Daylight Robbery (An Aspen Falls Novel)

by Melissa Pearl

  A loud buzz sounded and her cell door clicked open. She gaped at the bars, wondering how in the hell she could lock them again. It seemed ironic that she felt safer in the jail cell, but who knew what the violent police officer had planned for her? She could only imagine.

  Tears scorched her throat, making it swell. Her heart beat out of time as footsteps charged through the doorway. The attacking officer skidded to a stop by her cell. He was tall, but not too broad. The blue hat was pulled down close to his eyes and his head was tipped forward, obscuring his face.

  Was that some type of scare tactic?

  She curled her fingers into fists, knowing she’d have no choice but to fight. She didn’t want to, though. She wanted to cower. She wanted Chief Marks to rush in with his commanding voice and make this policeman stop!

  It wasn’t until the man looked up and shouted at her, “Let’s go!” that everything suddenly made sense.

  “John?” She jumped from her spot and ran toward him.

  Where had he gotten a police uniform from?

  He snatched her arm and roughly yanked her out of the cell. His grip was tight and painful, his speed making her trip. She righted herself just in time to be propelled into someone else’s chest.

  She glanced up with a gasp, staring in shock at the masked person against her.

  “Glad you’re okay,” he muttered, running his hand down her back before pushing her toward the exit.

  JJ.

  Relief flooded her, but that feeling was quickly overtaken by the horror of what had just happened.

  She glanced over her shoulder, her insides trembling as she caught sight of the downed officer.

  “You killed him,” she whispered to John. “You shot a cop!”

  “Shut up,” he barked. “I didn’t kill him!” Grabbing her other side, he forced her to the exit just as the internal door flew open and Officer Moss appeared with his gun raised.

  “Freeze!” he shouted.

  John fired another shot, catching the black man’s shoulder. He grunted and fell against the doorjamb as JJ pulled something from his pocket. Using his teeth, he wrenched out the metal clip, then hurled it through the open doorway.

  Smashing glass and shouts came from farther inside the building.

  Someone screamed.

  Boots were pounding on the floor. Skids. Shouts.

  Chaos.

  A shot rang out near her right.

  Leah yelped and jumped for the exit as smoke filled the corridor.

  “Run!” JJ shouted, shoving her out the door. She hit the concrete and was about to start sprinting when JJ grabbed her hand and yanked her toward a waiting police car.

  “Get in the back,” John hollered, running around to the front and jumping behind the wheel.

  Tires squealed as they shot out of the parking lot and swerved onto the street, narrowly missing a blue pickup truck.

  Leah slumped into the back, ducking her head as they raced out of Aspen Falls.

  JJ pulled off his black ski mask and grinned down at her. “You’re free.”

  She gave him a quaking smile, then turned her head away. Her entire body was trembling as an earthquake tore through her center.

  Freedom? Was it really?

  Pushing down on the aching lump in her stomach, she tried not to think ahead to the consequences she would face on the farm.

  And she tried not to think back to the kind chief who’d said he wanted to help her.

  17

  Wednesday, September 26th

  5:35pm

  Kellan burst out of his office and stumbled down the stairs.

  He raced after Ollie, skidding to a horrified halt as another gunshot rang out and Ollie fell back against the doorjamb. He slid down the edge, clutching his shoulder.

  Kellan was about to sprint down and assist him when glass smashed to his left.

  An officer screamed as a grenade flew through the window.

  Melina!

  Kellan swung around, spotting her as she rushed down the stairs. Without a second thought he sprinted toward her, shouting, “Get down!”

  He reached her just as he heard the clink of metal touching the floor. Hugging her against him, he fell to the ground and covered her with his body.

  More glass smashed behind them.

  Melina screamed and curled beneath him. He spread his hands over her hair and dared to glance into the station.

  Not grenades.

  Smoke bombs.

  Toxic fumes plumed into the station as fire alarms started screeching.

  “Shut your eyes,” Kellan ordered. “Cover your mouth and nose with your hand. I’m going to push you back toward the wall. As soon as you feel it hit your back, crawl to the right and hide beneath the desk. Got it?”

  She nodded and he immediately shunted her back. He hoped he hadn’t been too rough, but her survival was more important than a couple of bruises. He squinted through the smoke to watch her crawl beneath the desk. His eyes were already burning, and he had to stumble his way through what felt like a war zone in order to get to the fire extinguishers.

  Smoke filtered into his lungs, making him cough and hack.

  He covered his mouth with his arm, trailing his other hand along the wall until he reached the extinguisher beside the kitchen. Yanking it free, he quickly pulled the clip and sought out the bombs.

  It wasn’t until he was spraying the first one into submission that he noted the lack of breaking glass and gunfire.

  The battle had obviously ended.

  Fast and swift…but just how devastating?

  “Call the fire department,” he shouted, his throat raspy and sore as he ran to the next bomb and started dousing it. Courtney was already on top of the smoke bomb in the corridor while two other officers emerged from beneath their desks.

  “They’re already on their way, sir!” Steph called from her dispatch office.

  Kellan used up the last of his powder on the smoke bomb and called Courtney over to finish it off for him.

  “Yes, sir.” She rushed past him, obviously out of breath and shaken.

  He stumbled down the corridor, still hacking into his arm as he made his way to Ollie. Dropping to his knees by the officer’s side, he quickly inspected the wound. It was nasty and bleeding profusely. Blood was oozing between Ollie’s fingers as he tried to staunch the flow.

  “Two guys. One in a mask. The other was dressed like a cop. Was wearing his hat low over his eyes, so I didn’t get a good look at his face.” Ollie hissed, his skin pale as he gritted his teeth against the pain. “They took—”

  “It’s okay. Just relax, we’ll get the details soon.” Kellan turned to shout over his shoulder. “We need a medic!”

  “The ambulance is on its way!” Steph called back.

  Footsteps rushed up behind him, and he glanced over his shoulder to spot Melina. She looked a little worse for wear, but her gaze was bright and steady. Adrenaline was no doubt pumping through her veins and making her more than capable. The crash would come later, but right now he needed her.

  “We have to get pressure on this wound.” He pointed behind him, to his left. “There’s a medical kit in that storeroom. Second shelf on the right. Get some pressure bandages.”

  She shoved the door open and disappeared inside.

  “Mick!” Kellan called into the booking room.

  The silent response unnerved him.

  Ollie sucked in a ragged breath. Kellan saw the stark question in his eyes and didn’t want to be thinking the same thing.

  Had they killed Mick?

  Melina rushed back out of the storage room and dropped down beside him.

  “Here.” Her voice and hands were shaking as she pulled open bandages and handed them to him. He pressed one over the wound, and Ollie couldn’t hold back a short cry.

  “Sorry, Moss, but we’ve got to stop that bleeding.”

  Ollie’s wide nostrils flared and he nodded.

  “Take this.” Kellan moved aside so Melin
a could take over for him.

  She placed her hand over the bandage and started talking softly to Ollie. Her soothing voice would only be a balm, but Kellan was grateful for it as he jumped over Ollie and went to check on Mick.

  Rushing into the booking room, he spotted Mick right away. He was lying on the floor like a dead man.

  “Mick,” Kellan rasped, bolting over to check on his officer.

  The man had a nasty wound on his temple that was already starting to purple around the edges. The blood was minimal, but the fact that Mick was out cold couldn’t be a good sign.

  He quickly checked for a pulse and sagged with relief when he felt one. Leaning his cheek against Mick’s mouth, he felt the soft tickle of air and closed his eyes.

  “Thank God,” he murmured.

  Not wanting to move the man in case he had some kind of spinal or neck injury, he looked him over and tried to find the source of the blood. He quickly deduced that it was coming from the wounded arm tucked beneath him. Hopefully his body weight was working as a pressure bandage. Although the arm was at a funny angle and no doubt uncomfortable, Kellan chose not to move him until the paramedics arrived. He didn’t want to do anything to make the injury worse.

  “Hang in there, buddy,” he murmured. “Help’s on its way.”

  As soon as Mick was checked off, he stood and stepped through the archway into the holding cell area.

  “Leah?” If the girl had been scared before, she was no doubt petrified now.

  Or gone altogether.

  He jerked to a stop as he gazed into the empty cell, and everything suddenly clicked into place.

  Of course.

  It was a jailbreak.

  He’d been too caught up in the chaos to think it through, but now that he had space to breathe, it was so freaking obvious.

  Leah’s crew had busted in to get her out.

  So who the hell were they?

  And how important was she for them to risk so much to get her back?

  18

  Wednesday, September 26th

  5:50pm

  The stolen police car skidded to a stop on an isolated, dusty road fifteen minutes out of town. John pulled into an abandoned field and quickly ordered Leah out.

  She slammed the door behind her, still shaking, and JJ grabbed her hand, rushing her toward the white van that was parked and waiting.

  The van that had brought her to Aspen Falls in the first place.

  The van with her family inside.

  Her gut pinched as she ran toward it. The Pete’s Paint signs had been ripped off and replaced with insect control stickers, and the plates had been changed. JJ slid the back door open, pushed her inside, then ran around to jump into the driver’s seat. John hopped into the front beside him and quickly barked, “Move it!”

  JJ accelerated away, no doubt tearing up the grass beneath them as they shot back onto the road. Leah was jostled on the hard seat, losing her balance and crashing against Cricket.

  His arm came around her, his skinny fingers gripping her tightly as he kissed the top of her head. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  She glanced up and tried to smile but it didn’t work.

  All she wanted to do was cry.

  She blinked to staunch the onset of tears and gazed around at the others in the van.

  Rook and Ronan—“the twins”—were silently staring at her. They weren’t really twins. One was of Mexican descent and the other was lily white with blue eyes too big for his face. They were best friends and a fast team—inseparable.

  And then there was Dee. Her green eyes were narrowed, and the permanent scowl on her face was even more prominent than usual. She was pissed that Leah had made them risk so much. This family was everything to her, and she wasn’t going to be shy about letting Leah know that.

  Leah turned away from the redheaded firecracker and kept her eyes trained on the metal wall of the van.

  “You okay?” JJ shouted from the front. “Did they hurt you?”

  “Shut up and drive,” John growled. “And slow the hell down. We’re not escaping from anything. We’re just driving home from work, dammit.”

  The van slowed, but the tension in the van remained tight and oppressive.

  Leah’s emotions boiled. She wasn’t sure what she felt like doing. So many feelings raced through her, like a swarm of fighting bees. Should she be terrified by what was to come? Disappointed at being pulled away from that delicious pizza and the man with the kind eyes? Or should she be mad at what John had done in that police station?

  Robin was wrong.

  The cops weren’t brutal.

  John was.

  John was the one who’d brought the violence. The terror.

  “You shot a cop, John!” she suddenly shouted. “You shot two!”

  The sliding black window from the front whipped open and his livid face appeared in the gap. Spittle lined his bottom lip as he yelled at her. “Something I wouldn’t have had to do if you hadn’t fucked up on the job!” He spun back around, huffing like a rhino. “Shit, JJ, pull the hell over. You’ve sped up again. You want us to get busted for speeding? You drive like shit!”

  Without a word, JJ pulled over and John ordered him into the back.

  Apart from the slam of doors and the shuffle of JJ’s feet, the van was deathly quiet. They all knew why John was so pissed. Robin was going to blame him for Leah’s screw-up. She wasn’t the only one in for a beating.

  A beating.

  She shivered and hunched over on herself.

  Cricket pulled her tighter against his side and didn’t relinquish his hold until JJ jumped into the van.

  He plunked down beside her, so close their legs were touching.

  John accelerated away and JJ angled toward Leah, lightly touching her face as he drank her in with his pale brown eyes. “You sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m fine.” She eased away from his touch, annoyed that he was waiting until they had an audience before being so nice to her. They’d had the fifteen-minute police car ride and he’d barely said a word to her, just reached for her hand and squeezed it.

  He probably felt safer in the enclosed back, where John wasn’t watching and listening to his every word.

  She glanced at the black glass that had been slid shut again, then looked around at her companions.

  They were all staring at her, no doubt trying to read her mind and figure out just what torture she’d incurred at the hands of the nasty cops.

  “It wasn’t bad.” She glanced between them. “I mean, yeah, I was scared, but they were nice to me. They gave me pizza. Real pizza, from like a store.”

  “You had real pizza?” Rook whispered, his blue eyes rounding. “What’d it taste like?”

  Leah couldn’t help a small smile. “Delicious.”

  “It was probably just a trick to get you talking or something,” Cricket muttered darkly.

  Leah swallowed, her smile disappearing.

  “It didn’t work though, right?” JJ scrutinized her.

  She shook her head and quickly lied. “Of course not. I didn’t say anything.”

  He nodded, tucked an escaped lock of black hair behind his ear, and softly nudged her—a silent good job.

  Guilt jumped in on her barrage of emotions. She didn’t usually lie to her friends, but they’d never understand. The look on Cricket’s face when she said the cops were nice said it all. He’d never believe that she’d felt safer in a jail cell than she did on the farm where Robin’s fists and a dark room waited.

  Even if he wasn’t already back from his trip, as soon as he found out what went down…

  Leah closed her eyes, wishing like hell Robin didn’t believe in delayed punishment.

  She’d never get that lucky.

  Another shudder made her twitch. JJ noticed and ran his hand lightly down her back, concern clear on his face.

  She shook her head and tried to change the subject. “Did you guys complete?” She looked between the two other teams
.

  They all nodded, and Ronan couldn’t help a small smile. “It was a good haul. In and out in eight minutes.”

  Leah raised her eyebrows, impressed. She then looked to JJ. “What was your time?”

  “Seven and a half.” His smirk was triumphant as he pumped fists with Dee.

  She seemed pretty damn pleased with herself as well. If there was an open competition between JJ and Leah, there was a silent war between her and Dee. The redhead’s main goal in life was to be better than Leah.

  Leah tried to ignore it, but Dee made it pretty damn hard.

  She looked away from the girl’s flashing green eyes.

  “So, what the hell happened to you?” Dee leaned across, lightly slapping her knee. “No one’s ever been caught before. I thought you were faster than that.”

  “She is.” JJ’s voice was adamant, and Leah appreciated him standing up for her.

  She felt his gaze on the side of her face and glanced at him. His serious expression told her what he was thinking. He knew. He knew she’d given herself up to save Cricket. She’d always been the stronger, more resilient one, and she’d do anything for her best friend.

  JJ liked that about her.

  She felt a blush forming as the look in his eye changed to outright affection. Quickly glancing at Cricket, she nudged his foot. “Hey, it was my fault. You warned me, and I didn’t move fast enough.”

  “It was an unexpected surprise,” Rook offered. “It could have happened to any of us.”

  Leah shot him a quick grin. That kid would do anything to keep the peace.

  “The main thing is you’re safe and free now,” JJ said, just like he had in the police car.

  You’re free.

  But again she found herself asking, was she?

  Leah didn’t feel safe or free as John drove them back to the farm where Robin would no doubt deal with her monumental screw-up.

  She did what she promised herself she wouldn’t do.

  She thought back to the police station.

  She relived that moment in the cell where she shared a pizza with the chief. Where she told him her name.

  She thought about the chaos that followed their peaceful conversation.