“You idiot! You’d jeopardize our plans here and now? For what?”
Derek tried to pull away, but Liam grabbed the pistol away from him, secured it in his own waistband, and pushed him to the ground. “Keep your eye on the ball.”
“Don’t you care about Terrell?” Derek yelled.
A siren sounded in the distance and Bethany motioned with her gun. “We’ve got to move. We’ll hash this out later.”
Bethany met Daniel’s eyes and nodded. They both understood that they had to do something about Derek, but it had to be done later when the police weren’t breathing down their necks. Derek was a hothead who wasn’t going to roll over no matter what the Heritage Guard ordered him to do, and it was obvious that Daniel was in danger as long as Derek was in the picture. He could ruin all of their plans if something wasn’t done to control him.
Daniel got back behind the wheel and Bethany joined him in the front seat. Liam got in the back, and a few seconds later, Derek and Ethan joined them and slammed the door closed. As soon as the door was closed, Daniel hit the gas and the SUV sped away. The entire robbery, including the stray shot, had been completed in under four minutes.
“Woo-hoo!” Derek yelled, when they were about five miles away and still not being followed. “We did it!” He drummed on the seat in front of him with his hands as if he was still trying to burn off some excess energy.
No one answered him and the entire group pulled their masks off and began to let the adrenaline that had come from the robbery slowly escape. Everyone except Daniel, that is. Bethany could tell that Daniel was still burning about the bullet that had hit only inches from his head. His lips were pulled into a thin line and his eyes were narrowed as he drove, focused on the road before him.
After a few turns, Daniel pulled the SUV into the parking lot of the car rental company, which was the prearranged site where they would all separate. Bishop was waiting and came out of the office and met the car when they arrived. He approached Ethan, who was the official leader of the group, but before a word could be said Daniel had pulled Derek out of the car, pushed him up against the side of the SUV and punched him hard in the face. Blood oozed from the wound as Daniel hit him a second time before Liam and Ethan were able to pull him off and separate the two. Derek swiped at the blood and then pulled his fist back as if he was going to hit Daniel, now that he was secured, but Bethany stepped between them.
“No way, Derek. You deserved that, and more.”
“What’s going on?” Bishop demanded. “Did you have trouble on the job?”
“The job went just fine,” Liam answered, “until Derek took a shot at Daniel’s head.”
“It was a stray bullet,” Derek whined as he wiped at the blood from his lip. “I wasn’t aiming for him. The gun just went off.”
Daniel pulled against Liam and Ethan’s grip. “Liar. You were trying to kill me.”
Bishop raised an eyebrow. “Ethan?” He looked to the leader, apparently wanting some clear direction from the one who had run the job and could give him an unbiased opinion.
Ethan met his eye. “We got the money and it’s in the back. Derek was either very sloppy or intentionally took a shot at Daniel. Either way, I don’t want him on my team again. He can’t be trusted.”
Derek suddenly turned all of his anger on Ethan. His face was flushed with rage and even more blood bubbled out of his nose. “What? How can you take his side? He’s a cop, just like those cops who killed Terrell! He’s the enemy.”
“I’m not taking sides. I’m trying to do what’s best for the Heritage Guard. That’s the reason why we’re out here doing what we’re doing in the first place,” Ethan said in a matter-of-fact tone. “When you make it personal, you make mistakes and people get hurt. That’s not how I operate.”
Bishop put his hands up in a motion of surrender. “Ethan is right. I’m sorry, Derek, but we can’t use you anymore. You’re out.”
Derek looked like he was going to explode. “What?”
“You heard me,” Bishop repeated. “Clear out of here.”
Derek’s face turned even redder, and he looked around as if he was trying to find something to throw or kick. Seeing nothing, he charged toward Daniel, but Ethan released Daniel, crossed his arms and blocked Derek with a move that looked like it came from a football field. Derek ended up on the ground with gravel embedded into his hands and face, and he brushed it away angrily. He apparently realized that physically he wasn’t going to get anywhere today, so the venom spewed from his mouth instead.
“You’ll be sorry,” he spat. “You’ll fail without me. Just wait and see.”
“I’d advise you to go quietly,” Bishop said, his voice calm in the middle of a storm. “You don’t need to make enemies of the Guard.”
Derek fisted his palms and looked from one face to another. He finally knelt over and picked up his wool mask that he had lost during the scuffle, then turned and started walking away from the group, a scowl still on his face.
Once he had disappeared, Daniel turned back to Bishop and handed him the keys to the SUV. “The money is in the back. Unfortunately, there’s also a bullet hole that will need to be repaired.”
Bishop took the keys and pocketed them. “Congratulations on a job well done.”
Daniel pulled Bethany against him and kissed her cheek. “Success, darling.” Still holding her, he turned toward Ethan. “What’s next?”
“Disappear,” Ethan said, an enigmatic smile on his face. “We’ll contact you shortly for the next job.”
Bishop pointed to Bethany. “I need to speak to you. Without your boyfriend.”
Bethany shrugged and kissed Daniel on the lips, then pulled away from him. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
Daniel watched her follow Bishop into the small building. His lips burned from her kiss. He knew it had been for show, but he still enjoyed it. He wanted to follow after her into the meeting to make sure she was safe, but it was obvious that he wasn’t invited; he knew she could take care of herself and that the danger was minimal. He needed to do some research anyway on the stadium, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and headed to his truck, saying a prayer for her safety as he did so, just in case.
* * *
Bethany took the chair that was offered to her and leaned back, keeping her back to the wall so she could see everyone in the small room, as well as the door. The room was furnished with only a small desk, a floor lamp and a few chairs. A car rental poster was plastered on the wall, advertising the latest specials. She glanced around the room and felt a measure of relief. She knew Bishop and also the large man standing by the door, but it paid to be cautious, so she kept a wary eye open, just in case she needed to act quickly. Her pistol was in her waistband, and she had another spare sidearm tucked in her boot, as an extra precaution.
Bishop took the seat across from her. “Good job today. Any problems?”
She shook her head. “Only that issue with Derek. The rest went off like clockwork. We emptied out the truck and no one was hurt, and all within the time frame allotted. It was a clean job.”
“I’m glad to hear it. The money will be put to good use.” He leaned forward. “We need fifteen to twenty blocks of C-4, as well as the ribbon charges to set them off, and timers for each of the blocks. Can you help us?”
She whistled between her teeth. “Wow. That’s a big order. When do you need it?”
“Four days.”
She leaned back. “You don’t ask much.”
“We’ve got the money to pay—now that today’s job was successful.”
“You’ll have to pay a bit more than the going rate if you want it that quickly.”
Bishop smiled, but there was a malevolent air to his attitude. “Make the deal. I’ll get you the money.”
“Will do,” she said with a nod. “You
have someone who knows how to set it up?”
“Don’t you worry about that. You just get the explosives. We’ll take care of the rest.” He took his cap off and ran his hands through his hair.
“Do you need anything else?”
Bishop shook his head. “We’ll let you know.”
The tone of his voice said the meeting was over, so she stood, nodded to each of the men and left the room. She’d ridden with Daniel to the meeting site for the armored car heist, so now she started walking away from the car rental company toward the downtown area. She pulled out her cell phone and couldn’t reach Hooker, even after several attempts, so she tried Westfield next. He answered on the first ring.
“Bethany. It’s good to hear from you. Is everything okay?”
“Max, I can’t get Hooker. Any idea why he’s not answering?”
“I’m not sure, but I can tell you this. They’ve decided to pull you in and close the investigation.”
Indignation rose in her throat. “They can’t do that! He gave me two weeks!”
“Have you made any progress?” Westfield asked.
“Yes, we think we’ve identified their target, and they want me to buy the C-4 for them. Everything is coming to a head. We’ll lose this opportunity if we pull out now. I really need you to talk to Hooker and change his mind. Can you do that?”
“I can try, but it won’t be easy.”
A wave of alarm spread over her. She couldn’t let this investigation fail now. She had invested too much, and she needed Westfield on her side. “Please, Max, do what you can. I also need fifteen to twenty blocks of C-4 in four days, along with the ribbon charges and timers. This is the one, Max. It all comes down to this.” In the past, Justin had always gotten her what she needed to maintain her cover. If Hooker couldn’t help, she desperately needed Westfield to come through. If the Guard wanted the C-4 in four days and they were planning on blowing up AT&T Stadium, then the upcoming marching band competition was the likely target, and she had to do everything in her power to stop them before it was too late.
“Can you get me the C-4, Max?”
“I don’t know, Bethany. That’s a pretty tall order, especially with the brass wanting to shut down the investigation. Like I said, it won’t be easy.”
“It’s the last thing I need. The Guard has been putting all of their efforts into Operation Battlefield. This C-4 has got to be for that mission. If I can provide the explosives, they’ll include me in the planning, and I can learn all of the details. Once I know what’s going on, we’ll be able to stop them.”
“We seized some C-4 from a case about three years ago that is still in the evidence locker. I may be able to get you a few blocks off the record, but I don’t know about twenty.”
“Off the record? What does that mean exactly? I don’t want you to do anything that will jeopardize this case.” His comment surprised her. Even though the brass were in a hurry to have this case concluded, there were still procedures in place that had to be followed when it came to using FBI supplies for a job—especially for munitions. Was Westfield going to steal the explosives?
“Nothing. That’s not what I meant. Of course, I’ll go through official channels. I’m just under a lot of pressure to finish this case, just like you are, Bethany. Can’t you do it with less?”
His tone was filled with exasperation, so she pushed on, filing her concerns in the back of her mind to consider later. “I’ve got to have at least fifteen.”
She heard Westfield sigh. “You’re asking a lot from me, Bethany.”
“Max, this is the culmination of my entire undercover operation. The arrests will be significant. I’ll share the credit with you. I’ll make sure everyone knows that you’re the one that made the operation possible. If we’re successful, it will mean a big boost for your career.”
She heard him sigh again. “Bethany, I want to be promoted, sure, but I have feelings for you. Strong feelings. I must have been very clumsy with telling you about how I feel, but I’m telling you know. I think I’m in love with you.”
Good grief! This is not what she had expected when she’d dialed Westfield’s line. She didn’t share his feelings, but she needed his help and didn’t know how to get it and let him down gently at the same time. She opted for the truth, since she wasn’t good at subterfuge when it came to relationships. “Look, Max, I appreciate you telling me how you feel, so I’ll be honest with you right back. Daniel and I used to have a very committed relationship, and lately since we’ve been working together again, we’ve talked about getting back together. I don’t know where it’s all going to lead, but I’m really not ready to date anyone else until I know for sure if that relationship is going to go somewhere or not.” She didn’t know how to even describe her relationship with Daniel right now, but she did know that she didn’t want to pursue anything with Westfield, regardless of what happened with Daniel. She didn’t want to hurt him though, so this was her way of trying to let him down as easily as possible. She paused, but when he didn’t comment, she continued, hoping that he understood. “Does that make any sense at all?”
“I guess,” he admitted, finally breaking the silence. “I can’t say I’m not disappointed. But I’ll respect your decision. I’ll check into the C-4 and let you know what I can do.”
“Thanks, Max.” She hung up, and stored her phone, still ruminating on what she had learned during the call.
Westfield’s words seemed appropriate, but there was something in his voice that seemed sinister and sent a chill down her spine. She had always felt a bit strange around him, but he had never seemed dangerous to her until today. Could she trust Westfield? Someone had murdered Justin. She had no proof that his murder was directly related to her investigation, but she couldn’t prove it wasn’t related either.
She thought back through their conversation. Westfield had basically offered to steal C-4 from the evidence locker to help her, even though he backpedaled when she questioned him. Had it been just a slip of the tongue? She knew for a fact that Justin had always requisitioned what she needed to bolster her undercover operation. Her former boss had always followed the rules and left a paper trail a mile wide. Would Westfield actually steal the C-4 from the evidence room? He claimed her bosses were trying to shut her operation down immediately, but she hadn’t heard that from Hooker, and even if it were true, Westfield should never have volunteered to steal the C-4. It was a crime.
Thoughts that she had never considered began to swarm in her mind. Was this the first time Westfield had considered stealing evidence, or had he done it before? Had he stolen C-4 in the past and used it to kill Justin?
But what possible motive could he have? Justin had hand-picked Westfield to be his assistant, and the two men had seemed to have a good working relationship. But if not Westfield, then who? Who else would want to take Justin’s life?
There were too many questions. Westfield might be a bit creepy, but as far as she knew, he was a top-notch FBI agent who had an excellent reputation. Surely his comment today had just been a mistake. As Westfield himself had said, they were all under a lot of pressure to bring this case to a swift and successful conclusion. People under stress misspoke. It happened.
Bethany sighed and rubbed the muscles in her neck. Even she was feeling a bit edgy. For the first time in a very long time, she found herself glad that she could share her burden with Daniel and bounce ideas off him. She found herself looking forward to seeing him tonight. She quickened her step toward the bus stop to grab a ride back to the apartment they were sharing. It was going to be a long night.
FOURTEEN
Bishop looked in the duffel bag that Bethany offered, then zipped it up and met her eye, disappointment heavy in his features. “Eight bricks? That’s it?”
“It’s a start, Bishop. I’m working on the rest.” Bethany had met with Westfield early in the morning and gotten the eight bricks
of C-4 from him, but it had been an awkward exchange. They had barely spoken during the few minutes it had taken to hand off the explosives. She still had not heard from Hooker, even though she had tried several times to contact him, and through several means. All she could guess was that her superiors had decided that her investigation was winding down or was canceled outright and had left Westfield in charge to tie up the loose ends. It was odd, but she had been left out of the loop for so long that she didn’t know what else to think. After Justin’s dire warning about the mole, she didn’t know who she could trust at the FBI and dared not try to contact anyone else at the bureau—at least not until this case was well and truly over.
“You know this is time-sensitive, right?” Liam growled.
“Of course, I do,” Bethany said defensively. “But C-4 isn’t something you can buy at Walmart, and I wasn’t given a large time frame in which to operate. I’m doing the best I can.”
Liam made a derisory sound. “Maybe your boyfriend can do better. Let’s bring him in here and find out. Maybe he has better connections than you do.”
Bethany’s stomach constricted. If they brought Daniel in, what would he say? She and Daniel were already working on getting the extra C-4 they needed from Daniel’s boss, Captain Murphy, and the local Chattanooga Police Force, but so far they hadn’t been able to get the delivery confirmed. They also had hoped that dealing with Captain Murphy would help them determine if he was the mole or not. However, they hadn’t learned anything new. One thing they did realize—if Murphy couldn’t get them the explosives they needed, they would have to start looking at alternatives, and fast. Either way, they hadn’t planned on having this conversation in front of Liam, and she didn’t know how Daniel would answer the interrogation.
Could she trust Daniel to say the right thing? As Daniel entered the room, their eyes met, and she wondered if he could see the fear mirrored in her own. This situation exemplified why she worked alone. When she worked undercover by herself, she didn’t have to worry about anybody making a mistake and putting her life at risk. She didn’t have to depend on anyone else but herself. It was lonely, but it was easier.
Undercover Jeopardy Page 12