by Addison Fox
“Lilah—” She shut down Reed’s protest with a hard wave of her hand.
“You need all the help you can get now. Eyes and ears, right?” When Reed said nothing, Lilah went for the jugular. “For Jessie.”
Reed nodded, her hit as direct as she’d intended. “Yes.”
“I know that area. I enter the cake show at the state fair every year and I’ve provided desserts for several events in the various halls. There’s a warren of roads and streets that weave in and out of the grounds.”
“Wide-open roads and streets. They’re going to be watching,” Max argued. “It’s too dangerous.”
“They’re watching for you. For something that screams police. But there’s no way they’re going to care about a run-of-the-mill vendor delivering goods.”
“In your pink truck?” Reed’s voice nearly exploded on the word pink. “Like that’s not a flashing neon sign inviting attention.”
“I had something a bit more subtle in mind.”
“What?”
“Come on. We don’t have a lot of time.”
* * *
Reed had to give Lilah credit. Her idea was brilliant. He’d partnered with good cops through the years—smart, well-trained operatives who knew how to manage and defuse a situation—and he’d be hard-pressed to name one who could have come up with a better plan.
Gabby’s brother was one of the city’s leading produce suppliers and it took less than twenty minutes for them to mobilize his help and his agreement to loan them one of his trucks. An hour later, they all met in front of Gabby’s storefront, plans already under way.
The white refrigerated truck was nondescript beyond the simple paint on the side advertising its wares, and the expansive refrigerated unit gave them plenty of room to hide. More important, it gave them plenty of space to pack an arsenal of weapons for the attack on Tripp and room left over to take prisoners.
Their only possible hiccup was Dave.
The man wouldn’t be persuaded to stay behind and if Reed were being fair, he didn’t blame Dave in the least. There was nothing on earth that would keep him from Lilah if the situation was reversed, and he had no right to tell the man no.
But his presence was a concern.
Violet had taken over the reassurances, her steady voice and repeated reminders to let Reed, Max and Tucker act on their training had become a litany. Even with her firm hand, Dave’s bone-deep upset and lack of police training had Reed worried.
The man was a wild card and they needed nothing but aces right now.
Lilah stepped out of Gabby’s building and walked up to the truck, clad head to toe in black. “Dave needs to make the call and get the meeting point from Tripp. Then we need to get going.”
“You’re not going.”
“We’ve had this argument before. So let’s skip it so we can get out of here and bring Jessie back.”
“This isn’t a joke.”
“And I’m not laughing. You need me on this.” Her eyes were dark pools, and even with the reflection of the streetlamps, her sheer, stubborn force of will was more than evident in her gaze. “I can help you navigate through the warren of roads. And I’ll be your getaway driver.”
He’d ridden the waves of adrenaline since the day before as he walked in on a dying DeWinter, and the excessive spikes of stress finally took their toll.
“There is no freaking way you’re going with us on this!”
“You need me. I can help you.”
“Aw, Lilah.” He ran a hand through his hair, dragging hard on the ends as he stared at her. He’d intended to soften his voice, but the ragged and hoarse sound that came out was a surprise even to him. “Don’t do this to me. Please.”
“You need me.”
“Yes. I need you healthy and well and unharmed.”
She moved into his arms and he attempted to reassure himself with the simple act of touching her. Her arms. Her face. Her back.
Nothing worked. All he could imagine was the horror of Dave’s situation and the risk that she’d end up the same way. Trapped under his stepfather’s control with him unable to get to her.
Helpless to save her.
“I can’t let you go. You’re a civilian.”
“I’m not going in—”
He cut her off with his mouth, a hard kiss against her lips meant to silence, even as he took the deepest solace in the feel of her. The kiss was hot and hard and spoke of promises and desire.
Of a lifetime of secrets, just waiting to be uncovered.
“I can’t risk losing you.”
“You have to know I feel the same.”
“Then why won’t you let me do my job?”
Her brow furrowed, at odds with the light sheen of moisture that painted her lips, bee-stung from passion. “I’m making sure you do the job right. Every one of you admitted you don’t know the area as well as I do. Add on the endless construction happening around the city and you won’t get in with the same degree of precision and focus that I will.”
“And then you’re a sitting duck. Stuck in that truck with no help or backup should one of Tripp’s men find you. We have no idea how many people he’s got working for him.”
“You’re assuming I’m a bad shot, Detective?”
Fear, raw as vinegar, coated his throat with acid. “I don’t want to put you in a position to have to answer that question. And besides, I thought you hated guns.”
“I do hate guns. But for the record, I’m a very good shot.” She locked her fingers with his. “And I know the area like the back of my hand. I can get you in and out. You need me on this.”
“I need you safe.”
“No. You need a partner. Someone who has your back and who won’t let you down.” She kissed him once more, lingering an extra few moments. “I won’t let you down.”
* * *
“Left at the light.”
Reed navigated through the most remote entrance onto the fairgrounds, his stoic features in sharp relief under the spotty streetlamps. Voices rumbled from the back of the truck and she knew Max and Tucker were giving Dave a quick overview of the weapons they’d brought along.
“He’s calmer.” When Reed said nothing, she added, “Dave.”
“It’s the lull. Calm before the storm. He’s going to have to work harder to keep it together when we get there.”
She pointed through the windshield. “Make that right down there. The turn that looks like a small road out of the parking lot.”
His nod was the only indication he’d heard her, but he made the turn as directed.
Lilah glanced through the small opening into the back of the truck, then shifted her attention firmly back to providing directions. Max and Tucker were well versed in what needed to be done.
They’d handle Dave.
Now it was up to her to handle herself.
Despite her best efforts, the last few minutes before they departed Gabby’s still lingered in her mind. Cassidy hadn’t even attempted to hide her tears as she helped Tucker into a Kevlar vest. Although Reed had his with him, the others would have gone in vulnerable, and Gannon had made a quick run to the precinct, retrieving vests for everyone.
With Tucker and Max occupying Dave, Lilah addressed Reed. “We’ve got the advantage of surprise.”
“None of it changes the fact I’m dragging four civilians into the middle of a war zone.”
Done listening to the mix of frustration and resignation that hadn’t left his voice, she laid into him. “Enough. We’re here and we’re going to get Jessie and bring her home.”
“What’s possibly left of her. My stepfather has made it abundantly clear he’s willing to kill for what he wants. He’s equally prepared to kill those who are of no use to him any longer.”
; Lilah exhaled on a sharp breath, the bleak words at odds with the man she knew.
Throughout this entire ordeal, he’d coaxed her and cajoled her, willing her back to life. Oh, she’d thought she was living before, but Reed had shown her otherwise. She’d lived a half life, going through the motions, avoiding risks and sinking deeper and deeper into a shell that could have swallowed her whole.
Yet she was here. And she was whole.
“We’re going to get to her in time. And then we’re going to make sure Tripp pays for his crimes. All of them.”
“I never even saw it.” Reed’s voice was low and, she suspected, not meant for her to hear.
But she did hear.
And in that moment, as one second ticked over to the next, she finally understood the real problem. “The hurt will fade, you know.”
“What hurt?”
Lilah’s heart broke in half at the bleak question, so at odds with the pain he’d carried like a lead weight since discovering the truth about Tripp. “The pain of betrayal. Of understanding that someone you love is incapable of loving you back.”
“What makes you think this is about me?”
“How couldn’t it be? Even if you felt nothing at all, you love your mother and you know she’s in pain.”
“She’ll survive.”
“It’s not about survival, Reed. It’s about living. Thriving. Trust me, I know. I’ve spent a lot of my adult life focused on surviving. It’s not a way to live.”
“Bastard!” He slammed a hand on the steering wheel, his anguish as tangible as if a rock had hurled through the window. “He’s such a miserable bastard.”
“He is.”
“We trusted him. Believed in him. Blended our world with his. Things weren’t so bad before. We got by. But then they got better and she was happy.”
Lilah let him get it out, the stream of consciousness going a long way toward filling in whatever gaps she’d had. His mother had struggled, as she surely would have, a single woman raising a child on her own. Tripp’s arrival in their life had metaphorically kept the wolf from the door.
Only, neither of them understood Tripp was the wolf in disguise.
“She was happy. And all this time, she’s had no idea what he is. What he’s capable of.”
The line of warehouses came into view and she knew Reed needed to focus on dealing with Tripp. She directed him to a small parking lot, out of view from the warehouse’s windows, and prayed that anger would carry him through the matter at hand.
“You okay?”
“I’ve got this.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
“It’s all the answer you’re going to get.” He unbuckled his seat belt, then leaned into her. “Actually, I’ve got one other answer for you.”
He kissed her, his lips hot and carnal against hers. She knew this wasn’t the time or the place, yet as the kiss transported her to a world of pleasure and need and desire, she knew a singular desperation.
She loved this man. She wanted to make a life with him and she wanted a lifetime to do it in.
And if Tripp Lange had his way, there was no way she was getting either.
* * *
Reed crouched on the ground, Max, Tucker and Dave at his side. Dave had kept his calm, his hard breathing the only sign he wasn’t fully keeping it together. Reed had calculated their physical distance from Lilah and knew they weren’t that far, even if the truck was much farther away than he’d have liked. He’d also given her explicit directions to leave and call for backup on the way if she needed to escape the situation.
He might not trust his colleagues to manage this job with him, but he trusted them enough to rescue an op gone bad. And once they got what they’d come for, he was calling in backup to book his stepfather as fast as possible.
Of course, even if the op went textbook perfect, he’d surely be off the force when his little mission was discovered. With a strange sort of clarity, he had to admit that knowledge didn’t bother him nearly as much as he expected it would.
Whether Captain Finney was at fault or not, someone high up on the force was involved. Now that he knew his department was tainted, he couldn’t see his way to going back and serving in an environment that had placed him in the position of being Tripp’s information shill.
“Three o’clock.” Tucker’s low whisper barely registered, the monotone designed to pass information without alerting others.
Dave’s anxiety continued to rise, his gaze never leaving the wall of windows above their heads.
“Dave. You with us, buddy?”
“Yeah.”
Reed shot Tucker a quick glance and saw his answer in return. He knew Tucker and his friend had decided on a plan to keep Dave in line until Jessie was rescued if necessary. Reed hoped like hell they didn’t need to use it.
Tucker tapped his ear the same moment Reed’s own earpiece registered. Max used the same nearly soundless monotone as he relayed the position of the men in the warehouse.
He also confirmed he had eyes on Jessie and she was moving.
“She’s okay, buddy.” Reed patted his friend’s back. “We’re close.”
A loud burst of fire lit up the night and Max’s holler echoed in his ear, in tinny counterpoint to the shout evident on the other side of the building.
“Looks like our discovery’s been noted,” Tucker muttered through gritted teeth. “Let’s move.”
* * *
Lilah heard the gunfire and it took every ounce of self-control she possessed to sit still. She’d promised Reed she would stay where she was and function as getaway driver only. The gun in her hand and the one strapped to her ankle were meant for protection, not backup and reinforcement.
That promise didn’t stop her from craning her neck through the truck’s window to see what was going on.
Shadowy figures crouched along the building, Reed, Tucker and Dave all lined up just as they’d planned. She’d watched them since they got out of the truck, their crouched poses hiding them from view of the warehouse. The three of them had remained in position, but the gunfire had them moving in the opposite direction of the conflict. Lilah watched them go, her heart stuck in the middle of her throat.
“They’ll be okay.” She put more force into the words. “They know what they’re doing and they will be o—”
Lilah broke off as a shadowy figure rose up next to the truck, the glint of a pistol more than obvious in the light of the moon. A face filled her window, a mix of dark planes and angles, as he waved the gun.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
Chapter 19
Reed heard Jessie before he saw her, her sassy bravado filling the air in a reassuring confirmation she was still okay. He kept a firm hand on Dave’s arm, subtly giving him the signal he still couldn’t move and the man nodded, his face grim even as he accepted the need to wait. Tucker pulled up the rear of their small party and pointed to his eyes, then held up two fingers.
They only had two opponents?
It wasn’t possible.
While he knew it was unlikely his stepfather would have his police department flunkies here with him, he had to have some help. Eyes on two people indicated Tripp thought he could handle the situation with the help of only one other person and likely a third outside?
There was no way.
His stepfather’s voice overpowered Jessie’s, filling the hot warehouse with sharp, menacing teeth. “You may as well come out, Reed. I already know you’re here, and hiding is only going to prolong the inevitable.”
Reed eyed Tucker and nodded. He patted Dave and pushed them both forward, leaving Buchanan in the shadows as backup. Tripp knew they’d arrived, but he didn’t necessarily know numbers. Reed and Tucker gambled on that fact as Reed moved into the li
ght of the warehouse.
“Where’s your mother?”
As an opening gambit, Reed was surprised by the approach, but he quickly shifted gears to see how he could use Tripp’s comment to his benefit. “She’s safe.”
“She should be here with me!”
Tripp’s shout echoed in the still air of the warehouse, but it was Dave’s hard cry before he ran toward Jessie that provided an unexpected distraction.
“How could you?” Dave crouched from his position next to Jessie, his hands on her arms and shoulders as he frantically reached for the restraints at her back. “We trusted you. We know you!”
“Alex.” Tripp gestured with a brief nod.
A large man stepped out of the shadows and Reed had his gun up and in hand when the man knocked Dave in the back of the head, his large body falling next to his wife at the impact.
She laid down another rant of pure vitriol and Alex moved to stand above her, the message clear that she stay put.
“Where is your mother?”
Reed saw Jessie’s subtle shake of her head and decided to play things out. “Safe.”
“She won’t take my calls.”
“She’s devastated to find out her husband is a murderer, a thief and a psychopath.”
The gun in Tripp’s right hand trembled. “Where is she?”
“Don’t play the concerned spouse now. We know what you’ve done. What you’re responsible for. I told her all of it.”
“You know nothing. I’m a well-respected businessman. I’m revered in this town.”
“Tell me. How long have you been leading this double life? Living a lie?” Reed stepped closer, the anger that had ridden him hard over the past few days winning the battle for his self-control. “How long have you been a murderer?”
“You know nothing.” Tripp shook his head, his eyes gleaming with menace. “And you’re not going to have a chance to find anything out, either.”
Reed stepped closer and he sensed Alex poise for action. “Correction. I haven’t known anything. But I will find out everything about you. Every last bit of what you’ve done for however long you’ve been doing it.”
