The Gallows at Midnight

by Courtney Lynn Rose

  I dress in jeans and a t-shirt. It’s far too early to put on any type of uniform, and since finding out about the mission that may or may not involve Jax, it’s been eerily quiet from the Taurus. It’s the type of silence where I know something is coming, I just can’t pinpoint what.

  Making my way to the kitchen, I’m surprised at my good fortune as I take in Teresa busying herself with the coffee maker. She’s exactly who I need to speak to this morning. Quietly, I slide onto one of the barstools around the kitchen island, my hands resting on the countertop.

  “Good morning, Miss Lily,” she says quietly without turning around.

  I can’t help but chuckle and hang my head a little. She’s been able to tell my presence for a while now, yet I still try to sneak around her without any form of success.

  “Morning, Teresa,” I say as she turns and sets a cup of hot coffee in front of me. “Thank you.”

  “Something tells me you need to talk to me.” She sets her own coffee on the table and slides one of the stools around so we’re facing each other across the counter. “Everyone has been trying to figure out what you’re up to lately. I knew if it was anything dangerous, I’d probably be hearing from you.”

  “Teresa.” I sigh, unable to even understand how this woman is so damn observant. “Can I trust you? Like I did before?”

  She cringes and stares at her coffee cup. “Lily, you ask too much of this old woman. I’ve come to love you, just as much as I’ve always loved Mr. Mason. You’re both like my own children. When will you stop being this way and trust him? Trust your team?”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “Bullshit. It’s never as complicated as we make it.”

  I sip my coffee for a moment, unsure if this is really the right thing to do. Sadly, Sammi and I can’t pull this off on our own. We need Teresa to help us, or this entire plan will fall apart.

  “Dresden and I were sent a mission. I’m almost positive it involves Jax. I can’t take Dresden when he has a pregnant girlfriend. He needs to be here for her, and for their child.”

  Teresa lets out a long, slow breath. “Can you not have Mr. Arcos go in his place? Someone to help you, so you aren’t doing this alone. Whenever you go off on your own, it never ends well.”

  She ain’t wrong there.

  “Teresa, please. I know how hard of what I’m asking you. But I can’t do this without you. I need you to trust me. To trust that I know what I’m doing and that I swear, I’m doing this with the best of intentions.”

  Her shoulders slump and I have to fight to keep the smile off my face. While the signs of defeat shouldn’t make me happy, it’s her way of showing she’ll help me, even if she doesn’t agree with me.

  “What do I have to do?” She keeps her eyes on her hands wrapped around her coffee mug.

  Quickly, I glance over my shoulders to make sure no one is approaching. “Four days from now, we’re going to have a big family dinner at 8:00 p.m. You’re going to hand out champagne to everyone except Shannon and Sammi. They’ll get sparkling cider. Sammi will handle Shannon. You’re going to spike the champagne with a sedative. It won’t hurt anyone, but it will knock them out for an hour or two. Long enough for the helicopter to pick me up.”

  “How long will you be gone?”

  “Where are you going, baby?”

  We both jump at the deep voice, and my jaw slacks as I turn to Blake walking down the stairs, rubbing his eyes, his sweatpants hanging low on his hips, sans shirt.

  “I was just planning to do some training outside today. Teresa was going to work on getting things in order for a food delivery. We’re running low.”

  He walks over and wraps his arms around me, nuzzling my neck. My eyes meet Teresa’s and she nods once. A final show she’s agreed to my plan. I take a deep breath, the tightness in my chest easing some at knowing she’ll keep her word.

  After a moment, Blake lets go and slides into the chair next to me. “Is there any coffee left?”

  “Si, Mr. Mason. I’ll make you a cup.”

  28

  ~Lily~

  3 days left.

  No one has bugged me about what they think I’m hiding in days. If my team were normal people, I’d be relieved, but they’re not. So now, I’m just paranoid. I know they’re still trying to figure it out, they’ve just given up on trying to get me to fess up. Teresa’s words from the other day still nag at me though.

  It’s not that I don’t trust them. I just know them too well. I’m doing this to save them, not because I don’t think they can help. Risking Dresden’s life, knowing he has a family to take care of, makes my chest hurt. I can’t do it. He means too much to me. They all do.

  This morning we had a family breakfast for the first time in what feels like ages. Blake smiled at me and kept contact with me in some way throughout the whole thing, whether it was his hand on mine or kissing me every time he got up to do something. It’s sweet, but also makes me feel guilty for lying to him. I’m truly looking forward to the day we can just have a normal life. Well, as normal as two people like us can have.

  Sitting at the kitchen island while everyone else is in the living room chatting and watching a movie, I skim through the debriefings of everything that’s happened over the last two years. There’s a stack of at least twenty folders and I’ve only managed to get through two. The files from when Jax was still team lead are riddled with missing information.

  At this point, I’m not surprised in the least. I don’t know what I’m going to do if this mission really is him. How do I kill the man that raised me? The man that gave me a life . . . that saved my life. I’ve spent an enormous amount of time trying to figure out why he even bothered if he was really working for the Taurus this entire time.

  A loud knock on the front door makes me jump. Before I can move, Teresa heads for the door and waves me off, so I go back to reading my files.

  “Miss Lily,” she says a moment later, her voice low and serious.

  I turn toward her and almost do a double-take as my breath catches in my throat. Edmond Bates, Hyde’s boss, stands just a foot or so behind her. He’s all business in a dark suit and Interpol badge hanging around his neck. I’ve only ever spoken to Bates a few times.

  “Sir. I wasn’t expecting you.” I stand and walk over to shake his hand.

  His grip is firm, and his demeanor exudes authority. “Agent Williams. You look well. How is everything?”

  “Fine, sir. Best as can be expected. What brings you all the way out here?”

  “I’d like a word with you. Some things are still best done in person.” He tilts his head toward my team, all of whom are watching us intently.

  “Yes, sir. We can speak in my office.” I turn and head through the living room.

  Bates’ shoes echo behind me and I don’t turn around until I’m inside my office. Once he steps through the doorway, I shut and lock the door before heading over to sit behind my desk. He looks around a moment and then takes one of the chairs in front of the oak desk.

  My office is plain at best. Nothing but my computer, telephone, a photograph of Blake and Sorina, and a corkboard with maps and bits of information tacked to it.

  Bates picks up the picture and stares at it a moment, a small smile on his face before placing it back where it was. “You seem on edge, Agent. Are you and Scholl ready for the next mission?”

  “Sir, about that,” I say fidgeting with my fingers. “I haven’t informed Dresden of the mission you sent. I believe its best I handle this one solo.”

  He raises his eyebrows and stares at me intently, as if he’s trying to read my mind. “Since when is sending an agent into hostile territory without back up a smart decision?”

  I sigh. “Under any other circumstance, it wouldn’t be. But if I’m right, and I think I am, this mission is Jax.”

  He runs his hands through his hair and shakes his head. “I thought the same thing the moment I read all the Intel. If that’s the case, wouldn’t it make more se
nse to have Dresden with you?”

  “Dresden is expecting a child. He has obligations here that supersede his obligations as an Interpol agent. It’s wrong to ask him to put his life on the line with so much at stake.”

  “You have a child too, Lily. If it’s wrong to ask him, isn’t it wrong for me to ask you?”

  “With all due respect, sir, Sorina is 15. She’s hardly a child anymore. And even if something happens to me, she and Blake will be fine. They lived a year thinking I was dead and while it was hard for them, they both survived. They could do so if that were the case in truth.”

  “I see.” He huffs softly and stares around the office again. “So, what’s your plan?”

  Tapping my fingers on my desk, I sit forward; keeping my voice low, knowing there’s a huge possibility Dresden or someone else is standing outside my office door. “Agent Krezner is helping me. The team will be kept occupied while I leave for the mission. I’ll handle Jax and come back. If the Intel is correct, this is the kill Interpol needs for the Taurus to fall.”

  He nods his head in agreement. “Yes. I believe it is.” He stands and holds his hand out toward me. “I’ll keep you in my thoughts, Agent. You’ve never done anything without knowing what you were getting into, so this time, I’ll trust your judgment.”

  Shaking his hand and moving around the desk, I stop next to him. “Thank you, sir.”

  We walk toward the door and Bates stops with his hand on the knob. “Once the Taurus is broken, what do you want to do after that, Lily?”

  “I want to retire, sir. I’ve been with Interpol for 11 years, and I’ve suffered enough because of this job. I’d like a chance at a normal life.”

  “I think that can be arranged. When you come back, if all goes well, we’ll get the paperwork started. Everything you’ve done for Interpol, there’s no reason you can’t retire with full benefits and pension.”

  My mouth drops open slightly. I wasn’t expecting that. “Thank you, sir. That’s generous of you.”

  He opens the door and I’m not blind to the stares as we walk to the front door. We say our goodbyes and I take my seat back at the kitchen island, picking up my file again. I can feel the stares at my back, but I’m ignoring them entirely.

  So, what if the head of our division came to talk to me. That’s not entirely unheard of.

  Is it?

  †††

  ~Dresden~

  If that bitch really thinks I’m not going to say anything about Bates showing up here, she’s got another thing coming. She went the whole day and didn’t mutter so much as a word about it. Not through lunch or dinner— nothing.

  “Baby, will you stop pacing. You’re getting angry for nothing,” Shannon says as she rubs her ever-growing baby bump.

  She’s never been so beautiful to me.

  “I’m not angry for nothing. You realize Bates is the top. He’s Hyde’s boss. There’s no reason he should be showing up here unless something is going on. I tried to tell Blake she was up to something. Did that fucker listen to me though? No.”

  “Hey,” she snaps. “That fucker is my brother, so watch it. And Blake knows she’s up to something. He also knows pushing her won’t do shit. You know that too. So, don’t get pissed at him for easing up and trying to just enjoy whatever time he has with her before she goes and does whatever dumbass thing she’s going to do this time.”

  “Yeah, well, the last dumbass thing her and Jax did got her lost for three months.”

  “Yeah, and it also brought me home.”

  I stop in my tracks and stare at Shannon, the realization of my words hitting me like a million tons of cement. She’s right. Jax almost got Lily killed, but in that, Lily brought Shannon home after her being captive for five years.

  I walk over and lean down to kiss her. “I’m sorry, mein schatz. I know, but she’s not saving anything this time. She’s just being stupid.”

  Shannon reaches up and runs her fingers through my beard. “I know. But you need to try talking to her instead of just flipping out like you always do. You get more bees with honey than vinegar, Dres.”

  I laugh as I stand straight again. “Fine. I’ll go and try to talk to her. Not that communication of the normal variety has ever been our strong point.”

  Turning to head out of the bedroom, Shannon laughs for a moment before I close the door behind me, muffling the sound. Talk to Lily, huh? Well, this should be interesting.

  It’s late and the house is quiet as I move through the living room. Intending to head for Lily and Blake’s bedroom, voices from Sammi’s office caught my attention. I sneak over to the doorway and hide in the shadows just next to the frame. The door is cracked and soft light from Sammi’s table lamp filters through the crack.

  “Tell me about your daughter, Sammi?” Lily says followed by the rustling of paper.

  I lean closer to the door, not wanting to miss Sammi’s reply, in case she’s too soft-spoken. Sammi’s kid is the elephant in the room we haven’t spoken about since we found out about her betrayal.

  “Sammi?” Lily’s voice is softer. It’s unexpected given the circumstances.

  The tapping of shoes echoes off the floor, followed by the whine of a leather cushion. “Jennifer. Her name is Jennifer. She was fourteen when she disappeared.”

  “How old were you when you had her?”

  “I was fourteen. Must be the magical age of shit in my family. I was 29 when she disappeared. It’s been 8 years. She’ll be 22 this year, and I’ve only spoken to my daughter three times in the last 8 years. All the things I can do with a computer, and I can’t find her.”

  “We’ll find her, Sammi. I promise.”

  Taps echo across the floor again, getting louder with each step. Quietly, I step into the light and push the door open. Lily is leaning on the side of Sammi’s desk, one hand on our teammate’s shoulder, her eyes scanning something in a folder.

  I clear my throat and have to stifle my laughter as they both jump.

  “What’s up, Dres?” Lily says letting go of Sammi’s shoulder.

  My eyes flicker between the two women, and Sammi avoids my gaze at all costs. “Can we talk? In private.”

  Lily narrows her eyes and gives Sammi a quick glance. “Sure.” She shuts the folder and slides it toward Sammi before turning to walk toward me. I glance back over my shoulder before entering Lily’s office across the hall, just in time to catch Sammi sliding the folder into the lockbox in her bottom drawer.

  They’re definitely up to something. Seeing the proof in their actions only pisses me off. I promised Shannon I’d try to talk calmly to Lily. Yeah . . . I don’t know how well that’s going to go.

  “Sit down, Dres. Want a drink? I got Jameson, Jameson, and more Jameson.” She smiles at me as I sink into one of the chairs in front of her desk.

  “He’d be proud you’re drinking in his honor. He didn’t care for the tequila you favored all that much,” I say with a smirk on my face. She hands me a tumbler with a few ice cubes, filled halfway with the Irish whiskey.

  Shaking her head, her eyes staring in sadness at her own drink, she says, “He sure didn’t.”

  “Lily?”

  She takes a swig of her drink and looks me dead in the eyes. It’s like that night back in the guest house. Everything about her swims in those irises. All the love she has for each of us, the pain she’s trying so hard to overcome . . . and the secrets are there too, twisting in with everything else.

  “Yeah?” She takes another swig and breaks the eye contact.

  “Please talk to me. You’re my best friend. You know that don’t you?”

  Her head snaps up as if I’ve just given her an invisible backhand or something. “Of course, I do. Why would you even ask that? You’re like family to me, Dres.”

  I shake my head and let it hang in defeat . . . almost. “Then why do you constantly lie to me? Like I’m too goddamn stupid to figure out what’s going on.” When I look back at her, her face has gone to stone.

 
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She stands and walks toward the other side of her desk.

  The anger hiding in me boils, coming to the surface before I can swallow it down. “Bullshit, Lily!” My voice is way louder than I intend it to be, but I can’t close the can of worms now that I let it slip open. “I’m tired of everyone fucking tiptoeing around you, thinking that if we all back off, you’ll stop whatever stupid-ass thing you’re planning.”

  “I know you better than that.” I slam my fist on her desk and point directly in her face. “Your choices don’t fucking affect you alone. They affect all of us. When are you going to stop being a selfish bitch and trust us to really help you for once?”

  She hasn’t moved from behind her desk the entire time I’ve yelled at her. And she hasn’t looked away from me either. My anger deflates as quickly as it rose, and I’m unsure if she’s going to ask me to leave or punch me in the face.

  “Dresden, I love you.” She sets her tumbler on the corner of her desk and walks around so that we’re only a foot apart. “You’re my best friend, my family, and so much more than that. And I do trust you. Without reservation. But I’ve told you a thousand times in the last few weeks that you’re being paranoid, and nothing is going on. You need to stop.”

  “Lily—”

  “No, Dres. I’m your team lead. You don’t get to question me just because you have some conspiracy theory that I’m doing wrong. The next time you question me, I’ll request Bates reassign you. Is that clear?”

  There’s no lying in her face. She means every word and it’s like she’s punched the air out of me. Lily and I fight a lot. That’s no secret. She’s never threatened to kick me off the team before. Hell . . . she’s threatened to murder me, but never get rid of me.

  I shake my head and take a step toward her, all the fight in me gone. Leaning toward her ear, I gently lay my hand on her hip. “One day, you’ll see how great this team is when we truly work together, Lil.”

  Without another word, I turn and walk back to my room, careful not to slam the door when I enter. Shannon is already asleep, so I strip and climb in next to her. Whatever is about to happen is going to be bad, and the rest of us are officially powerless to stop it.