Night Moves: A Shadow Force Novel

by Stephanie Tyler

  Finally, they pulled free. He gathered up the chains, wound one around his hand for a weapon and the other around his arm so he had one hand free. He went to the door—it was locked, as he’d suspected, but it kicked open easily. Crystal hadn’t had time to reinforce this house at all.

  Kell ran to the doorway of Teddie’s prison, where the yells were now muffled, and Kell knew what was happening. He only prayed he’d get there before it was too late.

  The door was locked, and there was no window for him to see through. He kicked the door a few times, then resorted to picking the lock—slower, but he’d get there.

  He burst in, was halfway to Teddie when Crystal came through the opposite door into Teddie’s room, which must run along a back staircase, stopping all of them in their tracks with his drawn gun.

  Kell stopped, not wanting Crystal to start shooting anywhere near Teddie.

  Teddie, who looked angry and scared. She’d raked her nails down Chambers’s cheek. Seeing her pinned under him made Kell crazy—his hands fisted and it was the hardest thing he’d ever done not to lunge at Chambers, rip him off Teddie, smash him against the concrete wall and then beat him to a pulp.

  A quick death was too good for him.

  “Don’t move.” Crystal’s words were directed at Kell, but his eyes were surveying the entire scene before him, Teddie pressed to the floor … Chambers on top of her, his intent obvious even though they were both fully clothed.

  Kell stilled at the look in Crystal’s eyes when they met his, and saw something reflected in them that scared him … and gave him a thin spark of hope.

  Crystal wasn’t seeing Teddie on the floor—the only thing Kell could think was that maybe he was flashing back to his sister, the way she’d been brutally raped and murdered. Dylan had said Crystal came unhinged after that and Kell could see it plain as day in the man’s eyes.

  “Let me have him,” Kell said, speaking to Crystal, letting him see that he’d gotten his hands free.

  Crystal shook his head, but something was different. His gun came up, pointed at Kell, but it switched quickly over to Chambers.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Chambers demanded.

  “Both of you—up,” Crystal ordered, and both Chambers and Teddie complied, Kell waiting for the opening to make his move. “What are you going to do to her?”

  “Why? Do you want a turn before I’m done with her?” Chambers asked, completely misjudging Crystal’s tone, not seeing that the menace in the man’s eyes was pointed directly at him.

  Something snapped inside of Crystal—or maybe it had done so long before this and was only rearing its ugly head now.

  Either way, it could really work in their favor.

  “Why should I let you go? What’s your defense?” Crystal asked Teddie, ignoring Chambers’s sputtering that it wasn’t his choice. It was like Crystal was judge and jury, holding the scales of justice in his hands.

  She jutted her chin at him. “He betrayed and killed my father. I can’t let him get away with that. I’ll die trying.” She was so strong—that really shouldn’t surprise Kell. She was stronger than him any day of the week; she’d proven that over the past days.

  “Raping women is how you get off?” Crystal asked Chambers.

  “I’m supposed to believe you have a conscience?”

  “No, not me,” Crystal said quietly, and Kell tensed so hard his bones ached. But he needed to let this play out—and be ready to strike at a moment’s notice. “You need to move away from her.”

  “I don’t take orders from you—we’re partners in this.”

  “You are not my partner.”

  “We talked about this, the woman is mine,” Chambers growled to the other man.

  Something in Chambers’s words was triggering Crystal—the man seemed far away, even though his gun never wavered from Chambers.

  As Teddie backed up slowly, Chambers turned to her. “Don’t move.”

  He grabbed her by the upper arm and held her tight. It was only then that Kell saw Teddie’s palm, curled toward the sleeve of her shirt. She must’ve gotten the metal piece back when they’d been rolling on the floor, had been ready to use it when he and Crystal burst in.

  Jesus Christ.

  “Let her go,” Crystal said again, his voice agitated, the calm, easygoing man Kell had met earlier completely gone, replaced with the killer Kell knew he was.

  Chambers held Teddie more tightly, and Crystal leveled the gun at his head. Teddie remained still, even when Crystal fired off a shot that purposely sailed by Chambers’s head and hit the wall to the left of Kell.

  Teddie used that to her advantage—this time, she didn’t miss when she plunged the metal piece into Chambers’s neck. He howled, dropped his gun and staggered to the side. Teddie ran to Kell and he shoved her behind him, because Crystal was still holding a gun.

  Chambers crashed to the floor, clutching at his neck.

  “Are you okay?” Kell asked her, but she buried her head against his back, the enormity of what she’d done obviously hitting her hard.

  Crystal set his gun down, stared at them, then turned and walked out, not locking the door behind him. Teddie slumped into a dead faint behind Kell. He turned to catch her before she hit the floor, and then slung her over his shoulder, not giving a shit about the storm or anything else but getting the hell out of this hovel and taking her to safety.

  Crystal was gone—where, Kell had no clue, since it would be tough walking among the debris left by the storm.

  Driving would be equally difficult, because of all the downed trees and wires, but when Kell found the van in the garage, he knew there was no way he’d hang around here. He put Teddie inside gently—she was still out of it, and maybe it was better that she not see what they were driving into.

  He hotwired the van easily and only then did he get out and push the garage door open, tire iron in hand in case Crystal waited on the other side of it.

  The only thing that greeted him was debris and wind. He got into the van, slammed out of the garage. Both hands on the wheel, he drove as fast as the storm would let him, looking for a safe shelter, where he could get in touch with Dylan or Reid.

  No one was following him because no one was crazy enough to be on the freakin’ road but him. Did pay phones even exist anymore? Because he needed one ASAP.

  Teddie, wake up—you stayed out too late again but you’re not missing school.

  Her mother, nudging her. And although she wasn’t very comfortable, she was sleepy. Didn’t want to open her eyes.

  “Teddie, come on, wake up.”

  She heard the words, but it wasn’t her mother’s voice any longer. It was Kell’s.

  “Kell.” She opened her eyes—saw him looking tired, but relieved. “Where are we?”

  “Some parking garage.”

  “How? I mean …”

  “Crystal left. I don’t know why, but I didn’t stick around to question it.” He paused. “You did great, Teddie. Whatever was going on in there, you played it right with Crystal.”

  “Are we safe?”

  “I’m not saying a word on that front.” She noted he had a tire iron in his hand and a grim look on his face. “As soon as this lets up a little more, I’m going to drive around and find a pay phone … or a cop. I’ll get in touch with Dylan and get us the hell to real safety.”

  “Why do you think Crystal did that—turned on Samuel?”

  “I don’t know why a man like that does anything,” he admitted.

  She stared at her hands—they should still have blood on them, but they were clean. She glanced up at him.

  “I wiped it off,” he told her.

  “Thanks.” She paused. “I thought I’d feel different after having to do that. Guilt. But when it came down to saving us, I realize that doing what you need to in order to survive is most important.”

  “Good, because you have nothing to feel guilty about. That was self-defense, pure and simple. And if Reid and the rest did what I
know they’re capable of doing, they’ve uncovered evidence that the marshals will use to prove what Samuel did, beyond the fact that he kidnapped you. They already know about the mercs—it’s not going to take much to convince a judge it was self-defense.”

  “And then I’ll be free.”

  “Yes.”

  “And you’ll stay with me?”

  “You’ll have me while we get this all cleaned up.”

  “What does that mean, I’ll have you. Does that mean for protection?”

  “Yes.”

  “I can hire someone for that.”

  “I don’t know what you want me to say.”

  “I don’t either.” But that was a lie—a big one. She wanted to hear that he loved her, that despite the fact that they’d only known each other for a very short period of life-and-death time, he was falling in love with her too.

  Because she could feel it from him. Could see it in his eyes, feel it in the way he touched her … reveled in it when he came and murmured her name like she was the only person in his world.

  “Maybe the only reason you’re with me is because you have nowhere else to go. I’m not interested in being someone’s default.”

  “That’s not what you are to me,” she protested. Even in the beginning, when she’d had very little choice, she’d been drawn to him. It seemed ridiculous, was inexplicable, and her feelings had only intensified over the past week. “Can we call it fate?”

  He snorted. “I was in the military. The day you start believing that mumbo-jumbo shit is the day you’ve lost your nerve.”

  “You’re not in the military anymore.”

  “A technicality.”

  “You did the most important thing. You put everything on the line for me—your job, your friends … and you brought me back to life. There’s no way I can ever thank you enough for that … but I’d like to spend a long time trying.”

  “Has there ever been anyone special in your life, someone you’ve loved?” Kell asked with a sudden fierceness that made her smile.

  “No, there hasn’t. I always said it was because there wasn’t time, but that’s not true. If there had been someone special, I would’ve made the time.”

  True that, Reid would’ve agreed, because both Kell and his friend lived the same way.

  “I wouldn’t want to drag anyone into the kind of life I lead,” he told her. “And I still don’t know if I plan on quitting anytime soon. Even if I try to get out, there’s always going to be something to pull me back into the danger. And it would pull you too.”

  “Does that mean you don’t want me in your life, or are you trying to get me to leave you because that’s easier?” she asked, her words a punch to the gut.

  He stared at her, taking in the way her hair tumbled loosely over her shoulders and her skin glowed and he said, “I want you in my life,” before he could stop himself.

  She smiled a little. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “It’s the truth. You’ve seen a small part of my life, and you think it’s over, but it’s not. For me, it’s never going to be over.” He ran his hands through his hair as the rain battered the outside of parking garage.

  “I didn’t say I wanted to follow you around. I want to return to my old life. I want to start traveling, taking photos again.”

  “I have enemies.”

  “And they’ll all be hunting for me?”

  “Because of you, I’ll be vulnerable. Because of you, I am vulnerable. And I hate it as much as I love you.”

  She moved into his arms, molded herself to him, her face pressed to his shoulder before she spoke.

  “Say that last part again,” she said quietly, less of a demand, more of a request, and still there was no denying her anything.

  “Jesus, Teddie, you’re killing me. You’ve been killing me since the night I met you,” he muttered.

  “I know.”

  He tilted her face to his with a finger under her chin. “I love you, Teddie. Simple as that, and trust me, that’s the only thing that’s simple about our relationship.”

  “I love you, Kell Roberts. Let’s worry about everything else once the storm has passed.”

  For once, the choice was easy.

  CHAPTER

  20

  Kell was hesitant about driving the stolen electric company van around after the storm, for many reasons, the least of which was being stopped by random people asking for help restoring their power. So he borrowed another car from the lot and drove them to the nearest hotel he could find with vacancies. Left the car abandoned in the garage and called Dylan with his location.

  He’d never heard the man sound so relieved. “We’re coming for you guys, don’t move,” he admonished Kell.

  “Not a problem.”

  He turned to find Teddie pacing nervously, and he understood—she still had hoops to go through before she’d be fully free. But he’d be with her the entire time—just let anyone try to stop him.

  “Come here,” he told her. “Try to relax.”

  “Yeah, okay.” She allowed him to pull her to him, stayed next to him until there was a sharp rap on the door, maybe twenty minutes later, and Kell didn’t bother to ask Dylan—or Riley and Cam, who trailed in after him—how he’d gotten there so fast in the aftermath of the storm.

  After introducing Teddie to them, Kell set about explaining what had happened. He ended by asking if they’d heard from Crystal. “I can’t imagine he’d just walk away like that, he must have a plan.”

  “Reid left with him.”

  Kell felt his breath come harshly. “You are fucking kidding me.”

  “Wish I was.” Dylan stopped. “Crystal told me he was okay with the trade. Said Reid is trainable.”

  Kell went cold. “What the hell did you do? Why the hell?”

  “Crystal wanted me back to do a job for him. Reid went instead,” Dylan said. “We would’ve stopped him if we’d known that’s what he planned on doing.”

  “You wouldn’t have been able to. Once Reid makes up his mind about something …” Kell trailed off. Dylan handed Kell his phone, and Kell stared blankly at him for a second, then turned it on. He found a couple of texts there, from Reid … recent texts. And his heart nearly stopped. Teddie came up next to him, as if she knew he suddenly felt weak. He thumbed through the messages.

  Sometimes, you’ve got to make a choice.

  That night fourteen years ago, when Kell had dragged Reid out of the car, the young blond kid unconscious and bruised as hell, he’d had a decision to make. Now Reid was telling him that he’d always understood Kell’s choices, even when Kell hadn’t.

  He was also giving him an out on the guilt, as evidenced by the second message.

  You deserve to be happy. Be fucking happy.

  The final one though made Kell smile. This state sucks.

  “I need your truck,” he told Dylan. “Right now.”

  “Crystal could’ve coerced those texts out of him,” Dylan said, but Kell shook his head.

  “He didn’t. Reid’s got a plan.”

  Crystal drove along the storm-battered roads in a stolen truck. The police lining the area could give two shits about that now, and neither did Reid. He was just waiting until Crystal hit the open road along the coastline, near the private airstrips.

  “What’s the job?” Reid asked finally, like it didn’t matter to him one way or the other. He’d gotten word on his phone earlier that Grier was safe and sound in a new place, counted on that since as he drove Crystal was holding in his palm the remote start to a bomb in Grier’s hotel room.

  He’d shown it to Reid as soon as he’d picked him up in the park.

  “I’m working with the Albanians,” Crystal said.

  Crystal would never be out of their debt, thanks to Dylan. But Reid would make sure Crystal was out of the team’s lives, no matter what it took.

  Reid had no doubt Crystal had more safeguards in place, in case of his untimely demise, but Reid couldn’t worry about his fri
ends any more than he already was right now. They’d cut the head off this monster and fight the remaining fallout when and if it came.

  Could be that Crystal was just a damned good illusionist.

  “Do you feel guilty you couldn’t save your family?” Crystal asked.

  “Do you feel guilty you couldn’t save your sister?” Reid asked, watched the man’s hands tighten on the wheel.

  “It’s a secret you keep all to yourself,” Crystal continued. “Your mother’s mental illness.”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “My father asked me to.” Reid paused. “Your sister’s killers were never brought to justice.”

  “No.”

  “I thought you were supposed to be the best.”

  Crystal was getting more agitated by the second. He’d expected to be able to do that to Reid, but spilling his guts to Grier had helped Reid in ways he couldn’t have imagined. Saving her from Crystal had helped too, despite the fact that her betrayal stung like a hard slap.

  “I mean, how hard could those men have been to find?” Reid continued. “If that was me, I’d hunt them down to the ends of the earth.”

  “Your friend forced me underground for years,” Crystal roared before calming down. He’d been off since he’d picked Reid up, so whatever happened with Kell and Teddie helped to throw him more easily than Reid had anticipated.

  Time to make his move, because no way was he getting on a plane with Crystal.

  Reid had learned a lot about cars over the years—what made them crash and burn, what could cause a roll that could kill … or a rollover that could save your life.

  He’d never wanted to crash again without being able to save himself. Now that’s exactly what he was going to do.

  Of course, he’d still need Kell. And he had no doubt his friend would be there for him.

  “You put yourself in that prison,” Reid told him, and then he grabbed the wheel and jerked it hard toward him, leaving Crystal cursing and trying to right it, ultimately jerking it too far to the left, and that’s when the heavy truck lost its center of gravity.