Girl Left Behind (Dana Gray Book 1)

by C. J. Cross

  Cramer’s arms came around her. One coiling around her neck, restricting her air supply, the other around her torso. Dana pivoted in his arms until their eyes met, deadlocked in a silent standoff before she made her final move. It was the only one she had left.

  Going limp, she used her full body weight to throw him off balance before stepping as hard as she could on his tender instep. Then she twisted, tucked her knees, and lifted both feet so she could kick off the nightstand.

  Everything went flying. Cramer. Dana. The gun. The drugs. Jake’s shouts were the only thing that kept Dana moving. She climbed to her feet moments before Cramer and raced toward the nightstand, but the gun was gone. Tossed somewhere in her frantic attempt to take the big man down.

  “Dana!” Jake shouted. “Forget the gun. My straps.”

  She reached his side, grabbing hold of the strap at the same time Cramer grabbed her ankle. Both yanked. Only time would tell which side fate favored.

  Dana’s eyes met Jake’s for a moment before she was ripped away, her fingernails dragging across the carpet until they tore away from her nail beds. She screamed and thrashed, making as much noise as she could. If there was anyone else in the hotel, she was making damn sure they were going to hear her. This fight was no longer just Dana’s. Cramer had brought an entire satanic cult with him. It was about time she made this a fair fight.

  Rolling on top of him, she kneed him in the crotch. It gave her time to get up, but Cramer was unstoppable. He kicked out and swept her legs. Dana went down hard, the wind rushing out of her lungs. She gasped for air, giving Cramer time to get to his feet. She scuttled backwards like a crab, but it was no use. Cramer reached down and hauled her up by her hair. Her scream was silenced as Cramer’s arms encircled her again, his forearm crushing her windpipe once more.

  Suddenly the room fell silent, except for the unmistakable click of a bullet sliding into the chamber.

  Cramer whirled toward the sound, putting Dana squarely between him and the barrel of the gun Jake now held. Dana’s eyes watered as she met Jake’s furious gaze. “Let her go,” Jake commanded.

  But Cramer had other plans. He pulled a knife from his belt and raised it to Dana’s face, pressing the cold steel just below her jaw. Her pulse rebelled against the pressure of the blade, throbbing furiously as if to say, go ahead, you can kill me, but you can’t kill what I stand for.

  Dana wished she was as brave as her defiant heartbeat, but this was not the end she’d envisioned. Even so, it was here, and she had to face it. At least this way, one of them would leave the hotel room alive.

  Dana’s eyes met Jake’s one last time. She knew she wasn’t going to survive this, but Jake still could. She took a deep breath, memorizing his face before she whispered the only thing left to do. “Take the shot.”

  49

  Jake’s voice was as rough as gravel as he growled at his former boss. “Let her go, Cramer.”

  “I am but a tool waking the world from its slumber.”

  Jake had been waiting, praying for the crazy to drain out of Cramer’s expression so he’d know his friend was still in there, but there were no traces left of the man Jake thought he knew. Cramer had dissolved into pure lunacy, ranting his satanic babble. But Jake refused to believe all was lost.

  How many times had he and Ramirez been in situations that seemed hopeless? How many times had they walked away?

  Jake’s mind jumped to that last dark moment, the one where his best friend had not walked away. With a steady breath, Jake pushed the memory away, focusing on the situation in front of him. He willed this outcome to be positive. The same way he willed away Dana’s suicidal tendencies.

  There was no way he was taking the shot. Not when Cramer was using her as a human shield. He just needed a moment to think without watching the glint of the knife pressed against Dana’s delicate flesh or listening to her silently begging him to end this as Cramer inched closer and closer toward the door.

  Even if he had a clean shot to take, death was too swift a mercy for Cramer. Despite all the evil he’d witnessed, Jake still believed in the justice system. He wanted to let the good men and women he worked with have a chance to unravel this monster for no other reason than to find out how many other victims there were. Their families deserved justice. The same justice Dana was trying to exact with her own self-sacrifice.

  Jake shut everything out, everything but Dana’s voice. Something she’d said about Ramirez drifted back to him. Maybe he’s looking down on you now, a guardian angel guiding you.

  Jake wanted so badly for that to be true. Ramirez had been his ride or die. Together, they’d faced situations much worse and always found a way to come out on the other side. Not always, his guilty conscience reminded him.

  Jake pushed away the thought, letting himself imagine for a moment that Dana was right. That Ramirez was just out of sight, waiting in the wings like always to guide Jake safely home, should he need it. If Ramirez was here, he’d help Jake come up with a plan to take down Cramer. He’d give a wink or a nod, tell some inside joke that would remind Jake of a play they’d run in Kabul or some other far corner of the world.

  That’s when it came to him. Kabul. The first time Jake had taken a bullet, courtesy of his best friend.

  He heard Ramirez’s voice as clear as day. If you can’t go around, go through.

  Without warning, Jake moved his finger from the guard to the trigger and squeezed on his exhale. Gunfire burst through the room, but Jake was unfazed by the deafening sound. He was moving as the bodies fell, but not fast enough.

  Dana hit the floor, but Cramer managed to stay on his feet. He’d been thrown into the door and from the smear of blood on it, he’d been hit, just as Jake planned. But so had Dana. That had also been an unavoidable part of his plan, but he hesitated chasing Cramer to make sure his aim was true.

  “Breathe,” he ordered, as he knelt next to her.

  She hissed when his hands reached the wound in her shoulder. It was clean. A through and through, just as he planned. Jake’s finger traced her cheek before checking her pulse at her carotid. He gazed into her wide pupils, making sure she wasn’t in shock. Surprisingly, she was holding her own.

  “You good?” he asked, gently.

  Dana nodded. “I’m fine. Don’t lose him!” she ordered once she regained her breath.

  Jake pulled her to her feet. “Stay here.”

  “Not a chance!”

  Dana probably still had enough ketamine in her system to dull the full effects of her injury. She’d feel it soon enough, but until then, the only place Jake wanted her was by his side. Grabbing a clean towel for her wound, he met her fierce gaze. “We do this together.”

  Dana nodded. “Together.”

  “Stick by my side.”

  50

  “I hit him,” Jake yelled as they ran from the hotel room following Cramer’s trail of blood.

  “Not mortally I hope,” Dana snapped.

  Jake cut his eyes at her. “You’re the one who told me to take the shot.”

  “And I’m glad you did, but if he dies, the truth about my parents dies with him.”

  Jake picked up his pace, each footstep slapping the pavement, a vow to get her answers. She was grateful and did her best to keep up with him, but her shoulder burned.

  The events of the past few hours were taking their toll. Dana cashed in her fading reserves of adrenaline as she followed Jake out of the hotel, through the parking lot and into the alley. There was nowhere to run down here. But if Dana knew that, so did Cramer. Like a rat returning to the sewer, he was coming home to die.

  The hotel Cramer had chosen for his final sacrifice was in a seedy part of the city. The urban landscape worked against him. His bloody footprints were easy to track on the concrete.

  Jake shouted codes into his phone as he called in the shooting while they raced after Cramer. She heard him request an ambulance, but she wondered who it was for. By the amount of blood on the ground, she worried Cramer wou
ld bleed out before they could get to him. That’s when Dana saw him. A dark shadow slumped against the damp brick wall. She sped up, but Jake reached a hand out, stopping her. He drew his weapon and pulled Dana behind him.

  “Thomas Cramer, you’re under arrest for the murders of James and Renee Gray …”

  Dana didn’t hear the rest of the names that followed her parents’ as Jake rattled off the list of victims this man and his brother had senselessly snuffed out in the name of some misguided religion. She was no longer hearing or seeing. Her heart was too consumed with pain as she stepped around Jake.

  Cramer was helpless now. There was nothing he could do to hurt her that he hadn’t already done. He slouched against the decrepit building in a crumpled heap, his legs sprawled out in front of him like a marionette without strings. Cramer wheezed as Dana knelt next to him to watch the life slowly drain out of his hateful eyes. With each futile pump of his heart, blood oozed from the bullet wound in his chest. “I hope it hurts like hell,” she whispered.

  “Death is but a fall into the next life.”

  “There is no life where you’re going,” she hissed, holding back the sting of tears. “You killed my parents and God knows how many innocent people.”

  “God has nothing to do with it,” he interrupted.

  “You’re right. Some evil is too much for any god to overcome. The only comfort I have is knowing that when you take your last breath, this evil you spread dies with you.”

  Cramer gave a gurgling laugh. “Do you really think I acted alone? This isn’t over. Death is just the beginning.”

  Cramer’s eyes closed and Dana fought the chill that settled deep in her bones. A hand brushed her shoulder, and she turned to meet Jake’s sympathetic gaze. Embarrassed by her brief and uncontrolled wrath, she wondered how much of her final conversation with Cramer he’d overheard.

  When Jake reached his hand out to her, there was no judgement in his eyes. She realized whatever he’d heard didn’t matter to him. That level of acceptance made her chest feel tight. She took his hand, letting his warmth wrap around her as he pulled her to her feet and into his embrace.

  “This isn’t over, is it?” she whispered into his shoulder.

  “It is for now.”

  Dana buried her face into Jake’s chest, trying to hide the angry tears burning her eyes. “But we didn’t get any answers.”

  Jake gently gripped her good shoulder, guiding her back so he could look into her eyes. The intensity she found in his gaze made her ache for all the wrong reasons. “We know more than we did yesterday. Sometimes, that’s all we get.” His fingertips softly brushed back the hair matted to her cheeks by tears and sweat. “Sometimes, that has to be enough.”

  “But it’s not. It’s not even close to enough.”

  “I know.”

  “So what do you do then?”

  Dark emotions swirled behind his turbulent blue gaze for a moment before he offered her a faint smile. “You wake up tomorrow and try again.” Jake squeezed the tension in her good shoulder. “Come on, let’s go get you patched up, partner.”

  Dana nodded, giving one last look over her shoulder at the lifeless man who’d taken so much from her. As she turned away, walking toward the flashing blue and red lights, she decided Jake was right. What they’d accomplished today would have to be enough—for now.

  She lifted her chin a little higher, knowing she’d not only rid the world of a tiny drop of evil, but she’d faced her biggest fear, and most importantly, lived to fight another day.

  51

  Dana winced as she adjusted her sling.

  The doctor told her she’d make a full recovery, but the gunshot wound still ached. Though not nearly as bad as her heart.

  Her bruises had healed, but there was a part of her that would never recover from the events of the past few weeks. The only way she’d made it this far was thanks to Jake and Claire.

  They’d both doted on her after her injury. Ghostbuster movie marathons, endless Thai takeout, and their constant hovering had nearly smothered her. And though she’d fought them every step of the way, knowing she had people in her life who she could count on meant more than she could ever say.

  Dana’s chest tightened as she watched the scene unfolding over the cartons of takeout boxes. She’d gotten used to having Jake around like this, for meals and conversation. She even enjoyed it. And it was clear Claire did too as she squealed with delight, watching Jake pucker his lips in disgust when she told him exactly what was in his dumpling.

  “Brains! You made me eat brains!”

  “Who knows, it might make you smart enough to work here one day,” Claire teased.

  Jake used his chopsticks to make an obscene gesture that made Claire laugh even harder. It was a sound Dana could get used to.

  She would miss this; the cheery way Jake filled her office. But at the same time, she was ready for her life to return to normal.

  It’d been more than two weeks since they’d taken Cramer down and solved the Romeo and Juliet murders. Endless days of meetings, depositions and statements bled together until finally the FBI was satisfied and the case was officially closed. That’s what today’s celebration dinner was about. One more meal in what had become “their place.”

  Dana looked around the lab, wondering if her library would feel different once Jake left for good. She reminded herself that’s what she wanted. Her life back. Her quiet, ordinary life. One where FBI agents didn’t pop in and drape badges and gun belts over her precious books and disrupt the natural order of things. Jake belonged in the J. Edgar Hoover Building. Dana belonged in her library.

  Even though she was eager to return to the safety of her routine, she could admit saying goodbye was harder than she’d expected. Jake Shepard had grown on her. She told herself it was just the intensity of what they’d endured working the case together that bonded them, but if she were being honest, it was more than that. At least it could be if she’d let it.

  The gruff FBI agent had somehow gotten past her defenses. And she felt like, just maybe, she’d done the same to him.

  Jake’s gaze flashed to hers, his expression a mirror of her own. Was he reluctant to see this end too? She saw a lot of herself in him. They were both flawed, but resilient, and that made her realize she was less alone in the world than she thought. Dana would always be grateful to Jake for showing her that. But the case was over. It was time to move on.

  They’d both done their jobs and defeated the enemy. There was no reason for their paths to continue to align. Again, she reminded herself, that was a good thing. What happened with Cramer was all the proof she needed. Dana didn’t belong in Jake’s world. She’d almost gotten them both killed trying to take justice into her own hands.

  Everything she’d been through on this case reaffirmed her beliefs. Dana’s place was here, at the Smithsonian. It was where she could make a difference.

  Another thing working with Jake had taught her was that her work was important. Even though she’d gotten as close as she ever would to finding out what happened to her parents, her work wasn’t finished. There was still so much in the occult world left to uncover. And Dana wasn’t the only survivor left behind with questions. She had to continue her work to get a better understanding of the occult world, to find answers to all the unexplainable phenomenon and misunderstood rituals. If she could explain them in black and white, maybe there would be less dark misinterpretation, less death and destruction.

  It was a worthy calling to dedicate her life to, and one best tackled on her own.

  Not one to prolong the inevitable, Dana cleaned up her takeout box and stood. Jake caught her movement and paused his conversation with Claire. Their eyes met, and he gave Dana a nod of understanding. Rising, he walked over to Claire and gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Take care, kid. And make sure you leave some dumplings at Thaiphoon for me.”

  Claire surprised Dana by jumping to her feet and wrapping her arms around Jake. He seemed as shocked as Dana, b
ut he recovered quickly, wrapping Claire in a tight but brief hug. Clearing his throat, he stepped back. “I’ll see ya around, Elvira.”

  Dana’s misty-eyed intern sniffled. “Stay safe, Secret Agent Man.”

  Jake winked and turned to face Dana as he grabbed his things. “Walk me out?”

  She nodded, giving one last look around her crowded office before their misfit family would disband for good.

  52

  The DC weather matched Jake’s mood—icy and bleak. It felt wrong to be walking away from this woman. But their case was over. He had no reason to stay. Well, no reasons he was willing to admit. What would be the point of telling Dana he didn’t want this to end? What would he even say? This has been fun, let’s do it again sometime? Hardly.

  But still, the idea of Dana not being in his future made it feel so pointless. Dana had been a bright spot in Jake’s otherwise murky existence. She’d burst into his life like a wrecking ball, breaking down his walls until she was under his skin. He’d hated it at first, but now … now he didn’t know how to let her go. But he had to. For both their sakes. He’d hurt or disappointed everyone he’d ever gotten close to. Dana would be no different. It was better to cut ties now before he got in too deep.

  “I have something for you.” Jake pulled a jump drive from his pocket and handed it to Dana.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s your parents’ case file.” It was actually more than that. The jump drive also contained the recent evidence the FBI had collected from Rycroft Cramer’s property, including the developed film pertaining to her parents.

  It didn’t make up for all that had been taken from Dana, but it was a small act and one she deserved.