With a sinking feeling, Storm watched her take off down the road.
Once again, Storm had let her down.
Chapter 12
“Good night, asshole. See you soon.”
Later on in the evening, Lucy watched the lights go out in Beckett’s apartment with grim satisfaction.
She’d spent the better part of the day working on a plan while Storm had been rifling through Beckett’s bank records.
Lucy knew she’d have to take matters into her own hands. The police were going to let Beckett continue on his murder spree. They might not catch up with him for years. And how many women like Christy would die as a result?
I can’t let it happen.
She tossed her cigarette on the ground and stubbed it out with her toe. Lucy stood across the street from the parking garage, behind his building, hidden in the shadows. The guard in the little booth by the entrance was playing around on his phone, completely oblivious to her scrutiny.
It was around eleven o’clock at night, and the streets were empty. It was a Tuesday night, and most people were already in bed. Since the psycho was asleep, she just had to sneak past security. Going through the lobby with all of its cameras and guards wasn’t an option.
The parking garage was the only other point of entry. All she had to do was get past the guard. Way easier said than done.
Lucy’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She checked the number. It was Storm. She hit the green button and he didn’t wait for her to respond.
“I woke up and found you gone.” Lucy had slipped out of HQ without anyone noticing her. “And I know exactly where you went.”
“How?”
“Your phone’s GPS.”
She gritted her teeth. “Did you bug it?”
“Yes. Stand down.”
“Hell no. I made Christy a promise, and I won’t break it.”
“I’ve found another way.”
“There is no other way. Beckett’s gonna pay for what he did”
“Don’t do it, Lucy,” he said quietly. “I don’t want this to blowback on you. And you still haven’t answered my question.”
She squeezed her eyes shut. “I know.” She’d wrestled with the offer all day, when Lucy hadn’t been hatching this plan, of course. “I can’t think about us, until I finish this.”
More than anything, Lucy wanted to say “yes” to Storm. It was time they both got a fresh start, a blank slate.
“Lucy, just hear me out. I—”
She didn’t wait for the rest. If Lucy listened to him, she would back down and call this whole thing off.
Lucy ended the call, turned the volume off, tucked the phone back in her hoodie and slunk around the side of the building, pressing herself up against the wall. When a car pulled out of the garage, she tiptoed past the booth, with a hoodie drawn low over her face, while the guard made change.
He didn’t even notice her walk past him.
And then she hopped into the elevator, in the corner and hit the button for the sixth floor. Whenever she got back to HQ, she’d ask Storm to hack in and scrub the video feeds, and no one would be the wiser.
Once again, she jimmied the lock and stepped inside Beckett’s apartment, closing it behind her softly, so she wouldn’t wake him up.
He’d never even see her coming. Lucy gripped the pistol in the pocket of her hoodie. She’d screwed a silencer onto the end. One shot right between the eyes should end this.
The apartment was eerily silent, dark, except for the moonlight spilling in the window. She took a step forward, heading for the bedroom.
And the overhead light snapped on, blinding her vision.
Oh shit.
“Lucy, how nice of you to drop by.” Beckett didn’t appear surprised or even worried. “I was expecting you.”
She blinked, trying to adjust. “Yeah? How?”
Beckett leaned against the wall. “I saw you across the street earlier, slipping in and out of the shadows.”
Dammit. Clearly, I’m off my game. Or he’s that good.
“Then you know what I came here to do.”
“Of course, my dear.” He glanced over her shoulder. “Where’s your partner?”
Lucy shrugged. “Storm’s a bit busy at the moment, so he tagged me to go into the ring.” With any luck, this would all be over in a matter of moments. She had no doubt Storm was already on his way over here.
He shook his head slowly. “Don’t lie. We both know he has no idea you’re here.”
It wasn’t exactly true, but Lucy didn’t bother to deny it. Storm hadn’t figured out her plan until it was too late.
“Don’t get me wrong, this suits me fine. I wanted it to be just the two of us.” His voice was low and intimate. It made her feel dirty like she needed a good scrub in a scalding hot shower.
“Are we gonna do this, or what?” She pulled out the gun.
Beckett smiled. “I’ve been ready from the start.”
Her finger tightened on the trigger. “Get down on the ground. Now.”
“No.” His lips curled.
“I’ll shoot you.” Lucy lifted the weapon to prove her point.
“I don’t think so.”
Her hand shook. “Trust me. I will.”
“I know you came here to kill me, but you don’t want to go to jail.” Beckett approached her slowly, with his arms lifted over his head. “You’ve got to make it look like self-defense, don’t you? If my body shows up in the morgue, the cops will question you.”
Beckett was right. Huck would suspect her of killing him, if he ended up dead. They never should’ve involved the sheriff.
And when the cops questioned her, her prints would pop up in the system. She’d be handed over to the CIA, and no one would ever hear from her again.
He took another step forward.
“Stay where you are.”
“How will you explain all of this?”
“I’ll say you invited me over and then you attacked me.”
Or I could just disappear.
After Lucy finished up here, she could pack her things and head out, but it would mean leaving Storm behind.
I just got him back. This isn’t fair.
Lucy shut the thought train down. She couldn’t afford to be emotional right now.
“Clever.” Beckett strolled over to the fridge. “Would you care for some champagne? I’ve got an open bottle I’m trying to use up.”
“No.” His casual demeanor got under her skin. Most people would be worried, on edge. What did he know, that she didn’t?
He poured himself a glass and took a sip. “I must confess, I’m eager to get started. Tonight, you’ll be mine.”
“Shut up and fight.”
Before he could cook up a smarmy response, she sprung at Beckett, clocking him in the face with her right hand. The blow snapped his head back and she grinned as she saw blood trickle from the corner of his mouth. Lucy reached for him again, but he grasped her wrist and twisted.
It snapped under the force. Shrieking in pain, Lucy dropped the gun. Lucy wasn’t sure if he’d broken the bone, or it was just sprained.
She just stood there for a moment, stunned by what happened, but she finally recovered and grabbed for the gun, but Beckett was ready and pushed her against the wall. He had her by the edge of her jaw, with a thumb pressed against her carotid artery. Her pulse beat frantically.
Lucy clutched his hand, trying to break his hold, but it was useless.
Instead, Lucy reached for her knife and plunged it into his thigh.
Grunting, he released her. Beckett seized the knife and pulled it out. It clattered to the floor at her feet.
“You’ll pay for that.”
She gathered her strength, ready for a final push, but he pulled a bottle from his pocket, removed the cap with his teeth and then gripped her face, trying to force her mouth open.
No!
Lucy shook her head, trying to get away, but he popped a pill between her lips. She coughed and ha
cked, trying to spit it out, but he clamped a hand over her mouth and nose, forcing her to swallow.
“There you go, my dear.”
It didn’t take long for the pill to go into effect. She swayed on her feet, but he held her fast, pinning her against the wall.
Beckett pulled her against his body. Lucy wanted to push him away, but her arms wouldn’t work. It felt like someone had attached weights to her wrists.
Lucy tried to keep her eyes open, but she just couldn’t. The world swayed around her, like a carousel spinning, round and round.
“Yes, that’s what I wanted.” His hands were everywhere, touching, feeling, stroking. “You’re feeling better now, aren’t you?”
Lucy couldn’t even formulate a response.
“Things are about to get interesting, Lucy.”
Storm! Storm’s coming for me.
And then it was lights out.
***
Storm was in a blind panic.
Lucy wasn’t answering her phone. He had no doubt she’d marched up to Beckett’s apartment. She was strong, but this freak was used to subduing women and killing them.
What if he roofied her and Lucy couldn’t fight back?
Storm didn’t even bother trying to sneak into the complex. There was simply no time. He parked down the street and blew past the guard.
“Who are you here to see, sir?” the man asked, stepping into his path.
There was no time for subterfuge or a clever plan. Right now, Lucy could be dying.
“Beckett Walker. Now get the fuck out of my way.”
“There’s no need to get hostile.”
“Yes, there is.” And then Storm pulled out a gun.
The man’s hands shot over his head. “Please don’t shoot. I’ve got a wife and kids.”
“I’m not here for you. Let me pass.”
He didn’t budge. “Sir, please, don’t—”
“Get. Out. Of. My. Way.” Storm’s grip on the trigger tightened. He was beyond reason and sanity at the moment. Lucy needed him, and no one would stand in his way. “The bullet’s in this gun aren’t meant for you, but it doesn’t mean I won’t shoot you, if you don’t stand down.”
After a moment’s hesitation, the doorman stepped back.
“Good decision. Storm smiled. “Thank you. And I won’t ask you not to call the cops. As a matter of fact, I think you should get them over here as soon as possible.”
And then Storm raced to the elevator and jammed the call button, as though it would somehow make the damn thing arrive sooner. Once the door opened, he dashed inside and hit the button for the sixth floor, silently praying it wasn’t too late.
Minutes later, Storm knocked on the door. “Walker, let me in.”
“Ah, it’s the boyfriend. I knew you’d be along sooner or later. You may enter.”
To his shock, the door was unlocked and when Storm walked inside, he found the bastard lying on the couch with Lucy in his arms. She looked like a porcelain doll, but her skin was pink and healthy.
For now.
“You’ll have to forgive me, guns aren’t my weapon of choice, but they’ll do in a pinch. I find them so pedestrian. Don’t you?” Walker lifted Lucy’s pistol.
“I don’t mind using them.” Storm kept his weapon aimed at the bastard’s head.
Walker hugged her closer, nuzzling her cheek.
Storm’s jaw tightened. “How long ago did you knock her out?”
“About twenty minutes ago.” His smile was sadistic. “The drug works fast. It won’t be long now.”
“No, this won’t last much longer.”
“You’re very calm.” It was a comment, not a question.
“You think you’re the first guy to stick a gun in my face? You’re not even the 10th. Hell, or even the 30th.”
“What are you talking about? You’re a hacker. You worked for internet startups, before taking up with Black Star Security.”
“I see you’ve done your homework.” Storm got closer.
“If you come a step closer, I’ll kill her.” The gun barrel was pressed against her belly.
He backed off. “Yes, Travis is from L.A. and he worked in Silicon Valley.”
“Why are you talking about yourself in the third person?”
Storm sneered at him. “Despite what I’ve seen so far, you’re reasonably intelligent. Figure it out.”
A white line formed around his mouth. “Explain it to me.”
“Travis Reynolds is a NOC.” His birth name had been stripped away by the agency, all traces of it had been scrubbed from the system.
“What’s a NOC?”
“It’s a spy term. A NOC is a non-official cover.”
“You’re with the CIA?” His tone was skeptical.
Confidence in a tense situation like this was key. Lying to people and persuading them to follow your agenda was crucial. If Storm acted as though he had the upper hand, he did. At least that’s what the mark would think.
“I can’t discuss my work history with anyone, but you can read between the lines. And unfortunately, we’re on a tight clock here. I figure Lucy’s got about ten minutes to live and the cops are gonna be here any second now.”
Walker’s eyes widened. “You called the police?”
“Nah, your doorman did, but let’s circle back around to that later.” He noticed the blood welling on Walker’s thigh, staining his clothes. “She stabbed you, huh?”
He scowled. “Yes.”
Storm chuckled. “Yeah, Lucy likes to stab people. It puts some folks off, but I think it’s charming.”
“You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”
“You bet your ass I am. But enough about me, let’s talk about you. What’s your story? Didn’t mommy love you? Your ex-wife left you?”
“Shut your mouth.” Walker clutched Lucy tighter.
“Clearly, you hate women.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I love women. I admire their beauty tremendously.”
“So, you kill them?”
“I admit nothing.”
Clearly, he’s nuts. “I was just being polite. I already know what’s wrong with you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I went digging into your past. A lot of people are satisfied with the what, the how, and the when. I always want the why. And I know your beautiful mother stuck you in boarding school after she married a man half your age.”
He sneered. “Yes, three months after my father died.”
“Only she let your older sister stay with her. Why do you think that is, Walker? Did your mother sense something wasn’t right about you? Stop me, if this is starting to ring any bells.”
“Shut up,” Walker gritted out between clenched teeth. “You don’t know anything about her. My mother was a vain creature, selfish—”
Enough of this horseshit. “Yeah, I don’t really care, but you should get some therapy.”
“I don’t like your tone.”
He scrutinized Lucy once more. Is it my imagination or is she paler? Her blood pressure must be falling. Storm had to end this. Now.
“Let me tell you what’s gonna happen. You’re gonna give Lucy the antidote and I’m gonna carry her out of here.”
“And why would I agree?”
“Because I took your assets. All of them.”
His eyes rounded.
“Oh yeah. I thought it might get your attention.”
Sirens wailed in the distance, getting closer by the second.
“I seized your offshore accounts and drained them all. Then I tucked the cash away where you’ll never find it.” He’d worked feverishly on it all day. If Lucy had given him more time, he would’ve explained everything to her. He’d intended to blackmail the bastard into confessing.
“I don’t believe you.”
“Then you don’t have $200,663 dollars in an account in Hong Kong?”
He gasped. “You’re lying. There’s no way you could pull it off.”
�
�I could, and I assure you, I did.” Storm’s smile was nasty. “So, I’ll tell you what. Give her to me—no harm, no foul. I won’t tell the authorities what went down here today, you get your money back, and Lucy is safe and sound. Everybody wins.”
“And what about your outburst? The doormen called the police on you.”
“You’re a lawyer. I’m sure you can talk your way out of it.” He shrugged. “Maybe threaten them with a lawsuit. Plus, you won’t have to explain the designer drugs hidden in your apartment.”
Storm wasn’t worried. He had lots of friends in very high places, and he could call in a favor if he needed to. If Walker couldn’t handle it, Storm could make this go away with one phone call. And it’s not like he’d actually shot anyone. He’d only threatened to.
“How do I know if I can trust you?” Beckett asked.
“Glad you asked.” Storm pulled out his phone. “I’ll show you the money transfer in real time. What do you say? Would you like to make a deposit?”
***
How the hell did I get here?
Lucy was groggy and only vaguely aware of what was happening.
Somehow, she was in Storm’s Jeep and they were in the middle of nowhere, on some back-country road. He was driving like a maniac. Storm’s hands were fisted on the steering wheel, a grim expression on his face.
“You’re awake.” Apparently, he’d felt the weight of her stare.
Lucy shook her head, trying to clear the fog. And then she remembered bits and pieces.
“Wait! Stop. What about Beckett? We have to go back.”
“Not a chance in hell.” Storm gunned the engine. “And by the way? I’m pissed at you. No, that’s not strong enough. I’m furious. Enraged.” His hands flexed, and she was pretty sure, Storm was fantasizing about throttling her.
“Tell me what happened. All of it.” Her memories were jumbled and fuzzy.
“What happened…?” Storm shouted. “You almost died, that’s what happened! I saved you from that perverted prick.”
“I’m sorry, but it was my duty to—”
“Be murdered, too? I didn’t know Christy, but if she was your friend, she’d want you to live.”
Lucy grasped his arm. “Pull over, please. Let’s talk.”
Storm did as she asked, parking the car in a field. The road was deserted, except for the Jeep.
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