Being Lovers

by Rachel Carrington

  “Do you really need me to answer that?” I chuckle for effect. “I can tell her to call you when she gets out. I’m hoping I can convince her to go home soon, not that I see that happening. So far, nothing Art or I have said is making much of an impact.”

  “Then she needs some stronger convincing. I’m turning around now, and I’ll head back that way. She’ll listen to me.”

  “I wouldn’t count on it, but you can give it a shot. She’s determined to stay until Adam gets back from the office because she think she can get more information from him. I don’t know what to tell her other than there’s nothing to tell. I’m not going to worry her any more than she already is.”

  “You didn’t find out anything in Broomtown, either?” The question is wrapped in concern. “I haven’t heard anything from Adam which surprised me. I thought he’d at least check in once y’all got to town.”

  “We were trying to keep the people we care about safe, but I’ll tell you about it when you get here. Francine’s shrieking because she can’t find a damn towel. Just come get her if you think you can. She really needs to be resting.” Sure that I sound appropriately exasperated, I end the conversation with Gary and spin around to see Art standing there watching me.

  “The screen missed a golden opportunity with you. Even I believed that tale you just spun.”

  “That was the point, and not all of it was a lie.” I hurry past him and descend the stairs into the basement. The second my feet touch the painted cement floor, I call Adam. “Gary’s on his way here. He said he was on his way to find us because of Francine’s call.”

  “Yeah. Right. We’re about five minutes out. Stay. In. The. Basement.” He emphasizes each word with such force I know he’s worried.

  “I’ll be here. Just come get me when you’re done.”

  “I love you.” Adam ends the conversation before I can reply.

  Francine takes my hand and leads me to a leather loveseat with a dartboard overhead. “All we can do is wait this out now, honey.”

  My gut twists as I second guess everything I said to Gary. Did he believe me as well as Art did? Had I been convincing enough? What if he realized it’s a trap? Will he hide outside, waiting for Adam and Henley to show up?

  Heart slamming against my ribcage, I call Adam again. When he picks up, I burst into a litany of my concerns, ending with, “I’m not sure if he believes me.”

  “We’re coming in the back way so if he’s out front, he won’t see us. Try not to worry.”

  “Yeah, cause that always works out well for me.”

  “Baby, I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

  “Forget about me. I’m in a cement box down here. You’re the one out in the open with a bulls-eye on your back.”

  “We’re rolling up now. I’ll be down in a second.”

  I let him go, waiting at the foot of the stairs while my stomach does somersaults. Boots thump on the floor overhead, and Art pushes his way in front of me, taking aim at the door with a pistol I didn’t realize he had.

  “Get back, Emily.”

  “It’s Adam,” I whisper.

  “Yeah, well, I’m gonna make sure of that. Now stay back over there with Frannie.”

  I follow his command, but I pace instead of standing still.

  A hard rap on the basement door precedes Adam’s announcement. “It’s me.”

  Art lowers his pistol. “Good to see you’re still in one piece.”

  Adam descends the stairs and heads straight toward me. I meet him halfway, launching myself in his arms like he’s just come home from war, when, in actuality, the war is just beginning. “He’s coming.” I bury my face in the crook of his neck, breathing in the scent of warm skin and residual aftershave.

  Adam rubs his hands up and down my spine. “I know. Henley’s upstairs. I’ve got to get up there, too.”

  Running footsteps alert us to the Marine’s approach seconds before he pokes his head through the open doorway. “He’s here.”

  I don’t want to let Adam go, but I slowly lower my arms anyway. We hold hands for a second longer. Another kiss, and he takes the stairs two at a time, pulling the door closed behind him.

  Leaving us with the agony of waiting.

  I sit at the top of the steps with my ear pressed to the door. Though the voices are muffled, it sounds like Gary is inside the house. Seconds later, boots clomp down the hallway, surprising me. I leap to my feet and scramble down the stairs.

  “They’re coming in here!”

  Art takes aim with his pistol.

  “What are you doing?” Francine grabs his arm.

  “If Adam is bringing that bastard in here, it means something’s gone wrong. I ain’t about to stand here while Gary gets the upper hand.” The door opens, and Art cocks the hammer. “One more step, and you’re getting a bullet between your eyes.”

  “Put it down. It’s not Gary,” Adam demands, waiting until Art lowers his arm before descending the stairs. “Gary sent Richardson to pick Francine up.”

  “Probably had something to do with not wanting to be in your house,” Henley drawls over his shoulder.

  I make my way over to Adam. “What did you tell Richardson?”

  He slides an arm around my waist. “That Art took Francine home after all. Then I asked him why he wasn’t still at the station where I told him to stay. He said Gary instructed him to come here, and since Gary’s the senior deputy, he thought he should follow the order.”

  “You’re clearly not buying that. So now you think he’s involved, too.”

  “I think Gary might have offered him some money to help out with a few things. I don’t know how much Richardson actually knows. Either way, we’re no closer to knowing where Gary is now than we were twenty minutes ago.” His brows dip. “How far out are your buddies, Henley?”

  Henley looks up from his cell phone screen. “Rolling into town now.”

  Barry White’s voice enters the conversation, and all eyes look toward Francine who is staring at her cell phone like it’s a live grenade. She lifts her gaze to look at Adam. He rolls his finger, letting her know to answer it.

  “Hi, honey,” her voice cracks a little, and I can only hope Gary doesn’t notice. She puts him on speakerphone.

  “Why aren’t you home yet? Richardson said you were supposed to be here.”

  Francine swallows hard. “Art had a hankering for a hamburger. Are you at my house?”

  “Sitting in the front yard now. Was hoping you felt up to a little road trip.”

  I shake my head, and Art glowers in her direction.

  “Yeah? To where?”

  “There’s a small town outside of Louisville I want to show you. Been meaning to go there for the last few weeks, but now’s as good a time as any if you think it won’t hurt you.”

  “What’s so special about this town?”

  I have to give it to Francine. She’s handling herself well for someone who doesn’t believe in her ability to act.

  “A friend of mine has a sister that lives there. I’m hoping I get a chance to meet her.”

  Something isn’t right. I clutch Adam’s hand and move closer to the phone, waiting.

  “You can tell Emily I’m really looking forward to it.” Gary’s voice changes, dipping low, letting us know he’s aware we’re listening. “Of course, she probably already knows now. If you are listening, Emily, I promise I’ll take good care of your little sister…for now. Oh, and one more thing, never trust a lawyer to keep a secret.”

  He ends the conversation, and both Art and Francine train their gazes on me. “What in the hell is he talking about? You never mentioned a sister.”

  “I just found out about her.” I’m scared for this unknown person. No, terrified. She’s going to suffer the fate Ike Metzger had chosen for me. “He wants me to exchange myself for her.”

  Adam’s glower intensifies. “Not happening. Where does you sister live?”

  “I don’t…I only have her birth certificat
e. She was born in Culpepper, Kentucky.”

  “That’s right outside Louisville,” Henley inserts.

  “Garret Hein must have told him where to find her.”

  “Who in the hell is Garret Hein?” Francine’s getting no answers, and she’s getting testy.

  “Ike Metzger’s attorney,” Adam fills her in, though his gaze is on me.

  “We don’t have an address. There’s no way we can get to her before Gary can. If we don’t stop him…” There’s a strange buzzing in my ears. “I can’t let this happen. I won’t.” I start walking toward the stairs, but Adam snags my arm.

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “I’m going after her. After Gary. Whatever it takes, I’m not going to let him hurt anyone else.” My resolve firmly in place, I cover Adam’s hand with mine. “I’m not staying behind this time, Adam. I’m the one Gary wants. He just won’t like the me he gets.” I slip my arm away from him and head up the stairs.

  “Emily.” Adam follows me into the hallway. “You’re right. This is what he wants. You’re playing right into his hands, and I can’t let you do that.”

  I palm his face with both hands, stand on tiptoe, and kiss him. “No one else is dying because of me.”

  “And I’m not going to let you make yourself a sacrificial lamb.”

  “Who said anything about sacrifice? Gary thinks he knows me, but he’s forgotten that I pulled the trigger on Mark. I didn’t back down then, and I’m tired of hiding behind you. If he wants a battle, I’ll give him one.”

  Adam studies me for a long second. “No.”

  “I’m not asking permission.”

  “I wasn’t finished. No, you won’t give him that battle, not alone. We’ll give him one.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Culpepper isn’t much bigger than Broomtown, and at night, the streets roll up just the same. A four hour drive has allowed darkness to coat the town which will make any type of confrontation even more dangerous. Adam had found my sister’s address in less than five minutes at his office, although, I’m not quite sure he didn’t use back channels since he kept his back to me and told me to stand across the room.

  With the state police less than thirty minutes behind us, Adam and I follow his GPS to my sister’s neighborhood. My sister. It sounds strange to even think the word much less say it aloud. All my life I thought I was an only child. And now when I discover the truth, I’ve put her in danger.

  I dip my hand into my purse and pull out the pistol Art had shoved into my hand before Adam and I could leave. With my peripheral vision, I see Adam’s second look. “I’m not going in unarmed.”

  “You haven’t had the proper training which means that gun is more dangerous in your hands than out.”

  “I have all the training I need to put a bullet in Gary’s chest.” I want to be shocked at the venom behind my words, but, in truth, I feel nothing beyond the unerring determination to end this nightmare. If that means killing Gary, that’s what I’ll do.

  Adam will try to pull the trigger first. He won’t want Gary’s death on my conscience, and he’ll never understand my need to see this thing through now. The second I realized Gary was going after my sister, I knew I’d have to come out of hiding. To shake the fear off and to face the man behind the sniper rifle.

  The strength I’d been nurturing the past few weeks had been failing. Now, it pours through my veins, and I curl my hand around the pistol, the cold steel a reassurance that I wasn’t a victim any longer.

  “You can’t kill him.” Adam’s quiet voice tugs at me through the darkness. “And before you say you can, I mean it’ll change you. Inside. A piece of you will die with him. You’d like to think it won’t happen, but it will. You can’t end someone’s life without it scarring yours.”

  His words sink in, but they won’t change my mind. “This has gone on long enough, Adam. I’ve hidden behind you, Francine, and Art, have quaked with each footstep behind me, and I’m sick of it. I’m not going to run from this bastard anymore. He wants to see me, to have the opportunity to watch me die. I don’t see the problem with turning the tables on him.”

  Adam’s shifts the truck into a lower gear as he decreases speed. “When we were talking in the hotel, you figured out those four guys weren’t the first lives I’d taken. You were right. I still remember the face of the first person I killed. Sometimes, I see him in my dreams. I’ll be damned if I’ll let you see Gary in yours for the rest of your life.”

  Everything he’s saying makes sense, but it changes nothing inside of me. There’s this all-consuming need to stand in front of Gary and watch the life flow out of his body, to see him realize he couldn’t complete his job because I took the power away from him.

  “Emily.” Adam reaches me through the fog of fury. “Killing him will only change you. You think it will make you feel stronger, but it won’t. It doesn’t take strength to kill, just better aim than your enemy.”

  “Even you agreed this was going to end only one way.”

  “But not by with you doing the killing.” He grabs my wrist, his fingers firm against my flesh. “You’re not a killer, Emily. If you were, you would have put that bullet in Mark’s heart instead of his shoulder. You can’t sit there and tell me you didn’t hate him more than you Gary.”

  I slide my arm out of his grasp and draw it close to my side. “I wish you could understand. I can’t be afraid any longer.”

  “I do understand, but there’s a downside to battling your demons. Sometimes, they win.” He lets the conversation end there, and I’m grateful for the silence. I need it to convince myself I can do this.

  My sister’s house isn’t what I expected. Honestly, I don’t know what I expected, but it isn’t this demure yellow house with a white picket fence and a red wagon in the front yard that the headlights illuminate. Red wagon! My gaze flies to Adam’s.

  “She has kids.” Why hadn’t I thought of that? I automatically assumed she’d be single like I am.

  Adam relays the information to the state police before answering me. “We don’t know for sure that belongs to her child. It could be a neighborhood kid’s.”

  “I don’t even know what to say to her. ‘Hi, I’m Emily, your sister, and there’s a man trying to kill me which makes you a target?’ What kind of conversation starter is that?” I rub my hands together in a useless attempt to ward off the chill.

  “Well, you won’t get that chance right now. He’s here.” Adam points to the back end of a truck parked in between the yellow house and the neighboring chain link fence.

  Sickness lodges in my throat. I can’t imagine what Gary’s done to her…is doing to her. Or her children. “We can’t wait for the police.” I tug on the door handle, but Adam leans across and grasps my wrist again.

  “No! You can’t go barreling in there.”

  “We’ve already had this conversation.”

  “Emily, you don’t dive headfirst into a situation like this. You have to have a plan. We have to have a plan.”

  The front door swings wide, surprising us both. Gary stands in the yellow light of the living room behind him, waving to us as though welcoming us for dinner.

  “What is he doing?” I look beyond his shoulder but can see nothing.

  “Executing his plan.” Adam slowly releases my wrist. “He expected us. That’s why he called. I know you’re not going to like this, but you need to stay in the truck.”

  “You’re not why he’s doing this, Adam. He wants me.”

  “And he can kill you the second your feet touch concrete.”

  “He could have done that long before now, remember?” I open the door, careful to keep my eyes on Gary’s shadowy form.

  “Well don’t be shy! Come on in. I’ve been having a nice little conversation with your sister.” Gary stresses the last word as thought I didn’t already know the importance. “She’s been telling me everything about her life and her family.”

  Adam walks around the front of the truck,
Glock already in his hand. “I don’t know what you’re thinking, Gary, but this scenario isn’t going to end well for you.”

  Gary’s harsh laugh slaps me in the face. “What are you going to do? Fire me? I think it’s a little late for that.” He raises one hand, index finger extended. “And before you think of doing something really stupid like putting a bullet in me, you might want to come a little closer to see what I’m holding.”

  I take a step forward, but Adam pulls me back with a curt, “Don’t.”

  “Do you see what it is?”

  “Yeah, it’s a detonator.”

  My legs threaten to fold underneath me, and I press my back against the truck for support. “There’s a bomb inside.” I don’t know what my sister looks like, but I can imagine her terrified face anyway. I see mother’s eyes and my father’s strong jawline. But mostly, I see the pleading in her gaze as she begs for her children’s lives.

  “We have to go in,” I whisper.

  “Not until the police get here.” His gaze connects with Gary from across the distance. His body tenses, coiled and ready for action. I know he wants to vault across the yard and wrap his hands around his former deputy’s neck. Only fear for my safety keeps him in place.

  “What are you waiting for, Sheriff?” Gary shuffles his feet on the porch and spits into the grass. “It’s kind of chilly out here. I’m sure Emily would rather be inside where it’s warm. I believe I can convince Sara to make some hot chocolate.” He looks over his shoulder. “What do you say, sweet thing? You think you could make some hot chocolate for your sister and her beau?”

  The ridicule fires my blood. “It’s easy to be tough when you’re standing behind a bomb or a rifle, Gary, but I’d like to see how you handle yourself without help.”

  He switches on the porch light, giving me a good look at his tall, lanky frame which is now leaning against the brick wall behind him. “You mean against you?” He snickers. “Yeah, that’s something I’d be wanting if I was you. Don’t kid yourself, Emily. The only strength you have is because you’re shacking up with a sheriff. Otherwise, you’d still be that same petrified little girl that ran away when things got too tough.”