Devoted Defender

by Rachel Dylan

  “And how were things going at your job?”

  “Very well. I’d held previous positions as a private chef for various families. The Perrys didn’t have children in the house, as their children were older, so that made it a bit easier because I had more freedom to experiment and let them try new things. Most children have very particular tastes and wouldn’t want some of the fun but more esoteric things that I would make. So I welcomed that change of pace from my previous job.”

  “So it sounds like you enjoyed working there.”

  “Yes, things were great, actually. Doc Perry really seemed to enjoy my cooking. The previous chef had been a traditionalist. I think they were getting a kick out of trying new things.”

  “And how were they as bosses?”

  Annie wondered why Sasha cared about all of this. It definitely didn’t seem relevant to the shooting. “They were very pleasant to work for. They weren’t very particular and allowed me to fix whatever I wanted. They were open to new dishes and usually complimentary about my food. And if they didn’t like something, then I just made a note of it and didn’t make it for them again. But those were the exceptions. I’ve dealt with much more difficult people before.”

  “So you didn’t have an altercation with Mr. Perry the day before he was killed?”

  Wow. That came out of left field. Her stomach started to knot up at the accusatory tone to Sasha’s question. “No. And in fact, I’ve never had any altercation with him.” She didn’t know where Sasha was going with this.

  “I’m going to play it straight with you, Annie. Because I actually have a problem on my hands.”

  “What?”

  “McCoy is trying to negotiate a plea deal for the murder of Phil Perry. But that deal is contingent on his testimony regarding what happened to Doc Perry.”

  “So are you saying that he actually confessed to both murders? Phil and Doc?”

  Sasha shook her head. “No, that’s the thing. McCoy admits killing Phil. The evidence against him is rock solid. But he claims that he didn’t kill Doc.”

  “That’s ridiculous. I watched him kill Doc in cold blood. I was standing right there across the room when he pulled the trigger. It’s emblazoned in my memory forever.”

  “Annie, according to McCoy, you’re the one who shot and killed Doc Perry.”

  Chapter Nine

  The door to the conference room flung open and Annie rushed out of it with tears streaming down her face. Caleb ran after her, unsure of what in the world had happened.

  “Annie!” He rushed down the hallway and was able to catch up with her—grabbing onto her left arm and stopping her in her tracks.

  “Let me go. I need to get out of here. Now,” she said with wide eyes.

  “Talk to me, Annie.” What could’ve happened to her? His own pulse sped up with concern for her.

  “Only if you get me out of here.”

  The desperate sound in her voice let him know the gravity of the situation. But when he opened the door that led to the reception area, he saw two uniformed Atlanta police officers talking to Kane. But they had their backs turned. He made eye contact with Kane and made a split second decision based on his gut.

  He grabbed onto her hand and went back down the hall toward the stairwell. “This way,” he told her.

  He felt her shaking as he gripped onto her tighter. This was all his fault. Something had gone wrong and he had no idea what had happened. Only that now he had a terrified, shaky Annie in his arms. He’d given his word to her that he wasn’t going to put her in front of the police. He intended to keep that promise no matter what the cost.

  They ran quickly down the stairwell but it wasn’t long before Gabe caught up with them.

  “This way,” Gabe said.

  Once they hit the first floor and exited the building, his heart started to race even more. Annie was keeping up as they ran down the street and toward the parking garage.

  “We need to get to the car,” Caleb said. His immediate concern was Annie’s safety and keeping her away from the police.

  Gabe looked over his shoulder. “I don’t see anyone tailing us but we should move.”

  Less than a minute later, they were in the car with Gabe driving and Caleb in the backseat trying to console Annie. But she wasn’t looking good. He needed to figure out what happened and quickly, because he was operating in the dark. And that wasn’t how he liked to operate.

  “Annie, please talk to me. We need to understand what happened in there.”

  She didn’t respond for a couple of minutes. He knew that he needed to give her some time to pull herself together. But in the meantime, he started scenario building in his head, trying to figure out what could have gone wrong in that room.

  Then she looked up into his eyes, clearly shell shocked. “McCoy told the police that I’m the one who killed Doc. That I’m a murderer!”

  Whoa. Now that was ludicrous. “Are you sure?”

  “Certain.”

  “Wait a minute,” Gabe said. “Let’s think about it. McCoy could cut himself a deal and finish his assignment if he pins the murder on Annie. He knew he would have to admit he killed Phil, but then this way he is able to take out Annie too by pointing the finger at her.”

  “I never imagined that he would come up with something so far-fetched,” Caleb said. He started questioning whether he was losing his edge. It bothered him that this turn of events didn’t even pop up on his radar. And now Annie was being tormented because of it.

  “I told you I didn’t want to go down there,” she said. “And this is exactly why.”

  Her words were like a punch to the gut. The last thing he had wanted was for her to be hurt. “I’m sorry that I pushed you, but we’re still going to make this right. McCoy won’t get away with this.”

  “You still don’t understand, do you? You say it’s far-fetched, but to a hungry prosecutor and a police department I don’t know or trust, they would jump on something like this.” Her voice was strained as she spoke.

  “Tell me what happened in there with the DA,” Caleb said. “We need to hear everything.”

  “I told my side of the story. The same thing you’ve heard now a million times. Then she started to go down a completely different path. She asked if I was happy with my job. I told her I was. Then she asked if I had an altercation with Doc. Of course, I told her no to that, too. I was really confused. I wasn’t sure why she was asking those questions because I’d never had any trouble while working at the Perrys’ house. And I surely didn’t ever have any type of altercation with Doc. We haven’t ever had an argument.” She paused and looked directly at him. “Then that’s when she dropped the bomb that McCoy had told the police that I was actually the one who killed Doc. I was in such shock that I just bolted from the room. I couldn’t fathom what was happening. It was like my nightmare was playing out right there in front of me. I reacted the only way I could at the moment.”

  Gabe glanced back at them in the rearview mirror. “But given everything you’ve just said, it doesn’t sound like she was accusing you. More like asking to get your side of the story. You don’t know that Sasha was going to put any credence into McCoy’s accusation. But if he did make that allegation against you, then it was up to her to ask and see how you responded.”

  “Then why were there police officers waiting for me in the lobby?” she asked. “If she was going to give me a fair shake, she shouldn’t have called in the cops for a surprise attack.”

  “Good point,” Caleb said. “But maybe we’re overreacting. It may have just been a precaution. We haven’t talked to Kane. We don’t know that they were there for you.”

  “I’m not willing to risk it. This whole thing just went from bad to worse. I’m not the criminal here and yet I feel like they’re treating me like one.”

  “I know you two aren’t going to like this,” Gabe said. “But running makes you look like you have something to hide. We could try to contact Sasha and attempt to get this worked out.
It’s a prosecutor’s job to get to the truth. She wouldn’t have any reason to try to pin a murder on you that you didn’t commit. Every interaction I’ve ever had with her has led me to believe that she’s one of the good guys.”

  “But we don’t know one hundred percent that she’s clean,” Caleb added. “We made the assumption going in that she was or we would’ve never gone. But the fact that she’s even entertaining a criminal’s story is a problem for me. Let’s get back to the safe house and regroup.” Caleb looked out the back window again. “It doesn’t look like we’ve been pursued at this point.”

  “Doesn’t mean they won’t be coming,” she said.

  “All the more reason to get back to the safe house,” Caleb replied.

  “Uh oh,” Gabe said. “May have spoke too soon. A dark SUV has been behind us for a couple of blocks.”

  “If it was the police, wouldn’t they be in a police car?” Annie asked.

  “More than likely yes. But there are unmarked cars,” Caleb said. He turned and looked at what Gabe had pointed out. “But the bigger problem is if it isn’t the police.”

  “I’m going to lose them. Hang on you two,” Gabe said.

  **

  Annie tried to focus on the immediate threat and not get sucked back into the abyss of what had just taken place at the prosecutor’s office. Gabe’s evasive driving was proving to be quite a wild ride. But he seemed like a highly skilled driver, despite the erratic moves.

  Caleb squeezed her hand as Gabe took another erratic turn. The combination of Gabe’s driving skills and the Atlanta traffic might play into their favor.

  “You see them?” Gabe asked.

  Caleb answered. “No. I think we may have shaken them.”

  “Gabe, watch out!” she yelled when she saw an oncoming truck crossing the center line.

  He jerked the wheel hard to the right. They hit the curb, but kept on going. “I’m getting on the freeway after the next block. Hang on.”

  When they entered the freeway, she let out a breath. They could go much faster on the highway, and she didn’t feel as constrained by the city streets and traffic. It was like she could actually take a few full breaths without fearing hyperventilating.

  “We need to make sure we’re not being followed before we can go to the safe house,” Gabe said.

  “Roger that,” Caleb said. “I’ve got eyes back here. Nothing so far.”

  Annie stayed quiet for the next half an hour as they drove around trying to make sure they’d lost their tail. Though she wasn’t speaking, she was definitely thinking.

  She felt since Caleb was a police officer himself, he couldn’t look at the situation objectively. There was no way she was going to voluntarily go back to the police after what Sasha had confronted her with. And even though Sasha seemed like a nice enough person, that didn’t mean Annie trusted her. Who could she trust?

  Caleb had pushed her into going to the meeting, and could she really blame him? He saw everything through the law enforcement lens. Another reason why the two of them had no business being together. They’d always look at things differently. This wasn’t like one person wanting cheese pizza and the other wanting pepperoni. No, this was a piece of her that went to the very core of who she was. She couldn’t go back in time and change the events of her past. And she couldn’t just close her eyes and pretend like those things hadn’t happened to her.

  She needed a way out of this quickly, because she had a sinking feeling that after all was said and done, both Caleb and Gabe would end up wanting her to go back and talk to the police and Sasha. But that was because they based their beliefs on the assumption that all law enforcement was good. She’d lived through a different reality.

  Annie was glad when they pulled back up into the driveway at the safe house. She really wanted some time away from the guys to decompress.

  “Gabe, please go do a security sweep,” Caleb said. “I’ll stay here with Annie until you give us the all clear.”

  “Be back in a few.” Gabe got out of the car and started walking toward the safe house.

  Caleb looked at her. “Annie, I know you’re upset. And you have every right to be. I get that you’re angry and frustrated, and probably a lot of other things right now too.”

  “I don’t think you can fully appreciate where I’m coming from.” There was no point in sugar coating her feelings. “You and I come from such different places based on all of our personal experiences. You did what you thought was right, and I don’t hold you personally responsible. I hold myself responsible for going down a road I never wanted to in the first place. And…”

  “Yes?”

  “I need to be clear with you. I’m not going to turn myself over to the police. No matter what you say or what assurances you make me. I’ve struggled with my past for over a decade and this is like reliving the pain I went through all over again. It’s been bad enough with everything else that has happened, but this is about to put me at the breaking point.”

  “Annie,” he said in a strained voice. “Haven’t I shown you that I’m willing to do anything and everything to defend you? There’s no way I would want to put you in harm’s way.”

  “Not on purpose. I get that. But you believe that everyone’s intentions are pure, and that’s not the case.”

  He put his hand on her knee. “I’m frustrated just like you are.”

  “But you’re not the one being accused of murder.”

  “We’re going to clear your name of any alleged wrongdoing. McCoy is just desperate and trying to make any play that he can.”

  “I want to believe that, I really do. But that is really hard.” She tried to gather up her thoughts. She looked up and saw Gabe running out of the front door and yelling.

  “Something’s wrong,” she said.

  Caleb jumped into the front seat just as Gabe slid into the passenger side.

  “Floor it!” Gabe said. “Go, go, go!”

  Caleb hit the gas and they backed out of the driveway with a loud screeching sound just as the explosion happened. The safe house blew up into a ball of bright orange fire with huge plumes of black smoke.

  She sat in shock staring out the back window as Caleb sped down the neighborhood road.

  “How did this happen?” Caleb asked in a raised voice.

  “We’ve been compromised,” Gabe responded.

  “But how?” Caleb asked.

  “I don’t know. We had such a tight circle of those who knew we were at the DEA safe house.”

  “You saw the device?”

  “Yes. It was state of the art. Not a hack job.”

  “Call Kane,” Caleb told Gabe.

  “This was his safe house. How do we know that he isn’t the one who planted the bomb?” she asked.

  “I know Kane. This wasn’t his doing,” Gabe replied. He put his phone on speaker. “Kane, it’s Gabe.”

  “You all ran out of the office. What happened back there?” Kane asked.

  “We’ve got bigger problems than the prosecutor and police. The DEA safe house just went up in smoke. We all could’ve been killed.”

  “What do you mean?” Kane asked.

  “I’m talking about a bomb.”

  “What type of device?”

  “A very professionally made one.”

  “This is crazy. I thought that DEA location would’ve been completely secure. And we’ve kept those who knew to a very few people. So I’m not sure how this could’ve happened.”

  “But now we have to keep it even tighter. We need options,” Caleb said.

  “I’ve got my own personal safe house. It’s totally off the grid and not associated with any official DEA ops. I’ll send you the address. Let’s meet there.”

  She couldn’t wait and needed to ask him about the other issue in the forefront of her mind. “What happened with the police?”

  “They were there to question you. But I figured something went sideways with the DA, so I stalled them as long as I could. Then she came out a
couple of minutes later and I got out of there before they could start questioning me.”

  “Okay. Text us the address and we’ll meet you there,” Gabe said as he ended the call.

  “What are we going to do?” she asked quietly.

  “Pray,” Caleb said.

  And that’s just what she did. All the way to the new safe house while Gabe and Caleb tried to talk about how this all could’ve happened and how they were going to move forward.

  When they arrived at the new safe house, Annie went directly to the kitchen to make a much needed pot of coffee. She was surrounded by Caleb, Gabe, and Kane. The men were debating next steps. She intended to provide her opinion once they had viable ideas on the table. Right now nothing seemed very realistic—or safe. They were throwing out all kinds of plans that seemed far-fetched.

  “So what about getting out of Georgia?” Gabe asked. “Hitting the road and starting to drive to get away from here? Just try to remove Annie from the entire situation.”

  “We’d have to think about what locations could make sense. We definitely wouldn’t want to go to Florida,” Caleb said.

  “Why not?” Annie asked. That got her attention since she was originally from Florida.

  “We need to steer clear. Silva’s cousin Damon Vaughn runs the Florida operations and he’s rumored to be just as ruthless as Silva,” Gabe said. “That would be trading one problem for another.”

  Annie dropped the coffee mug, and it shattered into a million tiny pieces onto the floor. The world felt like it was closing in all around here. She tried to take a breath, but no air filled her lungs.

  “Annie, are you all right?” Caleb asked.

  “No.”

  “Tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Everything.”

  Chapter Ten

  Annie didn’t feel like she was standing on solid ground. As the room started to spin, she willed herself to stay focused. Dear Lord, give me strength.

  Kane was on one side of her and Caleb on the other. She realized they were both holding onto her. Had she almost fainted?