“Like weapons?” she asked.
“Nah,” Liam said. “Pills and medications. There’s a huge black market for cheap pharmaceuticals, especially considering different things are legal in Canada and the States. Convinced himself he was helping people. By the third time I’d arrested him, he’d gotten smart and realized it was easiest to plead guilty, take a lesser punishment and point me toward someone worse than him. He eventually started keeping his work low-key and doing more informant work for me. He claims he’s gone completely legit and is in retirement.”
Again, he turned to walk up toward the building, and once again she didn’t budge. It was hardly her fault he hadn’t felt things were up for discussion and that they hadn’t been able to talk on the boat due to the wind and noise. Fact was, now that she and Pip were here, there really wasn’t any reason why she couldn’t just leave Liam to sort things out on his own while she and Pip tried to make their own way, somehow. The sun would be up soon. And sure, she didn’t have a phone charger, a cell signal or a plan, and she was down to one final diaper change and meal for Pip. But she still had some cash, not to mention her wits.
“At the risk of sounding like a cliché,” she said, “I’ve got a really bad feeling about this. The place looks abandoned and something about it is giving me the jitters.”
“I don’t blame you,” Liam said. “But it’s okay. Bill owes me a favor.”
“What kind of favor could a former pharmaceutical drug smuggler owe you?” she asked.
“A big one,” Liam said.
He turned for a third time to step off the frozen dock and head toward the building. But this time her hand darted out and grabbed his.
“Not good enough,” she said.
He turned back, his eyes met hers and then he looked down at her hand holding his.
“Bill has a daughter,” he said slowly. “Her name is Emily. She’s six. She’s his whole entire life and the reason he retired. Bill made a lot of mistakes in his life and then when he thought his life was over he was suddenly surprised to have some precious little person who needed him and loved him. A few months ago some people with an ax to grind kidnapped her. They threatened to hurt her. Bill called me. I had her back to him, unharmed and safe, by dinnertime.”
He looked at the sleeping baby for a long moment. Then he looked back up at Kelly and his dark eyes met hers.
“The guys who kidnapped her are in jail now and will be for a very long time,” he added. “My dad always told me that when you dedicated yourself to a rough life, surrounded by bad people, any kind of close relationship was a risk. It could throw you off your game and put the people you love in danger.”
“I remember,” she said.
Somehow she suspected it was the only one of his father’s tactical tips Liam had ever gotten close to breaking. He stepped back and his hand slowly, almost reluctantly, fell from hers.
“Anyway, Bill owes me a favor,” Liam said. A wry smile turned at the corner of one lip on one side of his mouth. “So I told him that my former old lady was back, with a grandkid she said was mine, and we needed a place to hide.”
She took in a sharp and icy breath.
“He knows I like to keep my life private,” Liam said, “and that I’ve got a reputation within the RCMP that doesn’t include having a secret grandchild due to an ill-advised, against-protocol relationship I had with someone I placed in witness protection. I might’ve even been kicked off the force. My career would’ve tanked then if news of what had happened between us had gotten out. Even now, despite whatever else is going on here, I could still face a disciplinary hearing over my past relationship with you or some kind of negative consequences to my reputation and career. But, Bill will have my back. Like I said, he owes me. Now come on, he’s probably in there waiting for us.”
He turned and walked toward the restaurant, so quickly and firmly she couldn’t have grabbed his hand again if she’d wanted to. She followed him up the stairs and across the deck—the empty deck with its picnic tables inches deep in snow. He reached for the door, found it unlocked and pushed it open. They stepped into the restaurant. It was empty and dark. Chairs were stacked upside down on empty tables.
As the door clicked shut behind them, a young man in a thick beard stepped out from behind it and pressed the barrel of a gun to the side of Liam’s head.
“Down on your knees.” The voice was low and mean. His face was lost in shadows and the click of the gun was unmistakable. “You’re about to learn what happens to someone who tries to lie to Bill Leckie, and it ain’t going to be pretty.”
SEVEN
“You tell Bill, I didn’t cross him,” Liam said calmly, raising his hands, “and I await his apology when he figures that out. Now, tell me, what exactly does Bill think I’ve done?”
Then, before the man could even formulate an answer, Liam struck, apparently more interested in distracting his attacker long enough to get the upper hand than hearing what he had to say. Kelly watched as Liam spun toward the gun-wielding man, grabbing the weapon before he could even fire and slamming him into the wall. She felt a gust of wind and heard the door slam and click shut again. She blinked. Liam had disarmed his attacker, thrown him out and locked the door behind him, without even breaking a sweat. Then she felt Liam’s strong hand on her shoulder, guiding her and the still-sleeping baby underneath a table, sheltering them with his body.
“Stay here,” Liam whispered, his voice urgent. His face was just inches from hers. Worry flooded his eyes. “It’s an ambush. That guy won’t be alone and just because I was able to catch him off guard doesn’t mean the others won’t put up more of a fight.” Not to mention the guy he just locked outside would be trying to get back in, no doubt. “There are other doors to this place, but we’d have to go through the kitchen or down the hallway, both of which are risky. This is an easier place to defend. Whatever Bill thinks I’ve done, he won’t want his goons hurting you or the baby. He’s got way too much honor than to allow a woman or child to get hurt on his watch, and has probably already told his attack dogs to leave you alone. I’m the one they’re after. I’ll get you out of here. Just promise me, if you get a clear path to escape, just take Pip and go, okay? Don’t wait for me and don’t look back.”
Before she could answer, his hand slid to the side of her face. His lips brushed over her forehead. Then he rolled back out into the room and leaped to his feet, knocking a table in front of Kelly and Pip’s hiding space as he did so, further shielding and protecting them.
“Like I told Bill, I have a woman and baby with me!” he shouted to the seemingly empty room. He tucked the gun he’d lifted into his belt. “If you’re Bill’s men you’ll know full well that hurting innocent women and children is against his code. Whatever his problem is, it’s with me, not them. And no weapon fire, please. The kid’s asleep and Bill won’t want you making things loud and scaring her awake.”
He sounded so calm and in control, as if he was the only person there who really understood what was going on. Kelly slid Pip’s car seat into the corner against the wall, sheltering it with her body and praying God would protect Pip from realizing they were in danger. Then Kelly crouched up onto the balls of her feet and looked out through gaps in the chairs and fallen table that barricaded her from view. As she watched, two more men, of varying heights, wearing plaid jackets and with full-length beards, stepped out of the shadows. Liam had been so convinced that Bill would protect them and he’d been wrong.
Lord, please keep us safe.
She watched as Liam raised his badge high.
“I’m Liam Bearsmith!” he shouted at the approaching men. “RCMP. Stand down! Now! Or I’ll arrest you for assaulting an officer.”
The taller of the two men chuckled. The other swore and told Liam in colorful language he was about to hurt him.
“Well,” Liam said, “it was worth a shot.”
An
d then, it was as if everything was happening at once. He dove and rolled behind a table on the far side of the room, disappearing from view and drawing the men away from her hiding spot. The men charged toward him. He leaped up and tossed a chair high in the air toward them. Somebody fired and the chair exploded, sending splinters raining down around them. Pip whimpered in her sleep. But Liam was already on the move, somehow coming up from behind the man who’d fired. He wrenched the weapon from his grasp and delivered a blow to his jaw that sent him to the ground. A gust of cold wind dragged her attention toward the kitchen. The man whom Liam had tossed outside had apparently run around the building, come in the front and was back to join the fray. Did that mean the coast was now clear outside again?
If she grabbed Pip and made a run for it, out the back door, would she make it? Did she really want to run without Liam? No. Somehow, she knew she didn’t.
Please, Lord, get Liam and I out of this together.
The second man charged toward Liam now with his weapon raised. But Liam got to this one before he could even fire, catching him around the middle, and tossed him to the ground. Just one attacker left, and this one seemed determined to take Liam, dead or alive. He roared in anger, raising his weapon and firing, again and again, as Liam dodged and rolled out of the line of fire as if somehow his body knew just where every bullet was about to land. Windows shattered. Pictures cracked. Pip awoke with a howl. The weapon clicked. Liam’s attacker was out of bullets and Liam was on him, sweeping out his legs with a roundhouse kick before he could even reload.
“When Bill comes groveling for this, I’m telling him you’re the one who woke my grandkid,” Liam said. He bent down and grabbed something from the man’s pocket. Then he turned and ran for Kelly. He slid to a stop beside her hiding place, bent down on one knee and reached for her hand.
“Come on,” he said. “This is when we run.”
Kelly felt him grab her hand. With his other hand, Liam grabbed Pip’s car seat, and almost immediately the baby’s tears faded.
“Sorry, girl,” Liam told Pip. “We’re getting you somewhere quiet right now.”
Kelly glanced toward Liam’s attackers, who were now groaning on the floor, but Liam tugged her hand.
“Trust me,” he said. “They’ll be okay. Let’s go.”
They ran outside, leaving the shambles of the diner behind. They raced from the diner, past the convenience store and into a parking lot.
“Stay close!” Liam shouted. He dropped her hand and reached into his pocket, and then she realized what he’d taken from the third attacker. It was a set of car keys. He pointed them at the closest car and clicked the remote key fob. Nothing happened. Just as swiftly, he yanked the gun from his waist and shot out one of the vehicle’s tires.
“Not that one,” he said, as if to himself.
Two more cars and a truck lay ahead. He clicked the fob at each of them. No response. He shot out one of each of their tires, as well. Then the lights flashed on a black four-door truck ahead on their right. It was sturdy, with four-wheel drive and snow tires. Liam whispered a prayer of thanks under his breath. “That’s our ride.”
They ran for it. He yanked open the back door and she tumbled in with Pip.
He leaped in the front and waited as she buckled Pip’s car seat in and then climbed in the front. The moment her seat belt was buckled, he hit the gas. The vehicle shot forward, swerved out of the parking lot and onto the road. She glanced back. Men were stumbling out of the restaurant into the parking lot after them, and Pip was already falling back asleep.
“I’m so sorry about that,” Liam said. “I have no clue what that was about, but I promise you I’ll find out.” He glanced over his shoulder at Pip and then back to Kelly. His right hand reached for hers and took it, linking her fingers through his. “Are you okay? Is she okay? You weren’t hit by splinters or anything?”
“We’re okay,” Kelly said softly. “We’re both okay.”
“Are you sure?” His voice was oddly husky. Something tender rumbled in its depths. And despite everything that had happened back at the restaurant, something made her suspect what upset him the most was the fact he’d put her and Pip in danger.
“I’m sure,” she said. She squeezed his hand, letting her fingers run over his, and something tightened in her chest. “We’re okay. Shaken up but not injured.”
He whispered a prayer of thanks to God. Then he stared straight ahead down the empty road as the sun rose higher over the snowy tree line. His hand hadn’t left hers and neither of them pulled away.
“Is your favorite getaway vehicle still a white truck?” Kelly asked.
His eyebrows rose. “White because it gets dirty fast and so is often overlooked,” he said, almost to himself, “and a truck for maneuverability, yeah... I’m surprised you remembered.”
“I remember a lot,” she said.
“Yeah, so do I.”
Then he pulled away his hand and something inside her missed the feel of it. Deep lines furrowed his brow. She glanced over her shoulder. So far, it looked like they weren’t being followed. Then again, Liam had shot a few tires.
“Okay, so let’s recap,” Liam said. “Now Bill thinks I’m lying to him about something. He sends his guys after me. But doesn’t come personally. So he expected they’d be able to handle me without much trouble.”
There was something routine about the way he said it, as if being ambushed and having his life threatened was something he was used to. It was a little bit impressive and incredibly sad. His jaw was set so tightly it was almost clenched.
“And again,” he added. “I have no idea why. But I’m going to find out.”
“How?” she asked.
“I don’t know yet.”
Liam fell silent. The icy road spread out white ahead of them. Snow-covered trees were tinged with shadows and gray in the early morning light. For a long time he didn’t say anything, and neither did she, and when she glanced at Pip she saw the baby had fallen asleep. Questions, worries and fears cascaded through her mind. Why hadn’t Renner messaged her before her phone died? Was Hannah okay? Why had the cop on the boat tried to arrest Liam and why had Liam’s contact, Bill, sent criminals after him? Why had both called Liam a liar?
Who’d doctored her witness-protection file and kept them apart?
Why had God allowed the man she’d once loved to crash back into her life now?
The sun rose higher, lightening the gray around them. They passed a tiny town and then a second, both barely more than a handful of buildings and a momentary speed-limit change. Tension was building inside her. She needed a phone charger. They needed food. They’d eventually need gas for the vehicle they were in, which was most definitely stolen, or a new set of wheels. More than anything, she needed information. But getting anything out of Liam was like chipping at a stone.
“So let me try the recap thing,” she said. Worked for him, so she might as well try it. “Seth told you not to trust police, and after what happened with the cop on the boat, that makes sense. But based on what happened with Bill, maybe you can’t trust criminal contacts, either. Renner hasn’t contacted me, Hannah’s been kidnapped by the Imposters and neither of us have been able to get online for almost twelve hours, so we have no actual idea what’s going on in the outside world. We need food, diapers, a phone charger and a quiet, warm and safe place to lay low. Am I missing anything?”
“I’m supposed to be at a wedding sometime today,” Liam said dryly, “and another one tomorrow.”
“Two weddings in two days?” Kelly asked.
“Three weddings in eight.” Liam cast her a sideways glance. “Every detective on the team but me is getting married over the holidays.”
He nodded at something on the empty road ahead and even as she followed his gaze it took her a moment to see it. Parked ahead, half-hidden in the trees, was an Ontario Provincial P
olice car, its white doors dingy with snow.
She watched his lips move as if taking stock for himself.
“Speed trap,” he said. “One cop. OPP. Routine traffic duty. Likely a rookie. Here we go.”
“What does that mean?” she asked.
“I’m going to get myself arrested.”
He was what? But before she could even argue, Liam gunned the engine, revving it so quickly she felt the vehicle lurch beneath her. He began to accelerate, pushing the vehicle faster and faster as they sped past the police car.
Its lights flashed and its sirens blared. She glanced back as the cop pulled onto the road and came after them.
Liam’s eyes cut to the mirror.
“Okay,” Liam said. “He’ll sit behind us in his car for a moment and run the plates. He probably won’t call for backup. Considering this truck belongs to one of Bill’s men, he’s unlikely to report it stolen, because Bill’s never been one to get the police involved when he can avoid it. He’d rather write the vehicle off. At least my hope is that’s the case and that this truck isn’t linked to a crime. If all goes well, the cop will walk over here and ticket me.”
Liam pulled over to the side of the long, empty highway. The cop pulled over behind him. Liam turned to Kelly.
“You’ve got money, right?” Liam asked, his eyes intense and intent on hers. “Stun gun? A way to contact Renner once you charge your phone?”
“Yes.” She nodded. She had all of that. But what about Liam?
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Liam said. “I’m going to draw him away from the car. He’s going to arrest me and I’m going to let it happen. No, don’t argue. I know the inner workings of law enforcement better than anyone, I know how to get answers and the name ‘Detective Liam Bearsmith’ still counts for something, despite what Seth might think I should do. There’s only one of him so he can’t detain us both and I’ll be sure to tell him that you had nothing to do with this. You’re going to wait until you see him handcuffing me, then go find a safe place to hide and lay low. Get rid of the car. Get a phone charger and contact Renner. I know you can do it. And I will find a way to get in touch as soon as I can. And maybe, we can meet up.”
Christmas Witness Conspiracy Page 9