by M. S. Parker
I jumped over the trashcan he knocked down behind him, not letting it slow me down in the least. The benefit of him having a good twenty feet on me was that I had plenty of time to react to anything he tried to do to deter me. If I could get him caught somewhere, against a dead end, or in a press of people too thick to hurry through, I'd be able to catch him.
Except if I caught him in public, there would be no way of hiding it. I couldn't just handcuff him and hope to keep it a secret. I'd already announced who I was on the previous street. Contrary to how TV and movies made it appear, authorities pursuing suspects through the streets really wasn't a commonplace occurrence in big cities. It did happen on occasion, but not so much that no one wouldn’t notice the chase. The most I could hope for was that no one had recorded it on their phones. If they did, it would already be posted to social media.
If I handcuffed him in public, I'd have to make it official. There'd be paperwork and procedure to follow. If I tried to just knock him down or corner him, there was the chance that word could get around, and my supervisors would want to know what I'd been doing. Roughing up a witness or suspect was never looked upon highly, so there'd be explanations necessary there too.
And I didn't want to explain any of this. I wasn't even sure I could.
I slowed as the realization hit me that even if I managed to catch him, it would come down hard on both of us, fast and hard. Finally, I stopped. His frantic footsteps were barely audible, and I was fairly sure I heard the distinct screech of a fire escape ladder being pulled down. He must have jumped up to reach the edge of it. If I pursued him any further, I'd have to check each fire escape, giving him time to get away. It'd been risky, trying to grab that ladder. He must've been really desperate to get away from me.
The thought hurt more than I wanted it to.
“Shit!” I swore savagely, my breath coming in harsh pants. I bent over, put my hands on my knees. My temples throbbed with every beat of my heart, and I swore again. As if a mere word could somehow express the pain, frustration and loss I was feeling.
I'd let him go. Just run off into the city. A rat escaping the cat into its complicated sewer world. And if he was smart at all, he would leave as fast as he could. Leave and never look back. I'd never see him again. Never get answers. Never have closure.
At least, before, I'd had positive memories. Even the horrible course of events that had occurred to break us apart hadn't been our doing. We were innocent. Now, all of my memories were tainted by the last five minutes.
How could I have fallen for such a basic trick? A kiss! I knew I was a rookie, but I'd never thought myself an easy mark.
But he had kissed me. And in that moment, everything else had faded away. Surely that couldn’t have been only a desperate distraction? It had to have meant something…right?
I shook my head, trying to fight back against the dark, gaping pit of churning emotions threatening to consume me. Humans used other humans. That was the way it was. Con men even more so. Bron was one of them and had used our history together to escape.
But if that was the case, why had he followed me at all? I was potentially the only one who could ID him. A proper grifter would have fled the moment he caught wind that I was on his case. He'd hidden his identity so well for so long that I was worse than just a liability. I could expose him. Cost him his freedom.
I let out a frustrated cry and punched the brick wall, barely feeling the skin on my knuckles split against the rough surface. I didn’t know what to do. For years, I'd been the logical, hard-working woman who'd striven endlessly toward a single goal. I'd never let anything distract me, but one sighting of Bron had made me willing to risk it all. One kiss had undone me.
I wasn’t entirely sure how long I stood there, the same thoughts repeating over and over again, but eventually, I put my hands in my pockets and walked back the way I came. I wouldn’t be early for work now, but that didn't matter.
I'd reached a tipping point. I knew that. This whole situation was plummeting quickly, completely out of control, and gaining speed at that. I had decisions to make, and what I decided would irrevocably change not only my life but Bron's as well. Both of our futures were in my hands now, and I didn't know what to do with either of them.
Chapter Two
Bron
I pressed my back against the wall of the empty apartment I'd just broken into. Well, more like let myself into rather than broken. The window had already been shattered. I'd just knocked out some of the jagged pieces before climbing in from the fire escape. I was absolutely certain that I’d lost Karis, but I was still on edge.
For a moment there, I'd been so close to losing everything.
I slammed my fist against the wall, silently cursing as anger and frustration bit at me. Why had I kissed her? I was smarter than that.
But the way she stood there, her lips parted in surprise, cheeks flushed. Her light blue-gray eyes so full of recognition and questions, beckoning me closer. I'd been in love with her for so long, I'd been unable to stop myself.
My fist unclenched, and my fingers went to my lips before I could stop. I could still feel her pressed against me, the outline of her mouth so lush and warm compared to my own. That first kiss had been borderline intoxicating, and for a moment, the whole world had fallen away. I'd felt the sort of hope I thought I’d forever lost the night my parents died.
Of course, reality had kicked in, and I'd allowed myself the momentary indulgence of a soft, chaste kiss before I bolted. Everything after that came in regret-stained flashes. I remembered scaling a fence, running through an alley, and pushing into a crowd. Into another alley, climbing a fire escape. At first, I'd felt her presence not too far behind me, but as I'd gone up the ladder, that feeling had disappeared.
I didn't hear her now. No doubt she was returning to the station to set up roadblocks, then gather reinforcements to start a manhunt with a shit load of back-up. I was basically a captured man. I was going to have to run right now. No money, no clothes, no passports. I'd have to start all over again, completely from scratch.
Except...
The moment she saw me, there had been some surprise on her face, but something else too. Something off. Now, I remembered how she'd always looked on her birthdays and Christmas, when she'd been shocked by a gift she wasn’t expecting. Seeing me for the first time should have had the same effect, at least. Or more. Maybe I only wanted it to be more.
Unless she'd already known.
I sank down to the floor, needing to catch my breath. Was it possible? Could she have known about me before our unexpected rendezvous in the alley?
Karis was smart. She always had been. If I'd left a single clue, she would've been the one to find it.
But if she'd known about me before the alley, why weren’t the FBI hunting me down? Why had things at the FBI still felt like they were in the investigation stage then?
Was she keeping me a secret from them?
The thought made me feel sick, but I couldn’t help also feeling a bit of hope that she was indeed trying to save my skin. One, for the whole not going to prison thing, and two, her risking her career for me had to mean something, right? That she still remembered me, felt some connection to what we used to be? That I hadn't imagined the connection when we kissed.
I shook my head. It was all conjecture anyways. I had no proof one way or the other of Karis’ intentions. All I knew was the best thing I could possibly do for her was stay away. After all, if she was hunting me down, a little distance would be prudent. And if she was trying to run some subterfuge from her bosses, maybe it would be better if I didn’t give her too many things to hide.
No matter how much I tried to pretend that I didn't care about anyone, I didn't want her to be hurt.
I sighed and pushed myself to my feet. I needed to figure out my next move. Just how far should I retreat? Should I leave the city? The state? Did I have enough time to get some shit together?
My burner phone rang, interrupting my in
ternal debate. Pulling it from my pocket, I saw it was Leticia.
Shit.
It was Monday. I'd completely forgotten. I had a very complicated long con that I was supposed to be concentrating on. How could I be such an idiot? I'd told myself that checking out Karis had just been a weekend distraction while I waited to take the next step with Leticia. But seeing Karis up close, kissing her, had made me completely forget that anything else existed. Including my next criminal venture.
I'd just added a whole new layer of complicated to my life that I just didn’t need.
“Oh hey!” I answered, forcing as much enthusiasm as I could into my voice. “I’m on my way. Is something up?”
“Not at all. I just wanted to make sure you were able to find directions.”
I faked a laugh. “I think so. If this map from the internet is at all reliable. I’m not really familiar with your section of the city.”
“I thought so.” She managed to not sound too patronizing. “Listen, there’s been a small change in plans.”
“Oh?” I looked up at the stained ceiling, pressing my thumb between my eyes. I wasn't in the mood to deal with it, but I kept my tone neutral. No point in ruining the whole thing if I didn't know what I was going to do next. Who knew, Leticia might come in handy if I ended up needing to run.
“Yes. Today, I’ll have you work at the studios I mentioned, but afterwards, I would like you to move to a more peaceful, quiet location where you can really grow as an artist.”
Maybe this was my answer. I tried not to hope as I kept up the charade. “Are you sure? You haven’t even seen my work.”
“I just have a feeling. I’ll explain the rest at the studios.”
“Whatever you think is best. Thank you again! I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Be safe! Text me when you’re on your way, darling.”
“Will do.”
I quickly hung up and took a deep breath. I needed to go pick up the supplies I'd squirreled away for this very involved grift, then actually get things moving. It would help purge Karis from my mind and hopefully keep me safe.
I had to keep moving if I wanted to survive.
I'd lived this long without her. It wasn’t like I couldn’t do it again.
I hoped.
Chapter Three
Karis
I sat at my desk, heart pounding a million miles per minute. I was pretty sure I looked busy; back perfectly straight, jacket hanging on the back of my chair as I stared at my computer like it would magically answer all the questions racing through my frantic mind. I was also pretty sure that I'd been looking at the same email for the past twenty minutes and still had no clue what it said.
I was in over my head.
And that was actually the biggest understatement to ever come out of my brain.
My best friend and childhood love was the perpetrator of a major theft, and I was supposed to be serving justice. Instead, I'd hidden it from my partner and my superiors. I'd let him kiss me – well, okay, so maybe I could play the shock factor into that one, but still. And then I quit chasing him when I realized what it would mean for the both of us if I caught him.
“Hey, Karis, everything okay?”
I nearly jumped out of my skin as Benita came up beside me. Immediately, I was swamped with guilt. She'd trained me, shown me all the ropes, and yet here I was, betraying everything she'd ever taught me.
It was wrong.
I was wrong.
That was when I knew I had to come clean. I had to. I couldn’t keep lying to her, not without completely ruining everything I'd worked so hard to accomplish. She was my partner, and I needed her to trust me. I needed to trust her.
I made my decision.
“Hey, can we talk?”
“Sure.” Her expression sobered when she looked at me. “What’s going on?”
“Um, can we talk in private?”
Something about my tone must've told her that it was big because Benita didn’t question me further. “Is my car alright? That wind out there's nasty.”
I nodded as I stood and pulled on my jacket. “That would be great. Really great.”
I followed her out, and to her credit, she didn’t try to question me as we walked. In fact, she kept relatively quiet. I couldn’t imagine what was going through her head, and she was far too good at blank-face for me to read it. I just hoped that I knew her character well enough to know that she'd try to give me the benefit of the doubt.
No matter what, though, I had to do what was right. Otherwise, was I really any less of a criminal than Bron?
Once inside the car with the heater going, Benita turned to me. “What’s going on? I’ve never seen you like this.”
“Because I’ve never been like this.” I took a deep breath, but somehow it just wasn’t deep enough. My nerves, usually steady, were shot to hell at the moment. “I owe you an apology.”
“Uh-huh…” Her tone was almost neutral, but there was an impatient edge to it that would have made me smile if I hadn't felt like she was going to hate me when I was done.
“I’ve been lying about a lead on our case.”
That got her attention, although her face barely changed. If I hadn't been working so closely with her, I doubted I would've seen anything at all.
“Go on.” The words weren't mean or cold, but they weren't warm either.
“I caught sight of the thief's reflection in the security feed.”
“His reflection?” Her eyes narrowed. “I must have watched that a hundred times, and I know there's no mirror anywhere in any of the camera feeds.”
I shook my head, taking a moment to swallow in a vain attempt to wet my nervously dry mouth. “I spotted it on the door. The janitor polishes them really well.”
“Hot damn.”
Despite the fact that I'd hidden it from her, Benita still sounded impressed.
“I never would have thought of that. You have a good eye, Karis. But why all the secrecy? Were you trying to make a name for yourself by figuring this all out and leaving your partner in the dust?” She shrugged as if it didn't matter. “It wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened. I’m just surprised you caught onto the office politics so quickly.”
I shook my head. “No, I'd never do anything like that.” She looked pleased at my words, but I was pretty sure that bit of happiness wouldn’t last long.
“Then what’s going on?” She laughed wryly. “You look like someone just told you your dog died.”
I forced myself to look her square in the face. I wasn't going to let myself hide from her. “I recognized him.”
I'd never seen a smile drop off someone’s face so fast. Her expression tightened, and she was silent for a good ten seconds before she spoke again. Her words deliberate and slow. “You wanna say that again?”
“I’ve told you a couple of stories about when I was a kid, right?”
She crossed her arms over her chest, a clear sign that she was pissed. “You’re not exactly a fountain of information, Agent Melendez. You’ve told me a grand total of three memories. Everything else I had to read in your file.”
Shit. She never called me Agent Melendez unless she was introducing me, or she was angry.
“Do you remember anything about what I told you?”
“Of course. The time you broke your arm because you bet your best friend you could race down a hill faster than him. The time you and your buddy put a school bully in the trashcan, and the time the two of you almost set the kitchen on fire while making toast. If you’re trying to make me soften up with some cozy tales of childhood, not really the best plan.”
“That's not what I'm trying to do. I’m not an idiot.” I considered the statement, then amended it, “Well I am, just not about that.” I swallowed again. It didn’t help. “You read about some my childhood in my file. Mom ran off. Dad committed suicide. Then I was sent off to live with my aunt who died when I was twenty-two.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Yeah, I know all that.”
>
“But what that file doesn't say is that around the same time all that was happening, my best friend, the boy I told you about, lost his parents too. Except his were killed in a home invasion gone wrong. He didn't have any other family, so he got put in the system. And you know how it is in some of those homes. Abuse, fights with other kids...getting involved in criminal activities.”
“Why are you prattling on abo-” She stopped mid-sentence, and her eyes grew wide. “No. Please, don’t tell me you’re saying it was him.”
I nodded, thankful that she already came to the conclusion. “I never saw him again after CPS took him away, but I recognized him the moment I saw his reflection. His name was Broderick Murray, but that name vanished when he ran away from the last group home he was in. I don’t know what name he goes by now. But when I thought it might be him, I had to make sure. I needed…I needed to know what happened. How he'd turned into a thief.”
Benita’s edge had faded, and now she was just slowly shaking her head. “Oh kid, what've you gotten yourself into?”
I couldn’t help but mentally echo her sentiment. What indeed? I'd be lucky to get away with just the loss of my job. If she wanted to, she could have obstruction charges brought against me. Especially if I told her how close I'd been to getting him today.
“I should turn you into Colman right now so he can fire your ass.”
“Should?” A ray of light cut through the darkness.
“But I’m not. You're telling me now, and that means you know we need to go after him.” She settled back in her seat and gave me a hard look. “Tell me everything you know about this guy. And I mean everything. If I think you're holding back on me, or still trying to protect him, I'll turn you in.”