Manhunt

by Lisa Phillips

  Eric’s phone lit up, vibrating across the kitchen counter. The signal he’d lost must have come back. “Hello?”

  “Eric? Can you hear me? Are you there?”

  He groaned at the sound of his brother’s voice. “You need something? I’m kind of busy.” If the definition of busy was standing in his kitchen, essentially doing nothing. There was silence on the line. “Look, I shouldn’t snap at you. Sorry.”

  “Did you get hurt?”

  Eric glanced at the bandage on his arm. “How’d you know?”

  “You think I don’t know you only get mad when you’re in pain?” Aaron sighed. “What happened?”

  My boss tried to kill me. Eric didn’t need his brother riding in on some motorized steed to save the day. It might have been helpful when a pack of older boys were beating the snot out of Eric in his braces and glasses. But he was a grown man now, one who didn’t need his twin acting like a big brother who had to take care of him.

  Since the day Aaron left for the army, Eric had figured out how to take care of himself on his own, and he’d done fine all these years.

  Eric’s jaw was so tense it cramped. “We’re taking care of it.”

  Aaron muttered over the phone line, but all Eric caught was “Stubborn.”

  Yeah, she was. Hailey was leaning against the wall with her arms folded, not bothering to pretend she wasn’t listening to his end of the phone call.

  Still, Eric didn’t think that was what his brother meant. “My partner and I are going to be back at it soon. I should go.”

  “You’re really not going to tell me?” Aaron paused. “I can pray for you better if I know what’s going on.”

  Eric sighed. If Aaron wanted to pull out the big guns then he’d give him what he wanted. “My boss killed a man and then tried to kill me. I’m pretty sure he was going to frame me for murder. You know, posthumously. The whole town is flooded, and I’ve got a bullet graze on my arm that hurts like crazy.”

  Hailey’s eyebrows rose.

  Aaron yelled, “You were shot?”

  “You’ll remember that I didn’t want to tell you. I’m okay, Aaron. I don’t need you to come up and babysit me. It would take you hours to get here, anyway. It’ll probably all be over before then.”

  “And…if I was already on my way?”

  Eric’s stomach churned. “You aren’t. You wouldn’t—where are you?”

  “I caught a flight, but I’m stuck in Portland. No one’s going any closer to you, with the weather being like it is. I’m going to rent a car and drive as far as I can.”

  Eric groaned, ignoring the fact Hailey was chuckling. “You might want to nab a Jet Ski while you’re there. That’s the only way you’re going to get around town with any ease.”

  “Noted.”

  Eric sighed. “You don’t need to come.”

  “This is an intense situation. It isn’t just about your job. It’s about the whole town. And if you think I’m going to stand by and let something happen to my son’s Uncle Eric, you’re crazy. That kid’s going to need all the family he can get.”

  “Mackenzie’s pregnant?”

  Aaron laughed. “That’s pretty much the reaction I had. Can you imagine me as a father? Cleaning up baby puke, and changing diapers?”

  Eric laughed, too. “Now, that I would pay money to see.”

  “There’s the brother I know.”

  Eric sobered pretty quickly, but he didn’t say anything.

  “I know getting moved out of WITSEC was awful, but I thought you’d take some time and find the good in this transfer. Instead you’ve been moping for weeks.”

  Eric rolled his eyes. “Thanks, brother.”

  “You know what I mean. You used to be fun. Confident. It’s like you slipped back into…”

  “I know.” Eric gripped the edge of the counter, turning away from Hailey’s gaze.

  The days after he’d finally accepted the fact he had to let Sarah go were dark, to say the least. He’d forgotten how dark—probably because he’d been trying not to remember it at all.

  He didn’t look at Hailey. “I’m sorry. I really tried not to mope, but it feels like I’m drowning. I can fight all you want me to, but it makes it worse.”

  “I’m glad you’re back.”

  “I’m not. Not completely,” he said quietly. “But I think I might be getting there.”

  And he was. Protecting Hailey and Kerry gave Eric a sense of purpose he hadn’t felt since the plane had touched down in Oregon. But his brother didn’t need to know it was because of a woman that Eric was better. Aaron would get the wrong idea about that.

  Eric might find Hailey attractive in a completely exasperating way, but that didn’t mean he wanted a relationship. He was not good at those at all. Eric didn’t know what Sarah had seen in him. Evidently it’d been enough for them to build a future, but not enough to survive her being paralyzed.

  “So I’ll call and let you know when I’m close to town. Okay?”

  “Yeah.” Eric sighed. “See ya.”

  “Bye.”

  He set the phone down. He didn’t want to be at odds with Aaron. His brother demanded too much, and it was a price Eric was honestly scared to pay. Being that vulnerable wasn’t something he wanted to go back to, not when Eric was trying his hardest to stand up for himself. He might be a US marshal, but Aaron made him feel like the chubby, nerdy twin who needed protecting.

  Stomach tight, Eric turned, ready for the barrage of personal questions that was sure to come.

  Instead, Hailey pushed a wet hank of hair from her forehead and put her hand on her hip. “What’s up?”

  Eric laughed, relieved she wasn’t going to push this. “I’m an awful host. I’ve been so worried about the bandage and feeding myself, I didn’t even think about the fact you’re soaking wet. I’ll get you a towel.”

  He went to the closet and pulled out one of the purple ones his foster mom had sent, the ones he’d never used, and handed it to her. “Did you get something to eat?”

  Hailey squeezed out her hair. “I had a jam sandwich.”

  “How’s Kerry?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Not happy, but she’s safe and has plenty of people to watch her. When she saw some of her friends, kids of cops and firefighters, she was happy. She told—”

  The phone on the counter, Hailey’s cell, rang but cut off before she could grab it.

  “No service.” She shook her head, and then said, “Kerry told me she’d see me later, when you and I get back.”

  A smile played about her lips. There was something there that she didn’t want to tell him. But for some reason, he was fine not knowing. He liked the close relationship she had with her daughter.

  The gleam of a secret in her eyes drew him in, so that before he knew it he was standing in front of her.

  Eric leaned down and touched his lips to hers in a quick, light kiss. “Thank you for being here with me.”

  *

  Hailey stared at her partner, the warmth of his touch still lingering on her mouth. Apparently flirting had gotten a lot easier in the decade-plus since she’d last done it, because all she’d done was stand there and he’d given her a sweet kiss. She’d never in her life been the recipient of a kiss like that. A simple gesture, meant only as thank-you.

  Hailey’s eyes burned, she’d been staring at him for so long. She blinked. “What was that?”

  “Thank you. Like I said.”

  “You couldn’t just say it?”

  “Sometimes showing is better.” His smile dropped. “I’m sorry. I guess I shouldn’t have done that.”

  He turned and went to the kitchen, but not before she saw a frown mar his handsome features. Perturbed was not a good look for him.

  Hailey stared at his back, feeling like whatever had just happened could have ended a whole lot better than that. Why did she have to question it? She was only surprised, and he’d thought that meant she wasn’t okay with it. Who apologized for kissing someone? It hadn’t
felt forward. It had been…good. Maybe not swoonworthy, but there had been a definite spark that could be worth exploring.

  “Hot chocolate?”

  She blinked. “Uh…what?”

  Eric turned to her. He was wearing his socks, which was unnerving to say the least. “I figured you’ve probably had your fill of coffee by now. How about hot chocolate?” He lifted a white packet and shook it. “It’s the kind with the marshmallows already in.”

  She strode to the breakfast bar that separated the tiny kitchen from the living room. It had just been a friendly kiss. She shouldn’t make a big deal about it, especially when she was only hyperalert because of her conversation with Kerry. The idea of her flirting was laughable. She was so rusty at relationships it was almost ridiculous.

  She squelched onto a bar stool and winced. “I’m a little soaked.”

  “I’d let you borrow some clothes, but they’ll be six sizes too big.” He shook his head like this really bothered him. “I’m sorry. Here I am all dry and you’re still soaked.”

  She returned his smile. “I’ve been in worse situations than this. And it’s better than running after a fugitive in a T-shirt hanging past my knees.”

  Eric turned back with two hot cups—apparently it was “to-go” hot chocolate—and caught her staring. His eyes went wide and Hailey bit her lip to keep herself from wincing. She hopped off the stool, praying this wouldn’t get weird. It was best if they halted it here. Otherwise she’d end up transferring back to court duty. She would grow old and gray, eating donuts at the security station just inside the courthouse door.

  It was enough to make her shudder.

  She grabbed her phone again. “There’s a solid signal now. I’ll call Jonah and see what the plan is.”

  Two minutes later they had instructions to wait for the sheriff’s department to take them to Jonah’s house, where he had a fishing boat they could use.

  “Let me get you a better jacket.” He disappeared into the bedroom again, and returned with a man’s raincoat. “It’ll hang to your knees too, but at least you’ll be covered.”

  “Thank you.” Hailey slipped it on, marveling that there was a male deputy marshal actually capable of being considerate without making it sound like she was helpless just because she was a woman.

  Eric pulled a lockbox from under the couch and loaded his pistol, which he tucked into a shoulder holster. He returned the lockbox to its place and closed up the apartment while she waited under the cover provided by the edge of the roof. The sheriff’s department was here.

  Within an hour, they had Jonah’s boat and a spare radio he’d had in his garage. Hailey plugged in the radio and it crackled. The noise outside was so loud she plugged in the earpiece Jonah had given her with it.

  “Base, this is three-sixty-five. Say again. Over.” It grated her to use the code, but safety was important, and keeping their identities to themselves—even on the off-chance someone might be listening—could keep Farrell from knowing their locations.

  Jonah’s voice came through, right in her ear. “Situation report, three-sixty-five.”

  Hailey thumbed the volume down. “Base, we’re headed back to you now. Over.”

  “Negative, three-sixty-five.” Hailey frowned at Eric as she listened. “Return to the office for an update.”

  “Copy that, base.”

  Hailey looked at Eric again. He was sitting in the back, piloting the boat. “Jonah said to go back to the office, not the warehouse.”

  “For what?”

  “An update, whatever that means.” She sighed. “Kerry has my backpack. I was going to change my clothes.”

  Eric shot her a commiserating smile.

  “Twice as far in the wrong direction? This better be good.”

  Eric nodded and took a sip from his hot cup.

  The water level was much higher now, even though they’d been in Eric’s apartment barely an hour. When they reached the office the entire bottom floor was underwater, so they parked the boat by the fire exit and tied it up. Two flights of stairs later, they tried the door. It was locked.

  Eric looked at her. “You have your swipe card?”

  Hailey shook her head.

  “Me neither. Aren’t Parker and Samuels supposed to be here?” Eric hammered on the door.

  Parker and Samuels came into view, their weapons aimed at Eric and Hailey.

  SIXTEEN

  Hailey had figured the door was made of bulletproof glass, but maybe it wasn’t. She and Eric both raised their hands. Parker unlocked the door to the office, and neither of the men holstered their weapons until they were inside. “We’ve had some looters in here trying to get at our weapon stash.”

  “You held them off?” Hailey looked impressed.

  Parker grinned. “No, I just told them if they didn’t leave I’d dump them in witness protection in the Louisiana bayou where no one would be able to hear them scream. Stupid kids are more scared of gators than they are of me.” Parker led the way to his desk. “Come see what we found.”

  Hailey glanced at Eric, who seemed bewildered by their teammate mentioning gators in one breath and then moving back to business in the next.

  Maybe Eric didn’t know Parker had been a Navy SEAL before he joined the marshals. The man was an adrenaline junkie who got tired of routine easily and needed a new challenge about every five seconds.

  Parker stood behind his chair, like he had entirely too much energy to sit at a time like this. “It took some digging, but we found out that Farrell’s brother was recently released from jail.”

  Hailey nudged the chair back and sat. On screen was a file for Roger Harmer—same long hair as Farrell and a similar rap sheet. “He’s halfway through a ten-year sentence in Washington for armed robbery.”

  “Actually, he was eligible for parole a month ago. I called the prison and was told Roger Harmer got out on probation.”

  Eric shifted behind Hailey’s shoulder. “And they’re brothers, you said?”

  Parker nodded. “Harmer is older. He was placed in foster care as a baby and eventually adopted. Farrell was born six years later. Farrell lived with his mom until she died of an overdose before he finished high school—”

  “Which he never did,” Hailey said. “So is the brother here? Harmer was probably on the team that helped Farrell escape. The man that Farrell mentioned had been shot, maybe?”

  “I can’t believe he was let out and we didn’t even get word.” Parker shook his head. “He was picked up outside the prison. We have surveillance photos coming over to see if it was maybe Deirdre, or someone else connected with them, who picked him up. No one’s seen him since, and he never checked in with his parole officer. If things were normal around here we’d be coming in on Monday to this guy’s file.”

  “So they could be working together. Or this could be a completely irrelevant—although fascinating—tale.” Hailey turned the chair around and folded her arms. “How do we know they’re linked, other than a biological relationship? The last thing we need right now is a wild-goose chase. We have to be right.”

  Parker’s eyebrows rose, like she should know better than to question his work. “Roger Harmer has a condo in the same gated community as Deirdre’s townhouse. It was rented out while he was in prison, but his name is on the mailbox. Oh, and in case you were wondering, Thomas Phelps owns Roger’s condo.”

  Hailey shot a glance at Eric. “And now Thomas Phelps is dead.”

  Jonah had advised Hailey and Eric to keep under wraps the fact Turner had killed Phelps and then tried to kill them. But they’d had to tell the team Phelps was dead. Not even a BOLO had gone out for Turner, since Jonah wanted to keep what had happened locked down. Their team leader had simply put word out that they’d discovered the body and then parted ways.

  Jonah’s instructions were that whoever caught up with Turner should bring him back to the command center at the warehouse, but not to say why they wanted him there.

  After the flood waters
receded they could figure out what had happened, since right now their priority was the team’s safety and the search for Farrell.

  It wasn’t that they didn’t believe Eric’s story about Turner pulling the gun. The issue was the fact no one had discovered Phelps’s body, the lack of evidence, the two opposing accounts—and the question of why Turner had done it. They didn’t want to spook him if there was more going on, but they also didn’t want him to disappear.

  Eric nodded to her. “We should hit that condo. See if we can find anything.”

  Hailey stood. “Let’s go.”

  “Want some company?” Hailey saw Parker’s face and knew he was itching to get out of the office.

  “Sorry. Jonah assigned you guys here.” She added a pout to her smile just to irk him.

  Parker’s lip curled. “You get to have all the fun.”

  She laughed. “And you get to stay dry.”

  “That doesn’t mean I’m not hungry.” Hailey and Eric strode to the door and Parker yelled, “Next time bring a steak.”

  Right before the door shut, Hailey yelled back, “Maybe I would have if you hadn’t eaten Eric’s pizza.”

  Eric chuckled. They took the stairs two at a time on the way down.

  Hailey untied the boat. “Oh, look. It’s still raining.”

  Eric chuckled. “It’s just a sprinkle. It’ll pass.”

  Hailey hoped it would pass soon, because the water level was higher than before. The rain was still falling as hard as it had been all week. She doubted she’d be able to walk in it if they capsized, and where would they be then? As thinly spread as the team already was, they would never catch Farrell and bring Deirdre in, or round up their newest client—Farrell’s brother.

  *

  Eric couldn’t believe this was the same community they’d been in only the day before, looking for Farrell at Deirdre’s house.

  “Looks different, huh.”

  Eric met her gaze and smiled, powering the boat through the streets. “I was thinking the same thing.”

  The streets were a river of water, and as they motored through the open gate, Hailey scanned the houses using his flashlight. The power was out, but he didn’t see signs of anyone in the residences or on the street. The rain had eased off, but not by much. They were both still soaked, though Hailey more so since she hadn’t changed.