by Karen Rose
‘You stood there outside the garage and . . . just listened?’ Scarlett said, looking appalled at the thought that Davenport could have witnessed such a thing without stopping it.
‘I “just listened” from the small shed,’ Davenport corrected icily. ‘Once I got access to Sweeney and his house, I planted bugs everywhere that I could. The shed was my listening post. If I’d intervened, my cover would have been blown and three years of work would have gone down the toilet.’
‘I apologize,’ Scarlett said stiffly, at first annoyed at his response, but then her expression softened. ‘That must have been very difficult for you,’ she added, her compassion showing.
Davenport acknowledged her words with a half-nod. ‘It was,’ he said. ‘I’ve known bits and pieces about what’s gone on for the past three years. I’ve saved people where I could. But of course I couldn’t do anything for most of the victims. After Sweeney got what he needed from Sean, he threatened to put him through the chipper alive.’ He glanced at Marcus. ‘He stopped torturing Sean because he had to meet you, so he left him tied up in the garage. I hid Sean away, knowing he was the one with all the real information. That’s why I’d been willing to risk calling the field office – to get medical attention for Sean.’
‘But Sean is gone,’ Marcus said, shaking his head. ‘And Burton, who worked for Reuben, is gone too?’
‘Yeah. Sean must have had a knife. All the ropes were cut.’
‘Why did Sean betray his father?’ Scarlett asked.
‘Because Sweeney killed his mother.’
‘Oh,’ Kate said. ‘That’s pretty powerful motivation.’
Davenport nodded. ‘Sean had motivation and brains. We need to find him and Burton.’
‘What about Marlene and Chip Anders?’ Scarlett asked.
Decker sliced his finger across his throat. ‘Sweeney made sure it hurt. I buried them in the big shed. Demetrius is also in one of those graves, but his body is . . . messed up. Sweeney used knives to get information about contracts and suppliers from Demetrius before he died.’
‘Good,’ Marcus said coldly. ‘That bastard shot Phillip and Edgar and killed Agent Spangler. He needed to be put down.’
‘Who else did you kill or stash?’ Kate asked.
‘I didn’t kill anybody,’ Davenport explained. ‘I stashed Reuben, Jason Jackson, Dave Burton, Stephanie Anders and Belle Connor.’
‘Drake’s sister,’ Deacon said. ‘Good. I was at that crime scene. I’m glad she’s okay. Where is she?’
‘I told her that I was a cop and that her life was in danger,’ Davenport said. To not go home, but to find a friend and keep her head down for a few days. I hoped she’d call the real cops, actually, to verify my warning. I didn’t mean for her to hide from you guys. I messed up her house a little to make it look like a legit abduction, hoping you’d investigate and shine a light on her brother, Drake. Drake would have led you to Stephanie Anders, then to Chip, and then to Sweeney. Although you seem to have found out about Anders on your own.’
‘We found Anders through their dog,’ Scarlett said. ‘Although we never found the dog itself.’
‘Marlene claimed it was with its handler. I’m sure the handler’s name is written down somewhere in Chip’s house. I’ve got Belle Connor’s cell number. We can probably tell her the coast is clear now.’
Deacon tilted his head, studying Davenport. ‘You were at Chip Anders’ house. You left Mila and Erica’s trackers for us to find.’
‘Yeah. That nearly got me caught.’
‘It was important,’ Deacon said. ‘Thank you.’
‘You also called in the tip about Alice shooting at the suspect from the ankle tracker manufacturer,’ Marcus said.
‘No, that wasn’t me. That was Sean. He wanted to get Alice out of the way.’
‘What about Joel?’ Kate asked. ‘The accountant.’
‘He actually may be willing to turn state’s evidence. I got the impression that Joel wants out. You should find all the evidence you need in Sweeney’s house and office. I for one would be happy if I never went back to either. I’d left for good earlier today, hoping to contact my handler, but then I heard that the Ledger had been attacked and that Sweeney had taken Gayle hostage. So I came back.’
‘Thank you,’ Scarlett said. ‘We’re all pretty glad you did.’
Marcus rechecked the wound on Scarlett’s arm, satisfied when he saw the bleeding had mostly stopped. ‘We’re going back to the hospital to get this looked at and to be with my family. You know how to find us if you need anything else.’
‘And we need to fully brief SAC Zimmerman,’ Davenport said meaningfully.
Marcus wondered what else the undercover agent had to share, but didn’t even bother asking. They weren’t going to tell him any more than they had, and frankly he was stunned that they’d told him that much.
Kate pointed to the paramedics waiting by the ambulance parked at the very end of the entry road. ‘Davenport, let them check you out. And if you say you don’t need to, then you’re a liar,’ she snapped when the big man opened his mouth to probably say that very thing. ‘You’ve soaked the gauze you stuck in that wound and now you’re leaking out onto your shirt. I don’t want you collapsing on me from blood loss while we’re debriefing with my boss.’
Davenport touched his side and grimaced when his fingers came away sticky. ‘Shit. Fine. But I’m not riding in that damn thing.’
Marcus, Scarlett and Deacon left them to their bickering. ‘She’s always been a little bossy,’ Deacon whispered when they’d gotten a few feet away.
‘I heard that, Novak!’ Kate called without missing a beat, making Deacon grin.
‘And she’s got ears like—’
He never finished his sentence. The tail lights on the ambulance suddenly shattered and Davenport staggered, before falling to his knees. He looked down at the blood that already soaked his shirt, his face frozen in shock.
‘Everybody down!’ Deacon shouted.
Marcus threw himself over Scarlett, hurling them behind the parked ambulance. She gave a little grunt of pain when they hit the ground. Dammit. She’d already been bruised by the bullet that her Kevlar vest had stopped earlier. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Yes. Let me up.’ She rolled out from under him and onto her hands and knees. Her eyes darted around as she evaluated the scene, then abruptly widened. ‘Holy shit. Kate!’
Kate had taken off running down the road toward the main highway, shouldering her rifle as she went. Face contorting in pain, Scarlett pushed herself to her feet and ran after her, drawing her weapon as she ran, pressing her forearm to her ribs.
Marcus followed Scarlett, sparing a backward glance at Deacon who was kneeling next to Davenport, who wasn’t moving at all. The paramedics had Davenport’s shirt off and . . . Shit. It didn’t look good. The undercover agent’s face was growing paler by the second as the paramedics tried to stop his bleeding.
Suddenly gunfire cracked the air, three rapid shots, followed seconds later by the loud crash of metal and glass. Marcus’s heart went into overdrive as he sprinted after Scarlett.
He found her around a bend in the road, staring into the distance, where a black car had just crashed into a clump of trees. Kate stood midway between Scarlett and the wrecked car, her rifle still shouldered and ready to fire at anyone who emerged.
‘She shot out their back window and two tires,’ Scarlett said, sounding slightly in awe. ‘From a half-mile away as they fishtailed.’
Wow, Marcus thought, damn impressed. ‘Davenport’s down. Deacon’s okay.’
She nodded brusquely, her eyes never leaving the black car as she began approaching Kate and the crash scene. Three of the cruisers and two of the Feds’ unmarked cars that had been stationed up by the ambulance came roaring past them, surrounding the black car.
‘One of the passengers fired at Kate as they tried to get away, but his aim wasn’t nearly as good as hers,’ Scarlett said, left fo
rearm still braced against her ribs. ‘Hopefully she got the little cocksucker who shot Davenport.’
‘Are you all right?’ Marcus asked, pointing to her side.
‘Probably a few bruised ribs. Not likely anything broken. And yes, I’ll let the ER look at it,’ she added irritably. ‘After we get this scene secured.’
When they got close to the black car, Marcus could smell the odor left by the deployed airbags. There were three people inside the car and none of them had been wearing seat belts. None of them appeared to be conscious.
Marcus watched carefully as the officers and Feds checked out the interior of the car, confiscating weapons and ensuring that none of the passengers were still armed before cuffing them. The driver, a young man who appeared to be of Italian heritage, had been faking his unconsciousness and tried to knife one of the cops, but the crash had left him off balance and groggy. The cop was able to easily disarm and cuff him.
The front-seat passenger was genuinely unconscious, as was the man in the backseat, who was missing several fingers and toes. Sweeney’s son Sean, Marcus thought. The SOB.
Kate had come close to the car, but her eyes were on the trees around the wreck rather than the passengers. She was scanning the scene, still looking for threats, when the ambulance drove by at a careful speed.
Deacon had been following the ambulance in his own vehicle, but pulled over when he got to where they waited. ‘They’re taking Davenport to the hospital. It’s pretty bad, Kate.’
Kate’s back stiffened. ‘Dammit. Davenport could have ID’d these guys.’
Marcus knew that civilians might hear Kate’s words and believe her calloused, but that wasn’t true. He’d seen her with the Bautistas that afternoon. She’d been patient and kind. Right now Kate was focused on the job, her adrenaline still pumping from the expert shots she’d just taken. Marcus remembered the focus. It had kept him alive more times than he’d like to recall. When her heart and brain slowed back to normal, Kate would feel fear and sadness, just like everyone else.
‘Which is why they targeted him,’ Deacon said logically. ‘It was a through-and-through. He might have a collapsed lung.’
Marcus winced, remembering his own pierced lung nine months before. ‘That won’t kill him,’ he said to Kate. ‘It didn’t kill me. Hurt like a bitch, but I’m still standing.’
Kate met his eyes and he could see she was already returning to normal. ‘Thank you. He has a lot of information that we need. Obviously Sweeney’s holdouts felt the same way.’ She took a look at Scarlett. ‘Go get yourself checked out. We have this under control. And thank you for backing me up.’
‘You didn’t need me,’ Scarlett said. ‘You had it all under control. Keep me apprised?’
Kate gave her a hard nod. ‘Absolutely.’
Cincinnati, Ohio
Thursday 6 August, 2.15 A.M.
A cheer rose up when Scarlett followed Marcus back into the OR waiting room. Marcus spread his arms wide and took a bow, rolling his eyes all the while. They’d gotten the call that Stone was awake and asking for them as they were driving back to the hospital, but getting Scarlett’s arm stitched up had taken time. Her ribs were bruised but not fractured, just as she’d figured.
Scarlett’s father was there to give her a huge bear hug, but she lifted a finger in warning. ‘Lightly, Dad. Please,’ she said before walking into his arms.
Jonas held her like she was made of spun glass. ‘You did something wonderful today, baby girl,’ he whispered in her ear. ‘Remember this moment, for all of those moments when you want to shove explosives where the sun don’t shine.’
Her mother hugged her just as gently, then crushed Marcus in an embrace that surprised him, commanding them both to come to supper the very next day – which was actually that same day. Scarlett wasn’t sure she’d be awake, even by supper. She was truly running on fumes and planned to sleep for a week. But she promised her mother, knowing that this was a new start for her and her parents, and for her and Marcus.
Jill threw her arms around Scarlett’s neck, thanking her over and over for Gayle’s safe return.
Scarlett grasped the girl’s shoulders and looked her in the eye. ‘You made a difference, telling me about that letter. It’s unlikely that any of us would have made it back if Marcus had met Sweeney at the park. It would have been an ambush. So thank you.’
The young woman walked on air for a long time after that.
Marcus and Scarlett gradually made their way back to Stone, who put a finger to his lips when they came in. Delores was curled up in the chair next to him, her hand holding his through the bed rails.
‘What is this?’ Marcus asked fondly.
‘She takes in strays,’ Stone said with a shrug.
Marcus’s eyes narrowed. ‘Never, Stone. I never want to hear you put yourself down like that again. Please.’
Stone shrugged again, his eyes closing, but not before they saw the pain there. ‘Cal . . . Bridget. Jerry and those guards. I tried, Marcus.’
‘I know. I also know you saved Jill and the other three that you shoved down to the archive room. You’re a hero, Stone.’
‘Finally,’ he murmured. ‘Maybe.’ He gestured for Scarlett to come close. ‘He’s in Miami.’
Scarlett frowned in confusion. ‘Who?’
‘Phineas Bishop, Corporal. Your brother, right?’
Scarlett’s throat closed up, her hand flying to cover her mouth as a sob tried to get free. ‘You found Phin? How? I’ve tried for so long.’
‘If he doesn’t want to be found – or thinks he doesn’t – you’d never find him. I spent some time last night sending emails to old Army pals. I know some people who work with vets. On the ground, not in hospitals. Somebody knew somebody who knew Phin. His address is on my computer. I’ll send it to you as soon as I can.’
She was having trouble breathing, new tears starting to fall when Marcus slid his arm around her waist, holding her up. ‘You . . . Oh my God, Stone,’ she whispered. ‘Do you know what you’ve done?’
‘Yeah, I do exactly. I gave you your brother back. You gave me mine back too. We’re even now.’ He looked up, met Marcus’s eyes. ‘No more death wishes, right?’
Marcus choked out a laugh. ‘No, I’m good.’
Stone closed his eyes wearily. ‘Really sleepy. Gayle’s safe? All the bad guys dead?’
‘Yes and yes,’ Marcus said. ‘We killed the last one ourselves. It was a tie. Me and Scar and Deacon and Kate. And Davenport.’
Stone struggled to open his eyes. ‘Who’s Davenport?’
Scarlett was still sniffling. ‘We’ll tell you later. Sleep now. We’ll be back.’ She kissed his forehead gently. ‘Thank you.’
Stone’s lips curved. ‘You’re welcome. Hey, do something for me?’
‘Name it,’ she whispered.
‘Wow. This is power,’ he murmured. ‘Can you get me all the gear I need to take care of a dog? I think Delores has talked me into adopting one.’
She brushed the hair from his forehead. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow and you can tell me exactly what you want.’
Marcus led her into the hall. ‘Are you going to tell your folks about Phin?’
‘I think I’ll wait until I get the address. Maybe at dinner tomorrow.’
Marcus let out a long breath. ‘Today, you mean. All I want is to go home and fall asleep in your purple room with your dog hiding under the bed. I might never leave.’
They’d made it to the elevator when they heard Kate Coppola calling their names. ‘Scarlett, Marcus, wait up.’
They stepped back from the elevator doors. ‘What’s the news on Davenport?’ Scarlett asked.
‘Not as bad as we thought. The bullet was a through and through, here.’ Kate tapped the left side of her chest. ‘He has a cracked rib, pulmonary contusions, and a hemopneumothorax.’ She said the words carefully. ‘In English, that means he’s got a bruised lung and blood in his chest cavity. They gave him a blood transfusion and put in a chest tube.�
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Beside her, Marcus grimaced. ‘That sounds pretty bad, Kate.’
‘Could have been worse. They’ve got him on a ventilator and put him in a medically induced coma so that he can heal. Apparently the healing part hurts like hell.’
‘My injury was a bit different,’ Marcus said, ‘but the hurting like hell part is the same.’
‘What about the three guys in the car? Sweeney’s guys?’
‘The driver is Danny Trevino and the guy in the front passenger seat was Dave Burton. Both former cops, so their prints were on file. Trevino served time too, so his popped out of AFIS. Trevino ID’d the guy in the backseat as Sean Cantrell, Sweeney’s son. Burton died on the way to the ER. My bullet,’ she added grimly.
‘You kept him from continuing to shoot at us,’ Scarlett said levelly. ‘Your bullet may have saved our lives.’
‘I know. But I wanted him alive to talk. Trevino claims he got a call from Burton – his boss – who needed a pickup. He met them at the main road, presumably while we were confronting Sweeney in the driveway. Burton told Trevino that Sean was bleeding badly but was able to tell Burton about the jackknife stashed in his shoe. Burton flung himself to the ground, chair and all, and managed to get to the knife. He sawed the ropes off Sean, then Sean got him loose. Burton used the knife to slit Stephanie Anders’s throat.’
Scarlett grimaced. ‘Even with a sharpened jackknife that wasn’t a quick death. She probably suffered. Not that I’m complaining, mind you.’
‘I’m not sorry she’s dead,’ Marcus said tightly. ‘But I would have liked Tala’s family to have their day in court with her.’
‘I know,’ Kate said kindly.
‘Don’t keep me in suspense,’ Scarlett said impatiently. ‘What about Sean?’
‘He’s in surgery. The crash hurt him worse than Sweeney did, ironically. Hopefully he’ll survive, because he’s apparently the one with all the information.’ Kate sighed. ‘Davenport’s handler and the two guys that Davenport stashed are all dead. Looks like a case of a hidden knife again. The crime-scene guys found a ripped hem in Reuben Blackwell’s pants. Reuben and Jackson had nearly freed themselves when Agent Symmes came into the apartment. There was a struggle. One of Sweeney’s guys stabbed Symmes, but he shot them before they could get away. All three of them died.’