Undercover Jeopardy

by Kathleen Tailer

  Daniel could hear the passion in her voice, yet the fact that they were committing a crime here today still didn’t sit right with him. “I understand, but is it ethically okay to rob a bank to reach that objective? I know you’re in deep, but isn’t this going too far?”

  “This isn’t just an adrenaline-filled journey I’m on, Daniel. I’ll be able to trace the money we steal today and get the final pieces to the puzzle. They’ve been building a war chest for a reason, and we need to know why. They’re planning something big, something that’s going to do a lot more damage than a bank robbery and will hurt a lot more people in the long run. I know it’s dangerous, but my handler and I both thought it was worth the risk.”

  Daniel could see that he would never win this argument. And he had to admit, undercover cops were some of the bravest people he had ever worked with. Bethany wasn’t short on guts or determination. She was a dedicated, hardworking FBI agent who got the job done. “Well I just don’t want to see you go native and get caught up in this lifestyle. I would hate to visit you behind bars.”

  She smiled, a smile that always made his gut tighten. She was so beautiful, and her beauty was so much more than skin-deep. “No worries. I’m still a cop when I go to bed at night. I’m not switching sides.” She motioned toward the door. “We’d better get back out there before Terrell comes in here looking for us.” She pulled the mask back down to cover her face.

  “Do you guys have an exit strategy?”

  “You bet. And no one will get hurt. I promise.”

  He let her wedge herself under his arm again, and he took a wounded stance so they could return to the bank lobby. He was fine with acting the injured party as long as it helped keep her safe. He just hoped she could keep her promise.

  SIX

  Jackson was pacing in front of the group of hostages when Bethany and Daniel returned to the lobby. She noticed that he and the other robbers had several bags at their feet—hopefully full of cash that they had taken from the vault. She led Daniel over to the line of hostages, dropped him unceremoniously on the floor, then retrieved her weapon from Terrell and joined the group of robbers. She tried to act nonchalant and not attract attention to herself as she took her place with the other robbers.

  “Where have you been?” Jackson asked when he got her attention. He had a suspicious look on his face, and she hurried to reassure him.

  “Cleaning up a mess,” she responded tightly, but in a voice that was still low enough for only the group of robbers to hear.

  There was still an apprehensive look in Jackson’s eyes. “Where is J.P.? Did I understand correctly that you let the cops in here while I was in the back working on the vault?”

  A sliver of fear washed over her when she saw Jackson’s eyes narrow and darken as he spoke. He was pacing nervously, and his hands were fisting and releasing over and over again. Had she blown it? The last thing she needed was for Jackson to get suspicious of her and find out she was really an FBI agent at this late date in the game. Still, she stiffened her spine and pushed forward. He had always respected strength during their relationship. That’s what she would show him now at this critical juncture. “He was going to die without help,” she said roughly, her tone matter-of-fact. “His wound was serious, and he’d lost too much blood. He was going into shock.”

  “And being a doctor, you’d know what shock looks like, right?” His voice was derisive.

  She deliberately softened her speech but still spoke with authority. “I may not be a doctor, but I’m also not an idiot. Shock isn’t too hard to identify, and neither is a large pool of blood on the floor. I happen to value life. J.P. is a true believer. He’s a valuable asset to the cause. I wanted to save him.”

  Jackson took a threatening step toward her, but she still didn’t back down. “That was my call, not yours. I wasn’t in China. All you had to do was come back and ask.”

  His words made her heart beat even faster. It had taken months to gain Jackson’s trust. She’d had an informant introduce them, and from there, she’d become a provider for Jackson, bringing him electronics and other “stolen” items that she claimed she’d gotten from other jobs she’d pulled around town. They were actually items provided by the FBI, but they had been good enough to please Jackson. She had quickly gained the reputation as someone who could lay her hands on whatever the group needed. She had even given him the latest and greatest cell phone, which, unknown to Jackson, included a bugging device that allowed the FBI to track Jackson and listen in on his conversations. Despite this track record of success, her elevated status could disappear in an instant if Jackson began to suspect her. She decided a strategic retreat was in order.

  “You’re right, Jackson. I should have asked. I’m sorry. I don’t want to do anything that would jeopardize the mission.”

  “Did you consider that now the cops might be able to get him to talk? He could blow our entire operation.”

  She shook her head. “I was just trying to save his life. I didn’t think. I really am sorry.” Her heart continued its pounding for another very long moment as she watched Jackson consider her words. Even the rest of the team were all silent and completely still as they watched and waited for a cue from Jackson. Terrell’s face had a look that said I told you so written all over it, but to his credit, he said nothing.

  Finally, Jackson shrugged, and the rest of the group followed his lead and relaxed, as well. She let out a breath in relief as he spoke. “Next time, ask me. I’m in charge. Got it? There’s a lot riding on this. Our friends are counting on us.”

  “Yes, I get it. Definitely.” She tried to change the subject and hoped he wouldn’t notice. “Were you successful with the vault?”

  “Of course,” he answered with a sly smile. “Did you doubt me?”

  She shook her head. “Not even for a minute.”

  “Did the cops call back since they took J.P.?”

  “Yeah,” Bethany answered. “They think we’re trading five hostages for pizzas and having them turn the heat back on. I had to give them something to work on. They were getting antsy and threatening to send in a strike team if I didn’t agree to something.”

  Jackson raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment, which made Bethany nervous again. Finally, he shrugged once, then took a step back and addressed the group, apparently putting her negotiations with the police behind them. She was glad to see that he was ready to move on. The last few minutes had been extremely uncomfortable for her, and she was ready to get out of this bank. “Let’s go, folks. We’re ready for phase three.”

  Bethany knew that phase three meant they were putting their escape plan into action. She glanced over at Daniel, glad that this robbery was finally coming to an end. Soon they would be gone, and the pain this encounter had caused him to relive would end. She hoped he could move on and find some measure of peace once she disappeared again. There was no reason for them to see each other once her team of robbers escaped, and she wished him well on whatever path he chose to follow.

  She turned back to Jackson, who was talking to Terrell. “Get those hostages in the back room and lock the door. The rest of you, come with me.”

  Terrell nodded, turned to the hostages and started barking out orders. “Okay, everyone stand up!”

  He started pacing in front of the group, waving his weapon up and down to encourage them to move faster. The faces of the hostages showed their trepidation, but they quickly obeyed and stood up against the wall.

  * * *

  Daniel stood with the rest of them, glad that this episode would soon be over but still fighting the host of sensations that seeing Bethany had evoked. Once the robbers escaped, would he see her again? Bethany hadn’t committed to any future conversations with him, and he had no idea when her current assignment would end. When it did, for all he knew, she would accept a post in a city on the other side of the United States. How had things gone so badly
between them? One moment, they were in love and planning their wedding and the next, she was gone. A sense of emptiness swept over him and he sighed inwardly, knowing there wasn’t anything he could do to change the status quo. At this point, it looked like he would probably never even get an opportunity to try.

  Suddenly a shot rang out and one of the female hostages pointed at Terrell and screamed. Daniel’s eyes followed the woman’s pointing finger and saw Terrell’s body crumple to the floor. Within seconds, more shots rang out, and Jackson’s body also hit the floor, as well as the robber’s with the limp. Daniel didn’t think. He was only a few feet away from Bethany, and he took a running dive toward her and hit her hard, taking her to the ground. She wasn’t wearing the black hoodie like the other robbers and in a perfect world, the snipers all knew that she was law enforcement. But on the off chance that no one knew the truth, he wanted her out of the line of fire just in case.

  He heard a bullet whiz by only inches from where their heads had just been. They hit the floor hard and once they landed, they slid for several inches on the slick tile before coming to a stop near a small table. Bethany lost her grip on her rifle when they hit the floor and it landed a few feet away, out of reach. Daniel felt the air whoosh out of both of their bodies due to the force of the fall. Total chaos ensued all around them.

  Oh, dear God. Please don’t let Bethany be dead. His prayer was short but intense. He moved closer and tried to feel her pulse. “Are you okay?” He crouched above her protectively, trying to shield her from any other flying bullets or danger.

  Bethany didn’t answer, and he wasn’t even sure she’d heard him. Women were screaming, and several policemen had come in the bank through the ceiling, rappelling in full battle gear and wielding weapons just seconds after the first shot had been fired.

  “Bethany?” Daniel couldn’t find a pulse, but his hands were shaking. He shook her gently but still got no response. In fact, she wasn’t even moving. Fear gripped his heart. Had he been too late? He shifted, trying to get in a position where he could remove her mask and check her vitals and repeated his prayer.

  “Freeze!” A SWAT officer was suddenly standing over them, his weapon pointed at Bethany only inches from her head. He had steel gray eyes and a two-inch scar on his chin. A few seconds later, another officer joined him, this one pointing his weapon at Daniel.

  “I’m a detective,” Daniel responded. “My name is Daniel Morley. My shield is in my left front pocket. Can I get it out and show you?”

  The more recently arrived SWAT officer motioned with his rifle. “Slowly.”

  Daniel carefully moved to Bethany’s side and gradually pulled his shield out of his pocket and offered it up for inspection. The officer Daniel had now nicknamed Scar took it and looked at it cautiously while the other kept his weapon trained on Bethany, who was still lying motionless on the floor. Satisfied, he handed it back.

  “Okay, Detective. Move away from the suspect.”

  Daniel slowly did so, but he was getting more and more worried about Bethany by the second. She still hadn’t moved since he’d tackled her. Had she been hit by the sniper? Had her head hit the ground when they’d landed? Why wasn’t she moving? There was a lot of noise and general confusion in the bank, but he tuned it all out and was entirely focused on her.

  Was she even breathing? He couldn’t tell. His heart seemed to stop beating. Had she been killed like the others? He didn’t see any blood, but he couldn’t see all of her, and her mask still covered her face. Had he been too late?

  Scar leaned over and pulled off Bethany’s mask while the other SWAT officer kept his rifle trained on her prone body. It came off easily, and Daniel breathed a sigh of relief when it didn’t reveal any injury on her face or head.

  She must have been unconscious, but then abruptly she moaned and moved slightly, causing both officers to stiffen and move closer with their weapons. “Freeze!” they both ordered in unison.

  She opened her eyes and took a moment to focus as she slowly recuperated and returned to the here and now.

  “Hands out to your sides,” Scar ordered. She slowly complied, and once her arms were parallel to her body, they kicked her feet apart until she was spread eagle on the ground. She glanced at Daniel but said nothing.

  Daniel wanted to protest their rough treatment of her, but he still couldn’t blow her cover. That was for her to do at the correct moment when she felt like she was out of danger, or for her handler to do once she was arrested. Whatever the case, there were protocols to be followed, and now was not the time or place to notify them of her FBI status.

  While Scar pointed his rifle at her, the other officer frisked her for other weapons, then roughly flipped her over on her stomach. They found his service revolver that was still in the waistband of her pants and pulled another small revolver out of her right boot. They also pulled a small knife out of her left boot.

  “Got any other hardware we should know about?”

  She still said nothing, but shook her head. As Daniel watched, the officer pulled her hands roughly behind her back, handcuffed her and yanked her to her feet.

  “You have the right to remain silent...”

  As soon as they finished going through her Miranda rights, the two men led her out of the bank.

  Daniel watched her go, surprised at how much things had changed in the last fifteen minutes. He felt like he was on a wild roller coaster ride that was both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.

  He had lost her again. But a lot of his questions had been answered. And for the next few hours, he knew where he could find her.

  And there was a possibility, ever so small, that he might be able to see her again.

  SEVEN

  “I can’t believe you killed them all. Good grief! One entire year of investigation ruined!” Bethany’s handler, Justin Harper, banged his hand on the conference room table, and three of the individuals in the room jumped in response to the noise. “What is wrong with you people!” He had a handful of folders in his arms, and he called off the names as he slammed each folder down on the table in front of him.

  “Terrell Mason, shot dead. Jackson Smith, shot dead. John Hoss, shot dead. And let’s not forget, if not for the quick thinking of Detective Morley here, you would have also shot my special agent through the head, as well!”

  “Hold on now,” Captain Dennis Murphy intoned, leaning back in his chair. “The communication failures weren’t all on our end. We didn’t even hear about this operation until we were on our way in. You should have let us know you had an operation in the works months ago, and that you had an agent in the field committing armed robbery. How did you expect us to react? Roll out a red carpet for the robbers and let them reel the money out in golden wheelbarrows? We followed standard operating procedure. SOP. Sir.” He banged the table himself as he said each letter. “Do not lay your gross failures at our feet.”

  Bethany flicked her nails, incredibly tired of the blame game going on in front of her. They had already been sitting here for over an hour, and they still hadn’t gotten anywhere. She was just as angry as her handler, but she was not convinced that a show of rage and frustration was going to further this meeting. The bottom line was that people in both agencies had screwed up, and the mistakes had almost been at the cost of her life. It had also cost her all the progress she’d made in the investigation, and she wasn’t sure it was salvageable. She had spent an entire year infiltrating that group, and for what? The leader, Jackson Smith, was dead, and he was the one who had trusted her and had been the source of information that she had been using to build her case against the entire criminal organization.

  She glanced around the room at the various faces. It had been quite a few months since she had seen the inside of a police station, not to mention a conference room. Many of these people she’d never seen before. Both the local and federal law enforcement agencies had a cont
ingency at the table, and both the state district attorney’s office and the federal attorney general’s office had sent a team, as well. Captain Murphy had brought Daniel and his assistant, a petite African-American lady who was furiously scribbling notes on a legal pad and trying to look unobtrusive. So far, she hadn’t said a single word and if Bethany had to guess, she doubted the woman would speak a single syllable during the entire meeting. Sergeant Michaels, the hostage negotiator she had talked to on the phone during the robbery, was present as well, but he had also said very little. Apparently, he was content to have his captain do the talking. He seemed more like a man of action rather than a verbose member of the team, and he kept watching the clock as if he had someplace else to be.

  Her eyes roamed over to Justin Harper, her handler. She hadn’t known him very well before they were assigned to work together on this detail, but he had been reliable to date and good about providing the products and intelligence she needed to worm her way into Jackson’s cell within the criminal organization. She glanced over at his assistant, a young man with shortly cropped blond hair and stunning green eyes named Max Westfield. Westfield was the newest member of the team and had only been there for a couple of months. He was also taking notes, but he was typing on a tablet computer, and occasionally looking around the room at the various occupants as if he were taking the measure of each of them. Despite the intriguing color of his eyes, Bethany was a bit repelled by the man. It wasn’t so much anything Westfield had said or done; in fact, he had been very courteous. He just seemed to be watching her constantly and was almost flirtatious in his looks and actions. She may be single, but she certainly wasn’t looking for a relationship. She wondered if he would get the message through her body language, or if she would actually have to say something to him to make him move on to somebody else. She hoped it was the former. She didn’t relish a confrontation with him.