The Cost of Betrayal

by Dee Henderson

  Lansing backed up slowly, his gaze never wavering from Isaac’s. “You’re making a huge mistake, Martinez.”

  “Only you would look at this as a mistake. Speaking of mistakes . . . was that you in my bedroom a few nights ago? You and Sullivan and Harrison?”

  A smirk tilted the man’s lips. “It was.”

  “Thought so. Were you there to scare me or kill me?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “Not really.”

  Lansing reached the couch. Then spun and dove out the still-open front door.

  Ruthie’s roll down the steep hill ended with a bone-jarring halt at the bottom. The world tilted around her, her equilibrium momentarily destroyed. She struggled to her feet, and a gunshot sent her scrambling. The bullet pinged off the ground beside her, and she dove behind the back of her vehicle while her head settled. Sally must have recovered the weapon.

  Great.

  As the second shot sounded, a chopper flew into view. Three law enforcement vehicles roared up the street, and Ruthie wanted to cry.

  But Sally was still shooting, so that was going to have to wait. She dodged another bullet that hit her car.

  Then the shooting stopped.

  Sally had to be running back to get her kids. Doors slammed as officers exited their vehicles.

  “Brady!” Ruthie waved, caught his attention, then spun to run back up the hill.

  She heard him calling to her but had no time to stop and explain. She couldn’t let Sally get away. And she couldn’t let the woman use her children as hostages. The only thing she could do was lead the officers to the shed.

  More shots. Ruthie ducked behind the nearest tree before she realized the bullets weren’t coming her way. Brady was getting closer, so she continued her run down the path.

  Brady finally pulled up beside her.

  “There,” she gasped and pointed. “In the shed. It’s Sally. And Paul Sullivan. And Heath Lansing. But there are three kids in there, so don’t go in shooting.” But someone had been shooting. Where had those shots come from and why?

  “Isaac!” Where was he? Had he found Lansing and fired the shots? Or had Lansing found him? Fear pumped her blood even faster.

  Brady and the others passed her, and she backed up. She caught sight of Cole, Isaac’s partner, and felt bad for assuming the worst about him.

  “Police! Freeze!”

  Ruthie spun to see Sally on the ground, her hands being cuffed behind her back. “Let me go! I didn’t do anything! You can’t do this! I have children!”

  The oldest girl tried to push the arresting officer from her mother. “Let my mama go!” She kicked him, and another officer held her while she wailed.

  The two smaller kids stood with a female officer, crying.

  Her heart broke for the children, but it had to be. And now she had to find Isaac. She took off down the path that would lead her back to the trailer. Only to have something slam into her back. She fell to the ground and rolled. Lansing looked down at her. “Get up.”

  The bullet had missed Isaac by inches. Lansing had fired at him as he’d come out the door of the trailer. Then Lansing had escaped around the side of the home and into the woods.

  “Give it up, Lansing!” Isaac hollered.

  Fleeing footsteps were his only answer, but other officers were right behind him. Shouts and orders filled the air, warning that the man was armed, but Isaac kept going.

  And pulled up short when he found Lansing with his back to a tree and an arm around Ruthie’s throat. “Let her go.”

  “No way, man. She’s my ticket outta here.” He started backing toward the front of the trailer, down the path toward his truck. Ruthie grabbed at his arm, digging her nails into his flesh. He growled and moved his arm to the back of her head.

  Other officers had their weapons trained on Lansing and Ruthie, but no one would shoot. Not while Lansing had a gun to her head. The man now had a tight hold on her hair. “Put it down, Heath. You and I both know you’re not getting out of here.”

  “I’m not going to prison.”

  “So, what are you going to do?”

  “Leave. It’s really that simple. Let me get in the car and leave, and I’ll let her out somewhere not too far from help. I don’t want to kill her. I just want to get out of here.”

  Isaac wished he could believe that. Not that he would even consider it, but he wished he could believe the man wouldn’t hurt Ruthie. The look in his eye and his body language belied his words. Isaac shifted his gaze to Ruthie.

  Her pale face told him how scared she was, yet her blue eyes spit fire and determination. “Isaac, I don’t want to die.”

  “I know, Ruthie. I don’t want you to die, either.”

  “Then scream.”

  He blinked. “What?”

  “Remember what I said about what to do when I scream?”

  Oh yeah. His gaze sharpened. “Yes.”

  “Shut up, you two.” Lansing hurried backward, dragging Ruthie with him.

  Isaac caught Brady’s tight features watching everything play out. A sniper had to be in place. Could probably get Lansing in the back. But would the bullet penetrate him and hit Ruthie?

  Isaac screamed.

  Ruthie went slack, pulling Lansing off balance.

  Isaac fired.

  thirteen

  RUTHIE ROLLED AWAY FROM THE MAN who now lay on the ground. Isaac’s bullet had hit its mark. Trembling, she reached out and pressed her fingers against his neck. A faint pulse beat. “We need an ambulance!” She wanted him to live. So he could face a lifetime in prison. Death was too easy for him.

  Paramedics who’d been given the green light to approach rushed over and dropped next to Lansing. “I’m a doctor. Get me his vitals.” Ruthie shouted orders as though she were in the comfort of her operating room. The paramedics worked quickly and got Lansing loaded into the ambulance.

  They took off, and Ruthie found herself enveloped in a one-armed hug, her nose buried in Isaac’s hard chest. For a moment, she simply stood there and soaked in the comfort being offered. “I should have gone with him.”

  “No, they’ll take care of him.”

  “They can do everything I could have done if I was with him, right?”

  “Yes, Ruthie.”

  She sucked in a deep breath. “I think I might be a little rattled, but I’m entitled, aren’t I? I mean, I did get held at gunpoint several times today. Surely I get a pass—no, I should have gone with him.”

  He gave her a light shake. “It’s okay. You did all you could. They’ve got it.”

  “Right. Of course.”

  “So. Are you okay?”

  “I think so. Yes.” She glanced at her hands and grimaced. “I would prefer not to have that man’s blood all over me, but yes, I’m okay.”

  He waved a paramedic over who’d just driven up in a second ambulance. “You have something she can wash the blood off with?”

  “Yeah. Hold on a second.”

  When he returned, Ruthie scrubbed her hands and arms, then used the proffered towel to dry them. “Thanks. That feels so much better.”

  Isaac hugged her again like he didn’t want to let her go. She found she was okay with that idea.

  “Ruthie?”

  She looked up to find Brady standing next to them, eyeing her and Isaac. She slipped out of Isaac’s embrace to wrap her arms around her brother’s waist. “You got her. You got them all, right?”

  “We got them.”

  “And the kids? I could hear them crying. I hate that they had to see her get arrested.”

  “They’ll be all right. Social services is on the way. I heard someone say something about grandparents in Florida. You know the drill. While they’re waiting on the relatives to get here, they’ll have the kids see a counselor immediately and will let them see their mom as soon as it can be arranged.”

  “As weird as it sounds, I think she was a good mother. She really seemed to love those kids.”

  Brady scowled
. “If she loved them, she wouldn’t have made the choices she made.”

  “You really believe that?”

  He sighed. “Some days. Other days, people like her just confuse me.”

  “I think her motivation was in the right place, but everything else was mixed up.”

  “You’re a softie, sis.”

  “Maybe so.”

  “Ruthie?”

  She turned to see Isaac, face pale, hand pressed to his shoulder. “Yes?”

  “I think I may have pulled my stitches loose.” When he removed his hand, his palm was covered in blood.

  She gasped. “Oh no!” She hurried over to him and grabbed him by his good arm. “Let’s get you in the back of the ambulance so I can take a look.”

  In the ambulance, Ruthie helped Isaac remove the sling and his shirt to expose the wound. It didn’t look nearly as bad as she’d feared. For that much blood, it must have been seeping for a good while. “Looks like you popped three. I can fix that right up.” She grabbed the nearest suture kit, disinfectant, and other items she needed. “Lie down. I’m going to give you a couple of shots to numb the area, and then we’ll take care of this.”

  “What? Here?”

  “Yep. Now be still.”

  Brady appeared. “You have the flash drive?”

  “I buried it,” she said.

  “Where?”

  Ruthie directed him where to find it. While she waited for the numbing medication to take effect, she watched her brother dig up the flash drive. He blew the dirt off and returned to the ambulance with a laptop. Nodding to Isaac, he inserted the drive into the USB port. “I figured you’d want to see this.”

  “You figured right.”

  “Is it all right if I sew while you watch?” Ruthie asked.

  “Sure.”

  A few clicks later, a video popped up on the screen. Brady and Isaac watched it while she worked.

  “There.” Brady pointed at the screen. “There’s Sullivan slipping cash into a bag, and there’s Lansing doing the same. It’s all security footage that was scrubbed. I guarantee that if we went back and looked at the time stamps on the other footage, we’ll find it’s repetitious.”

  “They made a loop,” Isaac said, then grunted when Ruthie tied off the last stitch.

  “Yeah.” He removed the flash drive and turned to Isaac. “You did it.”

  Isaac ran his good hand over his face and nodded. Then he looked at Ruthie. “We did it. I couldn’t have done it without your help.”

  She smiled at him. “Always glad to support the blue.”

  “You did a good job, Ruthie,” Brady said. “I don’t like that you put your life in danger, of course. And when Mom finds out the details—”

  “Um, we don’t have to tell her those.”

  Brady’s right brow shot up. “You really think you’re going to keep this from her?”

  “We’re in North Carolina. She’s a chief in South Carolina. I think it would be very possible to keep this from her.”

  He laughed. “You can try, but she’s got friends all over this state.”

  Ruthie’s shoulders deflated. Brady kissed her cheek. “Now, I’ve got to go deal with Sullivan, that turkey Isaac trussed up.”

  Brady left and Isaac let out a low, mournful sigh. “You know, when I took that oath all officers take when they decide to risk it all every day of their lives, I never once thought I’d be arresting those I considered my family—people I would have died for.”

  “I know.” Ruthie brushed a stray lock of hair from his eyes. “It’s heartbreaking that there are those who’ll betray the badge, but those are few and far between.” She gave him a light nudge. “But you’re a hero. You just potentially stopped those stolen drugs from getting back out on the streets and in the schools.”

  “That’s what it’s all about.” He nodded and gave her a half smile. “Being one of the good guys.”

  “Exactly.”

  But she knew this would hurt for a long time, especially when the media got hold of it. They would magnify the four who’d betrayed their oaths of honor and most likely play down the roles of those who’d risked their lives to bring them to justice.

  It wasn’t right and it wasn’t fair, but she knew those who wore the badge would do it all over again tomorrow, regardless of their portrayal in the media. Then again, maybe the media would surprise her.

  Brady led Sullivan from the trailer, the lamp cord replaced by cuffs. Sullivan favored his left leg, limping, his lips twisted into a tight grimace as Brady pointed him toward the police cruiser. Sullivan’s eyes caught hers, and he glared. She lifted her chin and narrowed her eyes, refusing to let him intimidate her.

  Isaac’s hand wrapped around hers. She looked at him and smiled. “It’s over.”

  “Yeah. It’s over, and I have one question for you.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Will you go out with me?”

  Epilogue

  FOUR MONTHS LATER

  Ruthie looked around the table at the piles of food that would soon be consumed by her large family. Love swelled, bringing tears to her eyes. She blinked them back and snagged the bowl of rice Brady passed to her. “You all right, sis?” he asked.

  “Of course.”

  Isaac sat at her right, his sling now gone, shoulder healed. He was officially back on duty. He leaned over. “You’re sure you’re all right?” he whispered in her ear.

  She passed the bowl on to him with a smile. “I’m more than all right. Grateful to be sitting here. Just feeling incredibly blessed.”

  Isaac’s eyes landed on his sister, her husband, and his niece who sat opposite him. “I know what you mean.”

  She squeezed his fingers, then went back to the food. It had been four months since the day she’d been held hostage with a gun to her head. Twice. Four months of healing.

  She glanced at Isaac. Four months of getting to know the man she’d rescued from a killer. And who, in turn, had rescued her. A man she loved more with each passing day.

  Isaac had been exonerated, the bad guys had been put away, and life had returned to normal—only better, because he was in it. Apologies had come in left and right as soon as the story broke, and he’d been hailed a hero by the department and the public.

  Chloe, Ruthie’s younger sister, and Hank, her detection K-9, sat with her fiancé, Blake MacCallum. Blake’s daughter, Rachel, laughed with Ruthie’s cousin, Penny. The two girls had been victims of a human trafficking ring that Blake and Chloe had busted a year ago. It was good to see them smiling and acting like teens.

  Derek and Elaine sat at the opposite end of the table, their smiles rivaling the brightest star in the sky. Engagement agreed with them.

  Ruthie had hopes of joining those ranks one day soon. Maybe. Isaac had hinted he was thinking about it. She’d hinted that it was fine with her.

  Brady and Derek argued about something, and she knew neither one would drop the subject until someone else changed it. She didn’t care. It was just the way her brothers worked.

  She enjoyed the bantering with her family, loved that they could all manage to make time to come together to share a meal and catch up. And she’d enjoyed getting to know Isaac’s family. At first, she’d been wary, especially after Carol’s attitude in the hospital, but Isaac hadn’t held a grudge. And Ruthie supposed she could understand that the woman’s first loyalty lay with her husband. And, finally, Ruthie loved that her family was always willing to welcome others to the table and into their hearts.

  “So, Ruthie,” Derek said, “now that you’ve had some time to think about it, are you giving up surgery to join the rest of us in law enforcement?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Ha ha. Not likely.”

  “She totally could,” Isaac said. “You would have been seriously impressed.”

  “Come on, guys.” She glared at Derek. “Why do you bring this up every time we get together?”

  “It’s fun to push your buttons.”

  “Yeah
, well, my answer’s still the same today as it was last month. I was scared out of my mind. I could never do what you guys do.”

  Isaac squeezed her hand again. “You did what you had to do. That’s all we do every day.”

  “Well,” her mother said, “until you decide to head to the academy, let’s leave the cop stuff to the ones who are trained for it.”

  “Works for me,” Ruthie said with a smile. Her mother now knew the details of everything that had happened. She’d read the report, then found Ruthie at the hospital and hugged her for a good five minutes.

  Then she’d sighed and cupped Ruthie’s face in her palms. “I love you, Ruthie.”

  “I love you, too, Mom.”

  “Please don’t go chasing any more bad guys.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I promise.”

  “Thank you.” Then she’d kissed Ruthie’s forehead and walked toward the exit, head held high, back straight. But Ruthie knew the woman was mush on the inside.

  Ruthie scowled at her brother. “Let it go, Derek. You’ve beat this horse back into dust.”

  “Hey.” Isaac’s voice in her ear made her jump.

  She turned. “Hey.”

  “Wanna take a little walk?”

  “Sure.” He pulled her away from the table and onto the back porch. Spring was in the air, but the weather was still chilly, especially at night. They sat on the swing that hung from the roof, and Ruthie snuggled next to him.

  “I love you, Ruthie.”

  She stilled. He’d never come right out and said the words quite like that. “I love you, too, Isaac.”

  “Good.” He released a breath that sounded as if he’d been holding it for an eternity.

  Ruthie chuckled, then turned serious. “I admire you so much. I have to be honest, though. I never really saw myself falling for a cop.”

  “What? You’re kidding.”

  “Nope. I’ve always thought I’d meet someone at church or the hospital. Another doctor or an administrator or something.”