Expired Refuge

by Lisa Phillips

  Conroy didn’t look at her. “His dad had argued with the judge. First offense, that they knew of. Kids being kids, and all that. Like he should just be let go. The driver in the other car had some bruises. Ed’s dad paid for all the damage and it was done. Ed would have had his license revoked, but he’d get it back eventually.”

  “But Mara...”

  “You know she passed away in the hospital a day or two later. Injuries sustained. The judge changed his ruling, and Ed went to juvenile detention.”

  “And that judge now?”

  “He’s as committed to bringing down Ed Summers’s empire as I am. Considering everyone Ed works with now, except your sister, were people he met in juvie. The judge thinks it’s all on him for sending Ed there.”

  “That’s crazy. You can’t stop the choices a person is going to make.”

  Conroy’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the text. “The tech wants to know where I am. He can see from my phone’s location that we’re here, and he has something to tell us.”

  “Ready to go inside?”

  He liked it that she’d asked. Conroy nodded. “I’m okay.”

  He’d basically admitted the worst thing about himself. That he’d been so caught up in his own hurt feelings that his actions had indirectly caused Mara’s death. Ed had been charged and convicted but at an age where it was all about sealed records.

  He said, “Thank you for listening.”

  “And if I decide to join the club that consists of you and this judge?”

  He couldn’t help a smile. “Membership is currently open. Though you should know, your dad is one of the founders.”

  “Secret society. Love it.”

  She shoved the car door open, and he kept smiling at her as she shut it and strode to the sidewalk. He’d been all about trying to distract her and hadn’t even done it well. In the end, she’d managed to distract him.

  A secret society? He shook his head at the idea. The most organized group he was a part of was the Bible study he and Rich both attended.

  Conroy followed her in and saw the tech standing with Mia, waiting for him. Ted was nothing like the typical nerd type he remembered from high school. He wore skinny jeans, Converse shoes, and a rock band T-shirt that was faded. He had a Bluetooth earbud headset around his neck. His watch was the smart kind. Conroy had the same brand, mostly because Ted had told Conroy all about it enough that he’d finally buckled and bought one for himself.

  Anything that meant he didn’t have to pick up his phone as often was a good choice in his estimation.

  Ted was also Dean’s kid brother. Dean being the Navy SEAL who’d shown up right after Conroy’s car had exploded, initially treating his injuries.

  Conroy said, “What is it?”

  “I dumped the victim’s phone and went through it.”

  The victim. Garrett. Not Rich. “Already?”

  Ted was about to answer when he saw the bagged phone in Conroy’s hand. “Another one?”

  “That’s my dad’s,” Mia said.

  “Oh.” Ted glanced between them. “Oh.”

  “What did you get from Garrett’s?”

  “From the look of his latest text thread, Stiles arranged to meet him. Garrett wanted the money he was owed for the job Stiles hired him to do.” Ted shrugged. “They were supposed to meet on the far side of Summers’s property. Seems like Garrett was the one who poisoned the dog, and took you from the Lieutenant’s house, but I don’t think he set the explosives that blew your gas tank.”

  Mia shifted to face him. “So, was the first dead guy—Tyler Lane—also someone who was doing jobs for Stiles? Because that really is a serious coincidence.”

  Conroy nodded, his brain still spinning over it all.

  “And if it’s true,” Mia continued, “then it could be there’s another one out there still, working with him. Right? Maybe another one of Ed Summers’s guys took my dad out of his house. They could be planning to meet up so he can hand my dad off to Anthony Stiles.”

  “It’s a theory.” But without evidence, that was all it was.

  Conroy wondered about going over to Ed’s place, rousting out all his guys and making Ed do a headcount to find out if anyone else was missing. Not exactly above board, but it would make him feel better even if it got them nothing as far as results.

  He asked Ted, “Can you get me a location on the phone that communicated with Garrett’s?”

  Ted shook his head. “Already tried, since it’s implicated by association. The phone is either off or it’s dead. No GPS, and no cell towers can see it.”

  Conroy nodded. If Ted couldn’t find it, then there was nothing to find.

  The chief’s door opened. Officer Ridgeman stepped out. Ted shifted in a way that broadcast a whole lot more than even he was probably aware.

  The corners of Jessica Ridgeman’s lips curled up. “I’m just getting some tea.”

  “Help her out, will you Ted? The machine was acting up yesterday.”

  They wandered off. Conroy smiled as they started a quiet conversation.

  Mia said, “Uh…what was that?”

  “What?” Conroy shrugged. “Wilcox fixed the tea machine this morning but that’s not the point, is it?”

  “You’re a romantic.”

  He had no time to answer.

  The front door to the police station burst open. Men in black masks with handguns, some with rifles, poured in the door.

  Kaylee screamed. One of them fired and an officer across the bull pen screamed. The man fell, blood spraying behind him.

  Conroy hit the ground. Mia right beside him.

  He twisted to see Ted and Jess in the break room, through the glass. He waved them off and pulled his gun.

  A shotgun ratcheted.

  “Any of you guys decide to play hero, things are going to get real ugly real fast.”

  Twenty-six

  Mia’s senses crystalized. She shifted up against whoever’s desk drawers these were, enough to peek over the top. A split second was all she needed.

  Down. She twisted to Conroy and help up four fingers. Then two, which she motioned left with. The other two she motioned right.

  He nodded.

  Mia turned back. Looked again. Her mind debated procedure versus the potential loss of life. Rules were meant to minimize casualties, but bad guys didn’t often do as they were supposed to. Logic went out the window when a person was running on adrenaline. Desperate.

  A fifth man.

  She saw the guy by the door, over the reception counter. It was his eyes that broadcast what he was about to do. She’d seen it before; the intention to take someone’s life.

  Kaylee.

  The man lowered his gun to angle down, over the counter. He could see her even though Kaylee was desperately trying to hide. Mia saw him close one eye and shift his finger to the trigger.

  She planted her elbows on the desk and fired.

  The man fell back. Dead, in the waiting area.

  She ducked back down, Conroy grabbing her as she moved. Motion erupted in the room. Gunshots went off.

  Three planted themselves in the desk above her head. Someone cried out, and then whimpered. Scared, not in pain.

  Sorry.

  She needed to make sure the person who’d been shot when they first came in was all right. She didn’t like not being able to help them.

  Conroy still had a handful of her shirt sleeve in his grip. She turned to him and mouthed, Kaylee.

  Conroy shifted forward and pressed a quick, hard kiss on her lips. “You go that way,” he whispered, pointing back over his shoulder. “I’ll go that way.” He pointed ahead of himself.

  That meant they had to shift around each other. It also meant he’d be the one more greatly exposed as he headed for the two gunmen on the left, while she went for the other two in an area with plenty of cover.

  Mia was about to argue when he pressed another kiss to her lips. “Copy?”

  She nodded.
He had switched back to business mode now. She saw it in his eyes. Save his people, take these guys out. Don’t lose anyone. Else.

  She scrambled across the floor, rounded the desk, and at the front corner, peeked around. Her two guys stood with their guns aimed.

  Waiting for someone to pop up from behind a desk—like that carnival game—so they could pick them off.

  She studied her two. Grunts. Not the boss, the one with the shotgun Conroy insisted on taking care of personally. She understood that. This was his house, and these people were under his protection.

  Jeans. One had cargo pants. Heavy coat. Leather jacket… that coat. She felt a tiny niggle of familiarity. They had wool masks over their faces here, but the bigger one? Mia had seen that spider web neck tattoo before. Though she could only see a tiny portion of it now, she was pretty sure that it was the same one.

  Had she been with Meena when she’d seen this guy once before? She honestly didn’t remember.

  “Get the phone!”

  Someone moved. Fast.

  The two on her side stayed put. Covering the room.

  Mia could hear Kaylee’s short, sharp breaths but couldn’t get to her from where she was to ask if she was all right. Whoever had been hit initially was whimpering again.

  The partner with spider web guy seemed to find that distress amusing. His eyes were the eyes of a killer. Crazy. Someone who got a rush out of putting fear in people. Watching fright play out across their faces while he hurt them. Spider web guy didn’t appear to be anything but cold to it all.

  What was Conroy doing? She figured he had a plan, but maybe he was just watching and waiting like she was. Would he pop up all of a sudden? If he did that, then they could both open fire. Take these guys out.

  She realized crazy guy had disappeared. Mia shifted to get a look and heard a voice.

  “Well, well, well.”

  She froze.

  A gun barrel pressed against her spine. “Stand up.”

  Crazy guy had a gun pointed right at her. No chance he’d miss. He could end her life with one squeeze of his trigger.

  Mia forced her legs to hold her weight as she rose, locking her knees as she straightened.

  “Now hand over that gun.”

  The one in her hand? No way. No cop would willingly hand over their weapon. “I’m putting it away.”

  “I said, ‘hand it over.’” He shoved at her with the barrel.

  She winced. “I’m not giving it to you.”

  The phrase, “over my dead body” entered her mind, but she figured if she said it aloud, he just might take her up on the offer.

  Given the fact Conroy had just kissed her, for real again, Mia didn’t want to chance dying here. For the first time in her life, she thought she just might have something to live for.

  And that changed everything.

  Mia holstered the gun. The guy behind her grabbed for it. She snatched up his wrist and spun, figuring at least she could plant a hand on his chest and shove. Before she got shot.

  He pressed the gun to her chest.

  Mia held her breath.

  Spider web guy said, “Stop screwing around, bruh.”

  Crazy-eyed guy laughed like this whole thing was hilarious to him.

  “There’s a person hurt back there.” She pointed to the corner of the room. “I need to go check on them.”

  “What I want,” he said, “is something entirely different.”

  He moved to grab her, but she stepped back. Her thigh slammed into the corner of the desk and she winced. No way would she whimper. A guy like this wasn’t going to get that from her.

  She gritted her teeth together.

  “Seriously, bruh.” Spider web guy grabbed her elbow and pulled her away from crazy guy.

  Her gun was holstered, but the snap was still open. She could pull it out at any time. Squeeze the trigger and blow these guys away.

  Crazy guy would go down in a hail of fire. This guy with the spider web tattoo would find a different ending. Or so he seemed intent on doing so. Smarter, somehow.

  “I wanna use a cop gun.” Crazy guy was whining now.

  Spider web guy shook his head. “Give it up. And keep watch like we’re supposed to do.”

  “I could just off all these cops. We get the phone and get out. Boom. Done.”

  Mia scanned the room for Conroy, trying to figure out where he’d gone. To get the phone before these two hoodlums could?

  “Too much heat,” spider guy said. “Not a good idea.”

  Across the room she could see the tech—Ted, she thought his name was—and the officer whose grandfather was the chief. Ridgeman. Both very young, probably inexperienced with real hostage situations. They huddled together in the break room.

  She decided to engage the gunmen. Keep them somewhat distracted. “What phone?” she asked. “Why do you guys need a phone?”

  “Kill that guy who killed our friend,” crazy guy said. “Sneak up behind him…”

  She felt a gun press against her back again.

  “…bang, he’s dead.”

  He laughed and stepped away. He went to another officer, an older man, and kicked him in the ribs. Mia wondered whether Basuto and his partner, or Wilcox, knew what was happening.

  Conroy.

  He hadn’t left her alone. That wasn’t what was going on here, and she couldn’t let her fear convince her that he’d kissed her and then abandoned her. If he had gone somewhere else to do something else, then it was all about respect. He trusted her to take care of herself.

  Only, she’d always thought that if you cared about someone, then you fought to protect them instead of letting them take care of themselves. Just because they could take care of themselves didn’t mean they should be left unprotected. Regardless of how capable someone was, you looked out for the people in your life.

  The way Conroy had done even after Mara dumped him.

  It hadn’t saved her life. But it had been the right thing to do. Even if he’d given up in the end. Even if he believed that he’d caused the accident.

  Spider web guy tugged her toward the door. She took two steps.

  A gunshot rang out from the back hallway.

  Mia stumbled. Her whole body tensed, and she yanked her arm out of spider web guy’s grip. She gasped. “Conroy.”

  Two men came out of the hall. Conroy was not one of them. The front guy held up a phone in his hand.

  “Great.” Spider web guy said, “Let’s go.”

  “Good idea.” Mia stepped behind him, away from crazy guy. “You got what you wanted. Now it’s time to leave.” She saw the look on crazy guy’s face. “Before something is done that cannot be undone.”

  Assuming they hadn’t already killed more than one person.

  Conroy. She wanted to whimper.

  Crazy guy got close. “Sure you don’t wanna go for a ride?”

  “You get that I’m a federal agent, right?” When he said nothing, she said, “I’m also Meena Tathers’ sister. Which means there’s nothing you have that I want. Less than nothing, actually.” She wanted to fold her arms, to further make her point, but that put her hand too far from her holstered gun.

  “Hold up.”

  One of the men grabbed the phone from the man holding it. He looked at the phone. Her dad’s phone.

  “This isn’t the one.”

  The man who’d held the phone walked right up to her. He grabbed her throat with one meaty hand. “You tryin’ to play us?”

  She couldn’t even breathe to reply. Just shook her head the tiny bit she was able to move it. Someone took the gun from her holster, and she heard crazy guy snicker.

  This wasn’t good.

  The man holding her throat yanked on it. Hard. He hauled her past the desk, where she stumbled and landed on her hands and knees on the thin carpet.

  He kicked her side.

  Mia rolled over, teeth gritted. Better to do that than bite her tongue. Or cry out. They weren’t going to get that out of her.
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  “Get me that phone.”

  She used the desk to aid her in standing. “Garrett’s phone?”

  He said nothing.

  “So you can find Stiles and kill him?” She waited, then said, “Sure. Why would I stop you? Save us all some time.”

  Plus it was the fastest route to getting these gunmen out of the police department. Before the officers probably collecting outside even now could bust in and start another gunfight. Enough blood had already been shed here.

  She led them to the side hall. The tech’s office was past the bathroom. As soon as she walked into the room and saw the phone on Ted’s desk, a rush of relief washed over her and she leaned over to scoop it up.

  “Let’s go. You’re coming with us.”

  She spun around, the phone in her hand. Where on earth was Conroy? “I’m not going with you.”

  She held out the phone.

  Everyone else was in the hallway, except the guy who seemed to be in charge; he was with her in the tech’s office.

  She said, “Take it.”

  “Yeah, no.” He grabbed her wrist and dragged her back into the hall, forcing her to brush past crazy guy on the way out.

  She pressed her lips together, feeling his hands places they should not be.

  The group moved to the exit door.

  She said, “You don’t need me.”

  “Not what I heard,” he said. “Which is that you’re the trade he’ll accept. We find him. This guy gets you. He leaves town.”

  “Or so he thinks.” Crazy guy grinned.

  “Then probably one of your people shouldn’t have kidnapped my father.”

  The leader guy said, “Rich is there? Nice guy, your dad. Shame he probably won’t make it.”

  She whipped around, about to speak, when he said, “This guy gets you, he doesn’t need your dad anymore, does he now?”

  Stiles was going to kill her.

  And her father.

  Conroy rounded the corner at the end of the hall, gun up. Sweat. Blood. “Let her go!”