Set Me Free

by Melissa Pearl

  I flicked my ID up so she could take a quick glance. "Hi. We're here for an evidence box." I fumbled Alex's phone out of my pocket and looked at the screen. "Case number 42896."

  She gave me a hard look.

  "Margery." Alex pointed at the badge clipped onto her pocket. "I used to have a girlfriend named Margery. She was a peach. I sometimes wonder if she was the one that got away, you know?" He tipped his head, running his eyes approvingly down her body. "Margery. Mmmm. I think I'll love that name forever."

  A blush lit her cheeks as she fluffed the back of her hair. With a flick of the mouse and a few keystrokes she brought up a screen full of numbers that I couldn't quite read. "That's a cold case."

  "Yeah." Alex nodded. "Something's popped and our boss wanted us to come and collect. Might be able to reopen the case and solve this puppy." Alex grinned, making Margery chuckle.

  "I'll just go and get it for you." She stood, smoothing down her skirt and enjoying the way Alex's eyes lingered over her body as she slowly turned.

  The caged door clicked shut behind her and I turned to Alex with a droll frown. "You've had a lot of sex in your life, haven't you?"

  He gave me a coy smile and a little shrug that made my eyes roll.

  I stepped back from the counter, shoving my hands into my pockets, nerves rounding over me again. I hoped she was quick as I paced away from the counter, keeping my head down so the cameras couldn't get a full view of my face.

  The door clicked and I spun to see the lady return with a slight frown.

  "Sorry about this, but it's not there."

  My heart didn't just sink, it plummeted. I tried to even out my expression and look curious rather than heart broken.

  "Let me just recheck this case number and see if I can find some history."

  Alex's smile was encouraging as she slipped into her seat. Her gaze kept flicking back to his flirty expression, her cheeks growing redder by the second. I found it irritating, yet knew it was the right move. She'd do a better job for us if she liked him.

  It took three centuries of keystrokes and tutting from Margery, but finally she nodded. "Here it is." She cleared her throat. "Okay, so those files were damaged in a flood. I wonder why that wasn't flagged properly. I don't usually have to dig for information like this," she mumbled before squinting at the screen again, obviously not wanting to use the glasses sitting next to her keyboard. "The room the cold case files used to be stored in had a leak in the roof and a bunch of evidence boxes were damaged, so they had to be discarded."

  "So there's nothing?" I swallowed my clipped tone and forced a grin. "Nothing was salvaged?"

  "According to this, it was all lost."

  "Well, that is a shame." Alex tapped the counter. "But not the end of the world. We'll still pursue this lead. Something else will pop, don't you worry, Wilcox. There'll still be photos and digital reports, so we're not left empty-handed." He threw a sideways glance at Margery and whispered, "You gotta love the zest of these newbies though, right?"

  She chuckled.

  Reaching over the counter, he held his hand out to her and winked. "It was very nice to meet you. In no way was this a wasted trip today."

  His enigmatic smile lit the room, as did her blush. She gave a soft titter as she shook his hand. "Nice to meet you too, Agent Green."

  Alex turned to me and flicked his head towards the exit. I gave Margery a close- mouthed smile as I left the room, knowing I needed to hold myself together until we were off site.

  I couldn't stop my shoulders from slumping just a little as we stepped out into the sun.

  There was nothing. The files were destroyed just as my gut knew they would be. Elliot's little hack had given me hope. Why hadn't he found the information about the destroyed files? We had risked this all for nothing!

  I thought this would be over soon, but now we were back to square one. I didn't know if I had the guts or the energy to take it any further.

  "I know it's a set back, but we'll find something else." Alex slid on his shades, still looking cool and charming. I wanted to punch him.

  "No, we won't." I stopped at the car door. "Tenner would have covered all his tracks. We both know that flood was no accident."

  "There's got to be something though. The guy's not perfect."

  "No, but he's powerful and he could flatten us all. We need to step away from this."

  "What, so you can spend the rest of your life in hiding?" He snapped, yanking the keys out of his pocket and pointing them at the car.

  I ignored his sour tone and shrugged. "If I have to."

  "Well, I'm not cool with that." The car beeped, the locks clicking open in unison.

  I reached for the door handle. "Well, it's not your decision to make. It's not your life!"

  Alex pointed at me across the roof of the car. "If you let the threat of him continue to control you like this, it's not your life either."

  I was about to cross my arms and swivel away from him when I noticed the security guard approaching us. The sun was shining off his bald head, but it was the way his bushy eyebrows were bunched together that made my shoulders ping back into place.

  "Excuse me, Agent Green." The guard approached on swift feet. "Can I please take one more look at that ID card of yours? There seems to be a glitch in the system."

  "A glitch?" Alex tipped his head, reaching into his jacket pocket for the ID.

  Nerves skittered sideways through my stomach.

  "Yeah." The guard shrugged, taking the card. "Something about your name sounded familiar for some reason and when I punched in your ID number it said that you no longer work for the FBI."

  My eyes bulged while a tendon in Alex's neck pinged tight. How could we have missed that? We just chose two names from the website. Damn thing must have not been updated recently. I should have made Elliot hunt through the site meticulously, not just grab two random names! Shorty would be rolling in his grave right now. I was off my game and my causal oversight had put us both in danger.

  "Well, that's really odd." Alex scratched the back of his neck. "As you can see, I'm still here." His bright grin didn't seem so shiny in front of the slightly tubby guard.

  "It must be a computer error," I called over the car, trying to distract the man who was quickly scrutinizing Alex's ID.

  The guard didn't even flinch at my words, instead slowly reaching for something at his back.

  Alex shot a nervous glance over his shoulder, his eyes looking skittish as he slowly removed his hands from his pockets. I didn't have time to yell out a no before Alex lunged for the guard, striking him with a powerful right hook that knocked the man from his feet. He crashed to the sidewalk while Alex scrambled for the keys, yanking the door open and quickly starting the car. I barely had my door shut before we screeched out of the parking lot and busted through the barricade.

  Chapter 13

  LUCY

  This was not good.

  This was so not good.

  I clung to the car door as Alex swerved into traffic, crazily weaving between cars.

  "Any ideas?" he shouted.

  My body jerked to the left as Alex veered into a side road.

  "We need to ditch this car. I mean it's been hired under a fake ID so it will take them time to link it to us, but not if we get caught in it!"

  He turned right, causing my shoulder to crash into the door. He was driving like a freaking maniac. If the FBI weren't on our tail soon, the LAPD would be!

  "There!" I pointed to a parking garage.

  Alex drove into it without checking the road, nearly causing an accident. He braked and quickly lowered the window to grab a ticket. The arm lifted and we squealed into the parking lot. He drove up two floors before finding a dark, corner spot and lurched into it.

  We both sat there breathing like rabid dogs for a moment, too shell shocked to move.

  "What the hell just happened?" Alex gripped the wheel.

  "Life," I muttered, pushing the door open with my elbow. "Come on,
we've got to keep moving."

  Whipping off my jacket, I used the sleeve to wipe down any surface I may have touched. Alex followed my lead before we ran from the car, dropping the keys into the first trashcan we walked by. Two blocks later we ditched our jackets and fake IDs. I pulled out my hair tie, fluffing my locks before untucking my shirt and letting it float loosely around me.

  Alex eyed me out of the corner of his eye, rolling up his sleeves and trying to change his look from stylish agent to casual street walker.

  A siren wailed in the distance, making us both flinch.

  "We need to get back to the motel as fast as we can. I'm guessing the FBI move like lightening. They'll already be tracking down the plates on the car. It won't take them too long to find it. We need to be out of L.A. before they do."

  Alex raised his hand, rushing to the street corner and hailing a taxi that was driving past. We bustled into it, clipping out the address.

  "Can you hurry, please." Alex swallowed. "We're running late."

  The driver nodded, but didn't seem fussed by our urgency. He took his damn time winding through the streets, while Alex and I took turns subtly peeking out the back window, just waiting for those flashing lights to pull the cab to the side of the road.

  Ten minutes later Alex was yanking money from his pocket and throwing it at the driver. We slammed the doors shut behind us and raced into the motel room.

  "How'd it go?" Zach lurched from his seat the second we busted into the room.

  "We've got to get out of here," I muttered, barging past him to start gathering up our stuff. Pulling the paperwork on the table into a scrappy pile, I started shoving it into the bag on the floor.

  "Why? What's going on?" Zach's expression pinched tight as he watched Alex rush into the bedroom and scramble for his clothes.

  "We had a little mishap," Alex called through the door. "Turns out one of our IDs didn't cut it."

  "So you didn't get the evidence?" Elliot stood by the table, watching my frantic movements like a freaking statue.

  "There was no evidence! It was destroyed! I knew it was all too good to be true. Shit!" I yelled as the zipper on the bag jammed.

  "Here let me." Zach gently took it from my grasp.

  "Elliot, go and get your stuff! Alex punched the guard and we had to make a run for it. We can explain the rest later, but right now we need to get out of town as fast as we can. Move!"

  Elliot jumped to, nearly falling over as he caught his foot on the table leg.

  Alex rushed back into the room, flinging his bag at the door before going into the next room to clear it out.

  Zach finished fixing the bag, his calm demeanor freaking me out a little. Why wasn't he panicking like me? Did he not understand what we'd just done! If the FBI caught up with us we were in deep shit!

  "I'll go check out." He grabbed our room key and headed for the door, stumbling on the frame as he left. I wanted to chase after him and pull him back into the safety of the room, but he was right. We couldn't just leave without paying. Well, we could, but Zach wouldn't be able to live with it. No, I was the only criminal in this relationship.

  I cringed and headed into the bathroom, making sure it was clear of all our stuff. Snatching our toothbrushes into my hand, I shoved them into a ziplock bag, the sharp end of the toothpaste tube ripping a big hole in the side.

  I wanted to curse and swear some more, fear pulsing through me in giant waves. Biting my tongue, I moved back into the main room, crashing into Elliot. We both staggered away from each, knocking our limbs on furniture.

  "Shit! Sorry!" Elliot yelled at me before running a trembling hand through his hair. "How the hell did this happen?" He muttered, his gaze running with deep anguish. "This was my fault. I told you the evidence was there. That's what it said!"

  "I know, but if it makes you feel better, the lady had to really search to find out what happened to it. So the information was buried pretty deep."

  "But I screwed up the IDs as well."

  I sighed, giving myself a second to breathe. "We chose the wrong guy. Agent Green no longer works for the FBI and they hadn't updated their website. It's not your fault. I should have made you triple check and dig a little deeper." Stepping towards him, I placed my hand on his upper arm and squeezed. "How would you have known?"

  "By digging a little deeper. I shouldn't need you to tell me that. It's common sense," he mumbled.

  "It's not your fault. Elliot, look at me." He finally flicked his gaze in my direction. "It's not your fault. Now get your ass moving and help us clear out this place. Rinse those glasses in the sink, I'll start wiping down surfaces."

  We got to work, moving in a frenzied silence. I'm sure we missed stuff, our brains were too frazzled to take things analytically. All I could hope is that the motel staff cleaned this room sooner rather than later.

  Zach returned, surveying us quietly before snaffling up the bags in silence and heading for the car. Alex insisted on driving in spite of the fact that his hands shook when he was punching the key into the ignition.

  "Go slowly." I reminded him as he reversed out of the motel lot. "No one's chasing us."

  "Not right now they're not."

  "We've still got a little time up our sleeves." I glanced out the back window. "You can hit the gas once we reach the highway."

  Taking a slow breath, Alex pulled into traffic and calmly headed north. As I leaned back in the seat, I felt the adrenaline begin to drain from my body. My fingers started quivering in my lap. Pinching them together, I squeezed until they started to tingle.

  This was hopeless.

  We had nothing on Tenner and now the FBI would be after us too.

  Worse than that, I'd dragged these guys into it and who knew what trouble we'd all get into.

  "Are you okay?" Zach whispered.

  Closing my eyes, I turned away from his question. No! Of course I wasn't okay!

  I couldn't talk. All I wanted was for the world to somehow make me disappear.

  Chapter 14

  ZACH

  It was a silent, suffocating drive back to Danville. Zach watched Lucy closely, not sure what to say. She kept her eyes out the window the entire time, sniffing every now and then, but never uttering a word. Seeing her so despondent was unnerving. He bet she wanted to run again. He could feel her thigh twitching beneath his hand. He squeezed it once more, hoping for a response, but got nothing.

  Uncle Alex watched him through the review mirror, his brows puckered. Was he worried or annoyed? Zach couldn't believe his smooth uncle had punched a security guard on FBI property. Was he out of his frickin' mind?

  Zach looked away from the man he had always revered, resting his head back on the seat and letting out a slow sigh.

  No evidence.

  And now a possible FBI tail.

  This couldn't get worse.

  Impersonating an agent was hardly points in Lucy's favor. If she got busted for this, they'd surely link it all back to the Tate murders and she had nothing to stand on. Nothing but her word against that of an FBI liar. One who had made a very good name for himself in the law enforcement scene.

  They were screwed.

  Zach's insides had been on fire since the second Lucy and his uncle burst through that motel door. Their panic was enough to turn his brain to liquid, but he'd held it together. Someone had to remain calm in the chaos and this time around it had been him. Trying to stop his hands from shaking as he paid for the room was basically impossible. He wondered if the guy at the counter even noticed.

  He felt sick. Closing his eyes, he tried not to let his thoughts run wild. So Uncle Alex punched the guard. It's not like they killed anybody or stole anything. Surely the FBI had more important things to worry about.

  No evidence.

  Crap! Friggin' crap!

  All this stress and angst was for nothing.

  They had no damn evidence!

  Were they just playing a losing game? If they kept going, would they just hit one roadblock a
fter the next? It was pointless trying to pursue this if they were just going to lose anyway. Maybe they were better off trying to get Lucy tucked into a safe pocket of the world somewhere.

  He hated that idea. He knew he couldn't go with her. Not yet anyway.

  Turning to look at the back of her head, he traced the line of her dark ponytail with his eyes, feeling deflated and lost.

  Uncle Alex pulled into Zach's driveway and cut the engine. He turned to speak to Lucy, but before he'd even opened his mouth, she pulled the latch and shouldered the door open. The guys all looked at each other, worry cresting through the space around them.

  "Are you coming?" Lucy snapped from the front door.

  Zach shuffled out of the car and dug out his keys as he approached her. Her heel bobbed erratically, her fingers clenching and unclenching as she waited for him to unlock the door.

  "You either need to pee real bad...or you need to calm down."

  She threw an evil glare at Elliot's dry statement, which just made Zach laugh manically. The harrowing day was catching up to him. He coughed back his snicker and pushed the door open. She charged past him and made a break for the stairs.

  "Lucy!" Elliot shouted as he flicked the door closed behind us.

  She froze on the stairwell, clutching the railing as if it was the only thing keeping her upright.

  "You can't quit now."

  Her blue eyes were vivid as she slowly spun to face him. With her dark hair and pale skin, she looked like Snow White...after eating the apple.

  Zach threw Elliot a look of warning, but he ignored it, approaching the bottom step with a pointed finger.

  "Lucy Tate. That is who you are. No matter what you call yourself or who you become in this life, you will always, underneath it all, be Lucy Tate...the daughter of Jack and Edith Tate."

  The tendons in her neck strained as she drew in a sharp breath.

  "You owe it to your parents to keep going."

  "Elliot, we screwed up! There's nothing left and now we have to deal with the FBI looking into this! We'll be identified! They'll find us. We're screwed!" She slapped the railing.