“I thought your name was Sara Lambert.” Dominick looked between them and scowled.
“No.” Jake shook his head and took two steps closer. “I remember you. Dori’s daughter. Last time I saw you, you were what…fourteen? Fifteen?”
Her heart lurched to a stop in her chest, then picked up a galloping rhythm.
Then Jake laughed. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” he said. “Guess I should’ve known you’d end up like your mother.”
She had to bite her tongue from denying that accusation.
“I thought you were from L.A.?” Dominick said. He scowled at her. “What the fuck?”
She flicked a glance his way. “I am.”
“How’d Jake know you then? He’s from San Francisco.”
She wanted to scream at him. The asshole had pimped her mother, gotten her so hooked on drugs she was ready to sell her own daughter. She’d tried to kill herself to keep that from happening. She fought down the emotions simmering inside her, threatening to boil up out of control. She couldn’t lose it. Not know. She was so close.
She could take this slime bucket down. She just had to be careful. Careful. Controlled. She worked on breathing while her mind frantically tried to figure out how to handle this.
If she denied it, he was going to be suspicious. If she admitted it, Dominick was going to wonder what the hell was going on. She was screwed either way.
If she got him away from Dominick, maybe she could make up some story about why the name change. “Could we just get on with the deal?” She held up the saddlebag.
“Dominick, maybe you better call Zocco and tell him this is taking longer than we thought.”
“Okay. Yeah.” He reached for his cell phone and she started toward the office door. Eyes assessing her, Jake led the way down a narrow hall and into an office, a tiny, dusty room with an old wooden desk, battered file cabinets and a sleek new computer glaringly out of place.
In the office she turned to face him. “Okay. Dori was my mom. Don’t tell Dominick.”
He waited. “Why not?”
“I changed my name after I got out of jail.”
“You did time?”
“Yeah. I moved to L.A. and started over. I didn’t want anyone to know.”
He frowned. “You don’t need to hide shit like that from the DAs.”
She lifted her chin.
“Dominick!” Jake yelled.
Dominick appeared in the door. “I can’t get holda Zee,” he said. He looked at his cell phone. “He’s not answering his cell. That’s fuckin’ weird.”
“Did you say you ran a check on her?” Jake jerked his head.
“Yeah. She grew up in L.A. Got fired for embezzlement, but no charges. What? Why?”
Jake shook his head. “Something’s not adding up here. You did time? You can’t hide shit like that.” His brows snapped together. “Unless…”
Her heart froze in her chest and her lungs wouldn’t expand. “Unless what?”
“Unless you’re a cop.”
She laughed. “A cop! You’ve got to be kidding! Me?”
Silence expanded in the dingy room.
Jake pulled out a gun and leveled it at her. “Sit down.”
“What the fuck, Jake!” Dominick stared at him. “What’re you doing?”
“She’s a cop.”
“I’m not a cop!” She sank onto a wooden chair, clutching the saddlebag on her lap. Her body went hot, then icy cold. “Tell him, Dominick.” She hoped the tremor in her voice was only noticeable to her. She had to stay in control of her emotions.
Fear jittered over her nerve endings as she waited.
But Dominick just stared at her now. “What’s going on?” he demanded. “Are you a narc?”
She looked back and forth between the two DAs. “No!”
“Where’s Zocco?” Jake asked.
“At that bar in Jack London Square,” Dominick answered. “Waiting with Tommy.”
“Go get them.”
“But…”
“Go get them. Bring them here. I’ll wait here with Sera.”
With a last glance at Sera, a look that sent shivers through her, Dominick turned and left.
“This is quite a coincidence, you showing up here like this,” Jake said, taking a seat behind his desk but never lowering his gun.
She said nothing. She’d said too much, screwed everything up. Now they were going to get Ryan. Her heart pounded in heavy, sluggish beats.
“Your mom was kinda special to me,” he said musingly. “I was sorry when she kicked it.”
“You did that to her.” She couldn’t stop the words that burst from her lips.
He raised a brow. “I did? How’d you figure that?”
“You’re the one who got her hooked on meth.” She directed an icy stare at him.
“Ah. Is that why you’re here? Because you blame me for your mom dying?”
She said nothing.
“You were kind of whacked as a kid, if I remember,” he said. “Didn’t you OD too?”
“I tried to kill myself,” she said through clenched teeth. “To avoid being prostituted. Like my mother.”
He snorted. “Your mama liked being a prostitute. She liked being part of the DAs.”
Sera pressed her lips together.
“It’s true. She loved the parties. The booze, fast bikes and cars, cheap thrills and sex. Mostly she liked the drugs. She had nothing after your old man walked out on her.”
She’d had Sera. But Sera said nothing. She knew only too well how women ended up part of a gang, how belonging to a group filled some need they had, how someone alone and abandoned and homeless could confuse sex with love or affection. She sucked in a long, slow breath.
“She was good-lookin’ so she was valuable,” Jake continued. “I see she passed her looks on to you.”
His leer made her skin prickle all over.
“She brought in money. Good money. She made good tips workin’ at that topless bar, and then hey, she discovered she could make ten times that by screwing for money.”
Sera’s heart went icy at his words. She’d known what was going on, but hearing it from this asshole was ripping a hole in her self-control. He was talking about her mother. Even though she’d betrayed her daughter in the worst possible way, Dori was still her mother.
“She knew you were gonna be the same,” Jake continued with a smirk. “So she was some pissed off when your old man came back for you.”
Sera froze. She clutched the bag, the huge sum of money inside forgotten.
“My father?” She didn’t want to ask but the words were on her lips before she could stop them. “He came back for me?”
Jake scowled. “Yeah. What a blow up that was. She was pissed beyond belief. He tried to take you away from her. Thought she wasn’t looking after you.” He laughed. “She wanted him dead. And she knew how to make it happen.” He grinned.
“You killed my dad?” She couldn’t get air into her lungs.
“Me and Dominick. Yeah.”
Ryan stood there, wracked with indecision and yet determination, when to his utter shock the door opened. He had to jump aside to avoid being hit with it.
Casas emerged from the building.
When he saw Ryan standing there, he frowned. “What the hell are you doing here? How did you get here?”
“Never mind that.” Ryan grabbed for the door before it could swing shut. “Where’s Sara?”
“Inside. With Jake.” Dominick’s eyes narrowed. “Where’s Zocco?”
“He took off.”
“Why’d he bring you here?’
“I…uh…convinced him to. I got worried about Sara. Now where is she?”
“In Jake’s office.”
“Who the hell is Jake?”
“Another DA. Tommy–you ain’t a cop, are you?”
What the fuck? “Why the hell would you say something like that?” he demanded. He let Dominick precede him down the narrow hall, peeling
paint on the walls and dirty, cracked linoleum on the floor, past an empty room, yanking his gun out as they walked.
The whole op had gone to shit.
He was wearing an earpiece so he could hear what was going on, could hear them frantically trying to figure out what he was doing, but he couldn’t communicate with the rest of the team. He was supposed to be sitting in Carlos’s vehicle with him, dammit, until Zocco showed up and screwed everything up. Plan B had him sitting patiently waiting in Jack London Square. Patient my ass.
Sera stared at Jake.
“He was a useless drunk, took off and left you and your mom with nothing but debt. Apparently he went somewhere and dried out. Got his shit together. He came back to get you.”
Every muscle in her body tightened. She blinked. She wanted to hurl the saddlebag she held at his ugly face.
Pain ripped a hole in her and she bowed her head for a moment. Her father. He’d come back for her. He’d cared about her. He’d wanted her.
And her mother had had him killed. Then lied to her about it. How was she ever going to deal with that?
Her eyes stung and her throat throbbed and she had to dig deep for control. She looked up at Jake and eyed him, letting her utter hatred and contempt for him shine through.
“You asshole,” she said. “You fucking loser bastard.”
And she lifted the saddlebag and did just what she wanted to–she hurled the satchel of money at him with all her strength, hoping her high-school shot-put technique had stayed with her. The blast of his gun deafened her as she propelled herself out of her chair and toward the door, waiting for the pain of the bullet to slam into her. Jake somehow deflected the bag and it flew into the wall and burst open. Money exploded out of it, bills flying everywhere.
Sera closed her eyes briefly against the sight. Shit! If she lost all this money, she was going to be up to her ass in trouble with the suits.
Although that would probably be the least of her problems.
Her hand reached the door knob, hating the fact that her back was now to Jake. Had to get out of there. Had to get out. Now.
The door fell open at her touch. Ryan and Dominick stood there.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Sera met Ryan’s eyes, a million thought fragments buzzing in her head. The freaked-out panic in his eyes, likely because of the gunshot he’d just heard, made her want to leap into his arms. “I’m okay,” she gasped. She took note of the weapon in Ryan’s hand, glanced back at Jake, but shit, he still held his gun too.
He and Ryan eyed each other.
“Put the gun down,” Ryan said.
Jake didn’t move. “How’d you get him here so fast?” he demanded of Dominick.
“He was already here! At the door.” Dominick’s eyes squinted as he looked at Ryan. “I don’t know what he did with Zee.”
“Drop the gun,” Ryan said again.
Jake didn’t move.
Sera glanced at Ryan. Why was he there? She didn’t know whether to be relieved she wasn’t alone, or pissed off that now he was in danger too. She stepped closer to him. He put an arm out and drew her to him. She expected him to shove her behind him, but he didn’t. Warmth expanded inside her. He stood next to her as her equal. Again.
According to the plan, they had about two minutes before the team came charging in, guns drawn. With him and Sera right in the middle. Jesus.
What had happened that had sent everything all to hell? Who was this guy? Questions backed up in Ryan’s brain. Adrenaline coursed through his veins. Get a grip.
He glanced at Sera. Her eyes were wide, full of fear and…something else. Encouragement. Confidence. Trust. Her absolute faith in him shone out from her eyes like a beacon.
The significance of this was not lost on him. From her it meant so much more than just trusting him to do this. It meant–everything.
He straightened his shoulders, tightened his grip and turned his attention to Jake, who had moved from behind the desk. Ryan narrowed his eyes, his insides burning with determination. “Federal officers,” Ryan said, louder. “Drop it. Now.”
“Fuck!” Dominick screamed. “You fucking asshole! I can’t believe this!”
Jake’s face tightened with rage and he took another step closer. “Dominick. You are in deep shit over this.”
“Me? Kill him!” He jerked his head at Ryan. “Kill both of them! They’re fucking cops!”
Ryan’s eyes connected with Sera’s in a charged exchange. He could shoot the guy holding a gun on them. He saw the faintest nod and blink from her. But his hesitation gave Dominick time to lunge toward him and grab his gun arm.
In a split second, Sera dove toward the other man. Ryan fought off Dominick, struggling to maintain hold of the gun. The guy was strong. Fuck. As he wrestled with him, out of the corner of his eye he saw Sera wrap an arm around the other guy’s throat, pushing his head forward against her forearm with the other arm in a powerful choke hold. She hooked her leg around his and took him crashing to the floor.
Ryan had to file away for later how impressed he was with that as he crashed to the floor with Dominick. Pain sliced through his elbow. He grabbed for the gun, jerked a knee up to the other guy’s crotch but missed. Dominick grunted.
They rolled and Ryan’s head smacked into the leg of the desk. Silver sparkles danced on a black background in front of his eyes and the gun skittered across the linoleum.
Sera had grabbed the gun from the other dude and lifted it, aimed it.
“Freeze!” she called. Christ, Sera, no, don’t shoot now. He couldn’t see clearly, could barely hear over his own thudding heart and harsh breathing. She’d never get a clear shot at Dominick.
Ryan couldn’t reach his goddamn gun. He drew back a fist and aimed it at Dominick’s face, driving it with as much power as he could. Bone crunched, blood gushed, and he grabbed a handful of hair, lifted Dominick’s head and slammed it down onto the floor. The guy went soft and with a shuddering breath, Ryan knew he’d knocked him out.
He rolled and climbed to his feet, but what he saw had his blood chilling. The asshole Sera had taken out had another gun, for fuck’s sake.
“Sera! Behind you!”
Sera turned and saw Jake sitting up with another gun in his hand. Where the hell had that come from?
Commotion erupted outside the office. “Federal officers! Put your hands up!”
Bodies appeared in the door to the office, a swarm of agents and police officers trying to get in.
“What the fuck happened in here?” Carlos demanded, trying to shove his way in.
Jake whipped his body around and aimed the gun at the door just as Ryan lurched to his feet, between Jake and the agents in the doorway.
Sera’s heart slammed in her chest. No way was that bastard going to kill Ryan.
She wasn’t afraid of dying. She’d died before. She hurled herself toward Jake.
“No!” Ryan shouted. “Sera—” He threw himself at her. They both crashed to the floor, the gunshot reverberating in her brain. His big body heavy on hers, crushing her into the linoleum, she tasted fear, sharp and metallic.
“Ryan!” She shoved at him. Oh sweet Jesus. Blood. Was it hers? She didn’t feel anything. In the periphery of her consciousness she was aware of officers taking down Jake, cuffing him. “Ryan.”
She managed to wriggle herself out from under him and he collapsed face down on the floor, blood pooling beneath his body.
“Ryan!” Her heart slammed in her chest as she frantically tried to move him, his body so limp and heavy she knew that wasn’t a good thing. Ohgodohgodohgod.
Blood. Lots of blood. Blood on her. She swallowed her nausea and ignored the throbbing in her head. It didn’t matter. He couldn’t be dead. But god, so much blood… Ryan. Ryan.
Vaguely aware of one of the officers calling for an ambulance, she kneeled beside Ryan, panting, heart accelerating, mind racing. She felt for a pulse. Nothing. Shifted her fingers. Still nothing. “Ryan!” She bent lower over his fac
e, pressed to the floor, but couldn’t detect any breath. “Ryan! Oh god, Ryan.” Jesus Christ. Jesus. Jesus. She tore off her shirt and pressed it to the small wound on his back. She had to turn him over. The blood was coming from his front.
He could not be dead. He couldn’t. This couldn’t be happening.
She loved him.
The pain inside her ripped her heart to shreds. He couldn’t die.
“Sera.” Carlos spoke to her. She ignored him. He reached to draw her back but she threw his hand off her and leaned over Ryan. “He needs CPR.” She heard a voice speak and then Carlos again drew her away and two officers rolled Ryan on the floor, his body lifeless.
“I’ll do it,” she said, crawling back to him. She started chest compressions like she’d been taught, working mindlessly, repeating the pattern over and over and over.
“Come back, Ryan. Come back. Come on.” She was begging but she didn’t care. She blinked tears away from her eyes to clear her vision. Adrenaline rushed through her, gave her strength to continue despite the pain throbbing in her temples, the weakness sliding through her body.
“Ryan,” she said. “Ryan, listen to me. Come back.” Tears streaked down her face, blurred her vision. “I love you, Ryan. Please, come back. You said you were with me, damn you! Ryan.” She kept saying his name, her voice thick and choked. “Ryan, I do love you. Please don’t leave me.” Saying the words aloud sounded so pathetic and needy to her ears, and an image of her as a young girl crying in her bed, Daddy, please come back, don’t leave me, Daddy, words she’d thought she would never say again, sent a shaft of shocking pain through her.
She leaned into his chest, breathed into his mouth. Over. And over. And over. Until the ambulance arrived and the paramedics took over and took him away.
She sat on the floor. Stared at nothing. Let the police do their job around her, their voices a faint background hum.
“Sera.” Carlos spoke to her. She ignored him. Her body pulsed with her sluggish heartbeat. She felt heavy. Wanted to lie down on the floor. Wanted to just rest her head. Wanted to never get up.
He’d left her. He’d promised her he wouldn’t. He’d told her she’d never be alone.
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