The Catch (US Marshals Book #3)

Lisa Harris

• Publisher: Revell
• Year: 2022
• eBook ISBN:
  9781493434176
• Print ISBN:
  9780800737320

After a harrowing attempt on a judge's life at the courthouse, Deputy US Marshals Madison James and Jonas Quinn are tasked with finding a missing woman and an endangered child in connection to the murder of the judge's wife. What seems like a fairly straightforward case becomes hopelessly tangled when the marshals discover that the woman they are searching for is not who they think she is.

Madison and Jonas are forced into a race to find the woman and the child before the men who want her dead discover her location. And in a final showdown that could cost her everything, Madison will come face-to-face with the person who murdered her husband.

USA Today bestselling author Lisa Harris concludes her thrilling US Marshals series with this breathless tale of secrets kept, lies exposed, and ultimately, justice prevailing.

ONE

He’d lied to her again.

It was her fault for believing him in the first place. For trusting the slew of promises he never kept. He told her he loved her. Told her he’d leave his wife for her so they could be together. Becca played the fool and believed him. She knew now that he never intended to stay with her, and as far as she was concerned, he wasn’t capable of being faithful. Today was no different, and yet he called and she came running.

She sat in her car, watching the gated house where he lived with her, trying to gather her frayed nerves. While she’d never been inside the five-thousand-square-foot house, she knew it included a chef’s kitchen, a vaulted back porch, and a three-car garage. The apartment she shared with their son was less than a thousand square feet. Robert paid for the majority of her expenses, but it was never quite enough, so she continued to work at the café and relied on his handouts and promises that he was going to leave his wife for her.

She gripped the steering wheel and frowned. The reality was that she didn’t care about the big house. She wasn’t even sure she loved him anymore. She cared only about their son.

Her son.

She drew in a deep breath as the gates swung open slowly. Then she parked, got out of the car, and headed to the front door. It was strange that he’d asked her to the house. He’d never done that before. The closest she’d gotten was when she’d driven by one time. She’d wanted to know where he lived and spent his time when he wasn’t with her. She felt guilty about their arrangement since the beginning, but Robert had swept in and given her the feeling of family she’d never had. Saying no seemed impossible until she realized that it was nothing more than a fairy tale that could never have a happy ending.

Still, as much as she wanted to, she never found the courage to walk away.

Until now.

Today, all of that would change. No matter what he said, she was going to tell him that she was leaving him. She was tired of the tangled web she’d found herself in as the scorned mistress who could never show her face at his office or at one of his political fundraisers. She’d seen the coverage of him and Myra on the news last night, smiling into the camera as if they didn’t have a care in the world. She had once believed that could be her standing next to him one day. His expression had told her otherwise. He would never give up his life for her.

Becca put her hand on the brass doorknob, then stopped. Was she supposed to walk in or knock?

She didn’t have to answer the question because the door swung open.

Robert’s wife, Myra, stood in the doorway, a smile plastered on her face. “Becca Lambert . . . It’s nice to finally meet you in person, though I guess you weren’t expecting me to be here.”

“I don’t understand.” Becca studied the woman’s pale blue pencil skirt, button-up white blouse, and matching jacket that likely cost more than what she earned in a month. “How do you know me?”

“I’m not near as clueless as Robert thinks I am. I’m the one who sent you the message from his phone. Well, his . . . other phone, that is.” She sneered. “I thought we could . . . talk.”

Becca took a step backward, fighting every instinct in her body that told her to run. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“It won’t take long. Just a few minutes. It’s time you and I got to know each other.”

She didn’t want to talk to Robert’s wife. Didn’t want to be in the same room with the woman. “Where’s Robert?”

“At work. Or so he says. He’s always working, but you don’t really think you’re the only pretty girl who’s caught his eye, do you?”

Becca blinked back tears as she tried to stuff down the guilt. She’d been working at an upscale restaurant when she met Robert. He was handsome and charismatic, and he paid attention to her. She’d grown up in foster care, and for the first time in her life, she felt loved. Special.

Then she found out she was pregnant.

There was nothing she could do to change their understanding. He promised to pay the bills as long as she promised to be quiet. His wife was never to find out. None of his associates could be confided in either. No one could know he was the father of her baby.

Becca shook her head. “I need to leave—”

“I wouldn’t if I were you. I know everything about you and Robert, including the fact that you had his son.”

Becca’s mouth went dry. “Robert told you that?”

Myra motioned her inside. “It didn’t take much detective work to find out where he really spends his time away from me.”

“I made mistakes,” Becca said, stepping through the imposing entryway to a boldly decorated living room that was far too gaudy for her taste, though the red-and-coral theme seemed to fit Myra perfectly. “But you have to understand that I didn’t know he was married when I first started seeing him.” By the time she found out the truth about Robert’s marital status, she’d already lost her heart.

Guilt pressed against her chest. How many times had she told herself she needed to walk away? How many times had she chastised herself for not taking her own advice?

Myra’s smile disappeared as she turned around in the middle of the room. “Don’t play innocent with me.”

“I’m not,” Becca started to argue, then stopped. She had no idea what this woman wanted from her, but clearly Myra wasn’t interested in a string of apologies.

Myra narrowed her gaze. “You need to know that I have the ability to make your life extremely miserable, but . . . I’m going to offer you a onetime deal.”

Becca’s fingers clenched her purse strap. “What do you mean?”

“I will give you enough money to leave Seattle and start over. I don’t care where or how, as long as it’s far away from here.”

Becca forced herself to relax her hands, but she couldn’t absorb what she was hearing. “You want to pay me off?”

“You make it sound so . . . so illicit.”

“Isn’t it?”

Myra’s glare seemed to pierce through her. “No more illicit than sleeping with someone else’s husband.”

Becca’s gaze dropped to the expensive rug on the wooden floor, then followed the dark-orange squiggly pattern along the edge. Nausea swept through her, making her feel like she would vomit. She should have known this day would come. Nothing good ever came from keeping secrets.

“You’re going to walk away and never contact Robert again. And”—she tapped her manicured fingers together—“you will sign over parental rights of the baby to Robert.”

Becca’s head shot up. “I won’t do that.”

Myra’s brows rose. “Then you don’t understand how things work. Without money and power, you’re nothing but a waitress working overtime for tips. If you try to fight me, you’ll lose.”

“No.” Becca straightened her shoulders, determined to dig up enough courage to fight back. “You can’t buy me off.”

“Then you’re more foolish than I thought,” she said, her voice cold. “Robert doesn’t love you, Becca. He never did. Not really. You’ve been nothing more than a temporary distraction.”

“I’m not taking your money.”

“Then I’ll need to find something to persuade you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know you left your son with his sitter this morning,” Myra said.

Becca’s heart pounded in her chest. If Myra did anything to hurt her son, or Ava . . .

“What did you do?” Becca asked.

“It’s not what I’ve done, it’s what I will do if you don’t cooperate. You will sign the papers I’ve had drawn up, giving Robert full custody of the child, and walk away with the money.”

“No—”

“You seem to think you can fight this, but you can’t. Robert will hire the best lawyers in the city, and in the end, you will still give up your rights to your son. Now it’s just up to you to decide if you take the money or end up losing everything.”

Becca stumbled backward. “No. I’ll never give up my baby.”

She grabbed her handgun out of her purse—ironically, the gun that Robert had bought her. There wasn’t time to think through the consequences. All she knew was that she wasn’t going to lose her son.

TWO

Falling was inevitable, but it was also a skill that worked against every instinct. Madison James held her right hand on the brake of the belay device and watched from the ground of the indoor climbing gym as her sister reached for the blue handhold above her.

“Just a couple more inches,” Madison yelled up to her.

Danielle’s foot slipped.

From the ground, Madison held tight to the safety rope to keep her sister from falling. “You good?”

Danielle blew out a puff of air. “For the moment.”

“You’re a natural,” Madison said.

“That would explain the rope burn on my leg and the scrape on my arm.”

“Go up a couple more feet, then we’ll work on the fall.”

“I don’t know . . . I’m still not sold on the idea.”

Climbing was as much mental as it was physical, and trust of your spotter was essential. Madison had already taught Danielle the basics of climbing, but taking it one step further meant pushing herself past her comfort zone. In her own life, climbing had helped her conquer fear, because the more prepared she was, the more she was able to handle whatever her job as a US Marshal threw at her.

“It seemed like a good idea when I was on the ground, but from up here—”

“You’re doing fine, Danielle.”

The muscles in Madison’s arms twitched as her sister shifted some of the weight. All Danielle needed was a few more inches and she’d reach the top. Her mind ran through the suggestions she’d given Danielle. If done properly, her fall would go smoothly. If she ended up getting tangled in the rope, her leg could catch on it and flip her upside down, something neither of them wanted.

Madison took in a deep breath as Danielle got to the thirty-five-foot mark. She needed to be high enough that the rope was able to stretch. High enough that she wouldn’t hit the ground while avoiding a route with any obstructions.

Danielle reached for the last handhold while Madison held the belay rope steady. “I can’t get a grip.”

“Yes, you can. It’s just like a puzzle.”

“You know I hate puzzles.”

“Reach up and grab hold. Trust your instincts and stay focused. You’re almost there.”

Danielle pulled herself up and firmly grasped the handhold.

“When you’re ready, I want you to fall,” Madison said. “Trust me.”

The word trust reverberated through Madison. She’d never been good at giving up control to someone else. Doing things right meant doing things herself. But climbing forced you to trust more than just your skills. You had to trust that your harness was secure and would hold you. That the belayer below was ready to catch you. That the bolts were secure and the anchors were set, and that the rope was strong enough to hold you if you fell.

Not an easy assignment for someone needing to be in control.

Danielle pulled her knees up level with her hips while Madison gave the rope some slack, keeping an eye on her sister. Madison was the counterbalance whose job was to ensure Danielle didn’t swing down too fast and slam into the rock.

“Make sure you look where you’re falling,” Madison said. “Know where the rope is and aim to fall straight down.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

Danielle blew the air out of her lungs and then, seconds later, pushed off the wall. Madison waited for the right moment, then jumped as the rope pulled her up. She braced her feet against the wall. Another few seconds and they were both on the ground.

“You did good up there,” Madison said.

“That was both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.” Danie...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Endorsements
• Half Title Page
• Books by Lisa Harris
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7
• Chapter 8
• Chapter 9
• Chapter 10
• Chapter 11
• Chapter 12
• Chapter 13
• Chapter 14
• Chapter 15
• Chapter 16
• Chapter 17
• Chapter 18
• Chapter 19
• Chapter 20
• Chapter 21
• Chapter 22
• Chapter 23
• Chapter 24
• Chapter 25
• Chapter 26
• Chapter 27
• Chapter 28
• Chapter 29
• Chapter 30
• Chapter 31
• Chapter 32
• Chapter 33
• Chapter 34
• Chapter 35
• Chapter 36
• An Excerpt from Book 1 in the Series
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Back Ads
• Back Cover