Expired Hero

by Lisa Phillips

  Not officially. They’d been contractors, and expendable ones, at that.

  Stuart should’ve known. “It was him?”

  “Clean up. New job, new expectations. Take out the trash, so you don’t have to worry about it now that your butt’s all cushy in the brand-new chair. Just kick back, put your feet on the desk and coast while earning that sweet government pension.”

  “I’m thinking private jet doesn’t need a pension.”

  “Unless he’s broke.”

  “Can Ted find out?” Maybe he’d scraped off Brad and Stuart because of the upcoming promotion.

  Or for another reason, namely the fact captivity hadn’t killed them, leaving them as loose ends that needed eliminating.

  Stuart squeezed the bridge of his nose. He might not remember everything, but he could remember enough. “I had no idea. Brad had already amassed all this evidence, and I was totally in the dark.”

  “You said you hadn’t seen him for a while. Maybe he’d been working this but didn’t want to bring you in until he was certain.”

  “You don’t have to try and make me feel better.” The CIA director had men at his disposal now, as well as those who worked for him at the same company that had disposed of him. “We can get him, right? Expose him for kidnapping and holding Brad. He probably wheedled his way into this position. There has to be dirt on him. A threat to his ambitions, or he wouldn’t be exposing himself by gunning for us.”

  “Good point,” Zander said. “Means nothing traces back to him. Not if he can help it. Otherwise, he just implicates himself, because it’ll come out. There have to be layers of protection so no one suspects.”

  Stuart sighed. “Find a connection. Hire Ted, and pay him contractor rates.” To Ted, hopefully listening, “I’ll pay you whatever you want. Just find me evidence to nail this guy with a life sentence.”

  “I’ll let you know what I’ve got when I’m done going through everything.” Ted sounded so diplomatic he should run for mayor or something. “Then we’ll make a plan.”

  “More ‘we’ from you. Am I a cop? Or are you signing onto my team now?” He glanced at the ceiling. As his gaze shifted, he spotted someone at the end of the hall. The figure ducked out of sight too quickly. He breathed in a sharp breath. “Send the boys here.”

  “Why? Talk to me!” Zander barked through the open line.

  “I need backup.” Stuart hung up the phone. “They’ve breached the hospital.”

  Twenty-four

  It took Kaylee a second to figure out what the buzzing was. She opened the big plastic bag of Brad’s things the nurse had brought in. His clothes and shoes. There was a phone in there. Everything smelled. She didn’t think too much about that, just clutched the bag and spoke silent prayers of thanks.

  Brad was here, and he was alive.

  No matter what else had happened, or might happen before this was over, that was what she needed to focus on. That way she wouldn’t lose sight of the big picture.

  Everything was going to be okay.

  Thank You, Lord. She had her family back.

  Things were by no means straight between her and Stuart. They’d had a sweet moment, but he’d left her to sit with her brother and then just disappeared…to wherever. Now Dean stood in the hall outside her room. Guarding her, and her brother.

  Kaylee was safe. Brad had been found. That left Stuart to…what? Finishing what he’d started would be her guess. What it would look like, she didn’t know. Though, she’d read plenty of spy novels so she’d come up with some creative solutions if he asked for her opinion. But he hadn’t. He’d walked off and left her, like he didn’t need her anymore.

  Dead weight. No help to put the wrong right again, when he was the one trained in covert operations. The kind of man who would shoot himself up with drugs to relive his worst, real-life nightmare, just to get her the word, “peppermint.”

  Who did that?

  Kaylee leaned against the bed and looked at her brother’s beaten face. He rested now. What reason did she have to be anything but joyful that Brad was here, alive. The flash drive was no longer her responsibility. Her part in this was done, and she could rest now. It was over for her.

  So what if that the attraction between her and Stuart might have become something? What did that matter now? She liked having him here in town, with her, and just knowing he was still local made her feel better. They’d had a good conversation about the gift of grace. He’d kissed her head.

  She wanted more, but it wasn’t to be. He would probably leave when he was finally free to go wherever he wanted without having to live under the threat of being hunted. Of course, he would leave when the only reason he’d come here was for the flash drive. Last Chance wasn’t his home, and Kaylee wasn’t going to live anywhere else.

  Therefore, it wasn’t meant to be.

  Whatever she might have thought? No more. She had plenty to think about. Dreaming of a life like Mia and Conroy—except the part where he was shot by a sniper—or Savannah and Tate, Ellie and Dean, was pointless. She wasn’t brave enough to take a chance on something that could fall apart.

  The destruction that would cause in her would be catastrophic.

  A soft knock tapped on the door. “Hey.” Ellie pushed her glasses up her nose and stepped in, as though she might be disturbing them.

  Kaylee dropped the bag of clothing and rounded the bed to her newest friend. She opened her arms and smiled as Ellie approached.

  They hugged. In the hall, Dean watched his girlfriend with a smile Kaylee decided was adorable. A word she’d never have said aloud to describe any man, let alone a former Navy SEAL.

  As she squeezed Ellie with her arms, Kaylee said, “He’s alive.” She sighed and leaned back. “I thought for a while that he might be dead, and now he’s going to be okay.”

  Ellie smiled. “That’s great news.”

  Kaylee nodded. “I want him to wake up so badly, but I know he needs to rest if he’s going to heal properly. The doctor is the one who will make the call.” She couldn’t help chuckling. “I still want to shake him awake so we can celebrate together. He’s here.”

  Ellie chuckled. “I have a sister, not a brother, but I can say the urge to shake is there too.”

  Kaylee laughed with her, hoping the sound encouraged her brother to hear and believe that everything was fine now…and then he’d have the wherewithal to wake up. She would look into his eyes. Tell him that he was safe now.

  She moved to his bedside, gently laid her hand on his shoulder, and leaned down. She whispered, “You’re safe now.”

  She heard that buzzing again and went to look at the bag. “He must have a phone, or something, in here.” Would she have to turn it over to the police?

  “I’ll leave you to it.” Ellie said, “I should go back to work, anyway.”

  Ellie was a history professor and spent her days at the library researching for the book she was writing. Kaylee loved books, but summers were for reading outside on a blanket at the park. Not being cooped up at the library during good weather.

  “You don’t have to go. I do like the company.”

  Ellie smiled.

  “But thank you for coming.”

  “Of course.” Ellie wandered out toward Dean. Her love for him was obvious.

  Kaylee didn’t look while they said goodbye. She didn’t need a reminder of what she was missing because Stuart had chosen to leave her here. Protected—which made being mad at him harder because he’d safeguarded her—and looking after her brother.

  She sighed and sat up to rifle through the bag on her lap. Jeans and a grubby T-shirt. The jacket he’d been wearing when they tossed him from the helicopter. Her breath caught in her throat just thinking about it again.

  Tucked in an inside pocket of the jacket, she found a cell phone. The battery was low enough the notification was the first thing she saw. Then the four missed text messages. Someone was trying to contact Brad?

  She unlocked the phone. No fingerprint or
passcode ID. Who did that? Even she knew it should be secure. Unless Brad didn’t care because there was nothing sensitive on it.

  Or it wasn’t his phone.

  That meant it had been planted. Left here for her to find.

  No contacts were listed. No photos. No apps. Nothing that might tell her whose phone it was.

  It buzzed again. Kaylee nearly dropped it.

  Hello, Kaylee.

  She stared at the words. Clicking the home button a few times, she found no other messages in the app history before this one and no numbers saved in the call history.

  She glanced up at Dean. Out in the hall, he was still talking to Ellie and smiling now. Whispering close like two people in love.

  The phone buzzed again.

  Pay attention. Or people get hurt.

  “Who are you?” The words were quiet. Brad didn’t need to hear the tremor of anxiousness in her voice. Should she type the question back?

  Before she could, another message appeared.

  I’m the person you’re going to listen to.

  Three dots blinked at her on the screen. He was still typing.

  Like I’m listening to you.

  Kaylee got up. “Dean—”

  A red flicker appeared on Ellie’s back.

  He looked around her, into the room. “Everything okay, Kaylee?”

  Ellie turned. She couldn’t see the red dot of a laser sight on her shoulder.

  The phone buzzed in her hand. Kaylee swallowed.

  “Kaylee?”

  She tried to smile. “It’s fine. Never mind.”

  They didn’t look convinced. She turned away and sat, moving her thumbs to the screen to reply. Instead, a message stared at her.

  Tell anyone, and she’s the first to die.

  Kaylee typed back, “What do you want?”

  Now you’re getting it.

  Three dots.

  We want the flash drive. Get it from the police station, and bring it to us.

  Us? How many of them were there? One of the men was in a holding cell at the station, the one who’d shot Conroy. One was dead. She’d seen others in that helicopter. Was this one of them? She typed back, “They won’t just give it to me.”

  Then take it.

  Three blinking dots. Taunting her. She should throw the phone in the toilet and flush it. Or throw it down the hospital stairwell so it shattered into a thousand pieces.

  She looked at the hall. Ellie and Dean were still talking, and that laser dot was still there. A sniper’s scope, targeting an innocent woman.

  If you don’t bring us the flash drive, we blow up the hospital.

  Then we blow up the police station

  When that’s gone, we blow up Hope Mansion.

  Those three dots blinked at her, but she didn’t care what else there was. She typed, “Okay,” by jabbing the screen. Hopefully she’d break it.

  Then get moving. Or your precious town is in ruins.

  She stood, shoving the chair back as she moved. How was she supposed to get across town to the police station, let alone take the flash drive without anyone realizing she’d stolen it? Her co-workers were there, as well as Zander probably. Maybe even Stuart as well. One person might be manageable. But she’d never get past all of them.

  This was impossible.

  Starting with losing Dean before he realized she’d fled the hospital.

  The laser sight’s red dot was gone now. A sniper, still watching. Where did he move it? Was it pointed at her now, or Brad?

  Fear raced through her, prickling her skin with tiny bumps, causing her hair to stand straight up. Kaylee gathered her purse and the phone that didn’t belong to her.

  “Going somewhere?” Dean’s question wasn’t accusatory in tone, but he certainly expected an answer.

  There was a bathroom in the room, so she couldn’t use that as an excuse. Instead, she said, “Just to get some coffee. I need to stretch my legs, and if I don’t get some caffeine in me, I’ll fall asleep standing up.” She smiled.

  Dean said, “If you can wait until my backup gets here, that would be better. Or Ellie can get you the coffee.”

  Before she could ask why that was necessary, he said, “I’d rather not leave Brad unprotected, and I told Stuart I’d keep an eye on you.”

  Kaylee didn’t have to pretend to be irritated by that. “I’m not a child that needs to be looked after. Stuart doesn’t need to worry about me when he has plenty to occupy himself.”

  And he’d have even more to do after she took the flash drive. No matter what justice needed to happen, it wasn’t worth the lives of innocent people in this town. The hospital. The police station. Hope Mansion. No one in any of those buildings deserved to die a fiery death, blown up and torn apart.

  She started to walk away.

  “Ellie, stay here.”

  “And protect Brad?” Her voice squeaked.

  Kaylee kept walking.

  “I’ll be back in a second. Just hang on.” He didn’t want his girlfriend with him? Dean was torn between going after her and doing his job.

  She winced. He didn’t deserve this, and she’d have to apologize to him later. Probably to all of them. Until then, she couldn’t explain why she had to do this.

  These people had helicopters. They listened on phones. Snipers. Bombs. Torture.

  She blinked back the first sheen of tears. No way was anyone else going to get hurt. There had already been far too much suffering.

  Kaylee broke into a run, glanced over her shoulder and yelled, “Stay with Brad!”

  She spotted the door to the stairs and pushed the EXIT bar at full speed. She raced down the concrete stairwell while Dean followed her. But he wasn’t going to catch her.

  No way, not when that would mean an explosion.

  “Kaylee!”

  He was too far back.

  She shoved her way out into the underground parking lot and slammed right into a man.

  Her eyes widened, and she screamed.

  “You’re coming with me.”

  Twenty-five

  Stuart didn’t want to admit he’d lost them. But he had.

  He twisted around in the lobby and nearly ran into an older gentleman. He said, “Sorry,” and ducked around the man so he could stride to the elevators. He got off on the floor where Brad’s room was located. The nurse recognized him from when he’d been here only an hour or so ago with Kaylee. She noted his name and waved him to the room.

  Once he was able to see Kaylee with his own eyes, he’d feel better. The antsy feeling of knowing there was someone in the hospital he’d instinctually known was suspicious wasn’t going to go away until he knew for sure those under his protection were safe.

  He wrapped his knuckles on the door jam and stepped in, but aside from Brad in the bed, there was only a nurse inside the room.

  The nurse looked over. She was an older lady with a pixie cut of bleached highlights in her gray hair. She grinned, red lips and a brilliant white smile. “Your friend here is doing well.”

  Stuart’s instincts flared again. “There was a woman in here. His sister, Kaylee. Any idea where she went?”

  “Can’t say I do.” She pressed a button on the heart rate monitor, apparently not overly concerned.

  Stuart didn’t share the sentiment. “There was also a man in the hall, keeping an eye out.”

  “You’re talking about Dean, right?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Stuart shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Any idea where he went?”

  “I can look for you if you want to sit with your friend.”

  Stuart still hadn’t looked at Brad. Had she realized that? Is that why she seemed to force the acknowledgement of his friend’s presence? Maybe she was hung up on the fact he hadn’t. He looked at the man in the hospital bed.

  Air got stuck in his throat. Stuart coughed, as though that was the problem. “It looks…bad.”

  “He’s responding to the medicine. Vital signs are stronger every hour.
” The nurse moved around the bed to where he stood, still by the door, but she continued to keep her distance. “There’s every reason to be hopeful, even while we’re cautious. And I called the pastor. Had your friend added to the prayer list—anonymously, of course.”

  Stuart nodded. “Of course.” He should have said, “Thanks,” instead, but it was too late now. “You haven’t seen my friend or Dean?”

  The nurse shook her head. “Dean’s girlfriend was here for a few minutes. I’ll go ask where they went.” She moved to the door. “Probably downstairs for some bad coffee.”

  Stuart followed. Not just because he didn’t want to look at Brad’s beaten face and know he was at least partially to blame for what his friend had gone through. But also because Stuart had been shot a few weeks ago. The time he’d spent here in the hospital recuperating hadn’t been his best. There was a nurse who worked the night shift who’d, in the end, refused to treat him even though he’d apologized—and Dean had explained the particulars of his trauma.

  Unlike Kaylee, who had suffered multiple times because of him and still talked to him about grace. Still looked at him like he could solve her problems. As though he was some kind of knight in shining armor. It was hokey, and probably cliché now. Women these days don’t want to be rescued. But it was the way Stuart was built. And he thought Kaylee just might be perfect for him.

  Which was why he’d walked away to make sure the flash drive and those men would be dealt with.

  So he’d be free to make of this thing between him and Kaylee whatever it could be.

  Because, if she thought there was something in him that was worth taking the time to get to know, worth caring about, then she might be right. Then again, she could just not know him well enough. She didn’t know she was wrong. Or she only thought she knew him—the man he wanted to be.

  Stuart would find her. Finish this. Then figure out which it was.

  A sense of urgency filled him. He didn’t know where it came from, but Stuart didn’t intend to dismiss it.

  He stepped out of the room and looked both directions.