Athena Force: Books 1-6

by Justine Davis, Amy J. Fetzer, Katherine Garbera, Meredith Fletcher, Catherine Mann

  Kayla pitched her piece into the grassy stand a few feet away. She would have fought to keep it under other circumstances, but with Jazz’s life at stake she wasn’t taking any chances. “I guess you decided not to give any thought to the information I passed along.”

  She had hoped Dawn would be moved by the realization that her associates had murdered her mother. Clearly that had been wishful thinking.

  “Don’t talk.”

  She nudged Kayla in the back to get her moving. Her heart fluttered wildly as she journeyed closer to where her daughter waited like a lamb bound for slaughter. Seeing her so terrified turned Kayla inside out. She could scarcely bear to look. But she could not turn away.

  Jazz suddenly turned her gaze in that direction, as if sensing her mother’s nearness, and Kayla almost lost control completely. Tears streamed down her baby’s face. Her mouth had been taped shut. Kayla gritted her teeth and promised herself again that Bradford would die today.

  “Well, I see our guest has arrived.”

  Kayla’s gaze shifted to his. Tall, trim, with silver hair and gray, piercing eyes. Those damned eyes seemed to look right into her soul. He gave her the creeps.

  “This gives new meaning to the term private practice,” Kayla mused aloud. “Is this why you closed your practice in Phoenix? Afraid someone would see you for what you are? Hiding is much more becoming for scum like you, Bradford.”

  “Enjoy your final moments,” he suggested with a broad smile. “I know pretending you’re in control makes the situation more tolerable for you, Lieutenant.”

  “You don’t know anything.” She flung the words at him like poison darts, wishing like hell that’s all it would take to end his rotten life. She crouched down and drew her daughter into her arms. Jazz shuddered, sobbing against her. Tears spilled past Kayla’s lashes. Why did Jazz have to be caught up in this? She wished Mike had been the one who’d taken her. The thought had entered her mind when she’d first realized Jazz was missing. Then Bradford’s call had come.

  “I love you, sweetie,” she murmured. “It’s gonna be all right.”

  “For God’s sake, Ryan, don’t lie to the child!” Bradford sneered.

  Jazz shook in her arms. Kayla clenched her jaw to keep from responding. Instead, she sat back on her heels and gently peeled the tape from her baby’s mouth. She pressed her finger to her trembling lips when she would have spoken.

  Then Kayla pushed to her feet. With her eyes she told Jazz to stay put. She smiled down at her child one last time before turning to face Bradford.

  “Do you really think you’re going to be safe with me out of the way?” Kayla challenged.

  Bradford chuckled. “Why, of course. The others are far too busy with their lives well away from Athens to bother with continuing this useless pursuit.”

  Oh, he just didn’t know. The Cassandras had backed Kayla up every step of the way. All that she had gleaned regarding Rainy’s murder and Athena Academy’s involvement had resulted from their joint effort.

  “Just tell me why,” she ventured. Turning the question into a challenge he wouldn’t be able to refuse she added, “if you know the details, that is. I’m certain you played only a small role in all this.”

  He acknowledged her remark with a nod. “Clever, my dear. But remember, I’ve studied the behavioral sciences my entire career. I know what makes you tick. You believe you can goad me into telling you what I know.” His head moved side to side. “I’m afraid you’ve overestimated your power of persuasion.”

  She shrugged. “You’re going to kill me anyway, why not indulge my final wish. I want to know why you did this to Rainy.”

  He brought the palms of his hands together and pressed his fingers to his lips. “Ah, sweet Rainy. She was absolutely superb. Perfect in every way. Far superior to the rest of you.”

  Kayla didn’t rise to the bait, she simply listened, all the while hoping the second part of her plan would fall into place soon.

  “The sperm donor was equally perfect. An amazing specimen of the male species.”

  “Unlike yourself,” Kayla suggested.

  Fury contorted Bradford’s face. “This is precisely why you should be dead already.” He flicked a glance in Dawn’s direction. “If someone had done their job as ordered this meeting would never have been necessary.”

  So Dawn was supposed to have killed her. Interesting that she hadn’t. Kayla banished the distracting thought.

  “Think about it, Bradford,” she persisted. “Even if you kill me, even if none of my friends return to Arizona to hunt you down, what about Christine Evans and Betsy Stone? They know what you’ve done.”

  Bradford smirked. “Do you really think I would allow any loose ends? Christine will not survive the day. I’ve already arranged heart failure.” He sighed. “Tragic. And wholly unnecessary. If you hadn’t showed up at her home she would have died as planned. I’d calculated it out to the last detail. It was so shamelessly simple.”

  “I have your prints, you know,” Kayla pointed out. “On the wineglasses and the bottle you stuck under the sink.” She was the one shaking her head this time. “You really should have put that bottle of red wine in the fridge. And the glasses—” she shrugged “—why didn’t you just take them with you? Not a good move.”

  Anger lit in his gray eyes. “I’m certain I can arrange for that evidence to disappear as easily as I took care of Betsy Stone.”

  Kayla felt a prick of panic. “Betsy Stone is in protective custody.”

  “Even those in county lockup are allowed access to legal counsel. She didn’t even argue when I insisted she swallow both cyanide capsules. I was long gone before she seized—shock likely delayed the usual immediate physical response. Poor thing. I’m sure the autopsy will reveal an abrupt yet painful ending to her pathetic existence.”

  Panic fluttered in Kayla’s stomach. Betsy was dead. Christine would be as well if Kayla didn’t survive this encounter. She had to keep him talking. She needed more time.

  “You still didn’t tell me why. Who came up with this foul scheme?”

  He scoffed. “Foul scheme? Really, Lieutenant, I would have thought someone such as yourself considerably more knowledgeable. Science is never foul or scheming, it simply is. Without science where would we be?”

  “I know you didn’t come up with the master plan on your own,” she tossed out. “Dr. Reagan was no better than you, just another minion following orders. What was the point? Black market babies? Genetics?”

  Bradford’s face suddenly cleared of any and all emotion. “I’m afraid that this stroll down memory lane has become quite tedious.”

  “Just tell me, Bradford,” she urged, moving a step closer to him. “Tell me who did this to Rainy.”

  He withdrew a handgun from inside his jacket and aimed it directly at her. “I’m afraid I wouldn’t even trust the devil himself with that information. And since you’re going to hell post haste, I’ll just keep that to myself.”

  “Let my daughter go,” she urged, the panic gaining a foothold now. “It’s me you want out of the way.” Building anxiety punched a big hole in her bravado.

  “That’s true.” He nodded succinctly. “But you see, the plan is to get rid of both of you and then pin it on Major Mike Bridges. He couldn’t have his family, so he killed them.” He shook his head sadly. “Happens all the time. Such a shame. His showing back up in your life at this particular juncture provided a definite advantage for me.”

  “Don’t hurt her,” Kayla warned. “Just let her go.”

  “Mommy!”

  Kayla held up her hand, urging her baby to keep quiet.

  “Step out of the way, Ryan, and I’ll make it quick. I want you to take the image of your child’s death to your grave with you. It’s my gift to you.”

  Kayla had to do something and lunging toward him would only temporarily delay the inevitable.

  “You mean like the gift you gave Dawn.” Kayla jerked her head toward the young woman who stood only a
few feet away, her weapon still trained on Kayla. “I can imagine every child’s wish would be for their mother to be murdered before she even had a chance to get to know her.”

  “Rainy should have left it alone,” Bradford snarled. “Her death was necessary.”

  “And if Alex and Josie and the others don’t just walk away, are you going to kill them all?”

  “We have ways to conceal our deeds.”

  She nodded. “Like with Rainy. Your assassin, the Cipher, caused her to have that accident. She died without ever having known about her child. Without having seen her daughter. Do you have any idea how badly Rainy wanted children? Do you even care how what you’d done tore her apart?”

  “Rainy Carrington was of no consequence once we had what we wanted from her. Just like Reagan. He outlived his usefulness as well.” He leveled his weapon. “Now, step aside.”

  Kayla dove for his midsection.

  A shot exploded.

  She and Bradford hit the ground.

  She scrambled to get free…to see if Jazz was hit.

  Bradford made no attempt to stop her frantic movements. Kayla stared down at him. His eyes were open wide as if in surprise. Crimson had spread across his white shirtfront.

  He’d been shot. His own weapon remained clutched in his hand. Kayla snatched it away from him and spun around. Her daughter was fine, her knees hugged to her chest in a protective manner. Thank God.

  Kayla’s gaze swung to Dawn O’Shaughnessy. She hadn’t moved, her posture still in the firing stance, her weapon clasped in both hands, ready to fire again.

  Kayla lifted Bradford’s weapon, took aim at the younger woman. “Drop it,” she ordered.

  Dawn looked at her for several seconds before she moved.

  She didn’t utter a single word. She simply turned her back on Kayla just like before and walked away, eventually disappearing into the rocky landscape.

  Kayla resisted the urge to run after her. She had to make sure her baby was all right. Couldn’t leave her here alone…even if Bradford was dead…there could be others.

  Suddenly her daughter was in her arms.

  Kayla dropped to her knees and held her child tight against her, chanted the words bursting in her chest over and over. I love you. God, I love you. Thank God you’re safe.

  “Looks like I missed all the action.”

  Kayla looked up to find Peter Hadden crouching down to check Bradford’s carotid pulse.

  “He’s dead,” she said flatly, too damned emotionally drained to infuse any inflection into her voice.

  “Definitely.” Hadden stood, peered down at the motionless body and then stepped around him. “What happened?” He looked down at Jazz, who peeked up at him from against her mother’s shoulder.

  “He kidnapped my daughter,” Kayla repeated what she’d told him on the phone. She got to her feet, bringing Jazz up with her. “He knew I was closing in on him. He’s the one who shot Christine and he was involved in Rainy’s murder. He used my daughter to lure me here.” Kayla squeezed her eyes shut and held on to her child even tighter. She thanked God over and over again for sparing their lives.

  “So you killed him?” Hadden suggested, his gaze settling on the weapon he assumed she’d used.

  Kayla knew she couldn’t answer that question without further consideration. “I…I don’t know exactly what happened. He had the gun. I lunged at him…a weapon discharged…and he was dead.” She gestured behind him. “My weapon’s over there somewhere.”

  Hadden grunted thoughtfully. “Self-defense.”

  Kayla felt suddenly exhausted. The adrenaline was draining, leaving her as weak as a kitten. “Yeah. Self-defense.”

  “How about I drive you two to the hospital and get you checked out.” He placed a warm, strong hand on Kayla’s arm. “I’ll call someone from campus security to come guard the body until someone from your office and forensics can get over here.”

  The hospital.

  “Oh, God.” Her gaze collided with Hadden’s. “Christine. We have to let her security know that her life is in danger. Bradford—” she nodded to the dead guy “—said he’d made the arrangements already.”

  “Doing that now.” Hadden flipped open his phone and made the call. Next he called the guard shack and summoned security.

  Kayla ushered a trembling Jazz toward her Jeep.

  “I’ll drive,” Hadden insisted.

  He escorted both Kayla and Jazz to his car. “Why don’t you sit in the back with Jazz?”

  Jazz looked up at him as if startled by his use of her name.

  “It’s okay, sweetie,” Kayla assured her. “Detective Hadden is a friend.”

  As Jazz scooted into the back seat, Kayla’s gaze locked with Hadden’s across the top of the car.

  He was a friend.

  A very good friend, whom she’d turned to instinctively in her worst hour.

  But she still couldn’t tell him about Dawn.

  Not yet.

  Maybe not ever.

  Chapter 13

  Hadden delivered Kayla and Jazz to her home just as the sun dropped behind the mountains that evening.

  She’d never felt so exhausted in her entire life. Jazz had fallen asleep against her in the back seat of his car. Kayla peered down at her now, so damned grateful that she was safe. Neither of them had been injured, discounting her bruised cheek where Dawn had slugged her.

  From his position behind the steering wheel, Hadden turned back to her and asked, “Do you think I’ll wake her if I carry her in?”

  “We can give it a try.”

  He got out and went around to the passenger side of the vehicle. The door opened and in one fluid motion he reached inside and scooped her daughter into his big, strong arms. Jazz stirred but resettled against his broad shoulder.

  Kayla scooted out and hurried to unlock the front door. She led the way to Jazz’s bedroom and quickly turned back the covers.

  “Rest, sweetie,” she whispered against her child’s forehead as she tucked her in with soft pink blankets and sheets alive with colorful butterflies.

  Jazz murmured something inaudible then drifted back to sleep. Though both were physically unharmed, Jazz had been extremely upset. Rightfully so. The pediatrician on call had suggested a mild sedative to get her through the night. Kayla had refused any help of that kind since she needed to keep a clear head about her. There was too much she had to sort out…too many loose ends still dangling. Thank God Hadden had been in Casa Grande giving his statement to the D.A. regarding the shootout at the U-Store-It. She really hadn’t expected him to reach her and Jazz in time to help but she’d needed to try. Mostly she’d needed someone to know.

  She eased out into the hallway, pulling the door closed behind her. Voices in the living room dragged her attention there. Kayla heaved a weary sigh and headed in that direction. The voices were too low to make out. If she were to hazard a guess she would say her partner had arrived to demand to know what the hell had been going on.

  Give the lady a cigar.

  Jim Harkey stood, hands on hips, in the middle of her living room looking madder than hell and ready to take it out on someone.

  He pinched his lips together and shook his head when Kayla moved into the room.

  “What the hell you doing, L.T.? Trying to get yourself killed? You should’ve called me for backup. I am your partner.”

  Kayla walked straight up to the big guy and gave him a bear hug. “I did what I had to do,” she told him, a new wave of emotions rushing over her.

  “I told him you had no choice,” Hadden interjected, his voice the epitome of reason.

  Kayla shifted to him, abruptly remembering the way he’d looked at her as he’d undressed her last night. God, had it been just last night? His arms had made her feel safer than she had in too long to recall.

  Heat stirred deep inside her, in spite of the horrendous day she’d had. She needed that warmth right now. Needed it so badly. But that couldn’t happen tonight…maybe not ever
again.

  “He’s right.” She turned back to her partner, not wanting to start melting right there in front of God and everyone. Continuing to stare into Hadden’s blue bedroom eyes would definitely prompt exactly that reaction. “There was nothing else I could do,” she assured her partner. “I couldn’t risk putting in a call to you or dispatch. That kind of move might have been anticipated ahead of time. On the other hand, there was no reason for anyone to suspect I would call Hadden.”

  Jim sniffed, not completely convinced. “Investigator Devon needs a statement from you.” Jim gave her a knowing look. “He’s madder than hell that you left the scene.” When Kayla would have attempted some acceptable excuse, he added, “But I smoothed things over with him, told him that getting to the hospital ASAP was necessary. All I can say is you’d better act like you were injured when he comes fishing around for your report.”

  Kayla nodded. “Gotcha.”

  He snapped his fingers. “Damn. I almost forgot. Betsy Stone committed suicide this afternoon.” He shuddered visibly. “The sheriff believes the attorney who visited her slipped her some cyanide capsules.” A grimace furrowed his face. “Hell of a way to go.”

  “Did they get a description of the attorney?” She knew it was Bradford, but she needed to determine if the authorities had identified him yet. She didn’t actually see that as a problem. He couldn’t be connected to Athena Academy at this point other than the fact that his death had occurred there. There was always the chance the episode could stir up those rumors Shannon Conner had started. Maybe she’d better give Tory a call for some damage control.

  “Got him on video and lifted prints from the interview room where they met,” Jim said. “Funny thing is—” he scratched his chin “—the guy looked a hell of a lot like the stiff the M.E. hauled to the morgue from that hoity-toity school you used to attend.”

  “It’s him.” Kayla folded her arms over her chest in hopes of holding herself upright. Damn, she was beat. “Carl Bradford kidnapped my daughter in an attempt to lure me into his trap.”

  Jim tipped her chin up and studied her cheek. “Did the old bastard do that to you?” He wouldn’t bother asking why Bradford would have wanted to lure her anywhere. Jim understood that about her “unofficial” investigation into Rainy’s death.