“We met two years ago when you were brought in to work our job.”
“How sweet,” Sam said.
“Dude, seriously? You’re making the rest of us look like jackasses. Give us some notice next time,” Carson said.
“You remembered,” I asked, smiling up at Ford.
“Meeting you is unforgettable,” he said, holding out the present.
“That’s why you wanted to go to dinner tonight.” I chuckled and took the present, making a mental note to stop and get him something, not that anyone was going to let me out of their sight.
“Open it,” he prodded.
I opened the present and unfolded the tissue paper inside. A smile the size of Texas split my lips as I reached in and pulled out a tool that only a thief could appreciate. “You got me a bump key?”
Bump keys are special keys used by first responders and security professionals. The low peaks and wide valleys on the key were not designed to properly align with the pins in a door lock, but instead they ensured that with force the pins could be impacted giving the key owner entry to an otherwise locked door.
“Well, you do hold the key to my heart. You might as well be able to access my house or any other for that matter.”
“I love it,” I said, sliding my palm behind his neck and pulling his lips down to meet mine in a kiss that promised more heat the next time we were alone.
“All right, let’s get moving.” Carson heaved a sigh and rose from the couch. “Turn the Tide starts in an hour We have to get back before then.”
As we were walking out the door, I grabbed a pen from the table and twisted my hair up into a bun, sticking the pen through the strands. Weapon 101. Never be unprepared.
“Noah might get mad,” Sam said, pulling open the passenger door of the SUV.
“No, he won’t,” I said, climbing into the back seat with Ford on the other side. “We promised to go by the book where Sebastian Elliot is concerned. That doesn’t include the tool he hired to almost kill me.”
“She does have a point,” Ford said.
“Speaking of,” I said as Carson reversed out the driveway, “I’m thinking since he knows who I am now I might need to push a little harder. I’m never going to get to him if he keeps sending thugs to do his work.”
“One day at a time, Lucy,” Carson said, glancing in the rearview mirror. “You aren’t going to lose this game. We won’t let you.”
“Damn right,” Ford said, lacing my fingers through his and giving my hand a gentle squeeze.
These were my people, who’d been there for me no matter how craptastic my life was. They were the tribe I knew I could count on.
Carson slowed and turned into an apartment complex. It wasn’t the worst on the street, but it wasn’t the best, either. He pulled into a parking space. The complex was devoid of people. This wasn’t the type of place you let your kids outside to play without supervision.
“I’ll go up,” Carson said.
“Nope. This is on me,” I said, sliding out of the SUV. “You guys can keep a lookout.”
Sam rolled down his window and held out a case I was beginning to know well. I opened it, grabbed the earpiece, and slid it into my ear.
“Testing.” My voice reverberated through Sam’s computer speakers.
“Loud and clear,” Sam said.
He slid a pair of glasses on my face, making me feel all giddy and James Bond-ish inside. “Now, we’ll see everything you do.”
He turned the computer around so that I could see the reflection of the screen for myself.
“Sweet. I love all my prezzies today.” I chuckled, pulling out the bump key. “I’ll be in and out.”
“You should let one of us go with you.” Carson said.
“I’ve got this.” I answered. “I need you guys out here watching my back.”
Carson nodded.
“I don’t like this,” Ford said from the backseat. His voice faded as I walked away, not giving him a chance to dissuade me.
Chapter 11
The sun was starting to lower behind the building complex. At a time where the parking lot and courtyard of the complex should be filled with people, both were eerily vacant. I was the only one in the parking lot.
I reached the stairs and started up to the second floor. The cracked concrete steps and rusted iron railing provoked anything but a feeling of safety. A faint stink of cigarette smoke lingered in the air, reminding me that regardless of whether I could see these people, they were still around.
“What apartment?” I asked as I stepped out onto the second-floor landing.
“208.” Sam’s voice crackled through my earpiece.
I quickened my step along the balcony until I reached the right apartment. The door was ajar, as if the person leaving hadn’t bothered to click it all the way closed. I reported in, “It’s open.”
After a pause Carson’s voice came over my earpiece. “Are you packing?”
“Seriously?” I glance at the SUV then returned my attention to the door. After almost being run over, I’d grabbed more than just the pen when I went home and changed. I slipped the gun out of my waistband and pointed it at the ground, finger on the trigger. Cautiously, I toed the door open farther.
I cringed as it squeaked. The hinges were in desperate need of oil. I stepped into the yellowed-linoleum entryway, leaving the door partially open behind me for an easy escape.
“Hello, anyone home,” I called out and paused to listen.
My answer was met with silence and nothing but stale air and the overwhelming odor of smoke that made me cough.
“Something’s wrong in here,” I whispered.
“I’m on my way,” Carson said.
“Stay put,” I ordered. “Let me clear the place first,” I said, moving through the apartment. I started in the small galley kitchen, where smoke was seeping from the oven. I covered my hand with my sleeve and turned the oven off before moving to the hall to catch my breath.
“Oven was on, and something was burning,” I whispered. “Kitchen clear.”
I moved through the living room, checking the closet as I went. “Living area, clear.”
I reached the bedroom and paused. A man was laid out on the bed, a needle sticking out of each arm. His eyes were wide open and glassy as he stared unblinking at the ceiling. “Shit. Are you guys getting this?”
“Uh, Lucy. Ford wants you to get out,” Sam said.
“If I leave now, we might never be able to connect him and the jackass together,” I growled.
I slowly moved into the room and felt for a pulse on his neck. I knew he was dead just from one look, but I had to be sure.
Nothing. Nada. Deader than dead.
I glanced around the room looking for a phone or laptop or anything we could use to find a connection. There was a bag on the dresser, and I used the sleeve of my shirt to open it, careful not to leave my fingerprints at the crime scene. The bag was full of money.
“We have money,” I whispered.
“Probably the money he got paid for his stunt driving,” Carson said.
A sound from the bathroom had me spinning around and lifting my gun.
“What was that?” Carson asked.
“Noise in the bathroom,” I answered as I slowly inched across the room. I used my shirt to turn the knob and pushed open the door.
A cat screeched through the silence and jumped at me, making a beeline out of the bathroom at the same time I heard Sam eek like a scared baby in my ear.
“This has horror flick written all over it,” Sam commented as I turned and headed back toward the bag of money to look for a phone or anything else.
I’d made it three steps when a body rammed into mine from behind. I fell on impact. My gun clattered across the floor as a man vaulted over me and ran from the bedroom.
“We’ve got a runner.” I grabbed my gun, leaped to my feet and hurried after the dude. The balcony door stood open, dingy curtains billowing in the breeze.
; The man was already in the courtyard. He glanced up at me before sprinting for the trees.
“He’s on foot out back,” I hollered.
“I’m on it,” Carson said at the same time I heard a car door slam from the direction of the parking lot.
“Get out,” Sam said. “Police have been dispatched to this address. Get out now, Lucy.”
“Crap,” I growled and shoved the gun into my waistband and hurried out of the apartment, not touching anything as I went. I’d just made it off the stairs when cop cars squealed into the parking lot. Officers jumped out with their guns drawn and pointed at me.
“Get on your knees,” one yelled.
“I have a license to carry a concealed firearm,” I offered.
“Get on the ground, hands above your head.”
Chapter 12
I sighed, and my gaze went to Sam and Ford watching from the SUV.
“I’ve already got Asher on the phone, and Ford has Noah.”
I lay down while cops converged on me like I was responsible for the death upstairs. Within seconds, my gun was removed, and I was handcuffed and stuffed into the back of a patrol car.
Within minutes, I’d given my name, and they’d called in to verify my permit status since I wasn’t carrying the permit paperwork on my person. I could have been charged with that alone. But I diverted their attention from that by telling them about the dead body in apartment 208.
There was nothing to tie me to the death. No evidence or anything other than the fact I was on the premises and carrying a gun. The guy hadn’t been killed with a firearm. So as of now, I was only being detained for questioning and on suspicion. This was new to me.
Carson stepped out on the other side of the building and was stopped by a cop. Words were exchanged, and he pointed to the SUV where Ford and Sam were waiting. We were outgunned, outnumbered, and now we didn’t have any way of getting to the evidence that could have been left behind.
“You okay, Red?” Sam asked in my ear.
His voice was a welcome reprieve. The cops that had frisked me, hadn’t noticed the small ear piece or that my glasses were used for anything other than to see.
“The backseat of these patrol cars are disgusting. I’m going to need a shower when I get back home.”
“Noah and Asher will meet you in interrogation,” Carson said. His voice was breathless as he climbed into the SUV.
“He got away?” I asked.
“That little sucker was fast, not to mention he had a head start,” Carson said.
“Don’t worry, Lucy. You got a good look at his face with those glasses. We’ll have him ID’d in no time.”
I smiled. At least something had gone right, even if it meant I’d be spending the next few hours in cuffs. The thought of just taking them off slid through my mind. I could have. It wouldn’t have been hard with the bobby pin in my hair, but I didn’t know these cops. They might shoot first and ask questions later. So, I dismissed the thought just as quickly as it arrived.
“Ford, I’m sorry I ruined our dinner plans,” I whispered in the confines of the empty police car.
“It’s okay, Lucy. We can always celebrate later tonight or another time.”
I fidgeted, moving around in the backseat, unable to find a comfortable position on the ride to the police station. I’d heard the call over the scanner for the officers to leave the scene and transport me in.
I was led into the building and into an interrogation room, where my handcuffs were removed. “You can sign to get your gun back when you show ID and your permit. Detective Rowan has asked that I not press charges against you for not carrying the correct paperwork on your person. He’ll be in with you shortly to take your statement.”
“Thanks,” I said, rubbing my wrists. I paced in the small area like a cornered animal, tapping a couple times on the double mirror to amuse anyone on the other side watching me.
The door behind me opened. I turned and the budding smile froze on my face as Sebastian Elliot stepped inside.
His suit pressed to perfection. A sly smile on his face. I glanced up at the cameras just in time to see the red light flicker off.
“We meet again.”
“Mr. Elliot,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “I shouldn’t be surprised to find you here. Are you in the building to confess for your crimes, or maybe you’re here to act sympathetic while you figure out if the police are on to you.”
Sebastian smiled and tsked. “You sure do have an imagination, Dr. Bray. Did you acquire that from all your time in the psych ward?”
“Touché. You’ve done your homework. Maybe you’ll be a formidable opponent,” I said, walking to the table that kept us separated. The desire to throttle him right here and now sat heavily in my limbs. I’d go to jail for sure, but at least he’d be out of my head. “How about we discuss it over coffee at the Drip Café unless, of course, you’re too worried about them being understaffed.”
Fire flashed in his eyes before he quickly recovered. “I’m glad to see you’re okay after the little accident today outside. It would be dreadful if something had happened to you…” He didn’t finish his thought, but I heard the implied menace in my head. It would be awful if something happened to me before he got his hands on me.
I rounded the table. “Is that a threat, Sebastian?”
“I do so love hearing you say my name, but no. That wasn’t a threat, Lucy. I have to admit I’m intrigued by your…imagination.”
“Yes, well, I’m just full of surprises, which I can’t wait to share.” I smiled. He hadn’t yet figured out how I knew what I knew. He’d have to be part of the program to have that type of clearance.
He’d opened his mouth to say something when the door opened behind us, and Asher stepped in. “Mr. Elliot?”
“I was in the building and just checking on Dr. Bray after her little accident this morning.”
“Right,” Asher said, stepping farther into the room. “If you’ll excuse us. I need to take her statement so I can release her.”
“Of course.” He nodded and headed for the door. He turned one last time and winked in my direction before he stepped out and the door closed behind him.
I nudged Asher’s arm and pointed to the camera, and we watched together as the red light reappeared.
Asher’s gaze flew to the two-way mirror, and he frowned. It appeared Mr. Elliot had reach within the building.
Asher made quick work of taking my statement and letting me know that he’d call or come by in the morning to discuss this new turn of events. It wasn’t until my gun had been returned and saw Ford waiting in the lobby that I breathed a real sigh of relief. I mean I knew he’d be there, just like I’d be there for him with no questions asked, but seeing him made butterflies dance in my heart.
Ford held out his hand to Asher, and they shook. “Thank you.”
“You’ll keep her out of trouble, right?”
“As if that’s possible.” I chuckled and headed for the door.
“I’ll do my best.” Ford shoved the door open and allowed me to pass. It wasn’t until we were outside that he removed the glasses from my face and cupped my cheek, lowering his lips to mine in an intimate kiss shared by lovers.
“Did you get the entire exchange on video from the spy glasses?” I asked when he broke the kiss.
“Yeah, we got it. Only he didn’t say anything incriminating yet.”
“Give me time.” I smiled. “I think next time I’ll use a bigger stick on the bear and shove it up his—”
“We can still hear you,” Noah announced.
I glanced around the parking lot until I found the SUV in the distance. Noah was sitting on the passenger side.
“I meant every word.” I smiled and wiggled my fingers.
Ford linked his fingers through mine and led me toward the SUV. “Let’s get you home and changed. We still have time to make our reservations.”
“Ford, I’m tired. How about we celebrate tomorrow?”
> His brows dipped like I’d just stolen his puppy. “Of course.”
“No, you’re right. We have something important to celebrate. But let’s compromise. Instead of going out, we’ll order in and open a bottle of wine.”
“Now, that sounds better.” He opened the door to the SUV for me to climb inside.
The ride back to my house was filled with chatter while everyone was discussing the next move to make and what to do with the video exchange that I’d captured. I was quiet. The sharp prickles of an oncoming headache were fast approaching.
“Does someone have my kit?” I asked.
“Yeah, we keep one in all the cars.” Noah turned with a case in his hand.
“I’m sorry. Dinner’s going to have to wait,” I said to Ford.
Ford unzipped the bag and filled the syringe with the drug that was going to make me the worst dinner date in history. The kind where he could carry me to bed, but couldn’t indulge. Concern darkened his eyes as he jabbed the needle into my arm and pressed the plunger. “It’s okay, Lucy. I’ve got you. Just rest.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered as I laid my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. Had this happened when I was talking to Sebastian Elliot, things might have gone to hell, especially if I’d tapped into the killer’s tendencies without my calming drug. They would have locked me away for sure because I would have killed the SOB with my bare hands right then and there.
Noah’s phone rang as I leaned into the warmth of Ford’s arm.
“Yes, Doctor. Her phone died. Yes, sir. I understand. I’ll make sure she gets the message.”
Before I could even ask if that was Dr. Cline, the darkness claimed me.
Chapter 13
I rolled over and snuggled deeper into the comforter, buried my nose in Ford’s pillow, and inhaled his scent. All of the muscles in my body felt like jelly. That restful sleep had been needed.
Voices drifted into my awareness. I released the pillow and turned onto my back and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.
Goosebumps prickled on my arms. It was the first sign I was about to be visited by a ghostly presence. When the air around me chilled to an arctic level, my eyes flew open, and I bolted upright in the bed.
Broken Justice (Fractured Minds Series Book 6) Page 5
