Holding a Hero

by Layne, Lyssa

  “We need to put Brad and Christine in a safe house, Cap.” Joe pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning against.

  Their boss said, “We'll sneak the two of you out of here, Maxwell. No sense in giving whoever is doing this the time and room to bump you off until we get this insanity straightened out.”

  Joe nodded agreement and patted Brad on the back, making him wince. “Sorry, partner.”

  “Let's get this done.” Brad slowly slipped into his tattered shirt, then managed with Joe's help, to step into his filthy jeans. He shook his head. The simple task wore him out. He snorted his disgust with himself.

  With the aid of security, Christine was brought to Brad’s side.

  Christine flew into Brad’s waiting arms and sobbed clutching him in a choke hold. He would have cried out in pain but she felt so damn good holding on for dear life.

  They departed through a side door where the Captain had parked his car. Ducking down in the back seat, Captain Roberts covered them with a blanket he pulled from the trunk.

  On orders from the Captain, Joe departed first with a destination in mind. When all was in place he’d radio the captain to his location. Until then, they were to drive around the city avoiding anybody and everybody.

  When the call came through, Captain Roberts pulled into the No-Tell-Motel where Joe was waiting and parked around back. Joe had a room ready and reserved for Brad and Christine under Joe wife’s maiden name. He figured no one would catch on so they’d at least be safe for the night. Once they were secured safely in the room, Joe left. He headed to the nearest store to pick up groceries that would hold them until morning. They’d find a better place to keep them safe.

  While Joe was gone, Christine took the opportunity to confront the Captain. “Now do you believe Brad is innocent? He had to have been set up for all this to be happening, otherwise it makes no sense.”

  “As much as I hate to admit it young lady, what you say has merit. But you have to understand it from my point of view as well. I still have no one in custody for the killing of one of my officers.”

  “Does that mean you have to do an eenie-meenie-miney-moe to pick a name to blame? Anybody's? Why Brad's?” She planted fisted hands on her hips.

  Brad's eyebrows shot up at her feisty behavior with his captain. He'd better rescue the man.

  “She's right, Cap. If you continue to look for excuses to blame me, you stand a good chance of letting the real killer get away with it. How many more people have to be hurt, maimed, or killed before you catch a clue?” Brad pinned his captain with what he hoped was a meaningful glare.

  “That's mighty unfair, don’t you think?” The captain lifted a defiant chin.

  Brad shook his head. “No more unfair than accusing me of killing my best friend. How ludicrous is that? For God’s sake, I'm the Godfather to Marty’s kids. Do you honestly think I'd do that to them?”

  “Oh, I didn’t realize that.”

  Christine jumped back into the fray and pointed an angry finger at Brad's boss. “You would have if you’d bothered to ask the right questions. Did you even talk to Marty's wife? She would have told you the same thing she told Brad.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “That she knows Brad isn’t capable of what you’re accusing him of. Not after everything they’ve been through together.” Seeing Brad’s superior officer silent, she plunged on. “If you ask me, you’ll check the men Brad’s put away in the past five years. Or even in your own department, considering the missing evidence. Whoever it is seems to be aware of our every move.”

  Brad admired her spunk. He’d given up trying to defend himself to his superior officers. They only wanted an end, they didn’t care about the means. At least that’s how he saw it. She was wasting her breath on his captain. The man had made up his mind and nothing would change it.

  He realized he was in love with Christine, but it didn't make things easier. In fact, it only made it that much harder on him. As long as they were involved, her life would be in jeopardy. It was because of him that they were in this mess. He’d have to stay with her in order to protect her, but keeping his emotions in check wouldn’t be easy.

  As soon as they had the suspect in custody, he had a lot of thinking to do. A life with him would only doom her to nothing but pain. He was a cop. Cops die. God forbid she had to through the hell Rosie was. But he wasn’t ready to give her up. His job, yeah!

  Brad tried to keep his mind off Chris. If he caught her gaze, he'd be unable to resist. Resist taking her into his arms, into his kisses, into the bed. No. He'd buckle for sure. He wanted to fall into her arms and never let go. He couldn't afford to do that if he was going to keep her safe. Later, he heard her crying softly in the bathroom and his heart tightened to the point he could barely breathe. His chest ached as the guilt grew, but he had to ignore it. Chris's life depended on it. So did his. But he'd gladly give his life to relax and have a small amount of peace of mind. That was something he couldn’t afford to do, not if he wanted to keep her safe.

  Christine knew in her heart that something was different with Brad. What she wouldn't give to hear him call her “Honey.” The name she'd grown used to hearing from him. Yes, something was wrong. She knew by the set of his jaw, he needed to work some things out. She wouldn’t push. For now.

  Captain Roberts and Joe departed once they were convinced Brad and Christine were secure for the night. Both promised to tell no one of their location.

  “Brad. What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Why won’t you talk to me?”

  “I’m thinking.”

  “Talk out loud. Maybe I can help. Damn it, I’m involved too!”

  “Get some rest. We’ll talk later. I need to stay focused.”

  “You’re the most focused man I know. What I want is to talk—I want to know why you’re shutting me out?”

  “Please. If I ignore our safety for a roll in the hay, we may regret it.”

  “I don’t know about you, but I have no regrets where you’re concerned.”

  Brad turned away. “I can’t afford to disregard your personal safety.”

  “Can’t afford what, to feel something for me. If not, what the hell am I doing here? I thought it was because we connected. That we had something special.”

  Brad leaned against the window sill. “We do, but think about it from my perspective. Because of me, you’re in danger. We need to cool it. This job is dangerous enough without having to worry about getting you killed.” He rubbed his neck. “Let it go.”

  “I don’t want to let it go, I’m tired of your foolish male pride, of you acting like you are solely responsible for my safety. Well I have news for you buster, I’m still quite capable of taking care of myself. I don’t need a man to save me, I can save myself. I simply chose to stay with you because you’re important to me. Think about that while you wallow in your own silence.” She wanted to say more, but in this instance, less was more.

  When she crawled into bed that night, she longed to snuggle against Brad’s body. She needed the warmth and strength he provided. But when he didn’t join her, instead opting to sit in a chair or stand peeking out of the closed curtains.

  Worse, the explanation he offered was lame. Almost as if he was afraid of her.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Christine awoke in the morning depressed because Brad never came to bed. It hurt, but she was taking their safety seriously.

  She’d just made it to the bathroom door when she heard a knock at the front door. They had two interconnected rooms. She didn’t bother to look in on his side before entering the bathroom. She took her time washing up in an effort to put some distance between herself, Brad and whoever else was in the room. Christine turned the shower on full force in hopes no one could hear her cry.

  A knock on her bathroom door told her it was time to quit hiding. She opened the door to find Joe and the captain standing there, in her bedroom. Her gaze hit the floor as she walked around th
em holding tightly to her towel.

  “The least you could do is have the decency to let me get dressed.”

  They stepped into the other room closing the door as they went. After slipping into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, she stuffed her feet into a pair of tennis shoes then busied herself making the bed.

  The murmur of male voices muted by the closed door gave her pause. They'd waited long enough. She walked out of her room and proceeded to dispose of the previous night’s dinner, opening the door between the rooms as she passed it. She avoided eye contact with Joe. The captain could go hang for all she cared. And Brad? Well, she’d cut him some slack. He was after all worried about their safety.

  The men, wisely, remained silent as if waiting for her to get it out of her system. They could wait forever as far as she was concerned. This whole business was getting to her. She quietly moved to the chair near the window in her room, plopped down, and grabbed the remote. She didn't want to watch television, but it kept her from having to talk to them.

  The men huddled closer.

  She let out an exasperated sigh and focused on the television to blot out any trace of their words. She crossed her legs and couldn't stop jiggling her impatient right foot. It seemed to have a mind of its own. She glued her gaze to the monitor as if hypnotized.

  Joe touched her arm. “Chris, there's some fresh coffee and Danish on the dining table.”

  “No thanks, I’m not hungry.” God she sounded like a spoiled brat. Women who behaved like that irritated her. Unfortunately, she wasn't ready to relinquish her mood. She blew a breath upward lifting wisps of hair off her forehead.

  “What about the coffee, you look like you could use it. You don’t look like you’ve slept a bit.”

  “I’m fine,” she said, her tone flat even to her own ears.

  Brad wasn’t surprised to hear Christine give Joe the brush-off. He was no happier when Joe tapped him on the arm.

  “What’s the matter with Chris? She seems really out of sorts. Did you two have a fight or something?”

  “She was fine when she went to bed last night. A bit quiet, but I figured that’s because of all that’s happened.”

  Captain Roberts joined them saying, “Is there any place that you know of where you and Miss Jansen can stay? Someplace no one knows about? I think that bright young lady of yours is right. Whoever is responsible for this knows your every move.” He stuck his hands in his pockets and continued pacing.

  Brad sat on the edge of the bed cracking his knuckles.

  “The only person I can think of is a friend of Chris’. A guy named Jared Williams. She trusts him with her life. And right now, other than Joe, I think he’s about the only other person I trust as well.” He didn't like the idea of involving another person, but it would have to be Jared. No one else would take better care of her except himself.

  Brad didn’t miss the look of irritation that swept across the Captain’s face. Apparently, the captain got the message, he no longer considered him a trustworthy. And why would he, after the way the captain neglected to stand by him? What did the man think he was—an idiot? He didn’t have to be told twice that the captain had his own agenda. Hell, he’d be willing to swear the captain and Van Norton were trying to railroad him.

  “I’ll have Chris call Jared and clear it, but in the meantime.” He turned to his partner. “Joe, I want you to go back through the files. To the beginning when Marty and I were first paired up. Marty was their first victim, and now they’re gunning for me. That tells me whoever’s doing this goes back to when Marty and I were partners.” Brad clenched a fist, his index finger running along his bottom lip, pacing while giving the rest of his requests. “Look through every case and find out who's been released. From that list break, it down further.”

  He held up an index finger. “Number one, I want a list of parolees still working with their P.O.'s and the exact location of each at the time of Marty's death”. He lifted another finger. “Two, make a list of those who have done their time, but had made threats against Marty and me.”

  Brad stood at the door between the rooms and spied Chris mechanically drinking her coffee. “I want the files on anyone you come up with so I can go over the case. And I want them by tomorrow.” Turning to his superior officer, he said, “I trust you’ll put sufficient manpower on this?”

  Vince took his hand out of his pocket and shook a finger at Brad. “Look Maxwell, I know you think I’m against you, but I’m not. If nothing else I’m cracking down harder on you because the entire force seems to think you’re my pet.”

  “Damn Vince, if this is how you treat your pets, how the hell do you treat your enemies?”

  “C’mon Brad, you’ve worked under me for how many years?”

  “For the past ten years since I made detective.”

  “That’s right and any time I need my best officer on a job, you’re the one I call. That’s why it’s so important that we get you cleared.” He sliced his free hand through the air. “But, I can’t have anything to do with it. Internal Affairs is watching every move I make, and I’m not allowed to interfere for any reason. In fact, if they knew I told you this much, they’d probably pull me from duty.”

  Brad’s mouth dropped open. He had no idea the captain had any opinion on him at all much less thought so highly of him. Maybe his luck was turning?

  “If that’s the case Vince, why are you doing this now?”

  “Technically, I’m not doing anything. Joe is handling this all on his own. I’m simply advising him, since he no longer has a senior training officer to guide him.”

  Brad and Joe both saw the wink and nodded in acknowledgement.

  At a time of such devastation, he felt oddly grateful and relieved to hear what Vince thought of him. But, he still wasn’t sure he trusted him. This plan would tell the tale. Joe would never betray him. So if anyone found out where they were, it was solely on the captain.

  “So from now on, you’re to give all information directly to Joe and he’ll make sure no one but me gets it.” He fished a business card from his suit pocket, scribbled something on the back and handed it to Joe. “The first number is my home phone. The second is my cell phone. Both are secured lines, so you can reach me day or night. I’m leaving now.” He stopped at the door and gazed back. “Joe, as soon as Brad and his lady friend are settled, call me and let me know. I don’t want to know where you are or any of the details, unless you get into serious trouble. This has to look like you’re working without any help from me.”

  Joe checked to make sure the coast was clear in order for the captain to depart unseen. Once the captain departed, he called Jared. True to form, Jared agreed to house her and Brad and arrange to meet them at Paradise Park across town.

  Chris remained silent as she and Brad padded to his car.

  Joe was to hang back to see if they were followed, then went in the opposite directions in case they were watched.

  Brad didn’t take a calm breath until Joe called to make sure they'd made it safely. By then they were on Jared’s doorstep.

  It damn near killed him when Christine threw her arms around Jared’s neck. He could have sworn he’d heard a stifled sob from her.

  “I want to thank you for letting us stay with you. I promise it won't be for more than one night.” Christine stroked his cheek but averted his gaze.

  “Don’t worry about it. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like, you know that.”

  “I don’t want to put you in any danger. We need to hide out until they can come up with a real plan.” Christine hugged her friend then move to sit on the couch beside him.

  Brad scowled and said, “As opposed to the fake plan we’re going with now?” He wasn't sure if Christine had just insulted him or not, but it sure as hell felt like it. He stormed to the window and checked the half empty apartment parking lot. His eyes zoned in on the street for anything moving besides traffic.

  Nothing.

  He turned to face her, softened his
voice. “I know this isn't easy for you, Chris. We can only hope it won't be much longer.” Brad wished he could take her in his arms and reassure her, but the lines had been drawn and it wasn't an option. He glanced at Jared who hadn't moved from his position beside Chris, glaring at him.

  “In the past couple of days, I’ve been shot at, received threatening phone calls, and had my car blown up. Now I’m hiding out like a fugitive. This may be an everyday ordeal for you, but it’s not exactly normal for me,” Christine shouted. She turned her face away from him and picked up Jared's remote absently rubbing her thumb over the keys.

  Brad suspected Chris didn't mean to raise her voice. It was his fault her nerves were shot and her fear was rising. He sensed she felt helpless, and he couldn't blame her. She'd been through too much for someone who was used to leading a reasonably peaceful life. She was right. He was used to it. She wasn't.

  He let out a breath and raked his fingers through his hair. He paced the living room, stopped to check out a photograph of Jared and Christine at some posh party. A pang of jealousy so strong hit him square between the eyes. So what if Jared was gay. There were some gay men who slept with women. Weren't there? He shook the thought out of his head and turned to face them. “I’m sorry, Christine. I never meant to get you into this fix, but I promise you, I’ll get you out. If we can keep you safe and out of the public eye, we might have a chance.”

  She jumped up from the couch and dropped the remote on the black lacquer table.

  “Are you crazy? I can’t stay hidden and I won’t be a victim again. I still have to check in with my agent. Last time we talked, she was in contact with the Times finalizing the details for an interview. I need to find out what’s going on and when it’s scheduled.”

  “I’m sorry, but until we catch whoever’s threatening us, you can’t go out in public without protection.” His eyes darted to Jared, silently imploring him to help, but all he got was a slight head shake of denial. He was on his own with this woman. Who'd have thought she could be so stubborn?