by Sandra Brown
Should she contact the police? They could probably respond faster than her WITSEC handler. But what would she tell the emergency operator? She could imagine the call…
Nine-one-one, what is the nature of your emergency?
There’s a man where I’m shopping who reminds me of some violent gang members who once tried to kill me.
Reminds you of some violent gang members?
Yes…
Has he actually done anything to threaten or harm you?
Not yet.
God, would the police even come?
She dialed her WITSEC handler instead, but he didn’t pick up, either.
“Who are you trying to call, Mommy?” Mia had been playing with the cans in the cart but tuned in long enough to notice Laurel pressing the end-call button.
“The restaurant?” she asked next. “Do you have to go to work today?”
Laurel slipped the phone back into her purse. If she had to make a dash for it, she wanted her hands free so she’d be able to hang on to her kids. “No, not today.”
“Who will wait on the people?”
“The other servers.”
“Oh.” Mia went back to playing as Laurel, hands slick with sweat, propelled the shopping cart forward.
The man who’d been making her so uncomfortable didn’t follow, but she was afraid he would once she turned the corner. It’d happened twice already. She’d left him in two different aisles only to bump into him a second and a third time.
Unwilling to abandon the treat section quite so soon, Jake slowed their cart to pick up a bottle of soda. “Mom, can we—”
Completely preoccupied with the stranger, and how much he resembled the type of men who belonged to The Crew, she didn’t let Jake finish. “No, that has too much sugar.”
“Please?” he persisted. “Come on! Other kids drink soda. Look, it’s your favorite kind.”
“I said no—or…okay.” Taking it away from him, she added it to the cart and grasped his hand so he had no choice except to keep up with them.
“Mommy?”
It was Mia again. “What honey?”
“Are you upset?”
She’d had a hard lump in her stomach ever since Rex left, and this wasn’t helping. “I’m just thinking.”
“What about these?” Jake scooped a bag of cheese puffs from the closest display. “Can we have these?”
Laurel managed a tremulous smile as they passed another shopper. “No. We have to go.”
“But we just got here!”
She kept moving, so fast he dropped the bag of cheese puffs, and she didn’t even stop to pick it up.
“Mom!” He almost tripped as she dragged him along.
“Just do as I say,” she snapped and risked another glance behind them. The man was nowhere to be seen. Was she freaking out for nothing?
Maybe. As busy as the store was, she’d seen several other shoppers more than once. None of them stood out like this guy did, but maybe the argument she’d had with Rex was making her feel extra vulnerable, making her imagine the stranger was keeping a closer watch on her than he was.
Regardless, she didn’t feel safe here and wanted to leave.
Choosing the shortest checkout line, she wheeled her cart into place. The tattooed guy didn’t come out of the snack aisle, as she’d expected, but that didn’t matter. She was already too worked up to talk herself out of her fear. Suddenly, she couldn’t even wait the few minutes it would take to buy the groceries she’d selected. She had to get out of the store.
“Come on,” she said, lifting Mia from the cart.
“Where are we going?” her daughter asked in surprise.
“Home.”
“Without our soda?” Jake complained.
“I’ll get you an ice-cream cone later, I promise. Both of you.” Just cooperate, she prayed and hurried them out and into the crowded parking lot.
Jake wasn’t happy about abandoning their purchases, but he didn’t say another word as he climbed into the backseat of her old Volvo and put on his seat belt. He’d read her anxiety; it was so intense she could no longer hide it. The only other time he’d seen her like this was in Colorado, when she’d made him take his sister and climb out a bedroom window to escape what was about to happen in the house. She’d told both her children that what they’d witnessed that night had been playacting, but she often wondered if Jake, at least, knew better.
Her hands shook as she buckled Mia in. The painful memories were coming in a torrent now, memories of finding the U.S. Marshal assigned to protect them in a puddle of blood on the floor, his throat slit. Memories of Ink, The Crew member who’d survived. Ink, with the devilish tattoos covering his face, breaking into her bedroom. Memories of his hands reaching for her, his nails clawing her legs apart. The deafening blast of the gun. The acrid smell of gunpowder…
They’d all almost died. If not for Rex, they would have.
“Not again,” she whispered. “Please, not again.”
She was coming around the car to get behind the wheel when someone called her name. Fear and adrenaline shot through her, and she stiffened, but then she recognized the voice. It was Rex. He was here. Somehow he was here.
Turning, she saw him coming toward her and nearly crumpled to the blacktop in relief.
“There you are!” As soon as he was close enough, she threw herself into his arms. “What made you come back?”
He stumbled, surprised by her enthusiastic welcome but caught himself before he could fall, caught them both. “I left my phone at your house, but you have the place locked up so tight I couldn’t get in, and I didn’t want to scare you by breaking in, so I’ve been checking all your regular places. You mentioned needing groceries this morning, so…fortunately, I spotted your car.”
“That’s why you wouldn’t answer your phone. You didn’t have it. I’m sorry about earlier, Rex. I’m so sorry.”
He hesitated, and she feared he wouldn’t accept her apology, that he’d continue to be mad. But then his hand went to the back of her head and his body adjusted to hers. “It’s okay. I shouldn’t have pressured you. We…we were good until I ruined it.”
“Last night was special,” she admitted. “I’ve never felt so close to anyone.” It wasn’t until he’d asked her to marry him that everything had fallen apart. After what she’d been through, she just wasn’t ready to make that commitment. She’d told him that before. “So don’t give up on me,” she whispered. “Not yet.”
Chin resting on top of her head, he squeezed her tighter. “We’ll work it out, huh? Somehow we’ll work it out. Don’t cry.”
She hadn’t even realized she was crying. The man in the store had frightened her, but that wasn’t the worst of it. She’d been afraid that this time Rex wouldn’t come back, that they were really over, and that had sent her reeling.
“You okay?” He pulled back to see her face.
Should she tell him about the panic attack she’d had in the store?
No, she felt silly about that now. The guy who’d spooked her was probably just some biker who liked tattoos and chocolate chips and hadn’t meant her any harm. How would The Crew ever find them here? They were in WITSEC, had brand-new identities. No one knew where they were. “Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s go home.” She didn’t even want to go back for her groceries.
But the second he released her, the man she’d seen in the store stepped out from behind the van beside her car.
And this time she knew he was dangerous because he shoved the muzzle of a gun into her back.
* * *
It took a second for Rex to realize what was going on. He’d been so caught up in his emotional exchange with Laurel, he’d allowed The Crew to get the drop on them. After the uneasy feeling he’d experienced at the bar, he considered this an inexcusable mistake. But he hadn’t really believed The Crew could find them, not after everything they’d done to escape. Prison gangs weren’t usually that sophisticated, and The Crew was no exception. But they were
determined and deadly and somehow they’d managed to follow them to D.C.
He had no doubt this man would shoot Laurel if he didn’t do something. And what about the kids?
“Let her go.” He raised his hands to show he was compliant. “I’m the one you want. I’m Rex McCready, Pretty Boy. Horse wants me, not her.”
The guy—Mose, according to one tattoo—was six foot, about two hundred pounds and solidly built. His dark eyes focused on Rex, but he had a grip on Laurel. One shot at such close range would almost certainly kill her. “He wants you both. Virgil, too. That’s my assignment and I’m gonna do it.”
Rex wished he had his own gun. Since he was an ex-con, carrying a firearm or any other weapon violated his parole, but he’d picked up a 9 mm on the black market. It was currently stashed under the seat of his truck, which he’d parked along the perimeter of the lot. He’d thought that was close and handy—until this moment, when it might as well be in another state. “You’d be stupid to get greedy. Take me and leave her to her children. She has no part in this, and neither do they.”
“Shut up and get in the car.” He jerked his head toward Laurel’s Volvo.
The kids stared out at them as if they couldn’t understand what was wrong. Rex hoped they wouldn’t figure it out. They’d already been through more than any kids should have to face.
“Look, you’re in over your head here,” he said to Mose. “Just let her take the kids and go, and I’ll do whatever the fuck you tell me to.”
“Sorry, not good enough.”
Another Hanley’s Grocery customer passed by, the wheels of her cart rattling against the pavement. Rex prayed she’d glance up, see the gun and scream or cause some other type of diversion so he could wrest the weapon away, but she was too focused on the baby she had in a carrier. She walked right past them without noticing a thing. That was when the real panic set in, when Rex had to accept that he wasn’t sure how to save them, not this time.
“Get in.” The guy with the gun indicated Laurel’s car again. “Or I’ll drop her right here.”
Shit! If he resisted, Laurel would be shot. They’d all be shot, along with other innocent people. But if he complied, they’d be abandoning the relative safety of this public parking lot, giving their enemy even more power over them. Which didn’t seem like the best idea…
In the end, Rex had no choice. He’d do anything to delay Laurel getting hurt. He could only cooperate and hope he’d have a better opportunity to save them later.
Heart slamming against his chest, he opened the back door, slid Jake to the middle and got in. He hoped Laurel would be able to make a break for safety the second the guy left her side, but she wasn’t taking any chances. Mose trained the gun on the kids as he moved around the car—first one, then the other—and Rex knew she wouldn’t do anything to make him fire. He couldn’t blame her.
“Where are we going?” she asked, once they were all in.
The guy kept his gun low so the people around them couldn’t see it. Neither could Rex, but he had no doubt it was aimed at Laurel because her eyes kept flicking toward it.
“Let’s head to Virgil’s.” Mose tossed a grin over his shoulder for Rex’s benefit. “I think it’ll be fun to surprise him, don’t you?”
* * *
Laurel had no intention of leading this man to her brother. Virgil had a wife and a new baby at home. He was finally happy, and she planned to do everything possible to keep it that way. She knew he’d do the same for her if their roles were reversed. She only hoped The Crew didn’t know where he lived, that the man holding the gun wouldn’t realize she’d led him to Rex’s house instead.
Would Jake or Mia pipe up? It would be so like them, so like any child to declare that she’d gotten it wrong. They certainly knew one house from the other, but they seemed subdued. They hadn’t said a word the entire ride. She wondered if they, too, were reliving what had happened in Colorado… .
“Not bad,” Mose said, admiring Rex’s home as they came to a stop at the curb. “Ratting out your friends must pay well.”
Virgil had received nothing from the government for the information he’d provided, except a promise of protection for him and those he loved. He’d been given nearly $700,000 for wrongful imprisonment, however, which he’d insisted on sharing. That money had provided them each with a down payment on a house, but they worked to cover the mortgages. Laurel suspected Rex had bought this house hoping she and the kids would move in with him. Even she’d believed she would live here someday.
She’d never dreamed she’d die here instead.
“Virgil didn’t rat anybody out until you tried to kill me,” she said. “All he wanted was his life back.”
“He swore an oath and then he broke it. That means he pays the price.”
“But he should never have gone to prison in the first place!”
“That’s his problem. We’re not gonna sit back while he lives in some fancy-ass house like this. A house he bought with blood money!”
She wasn’t going to convince him so she quit trying. She knew what these men were like. “Let my kids go, at least,” she said. “Let them walk over to the neighbor’s, where they’ll be safe.” She hoped to win their freedom before he became aware that she’d led him to the wrong house. After that, anything could happen.
Jake whimpered. He was catching on—or what they were saying had confirmed what he’d feared since they left the store.
“Mommy? I want to go home,” Mia said and began to cry.
Laurel felt as if she was on fire, burning from the inside out. She’d never experienced such a sensation before—such a mixture of fury, righteous indignation, determination and fear. It was different from before because there was a certain amount of resignation involved, too. She’d been expecting this for so long. “You’re going to be fine,” she said even though it was probably a lie.
The man with the gun twisted around to face them. “Mommy’s right—if she and your friend here cooperate.”
But she wasn’t cooperating. She was doing whatever she could to protect Virgil, Peyton and baby Brady. It didn’t make sense to put them at risk, too, but the fact that she was endangering her own children in the process made her clammy with sweat. What would this asshole do when he realized? Shoot them all and go after Virgil on his own?
Even if he did, at least Virgil would have a chance to get away… .
No longer hiding his weapon, Mose waved the pistol at her door. “Shall we go in?”
Her eyes met Rex’s in the rearview mirror, and she hoped he could read the message inside them: Do whatever you have to.
* * *
Rex made his move as soon as they got out of the car. He couldn’t afford to wait, had no idea what might happen if he let this go on. At least outside, the children had room to scatter and hide, and if the gun went off there’d be a greater chance that a neighbor might hear it and call the police.
But the man was prepared. Dodging Rex’s blow, he grabbed Mia by the hair and dragged her up against him. “You try that again, and she’ll be the first to die,” he snapped.
“Run!” Rex stood in front of Jake and tried to shoo him away. He didn’t think this man would kill Mia over the loss of her brother. The kids didn’t matter that much to him. This wasn’t about them. But Jake wouldn’t leave—he sidled over to protect his mother.
“Jake, do as I say!”
“No, Uncle Rex.” The boy’s chest rose and fell so fast Rex could tell he was terrified, but he was equally resolute. “He’ll shoot my sister. Then he’ll shoot my mom.”
Rex couldn’t believe he’d refused to obey. The odds were already stacked against them. He didn’t need Jake to get stubborn, even if he couldn’t help admiring the boy’s courage. “Jake!” He hated the risk he was taking but he had no choice. If they went inside, this man would shoot them all the minute he understood that they weren’t giving up Virgil.
Then Jake surprised him. He shoved his mother so hard she stumbled bac
k and fell over the planter behind her, and he started jumping and shouting and waving his arms as if he thought he could force the man to fire at him instead of his sister.
Jake’s sudden reversal had taken the bastard off guard. Mose paused for a second. Apparently he couldn’t decide whether he should actually fire, or even who he should fire at. He glanced behind him almost as if he feared Virgil was already on his way out of the house and that was what had set Jake off.
That brief hesitation gave Rex the opportunity he’d been looking for. Launching himself forward, he tackled the guy.
Mia fell when they did, which probably hurt, but it wasn’t going to kill her. The man had to let her go in order to keep control of the gun he was trying to turn on Rex.
She wiggled out from between them and ran off crying almost as soon as they hit the ground. While he wrestled Mose, trying to subdue him, Rex didn’t know where she went. He didn’t care as long as she remained safe. He hoped Laurel was taking her kids and getting them the hell out of here—he trusted she was. He knew how much they meant to her. He knew how much they meant to him, too, all of them, because he felt a huge surge of relief even as the gun went off.
* * *
Laurel had a large rock in her hand when she crept toward the two men lying, one atop the other, on the ground. She’d yelled for her children to go next door and call 911, and they’d dashed off, but she hadn’t been able to bring herself to leave Rex.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she drew closer. He’d been shot. She was pretty sure of that. But where?
“Rex?”
He didn’t answer. She got the impression he was struggling just to breathe and felt the tears come faster.
“Rex, answer me.”
Finally, he rolled off the guy and lay there, gazing up at her. Blood covered his shirt, but it wasn’t his blood. It belonged to the man who’d come to kill them. The Crew had lost another member. The sightless eyes of their attacker stared skyward as the red staining his shirt seeped farther and farther from where the bullet had entered his chest.
Dropping the rock, she sagged to her knees at Rex’s side and buried her face in his neck.
