Stolen Redemption (Texas SWAT, #2)

by Bristol, Sidney

  Dina’s body went cold.

  The two girls were there because of her?

  This had Dominick written all over it. He meant to win. To get his way.

  “You never cared about us, you selfish bitch.” Giada took a step and lifted her hand. She swung her fist, which only unbalanced her.

  Dina ducked the blow, but held her ground as Giada stumbled into her. Dina wrapped her arms around the too thin girl. Giada stomped her foot and wiggled.

  “Let go of me. I hate you. I hate you!” She sobbed.

  Dina closed her eyes and held on tighter.

  Right now she hated herself, too.

  “What has Dominick done? Where is Alessia?” Dina had failed Rosie, she couldn’t fail her sisters, too.

  “He’s at some house.” Giada gave up struggling and stood with her head on Dina’s shoulder. “He wants you to come to him.”

  Of course he did. All of this was his plan.

  “Dina?” Giada picked her head up off Dina’s shoulder. “What happened? What really happened?”

  Her mouth went dry.

  Of course no one would explain a Cosa Nostra murder to two children. It had been swept under the rug and ignored because that was the preferred way to deal with it.

  “My parents. They killed her. With Dominick. I don’t know why. I never really understood that part. That’s why I did what I did.”

  Giada pulled away and swiped the back of her hand across her cheeks.

  Dina had to make this right.

  “I NEED TO HEAR this conversation,” Trevor said.

  “Casey, can you get closer?” Alex asked.

  “Negative. Not without giving away my position.”

  Trevor turned toward the door, but Alex was in his way.

  “I’ve got an unknown man on foot approaching from the east,” the woman at the monitors said.

  “She’s hugging the girl like she knows her. There’s no weapon. She’s okay,” Alex said.

  “We don’t know that.” Trevor began staring at the other monitors.

  Was this girl a distraction? Was something else about to happen?

  “Where’s the guy on foot?” He bent over the chair, peering at the screens.

  A burst of light on the grainy screens froze Trevor to the spot.

  Someone had fired a gun.

  In the vicinity of the house where Dina and this unknown girl were.

  Dina could die, right now.

  The answering blast of gunfire on the street two blocks away shocked him out of that moment.

  “Shots fired. Liam, do you have him?” Alex demanded.

  “Negative.”

  “I’ve got a shot,” Casey said.

  “Take it,” Alex ordered.

  Trevor heard the shot.

  “Suspect has cut between two houses heading back east,” Liam said.

  “I should see him any second now,” Sean said.

  “I need everyone on the perimeter to tighten up. Catch this guy.”

  Trevor needed to get to Dina. This shouldn’t have happened.

  Alex turned, planted both of his hands against Trevor’s chest and stared at him.

  “You aren’t going anywhere,” Alex said.

  “Dina needs me.”

  “She needs us to do our job.”

  “Suspect is twenty yards north of our position,” the woman on the monitors said.

  Trevor yanked out of Alex’s grasp and sprinted for the door. He burst out onto the street. Other officers in tactical gear were moving in.

  The bushes to Trevor’s left rustled and a man the size of a Longhorn bull burst free. Trevor dropped his shoulder and ran into the guy before he knew Trevor was there. They both went tumbling to the pavement.

  “Freeze, police!” Someone bellowed.

  The man twisted and punched at Trevor, striking him with the butt of his gun. Trevor had the advantage of being on top. He drove his knee into the man’s groin and wrapped his hand around the man’s right wrist.

  The street light shone down on Little Tony’s snarling face.

  One suspect down.

  THE MOMENT THE GUN went off, Dina grabbed Giada and hit the floor. Dina covered the young woman’s head with her arms and prayed that Trevor and the others were out there. A second shot, then a third rang out. No more followed, and no one barged into the house.

  What the hell was happening?

  Dina dug in her pocket for the earpiece and slid it in.

  “Suspect is headed east on foot,” a woman said.

  “Trevor—no!”

  Dina listened to the jumbled words, drowned out orders. Something unexpected was happening.

  “Was that Phillip? Little Tony?” Dina pushed up and peered out through the door.

  “Phillip is with Dominick. I don’t know a Tony.” Giada scrambled back up against the wall, sucking down deep breaths.

  Whatever split happened between Phillip and Little Tony, this could be part of that drama. Little Tony was the kind who would barge in, shooting. Not Phillip.

  “It’s Tony,” Trevor said in her ear.

  Dina was stuck here, waiting for Dominick to come to her. He never would. He was too smart for that. The plan was doomed to fail, which meant the death of the two girls who had been like Dina’s own sisters. If Dominick saw a cop, the girls were dead. He was like Dad. He’d kill first.

  She couldn’t let that happen.

  This might be her only chance to save them.

  She took the earpiece out again and held it in her hand to muffle the sound.

  “Giada?” Dina clutched the girl’s shoulders. “I need you to listen to me, okay?”

  Giada nodded.

  “I need you to get in your car and drive around the street. Take two right turns, then wait for me, okay? There are cops out there. This was a trap for Phillip and Dominick. I can’t walk out the front door without them wanting answers. Okay?”

  “O-okay.”

  “Go.” Dina nudged Giada toward the door.

  The girl darted down the walk, sprinting to the car and dove behind the wheel. One tail light flickered before dying.

  Was this the right thing to do?

  Before this moment, Dina’s focus had been on protecting herself and putting the three men after her behind bars. Now that Giada and Alessia were in danger, everything changed.

  They were kids.

  Girls.

  They didn’t know better. No one was protecting them. No one would look out for them.

  Except Dina.

  She couldn’t think about herself or the future she’d wanted if she let something else happen to these girls. Their presence changed everything. And Dominick knew it. This was his goal. Trot out the two people Dina was bound to still care for and dangle them like bait.

  It was working.

  If she told the people out there, if they made a move on Dominick’s location, he’d kill everyone.

  There wasn’t a way to do this without someone dying.

  Was going with Giada her only chance at redemption? What other way could she see?

  “Dina? I need someone to go into the house and check on Dina. Find out who that girl was.” That was Alex.

  Shit.

  “I can slip inside,” the woman, Heidi, said.

  No, Dina wanted to wail.

  She was cornered. The cops on one side. Trevor on another. Dominick always chasing her. And now Giada and her sister. Dina couldn’t make a right move. There was nothing she could do that was correct. If she stayed here, the girls died. If she went, they’d probably all die.

  How could this work out for any of them?

  “Hello? Dina?” Heidi called out.

  “In the living room.” Dina closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

  A woman wearing green pants, a long sleeve athletic shirt and green tactical gear over her clothes entered. Her rifle remained pointed at the ground.

  “You went silent on us.” Heidi’s gaze scanned the barren house. “Everything oka
y?”

  “Are you on comms? Can they hear you?” Dina asked.

  “Yes. What’s wrong?”

  “Can you mute them? I need to talk to someone—not everyone.”

  “Tell me what’s going on first. Who was that girl?”

  “My dead best friend’s little sister.” Dina dropped her hands to her sides.

  “What’s she doing here?”

  “Can I talk to just you? I know they’re barking in your ear. I just—I can’t make decisions by committee right now.” And Dina couldn’t let Trevor change her mind.

  “Okay.” Heidi reached up and pulled her comm. from hear ear. “There. It’s just you and me. What’s up?”

  “Dominick knows this is a set-up. He brought Giada and her sister here as bait. They’re my best friend’s little sisters. They were kids when Rosie was killed. Hell, they probably trusted Dominick. If I don’t go with them, he’s going to kill them. If I go with them, he’ll probably kill all of us. The girls are disposable to him.”

  “That’s a lot of death.”

  “I was there when Rosie died. I couldn’t stop it. But what if I could stop Giada and Alessia from dying?”

  “You might just get all three of you killed instead. You know, we have a large, joint task force here—”

  “Getting them to do anything fast isn’t going to happen. I have to decide right now what I’m going to do. What’s the right thing to do?”

  “Whatever keeps you safe—”

  “Whatever keeps me safe could kill them. Shit.” Dina thrust her hands through her hair.

  “I’m going to get Alex and Trevor in here. We’ll make a plan—”

  “No.” Dina whirled.

  A shadow in the kitchen moved, materializing into a person. A familiar face emerged, freezing Dina to the spot.

  “I know you’re scared. This is a lot to deal with,” Heidi said.

  Dominick shifted, lifting his gun and pointing it at Heidi.

  Dina yelled and dove at Heidi, but Dominick fired first. Heidi’s green eyes went wide, her jaw dropped. Dina crashed into her and the two of them went to the floor. But it was too late.

  “Get up,” Dominick ordered.

  Dina twisted and kicked, nailing her brother in the thigh. He grabbed her ankle and pulled her off the fallen officer. He then aimed the gun at Heidi’s face.

  “I’ll kill her,” he said.

  Dina froze.

  “Get up. Now,” he barked.

  “No,” Heidi wheezed out.

  Dominick took a step toward Heidi.

  “Stop!” Dina shoved to her knees then lifted her hands. “I’m coming, see?”

  “Don’t,” Heidi rolled to her side. Even injured the woman was trying to help.

  “Come on. Now. Move.” Dominick grabbed Dina by the arm. “I’d almost say it was nice to see you again, sis.”

  19.

  CASEY STARED AT THE injured officer lying on the pavement. He was one of Alex’s. They’d tasked the closest vehicle with coming over to collect the violent suspect Trevor had taken down in the middle of the street.

  Little Tony was what Trevor had called the guy.

  Well, whoever Little Tony was, he couldn’t be human. Or he was on a hefty cocktail of drugs.

  “We took our eyes off him for five minutes. How did this happen?” Trevor had lost his cool and stood in the middle of the street yelling.

  Casey whirled to where Alex and Trevor were glaring at each other.

  The quiet pursuit of the shooter had turned into a spectacle thanks to him. Casey had heard it in the headset as he obeyed orders and followed the shooter’s path.

  “There’s movement in the house,” Liam said. He and Heidi were still covering Dina while every other available officer was out here, looking for the suspect they’d already captured.

  No wonder Dina had been on the run. Casey had come to a lot of conclusions about the woman based on her family history and record. He was a sorry sack of shit. If this was the kind of thing she’d managed to survive—with and without law enforcement—she was made of stronger stuff than a lot of guys he knew.

  “I’m headed back to my post,” Casey said. There were enough guys in charge around to make decisions about how to conduct the manhunt for the shooter. It was time he really did his job, heart and body, and protect Dina. “Hey, where’s Heidi?”

  “She’s inside with Dina. I can’t see them,” Liam replied.

  “What about the girl?”

  “She split as soon as the coast was clear. Heidi must have turned her comm off for a little girl talk. I can’t hear her, but I can see Dina. She’s talking to someone.”

  Casey nodded even though Liam couldn’t see him.

  The thing that burned Casey about this was that he should have paused and listened to Trevor’s story about Dina. After all, hadn’t Casey moved here to get away from family identity? To be his own person?

  His family wasn’t bad, they were just loud, there were a lot of them, and it had always felt smothering growing up. He’d needed space. To be himself. And when his older brother had gone off to join the Army it had given Casey ideas.

  He wasn’t destined to spend his life on the same plot of land. He had two other brothers who were happy to do that while Dad transitioned to driving eighteen wheelers and Mom continued to make nosing around in other people’s business a full-time job.

  They’d all found their place in the world. His just happened to have been a fresh start on the other side of the country.

  He shouldn’t have judged Dina that hard. It wasn’t right, and it wasn’t fair.

  “Muzzle fire,” Liam snapped a second after the crack of sound sent a chill down Casey’s spine.

  He sprinted forward, gun at the ready, retracing his steps back to where he’d been.

  “Officer down,” the disembodied woman said.

  Heidi.

  Casey vaulted over the corner joint into the back yard of Charles Ray’s house.

  “Back door is open,” Casey said.

  “Do not enter,” Alex snapped. “Wait for back up.”

  That order froze Casey’s feet even though everything in him said to run to the aid of a fallen officer and Dina. Instead, he edged sideways toward a tree, then went to a knee.

  A moment later two figures emerged from the open back door.

  A man, and Dina.

  “Male suspect and Dina exiting the house,” Casey whispered. He wished he could take a shot, but the guy held Dina like a shield, her on one side and the house on the other.

  The suspect didn’t glance his way. Didn’t see Casey at all.

  “I’m okay,” Heidi wheezed. “Hit my vest.”

  Casey remained still while the suspect hauled Dina through some loose boards into the next house where Heidi had been stationed. Everyone beyond that point had gone in pursuit of the first shooter. As far as Casey knew, there was no one on that side to stop them from escaping the scene.

  DINA’S CLOTHES STUCK to her skin. Sweat poured from her body. She could smell the fear coming off herself, and yet she was separate from that reaction. Her mind didn’t connect to her physical response to her brother’s sudden appearance.

  She hadn’t seen that one coming. Dominick wasn’t really the get-his-hands-dirty type. Even as kids he’d always gotten her to steal the cookies for them. He’d convinced Phillip or Little Tony to do the deed and Dominick reap the reward. Dad had seen it as good leadership bones showing through.

  What would Dad say now?

  Dina glanced into the rearview mirror at Giada. Dominick had walked her to the end of the street and climbed in the car.

  Giada was a distraction the whole time.

  Was Little Tony’s shootout planned, too? There wasn’t any way Dominick would have gotten through the police perimeter without that distraction.

  Were the girls in any danger?

  “Turn here,” Dominick said.

  Her arms moved automatically. They knew this way. A voice in the back
of her head fretted at her, driving her to wonder if this was it? Had Dominick finally won?

  She pulled the car into her driveway.

  The house looked just as it always had. Cute, if in need of a little TLC.

  A light was on inside.

  She’d turned them all off.

  Giada was an adult. She’d grown up in the same world Dina had. They both knew the score and their place in it as women. Giada more than others was aware of the consequences. Maybe Dominick had lied to her or coerced her into this, but some part of her had still chosen to come here. To participate.

  How could the sweet girl Dina had known grown into this?

  Rosie would be ashamed.

  “Get out,” Dominick barked.

  Giada got out of the back seat and headed toward the front door.

  Dominick and Dina continued to sit in the car.

  She would die in that house.

  Trevor was across town. He’d never find her in time. With any luck someone could still save Heidi. There was enough blood on Dina’s hands.

  She dropped her gaze to her fingers.

  Maybe it was better this way?

  Running from Trevor last night had been the hardest thing she’d done in years. She’d allowed herself to care for him. To want something with him. And she knew better than anyone she wasn’t getting a fairy tale life. After her glimpse into his history, who he’d become, she knew he deserved someone who would love him with an undying passion. Dina would only ever be a source of pain for him. She didn’t know how to be in a healthy relationship or the kind of woman he needed. Her past had groomed her for destruction and death.

  All those dreams Dina and Rosie used to nurture were never going to come to pass. Dina was going to follow in every one of Rosie’s footsteps, and neither of them would ever be free.

  “What version of Rosie’s death did you tell them?” Dina asked. They were the first words anyone had spoken since she’d started driving.

  “I didn’t tell them anything.” Dominick turned his head and stared at her.

  “Are you going to kill them?”

  “I haven’t made up my mind yet.”

  “What did you tell them, D?”

  “That Rosie’s death was all you, that you snitched on Mom and Dad to cover your ass.”