Undercover Jeopardy

by Kathleen Tailer

  “Was this man giving you trouble?” Jackson asked, looking between Daniel and the other robbers.

  A cold sweat ran down her back. Should she tell their leader that Daniel was a cop? Her mind focused on the heaviness of Daniel’s weapon resting in the waistband of her jeans. If he saw Daniel’s police badge or somehow discovered that she’d known he was law enforcement and hadn’t said anything, it could blow her cover. But if she did tell, Jackson might lose his temper and try to hurt Daniel, and she would be forced to intervene. There was no telling what he would do if he found out one of the hostages was a detective with the local police department. This entire assignment could blow up in the next few moments if she didn’t quickly think of a solution. Her mind was spinning when surprisingly J.P. solved her problem for her.

  “He was mouthing off. I had to show him who was in charge,” J.P. offered with a sardonic grin.

  Bethany blew out a breath of relief, her dilemma temporarily fixed. She watched Jackson carefully, waiting for his reaction.

  Jackson finally nodded, apparently accepting the response, and pointed his gun at Daniel’s head. “Give me your cell phone.”

  Daniel’s pulled out his cell phone that was clipped to his belt and in the same motion, surreptitiously pushed his detective shield into his pocket, hiding it from view. Bethany noticed and quickly looked down so it seemed like she wasn’t paying attention. He dropped the phone in the trash can with the others and Jackson continued down the line, none the wiser.

  Suddenly a shot rang out, and J.P. shrieked and grabbed his side. A dark circle of blood appeared on the hoodie near J.P.’s abdomen, and J.P. slowly sank to the floor, his face contorted with pain. Bethany crouched, her weapon ready, searching the room for the source of the shot. Would the next bullet take her out?

  TWO

  Bethany turned just in time to see a security guard slip back behind a corner in the hallway leading to the back of the building. She fired back, but made sure her shots were high. Good grief! Hadn’t Jackson cleared the building? She noticed Jackson motioning to Terrell, the big, well-built robber who had locked the front doors and was closer to the guard’s hiding place than any of the other robbers. They had all studied the floor plans of the bank before the theft, and they all knew that if Terrell was careful, he could sneak up on the guard from behind and disarm him by going through a second hallway that was accessible from behind the tellers’ counter. Terrell nodded to Jackson and silently disappeared through the door. Bethany hoped Terrell would be reasonable and not hurt the guard. He was a true believer in the cause, but he wasn’t by nature a violent person. A few minutes later, they heard some shouting from the hallway, and Terrell led the security guard out with his hands up and forced him to join the line of hostages. He had been disarmed and had a recalcitrant expression on his face, but he didn’t look injured. Bethany was instantly relieved. Her biggest dread in participating in this crime was that someone innocent would get hurt or killed. It was bad enough that J.P. got shot. She surely didn’t want any other casualties.

  “Trying to be a hero?” Jackson sneered when the guard and Terrell reached the group. The guard didn’t answer, and Bethany glanced at her watch. Things were going downhill, fast. They needed to get into the vault, get what they came for and get out of here. This whole robbery was taking way too long. A wave of anxiety washed over her as she watched Jackson motion to the guard with his gun. “Sit down with the others.” The guard complied, warily eyeing J.P., who was still laying on the floor, bleeding and moaning loudly and intermittently. He was right to be worried. If J.P. weren’t hurt so badly, he surely would have been so angry about being shot that he would have killed the guard outright just for revenge. J.P. had always been the one wild card in the whole operation. It was almost a blessing that he was out of the mix and wouldn’t be able to hurt anybody. Still, she didn’t want him to die.

  As Jackson gave orders for Terrell to sweep the place and make sure no one else was hiding in the back, Bethany went over to J.P.’s side. She put her rifle down and pulled up J.P.’s shirt so she could examine his wound. The fabric was already soaked with blood. He grabbed her arm and squeezed her hard. “I can’t believe he shot me. Help me, Hailey. He wasn’t supposed to shoot me.”

  Bethany nodded and met his eye, trying to reassure him. “Sure thing, J.P. Just let me take a look.” Hailey was her undercover name, yet it still sounded odd to her ears. She thought she’d eventually get used to it, especially since she’d been undercover for a year with this group.

  She examined the wound carefully, then gingerly rolled him to his side so she could see if the bullet had gone out his back. Thankfully, she found an exit wound. Even though it was bleeding profusely, she thought it was merely a flesh wound. If she could just stop the blood flow, he should be back to his normal nasty self in only a few weeks. She carefully pulled off her hoodie, found some scissors in a drawer in a nearby worker’s desk and cut the sweatshirt into strips, thankful for the latex gloves that the robbers were all wearing that kept her hands free of the blood. She kept her mask in place and still had on the black T-shirt she had been wearing underneath the hoodie, but now it was clear to everyone that she was a woman. There was no way to hide her body shape or her dark blond hair that was pulled back in a slick ponytail. She made a bandage out of the fabric and applied pressure for a few minutes before wrapping the rest of the strips around him to securely hold the bandage in place. Once she finished dressing his wound, she tied a knot and leaned over him.

  “Alright, J.P.,” she whispered for his ears only. “You lie still, okay?” She put his hands on top of the knot. “Hold that bandage right there as tightly as you can to stop the bleeding. Got it?” She squeezed his arm. God, please save his life and change his heart.

  She grabbed her rifle again and stood. At least now J.P. had a fighting chance. She glanced nonchalantly in Daniel’s direction, but a sliver of fear slid down her spine when she saw the look on his face. His eyes were burning into her like hot coals. It was obvious that he had recognized her, and anger and frustration radiated from his head to his toes. Now that he knew who she was, would he blow her cover? She met his eyes, which were following her every movement. Maybe it wasn’t anger she saw there but confusion and hurt instead. She looked away, not ready to confront Daniel or the emotions that caused a tightening in her chest.

  * * *

  Bethany Walker, his ex-fiancée, stood not twenty feet from him. Daniel still couldn’t believe it. But what was she doing robbing banks? He sat up a little straighter and watched her carefully as she tended to the other robber. He wanted to march right over to her and demand an explanation, but something inside of him urged caution. Bethany was a top special agent for the FBI. She had to be on assignment. Still, law enforcement was in the business of preventing crime, not creating crime, so why was she involved in an illegal activity like bank robbery? In Daniel’s book, Bethany’s actions violated the oath of a law enforcement officer. How could she protect and serve if she was the one wielding the rifle?

  Daniel’s attention was quickly diverted as the leader abruptly shot another stream of bullets into the ceiling. “Alright, who is the manager here?” He paced in front of the terrified group of hostages. All of the other robbers besides Hairy, wait, what had Bethany called him? Oh, yeah, J.P. All of the robbers besides J.P. stood behind the leader, keeping a wary eye on the situation, their guns at the ready. J.P. lay moaning on the floor right where he had fallen. The leader moved closer to one of the men who obviously worked at the bank. “Are you the manager?”

  The man put his hands up in mock surrender and shook his head. “No, no, it’s that guy.” He pointed to an older man in a dark suit who gave him a withering look.

  The leader smiled and sauntered over to the manager. He motioned with his gun. “Get up, mister manager. I’d like to see the inside of your vault.”

  “It’s time locked,” the man sputtered.
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  “You’re quite right,” the leader said with a smile as he checked his watch. “Isn’t it wonderful that we’re here at precisely the correct time? Now, if you’ll just come punch your code into the keypad, we’ll be in business.”

  Daniel could tell the man was terrified but was also trying his best to stall and protect the bank. His hesitance wasn’t lost on the leader either, who grabbed the manager’s tie and brought him to his feet. Then he pushed him toward the back of the bank where the vault was located. The man stumbled but righted himself and started walking. The leader, the robber with the limp and the bodybuilder robber all followed him, each carrying a large black duffel bag they had brought in with them when they’d first entered the bank. Daniel noticed there were two other bags of supplies the robbers had carried in, and he wondered briefly what was inside of them. He remembered that bank robberies usually averaged six minutes from start to finish, and he wondered fleetingly when this team was planning to make their escape. They had already been in the bank quite a long time by robbery standards and had gone way past the average.

  Bethany was the only robber left to watch the hostages, although J.P. was still lying on the floor, suffering from his injuries. She took over the pacing in front of the line of people, and Daniel watched her carefully, wondering if there was any way he could find an opportunity to talk to her in private so he could figure out what was going on.

  The phone suddenly rang, the shrill sound startling the group. Bethany ignored it, but after the tenth ring or so, Daniel spoke up. “Want me to answer that for you?”

  “Stay where you are,” she said flatly, pointing her gun at him. Now that he knew her identity, Daniel knew he wasn’t in danger and she wouldn’t fire, but he didn’t want to push her too far and ruin her cover either. Still, he had big questions for her. How could he get her alone to talk? Was it even possible in the confines of this insane robbery situation?

  The ringing continued.

  “Look, you must know this is taking too long. The police are probably already outside surrounding the place. They’re undoubtedly controlling the phones, and that’s a negotiator calling to talk you through this mess. You need to listen to him.” A couple of the other hostages groaned when he spoke, apparently frustrated with his goading.

  “Shut up,” Bethany said roughly, taking a step in his direction. “It’s too early for the police to be here.”

  The ringing continued.

  Daniel couldn’t help himself. All of the hurt and frustration he’d felt at losing Bethany suddenly came to a head, and now that he had found her, he had to push forward, regardless of the circumstances. “It’s got to be them,” he said, not knowing if it really was or not, but trying hard to sell the bluff. He started to stand and confront her, but she moved in closer and actually pointed the gun directly at his head. When she spoke, her voice was low and cold like ice. “I said, stay where you are. Don’t move again unless you want a new hole in your head.”

  He looked up into her eyes, those gray-blue eyes that reminded him of polished steel, and backed off. There was strength there, and memories flooded back at him. He remembered her laughing during a funny part of a movie and accepting his comfort when her cat died. They had shared a lot during their relationship, but the woman standing in front of him brandishing the gun as part of a robbery gang seemed like a total stranger. Yet, the love remained. He couldn’t erase it, no matter how much he had tried to forget her during the last year. He eyed her critically, noticing small details about her. She was thinner now, and her hair was a bit longer, but now that he knew her identity, it was hard to figure out why he hadn’t identified her sooner, even with the mask distorting her facial features.

  Why? Why had she left him without an explanation? Had she never loved him in the first place? Why had she never followed through and walked down the aisle with him? Where had she been for the last year? Pain slashed across his chest, but he tried his best to push those questions out of his mind. As much as he wanted to confront her and demand answers, they would have to wait. This wasn’t the time or place. In fact, he might never get a chance to talk to Bethany privately during this bank robbery. Right now, he needed to focus on stopping this crime, if it was possible, and make sure nobody got hurt, including the woman he loved.

  Suddenly, another man from the middle of the group started to stand, as well. Bethany swung her rifle in his direction and let fly a short burst of bullets. She must have aimed high on purpose, because each shot missed and hit the wood paneling about two feet above his head. Still, the shots had the desired effect, and the man quickly sat back down again, his eyes wide with fear. She took a few steps back, apparently making sure she had a good view of all the hostages.

  When she spoke, her voice was tough as nails, and her body language said she was more than just angry. “I said, stay where you are, all of you. Make no mistake, I am in control of this room and I missed on purpose. The next person that moves will be dead. Got it? I don’t have to miss. I’m an excellent shot. We’ll be out of here in just a few more minutes, and then you can all go back to your lives. Until then, you stay quiet and out of our way.”

  Daniel couldn’t keep silent despite her orders. He changed his tactic, knowing Bethany would always want to make sure a life wasn’t lost during an operation but also ensuring he didn’t make her appear vulnerable in front of the other hostages. The last thing he needed was for the hostages to feel empowered and attempt to rush her or try to take away her weapon. “We get it. You’re in charge. But please, let someone take your man outside. He’s injured and needs medical attention.” Daniel paused, waiting to see how Bethany would respond to his argument. Seeing no change in her expression, he tried a different approach. “If he dies, it will go worse for you in the long run.” Daniel knew she had a better chance of keeping her cover intact if no one died during this operation, and if law enforcement could interrogate the robber lying on the floor, all the better.

  She laughed. She actually laughed at his suggestion. “So the police can arrest him on sight? No, thank you.”

  Was she being sincere, or acting the part? He honestly couldn’t tell. Maybe he didn’t know her anymore after all. A lot could change in a year. “He’ll die if he doesn’t get help. He’ll also slow down your escape.” He pointed to one of the stronger looking men. “Let him do it. He can carry the guy out and make sure he gets the help he needs.”

  He waited as the seconds slowly ticked by, stretching into minutes. The air felt thick.

  THREE

  As if on cue, the phone started ringing again, slicing into the silence. Bethany eyed her watch, then the doorway that led to the vault. Something must have gone wrong; they were taking way too long to get the money and emerge from the back room where the vault was located. She knew that Jackson had already knocked out the video feeds and alarm system, but she wondered fleetingly if there was an issue with the bank manager’s code. Jackson swore he could bypass the electronic lock on the vault by doing some fancy wiring if he had to, but she wasn’t as confident in his abilities as he was. If he wasn’t going to be able to open it after all, her undercover mission was going to last even longer than she’d thought. The group she had infiltrated needed money to operate, and if they didn’t get it here and now, they would have to commit more crimes in the future to fund their operation. It was better all-around if they were successful here today. Then she could focus on building her case and making her arrests as the robbers put their more devious plans into motion.

  She eyed the group of hostages in front of her and tried to look tough and demanding. So far, she was confident that they wouldn’t do anything foolish—except for Daniel, that is. She could tell he was testing her. Maybe if their relationship hadn’t ended so badly he wouldn’t be challenging her, but now he knew her true identity, and she wasn’t sure what to expect. No matter what, she couldn’t blow her cover. Not here and now when she had come so far and gi
ven this operation a year of her life.

  “Let me get that phone for you,” Daniel suggested again. She swung back and stalked toward him. She doubted that the ringing phone was the police. This was a place of business after all, and phones probably rang constantly throughout the day. Still, the sound was eerily annoying, but not as annoying as the look of hurt in Daniel’s eyes that he was apparently unable to hide. His expression surprised her. Hadn’t they both said angry words to each other on that fateful day when they had ended their relationship? Pride made her push past the feelings that were starting to bubble in her chest.

  Maybe she had hurt him by not giving him an opportunity to explain after the big blowup. He never apologized, but she had basically vanished and never given him a chance to do so. She paused, reliving some of the argument in her mind. She was mature enough to realize that the fault had been hers, as well. Her disappearance had been swift after their relationship had collapsed, but her superiors had required an immediate response when they had offered her this assignment, and there had been no time to contact anyone. She had jumped at the opportunity to go undercover and further her career, but it had also been an excellent way to avoid the hurt and anger she had felt and evade any further confrontation. She had never thought of herself as a coward, but she had definitely wanted to avoid ever running into Daniel again. She glanced at him now and another wave of emotion swept over her. Why did he have to be here today? He was already pushing her buttons. Why wouldn’t he just sit down and stay out of her way?