That he would be safe.
His dad in cuffs, or dead like Hilden.
Jess was exhausted. She kind of hoped the EMT would just stick her with a needle—hopefully with something that would make her fall asleep. That would show the agent what was what. That he’d wasted his time here when he should be out there doing his job.
She heard someone shift, and she opened her eyes. Her body swayed on the bed, as the ambulance set off to the hospital. Jenkins grunted. He was closer to her now. And there was the needle that would take her to the sweet oblivion that could only come with sleep…wait, why was the agent holding the needle? Where was the EMT?
“What…” She couldn’t form the rest of the words.
“Don’t worry.” Jenkins held it to her arm. “This will all be over soon.”
“Hey.” She tried to think of a whole sentence. “No. Hey!” She needed help. He was trying to…
He jabbed the needle into her arm.
An elbow swung out and cuffed the special agent in the head. He fell to the side, let go of the needle, and slumped away from her. Jess stared at the thing poking out of her arm.
She pulled it out, wanting to throw it away from her. Instead, she held onto it. She might need a weapon.
The EMT jumped, clearing the space between them. “You’re done. Traitor.” He punched the special agent and then hit him again three more times. Jess frowned. A red knot erupted on the agent’s forehead. One more and Jess heard his nose crunch. “How much pain have you caused, turning people over to Pierce Cartwright? You’d better pray they find him.”
The ambulance was still moving, causing Jess’s body to sway as she pushed up into a sitting position.
Special Agent Traitor pulled his gun. The EMT swiped it away so that it flung across the ambulance and hit the back wall. Then he hauled Jenkins up by the collar of his shirt and got in his face. “Now, you’re going to call Pierce.”
Jess heard a muffled, “What on earth?” from the front of the ambulance as they started to slow.
The special agent grinned. “Too late. He’s already here.”
Jess gasped.
The EMT dumped Jenkins on the floor, kicking him in the ribs for good measure, and moved to the front where she could no longer see him.
The ambulance came to a complete stop, and the special agent scrambled to his feet and grabbed up his gun. Jenkins closed in, pointing it at her, a menacing grin on his face. When he was close enough, Jess jabbed out with the needle and shoved it into his side.
He grunted. And then chuckled, brushing it away. It clattered to the floor. “Nice try.”
Jenkins moved away then and shoved open the back doors of the ambulance. Where did her EMT hero go? She’d never seen him before. Or, at least, she didn’t think she had.
A shadow filled the back of the ambulance. She lifted her head, shielding her eyes with her hand. Not the EMT hero.
“Ted?”
He stood in the open doors, a look on his face she’d never seen before.
“What’s wrong?”
His throat worked as he swallowed. Pierce Cartwright stepped into view beside him.
The Special Agent stepped out right then. “The other guy already hit me plenty, but you should still knock me out. Make it look good.”
Pierce lifted his gun and shot the agent clean in the forehead.
Not indispensable after all.
Jess whimpered as he fell out of sight onto the ground.
Ted didn’t even flinch.
Pierce shoved him forward. “First you kill her, and I’ll take care of Dean. Then we’re done with Last Chance. Forever.”
Thirty-six
“I would rather die.” Ted tried to turn around and face his father.
Pierce shoved him to the edge of the ambulance. He fell onto the floor, half in and half out. What am I supposed to do? He had nothing to fight his father with, but he wasn’t going to allow Jess to be killed. “You aren’t going to hurt her, and neither am I.”
Jess and Dean. No way. That just wasn’t going to happen. Not if he had anything to say about it.
Ted had to figure out how to finish this. Jess looked ready to pass out, sitting up in the ambulance bed. She shouldn’t have to help. Even if he needed it and she was in any condition to help, Ted planned to do this himself. It was time for him to finish this once and for all.
If he could.
Help me.
He hoisted himself to a standing position and glared at Pierce. His father. Except that he didn’t deserve the title. It didn’t matter who he was anymore. Ted had to end his father’s destruction and the dominance he held over his life.
A swift movement caught his attention, over in corner of his vision. A uniformed EMT rounded the back door, gun first. Before Ted could even react to his appearance, the man lifted a gun and shot Pierce Cartwright in the head.
Then he turned to Ted. “Bro, you good?”
Ted just blinked at the guy. “Hammer.”
“Yep. You’re good.” He pulled out a phone, shifting, and Ted couldn’t help but notice the spider tattoo on his neck. Into the phone, he said, “Clean up on aisle four.”
“Ted?”
He turned to Jess at the sound of her voice, stepping over his father’s dead body, wincing at the quietness and pain in her voice. He clambered up to her, sat on the bed, and pulled her into his arms.
“I thought you were dead.”
Ted smiled against her dark hair. He liked it better blond but would take Jess any way she came. “I thought you were dead.” To his consternation, more tears ran down his face. How many times had he cried recently?
He was too wrung out himself to figure out the answer to that question.
“Dude.”
He tensed at the voice, glancing at the open doors. Dean stood there. Ted said, “Hey.”
“You good?” His brother lifted his chin.
Ted nodded.
Dean said, “Jess?”
She lifted her head from Ted’s shoulder. “Can I go to the hospital now?”
Ted smiled. “I love you.”
She shifted further, so she could look in his eyes. “That’s good.” She smiled. “Because I figure that might be the only thing we have in common.”
“You love you, too?”
Dean snorted. “You guys suck at this.”
Jess frowned at his brother, then said to Ted, “No, dork. I love you.”
“You’ve both lost your minds.” The tattooed EMT, Hammer, folded his arms.
“I think we’ve gained some sanity now.” Ted shrugged one shoulder. “But the hospital sounds good.” He glanced at Dean. “Ellie okay?”
Dean nodded. “She’s worried about the two of you. I’m going to call Mia and give them an update so she can tell her.” He frowned at the EMT.
“That’s Hammer,” Ted said. “He’s undercover FBI.”
“Taking down traitors. Generally kicking some butt.” Hammer made a brushing motion over each shoulder.
Dean looked impressed. “So your work here is done now, right?”
Ted figured that was true. They’d taken down West, and Pierce Cartwright was dead. He tried to feel sad about that. The emotion didn’t come. Maybe later it would, but he would deal with it when that happened.
If it did, or not, he figured his family would be around him when it happened. Dean and Ellie. The Last Chance Police Department.
Jess.
He held her close to him while Hammer turned to Dean, one eyebrow raised. “Done?” Hammer shook his head. “Not even close.”
Epilogue
One week later
Ted stood at the open car door when the orderly pushed Jess out of the hospital entrance in a wheelchair. “Ready?”
She frowned at the guy behind her. “Ready to walk on my own two feet.”
Ted moved to her. The orderly put the brake down on the wheelchair. Ted lifted Jess to her feet, his arms supporting her.
“Conroy told me he does
n’t want to see me in uniform for another two weeks.”
“Yeah?” Ted felt his eyebrows rise.
“So kiss me, and let’s get this party started.”
Ted laughed.
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About the author
A British ex-pat who grew up an hour outside of London, Lisa attended Calvary Chapel Bible College where she met her husband. He’s from California, but nobody’s perfect. It wasn’t until her Bible College graduation that she figured out she was a writer (someone told her). Since then she's discovered a penchant for high-stakes stories of mayhem and disaster where you can find made-for-each-other love that always ends in happily ever after.
Lisa can be found in Idaho wearing either flip-flops or cowgirl boots, depending on the season. She leads worship with her husband at their local church. Together they have two children and an all-black Airedale known as The Dark Lord Elevator.
Lisa is the author of the bestselling Sanctuary (WITSEC town series), the Double Down series, and more than a dozen Love Inspired Suspense novels. Her 2019 series of Northwest Counter-Terrorism agents was a big hit.
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Lisa Phillips also writes Christian thriller supernatural novels under the name JL Terra
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Expired Game (Last Chance County Book 5) Page 23
