Or Raphael, who was behind bars and probably would spend the rest of his life there.
He would do better, because he was more deserving than the rest of them.
His reward was right in front of his eyes, every day.
There was no more doubt that Lilly would want to stay. He’d be able to start his legacy with a wife and children of his own—and the biggest lever in the game, Jennifer Beaumont’s elusive work. That could go either way, give it to the brothers, or the police…He’d bide his time, listen and find out who wanted it more, and what they could give him for it.
* * * *
It was in an uneasy mood that Jordan and Bethany returned from the compound. They’d been met with the usual suspicious looks, men having their—legally bought—guns on display. It was unnerving to think that they were trying to get their hands on many more, in sales that they thought couldn’t be traced.
Daniel Deane had been rather calm and stoic when they told him the news. They didn’t get to see Seth’s widow as women and children once again remained hidden from sight.
Thinking of them made Jordan feel sick, too many unwanted reminders that came with that. Of Ellie’s abduction, of Darby’s basement. Those women might not be in immediate mortal danger, most of them, anyway, but they were trapped nonetheless, no way out. For the children, they’d grow up with a harsh distinction when it came to the rights and tasks of boys and girls. They wouldn’t know anything else…unless they managed to do more than stop a few of the brothers’ sons. If they could stop them all.
She could understand why Bethany took the risks she did. Darby was serving a lifelong prison sentence. They could bring down the brothers as well, and send a message to every group that might want to start something similar.
“He’s going to sue, isn’t he?” she said out loud.
“I’m sure,” Bethany said grimly. “The department, the FBI—I’m sure his lawyers are coordinating strategy right now, but they won’t go far. He was shooting at cops, refusing to drop his weapon. There is no way this could have gone any differently. I hear Harding kept her cool under fire. I can kind of understand why you like her.”
Jordan shook her head. “Not the moment.”
At a red light, Bethany laid a hand on her arm. “It will be okay. There’s nothing she needs to worry about.”
“Except one thing.”
Bethany didn’t argue. Jordan was lucky she’d never had to shoot to kill, but she’d come close, and she’d known colleagues who had to cross that line.
No matter how justified her actions were, this would be hard on Ellie.
* * * *
Ellie had a conversation with Sergeant Bristol which assured her even more that she’d done the necessary, if not easy thing. It seemed trivial in comparison, and so she had almost forgotten about Jack Smith and his connection to Sheila Irwin’s ex-husband. However, the robbery had presented a substantial threat to her person and business. Ellie didn’t want to fail her even on a day like this, so she went to see Esposito once more.
“Those are interesting findings,” the A.D.A. said, “but certainly not enough to arrest him. Why don’t you have a detective look into that, dig some more into his company? I think you should have done that a while ago, no offense.”
“None taken. You’re right. Thanks.”
On her way out, she ran into Kate for the first time today after the shooting. Her friend enveloped her into a spontaneous hug. Ellie could guess what was going through Kate’s mind right now.
“I’m okay,” she said. “He didn’t get that close.”
Kate stepped back, looking self-conscious. “That’s what I heard. Wow, I’m sorry. I just…”
“I know. It’s okay,” Ellie assured her. “I think Jordan will be here a little while longer, but I could really use a drink. What about you? Is the D&T okay?”
It seemed like the D&T would be their replacement hangout for now. Owned by a gay couple, it had a somewhat mixed audience on any given night.
“Sure,” Kate said without hesitation. “They have the best happy hour in town.”
Having opened only a few months ago, they already had an excellent reputation.
“Okay, that’s settled then.”
Ellie sent Jordan a text to let her know where to find them in case she wanted to join them later. Half an hour afterwards, she and Kate sat at the bar, both with tall glasses decorated with umbrellas in front of them.
“That was really cute,” Kate said, referring to Darla’s baby. “It’s cool that she named him after Jordan.”
“Yeah. But you only came in after I changed the diaper.”
“Obviously you were successful.” Kate laughed. “So, have you and Jordan talked about—”
“Come on!”
“I mean the housing situation.”
Ellie shook her head. “Come to think of it, we did talk about children once. It’s still an option, but this year, we have so many other things on our plate. I don’t want to take the exam just to see if I can do it—I want a few more years on the job before we go there.”
“Sounds like you’ve given it some thought.” Kate sounded wistful.
“What about you?” Ellie asked.
“Absolutely no. For me, that falls into the same category, marriage, kids, making plans that never come true. I enjoy life the way it is, more than ever before. If you stop investing so much, it takes a weight off.”
Like the last time they’d had this conversation, Ellie disagreed, but she figured neither of them really knew better. She just knew what felt right.
“Derek feels the same about it?”
“He’s not trying to persuade me, and I appreciate that. Oh look,” Kate said as she turned to the entrance. “Now that’s interesting.”
Ellie followed her gaze and quickly picked up her glass, taking a sip.
“None of my business—or yours.” She couldn’t help but cast another glance at Bethany Roberts who had come in with another woman. Ellie suppressed a sigh. Bethany did have a type, not that she could blame her.
Come to think of it, those were rather trivial musings given the situation she’d found herself in earlier today. Ellie didn’t want to think about it. Tomorrow, they’d have the ballistics report, and she was certain it would confirm the bullet had come from her gun. She’d have to go through the motions, but she had little doubt she’d be cleared—why didn’t she feel more relieved?
“I’ll have another one,” she said, lifting her glass. “You?”
“Sure.”
Ellie was halfway through her second when Jordan entered the bar. She stopped briefly by Bethany’s table, and they exchanged a few words, before Jordan joined them at the bar.
“Hey, I see you already got started. Would you like to share an appetizer? I don’t know that those peanuts are going to carry me through to tomorrow morning.”
“I’m so glad you’re here. I love you,” Ellie said. Oops. All she’d meant to say was, hi, and of course I’ll share something with you. Come to think of it, she and Kate had started on an empty stomach. But there was always a reason, wasn’t there?
They decided on a plate of nachos, a portion for two that was more than big enough for three.
“How are you doing?” Jordan asked.
Ellie shrugged. “Right now? Pretty good. I don’t know about tomorrow, but I figure it will be okay.”
“Bethany and I had a chat with Derek’s CI earlier. That gun Seth Deane used was unregistered, probably one of the sales he was talking about.”
Ellie frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. They are so secretive, according to the FBI, and now they keep screwing up . He comes after her in broad daylight, with a gun from a shady sale they are trying to hide?”
Jordan shrugged. “Daddy Deane is not happy. I got the impression that had less to do with one of his sons being dead, and more with the fact that he made them look bad—well, worse than the usual.”
“So we’re no closer to finding whether or
not they told Raphael to kill Jennifer, or if it was his own plan all along. Frankly, I’d prefer to know he’s locked away forever, and that’s it. Girls, would you mind if we quit the shop talk for a little while?”
“No objection from me,” Jordan said with a questioning look to Ellie. She picked up Ellie’s glass, took a sip and told the bartender, “I’ll have what she’s having.”
For some reason, that made her crack up and come dangerously close to crying…but everything would be okay. It had to be.
* * * *
Lilly had tried for most of the day to comfort a grief-stricken Mary Ellen, with little success. She had even skipped some of her chores for that. Mary Ellen, in a desperate situation with no income, four children and a fifth on the way, was relieved from hers for the day.
He’d been watching them, once again thinking how stupid they were, Seth, Nathan, Raphael, getting imprisoned, killed, or dancing on the edge of either one.
He knew what he had to do, and that he had to be patient to get it. They were laughing at him because he never wanted to come with them to the bar, meet random women. He knew they were making fun of him behind his back, wondering out loud if he might still be a virgin.
Sometime soon, he would earn the brothers’ trust, and show everyone that he was a true soldier who could carry on the way of the Prophets.
* * * *
Jordan wasn’t surprised to find Ellie crying when she returned from the bathroom at Kate and Ellie’s apartment, ready to turn in for the night. She curled up beside her, holding her tight, aware that there weren’t any words who would make Ellie’s worries vanish into thin air. They had to wait it out, adjust to the new situation. It was a good thing they had both become pretty good at that.
Ellie’s reaction wasn’t just because of highly unlikely consequences. Today could have turned out to become so much worse.
Maybe, she pondered when Ellie had long fallen asleep beside her, she had been wrong to brush off Kathryn as she did. The Kathryn of the present anyway, maybe she did deserve more of Jordan’s consideration, and words. She might see her again, if only to find out if she’d used the money for medication, or something else. She wanted to be sure before she invested too much in that relationship—it hadn’t turned out so well for her the first time.
She shifted her thoughts back to the job. Fortunately, they had managed to bring in Mac and let him go without fanfare, and they were a little closer to tying the Prophets to the gun purchases.
Now, Lilah Strickland had to make contact. If that worked out, they might even find the elusive book.
* * * *
The next morning brought a roller coaster of emotions for Ellie. As it turned out, the bullet that killed Seth Deane, didn’t come from her gun, but that of a member from another unit backing them up that day. After trying to come to terms with the possibility, this news threw her off for reasons she couldn’t explain to herself.
“Be glad,” Casey advised. She was still sporting a bandaid on her temple from the pieces of brick that had hit her face. “It’s a lot less paperwork for you that way.”
“Do you think I did everything right?” Ellie asked, feeling self-conscious and at the same time, strangely detached. “You still got hurt.”
“Come on, don’t go there. It’s a scratch. It’s a lot less than it would have been if he’d gotten to us. We, you were lucky that the guys moved in at the same time—otherwise it would be you with all that paperwork.”
“What if I couldn’t do it? What if I had choked?”
“You didn’t. You made the right call. Come on, Ellie, you’re a good cop. If you don’t believe me, ask Jordan—or the woman you rescued from her neighbor’s basement. Should I go on?”
“Please, don’t. I get it. It’s just…odd. I was almost getting used to the idea, and I’m not sure what that makes me.”
“Someone who wants to stay alive. Someone who wants their partner to stay alive. That’s a good person in my book.” Casey was well aware of Ellie’s emotional state, because she added, “If you’re looking for something to make you feel better, stop at the new coffee shop on Third Avenue. If you’d like to make me feel better, you can pay.”
Unwittingly, Ellie had to laugh. “That’s easy.”
“Told you.” More serious, Casey added, “You did everything right. If I remember correctly, Bristol told you too. I’m grateful we’re not in that kind of situation every day, but you did good yesterday. Let it go.”
“I’m trying.” Ellie guessed that for today, it was the best she could do.
* * * *
Jordan didn’t know what had possessed her to drive by the trailer park that evening after a largely uneventful day—something everyone was grateful for after the shootout with Seth Deane. Everyone went about their job, and there was no news from the family or Bethany.
She was asking for trouble.
When she walked up to Jim and Kathryn’s trailer, she was struck by the changes since she’d last been here. A fresh coat of paint. A small table with two chairs that looked like they, too, had been painted. A freaking flower box.
Had she been too harsh and quick in her judgment? If that was the case, who could blame her? Expecting the worst had usually served her well.
“Hey. Jordan. It’s good to see you here. I made coffee. You want some?”
“No thanks, I won’t stay long.”
Jim Larson’s face fell a bit, but he caught himself quickly.
“Is Kathryn here?” She couldn’t let herself be lured into this polite, friendly exchange, the pretense that nothing bad ever happened. Still, Jordan had to wonder whether she would have been better off thinking that Jim was her father rather than the career criminal TJ Pratt.
“No, she went out to see a friend. Would you like to wait?” he asked even though she’d just expressed her visit would be a short one.
“I don’t have that much time. If you could tell her I stopped by…?”
“Sure.”
“Would you mind if I used the bathroom?”
“No, of course not. Come on in.”
Stepping inside, Jordan was immediately hit with the feel of claustrophobia. The smell of air freshener couldn’t offset the memories. The last time she’d been in here, there had been no time for that kind of sentimentality, as TJ had been holding Kathryn hostage. Now, she was spooked, by Kathryn and Jim’s attempts to turn this place into an actual home, decades too late, by what lingered under the surface.
She locked herself in the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet, looking through the different bottles of medication. Something to counter high blood pressure, pain meds, and surprisingly, anti-depression. Some that she didn’t recognize.
All together, they would cost quite a bit—so Kathryn had told the truth. Maybe that was what she had needed, to test her, to find out if the tiniest bit of trust wasn’t misplaced as it had been most of the time. Jordan leaned back against the door, taking in the clean room, again, the smell of air freshener, and a scented candle. She didn’t know what to make of it, or how to feel about it.
When she stepped outside, Jim stood at the small kitchen counter, filling his coffee cup.
“Are you sure you don’t want one?”
“Absolutely.” She was about to leave, then turned around, opened her wallet and took out a fifty. “Could you give this to Kathryn? Thank you.”
She didn’t stop to explain to a stunned Jim Larson, already feeling caught in a trap she had built for herself.
Adding to that, there was a sense of guilt creeping in, for potentially betraying Jack and Pauline who had given her a family when her own parents were incapable of taking care of her. Irrational, maybe, but she couldn’t help it. When it came to holding on for all the wrong reasons, she had some dubious skills…but everything was changing. Ellie in her life was changing everything.
Chapter Ten
Ellie spent most of her afternoon dealing with a car accident—a hit and run, in which fortunately no one g
ot hurt—and a small fire that was set by a drunk neighbor who confessed on scene. The last call came from a woman whose boyfriend had pulled a knife on her out of the blue. Like the amateur arsonist, he was drunk, but showing a lot less remorse. She had to jump aside, or he would have spat on her.
“Precious,” Casey said as they put the cuffs on him. “Makes me want to go back to the coffee shop.”
“I can’t. I have plans.” Ellie didn’t want to go into details as they were still on the job, but she was looking forward to the spontaneous invitation and a dinner with Jordan and the couple she considered her real parents, the ones who had shown up for her.
Jack and Pauline were kind and easygoing people, and Ellie felt comfortable with them. They were also fairly interested in grandchildren. Who knew? She and Jordan might make that decision.
Casey had brought their charge to the car, while Ellie assured herself that the woman, a college student named Beth Jeffries, was all right.
“He didn’t hurt me, thank God,” she said, shuddering. “You arrived at the right time. I hope he’s not going to get out so soon.”
“Did he do anything like that before?”
Beth shrugged. “He gets a little intense when he drinks—but he never freaked out like that before. Something he saw on the news, I think. This is it. I’m going to change the locks on him.”
Ellie didn’t blame her, though she hoped this was really the last time either of them had to deal with him—given the circumstances, he might be out not long from now, if no malicious intent could be proven. She wondered about Lilah Strickland, risking everything to prove that the Prophets weren’t all that holy, but dangerous criminals and abusers instead.
“Is there someone you could call to come over, or stay with tonight?”
“Yes…I think I’m going to call my friend. He’s really staying in jail overnight?”
“Yes, you don’t have to worry about that. You can call that friend now? I can wait.”
That earned her a small smile. “Thank you. I didn’t know you guys did all that.”
Initiations (Carpenter/Harding Book 5) Page 10