Second Chances: A PAVAD Duet

by Calle J. Brookes

  “And Director of the FBI’s newest and greatest team in the world.” Schild pulled Nate closer. “I know who you are.”

  Schild was calm, rational, and cold. The handgun in his left hand remained trained on Nate. He gripped the weapon like the experienced former ATF agent his file had said he had been before his transfer to FBI forensics. He’d had one promotion while at Indianapolis. He had a good career, with a few personnel issues, but nothing to truly explain why he would do this. Aggravated assault, criminal confinement, attempted murder, murder, breaking and entering. What made someone like him go off the deep end this way? And how could Ed get Nate away from him? “You have to know I have people on their way. Two teams, at least. And I’m armed, as well. What are you hoping to accomplish?”

  Schild remained calm, steady, with years of training evident in his manner. “I want to speak with Marianna.”

  “That’s not going to happen. I’m going to keep her safe.”

  “Even with her son here?”

  “Don’t let him hurt my mom!”

  “I won’t, Nate. I gave you my word and I keep that.” When Schild looked at the boy, he seemed both hesitant and apathetic. Was Nate the key?

  Schild had no wife, no children. Was he involved with someone? Ed looked straight at Schild. “Nate loves his mother, and she adores him. Adores all of her boys. And loves her friends. Can you tell me why you wanted to hurt her, the others? Merrick Cody is still in the hospital; so is Susie Jones. And Kelly Reynolds is facing a few rounds of plastic surgery. Susie Jones has worked in St. Louis since 1978. She’s had burns, abrasions, lacerations, a broken arm…and a heart attack. Is that what you wanted to accomplish? She has never been a part of the Indianapolis lab. And she has four granddaughters, all under the age of eight. They’re terrified. And you did this. And now you’re terrifying a fifteen-year-old boy.”

  “Collateral. I need to speak to his mother.”

  “For what? What do you want from her?” A shadow passed by the six-inch basement window. Small, faint, just enough for Ed to understand that he wasn’t alone. Reinforcements were waiting to enter. Waiting for his signal. A second signal, more exact, came next from a tiny laser light cupped in someone’s hand. Ed’s focus was to shift. Protect Nate. Let Fin and the rest of his team handle Schild. No matter how much Ed wanted to be the one to take down the bastard, Nate was far more important.

  “Just a two minute conversation with Dr. Glendower.”

  “You can just have your conversation with me. I’ll convey it to her, when I return her son. You have to know you’ll never get to her. You’re good enough at what you do to know how this works.” A red laser light centered on Schild’s forehead for the briefest second. Ed knew what it meant. Someone—possibly more than one someone—had Schild sighted, and they wanted Ed to know that. One shot, and Nate would be free, Schild dead.

  But Ed didn’t want him dead; he wanted him to face responsibility for the fear, pain and death he’d caused to those who didn’t deserve it.

  But Ed’s wanting that took a definite backseat to Nate.

  Chapter 38

  Marianna ran back toward Ed’s estate, her thoughts on Nate and only Nate. Her baby, the one child who’d seen far too much. He didn’t deserve to be used as a weapon against her.

  The house was dark, silent. Where were the agents that Ana had said were out there? Where was Ed? And what had Hugh done with her son?

  She bit her lip against the scream that wanted to escape. Her son’s name.

  A strong arm—a male arm—wrapped around her from behind. A gloved hand went over her mouth, and she was pulled tight against a hard male chest—by a prosthetic arm.

  Fin. Thank God. Fin would help find Nate. Find Ed. Keep them both safe.

  “Mari, you should have stayed with Ana and the boys. You have to be quiet, don’t make a sound.”

  She nodded, and the arm around her loosened slightly. Nate? She mouthed the question.

  Fin leaned closer, whispered in her ear. “They’re all in the basement. Schild has a gun; Ed is armed, as well. Armitage, Camden, and Elwood are in position around the basement. We have a line on Schild from two points. He’s not getting out of there alive unless he cooperates. And Ed…Ed is in position to protect Nate when—or if—it becomes necessary.”

  “I need to be there.” She said it as quietly as she could, but on this she wasn’t budging.

  “You can’t. You could endanger both him and Ed if you run barreling in there. Ed is the best at what he does, and my team isn’t insignificant, either. We’ll get Nate, but you can’t go in and distract everyone. You know what can happen. Nate and Ed could be caught in the crossfire. No one wants that.”

  Marianna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I need to be as close as possible. My son, he’ll need me when this is over. And Ed. Please, Fin. Please.”

  He nodded. Fin was a parent, too. “Sadie and Maria are set up on the perimeter. You can stay with them, if you promise to stay put until they tell you otherwise. Remember, you have six other kids who need you. Trust me, trust Ed, to bring the seventh back to you.”

  It was the hardest thing she’d ever done, but when he took her to the dark van that Agent Ritchie was using as a mobile HQ, just on the outside of Ed’s property, Marianna entered the van instead of running to where her son waited.

  Chapter 39

  “Schild, can you tell me why, at least? Why such an elaborate plot? I assume you followed all the women who transferred from Indianapolis? Why?” Ed wanted to get him to open up, to perhaps diffuse the situation without someone else getting hurt. Even Schild himself.

  “Just something to do, Director. Do you know many years I worked at Indianapolis before these women showed up? Marianna had only been there for four years. Dr. Brewster, about the same. And Cody, Samantha, and Kelly Reynolds? They were children when I started with the ATF. Yet they just waltz in to Indianapolis and out to St. Louis. Agents and technicians, support staff—all were thrilled that the great and powerful Assistant Director Ed Dennis was riding in to town to pick and choose the best of us to join his new team.”

  “Wondering who I’d pick? At that point I already had the team I wanted in mind, based on specific criteria.”

  “Marianna Glendower, Allison Brewster, Merrick Cody, Samantha Gareth, and Kelly Reynolds—everyone suspected it would be them, you know? The golden team. Bosses favorites all around. And Eric Gareth? No surprise he was selected. He’d been fast-tracked to the top, everyone knew that.”

  Marianna. Allison. Cody. Samantha. Kelly. Eric. “What about Payton Asher?”

  Had Schild’s composure flickered?

  “What about her?” Suspicion, the first emotion other than apathy, was faint in Schild’s voice.

  “You mentioned the others, and left Payton Asher out. Twice. I wondered why. Did you know that she was the last one evacuated from the lab? That for close to twenty minutes everyone assumed she—and two other women whom you have probably never even heard of—was gone. Payton was carried out in a fireman’s arms. She was damned lucky. Was that part of your plan?”

  “Who said I had a plan?”

  “I notice you’re not denying that you’re responsible for what happened at the lab. For shooting Kelly Reynolds. For nearly beating Merrick Cody to death? Why did you do that? Did you plan it ahead of time?”

  “There was no plan. I’m not a sociopath. Or a common criminal.”

  “Then what would you call yourself? Are you telling me you just drove down here for the day or weekend, found one of the women and decided to extract a little revenge? That’s taking stalking to a whole new level. Tell me something, how long did you watch them? Watch Payton?”

  There. There was a definite shift in Schild’s behavior. Was Payton the true reason he was here? Why he had done all these acts?

  “Why don’t you ease up on Nate’s arm a bit? He looks a bit uncomfortable there, and you don’t really want to hurt him. Right, Nate?”

  “It is
starting to hurt a bit, sir. Mr. Schild. Can you just loosen up a little? Please?”

  Nate was earning even more of Ed’s respect with the way he kept himself calm. The way he was using his head.

  If Schild accepted the request, it showed Ed that there was a possibility of negotiation. If he didn’t, it indicated that Schild had no concern for Nate’s wellbeing whatsoever. Then Ed would give the signal to the snipers outside the window.

  Schild tightened his hold on Nate, jerked the boy a few inches closer to his chest.

  That gave Ed all the information he needed. He nodded, a subtle tilt of his head that only someone looking for would see. McLaughlin’s snipers would understand. But Ed needed to get Nate as far from Schild as possible. Ed took a step toward his left, hoping Schild would be so focused on him that he would unconscious mirror Ed’s actions. Ed’s gaze flicked toward Marianna’s son. Stared for a second. Nate took in a deep breath, then blinked twice. Then twice again. And twice again.

  Schild sidestepped to his right. Nate instinctively went the opposite direction, putting a few more inches between himself and Schild.

  But Ed wanted more. He shifted to the left again. “What about Payton, Hugh? Was she who you really came to see? She’s a sweet woman. Beautiful in that All-American girl-next-door kind of way. Did she return your interest? She’s probably a good fifteen years younger than you are. Did she rebuff you? Tell you no?” A flash of insight hit him as the other man started showing real agitation. “Or did she even realize you were attracted to her? That you were in love with her. And then she just left you, didn’t she? Without a backward glance?”

  “She went with her friends. They talked her into it. That damned Kelly Reynolds and Merrick Cody, always with her. Payton had family in Indiana, she had friends. She didn’t need to move all the way to St. Louis. They pushed her, pressured her. In time, she would have…” Schild shook his head, ruthlessly pulling himself back together right in front of Ed’s eyes. Had he not been a sociopathic bastard with a possible aggression disorder, Ed would have admired his control.

  But it also told him that Schild knew he wasn’t getting out of there, and had no regard for anyone else in the room. It was time to push some buttons. And it was going to escalate, probably sooner than later. He had to get Nate down, out of the way. And fast. Schild shifted the gun, aiming it at Nate, as if he knew what was being planned.

  Schild shook his head from side to side and tightened his hold on Nate yet again. “They didn’t have any right to convince her to leave. It should have been her decision, and had it been, she never would have left. Not Payton.”

  Ed gave the signal to the agents outside. As soon as he moved, got Nate out of the way it was going to happen. “Let’s be honest, here, Hugh. A woman like Payton Asher? She didn’t even look twice at you. Did you even work the same shift? Or was it two ships passing in the night? Did you see her in the cafeteria, the hallway at shift change? Did she even know your name? Let’s face it, she chose to leave you because a man like you barely even existed in her world!”

  Ed lunged for Nate, tackling the kid just as two shots rang out.

  Chapter 40

  Marianna heard the shots and her heart froze. Where was Nate? Where was he? Was he ok? Had he been hurt? Oh, God, where was Nate?

  Maria Angel, one of the agents on Fin’s team, restrained her before she left the van. “No, Dr. Glendower, you can’t go out there. Not yet.”

  “My son!”

  “Is fine. Agent McLaughlin just radioed that your son is fine. A bit bruised from where Director Ed tackled him, but all in one piece.”

  “He tackled him? Is Ed ok?”

  Angel hesitated. “Dr. Glendower…” The sound of sirens split the air. “Marianna—”

  “What? Ed’s hurt, isn’t he?” She closed her eyes, took a deep breath. “I need to go to him. And to my son.”

  She ran up the drive. Nate ran out the front door when he saw her. “Mom! Mom!”

  There was blood on her son.

  “Nate! Oh baby. You’re bleeding!”

  “It’s not my blood; it’s his. And Ed’s. He knocked me down, got me out of the way. Oh Mom, they killed that guy. Schild! He was nuts! You should have seen Ed. He was like the guys on TV.”

  “Honey, how badly was Ed hurt?”

  Nate started shaking as the adrenaline hit him. She wrapped her arms tighter around him. “I don’t know. He was talking to Uncle Fin. They’re putting him on a stretcher in the kitchen. I don’t know. He knocked me down when that guy started to shoot. I closed my eyes and stayed still until Ed told me I could get up.” Her baby’s voice started to choke up. “He didn’t even blink, Mom, when that guy had the gun. And he was chatting when it was over. He was covered with blood, and obviously hurting, and he didn’t want me to be afraid.”

  The emergency responders rolled the stretcher out Ed’s back door. Marianna grabbed Nate’s hand and they both ran to Ed’s side.

  He reached out a hand. “Mari, sweetheart. Are the boys all ok?”

  “They’re fine. They’re with Ana. Ed…how bad are you hurt? There’s blood all over you.”

  “Through and through. Most of it is Schild’s. Will probably require some sewing me back together. But nothing to hinder what we talked about earlier.” He smiled, obviously trying to reassure her. “It’s over. Everyone will be safe now. And I’ll be ok. In a few days, you and I will sit down, and actually relax together, for once. Then maybe we’ll take the boys to a movie, out to eat, or to the ball field. Have a normal day together. What do you think, Nate, that sound like fun?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “We’ll do that…” Marianna wrapped her free hand around his. She needed to feel him, alive, breathing. She needed that.

  “Marianna, go to the boys. I’ll be fine. Go. We’ll talk later. I promise.” She felt torn. Her heart was with her children and she knew that’s where she needed to be—but a part of her didn’t want to let him out of her sight. What if something else happened?

  “Sweetheart…go.” Ed squeezed her hand, then winced. “Get the kids taken care of…”

  “Mari, I’ll take the old man to the hospital and get him a Spiderman Band-Aid.” Fin put a hand on her shoulder. Marianna wasn’t even sure how he’d come up behind her without her noticing. “I promise to take good care of him.”

  She stared at Ed for a moment, then looked at Fin. “I’m holding you to that, Fin. Ed…Ed…I’ll see you later. I promise.”

  Chapter 41

  By the time she got the boys settled in at Ana and Fin’s house—her and Ed’s houses were still considered crime scenes—the sun was starting to rise. They’d all sleep late today, that was for certain. She wasn’t so sure she’d be sleeping well again for quite a while. Not after the last few days.

  Nate had filled her in on what had happened in the basement, and why Schild had done what he’d done. Over Payton. Did Payton even realize that Hugh had had feelings for her? Somehow Marianna doubted it.

  Hugh had walked into Ed’s supposedly secure home, past five of her sons, then came face-to-face with Nate and Ted. Nate had pushed his brother to the window, putting himself between Hugh and Ted. While she’d been downstairs with Ed. She’d have a hard time forgiving herself for that. If she ever did.

  Fin had known what she was thinking as soon as she’d told him where she was when Jamie had reported the man in the house. Fin believed that had she been upstairs when Hugh came in, he probably would have killed her on the spot. And the gunshots would most likely have brought some of her sons out of their beds. Putting more than just Ted and Nate in Hugh’s line of fire.

  She would never forget how close they had all come. It was burned into her mind and would be until the day she died.

  Marianna was on Fin and Ana’s couch with a blanket and a cup of tea. But she wouldn’t be sleeping anytime soon.

  “You want to go to him, right?” Ana asked from the kitchen a few feet away from the sitting room where Marianna rested. �
�I do not blame you. The children, they are safe. Now it’s time for you.”

  Marianna sighed. “Am I that transparent?”

  “Only to one who has been there. Go. I can watch the boys. I expect they will all sleep late, anyway.”

  “I don’t even know what hospital he’s at.”

  “I do. Georgia called an hour ago.” She handed Marianna a piece of paper with a hospital name and room number. “They stitched our hero back together again, and are keeping him for a few more hours to watch for signs of infection. Apparently him being the director nets him extra precautions. And I think Georgia and Jules have pressured him. I’ll bet he wouldn’t mind seeing his favorite forensic scientist.”

  “That obvious, are we?” She felt her cheeks flush.

  “Once again, only to those who have been there. I like it; it’s good for Ed. He’s alone, and needs a family around him. That’s one reason he’s adopted Fin and Daniella and I into his family, just through my connection with Georgia. One reason he so highly values his friendships with Dan Reynolds and Malachi Brockman. He needs people. And I can’t think of anyone who’d be a better fit for you and your kids.”

  Marianna nodded. “I’m scared.”

  “We all are when we have to make those kinds of decisions. And you have seven other futures dependent upon your choices. But Ed…Ed is one of those guys where you can’t go wrong. Go for it. I doubt you’ll regret it.”

  ***

  Half an hour later, she was outside Ed’s hospital room. Agent Angel waved her in. “Go in. I think he’ll be happy to see you. He’s a bit growly at the moment. The big boss hates hospitals.”

  Marianna nodded, as the nerves continued to build. She pushed the door to room 328. Ed was standing by the window, buttoning the wrist of a clean shirt. The other sleeve was rolled up and the arm rested in a sling. His eyes were bloodshot and he was pale, but he was in one piece.