Fatal Exchange

by Harris, Lisa

  She turned back to Mason. “If Rafael and his mother can’t give them what they want, what do they think they’re going to get out of this?” Emily bit the edge of her lip. “He’s only seventeen.”

  “Too young in most people’s minds to be involved, but certainly not impossible. It happens more often than you’d think.”

  Emily shifted her attention back toward the front steps of the school where students were making their way into the main hall. They came dressed in the smart uniforms—plaid skirts or gray dress pants, crisp white shirts, and maroon blazers. But she knew that even beneath the prep school image of money and prestige, they didn’t all fit into that pristine world. Coming from a family of privilege might not be as challenging as growing up on the streets, but she knew that money didn’t fix problems. Sometimes money made everything worse. If that was what had happened to Eduardo …

  Mason stood up beside her, slipping the phone back in his pocket. “Eduardo isn’t the only person I’m worried about. I’m worried something might have happened to Rafael.”

  Emily felt her eyes water. She hadn’t worked with Rafael all this time to have his life ruined by someone else’s foolishness.

  She looked up and caught Mason’s gaze. She knew her sister believed Mason had been behind her brother’s death. But was that the truth?

  What she did know for sure was that Mason knew what life was like on the streets and had contacts across the city. If anyone could find Rafael, he could. “What can I do to help?”

  “If he comes to school today, I need you to call me immediately and let me know.”

  “Of course.” She brought up the list of received calls on her phone and added him to her contacts.

  Michael had trusted Mason. She was going to have to do the same, because teenagers shouldn’t have to deal with the dark realities of the world before even leaving home. Which was why a part of her wished she had the courage to step into her sister’s shoes so she could help stop people like those behind Eduardo’s kidnapping.

  “You okay?”

  “I will be.” She looked up and caught those mesmerizing eyes she’d noticed the first time they’d met. She dropped her gaze. “Rafael’s one of my success stories. He’s been accepted to the University of Georgia on a scholarship. He has plans to make a better life for himself and his family. He deserves that chance.”

  “I know.”

  She brushed a tear from her cheek. “Thanks for letting me know what’s going on. I’ll be praying.”

  “I know you will. I’ll be praying too. I still struggle justifying the evil that I see around me every day, but the older I get, the more I believe—have to believe—that no matter what happens, God is still in control.”

  Her father had told her about Mason’s recent decision to follow Christ, making her wonder what might have happened if he’d been a believer when he’d asked her out all those years ago. Maybe she would have said yes …

  Emily reined her thoughts back in. “I know you’ll do everything you possibly can to find both boys—and get Eduardo out alive.”

  Mason nodded, then reached out and ran his fingers loosely down her sleeve. “I promise I’ll do my best.”

  4

  Emily watched Mason turn away and head for the parking lot. No matter what her sister believed regarding Mason’s involvement in their brother’s death, Emily had always seen him as capable and skilled. And until the day he died, Michael had trusted Mason with his life. Whether Mason had actually betrayed Michael before the explosion at the warehouse that had taken his life, none of them might ever know, but she’d never forgotten the expression she’d caught on his face as he’d helped carry the casket out of the chapel after Michael’s funeral. The haunting mixture of sadness, loss, even defeat had been clear. It was the same expression she’d seen on his face today.

  But to Mason, this case was personal.

  She headed for the main entrance and shivered despite the warm morning sun trying to penetrate the scattering of clouds overhead. The photos of Eduardo resurfaced in her mind. No one had been surprised when she opted for a future with a private academy instead of the police academy. And while the school with its manicured lawns and trimmed hedges was far from problem free, she’d much rather face off with a parent or student over a bad history grade than enter her sister’s world of cops and robbers. Today had pushed her past the edges of her comfort zone.

  Inside the main entry of Dogwood Academy, she started down the long hall. The pale blue walls held neat rows of gray lockers, classroom doors, and dozens of smartly uniformed students. The sound of her boots, clicking against the tiled floor with every step she took, was barely audible above the low roar of the students chatting about their weekend and upcoming holiday plans as they waited for the last minute before rushing off to their homeroom class once the first warning bell rang.

  Snippets of conversations fluttered around her, but her mind was elsewhere. Students blurred past as she tried to shake the unease seeping through her. She might not know Eduardo well, but she did know Rafael and how seriously he took his role as the older brother. He’d mentioned more than once that it was his responsibility to not only keep his family together but to keep Eduardo out of trouble.

  Emily paused to pull a flyer off the bulletin board of last week’s senior debate she’d moderated. Nausea spread through her stomach. Whether or not Eduardo was guilty of dealing drugs didn’t matter to the kidnappers anymore. His life hung in the balance, and whatever the outcome, it was going to take Rafael a long time to shake the guilt that he hadn’t been able to stop this from happening in the first place.

  She crumpled the flyer and tossed it into the trash. She was going to have to find a way to focus on the day ahead without obsessing over what was happening with Rafael and his brother. At least she now had Mason’s number. Even if she didn’t see Rafael, she could still call for an update.

  “Aunt Emily?”

  Emily paused beside the drinking fountain. “Morning, Tess.” She glanced at her niece, then at her watch. “It’ll take you a couple of minutes to get all the way to your class. Do I need to write you a pass?”

  “I’ll hurry.” Tess sniffled. “Did you remember to bring my English book? Mrs. Masters isn’t going to be happy if I forget it again.”

  “No worries, it’s on my desk.” They started back down the hall at a quick pace toward her classroom, weaving their way through the sea of high school students. One day, she wanted two or three kids of her own, but in the meantime, being an aunt filled that maternal void. “How’s your cold?”

  “I wanted to stay home, but Mom insisted I was fine.”

  “She knows about your science exam?”

  “Yes, but not how terrified I am to take it.” Tess’s frown deepened. “Mom and I got into a big fight this morning. It was all stupid stuff. She got mad. I got mad. I said things I shouldn’t’ve.”

  “Over what?”

  Tess dropped her gaze. “Jackson mainly.”

  Emily stopped to face Tess, ignoring the slamming locker doors and rowdy voices around her. “I thought you were happy your mom was getting remarried.”

  “I am … I was. I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Last night, Mom and I were supposed to go out for dinner. Just the two of us.”

  “And that didn’t happen?”

  “She worked late, then Jackson called and needed to talk about his grandfather. He might have to put him in an old people’s home, or something.”

  “So dinner got canceled.” Emily caught the hurt in Tess’s eyes. After three years of widowhood, her sister had finally found the perfect match. But even a second chance was made complicated when there was a teen involved.

  Tess let out a deep sigh. “I know I shouldn’t feel so angry, and I know he makes my mom happy, but everything’s changing, and sometimes … sometimes I hate it. I wish things could go back the way they were with Mom and me. Is that crazy?”

  “No.” Emily put her arm around Tess’s shoulder and
started walking again toward her classroom. “I know it’s been rough for you, losing your dad, but everything you’re feeling is normal. Jackson’s a good man, and I think he’ll make a great stepfather for you, but it’s going to take time. For all three of you.”

  “That’s what my mom keeps saying. That it’s going to take time for all of us to adjust to being a family. I just … I miss my dad.”

  Emily felt her own heart break. Her niece had been ten when her father died. She was old enough to remember holidays spent together, Braves games, and family meals around the dinner table. And she was old enough now to realize that while Jackson might make her mom happy, things were going to be different.

  “Jackson’s not in your life to come between you and your mom. Give both of them time to find that balance.”

  “I’m trying.”

  Emily walked into her classroom with Tess still beside her. There were already a half-dozen students talking in the back of the room. Emily set the bag of brownies Grace had given her on her desk, picked up Tess’s forgotten English book, then turned back to her niece.

  “Just remember that Jackson doesn’t want to take your dad’s place. That’s something he can’t and won’t ever do. Your dad will always be a part of who you are—not just his DNA, but everything he did. What Jackson can do is help fill that emptiness in your heart, both your mother’s and yours. He’ll be there to help you get your driver’s license, meet your date for senior prom, and one day … walk you down the aisle.”

  “You’re not helping.” A blush crept across Tess’s face.

  Emily nudged her shoulder. “You know what I mean.”

  Tess’s blush spread as she ducked her head and nodded. “I guess.”

  Emily looked up as Rafael stepped through the doorway across the room, wearing his familiar green sweatshirt paired with a ball cap. A sigh of relief swam through her. At least he was okay.

  Emily turned back to Tess. “Let me go ahead and write you a pass. The warning bell’s about to ring.”

  Emily pulled out her cell phone and brought up Mason’s number while she searched the top drawer of her desk for a pen to write the pass. He would be relieved to know Rafael was okay. He’d probably just got held up in traffic. She’d heard on the radio this morning that there had been an accident on the freeway that was slowing the morning commute.

  Mason answered on the first ring.

  “Mason, this is Emily. Rafael just showed up. If you’d like to speak to him—”

  The warning bell rang, drowning out the wave of kids scurrying into the classroom at the last minute.

  Emily signaled at Tess to wait a second, then called out Rafael’s name.

  He hesitated before turning to face her. His normal smile was gone. His eyes red. He took a step backward and shut the door.

  “Rafael, wait. I need to—”

  Rafael pulled a gun out of his sweatshirt, crossed the room, then grabbed Tess’s arm. “I’m sorry, Miss Hunt, but I need you to give me your phone, then lock the door with your key.”

  “Emily?” Mason’s voice sounded from the phone.

  Emily fought to put Rafael’s demands into focus. The blank face, the gun, the demands … She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

  “It’s simple. Give me your phone and lock the door.”

  She stumbled forward with the phone, still trying to take in the numbing reality of what was happening. Tess’s eyes were wide with horror. One of her students sobbed in the back of the room.

  Emily fished for the key in her pocket, then glanced at the phone. She had to let Mason know what was happening. “He’s got a gun.”

  “Don’t move!” Rafael yelled as he let go of Tess and knocked the phone from Emily’s hand onto the tiled floor. He grabbed Tess’s arm again, his other hand still gripping the gun out in front of him. Emily forced her mind not to shut down in panic. The school’s—and her—priority was to keep the students safe.

  Words like lockdown, procedures, and minimizing the target swam through her head. But in this situation, there was no place to hide from the shooter’s attention. No way to provide 911 with the information they would need to help the police neutralize the situation. Because the potential shooter was standing right in front of her.

  5

  Rafael’s got a gun?

  Mason shouted Emily’s name into his phone, but the connection was already lost. He’d heard enough, though, to realize that a drug-related kidnapping had somehow twisted into a school hostage situation. He hurried down the hallway toward Avery’s office while redialing Emily’s number. It rang a half-dozen times before her voice mail clicked on.

  Rafael … what are you doing?

  Mentally, he ran through their phone conversation this morning, struggling to figure out what he’d missed. Somewhere between telling him about the ransom demands and now, Rafael had decided to take things into his own hands.

  Mason’s heart pounded at the ugly truth. He’d been here before. A no-win situation where you realize that no matter how hard you try, there is no way out. But while Rafael’s voice had sounded worried, Mason hadn’t gotten the impression he was desperate. So how had he gone from trying to save his brother to committing a felony? Panic, guilt, feelings of responsibility? At some point, something inside that boy had snapped and pushed him over the edge.

  Mason dialed a second number and gave his call sign and location before explaining to the dispatcher what he knew. Gunman at school, at least one weapon, Dogwood Academy, probable hostage situation …

  A sick feeling flooded through him as he answered the dispatcher’s questions. No matter how things played out, it wasn’t going to end well for Rafael. And if the situation wasn’t contained quickly, Rafael might not be the only person caught in the crossfire.

  Avery was still at her desk, going through paperwork, by the time he’d hung up with dispatch and entered her office out of breath.

  “Did you find your friend?”

  “Yes … I … ” Mason paused in the doorway. How did he tell her that he’d made a mistake in reading someone and her sister was now being held at gunpoint? If anything happened to Emily, he’d once again be the person to blame. But that wasn’t the issue here. Emily’s life—and the students in that room—were at stake.

  “Mason.” Avery set her pen down. “What’s wrong?”

  “When I spoke with Rafael this morning, I missed something.”

  Her expression darkened. “What do you mean?”

  “I thought Rafael wanted us to help him. He called me because he trusted me, but instead of letting the police handle things, he … he showed up at the school a few minutes ago with a gun.”

  “You’re telling me he’s at my daughter’s school with a gun?” Avery shoved her chair back from her desk, knocking it against the back wall, and jumped up. “If there’s been a school shooting—”

  “We don’t know that. I’ve called dispatch. By now officers are heading to the scene, and the school will have already initiated their emergency procedures.”

  Mason watched Avery’s face pale. She dug her keys out of the side pocket of her pinstriped blazer. “Tell me exactly what happened.”

  “Rafael didn’t meet me at seven thirty like he promised.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “So you went to the school?”

  “Rafael told me he knew Emily. That she’d gone out of her way over the past few years to help him. I was hoping I could find him there. That she might have seen him this morning,”

  “But he never showed up?”

  “Not by the time I arrived, so I left and asked her to let me know if she heard from him. She called me just now, told me that he showed up for class. Then I heard her say he had a gun. He told her to lock the door. After that, we lost the connection.”

  Avery grabbed her phone and started dialing.

  “I’ve tried to call Emily back. She’s not answering her phone.”

  “So either she’s still in the classroom and he’s holding st
udents hostage, or he’s shooting up the school.”

  Avery let the phone ring. Emily still wasn’t answering.

  He knew her sister wasn’t the only person Avery was worrying about. He tried to choose his words carefully. “Is Tess in Emily’s classroom?”

  “No.” Mason caught a sliver of relief in Avery’s eyes. “Emily teaches high school. Tess’s classes are in the middle school, which is located in a completely separate wing.”

  “That’s good.”

  Avery replaced the phone in her back pocket. “Give me a minute to brief my team, then I’ll meet you at the school.”

  Mason nodded, then walked through the precinct bullpen where her team was working. No matter what he might think about Avery on a personal level, she and her team were good at what they did. Time in the marines had trained Carlos Dias in the art of interrogation. Tory Lambert might not look the part with her exotic model looks, but Mason had seen her work firsthand and knew that the computer geek and white-collar crime expert was not only diligent but smart. Eight weeks ago, the captain had assigned Levi Griffin—a former marine—to Avery’s team, taking the place of her former partner who was killed in the line of duty. From what he’d heard, the detective had an exemplary record, including a stint in North Africa as a land mine disposal expert.

  They worked beside a crime board where photos of the four murdered men in the Torres case were plastered across the top. James Torres. Ivan Cruz. Dante Ortiz. Adan Luna. Today they had to ensure Eduardo didn’t become number five.