by Debra Webb
Her cell phone vibrated. “ Ryan.”
“ Kayla, Investigator Devon just called. He’ s going to need you to come in ASAP and have that interview with the D.A.”
“ Now?” She couldn’ t believe this. She was in the middle of an official investigation that involved attempted murder. Not to mention the unofficial one into Rainy’ s murder. Surely her chat with the D.A. could wait.
“ Sorry, kiddo, but this new hotshot D.A. ain’ t gonna take no for an answer.”
Frustrated, Kayla drove all the way to Casa Grande to meet with the D.A. in charge of the bike bust that was apparently turning into the sting of the decade.
The interview didn’ t take long. Kayla had a feeling it had more to do with his measuring the strength of her presence and ability to present her testimony. He was taking no chances on this case. Understandable, since the key witness against the big fish he’ d nailed was a slimy thief himself.
“ Thank you for coming in, Lieutenant Ryan.” He shook her hand and offered that million-dollar smile that had likely gone a long ways in getting him into this high-profile office.
“ Not a problem,” she lied. “ It’ s my job.” She produced a smile of her own and tried her level best not to look impatient. She had things to do!
“ Just so you know,” he said, waylaying her once more, “ we’ ve written a clause into Terrence Swafford’ s immunity contract.”
Kayla pushed aside her impatience for a moment. “ A clause?”
“ If he threatens you or anyone close to you he’ ll be in violation and then— ” the young, clearly ambitious D.A. grinned “ — his ass will be mine and there will be no bargaining.”
This time her smile was the genuine article. “ Thanks.”
So maybe this little side trip hadn’ t been a waste of time after all.
She glanced at her watch. She still had time to get to the church and pick up Jazz.
As she neared Athens her phone vibrated once more. She hoped she wasn’ t late. Shortly after noon was the time she’ d understood, but all this business with Marshall, Mike and Hadden had her second-guessing herself.
Heat rushed through her at the thought of Hadden and the way they’ d made love last night. She had so needed that, as foolish as getting involved with the guy was.
“ Ryan.”
“ Kayla, I’ ve got that analysis for you.”
Fred. “ Great, what’ d you find?” She rolled her shoulder, wincing at the small sore spot where the device had been removed.
“ Definitely a tracking device,” Fred told her. “ I’ d estimate that considering the tissue collection on its surface it’ s been implanted about three-and-a-half to four months.”
Boy, he was good. That’ s why she loved him.
“ I thought as much.” That would tie in with when she’ d fainted at the Academy. “ I’ ll swing by and pick it up this afternoon if that’ s okay.”
“ There’ s something else.”
The ominous tone in her friend’ s voice was more than his usual dramatic flare. “ Oh yeah?”
“ I’ ve never seen a device like this. I had to show it to one of my colleagues in D.C.” Which meant he’ d uploaded a digital image for cyber-perusal. “ He says it’ s the latest technology.”
Kayla’ s heart rate picked up a few extra beats. “ Does that mean it’ s not available on the general market?”
“ That’ s only the beginning.” Fred laughed, the sound strained. “ Kayla, he says this thing is ultra-secret military shit. He wants to know where the hell we got it.”
And then she knew her worst fears were on the money.
This went way higher than a couple of staff members at Athena Academy. Josie’ s sister was right. Whatever Lab 33 was, that tracking device had to have come from there.
The government held a great deal of power over Athena Academy. Was this why they’ d created an all-girls school in the first place, to lure in potential egg mining candidates? Had Marion Gracelyn discovered that evil scheme and lost her life because of it?
“ You still there, Kayla?”
She swallowed hard and scrambled to find her voice. “ Yeah, Fred, I’ m here. Listen, put that thing up where no one can find it, would you? I’ m going to need it.”
“ What do I tell my D.C. colleague?”
“ Tell him a cop in Athens got it from someone connected to Lab 33.”
“ What the hell is Lab 33?”
“ Just tell him, okay?”
Kayla ended the call and tossed her phone into the seat.
She could feel the news vibrating across the airwaves already. A cop in Athens, Arizona, had discovered a link to Lab 33. Fred’ s colleague in D.C. probably wouldn’ t know what that was, but he’ d report it to his superior. That superior would report it to his, and so on. Within an hour or so, the information would reach the right ears. And someone at Lab 33 would know that Kayla Ryan was onto them.
She glanced in her rearview mirror. She hadn’ t felt her shadow around today. Maybe she’ d better make it a little easier for him. Instead of going straight to the church, she swung by the house, then dropped by hers and Jazz’ s favorite Chinese restaurant.
If her shadow wanted to follow her now, he’ d have to get a little closer. That’ s all the leverage Kayla needed.
She put their lunch in the floorboard on the passenger side of the Jeep. She closed the door and started around the hood but that familiar sensation of being watched stopped her. Goose bumps scattered over her skin and those tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
Well, well, about time.
Instead of getting into the Jeep, Kayla strolled back toward the small restaurant. She moved around the side of the building, past the Dumpster and the employees’ entrance, and headed to the very back where the restaurant nestled up to an apartment building and a Laundromat.
She rounded the rear corner of the building but instead of continuing down the alley, she flattened against the brick wall of Lu Wan’ s.
Assuming a battle-ready stance, she waited.
The whisper of a soft sole on asphalt broke the silence.
Then nothing.
Kayla held her breath. She focused her full attention on the person around that corner. She couldn’ t be certain how close he or she was… but close.
An abrupt shuffle of footsteps told her he’ d decided to cut his losses.
Kayla barreled around the corner and lunged into a dead run.
Target was maybe ten yards ahead.
Medium height. Thin.
Tufts of blond hair showed beneath a baseball cap.
“ Halt or I will shoot!” Kayla leveled her weapon, not daring to slow in her pursuit.
Surprisingly the perp skidded to a stop near the Dumpster. Kayla hadn’ t really expected that to happen. She drew up short, coming to her own sudden stop.
“ Don’ t move,” she ordered. “ Get your hands up where I can see them.”
A pair of gloved hands went up. It was chilly out, but not that damned cold. The gloves weren’ t about protection from the weather. Kayla’ s internal alarm shifted to a higher state of alert.
Despite the bulky jacket and baggy trousers, Kayla suspected her shadow was female. It was as much about the way she held herself as it was the attire. A kind of sultry confidence that didn’ t scream femininity but definitely lacked any true masculine quality.
“ Turn around.”
She, or he, if Kayla was wrong, didn’ t move.
Kayla’ s pulse tripped into triple time. She braced herself for a tactical maneuver. “ I said turn around!”
Only three or four feet stood between them, Kayla held her aim steady.
Slowly, her body moving in timed increments almost like the eight count of dance moves, the perp executed a one-hundred-eighty-degree turn.
The hair might have been stuffed beneath that cap but Kayla would have known the eyes anywhere. The exquisite line of her jaw… the straight sophisticated nose.
/> Dawn O’ Shaughnessy.
“ Caught me,” she said flippantly, “ whatcha gonna do now? Shoot me?”
For two beats Kayla couldn’ t respond. She could only stand there and stare into the eyes of the young woman she knew with every fiber of her being was Rainy’ s child.
“ You’ re Dawn O’ Shaughnessy.”
“ And you’ re a murderer. You and your friends,” she snarled. Any softness Kayla had thought she’ d noted in the woman’ s face transformed into a hard mask of determination.
“ Don’ t believe everything you hear, Dawn.” As much as Kayla would have preferred to lower her weapon, considering the woman’ s identity and attitude, she couldn’ t see taking the risk. “ I imagine you’ ve been told a lot of lies.”
The girl stormed up to her, allowing the barrel of Kayla’ s weapon to press into her chest. Not the first spark of fear showed in her eyes. This woman was prepared to die if necessary. Kayla didn’ t doubt for a second that she was just as prepared to kill.
“ You and your friends killed my uncle.”
“ I’ m afraid you’ ve got me at a loss.” Kayla’ s brain worked double time to figure out who Dawn was talking about.
“ He was the only family I had. And you’ ll all pay.”
“ I don’ t know what you mean. Your uncle— ”
“ Lee Craig,” Dawn snarled.
Who the hell… ? And then she knew. The Cipher.
“ He was your uncle?”
“ That’ s right.”
Kayla’ s heart missed a beat. She knew where this was going. “ You’ ve been following me using the tracking device Betsy Stone implanted.”
That Dawn didn’ t look surprised to hear Kayla had connected the tracking device to Nurse Stone told her two things: she already knew Stone had been compromised and whoever wanted to stop Kayla and the Cassandras from learning the truth was running out of time. Things were escalating rapidly.
“ Are you ready to die, Lieutenant Ryan?”
Dawn’ s penetrating gaze bored into Kayla’ s. Somehow she couldn’ t help finding the situation just a little ironic. She’ d spent months trying to bring to justice those behind Rainy’ s murder and now Rainy’ s own child wanted Kayla dead.
Though the other woman didn’ t appear to be armed, one of them wouldn’ t be walking out of this alley. Kayla knew instinctively that it was as simple as that. She had one chance here at preventing bloodshed.
“ Don’ t you want to know why my friends and I tracked him down?”
Dawn’ s gaze narrowed with mounting suspicion. “ Nothing you have to say interests me.”
She said the words with a total lack of emotion and yet Kayla saw the lie in her eyes. The faintest flicker of uncertainty and curiosity.
“ Lee Craig— the Cipher— killed Lorraine Miller Carrington. She was a dear friend,” Kayla explained.
“ Too bad.”
Kayla bit back a scathing retort. That’ s what Dawn wanted, animosity. “ That’ s right. It was too bad. Rainy Carrington was one of the finest people I’ ve ever known. And she was your mother.”
The statement visibly startled the younger woman. “ Lying won’ t save your ass, Ryan.”
“ Then check it out,” Kayla urged. “ If you know the Cipher, then you probably know the people who sent him. Those people took something from Rainy about twenty years ago.” She searched Dawn’ s eyes as she spoke, looking for any hint that she was making headway. “ That something they took was eggs from her ovaries. A man named Dr. Henry Reagan and another, Dr. Carl Bradford, orchestrated at least part of the procedure. They used those eggs to produce offspring through a sperm donor and surrogate mothers. You’ re one of those children.”
Kayla waited a full five seconds for that information to sink in before reiterating, “ You’ re Rainy Carrington’ s daughter.”
The side door of Lu Wan’ s suddenly flew open.
For a split second Kayla’ s attention splintered.
A man wearing a white apron sauntered into the alley, simultaneously lighting up a cigarette.
Dawn leaped into the air, jerking Kayla’ s gaze back in that direction.
Her left foot shot outward and the weapon in Kayla’ s hand flew from her grasp.
Dawn’ s feet hit the ground running.
Kayla snatched up her weapon and raced after her.
Down the street… past the few other shops that made up the tiny community of Athens.
Dawn cut into another passage that ran between two buildings with Kayla right on her heels.
Shoving her weapon back into its holster she pushed hard… harder… came almost within reach of her. Using her weapon to stop the woman was out of the question.
Dawn flung herself toward a towering chain-link fence that separated commercial property from residential.
Kayla grabbed on, scaled after her. She manacled the other woman’ s ankle just as she straddled the top of the fence. Dawn kicked to free herself. Kayla held on, dragging herself upward with her free arm.
The back of a hand collided with Kayla’ s cheek. She grunted but didn’ t back off. She reached the top of the fence, flung her arm around Dawn’ s waist.
Dawn twisted.
They both went over… falling… slamming into the ground, then struggling against each other.
Rolling to a grinding stop, Kayla pinned Dawn onto her back.
The seemingly unarmed young woman suddenly had a weapon in her right hand.
“ Back off!”
Kayla froze.
“ Get off!”
Kayla held her ground. “ Think about what I said, Dawn. Cipher and his people killed your mother.”
Dawn rammed the muzzle of the weapon beneath Kayla’ s chin. “ Get off!”
Kayla held up her hands to show her surrender. “ All right.” She pushed to her feet and backed away.
Dawn scrambled up, her gaze and the aim of her weapon never deviating from her target.
“ Toss your weapon over there.” She jerked her head toward the clump of grass a few feet away.
“ They lied to you, Dawn.”
“ Shut up and do it!”
Kayla drew her weapon from her holster. She held it firmly. Giving up a weapon was the stupidest thing a cop could do.
“ I guess you’ ll just have to shoot me,” she suggested, hoping like hell the girl wouldn’ t. She’ d had other opportunities and had chosen not to. Then again, maybe her orders hadn’ t included killing Kayla until now. Kayla’ s last images of Jazz flashed through her mind in rapid succession. That her final moments with her daughter had been angry ones ripped at her heart.
Dawn blinked, then did something totally unexpected.
She turned her back and sprinted away.
Kayla started to yell for her to stop. But she knew that wouldn’ t happen this side of the grave.
Instead, she let her go. She put her weapon away.
There was nothing else she could do.
Jim and another deputy showed up. Kayla told her partner what she could, which included everything but the woman’ s identity and connection to Rainy Carrington. For now, she had to keep that to herself.
As Kayla climbed back into her Jeep the smell of Chinese food met her with a vengeance.
Her gaze flew to the digital clock on her dash.
12:45 p.m.
She swore.
Jazz.
She was half an hour late picking up her daughter.
She backed out of the parking slot and burned rubber. As an afterthought she one-handedly tugged on her seat belt.
Driving as fast as she dared she reached the small church in only four minutes.
She’ d been that damned close and still she was late.
She didn’ t bother dusting off her clothes or checking her face to see if she had a shiner blooming there. After double-timing it up the front steps she forced herself to slow, to pull together her wobbly composure as she entered the solemn house of God.
“ I am so sorry I’ m late picking up my girl,” she said to the choir director the moment their gazes met. She gestured to her disheveled appearance. “ Police business.”
The choir director’ s pleasant expression fell slightly. “ I thought you already picked up Jazz.”
Fear clenched around Kayla’ s heart. “ No. No. I just got here.”
The director looked around as if searching for someone to confirm her statement. “ I’ m certain she’ s gone. I think I saw her get into a car.”
Kayla heaved a sigh that allowed her heart to start beating once more. “ Mary must have picked her up.” She should have thought of that. Jazz would have called Mary since she was likely still angry with Kayla.
The director’ s smile lifted back into place. “ Sure. She must have gone with your sister.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “ My goodness. What a scare. There were so many children and so many cars. I just knew everyone was accounted for.”
Kayla felt about as miserable as she no doubt looked. “ Sorry.”
She walked as quickly as she dared down the quiet corridor. Once she got through the doors she ran to her Jeep, grabbed her cell phone and stabbed in her sister’ s number.
“ I’ m sorry I was late. Thanks for picking up Jazz.” Deep in her gut that funny feeling had started all over again. Regret, guilt, she told herself.
“ What?” her sister’ s voice echoed across the connection.
A flood of anxiety washed over Kayla a second time in as many minutes. “ Jazz. You picked her up at church, right?”
“ I thought you were going to pick her up.”
Full throttle terror banded around her heart. “ Dammit, Mary, did you pick her up or not?”
“ No, Kayla. I didn’ t pick her up. I haven’ t— ”
Kayla’ s phone fell from her useless fingers and bounced twice on the ground. She turned all the way around in the middle of the street. But there was no one to call to for help.
Where was her daughter?
Chapter 12
K ayla’ s phone started to vibrate against the asphalt at her feet.
Still in shock she stared down at it as if it would somehow explain what was happening.