Deadly Connection

by Lenora Worth

  It might be her only chance to get out of here alive.

  * * *

  Emmett stood with Jackson and the rest of the team. They planned to charge the house but...they had to find the right time. He’d studied the layout enough to know the bottom floor held a kitchen and large living room, where Percy had taken Belle.

  “We can storm in there and hope he doesn’t hurt her,” Gavin told them earlier. “Or we can wait it out. SWAT is ready to do whatever we need.”

  “Negotiating won’t get us anywhere,” Emmett said. “We can’t sweat him out, but he might get hungry.”

  “He might start making demands,” Gavin said. “It’s been two hours and he hasn’t made a move other than pacing in front of that window. But we can’t shoot him—too risky with Belle there as his shield.”

  “He knows I’m not alone,” Emmett said, the thought of Belle getting shot making him want to go into action. “He’s keeping her alive for some reason. I’d like to believe he has a soft spot in that black heart.”

  Or the man just wanted to drag out the torment and fear.

  Emmett stared toward the house. The yellow glow of a street lamp showed the true hero. Justice sat hunched at the bottom of the steps. The dog refused to leave without his partner.

  Emmett looked around at the people who’d gathered here, their emergency lights off and their vehicles out of sight. “There is one other thing that could happen.”

  “What’s that, Marshal?” Lani asked.

  “Belle might be waiting for the chance to save herself. And that scares me more than anything else.”

  Gavin stared back at the house and then glanced back at Emmett. “You’re right. She’s capable of doing that, but just in case, when she does, we’d better be ready to move in.”

  * * *

  Belle had to make her move. They’d been inside the house for three hours now and Percy’s agitation was growing by the minute. “I can get us both out of here,” she said, trying to stand.

  Percy whirled, his gun pointed. “I’m not falling for that trick. You and I both know how this works. If I open that door or make a wrong move, I’m toast. They probably have a sniper on me right now just waiting for the command to take me out.”

  “I haven’t seen a red spot on your forehead yet,” Belle said, thinking the same thing. “They don’t want to kill you, Percy. They have Johnson. He’s going to blame you. But they want you alive to hear your side of things.”

  Percy pushed at his damp hair, then jabbed a finger in the air. “He started this. I just met him while he was in prison. I worked there briefly as a guard, but man, I hated working at Rikers. They never saw my worth. After Lance got out, we met up again at the gym and then we went to a bar and put two and two together. All he talked about was how he’d make you pay. I wanted in on that.”

  “I thought you loved me,” she said, knowing he never had loved her at all. “But instead, you decided to threaten me and my family and now you want to kill me?”

  “I do love you, Belle,” Percy said, pushing her back against the wall. “Enough to kill both of us and end it here.”

  Belle stared at him and, even in the moonlight, saw the hatred in his eyes. “Neither one of us needs to die and...I can help you get away.”

  Percy’s eyes widened. “Do you mean it? Have you had a change of heart?”

  Belle thought of Emmett and willed her expression to soften. “Yes, a big one.”

  “So what’s the plan?” Percy asked, his hand touching her hair, his dark eyes burning with a madness she couldn’t tolerate. “’Cause if you’re playing me, I’ll know it.”

  Belle held back the cringe that rumbled down her spine and gave Percy her best smile. “Just this,” she said, rising out of the chair, her hands on his meaty arms guiding him so he had to face away from the street to keep her near. She motioned him toward her, a smile hiding the revulsion coiling through her.

  As he moved close, she pressed against the opposite wall behind her in the tiny room. Just as he lowered his head to kiss her, Belle shoved him hard and lifted one of her legs with a high kick to Percy’s midsection. He flew back toward the front window where he’d been holding her and dropped his gun. Grabbing the weapon, Belle put it in her belt. Then she hurled herself at Percy and flipped him down onto his back underneath the open window, stomping her boot in his back while she lifted the chair and smashed the remainder of the window into bits. A gaping hole of fresh hot air greeted her. Freedom.

  “Justice,” she called, her boot still digging into Percy’s back while he moaned. “Come. Attack.”

  Her partner lifted into the air and sailed through the open window to land a foot away from where Percy moaned on the floor.

  Justice then added to the moans when he bit into Percy’s jeans.

  * * *

  Belle let out a shuddering breath as the house exploded with K-9s and their partners. The dogs surrounded Percy so she called Justice off and then turned as Emmett rushed in the door and parted the crowd. Giving her a quick glance, he kept moving toward the man curled in a ball in the corner.

  He lifted Percy Carolo off the floor and snarled at him. “Let me do the honors, please.” Then he told Percy he was under arrest for harassing and assaulting an officer, for the attempted murder and kidnapping of said officer, just as he’d stated earlier. Then he read him his rights and cuffed him before shoving him toward Jackson.

  “I’ll get him out of here,” Jackson said, grabbing Carolo by his sweat-soaked collar.

  “Belle, you betrayed me again,” Carolo shouted. “I will kill Lance Johnson when I find him.”

  Belle gave him a look of pity but decided he’d find out soon enough how things worked with the law.

  Belle stood by the window while the EMT checked her out, her adrenaline sliding away with each breath she took. Lani hugged her and let her be. Jackson nodded to her and did his job. Gavin came in and stood staring at her.

  “I’m all right,” she kept saying, her eyes always shifting to Emmett.

  Emmett moved around the officers filing through the house and hurried to pull her into his arms. He held her there until both of their hearts beat a new rhythm.

  Together.

  TWENTY

  Belle woke up late the next morning, her body sore, her mind at peace. It was over. Lance Johnson would go back to jail for a long time and even if he got out, he wouldn’t dare mess with her again.

  Percy Carolo would probably meet the same fate since they had enough evidence to put him away for a long, long time. He’d still blame her, but both Emmett and Gavin had explained to him in no uncertain terms that if he ever came near Belle again, he’d regret it in a big way.

  Last night, they’d all gone to the precinct to file reports and question both of her attackers. Her ordeal was over but Sarge had announced that someone had tried to run over Liberty, the yellow Lab K-9 with a bounty on her head, last night while several of them were trying to save Belle. Noelle had taken her partner for a walk when it had happened. Now Noelle’s street and home would be monitored around the clock. Belle wanted in on that.

  She said a prayer for Noelle.

  She rolled over and saw Justice lying in his home kennel near her bed. She’d left the kennel door open because he seemed to want to follow her around, still in protection mode.

  But she had to wonder about her other protector. Would he stick around now that the danger was gone? He’d made it clear he wanted to get back out there and find his cousin. But where things stood between them, she couldn’t say.

  * * *

  Emmett had brought her home after she’d given her statement and Gavin had ordered her to take the rest of the week off.

  Emmett waited while she took a shower. Her mother sent down food but left them alone. Emmett told her to eat.

  Then he went upstairs and explained to her parents and
siblings about what had happened, assuring them she was okay and they were safe. Uncle Rico could call off his guards.

  Emmett came back and held her close for a while, silent and strong and sure. “We can talk later,” he told her. “We have a lot to talk about. Right now, you need to rest and sleep.”

  Belle loved being there in his arms. She did fall asleep on the couch, her head pressed against his chest.

  After a while, Emmett lifted her up and tucked her into bed with a kiss. “I’ll see you soon, I promise.”

  Then he kissed her one last time and headed to the door.

  Belle could only nod, her emotions and the letdown that always came after a big arrest being twice as difficult this time. She wanted to tell him that she’d thought about him the entire time she’d been held in that house with Percy.

  But she couldn’t be sure if Emmett wanted the same. He must. He’d stayed there outside the house, watching over her.

  He’d come back to her, wouldn’t he?

  * * *

  He had to give her some space. That had been the hardest thing to do. Leaving Belle last night had torn Emmett’s heart apart, but he still had some unfinished business out here.

  Emmett had work to do, but he wanted to see Belle and make sure she was all right. She was tough but even a tough person could only take so much.

  She’d been chased and harassed and shot at over the last couple of weeks—and almost killed. How did a person put that behind and get on with life?

  And how did they stop these careening emotions and feelings that had exploded between them in the heat of the chase?

  Could they sustain those feelings now that things had settled back down? He wanted that, wanted to be with Belle. But he had to find Randall first.

  After checking in at his office and getting ribbed for hanging with the Brooklyn K-9 Unit too much these days, Emmett filed a report and talked to his superiors regarding his cousin. He had permission to continue the hunt for Randall Gage, but he wouldn’t overstep with the K-9 unit again.

  He still had informants all around Brooklyn, so he expected one of them to alert him. But first, he had to see Belle and tell her how he felt.

  He was on his way to do that when his phone buzzed.

  Speaking of informants, Decker Palmer had been with him a long time. Emmett watched over Decker since the man was trying to get his life back together after losing a lot of money with gambling and stocks and then becoming an alcoholic. He lived in a halfway house in Bay Ridge. “What’s up, Deck?”

  “Hey, man, I saw your cuz about ten minutes ago. He was walking toward the apartment he used to live in—the one in Bay Ridge you told me to watch. Only now it’s a laundry or something. He looked real bad. I heard he’s been hanging out at a homeless shelter nearby there.”

  “Thank you, Deck,” Emmett said.

  His informant hung up without another word.

  Emmett put his truck in gear and turned around to head to Bay Ridge. If Randall was around, he intended to find him.

  But he had to go by the book this time. So he called Gavin Sutherland and asked for assistance.

  “I’ll send Max Santelli and his K-9 Rottweiler, Sam. Sam’s trained in suspect apprehension. A patrol officer will be with them.”

  Emmett had met Max once. He appeared intense and aggressive but was well liked, according to Belle. He gave Emmett the location. “Let me go in first and see if I can talk him into turning himself in.”

  “Okay, but...Max and Sam will be close by.”

  When Emmett arrived on the street where Randall had lived, Emmett parked his truck and started walking. Randall liked to hang out in diners since he never had gotten a good meal at home. Emmett’s heart went out to his cousin. Randall had had a hard life, but that didn’t give anyone the right to murder another human being. He wondered if the shelter had a soup kitchen.

  He checked a few places but things had changed over the years. Finally, he saw a sign at the corner of 5th and 77th Street. Not far from the M-Train station.

  Shelter from the Storm. Soup Kitchen All Day.

  Emmett entered the building that had once been some sort of two-story retail store from the looks of it. Following the signs pointing to the kitchen, Emmett breathed a sigh of relief since the place wasn’t packed with hungry people. He spotted Randall sitting alone in a worn armchair, watching an old Western. This time, he’d do things differently. He went in and sat down and looked over at his cousin. “Randall, don’t run. I’ll have to shoot you.”

  His cousin looked shocked to see Emmett and then he looked resigned. “Shooting me might be the best thing right now, man.”

  “I want to help you,” Emmett said. “Let’s walk out together, without any fuss, okay?”

  “I haven’t had breakfast,” his cousin said, a stubborn gleam in his eyes.

  Emmett leaned close. “Get it to go.”

  Randall shook his head and went to the open counter from the kitchen. “I need to get out of here. Can you wrap mine to go?”

  The attendant nodded and brought him his food and gave him a to-go cup of coffee.

  Emmett breathed a sigh of relief as they left the soup kitchen. He glanced around and spotted the NYPD cruiser parked up the street. “I’m not going to cuff you, but I’m going to take you to the Brooklyn K-9 Unit precinct,” Emmett explained. “They want to ask you some questions regarding the McGregor murders twenty years ago.”

  Randall glared at him. “I didn’t do anything, and I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Emmett could see the lies in his cousin’s eyes. “Okay, then you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.”

  They made it to the truck and Emmett moved to make sure his cousin got in. But Randall had other ideas. He whirled and threw hot coffee at Emmett. It hit his chest in a scalding fury, the bag of food following. The flimsy bag smashed into Emmett’s face and fell to the ground, the bacon-and-egg sandwich splattering on the hot sidewalk.

  Randall took off running.

  The cruiser cranked and hurried up the street. Max came around the corner with a barking Sam.

  Emmett knew the dog could apprehend and hold Randall, but he hesitated. “Max, bring Sam and follow me.”

  Emmett sprinted after Randall, his weapon drawn. He checked the street and watched helplessly as Randall swerved to the right into a crowded Starbucks. Emmett went in and searched. No Randall.

  Then he turned and saw his cousin rushing out the door. Emmett pushed through the crowd and kept his eyes on Emmett as he hit the subway station.

  And disappeared inside.

  Max and his partner were right behind Emmett.

  “I can track him from here,” Max called.

  Emmett took a breath. “Go.”

  Max took off toward the subway station and got lost in the crowd. Would he find Randall?

  Emmett called in the report. “I had him, and he gave me the slip again. But Officer Santelli and Sam are in pursuit.” He gave the location and the train route. What else could he do? He wasn’t even supposed to be on this case.

  And he didn’t need to be on this case. He tried to never shoot in public places but with Randall, he’d hesitated twice now and twice his cousin had managed to get away.

  I should have cuffed him right then and there.

  It wouldn’t happen again. He would pass this on to the people who were trying to find a killer. The Brooklyn K-9 Unit could finish their cold case without him.

  Dejected, Emmett went back to his office and wrote up a report and then he called Gavin Sutherland and told him he was done.

  “I should have cuffed him or at least held my weapon on him but I was hoping he’d cooperate. I can see I’m too close to this. I’ll stay out of the way from now on.”

  Gavin let out a huff of breath. “Relax. You did call for backup, but Randall g
ot on the subway and they lost him. So it’s not all your fault. The man knows his way around the streets of Brooklyn and he seems to have an uncanny ability to hide rather quickly. Don’t beat yourself up, Marshal Gage.”

  “I’ll try to remind myself that I do sometimes fail.”

  “And what about Officer Montera?” Gavin asked in that firm tone of his. “Are you going to fail at that?”

  “I’m not done with Officer Montera yet, Sergeant Sutherland. That’s between her and me.”

  “Fair enough,” Gavin said. “I wish you the best, Marshal Gage.”

  “Will you keep me posted on Randall?” Emmett asked.

  “Will you do the same for us?” Gavin countered.

  “Of course.”

  “Then we’ll call it even,” Gavin said.

  * * *

  “You need to stop moping.”

  Belle gave Cara a stern stare and wished she’d stayed in her apartment. This family dinner would be full of questions. “I’ve had a long day. I can mope if I want to.”

  It had been two days since her ordeal. Two days and no word from Emmett.

  This morning, she’d been called into the precinct to talk to Lieutenant Olivia Vance from Internal Affairs. Belle had to vouch for her colleague and friend Henry Roarke who was on modified desk duty. He had been accused of using excessive force when a twenty-year-old suspect had tried to grab Henry’s weapon. With a body cam on the fritz, there was no proof of how things had gone down.

  Olivia, a pretty but tough brunette, had taken over the position when Lieutenant Jabboski had a mild heart attack. Belle, tired and irritated that her friend had to deal with this, had answered the lieutenant’s pointed questions to the best of her ability. Now she was worried about Henry.

  Detective Bradley McGregor, who’d been with Henry that night, had tried to assure Henry he’d be cleared. “I didn’t see what happened but, man, I know you. No way. And I told that overly confident IA woman the same thing.”