by Leigh, Jo
Kate couldn’t breathe, but she knew she had to move, to get to her gun, before Jeff found his. She inched to her right, peering over the edge of the desk. There it was, near the far wall. Her chest loosened and she breathed in a deep breath, one that cleared her head as well as her lungs. Just as she was bending to get the Glock, a hand, Jeff’s hand, grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her up. “Not a chance, lady,” he said, his words slurring from a deep cut on his lip.
“Everyone knows,” she said. “You can’t escape. They know about your bank account in the Caymans. They know you hired the Wu Chang to kill Tim.”
“Good thing I have enough to retire,” he said. He pulled her toward the exit with his good hand. He held his weapon in the other, blood from his upper arm dripping down to streak his fingers.
A bullet screamed past her ear, and he jerked her to the side. Another scream, this from a man, not a bullet, and someone else was dead.
Jeff thrust her outside, and she prayed that Nate was watching, that he could get a good shot from the building across the street. She tried to remember what she’d learned in hand-to-hand training, but he was shoving her in front of him, holding her arm in a viselike grip, the gun pressing into her back. Yes, he’d hit the vest, but at this range, there was little chance she’d survive.
He pushed her to the left, away from Nate, away from Vince, who was bleeding on the floor. Was he still alive? Would Omicron or the gang find him lying there and put a bullet in his head?
“Move,” Jeff said, his voice little more than a snarl.
“Kate.”
It was Nate. The earpiece was still there. Did he see her?
“There’s another car. Omicron. They’re coming around the back.”
Well, this was it. If Jeff didn’t kill her, Omicron would. Well, she couldn’t stop Omicron, but this bastard? He was wounded, she wasn’t.
He pushed once more, and Kate dropped and spun, using the weight of her body to bring Jeff forward and over. He cursed and she went for his gun. She found it, but he still had a grip, and he wasn’t about to let go.
He hit her with his left hand flat against her cheek. Then again, jerking her head and filling her with pain. The third time, she must have relaxed her hand, because the gun was gone.
Shots rang out, over her head. She ducked, but Jeff hit her once more, slamming her head back, wrenching her neck, and when she opened her eyes again, she found the weapon, three inches from her face. He snarled, and she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for it.
But that shot didn’t come. Jeff’s body flew off to the pavement, and above her, bloodied but whole, stood Vince.
Another shot came from above, and then it was quiet.
Kate backed away as Vince kicked Jeff’s arm viciously, sending his weapon scuttling across the ground. “You stupid bastard,” he screamed, blood spitting out with the words. “You killed him, you prick. You knew he was good, and you fucking killed him. He was ten times the man you’d ever be.”
“Righteous asshole. You never understood a goddamn thing.” Jeff was crawling backward, using his own good arm, but Vince moved with him, standing over him with bruised fists and unbelievable fury.
Kate hit the wall, and she used it to get to her feet. Behind them she saw bodies. Three bodies. All in black. Their weapons littered the pavement and their blood glistened in black pools. Thank God for Nate.
“I understand this,” Vince said, his voice low and trembling. “You’re going down. You hear those sirens? They’re coming for you. You’re going to jail with all the gangbangers and all the murderers and rapists and thugs you arrested. There won’t be a safe place. A night you don’t find out what it is to be someone’s bitch. You got that, you insufferable traitor? The best you can hope for is a shiv in the back. And you deserve every minute of hell.”
Jeff had moved all the way back to the fence. His mouth dripped blood and his eyes were filled with panic. Just as Vince was leaning down to lift him by his coat, Jeff’s gun whipped out from behind his body. He pointed it at Vince’s face, the gun shaking.
Kate moved left, ready to launch herself into Vince’s body. But then she saw Jeff wasn’t the only one with a gun. Vince shot him in the heart. One clean shot.
Jeff crumpled. His gun fell with a clatter, his head hit the edge of the fence. Kate nearly passed out with relief, but the exit behind her flew open.
She had no idea who it was, just that there was another gun. Another shot.
Then a hand gripping her arm, pulling her hard, making her climb over the small fence. She was running, and it was Vince next to her, urging her on, his steps ragged as he struggled to keep up with her.
Somehow, they made it to the truck, and Nate was already behind the wheel. They crouched in the back seat breathing loudly as they dripped blood on the upholstery. The sirens got louder as Nate pulled out of the driveway, heading toward home.
Vince struggled up, pulling her up with him. He lifted his filthy shirt to the side of her mouth, dabbing at the blood.
Kate rested her head against his, as his arm moved around her shoulder.
They were alive. They had won. It was over.
For now.
Chapter 18
Vince ached in places he’d forgotten he had, and every move had him gasping just a bit. When he looked at Kate, at the bruises on her face, her swollen eye, he wished he could kill Jeff all over again. He’d trusted that man with his life.
“We should just go to Harper’s,” Kate said. “You look like hell.”
“I’ll live.”
“We should get this done,” Nate said. He was driving the speed limit, on surface streets, attracting no attention. “You two have to get moving tomorrow.”
Kate sighed and shifted a bit in Vince’s arms. “Thank you,” she whispered, lifting her fingers to brush against his split lip. She winced. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“He was my problem.”
“Omicron wasn’t. And now…”
“Now, you need to rest and heal. Take care of Seth. Get back to your work.”
She nodded. “Where will you go?”
“Let’s talk about that after.”
Closing her eyes, she rested her head against him once more. “After is good.”
When she was comfortable, Vince thought about his next task. He was going to make a bargain with the devil. Baker was a self-aggrandizing ass who wanted his Pulitzer more than he wanted the truth. What Vince had to offer might just be his ticket. Which would serve them all well.
It was late, and Vince didn’t really want to wake up Baker’s wife and kid, but they’d survive. Kate wouldn’t, unless he played his cards right.
“You remember the storage facility address?” Nate asked.
“Yeah.”
“And the name I gave you?”
“I’ve got it all. You don’t have to worry.”
“I always have to worry.”
Vince smiled, then regretted it immediately as the move pulled at his battered lip. “What’s next for you?”
“I’m going to keep watching the Omicron offices. See if they’ve stashed any gas anywhere else. Try to figure out who’s the top dog.”
“In other words, the same old, same old.”
“Yeah, I suppose so.”
“It was a good thing you were up on that roof.” Vince looked down at Kate. Her eyes were still closed and he hoped she was sleeping, not just resting. “I didn’t think about a second team, which was stupid. They did that in Sunland.”
“Yeah. They don’t like to take chances.” Nate turned onto the street where Baker lived, then parked a few doors down. He put the truck in Park, but he didn’t turn off the engine. “When I see you coming down the walk, I’ll come get you. Don’t dawdle.”
“I want this over more than you do. Trust me.”
He hated to move Kate, but there was no choice. She blinked at him, but the next second she was wide awake. “We’re here already?”
&nbs
p; “That we are. You stay safe. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
She lifted her chin for a kiss, which he gave her. A very soft kiss. If it didn’t hurt so much, he’d have laughed. The moment he stepped out of the car he lost his sense of humor.
This little talk he was about to have was every bit as important as the Purchase House operation. He had to convince Baker to play ball.
The walk to the door seemed a whole lot longer, and not just because Nate had parked down the street. Every muscle hurt. What was worse was the new awareness that there was a skilled, silent enemy out to kill him. They had his name, his address, everything about him, and they considered him dispensable. His badge meant nothing. His history of exemplary service meant nothing. They simply wanted him dead.
The porch light was on, but he was sure no one was up at this hour. He rang the doorbell, waited half a minute, rang it again. Then again. Finally, he heard movement behind the door.
“Who the hell is it?”
“Vince Yarrow.”
The door flew open. Baker, in a striped bathrobe, looking exactly like a man who’d been forced out of bed, glared at him. “What the hell?”
“Get your notepad.”
“What?”
“I said, get your notepad. You’re going to want to write this down.”
“Are you kidding me? Do you know what time it is?”
“Yeah, I do.”
Baker stood for a moment, and Vince could see the debate in his eyes. “This better be the best damn story I’ve ever heard,” he said, stepping back to let Vince inside.
“It is.”
* * * * *
Kate stared at the reporter’s door from the backseat. She couldn’t lean back or rest, not until Vince was by her side, safe and sound.
“Kate?”
“Yeah.”
“You know this is it, right? That tomorrow, you’re gone?”
“I know.”
“Do you really?”
She shifted her gaze to Nate. “Believe me. I get it.”
“Hey,” he said. “You care about the guy. I know that. Leaving’s gonna be a bitch. I wish I could make things easier for you, but—”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get snarky. I just hate it, that’s all. I hate it so much.”
“You got to keep your eye on the prize. This will be over. If Baker does his part, it’ll be over a lot sooner.”
“If.”
“Vince is a pretty persuasive guy. I’m thinking Baker’s gonna play ball.”
She agreed, but she still wanted to hear it from Vince. Long minutes ticked slowly by and nothing happened. No cars, no cats, no paper boys. It was as if everything outside the car was frozen in time. The quiet became nearly unbearable. She turned away from the window. “Nate?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s gonna happen with Seth?”
Nate sighed. “He’s going to get better. He’ll stay with Harper. She’s the only one who can help him at this point.”
“I don’t think Seth’s going to like that much.”
“He’s a soldier. He’ll do what he has to.”
“I know she did the right thing, but God. What a horrible choice to have to make.”
“A damaged Seth is a hell of a lot better than a dead Seth. He’ll get over it.”
“I hope so.”
“Hey.” Nate put the car in Drive and inched forward.
Kate saw Vince walking down the path. She couldn’t tell if it had gone well or poorly, not from his posture. But that was probably because he was hurting.
When the truck stopped, she pushed the back door open, and Vince got in next to her. Nate took off the second the door shut.
“Well?”
“It’s fine,” Vince said.
She shook her head. “Details.”
“Yeah. Well, I told him all about the storage facility. Of course I didn’t say anything specific about you guys, but I gave him the rundown about the chemicals, and what Omicron had planned. He didn’t believe me, not at first. But then I told him to look up some key players online. You were right, Nate. There’s evidence, but you have to know where to look and how to read between the lines. He agreed to investigate, and if it all pans out, he’ll run the story.”
“What about the business with Jeff?”
“He’s all over it. I told him he might want to get down to Purchase House, that there were some interesting things going on down there. He made a phone call to confirm.”
“What about us?” Kate asked.
Vince turned so he was facing her. He smiled, not giving a damn about how it hurt his lip. “He’s going to print that you aren’t a witness any longer. He’s not going to look for you, or write anything else about you, except that you know nothing.”
She fell back against the seat. “Thank you.”
“I told him one more thing.”
Kate leaned toward him. “What?”
“I told him I quit. That I was off the case. Off any case. I told him he could confirm that with Emerson first thing in the morning.”
“I thought you were just going to transfer. Get out of gangs.”
“I am out of gangs. I’m out of the whole game. I’ve left a message for the Captain. I don’t even have to go back to hand in my badge and my weapon. It’s over. I’m done.”
“What are you going to do?”
Vince kissed her once again on the lips. Then he looked over at Nate. “The thing is, I’m a pretty handy guy. I know how to use a weapon, and I know something about covert operations. So I figured while Seth was laid up, Nate might need a hand.”
“No,” Kate said. “You can’t.”
“Why not?”
“It’s not your fight.”
“They’re trying to kill the woman I love. What part of that isn’t my fight?”
She stared at him in the dim light of the car. He looked like he’d been run over by a truck, and he hadn’t gotten that way from being a cop. “It’s unrelenting,” she said softly. “There’s no part of your life that’s normal. Not your name, not your home. You can’t call anyone you know. It’s so hard, and it never stops. I can’t let you do that.”
“They already know who I am. I’ll be safer with you guys than on my own.”
“That’s not true.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Uh, guys?” Nate had gotten on the freeway, and he was looking at Vince in the rearview mirror.
“Nate, tell him.”
“She’s right. About everything. This week has been tough, but it gets a lot worse. There’s no guarantee you’ll make it out alive.”
“I know that,” Vince said. “I’ve thought about it. And if you’ll have me, I’ve made my choice.”
“It’s okay with me. You’re a good man, and we need that on our team.”
“Nate!”
“He asked. I’m just telling the truth.”
She turned back to Vince. “I wouldn’t be able to take it if something happened to you.”
“Then we’ll make sure nothing does.”
“Your mother’s house…Your house.”
“I’ve got it covered. I’ve let the real estate agent know I’ll be out of the country. She’s got people who’ll pack everything and put it in storage. Once she sells the house, she’ll hold the money until we figure out how to get it safely.”
“That’s your money.”
“No. It’s our money. I know you’re hurting, and tonight’s been a bitch, but pay attention.” He grinned. “I love you. I’m not letting you face this crap alone. I’m in. For the duration. Got it?”
She stared at him with her eyes wide open. He was walking into hell…for her. Because he loved her. Her eyes burned and her body ached and she’d almost been killed several times, yet all she could think was that she was so incredibly lucky.
“Well?” he asked.
“I love you, too,” she said.
“Thank God,” he said.
Then, pai
ns be damned, she kissed him.
Epilogue
Thirty-two days later…
Vince got the newspaper from the front stoop. He checked the area, noting the cars that were parked on the street, looking for anything that seemed out of place. Nothing caught his eyes. He went back inside, bolting the door shut. Kate was in the kitchen, waiting.
He threw the morning edition of the Times on the table without looking at the headline.
Kate unfolded the paper. “It’s here.”
He poured himself another cup of coffee, then went to take his seat next to Kate. She started to read. Vince sipped his coffee as Baker’s article unfolded. The reporter had exposed the bastards. He’d done his research well, and Omicron was named. So was Leland Ingram, the man Nate had been bugging all this time. Baker had even called the head of Homeland Security to investigate the gas.
It was huge and it was going to cause shock waves throughout Washington. Throughout the entire nation. And he was pretty damn sure Omicron wasn’t going to take it lying down.
“You think there’s something on the news?” she asked.
He went over to the small TV on the counter and turned it to CNN. They didn’t have to wait long for the uproar. Reporters were outside the storage facility and at Omicron headquarters.
He went back to his seat at their awful kitchen table. This apartment had come furnished, and they hadn’t wanted to spend any money on upgrades. So they had stuck a matchbook under the short leg and used a tablecloth so they wouldn’t get splinters.
Kate smiled at him, and lifted her coffee mug. They toasted quietly because this was just one step. A big step, yes, but just one.
Vince kissed her, and her smile made him want her. Of course, everything made him want her.
