Alyssa.

  “And you came up with being a private investigator?”

  “For now, it works. I’m my own boss, and I can use my training.”

  “Your special skills? Like beating up thugs in skeleton masks and escaping from a second-story warehouse window and tearing up the streets with your evasive driving? An interesting collection of talent, but I’ve got to admit that you’re good at what you do.”

  “Merci.”

  “I’m guessing there’s something else driving you. You’re not a pirate—you’re a hero. I think you enjoy helping people like me, doing the right thing.”

  Again, he shrugged. “I like being able to choose which jobs to take and which to turn down.”

  “Why did you choose me?”

  “For the challenge. Besides, all the positions for knights in shining armor were filled.”

  WITNESS ON THE RUN

  USA TODAY Bestselling Author

  Cassie Miles

  Cassie Miles, a USA TODAY bestselling author, lives in Colorado. After raising two daughters and cooking tons of macaroni and cheese for her family, Cassie is trying to be more adventurous in her culinary efforts. She’s discovered that almost anything tastes better with wine. When she’s not plotting Harlequin Intrigue books, Cassie likes to hang out at the Denver Botanic Gardens near her high-rise home.

  Books by Cassie Miles

  Harlequin Intrigue

  Mountain Midwife

  Sovereign Sheriff

  Baby Battalion

  Unforgettable

  Midwife Cover

  Mommy Midwife

  Montana Midwife

  Hostage Midwife

  Mountain Heiress

  Snowed In

  Snow Blind

  Mountain Retreat

  Colorado Wildfire

  Mountain Bodyguard

  Mountain Shelter

  Mountain Blizzard

  Frozen Memories

  The Girl Who Wouldn’t Stay Dead

  The Girl Who Couldn’t Forget

  The Final Secret

  Witness on the Run

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com.

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Alyssa Bailey—The twenty-six-year-old accountant for a pawnbroker in Chicago witnesses a murder and is taken into witness protection in New Orleans.

  Rafe Fournier—A New Orleans native and descendant from pirates, he is a private investigator who is hired to protect Alyssa.

  Viktor Davidoff—Also known as Diamond Jim, Davidoff owns several used-car lots and believes Alyssa is in possession of information he needs.

  Max Horowitz—Alyssa’s employer in Chicago, the pawnbroker disappears after the murder.

  Hugh Woodbridge—A US marshal working for WITSEC, he betrays his duty to go after Alyssa.

  To Carla Gertner for her inspiration and knowledge of New Orleans and, as always, to Rick.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from Double Action Deputy by B.J. Daniels

  Chapter One

  The Day of the Dead celebration unleashed a parade of floats, bands, ghosts, skeletons and zombies that wended through the night in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Some people carried tiki torches while others waved neon lights. Alyssa Bailey stood with a crowd on the curb and watched. The thought of dancing in the street made her self-conscious. She had turned in her ledgers and calculator three years ago when she first entered the witness protection program, but she still had the soul of a quiet accountant who liked to have every i dotted and every t crossed.

  This year, she vowed, would be different. No more standing on the sidelines. She was twenty-seven and needed to join the parade before life passed her by. During Día de los Muertos on the weekend after Halloween, the veil between the real world and the afterlife thinned. The dead craved laughter, song and revelry. Alyssa was determined to get into the spirit of the thing.

  Just before she got off work at half past nine, she’d gotten a phone call from someone anonymous saying they’d see her at the parade. The voice had been so garbled that she couldn’t tell if the caller was male or female, but she intended to keep a lookout for a familiar face.

  Gathering her courage, she took a giant step into the street, where she shuffled along to the irresistible beat of drums and death rattles. Her eardrums popped when the trumpets and saxophones wailed. People in crazy costumes bumped and jostled. She told herself that this was fun, fun, fun but didn’t believe it. The wild display of neon, color and confetti made her feel like she was inside a raucous, whirling kaleidoscope.

  A masked ghost dressed like an 1800s pirate approached her, whipped off his tricorn hat and swept a bow before he grasped her hands and spun her in a circle. The music shifted gears from a dirge to a more upbeat tempo, and her pirate led her in an energetic dance that was half waltz, half polka and one hundred percent exciting—more thrilling than the handful of dates she’d had in the last three years.

  He leaned close and said, “Tell me about your costume. Who are you?”

  She’d put together a ragged outfit of pantaloons and an old-fashioned gown with a low bodice, lace trim and a tattered skirt. The clothes were meant to honor her mother. Mom had been born and raised in Savannah. Though they’d lived in Chicago for as long as Alyssa could remember, her mom would always be a southern belle. Five years ago, she’d been killed in a hit-and-run.

  Tilting her head, she gazed up at her pirate’s silver half mask. Though she couldn’t see his eyes, his mouth was visible. He had a divot in his chin—very sexy. She swallowed hard and said, “I’m supposed to be a zombie Scarlett O’Hara.”

  “Good choice, cher. With your dark hair and green eyes, you make a real pretty Scarlett.”

  Her mom had always said the same. “Did you call me?” she asked. “Was I supposed to meet you here at the parade?”

  “We didn’t have an appointment.”

  “Well, we should have.” Alyssa gestured to his white shirt with full sleeves and his burgundy velvet vest with gold buttons. “Are you a famous pirate? Jean Lafitte?”

  Again, he doffed the hat and bowed. “I’m the ghost of Captain Jean-Pierre Fournier, an original pirate of the C
aribbean and one of my ancestors. I am Rafael Fournier.”

  “I do declare,” she said in a corny southern accent. Unaccustomed to teasing, she wasn’t sure she was doing it right. “I’m ever so pleased to make your acquaintance, Rafael.”

  “Enchanté, mademoiselle. Please call me Rafe.”

  He twirled her again and then held her close. Their posture felt strangely intimate in the midst of a wild crowd. Her half-exposed breasts crushed against his firm chest. Their thighs touched. He guided her so skillfully that she felt graceful, beautiful and sultry. Before she knew what was happening, they were dancing a tango. A tango? No way! She didn’t know these steps but must have been doing something right. People in the crowd made way for them and applauded as they passed by.

  When their dance ended, he dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Merci, ma belle.”

  With a flourish, he disappeared into the crowd—an impressive feat for a guy who was over six feet tall with wide shoulders and puffy sleeves. He’d kissed her and called her belle, beautiful. Moi?

  Their dance gave her courage. Life was meant to be celebrated. When a laughing zombie placed a beer in her hand, Alyssa took a huge gulp and wholeheartedly threw herself into the parade, bounding along the street, snapping her fingers and shaking her hips. Her mom would have loved this scene. If she were here, she’d have danced all night. It was Alyssa’s duty to celebrate in Mom’s place, dancing with pirates and looking for mysterious people who left anonymous messages.

  On a street corner, she encountered a guy dressed like Baron Samedi, the voodoo master of the dead, with a skull face and top hat. He blew a puff of chalky powder at the crowd, making everybody more ghostlike. All around her, people were laughing and waving, drinking and dancing. New Orleans took every opportunity to party—from Mardi Gras to funeral processions to Día de los Muertos.

  Dodging around a dour threesome in skull masks, she joined a group of zombie belly dancers with tambourines. A four-member band played “When the Saints Go Marching In,” and she sang with loud enthusiasm that was hugely out of character. She danced along a street where the storefronts were mostly voodoo shops. The fortune tellers stood outside, enticing tourists with offers of special deals. For a small fee, the bereaved could have a conversation with loved ones who had crossed over. Instead of dismissing the voodoo promises as illogical and absurd, Alyssa imagined how wonderful it would be to talk to Mom one more time.

  A loud, raucous laugh cut through the music. Alyssa knew that sound. A shiver prickled between her shoulder blades, as quick and creepy as a spider running across her back. She peered toward the fortune tellers on the sidewalk. Amid the crowd, she saw a woman who looked like her mother. She stood in a doorway, laughing with her head thrown back and her long silver hair rising in a cloud of curls around her head.

  Could it be? Her mom couldn’t be the voice on the phone. Alyssa would have recognized her. And she was dead, very dead—Alyssa had identified the remains. She caught another glimpse. The silver-haired woman looked so much like her mom. Could she be a ghost?

  Alyssa broke away from the parade and ran toward the place where she’d seen the woman. A trombone player got in her way, and then a high-kicking can-can dancer. The music shifted to a minor key as a feeling of dread swelled in her chest and spread through her body. The shop where the woman had been standing was closed, and the door was locked.

  Frantically, Alyssa asked if anyone had seen her. Nobody knew anything. Nor did they care. Laissez les bon temps rouler—let the good times roll.

  But Alyssa couldn’t let go. The woman’s resemblance to her mom was too uncanny to ignore. Operating on instinct, she darted through an alley and came out on a street where there weren’t as many people. She crossed at the stoplight and entered a park with a large brick patio and bronze statues of jazz legends. Pacing back and forth, she scanned in all directions.

  At the edge of a grassy area lined with fat palm trees she saw the three men in matching skeleton masks who had been at the parade. She’d noticed their cold, serious attitude. Why were they here? Had they followed her?

  The tallest asked, “Do you need help?”

  “I’m looking for a woman. She has curly silver hair.”

  “Oh yeah, we saw her. Come with us.”

  The three of them surrounded her. She was trapped and beginning to be scared. “Forget about it. I’m sorry I bothered you.”

  He edged closer. “You’re coming with us.”

  For the three years that she’d been in the witness protection program, she’d lived in fear of this moment. The dangerous criminals she’d testified against wanted to take revenge, and she figured that it was only a matter of time before they found her. She pivoted on her heel, tried to run.

  The leader grabbed her arm and yanked. The other two closed in. One of them slapped a cloth over her mouth to keep her from calling for help. She couldn’t breathe. A sickly-sweet antiseptic smell penetrated her nostrils. She heard the men in skeleton masks laughing, telling witnesses that she’d had too much to drink and they’d make sure she got home.

  She struggled, kicked at their legs and lashed out with her arms. She clawed at one of the skeleton masks, and it came off in her hands. She found herself staring into flat, dark eyes above a sneering mouth and hatchet jaw. A cruel face—this man would show no mercy.

  Her vision blurred. She was losing her grip on consciousness.

  In half-awake glimpses, she saw another man come closer and shove one of the skeletons. It was her pirate. He demanded they release her. She tried to warn him that these were violent men, but her throat closed. She couldn’t make a sound. The pirate attacked the others. She thought he had a stun gun but really couldn’t tell.

  When the skeleton let go of her arm, she fell onto the grass and desperately crawled. Her head was spinning. Her body was numb. She had to escape. One of the skeletons kicked her. She barely felt the pain.

  Alyssa staggered to her feet, concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. Her legs were rubber bands, incapable of supporting her. She fell again.

  The next thing she knew, she’d been flung over someone’s shoulder and was being carried. She attempted to wriggle free but couldn’t move. Her last reserve of strength drained from her, and she went limp. She was caught. They had her. She hoped it wouldn’t hurt too much when they killed her.

  She was dumped into a car seat. Someone reached across to fasten her seat belt. Forcing her eyes open, she saw the dashing pirate. He had come to her rescue. Merci, Captain Fournier.

  Chapter Two

  Alyssa woke with a gasp. Her eyes snapped open. Where am I?

  It appeared that she was in her bedroom, lying flat on her back with her arms tucked straight down at her sides under her vintage chenille bedspread. A small lamp with a glass base and fringed shade cast a soft circle of light on the bedside table. She saw her music box with the twirling ballerina inside—a gift from her father.

  Still night—it was dark around the edges of the window blinds. What time was it? Gazing across the dimly lit bedroom, she tried to read the red digital numbers on the alarm clock that stood on her dresser, but she couldn’t see it. How did she get home? She remembered the parade, Día de los Muertos. There had been dancing, and she’d seen the ghost of her mom before she was attacked by skeletons. Was it a nightmare? A dream? Her thoughts disintegrated into static.

  Hoping to ground herself in reality, she turned her head and looked toward the music box. When the lid opened, the tinkling music would play “Lara’s Theme” from Dr. Zhivago, which was perfect because Lara was her real name. She hadn’t been allowed to bring photos when she entered WitSec, but she’d refused to leave the precious music box behind. Her father was long gone. She couldn’t remember what he looked like and had never known his name, but he’d loved her enough to give her this present on her fourth birthday. Small reassurance, but it was better than n
othing.

  She realized that her cell phone wasn’t on the bedside table. Matter of fact, the charger wasn’t there, either. Strange. She always charged her phone at night. The only thing on the table other than her music box was a cut-glass bowl of her homemade potpourri. She inhaled a whiff. The familiar scents of orange, cinnamon and vanilla should have comforted her, but she was growing more anxious by the minute. Her bedroom felt oddly foreign. She peered through the shadows at the Toulouse-Lautrec print on the wall opposite her bed—a can-can dancer at the Moulin Rouge. She’d picked it out herself. Of course, she was home.

  Focus, I need to focus. The music box looked different, less battered. When she pulled her arm from under the covers and reached for the box, she saw a swelling on her upper arm, the beginning of a bruise, and a bandage wrapped around her wrist. When she touched the bandage, she felt a stinging sensation. That wasn’t her only pain. As soon as she moved, she experienced a pulsing headache. Her ribs throbbed. Lowering the bedspread, she looked down at the bruises on her side and gauze bandages on her knees. She was wearing nothing but her black sports bra and silky blue panties.

  Sitting upright on the bed, she held the music box. Seeking comfort from a familiar object, her fingers stroked the worn wooden edges of her talisman—a souvenir of another time, another home, another life. She lifted the lid. The delicate ballerina pirouetted on tiptoe, and the jingly music played “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” Not her tune! Not her music box!

  The door swung open. A man strode into her bedroom.

  More outraged than frightened, she demanded, “Who are you? What are you doing in my house?”

  “Not to worry, cher. You’ll understand as soon as I turn on the light.”

  The overhead light erased the shadows. Her gaze slid across the walls. The window was in the wrong place. Her shabby chic furniture had been replaced with stuff that was plain old shabby. Not my house! “Where am I?”

  He took a step toward her. “You have no cause for alarm. I can explain.”