Expired Hero

by Lisa Phillips

  A rundown office building, the business having gone bankrupt. Repossessed by the bank.

  “Why are you doing this? Do people’s lives mean nothing to you but an asset to be traded for whatever you want?”

  He chuckled. “Nobility. How naïve.” Silas beeped the button on his car keys, and the trunk popped open. “Get in.”

  “No. And nobility isn’t being naïve. It’s the best of who people are, and what they can do. Why would that not be exactly what I want to be known for?”

  After all, she’d been scared for so long. Why not take a chance now and be something even better? Go after the right thing. The best thing. Despite whatever was happening, she could work for the good of others. To save those who didn’t even know they needed saving.

  “You think being stubborn is going to faze me?” The corner of his mouth curled up. “I’ve dealt with much more tenacious companions than you.”

  “Companions?” What a strange way to phrase it. That wasn’t what she represented here. “You kidnapped me.”

  “To help me solve a problem.”

  That sounded far too ominous. She couldn’t help but think of the young woman whose file she had been reading for days now. A woman she had identified with. Now, more than ever, she understood what it felt like to be at the mercy of an abductor.

  Kaylee’s mind completed the process of putting the pieces together. “Everything Trina did, it was for you.”

  He barely acknowledged her comment.

  “How many other girls have you tied up in that building?”

  “Do not ask questions you don’t really want answers to.”

  That was fair. Still, if this was the last chance anyone had to ask him about it, then Kaylee would get to the bottom of what had happened. “The girl who went missing right after I moved here, the one who was never found. Did she solve a problem for you as well? Trina had her necklace. She was wearing it. Because of you?”

  Surely that was a stretch. However, the timing might be off. Trina might have been away, still at college, when the woman went missing. Kaylee hadn’t met Trina until later. That meant if anyone in their family had met her, it was likely this man.

  The skin around his eyes crinkled in the yellow of the street lights that cast the rest of him in shadow. “I haven’t thought of her in years. There have been so many. Why quibble over one?”

  Grief rolled over her like a wave. “You killed the girl, and then Trina kept the memento. That, or you gave it to her. Is that what happened?”

  “I require a particular kind of entertainment.” He shoved her toward the open trunk. “West keeps me supplied now, but years ago I had to find my own. Don’t worry. I never leave a mess.” He took a half step, moving closer to her. “It’s a shame we’re on a timeline.” Silas reached up and patted her cheek. “Shame.”

  Yet more of himself that he’d hidden from her. Turned out she knew nothing about him or Trina. He had successfully lied about all of it. A man she had respected. Admired, even. Not only was he a crooked bank manager who utilized repossessed buildings for his own use, but he was a foreign agent.

  She backed up. Her legs hit the car, and she froze. There was no way she wanted to be shut up in the trunk. But staying out here with Silas Nigelson and his entertainment ideas? No. That wasn’t going to be any better.

  He shoved her. Kaylee stumbled backward, hit the edge of the trunk with her shoulder blades. He shoved at her again, and she fell in. Silas reached down with a dark object and hit her with the same stun gun he’d used on Dean.

  It crackled.

  That was all Kaylee needed to scramble away from it. She didn’t want it touching her when she was already in enough pain.

  He slammed the lid shut.

  She heard a door open and then close. Then the engine turned on. It rumbled under her cheek as she lay in the back of the car.

  When it opened, she would see Stuart. She’d be able to ask him why he was throwing away his freedom. Or he wouldn’t come, and she could rest knowing he had made the right decision.

  She just didn’t want to be left with disgusting Silas.

  The car stopped.

  Two minutes later, the silence was broken by a gunshot. Her whole body flinched and pain throbbed in her face.

  The trunk flung open. Two men stood over her and neither was familiar. Words died in her throat. They dragged her out and her legs gave way. Neither man helped her up from the ground, so she just slumped onto the gravel, trying to hold herself up.

  When she finally got her bearings about her, she said, “What’s going on?” and looked around to see where she was. The library was across the street. In the yellow light of the parking lot street lights, she could see the freestanding return bin. Bigger than a wheeled trash can and twice as wide. It was the drive-thru spot to drop in finished books.

  “Got it?” One man spoke, but she didn’t think he was talking to her.

  She glanced at them. Uniforms and huge guns. They wore ball caps and vests—maybe bulletproof ones. Professionals who knew exactly what they were doing.

  And they’d killed Silas.

  “Yep. Let’s go.”

  They both shifted. Kaylee was hauled to her feet, realizing, as she straightened her legs and forced them to hold her up, that the situation had gone from bad to worse. Silas should have given her to Stuart. These men had interrupted, and Stuart wasn’t here. Of course, he shouldn’t trade his future for her.

  She couldn’t let that happen.

  They shoved her forward. Hot anger rolled through Kaylee, energizing her muscles. She allowed it to fuel her strength as she waited for precisely the right moment, then jerked away from them and sprinted away. No more. She wasn’t going to be jerked around anymore.

  Gunshots peppered the ground around her.

  Kaylee screamed, flinging her bound hands over her head as she ran across the street, out of sight and into the darkness, and crouched behind the return bin.

  Twenty-nine

  Stuart and Zander approached the front door. Two of Zander’s guys—the third was with Dean, watching over Brad—went around back.

  “Hold up.” Zander lifted his free hand and made a fist.

  Stuart said, “Security system?”

  He didn’t think Silas was here, though maybe he’d left Kaylee and gone somewhere else. The whole police department was on alert, expecting an attempted breach in an effort to steal the flash drive. Even Tate was there. It was all hands on deck right now.

  Zander pulled out his phone and made a call. “Ted?” For the next minute he said only, “Yep,” and, “Yes,” and, “Copy,” before hanging up. Zander looked up and addressed the group. “He said thirty seconds.”

  It wasn’t long before a click sounded in the vicinity of the lock. Zander pulled the front door open, and they stepped in.

  “Empty,” Stuart said. “This whole place has been abandoned.”

  “Business went defunct. Bank repossessed the property.” Zander stuck his head down the hall. “I think I know why.”

  Stuart had seen places like this the world over, covert buildings set up for sex trafficking operations. Each room was outfitted. The farther down the hall they walked, the worse the situation became. Until Stuart couldn’t hold back his reaction.

  “Yeah.” Zander’s gaze darkened. “But she’s not here, and we have enough problems. This one is for the lieutenant and that detective.”

  “Mia and Savannah?”

  “This stuff happening in their town? You think they’re not going to be all-in, kicking doors down and arresting everyone involved.”

  Stuart nodded. “Okay, that’s true.” He headed for the stairs and climbed to the second floor. “Not so much activity up here.”

  This was the place Trina had told him Silas would bring Kaylee. Did that mean Trina knew about the women? Zander was right that they had enough problems, but that didn’t diminish the fact a real-world problem had reached this small town. He was completely on board to get his h
ands on whoever ran this business and help take him down.

  Way down.

  Stuart didn’t appreciate the court system nearly as much as he probably should. Not when it was much cleaner to take out the target himself—under orders, of course.

  “Why do you have a murderous look on your face?”

  Stuart shrugged, then continued to walk through the second floor.

  “Anything?” The man at the end of the hall strode toward them.

  Stuart shook his head. “Thanks for being here.”

  All his roommates had rallied around. Zander’s team, Dean, and Ted. Stuart was overwhelmed by all the assistance they seemed perfectly happy to provide.

  “Don’t get all emotional on us now.” Zander clapped him on the back of the shoulder.

  Stuart moved away from them. No matter that they cared, he still didn’t want them to see his despair. The team knew his trauma was a reality. They had enough PTSD of their own; they’d never judge him. But frustration still boiled in his stomach.

  “Where are you?” Stuart whispered the question to an empty room. His eyes snagged on the sink in the corner and a cord that hung from it. Was this where she’d been kept?

  “Stuart!”

  He strode back to the hall. Zander had his phone to his ear. “We’re moving out.”

  As they stampeded down the stairs and back out the front door, Zander explained, “Ted got into the security system. It’s connected to a phone he thinks belongs to Silas Nigelson.”

  “He can get us a location?”

  “He’s working it.” Zander climbed into the driver’s seat of the car. Stuart got in the front, the other two in the back seat. A second after the engine came to life, the phone connected to the car with Bluetooth. “Can you hear me?”

  Ted’s voice came through the car speakers. “That’s a good copy.”

  Zander shook his head. “You’ve been watching too much of that TV show.”

  Stuart needed them to get on with this. “Where is Nigelson?”

  Ted said, “Highway 14, where it crosses Candlewood.”

  “By the library?”

  “Yep. Traffic cameras are being a bear today, so I can’t get a visual for you. But that’s where the GPS on his phone says he is.”

  Stuart caught something in his tone and asked, “What is it?”

  “I need to turn over the contents of his phone to Sergeant Basuto.”

  “Sex trafficking case?”

  Ted was quiet for a second, “It’s…he’ll want to see all this.” The younger man sounded like he wanted to be sick.

  “One thing at a time,” Zander said. “We get Silas, we get Kaylee. This team in town is in custody. The chief is getting better. Brad is alive. Life keeps going.”

  “Yeah, case in point,” one of the guys in the backseat said. “The next thing pops up and has us all scrambling.”

  “True.” Zander had his lead foot pressed to the floor. In response, the engine screamed as they hurtled around corners all the way to the library.

  Stuart didn’t care they’d probably die in this vehicle. At least, after they got to Silas Nigelson in one piece. After that, if Stuart slipped and the man ended up with a serious head injury, who was going to argue? Some people—those who targeted innocents just for profit—had it coming. And all of the men in this car were the kind who dished out that kind of comeuppance.

  No one would debate that.

  “There. Do you see?” Stuart sat up straighter in his seat, pointing to the dark shape in the road up ahead.

  The car was stopped in the middle of the street. This time of night, no one had found it yet. They veered to the side of the road, and Stuart hopped out before Zander could even come to a complete stop.

  Stuart made a beeline for the car. The trunk was open. No one else in sight.

  “Over here.”

  Stuart looked up and trotted to where Zander stood, near the hood of the abandoned car. He had his phone camera flashlight pointed at the ground. “I guess we found Silas.”

  He heard Ted blow out a breath through the camera speaker. “I’ll tell the Sergeant.”

  “We can’t wait for them.” Stuart couldn’t afford that delay. “We’re already behind these guys. If they took out Silas, then they also have Kaylee. So where are they? We need to find them.”

  The other guys had spread out.

  Zander said, “If they have her, then they’ll contact you.”

  Stuart circled the area like the others were doing. He glanced over to see where they might’ve gone, his eyes stopping on the library. If Kaylee had somehow managed to flee, that was where she would go—toward a familiar place.

  One of the guys was still in view. The other had moved to where Stuart couldn’t see him anymore.

  He looked for impressions in the grass—any indication she might have run from the trunk. Where would she hide? Who’d killed Silas? Definitely not Kaylee. That meant someone else had done it, and that person probably then took her away from here.

  Which meant this search was pointless.

  He should be setting up a trace on his cell phone, waiting for a call. Or protecting the flash drive in person instead of leaving that to the cops.

  What am I even doing? She was gone. Stuart hadn’t been able to protect her. Now he had no idea who took her, or where she was. He’d failed. His problems had put her in danger, and would likely be the cause of her life ending.

  And cost innocent people in Last Chance their lives, too.

  Bombs. Helicopters. Who knew what they would do next?

  The only thing he could be certain of was that he would give it all up to save Kaylee. Even the flash drive was up for discussion. He’d try to copy it before he turned it over to these men. But the fact was, it wasn’t more important than Kaylee’s life, or the chance at a safe and peaceful future. He owed Brad, and he owed her.

  Stuart was so frustrated, he spun and kicked the stupid return bin. He kicked it for Kaylee. For his stupidity at letting her down. Even for people too lazy to get out of their cars and walk to the drop box by the door.

  The impact reverberated up his leg, and the clang of his shoe against metal was loud.

  A whimper from inside cut through the quiet after the horrible clanging subsided.

  Stuart had already had his gun out and held it in front of him as he rounded the return bin and pulled the back open. Nothing.

  He crouched and said, “Kaylee?”

  “Stuart!” She launched from the inside and into his arms, nearly sending him back to a sitting position on the asphalt. He recovered his balance and stood, hauling her up and against him. “It’s really you.” Her breath came in gasps. “I thought you were one those guys.”

  Her hands were bound. He pulled his pocket knife and cut her free, then traced the sides of her nose with his thumbs. “I don’t think it’s broken.”

  Kaylee wound her arms around him and snuggled close.

  She didn’t seem seriously injured, just shaken. And she was still standing? He doubted he’d be as together in the same situation, given all the stuff he had in his head. It made him wonder if Brad would be mentally steady when he woke up. Dean could help.

  He dismissed the thoughts and focused on her. “They were here?”

  She nodded, her face pressed against his shirt. “Ow. My nose.” She took a breath. “Silas was going to trade me to you for the flash drive, but they killed him. I tried to run, and they chased me.” She glanced in the direction of Silas’s deceased body and winced. “He wasn’t a nice man.”

  He didn’t want to talk about the dead guy. What he wanted to know was where the gunmen had gone.

  “I know.” Stuart gave her a squeeze, then put some space between them to try and clear his head of the distracting thoughts of having her body up against his. Not the time or the place. “I’m really glad I found you.”

  He wanted it to be more than that. A more memorable reunion, given everything they’d both been through. Even as far as
maybe a kiss between them. And it was clear from the wide-eyed, mouth-open wonder on her face that she might feel the same way—even with the broken nose and all the dried blood on her face and neck that needed to be cleaned up.

  Despite how she seemed to feel, there wasn’t time for it. Not when this was far from over.

  Stuart didn’t want to lose the flash drive. But he would hand it over if it saved her.

  “Thank you.” She took a step toward him, lifted onto the balls of her feet, and kissed his cheek.

  Everything in him stilled. He wanted to go for a long walk through the mountains around the town and maybe touch his cheek for a while. Draw the moment out while he was alone and just experience the memory of it, over and over. The feel of her warmth. Her softness.

  “We should go, right?”

  He nodded, trying to pull his thoughts back to reality. Stuart took her hand and turned back to the car. Zander stood guard. Stuart glanced around, looking for his teammates. “Where’d they go?”

  Zander was completely still, his body at attention, and yet he didn’t move. Still deep in thought, he murmured, “Following a hunch.”

  Stuart didn’t like the sound of that. Or his friend’s body language. “What’s going on?”

  He wanted to put Kaylee behind him. But what would he be defending her from?

  Zander folded his arms and looked at Kaylee and Stuart, accusation in his eyes. “Which one of you sold us all out? That’s the real question we should be asking. Because right now, we’re surrounded by the very men my guys spotted planting explosives around the hospital. So I want to know what angle one of you played in order to skate out from under this.”

  Kaylee gaped. “You think we sold you out? What are you talking about?”

  Stuart squeezed her arm. “He’s talking about the fact we’re surrounded.”

  He heard the movement then.

  Seconds later, two gunmen approached from Stuart’s flanks. Both had their weapons pointed at Kaylee.