Help me, Lord. What am I missing?
She’d assumed he was just kooky and maybe paranoid. But she’d loved her father and she’d always trusted him. The idea that he might have been keeping something major from her made her sick to her stomach.
“So, no gorilla masks or clown makeup,” Jay said dryly.
“That’s Loud Voice,” she said. “He’s the one who interrogated me.”
“You named them?” His cell phone light flickered on again. She turned toward him. Light and shadow moved over his face, highlighting the strong lines of his jaw. He was grinning.
“Know thy enemy,” she said. “I called the other two that were in the living room Stompy Boots and Big Hands.”
He chuckled. It was a warm and deep sound that seemed to fill the space.
“The good and bad news is that I recognize Loud Voice from mug shots I’ve collected of Canada’s Most Wanted,” Jay said. “He’s a goon for hire who goes by a lot of different aliases, according to his rap sheet. Stan Austin, Bradley Smith and Martin Lee are the main ones, but off the top of my head I can’t remember which is his real name.”
“Stan works,” she said. “You dealt with him before?”
“Not personally,” he said, “and if I do my job right as an undercover cop, he’ll never know I exist. My goal is to spend my life as a nameless, faceless detective taking down guys like him. I’ve literally built an actual crime wall full of pictures of criminals I hope to catch one day, and he’s on it. Maybe some of the other guys here are, too. Vamana is powerful and connected enough to hire a bunch of thugs.”
His brown eyes darkened in the dim light and something seemed to stretch and tighten in the air between them like an elastic band waiting to snap.
“But are you okay?” he asked softly.
“Of course,” she said lightly. “Who wouldn’t be?”
She tried to smile, but for some inexplicable reason something about both the sound of his voice and the tenderness of his touch sent unexpected tears to her eyes. She blinked them back hard. No, she was not about to fall apart now. She turned back toward the room. It was wide, with a single big window and twin beds nestled on opposite sides of the room. She grabbed for Rose’s old pink princess phone on the table beside her bed and held the receiver to her ear. No dial tone. She pushed the receiver button up and down, then traced the cord around the wall to make sure it was plugged in.
“Phone’s dead,” she said. “Guessing they cut the phone lines.”
He blew out a hard breath and cast a glance at his phone again. “No cell, either.”
She looked to where rain beat almost invisibly against the pitch-black pane. “Normally you can see the light of the cell tower blinking from here.”
Silence had fallen on the other side of the locked door, but somehow she doubted that was a good thing. She dropped to one knee beside Quinn’s bed, reached into the mattress boards and felt around for the thick rope and smooth wooden rungs of the ladder her sister had used to sneak in past curfew. It was still there. She pulled it out. “Well, thankfully we’ve got more than one way out of this room.”
Jay’s face paled slightly and she suddenly remembered from last summer that heights were his biggest fear—specifically falling from them—thanks to a minor inner-ear issue he’d been born with.
“Don’t worry,” she added. “Quinn used it to climb out the window past curfew all the time as a teen. She was the rebellious one.”
Jay blew out a long breath.
* * *
“What will we do if your dad was right and there’s some evidence of Vamana’s crimes hidden somewhere in the house?” he asked. “This might be our last chance to find it before it’s either stolen or destroyed.”
“I know,” she said, “and to be clear, Stan never said what kind of information about Vamana Enterprises they’re here looking for. But I’m guessing it’s not old concert tickets. This is all new to me. I have no idea what could even be here or where it might be hidden. Right now, the only thing I can worry about is warning Sally. But that doesn’t mean that what you’re looking for is not important, too.”
Even though this was the first she was hearing about it and still wasn’t sure what to believe.
“Okay, how about this as a strategy?” she added. “What if we split up? I can create a distraction and draw them away from the house, while you do a very fast final search. Then if you can’t find anything, we run.”
“Absolutely not,” Jay said. “I’m not using you as a decoy.”
“I can climb,” she said, “and we’re surrounded by forest. There’s also the barn and garage. I know you’re not a big fan of heights, but climbing these trees and buildings is second nature to me. It’s so dark out there they’ll never see me up a tree or on a roof in this darkness. I’m not quite as good as Quinn, who does it professionally, but I’ve free-climbed with her and can definitely hold my own.”
“I comprehend what you’re saying.” Jay’s arms crossed over his chest. “But I’m telling you it’s not going to happen.”
“Look,” she said, “I get that you’re a cop—”
“I’m also somebody who used to care about you—” Jay’s voice rose “—and doesn’t want to see you hurt!”
Thunder roared closer and lightning cracked, filling the room in a sudden flash of light. She watched as Jay’s face suddenly paled as he looked past her. The room fell dark again.
“It’s...it’s gone,” he stammered.
“What’s gone?” she asked.
“The entire cell phone tower,” he said. “The cell signal’s not just out. The tower’s been completely destroyed.”
* * *
“What do you mean by destroyed?” Leia asked, and something ached in his chest at the fear in her voice. Her white-knuckled fingers still gripped the rope ladder like she’d almost forgotten she was holding it.
“It’s like...” Words failed him as he tried to think of a way to describe the twisted wreck of metal he’d seen bent toward the ground. “It’s like someone literally fastened their vehicle to the cell tower and physically pulled it down.”
Which meant they’d premeditated their attack. He stood there and silently prayed as he watched Leia process the news. Why hadn’t he stepped up and tried to reach out to her sooner? He’d stepped over a line when he’d let his heart be so drawn to her and created that kind of close emotional connection that wasn’t just ill-advised but could cost him both this case and his career.
She’d never know that losing her had split his heart open, too, and made him feel like a piece of it was missing.
“Then what’s the plan, Cop Man?” Leia asked. She paced the room like a tiger in a cage. “We can’t stay trapped in here forever. Running around the house battling thugs for hire could get us killed, and someone intentionally took out both the phone line and cell tower. That just leaves climbing out the window, getting in your truck and driving away. And I do mean driving, because the closest neighbors are at least two hours away on foot and while that’s not that far in the grand scheme of things that’s a long time to wait before warning Sally and calling in reinforcements.”
The muffled sound of voices came from behind the door. He held a finger to his mouth as he crossed to the door and looked out the peephole. Stan was standing outside the door. He was arguing with another, even larger man with a big bruise on his cheekbone and a scowl Jay recognized from his crime wall.
Leia brushed against his shoulder, and he let her look out.
“Pretty sure that’s Big Hands,” she said. “He’s the one who tried to tie me down.”
“Looks like you hit him pretty good,” he said.
“Recognize him?”
“Yup.”
“He got a name?”
“Several,” Jay said. “Let’s go with Ross Stevil, former military helicopter pilot wh
o got into crime after he was dishonorably discharged for assault, torture and theft.”
“Such basic names for such evil people,” she said.
Leia stepped away from the peephole. Jay looked back out. Stan was telling Ross to guard the door and he’d be back in a minute with something. Jay didn’t want to know what the man was going to get.
Leia crouched beside the window and latched first one side of the rope ladder and then the other to what looked like screws hidden under the frame. “Now can we run?”
He gritted his teeth and didn’t answer for a moment.
Lord, help me be wise. Let my brain rule over my foolish heart.
“You go,” he said. “Get in my truck, drive until you get a cell phone signal and call for help.”
To his shock, she actually snorted.
“No,” she said. “Believe it or not, I actually care about you, too. If I’m not allowed to hide in a tree because you’re too worried about my safety, then I’m definitely not about to just leave you stranded here alone in a farmhouse with baddies.”
“Leia, it’s my job—” he started.
“To try to take down four armed criminals all by yourself without backup?” she interrupted. “Don’t forget, I work for legal aid and I’m in law school. I might not be a cop, but I know well enough to realize that you’re completely within your rights to run with me right now and keep yourself safe. Plus, I’m a civilian, and you’ve got an obligation to protect me.”
He gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to point out that her plan was far more dangerous than his. She wasn’t entirely wrong. He was outnumbered, and going for backup was protocol, as was protecting her.
But could he really get this close to proving once and for all if Franklin Vamana was the Phantom Killer?
His mother’s belief that the Phantom Killer was the real reason his father had disappeared might turn out to be no more than her way of dealing with the loss. But still, Jay knew at a young age what it was like to have someone he loved hug him goodbye, promise he’d see him later and never return.
The distraught mess his mother had fallen into had been what had made Jay teach himself how to switch off unwanted emotions. He didn’t let himself feel and definitely never let anyone get so close that losing them could destroy him. It was how he’d shut down his unfortunate feelings for Leia and a skill that would help make him the kind of undercover detective he wanted to be.
But if there was any possibility that there was evidence in this house that would help him bring peace to the families of the Phantom Killer’s victims, how could he just let it go?
The noise on the other side of the door grew louder. He looked out the peephole: they were using a crowbar to tear off the hinges.
“They’re breaking in,” he said.
“Then I’m going now, and you’re coming with me,” Leia said. She turned back to the window and slid it open. Rain and wind whipped in toward them. She threw the ladder outside and then slid her body through. “I’d better see you down there.”
“Wait,” he started. “I don’t know if there really is any information about the Phantom Killer hidden in this farmhouse. But I think before we escape I have to at least try to do something to save it.”
He couldn’t just run and let Vamana’s hired goons find and destroy the evidence. There had to be another way. Even if he couldn’t see it for the life of him right now.
But before he could say anything more, she disappeared through the window and was gone.
THREE
“Leia!” Jay leaned his body out the window and whispered her name as loudly as he dared. He watched Leia climb down the thin rope ladder into the wind and rain as it shook and twisted beneath her. She was navigating it so smoothly she might’ve been strolling across a sunny lawn. She was absolutely incredible and impossible in equal amounts. “Just give me one moment and don’t go anywhere without me. I’m right behind you.”
The sound of intruders trying to wrench the door open grew louder. He didn’t exactly like the fact they’d actually stopped to plan how to break in instead of just barging in. It meant they were thinking, planning and probably answerable to someone on the outside world who was giving them orders. Or maybe they’d already tried to break another door down and realized just how reinforced they were. It was undeniable that Walter had built his farmhouse into a protective fortress. Jay just didn’t know why.
Franklin Vamana had very deep pockets and could definitely afford to hire professional criminals to do his dirty work.
Or am I wrong, Lord? There’s still so much I just don’t understand. Including the fact Leia didn’t believe Walter’s story about this nameless best friend. And now, by running with her, Jay was about to give up any hope of finding whatever this friend, who may or may not have even existed, had hid. Help me, Lord.
He threw his shoulder into an antique dresser and slowly shoved it across the door, praying with each step. It wouldn’t buy them a lot of time, but it would some. Then he ran for the window and looked out. Leia was nowhere to be seen. He gritted his teeth, slid his body through and climbed down. His hands and feet slipped as the wooden rungs spun beneath his weight. He reached the bottom and stared out into the empty night.
A hand grabbed his arm and he spun, his hands raised to fight.
“Easy there, Cop Boy,” Leia whispered. “It’s just me.”
Relief flooded his core as he felt her hand grab his.
“I thought you’d taken off without me,” he said.
“Nope.” Her fingers tightened their squeeze. “You know where your gun’s hidden, and I’m still hoping that before this is all over you’ll let me shoot it. As you’ll remember, I did beat you on the range once. Which I now feel even more impressed by considering you’re a cop.”
“Yes, I remember you’re a great shot,” he said. “And no, you’re not shooting my gun.”
Despite himself, he felt his lips twitch in a reflexive grin. There was just something about her sense of humor that got to him in a way nobody else’s ever had before. Everything about her got under his skin, for that matter, in both good and bad ways. If he was honest, he’d kind of missed her.
He took a deep breath and reminded himself that he couldn’t afford to revisit the emotions she once stirred in him. He pulled his hand from hers.
“So, what’s the plan?” she asked.
“Hopefully nobody knows we’ve escaped the house,” he said. “I say we run for the tree line and then circle back around the farm until we reach the garage, using the trees as cover. Then we hop in my truck and get out of here.”
It went without saying that he’d be the one driving and the one shooting, if need be.
“Sounds good to me,” she said.
They ran through the rain, across the damp grass, until they reached the trees. Then they picked their way through the brambles and branches in silence until they reached the garage. There he paused, feeling Leia come to a stop one step behind him. The farmhouse was to their left now and the garage to his right. A slender man, perhaps the same one who’d fired at them earlier, strode back and forth between the two buildings swinging a flashlight.
“Recognize him?” she asked.
“Not in this light,” Jay said, “but my guess is he’s younger and less experienced to get stuck on rain patrol duty. He’s probably the guy who shot at us earlier, and I expect he’s armed. Now, you stay hidden while I lure him around to this side of the garage, then I’ll disarm him and tie him up while you get to the truck.”
He paused and waited for her to argue. But she didn’t.
“Got it,” she said.
And that’s when it hit him: despite everything, she still trusted him. Even though his own mind was still scrambling for ways to do this without her. Maybe he’d drive away with her until they were in cell phone range, then get out and run back through the
woods while she carried on. Or maybe he’d drop her off somewhere and then return. He wasn’t sure yet. All he knew was that once he got her to safety, Leia’s part in this whole thing would be over and he’d be carrying on without her.
“If anything happens,” he said, “and it’s a matter of saving your life or helping me, I want you to do whatever it takes to survive, okay? Don’t come back for me. Don’t try to rescue me. If push comes to shove, I can handle hiding in the farmhouse with a few masked men until law enforcement arrives. I promise. I’ve survived worse.”
“I don’t doubt it,” she said, again with that same light, almost teasing tone in her voice that somehow made him feel stronger than what his problems were. “And you can tell me all about it sometime when we’re out of here and somewhere safe.”
“Just promise me you won’t tell anyone I’m a cop,” he said, “unless your life is on the line. My ability to stay undercover means everything to me and without it I can’t keep investigating crimes this way.”
“I won’t,” she said. “I promise.”
He stepped toward her in the darkness and only realized how close they were standing when his arm bumped hers. All it would’ve taken was for them to turn toward each other and tilt their heads just a little, and their lips would’ve touched again just like they had before in the rain in these very woods.
Lord, I worked so hard to shut down my feelings for this woman. Please don’t let them distract me now. Help me be stronger than my heart.
* * *
“Now I’m going to go get the bad guy,” he said, his own voice sounding vaguely husky. “I’ll signal you when to come out of hiding and join me.”
He steeled a breath, then turned and sprinted across the clearing to the side of the garage. Within an instant, he saw movement to his right out of the corner of his eye. The young man with the flashlight was running at him. So far, so good. Jay darted around the side of the garage, pressed himself against the far wall, just out of range of a dim pool of light shining from the window, and prayed. He didn’t have long to wait. The man appeared around the corner. In one quick, smooth and virtually painless motion, Jay brought him down to the ground and pinned him there before he’d even known what hit him. He was young, probably not much more than twenty, with brown curls plastered around his face. Good news was he looked pretty new to criminal enterprise.
Undercover Protection Page 3
