She hadn’t told anyone else what her plan was—just the woman waiting inside.
Gabby was going to cover for her while she did what it was she had to do. They’d worked out the details in a private moment the night before.
They were dealing with the past, it only made sense that the answers were hidden in the files somewhere. The old files. The ones she and Gabby had been tasked with scanning in to the TSP database the first year Brynna had worked for the TSP.
That database was going to be copied completely by the time she left that afternoon. The details they needed were in that database.
Brynna was determined to find them. It was the only way any of them were going to get their normals back.
She was stopped in the Computer Forensics lobby by a friendly face, at least. But she had a sneaking suspicion that Daniel—Commander McKellen—had been waiting for her to walk in.
She’d always liked looking at him. He was eleven or twelve years older than she was, and that had been a little weird for her at first. She’d never had anyone that much older than her interested in her before. Mostly her previous dates and relationships had grown slowly with guys she saw every day. She didn’t see Daniel every day, though. And he’d been interested almost from the very beginning. But when they’d worked together the first few times, he hadn’t made her feel like she was young and naive. And they’d discovered they liked talking to each other.
It had taken her months to figure out that he wanted to do more than talk with her.
Brynna knew herself well. She’d shied away, not because she didn’t like him or wasn’t attracted to him—she definitely could be—but because she hadn’t wanted to be involved with someone right now. And she hadn’t wanted the complication of having a romantic relationship with a superior. It was far too complicated for what she wanted from her life right now.
She hadn’t wanted a relationship with a man at all. And she’d been happy with that decision. Chance had changed all that, hadn’t he?
Now she didn’t know what she wanted. From anyone, including herself.
“Brynna, it’s good to see you here today. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine, Daniel. The stitches came out a few days ago. I can’t run a marathon, but I’m ok to be here.” She looked into his dark brown eyes and it felt weird that they weren’t green.
Brynna knew that wasn’t the least bit fair to Daniel.
Gabby had stepped closer to the entrance to the annex to give her and Daniel a bit of privacy.
He was tall, just as tall as Chance, and just as fit. His hair was a few shades lighter than Chance’s. His face was more handsome than Chance’s.
Chance. She had to stop thinking about that man all the time, didn’t she?
“Good. I’m hesitant to ask, since it’s your first day back, but would you like to go to lunch with me? To celebrate your return? Just the deli on the corner and if our schedules coincide?”
“Daniel...I...” Why not? Why shouldn’t she? Chance meant the no-strings, despite this weird thought he had that he controlled what she did now. Maybe it had been her feelings on the strings that had changed, rather than her feelings for the man? Maybe she was almost ready for strings with someone, after all? “You know, I think I’d like that.”
“Great. I have a meeting with Chief Marshall at one, but we should be finished by two. I’ll text you when I can.” He smiled down at her, a truly handsome smile that had her own lips lifting in return. “I can hardly wait until lunch. It’s really good to see you around here again. The TSP just isn’t the same without you.”
Brynna felt a warmth in her stomach as she watched him walk away. Chance might not want strings with her, but...other men would, did. If she was ready for strings, she could find them.
Gabby held the glass door to the annex open for her, where she’d come to meet Brynna and her father. “He really has it bad for you. He was almost as upset when you were missing as Jarrod.”
“I like Daniel. I almost wish...” This was Gabby, the one person other than her sisters with whom she could speak the truth. “I almost wish I had said yes when he asked me out months ago. Maybe...maybe I wouldn’t have been in St. Louis then. Maybe...what happened to me and Chance wouldn’t have. Maybe I wouldn’t feel like this.”
Gabby looked at her for a moment. “I’m sorry. I know you’re hurting, and not from your stitches. I think he cares for you, no matter what you’ve decided between you.”
“But that’s not ever going to be enough, is it? He cares for me, but he won’t do anything about it.” Even after the kiss on her kitchen counter, Chance had said nothing. Nothing real.
He’d just cursed at her, kissed her, then bolted out the back door and stayed gone for hours.
When he’d returned for dinner, it had just been more of the same. More discussion of the who behind everything that had happened. That was practically all that their worlds had been centered on for days.
Brynna was starting to drown from the sensory input of it all.
“No. I can’t see where it would be.” Gabby had a strange expression in her own eyes. One that made Brynna suspect her friend was just as conflicted by Chance’s brother as Brynna was with Chance. “They don’t make anything easy, do they?”
“Not at all.”
“This isn’t helping us. We need to get inside and get going. I want to go over that video again and again. I want the answers, Gab. And I want this finished so that I can get on with my life. And then...when lunch comes around, you will go upstairs with Elliot and I will go with Commander McKellen and he’ll buy me a nice lunch and flirt with me. And maybe...maybe he’ll ask me out to dinner or to a movie again, like he has before. And this time, this time I will say yes.”
Gabby stared at her for a moment as they walked past Benny’s closed office door. “Just don’t do anything too crazy because you’re conflicted over Chance Marshall. That won’t be fair to you—or Commander McKellen.”
“No. It wouldn’t be. I won’t hurt Daniel. But...maybe I shouldn’t be afraid of romance any more. Maybe...maybe I should at least try.”
“Maybe. Hey, Bryn, we’ll figure this out, you know? Both of us. We’ll do it together. And then maybe we can somehow get Jarrod to act on his crush on Mel. We’ll do normal again. I promise.”
Brynna surprised both of them when she threw her arms around her best friend and hugged her.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE.
* * *
Brynna yanked the final memory card from the computer and shoved it into her pocket with the other six. She had everything, didn’t she? She resisted looking toward Benny’s office as guilt hit her. What she was doing was so far outside of protocol Elliot would probably fire her as soon as he found out what she was doing. Of course, that would mean he had to fire Gabby, too, didn’t it? She turned around to look at Gabby. “What? Sorry. Guess I’m nervous. Aren’t I?”
“I think we both are. What if it wasn’t Handley Barratt who had the video altered? Isn’t he super tall? None of the men on the video were that tall, were they?” Gabby asked.
“No. He was at least six-five, Gab. Taller than Chance.” They’d used what they knew of the Marshall family to estimate the height of the killers on the video. None had been as tall as Handley Barratt.
“So if he wasn’t one of the men on the video, why would he erase the fifth man?” Gabby asked.
Brynna’s mind ran over all the people she knew capable of that technology. People who had even a brushing acquaintance with the TSP. It was an extremely short list. “Someone else did it.”
“Someone who could access the file from the TSP. Someone who could do that ten years ago—and someone who could know that you signed the zip drive out now. Who knows Elliot is back and with me. Someone with the skills to alter a video like that,” Gabby said slowly.
Brynna’s mind centered. Only their department. Only theirs. And that person had known what she was doing in St. Louis, hadn’t they? Hadn’t he?
&
nbsp; Brynna and Gabby jumped up, almost together. “We need to get to Elliot now. Let him know.”
Gabby turned toward Benny’s office. “Bryn—there’s only one who would have known me ten years ago like that. Just one, who has known everything you and I have done since Elliot came back. We need to get upstairs now.”
Benny came out.
That’s when Brynna knew. “Benny, what are you doing?”
“I’m sorry, girls. I am so sorry.”
Benny held his cell phone in his hand. He pushed a button.
Brynna screamed as the world around them exploded, as she was lifted off her feet and thrown.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX.
* * *
WHEN Brynna opened her eyes, Benny had his hands wrapped around Gabby’s throat. Benny. It had been Benny all along. Why hadn’t they seen?
There was a gun nearby. Why was there a gun? Was it loaded? Brynna screamed, Benny looked right at her. They needed that gun, needed it, needed it. “Get the gun, Gabby! Get it!”
Gabby needed time to get it, didn’t she? And that meant… “You’d better run, Benny. They’re coming for you!”
She struggled to her feet.
Benny grabbed her and her shirt ripped. He knocked her to the floor and she cried out.
Benny loomed over her. Brynna kicked at him. Then she saw it—the gun. She kicked, sending it to her best friend. “Gabby!”
Gabby screamed, Brynna screamed.
“You’re a bastard, Benny!” Gabby yelled, heaving wood at him.
Benny kept coming, right at Brynna. Benny wasn’t going to stop until they were all dead.
Brynna screamed again.
Benny backhanded her and Brynna fell. Fire ripped through her. She couldn’t breathe. She looked down and saw the blood.
Saw the metal rebar sticking out of her side. Felt the fire again and again and again. Darkness almost took her.
All she could do was lie there and fight…to breathe. Gabby was yelling. Gabby.
Brynna had to get up, didn’t she?
She tried, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. Mel’s face flashed into her mind, warring with the darkness that was threatening to smother her.
Mel hadn’t given up.
Brynna wasn’t going to either.
She pulled her legs up beneath her and tried to move…just as Gabby pulled the trigger.
Then all Brynna saw was the blood.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN.
* * *
CHANCE was running and he knew it. Elliot had known it, too, when he’d called him before he’d taken off.
“You’re not going to be able to run from her forever, Chance. It’s not fair to either of you.”
“We agreed, El. No strings. Just casual. And she told me…told me that’s what she still wanted. That I confused her too much. What am I supposed to do, to think?” To feel as he’d held her hand while her father said grace, grace of all things. It had felt like he was right where he was supposed to be. But that was a damned lie.
What was he supposed to feel?
He did not want strings. Of that he was absolutely certain. Why was he struggling with that?
“Kevin brought her to work a few minutes ago.”
“Keep an eye on her.”
“I will. No matter what happens between you two, Brynna will probably be a part of my life, Chance. As will the rest of the Becks. She and Gabby are very close. You know that.”
“I know.” Of course he did. “I…I’m just going to hunt down that bastard Barratt. Keep him from hurting her again. After that…”
“Then what? What will happen if we catch the guys responsible for mom and dad and the kids? Then what? What if it’s next week? Next year? Ten years from now? Do you expect Brynna to wait?”
“No. She shouldn’t wait on me.”
“So you don’t love her. It was just casual. Then you probably are doing her favor, but even I can see the mixed signals you’ve been giving the girl, Chance. You’re not doing either of you any favors. But…little brother…Are you really willing to pass up this woman because of this quest? I know I’m not willing to pass up Gabby. Something to keep in mind.”
Chance had disconnected a minute after that.
His brother spoke the truth.
Chance sighed, then looked at the Wichita Falls skyline just visible in the distance.
He was a damned coward, and he knew it.
Chance turned on the radio to drown out the sound of his own head telling him he was a fucking idiot.
He should be there with Brynna. He’d finish his business with the old colleague of his father at the TSP Academy in Wichita Falls, then he’d get his ass back to the Finley Creek TSP.
He’d stay by her. No matter what she said.
The radio went into emergency mode. Chance listened with only half of his attention.
“We have just received word that the Finley Creek post of the Texas State Police has just been the location of some sort of detonation or explosion. Sources are claiming there are survivors trapped inside. At this point we do not know if it is an act of terrorism. We will bring you more as we learn it.”
Chance turned his SUV around and shoved the pedal to the floor.
He wasn’t wasting time messing with his cell phone. Brynna needed him.
She needed him.
Elliot needed him.
Dear God, were they alive?
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT.
* * *
GABBY was there. “Brynna...”
“I’m bleeding. I’m hurting. But I’m alive, Gab. We’re alive. And he’s...he’s dead, isn’t he?” Brynna fought the panic, but it was hard. She had to deal, she had to, she had to, she had to!
“Where’s the blood? Where are you hurt?” Gabby’s hands were gentle when she turned Brynna from being able to see Benny. What was left of him. It didn’t matter; if she lived, she would never forget what he looked like. Red. It was red. Everywhere was red!
Brynna’s hands were already there. She was going to bleed to death before help came, wasn’t she? “Here. I...think...it’s deep. And it’s really bleeding. Bleeding. Metal went through my side. I’m bleeding really badly, Gabby. And I’m scared. Scared. Scared. Scared. I want to get out of here.”
“Stop, Bryn. You can’t panic right now. You can’t. I can hear help. I can hear Elliot. He’s coming for us. He’s coming. You can’t twig out, Bryn. I...need you to stay right here with me until Elliot gets here. With me, ok.” Gabby was trying to stop the bleeding, but they both knew it wasn’t going to happen.
She was going to bleed to death, right there with Gabby by her side, wasn’t she? After what had happened to Gabby…
No! She couldn’t do this to her friend. To her family. She couldn’t. “I love you, Gabby. Have I ever said that? When I thought he was killing you...it was just as scary as when Mel almost died.”
“I know. I felt the same. You’re my best friend, Bryn. And I love you. We need to get out of here so we can tell Mel that, too. Mel is probably on her way here to get us out of this, but I think—I think we should save ourselves this time. Just to prove we can, you know?”
“Why did he do it? He was our friend for years, wasn’t he?” She wouldn’t think of Mel, or Jilly, or Syd, or Carrie. Or baby Maddie or anyone else. She had to focus on helping Gabby get them both out of this.
“I don’t think he was ever anyone here’s friend. I think he was just out for what he could get. And you and I—we had skills he wanted. And he used us. Watched us.”
“But not anymore.” Because Benny was dead.
“No. Not anymore. We stopped him. Together.”
Brynna couldn’t think any more. She needed…she needed to rest. Just for a moment.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE.
* * *
WHEN she opened her eyes again, Gabby was ripping the sleeve off her own shirt. “I’m going to tie this around you as tightly as I can. Can you crawl, Bryn?”
“I don’t know.” Even th
e thought of it made her want to puke.
“We’ll need to get you out of here; most likely on a stretcher. I don’t think we can wait for them to make a larger opening.”
Brynna closed her eyes again, as Gabby moved around her. She couldn’t focus. She couldn’t.
“I’m going to get us out of here, Bryn. I promise. See this board there? I’m going to get you on it. Do you think you can help me?”
Help her? She wanted to. She really did. But…she felt so sick. The fire from her side had spread to her back and shoulders and…everywhere.
Gabby was there again. “We’ll slide you right out. Think how proud Mel’s going to be when we get ourselves out. No waiting around to get rescued. I’m tired of being a weenie; fear robs of us of the world, Brynna. That’s what Mel says. No more being big chickens, Bryn. We’re going to get out of here.”
We’re.
Gabby wasn’t getting out of there unless Brynna did. Her friend would not leave her. She knew that. Gabby wouldn’t leave her any more than she would leave Gabby. They both knew that.
And they weren’t in a stable place, were they?
There were holes in the ceiling above them. There was broken glass and sheared wires and hell all around them. The longer they were in there, the more at risk they both were. The more at risk Gabby was. The building could come down on the both of them at any moment, couldn’t it? Brynna pulled in what oxygen she could. “Then let’s get out of here.”
Somehow when Brynna was out the last time Gabby had fashioned something like a stretcher from the supply cart and an Ethernet cord. Brynna knew what her friend wanted.
She pulled herself to her knees and climbed on. What else could she do?
“We’re coming out right now!” Gabby yelled.
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