“Their captain is corrupt. I have zero evidence to that fact. There’s also a state trooper named Jason Hart who is corrupt. I believe they have Jake and Connor, and they will kill them to protect their dirty dealings. Are you with me?” I kept my face open, knowing she needed to know this information if she was coming with me. She needed to decide now just how much she trusted me, because once we were there, I needed her to be able to act.
“Yes. But you owe one hell of an explanation when this is all over!” She was seriously questioning my sanity, but she believed me enough to go along. It didn’t hurt that she knew her brother and Connor were in danger, and I might be the only chance at saving them.
“Here’s the plan.” I laid it all out; what I expected to happen and what I needed her to do. I knew now we needed irrefutable proof that both the captain and Jason were the suppliers we’d been looking for. Since they were both well-respected cops in the area, my word against theirs wouldn’t carry any weight. That would be where Jules came into the picture. I’d need her to witness the events, and if worse came to worst, shoot the captain and Jason.
“After we receive confirmation they’re at the warehouse ...” I could see Jules wanted to interrupt to ask what I meant, but she didn’t, so I continued. “You need to call in an anonymous tip to the DEA. I’m certain the captain has a number of cops on his dirty payroll, but the DEA will respond. We need to catch them in the act.” Jules nodded, her expression fiercely resolute. There was no doubt in my mind this would end tonight. I could only hope we all survived.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The squeal of metal on metal made my skin crawl, even as I winced at the sound. It didn’t really matter, since they were expecting me. The text message had come just like I thought it would from Jake’s phone, though it obviously wasn’t Jake texting me.
My heart sped up as I walked into the dark building, my steps echoing in the emptiness. I headed directly for the door that separated me from them. In a distant part of my mind, I was awed by the accuracy of my dream. I knew I’d never stepped foot in this building before today, but my dream had painted an eerily precise representation.
When I got to the door, I paused and took a deep breath. There was no going back, and all I could hope was that our plan worked.
I slammed the door open like I owned that bitch. The reverberation of metal on metal went through the building, and I watched Jason Hart jump like the coward he was.
I strolled in, observing everything as I walked closer to them. I needed to be within fifteen feet of Jason for my plan to work. A moment of doubt struck me as I saw the gun against Connor’s head. My plan was questionable at best and completely bat-shit crazy at worst. My determination hardened when I saw Jake, his arm covered in blood and his face beat to hell and back. I felt my eyes narrow, and my expression changed to violent in that second. I could see the momentary fear cross Jason’s face, and I smiled. He should be scared.
My movements were purposeful as I crossed the room, headed straight for him. I watched as the hand with the gun twitched as he debated if he should point it at me instead. I could see Connor tense out of the corner of my eye, ready to take the chance when it was presented. Jason saw it too and shoved the gun harder into Connor’s head. I smiled because he considered me the lesser threat. Granted, I was wearing skin-tight jeans, a snug black t-shirt and a pair of glorious shit-kickers I’d borrowed from Jules that she was never getting back. I guess I didn’t look quite as intimidating as Connor, who was vibrating with rage, and obviously bigger than me.
I walked up to Jake and lightly stroked his face, “Are you okay?”
His laugh was tortured. “Are you serious? Why did you come? I was trying to protect you.”
My eyes softened, “It was always going to be this way. I love you for wanting to protect me, but never doubt I feel the exact same way about you.” My smile was soft as I brushed my lips against his head, trying to avoid the bloody and bruised places.
“Break it up. What the hell? Do you not see me holding the gun here?” Jason shouted, pissed that I didn’t seem to care that he was in charge. I caught Connor’s eye as I straightened up, giving him a wink.
“And what a lovely gun it is. Isn’t that the same one you used to kill Samuel Phillips? And shoot Connor in the back?” I asked pleasantly, whatever fear I’d held now buried under a mountain of fury.
“What do you know about that? So what if it is? It’ll be the gun that ends your life too,” he answered viciously, his belief that he would be victorious making him cocky.
“Your mistake was killing Samuel. We might never have discovered your perfect drug ring if it wasn’t for that one little mistake,” I taunted him, knowing he would start talking and that would give me the information we needed.
“I didn’t kidnap him! That fucking Marcus did. He knew Daniel would testify against him unless he stopped him. But then I saw that kid and knew he could ID me. I couldn’t let that happen. So I went back and shot him.” Jason gloated over it, as if shooting a thirteen-year-old boy was something to be proud of.
“And Ripper? Why’d you kill him?” I shifted closer to Jason, away from Connor and Jake, thereby forcing Jason to turn slightly to keep me in his line of sight. He didn’t seem to notice, already telling me about Ripper.
“He knew too much. He was there when I shot Connor who fucking didn’t die.” He prodded the back of Connor’s head with the gun at this and I saw Connor’s head bob. “But he came in useful later when he explained about you being there that night. See, I knew these two were undercover cops already, but they weren’t going to find anything out. You, however, were an unknown player, and that I couldn’t afford.” My eyes flickered to Jake in time to register the shock, and I knew he hadn’t known about his captain, not yet anyway.
“Then you kicked the bastard’s ass, and I knew he was a liability. He told me who you were, and I killed him. But you disappeared. I had guys watching your house, but you were on vacation.” His laugh was knowing. “Fucking vacation, more like fucking these two trying to get me.”
“You overestimate my appeal,” I responded with a faint smile. “Truthfully, I thought you were the head honcho. The big Kahuna. You know, the one that actually called the shots? But then I remembered you were a coward who shoots people in the back.” I watched him lunge slightly, pulling the gun toward me just a bit, but it was enough. Connor shifted, raising himself to knock the gun further away from his head as I pulled the Taser out and fired.
He jerked, his grip on the gun failing and I watched it fall to the ground as he continued to twitch with muscle spasms.
My distraction cost me though, when I felt an arm come around me and the press of a cold barrel against my temple.
“Captain!” Connor gasped, pulling himself back up from where he’d fallen when he jostled Jason’s arm. He had both arms handcuffed behind him, same as Jake, and was helpless to assist me. Their dawning horror as they realized who had betrayed them caused me physical pain. They’d trusted their captain with their lives, and he was the one they’d been after the entire time.
“I’m sorry, boys. I tried to keep you out of it, but you wouldn’t leave well enough alone. You know too much.” I heard the regret in his voice as I watched the disbelief cross their faces. “I can’t afford any loose ends. You understand?”
“It was always you, wasn’t it?” I demanded. If he was going to kill all of us, then we had the right to know everything. “I thought it was Jason, but you were the supplier.”
“Yes, have been for years. I used Jason as the front man, in case of an instance like this. It’s been a rather lucrative little ride. As you can see, abandoned state-owned buildings are rarely looked at, and I always know when patrols are around. In fact, I have a shipment coming in tonight. And I’ll be sending you back out with my supplier. You’re worth good money in the right market.” I shuddered at his implication. “These two are worthless. I’ll kill them and have them dumped in the river, but you,
my dear, could prove to be profitable.” The light caress of the gun against my face decided me. Dying was preferable to the plans he had for us.
“I’m glad to hear the shipment is still coming in. I was afraid you’d move it with the death and mayhem you have going on here,” I commented pertly, shifting as he tightened his arm around my ribs. I managed to slide my hand in my pocket, though, without him noticing. Connor’s eyes were locked on the movement of my hand as I pulled my tiny pink protector out. Jake’s eyes widened in horror, and he shook his head. He knew what I was going to attempt, and his terror was obvious. The cold barrel pressing firmly into my temple gave me pause, but I had no choice but to take the risk. Better I died then all of us, and none of them knew about my backup.
“What are you talking about?” The captain asked slowly, looking around.
“Oh, see I knew about the shipment, and you don’t own every cop in the city. And you sure as hell don’t own the DEA. And trust me when I say, they were eager to hear all about your little setup down here.”
“You fucking bitch. I should kill you anyway,” he growled, shaking me, and I laughed.
“That threat only works on someone scared to die,” I mocked, as I went limp against the arm holding me and felt him shift his weight before I twisted hard and jammed the tiny stun gun against his stomach and held it. Distantly, I heard the report of multiple guns, but I ignored it, making sure I held the stun gun tight, since it only worked with contact.
“Addie! Addie!” Arms pulled me away from the captain, and I looked up to see fear on Jake’s face. The stun gun dropped from my hand as I reached up to touch his battered face.
“What’s wrong? You look scared,” I asked, feeling light headed as the adrenaline left me.
“You’ve been shot.” His voice shook as he watched Jules shift me to the ground, his hands still cuffed behind him. His words triggered the pain, and I felt what he’d known. My hand fell to my side where the burning was, and I looked down to see it covered in blood.
“Well, fuck. I’ve been shot,” I managed to say before passing out as gracefully as any Southern belle.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I woke up to a light shining in my eyes, and I lifted my arm to block it, knocking someone’s hand.
“I believe our patient’s awake,” I heard someone say and then, “Thank God.”
“Don’t ever do that again. You scared the shit out of me.” A voice I recognized intimately growled violently. My words were faint but audible when I said, “You’re welcome.”
The laughter that followed clued me in that I had a crowd in my room.
“Where am I? Did you get the bad guys?” I asked, blinking as I looked around the room. I felt out of it, but slowly what happened came back to me. “I was shot?” My shocked aggravation at this realization seemed to amuse them again, but when I groaned as I attempted to see my side, they stopped. Jake pushed me back down.
“Lie down. Yes, you’ve been shot, and that means not getting up and making it worse. We got the bad guys.” He closed his eyes and shook his head, the remnants of fear on his face causing my heart to stutter. “You took twenty years off my life, woman.”
“But you were shot. And your face. It’s a good thing I love you for more than your good looks,” I said joking and wanting to remove the pain from his face.
“I was shot in the shoulder. It wasn’t too bad. A couple of stitches is all. And my face will be back to normal soon enough.” His mouth twisted in a small smile at my pitiful attempt to joke. “I called your mom. We have some explaining to do.” I smiled gratefully, any worry of having to explain overridden by the happiness of knowing my mom was coming. I blinked back tears, my emotions from the day’s events starting to make themselves known. Jake wiped a tear from my cheek, “Its okay, sweetie. We’re okay. The bad guys are in jail. You did it.” He nodded, and I could see the dampness in his own eyes, well the one eye that wasn’t swollen shut.
“Connor and Jules?” I asked, wanting to make sure they were okay.
“They’re fine. At least Connor didn’t get shot this go around.” He looked at me in disbelief. “Jules? Really? You had her there the whole time recording? What were you thinking?” He raised his eyes up to the ceiling as if Heaven could help him before looking back down at me. “You’re gonna be the death of me, woman.”
I smiled at that thought before I said, “Pretty clever, right? She got it all? ‘Cause I want that bastard to rot.” He could hear the anger in my voice as I spoke of his captain. My only regret was I hadn’t been able to knee him in the balls.
He nodded, “Yeah, she got it. In fact, she shot the captain when he shot you.” My eagerness must have shown, because he shook his head with a chuckle. “She didn’t kill him. Hit him in the shoulder. The DEA swarmed in right after that.” There was respect mingled with fear in the look he gave me. “You both took a huge risk.” He gripped my hand tightly, “Don’t do that again. I’m serious, you hear me?”
I closed my eyes and laughed before wincing at the pain. “You can’t lock me up every time you think I’m going to do something dangerous,” I told him, smiling at the mental picture I got from his words. He groaned, “We’re going to get you a nice safe job. An accountant or something.”
“I think I enjoy police work, though,” I said, to his dismay. “You know there are more dirty cops? He had people he paid to look the other way.”
“We figured, after the captain revealed himself. You knew, didn’t you?” he asked me, pain evident on his face. It would take a long time for his captain’s betrayal to fade.
“Yeah, I figured it out that morning. I remembered my dream from the night before. It was the captain,” I told him, getting tired. He noticed and said, “Rest. We’ll talk when you wake up.” My eyes refused to stay open a second longer, and I felt the soft brush of his lips on my forehead as I slipped into sleep.
The next time I woke, I felt more like myself. I looked over to see my mom slumped in a chair next to me, and I couldn’t stop my cry, “Momma.” She jerked up and wrapped her arms around me, her tight embrace squeezing the rest of the fear out of me.
When I’d heard Jason say he’d had my house watched, I’d been petrified that they’d hurt my family. Feeling my mom’s warm embrace, the world set itself right again. “Paw Paw?” I murmured against her neck.
“Getting coffee with Jake.” She held me away from her with a severe frown. “What were you thinking? Witnessing a crime and not telling me? What if something had happened to you?” She pulled me back to her and hugged me even tighter, for which I was grateful, because I’d felt her fear with her words. Her fear had felt like a swirling vortex with no end and was an agony I could never have imagined. I attempted to hug her tighter with my one arm, vowing to never make her feel that way again.
A knock on the door broke us apart, and I saw Jules poke her head in. “Hey!” I cried, overjoyed to see her safe. I felt guilty for involving her, especially when it was so much more dangerous than I’d thought.
“Glad to see you alive,” Connor joked, pushing Jules through the door. He held her hand tightly, obviously not over the fear of realizing she’d been there the entire time. “You are one badass, completely insane chick. I bow down to you,” he said, proceeding to bow.
My mom got up then, and I looked at her, “I’m going to run to the cafeteria for a minute.” She wanted to give me time alone with them, and I appreciated it.
“I’m starving. Will you bring me food?” I begged, the empty hollow in my stomach managing to distract me from the ache in my side. She gave me an exasperated look. “Even shot, you’re worried about your stomach. I’ll see what I can find,” I grinned happily at her words, and she left, smiling at my friends.
“Are you okay?” Jules asked, nodding at my side.
“Yeah, my rib deflected the bullet. Luckily I had a nice layer of fat over it as well. It aches, but they said that’s normal. Basically, I have a bruised rib,” I answered, wiggling my toe
s since that didn’t seem to cause me pain.
“You were shot,” Connor looked at me seriously. “Don’t downplay that shit. You can milk it for a while.”
That startled a painful laugh from me, and Jake stepped back in as I groaned and grabbed my side.
“What’s wrong? Do I need to get the doctor?” he asked frantically, as I waved my arm at him.
“No, no. Connor made me laugh. That’s all,” I managed to tell him, leaning back with a gasp.
Jake slapped his hand against Connor as he said, “Don’t do that. She’s been shot, asshole.” Connor just raised his eyebrows at me and mouthed, “See?”
I couldn’t stop the giggle that escaped me, and it drew Jake’s attention. “I was talking to your grandfather. He’s a cool guy.” I smiled in agreement before Jules distracted me.
“Holy bejesus! Is it true?” she demanded, plopping down on the bed next to me. I knew exactly what she was asking and assumed one of the guys must have filled her in.
I nodded and her eyes widened, “Who was my secret crush in the 9th grade?”
Jake groaned, “Not now. Seriously, she’s laying in a hospital bed with a gunshot wound.”
“Todd Daly,” I answered her with a smile.
Jake rolled his eyes at his sister upon hearing that, “You didn’t actually think that was a secret, did you?”
She punched him in the arm before turning back to me. “That is seriously cool. I honestly didn’t believe them when they told me. But it does explain how you knew so much.”
“I’m surprised they told you,” I whispered, looking at Jake in surprise. He frowned as Connor said, “She wouldn’t take no for an answer. She demanded.”
“Begged,” Jake piped up.
“Pleaded,” Connor said with a sigh.
Hidden Truths (The Hidden Series Book 1) Page 16