Fallen Angel

by G. K. Parks

  “Those aren’t mine.” Practically shoving him out of the way, I peered into the drawer as a growing unease built inside of me. “Dammit.” I slammed the drawer shut. “Tell the doorman not to let anyone into the building he doesn’t recognize.” I patted my pockets again, suddenly remembering the jogger who’d bumped into me. Or did I bump into him? “Shit.”

  Leaving the office, I ran to the stairwell, taking the steps two at a time. I burst onto the third floor, finding the apartment door open. “Jade?” The apartment looked like it did before I left. “Jade?” I tried again, a desperation clawing at my insides. She wouldn’t have left the door open.

  I checked each of the rooms. She wasn’t here, and my car keys were gone. I went around the kitchen counter to grab the tablet and access the surveillance footage, and that’s when I spotted the shattered coffee cup. With shaking hands I played back the footage, knowing exactly what I’d see.

  Twenty-eight

  “He’s got her. That bastard took her. Get everyone on this now,” I barked into my phone as I ran full speed down the steps. I burst into the lobby, spotting a streak of red just beyond the front door. “Stop them.” The doorman turned to see what the commotion was. “That man in the hoodie. Stop him.” I sprinted across the lobby, shoving the chatting women out of my way.

  The doorman was a few steps ahead of me. The two security guards were a few feet behind. But Scott had too much of a head start. He shoved Jade into my car, forcing her across the front seats before getting in. I ran toward them, but he peeled away from the curb, clipping me with the front fender as he barreled down the street.

  “Sir, are you all right?” the doorman asked. He stopped pursuit the moment Scott and Jade got into the car. “I called 9-1-1.”

  “Tell them to issue a BOLO on Scott Renwin. He’s driving a black Mercedes. He’s with Jade McNamara.” I rattled off my license plate number.

  The police would never find them in time. Scott would ditch the car the first chance he got. I had to get to him first. I called Justin the moment I realized she was gone. He would have already called the police. They should be on their way. He’d tell them everything they needed to know, so I didn’t need to waste my time here.

  Grabbing my phone, I entered my PIN and accessed my car’s GPS. Scott had a plan. I’d known it all along. Unfortunately, I didn’t know what it was. I couldn’t just stand here and watch him get farther away. Jogging up the street, I spotted Mrs. Renwin’s silver four-door parked on a side street, concealed behind an SUV. I grabbed my gun, wondering why I didn’t shoot the bastard before he drove away, but I didn’t think. Why didn’t I think?

  Turning my head, I thrust my gun against the window and reached in to unlock the door. The private investigator who mentored me taught me how to hotwire a car, and after a few attempts, the engine roared to life. Pulling out of the space, I kept one eye on the road and the other on my phone. I had to get to Jade.

  They were still driving, so I had to assume as long as they were on the road, she was safe. Well, as safe as she could be with an unstable and violent man behind the wheel. Stomping down on the gas, I zipped in and out of traffic. The other vehicles on the road became nothing more than a blur. I ran the red, narrowly avoiding a pedestrian in the crosswalk and a delivery truck heading straight toward me.

  “Where are you going, Scott?” I looked at the tiny map, hoping to decipher the few street names and route numbers. It didn’t look familiar. At first, I thought he might be taking Jade back to his mother’s house, but he was headed in the wrong direction. Maybe their apartment? But he was too far east for that.

  I looked up just in time to slam on the brakes. Angry horns blared, and I swallowed and cursed. Damn light. I waited, feeling Jade slipping away as the seconds passed. I promised I’d keep her safe. I should have never said that. I shouldn’t have taken the case. Maybe I should have gone to my father for help.

  As soon as the light changed, I lurched forward. The sedan bumped and grinded in protest, but I didn’t ease up on the gas. By now, Scott had abandoned my car, possibly to switch cars. If he did, I’d never find them. But even getting stuck at the red light didn’t put me too far behind. I found my Mercedes parked at a gas station with the doors open.

  After quickly checking inside, not finding blood or any indication of where Scott might have taken her, I stepped inside. “Have you seen a red-haired woman and a man? They got out of that car.” I pointed out the window.

  The clerk looked up. “No.”

  I spun. “What about you?” I asked the guy in a trucker hat.

  “Yeah, strangest thing. I saw them cross the street and go into that motel.” He pointed. “I tried to tell him he left his door open, but it looked like they were in a rush, if you know what I mean.”

  “Call the cops. Tell them to get here now. We have a hostage situation.” I didn’t know if Scott was armed, but I knew those words would get the police department here quickly.

  But no matter how fast they got here, I couldn’t wait. Jade’s life was in jeopardy. After entering the motel office, I went straight to the check-in desk. “What room is this man in?” I showed the clerk a photo of Scott. He just shook his head, so I pulled out my wallet and dumped out my cash. “What room?”

  “Seventeen.”

  “I need a key.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  I drew my weapon and aimed at him. “Fine.” The clerk handed me a key. If Trucker Hat didn’t call the cops, the motel clerk would.

  Marching down the path, I tried to peer into the window, but I couldn’t see inside. Scott must know staying in one spot would make him a sitting duck. He knew I’d seen him. Why wasn’t he running?

  I unlocked the door slowly. Cracking it open, I listened. Suddenly, a crash sounded from the back of the room.

  “Jade?” My muscles tensed.

  “Him?” Scott bellowed from the table beside the bed. He had an automatic machine pistol in his hand. “You left me for him? I love you. How could you do this to us? Why? Why would you fuck him?”

  “Scott, please,” she whimpered. She edged backward, knocking the in-room coffeemaker off the counter in her haste. The sound made her jump. But it didn’t slow him down.

  “I gave up everything for you. And you do this?”

  “Stay away from her.” I moved deeper into the room, intercepting him before he could get close to her. He took a step back, swinging the gun in my direction. “You shouldn’t be here, Scott. The police are on the way. You need to leave. Now.”

  “You shouldn’t be here,” he growled. “You did this. You poisoned her mind. You made her file the court order.” He shoved the hood of the sweatshirt off his head and stared at me with rage-filled eyes. He’d been outside Jade’s apartment all night. She didn’t imagine it. She saw him. “I’ve been watching you, Cross. I knew it. I knew you were fucking my girlfriend. You couldn’t find your own woman, so you had to steal mine. Did you really think I was going to sit back and let that happen?”

  “Back off.”

  “Drop your gun, or I’ll shoot her and then you.”

  “She means nothing to me. I don’t care. You point that at her, and I’ll blow you away. So don’t be stupid. Point it at me. Aim at me.”

  He thought for a moment, realizing I posed more of a threat, so he aimed at me while edging closer to her.

  “You don’t want to throw your life away. Think about this, man. You got your mom. You have the opportunity to start over, to fix things. You know what happens to cops who end up in prison. Just walk away. We’ll pretend this didn’t happen,” I said.

  “I’m not going to prison.” He stared at me. “I did my homework on you.” He laughed, an ugly, bitter sound. “No wonder you wanted to bed that bitch.” He moved toward Jade, and I sidestepped, blocking his view. If he wanted her, he’d have to go through me. “You didn’t have the balls to make it through the academy, not even with daddy’s help. But it was daddy’s help that kept you from going to prison
when you nearly beat that guy to death.” He looked over my shoulder at Jade. “Bet he didn’t tell you that, babe.” The anger contorted his already unattractive face into something hideous. “Guess you have a type, huh?”

  “Hey, your problem is with me. That’s right. I took your girl. I took your job. I took everything from you. So come on, let’s settle this like men. Or are you afraid you can’t take me in a fair fight?” If only I could distract him, she could get to safety.

  “Lucien,” Jade whimpered, edging along the counter.

  I needed to keep him contained between the bed and the wall long enough for her to make it safely out of the room. Right now, she was as far from the front door as possible, and with the machine pistol in his hand, her chances of getting out of the room unscathed or even alive were minimal. So I’d have to improvise.

  “Shut up, woman. Did I tell you to speak?” I hated saying it, but I needed him to believe she didn’t act on her own. That it was my fault she left him. It was her only chance of surviving.

  “I would have ended this in your office, but you wouldn’t tell me where you hid her. Now you’re going to regret it.” Scott sneered.

  “Wait, Scott, please. Forgive me. I’ll go with you. We can go back to the way we were before. The way things were before I met him. Please,” she said. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

  “You should be sorry.” His finger remained tensed over the trigger. He had no intention of backing down, and I realized I missed something. Scott Renwin didn’t move back in with his mother. He gave her his things and said his goodbyes. This wasn’t an abduction. It was a murder-suicide.

  “Jade, get down,” I ordered.

  Before the words even left my lips, he opened fire. I dove on top of her, aware of the deafening gunfire, her trembling body, and the screams. Everything dimmed, and when the darkness faded, the gunfire stopped. His boot squeaked on the tile floor. Instinct took over, along with some residual police academy training, and I fired in his direction. I tried to aim, but I couldn’t lift my arm high enough. The first bullet went into his thigh, and the second went right into his ugly face.

  “Jade?” I tried to lift myself off of her, but my arm slipped in the blood. Blood? I blinked, seeing several gaping holes in her leg. “Jade, hang on.”

  I reached down and pressed against one spot, and that’s when I saw the river of red running down my arm. I stared at it, uncomprehending, and then like a bolt of lightning I was hit with a wave of excruciating pain. It took my breath, dimmed the lights, and made thought impossible. My muscles gave out. My nerves fried. My body in shock but no longer to the point of numbing me. I collapsed on top of her. The last thing I saw was what remained of that asshole’s face.

  Twenty-nine

  “Clear.”

  At least I thought I heard someone say it. It sounded like an echo. A faint murmur, followed by a massive convulsion and my body levitating off the table as the fire burned through me. I gasped.

  “He’s back. Let’s get him into surgery before he codes again. How many are we looking at?”

  “Eight, no wait. Two grazes, and one through and through, so five.”

  “Careful when you roll him. We don’t know if his spinal cord’s compromised.”

  I moaned.

  “He’s coming out of it. Push another—”

  I didn’t hear what they said. “Jade?” I asked, frantic. “Jade?” I didn’t even have the strength to open my eyes. Did I even speak aloud? Everything dimmed into nothingness.

  The next time I regained consciousness, bright white lights blinded me. It took my eyes a few minutes to adjust, and I stared at the speckled tile. A blue plastic thing took up half my vision, but I couldn’t figure out what it was.

  I couldn’t move. I just lay there, staring at the floor, wondering where I was and what was happening. And then I drifted off again.

  A sharp tickle at the bottom of my foot woke me. I jerked my leg, feeling something pull in my back. I was too numb to feel the pain, but somehow, I knew it hurt. The blue tube didn’t impede my vision this time, and I saw a metal bar and white sheet. I tried to turn, but I couldn’t move off my stomach. Honestly, I could barely breathe, let alone keep my eyes open.

  “Mr. Cross,” a kind voice said, “you’re in the hospital. Do you remember what happened?” A man in a lab coat sat on a stool and rolled closer until I could see his face. “I’m Dr. Bashala.”

  “Jade? Where’s Jade?”

  “She’s okay. The surgery went well. She’s lucky. None of the bullets impacted with her bones. She should be back on her feet soon. The two of you were lucky.”

  “Lucky? Are you out of your freaking mind?”

  The doctor stifled a laugh. “If her boyfriend hadn’t found you, you might be dead.”

  “He tried to kill us.” I tried to push myself up. This time, the pain broke through the numbness, and I crumpled against the thin mattress.

  “Easy, you weren’t nearly as fortunate. You need to rest. We’ll talk more later.”

  “The police,” I fought to keep my eyes open, “I need to speak to the police. And Almeada.”

  “They’re in the waiting area. Everyone’s pulling for you, son. You need to sleep now. Once we move you out of ICU, you can talk to whoever you want.”

  * * *

  “This is bullshit.” I glared at the police commissioner. “That’s not what happened, and I can prove it. Sgt. Shithead stalked Jade, illegally entered the apartment, abducted her, and shot us both. We weren’t attacked by a heavily armed unsub. Scott didn’t come to our rescue. He came to kill us. Do you want to know who killed him? I did, and that’s why.”

  Almeada gave me a sharp look, but I ignored it.

  “It was self-defense. I have security footage to prove it. This,” I gestured, disgusted, at the statement the commissioner wanted me to sign, “is a cover-up. I’m not signing that.”

  “Lucien, you need to think very carefully about your next move,” the commissioner warned. “This is a lot of money. It’s the best you’re gonna get.”

  “It’s blood money. You make me sick. Jade didn’t sign, and neither am I.”

  “Your girlfriend should reconsider. With her expenses and medical bills, she could use the money. Or are you planning to support her the rest of your life?” the commissioner asked.

  My expression soured further. “You have no right to insert yourself into my life or make my decisions for me. I’m a man, Dad. I can take care of myself. And my relationship with Jade is none of your business. She’s not my girlfriend. She’s a client.”

  “Cross,” Almeada warned, “Renwin put some contingencies in place. He left some things behind that could confuse a jury.” He flipped through the terms of the settlement. “Don’t forget, you threatened the motel clerk with a gun. This is a good deal. Even if we won in court, you’d probably only be awarded a fraction of this. Juries are fickle. I suggest you at least consider taking the settlement. Just imagine what you could do with this kind of money.”

  Ignoring my attorney, I said, “Do you think you can buy my silence? That you can just pay me to go away again, like you’ve done my entire life?” I stared at my father, the police commissioner. “It’s your job to make sure the men and women under your command protect this city. Police corruption, brutality, violence, murders, they happen. They happen a lot. And you aren’t doing a damn thing about it. But somehow, you thought I’d be bad for the department. I guess you were right, and I’m about to prove it. Even though you made sure I washed out of the academy, you don’t have the power to wash this away. I won’t let you make that monster out to be a hero just so you can save face.”

  “Lucien, don’t you get it? I wanted better for you than the life of a cop. It’s not that you couldn’t do the job, but you could do much more if you actually took a moment to explore your options. Now look at you. You’re a business genius and driven. You can do whatever you want. This money will let you do whatever you want. You could expand that
little security firm of yours or run a startup. Whatever. The sky’s the limit. I spoke to the mayor and city council. This is the best deal you’re gonna get. We maxed out the budget to make this happen. Just think about it. I’m not buying your silence. I’m trying to repent for my mistakes.”

  “Keep trying,” I snapped.

  My father walked out the door, leaving me fuming. I turned my head and stared out the window.

  Almeada gave me a few minutes to cool off before he said, “He’s right, you know.”

  “Yeah. I know. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

  Thirty

  “Is everything set?” I asked. “You put Jade’s name on the account, right?”

  “Yes, Mr. Cross.”

  “Great. Thanks.” I hung up and carefully stretched.

  Rehab and physical therapy left me sore every day. But I was getting stronger and more flexible. Justin would hate having to relinquish my office back to me next week. I owed him everything. If it weren’t for him, Cross Security would have come to a crashing halt, but he kept business booming during these last few months. Drawing up a new contract and giving him a stake in my company felt fitting. I believed in rewarding hard work and loyalty. And Justin earned every penny.

  My front door opened, and I turned my head, wincing at the sudden movement. A flash of red moved toward me, and I smiled. “Hey, babe.”

  Jade kissed me. “Sorry, I’m late. I picked up an extra shift. How did today go? What did the doctor say?”

  “I’m fine. I can go back to work next week.”

  She nodded, her eyes a little sad. “I guess it’s time.”

  “Hey, it’s okay. This is what you want. If you change your mind, you can always come back.”

  “Are you sure I can’t persuade you to come with me?” She looked hopeful. “I just don’t think staying in the city is a good idea. I spoke to my folks. I need to get away from here, away from him, and everything that reminds me of him.”