Defense Breach

by Lisa Phillips

  Barnes reached the front row, leaped and landed right in front of the stage. The kids were more or less out of the way now, watching. Grady rounded the corner at the far end and hit the stairs. A couple had phones out, no doubt videoing Grady to post on social media later. He didn’t have time to object—or tell them that probably wasn’t wise.

  The stage was raised maybe half a foot off the floor. Barnes skirted the wooden rise and headed for the door. He grasped the handle just as Grady reached the second-to-last step of the tiered auditorium.

  Barnes ran through the door.

  Grady hit the door before it could latch shut.

  The green room was empty. Grady ran for the door at the other end. The hallway was quiet. No Barnes.

  The security guards followed him in, red-faced and huffing. Grady didn’t blame them. His breath was short as well. The noise from the auditorium was a muffled roar as seats bumped up, kids struggled to collect their belongings and their teacher continued to shout orders.

  “Where does this hall let out?”

  The security guard frowned. “It’s a maze of rooms and hallways. Some go upstairs, but there are two ways he could get outside from here.”

  “And backup?” Grady asked. “We need to cut him off before he gets away.”

  The security guard got on the radio again, but Grady didn’t have time to find out what their response was going to be. Barnes had to know how to get out of here. Otherwise he’d never have taken the risk of getting out this way when he could have left the building in a crowd of people evacuating.

  Grady had to figure out which way he’d gone.

  Then he was going to bring Barnes in.

  *

  He crouched beside Skylar and brushed hair back from her face. That was nice. Her head swam, but she didn’t want to wake up. It was a nice dream.

  “Ms. Austin?”

  She blinked and found herself staring at the ceiling of an ambulance. The man beside her wasn’t Grady.

  Stringer looked down, concern on his face.

  “Where’s Grady?” She didn’t care that she sounded desperate. “Is he hurt? I want to see him.” She pushed up from the stretcher, but Stringer and an EMT pressed on her shoulders.

  “Easy,” the EMT said.

  Her arms buckled and she laid down. “Where is he?”

  Stringer frowned. “He went after Barnes.”

  Just left her? She didn’t know if she was more worried that he’d get hurt or hurt that he’d made her worried.

  Okay, somewhere in her mixed-up, probably concussed brain that actually made sense.

  “He had to go.”

  “You don’t have to justify his actions to me. I understand what the job means. I’m training to be a Secret Service agent. He had to go after Barnes.” Really, she got that. Grady needed to do his job and make sure no one else got hurt.

  Maybe he was even making sure she didn’t get hurt as well.

  The EMT touched something to her forehead. Her eyes flicked to him, and she scrunched up her nose. “Ouch.”

  The man looked like he wanted to chuckle. “I know. I’m sorry I had to do that, but you’re a mess.”

  Everything came rushing back. “That’s what happens when you crash into a concrete wall.”

  The risk had been substantial. Even if it was probably Grady’s only workable plan.

  Skylar had been wearing her seat belt, but the crash had tossed her around. She prayed Barnes had been slowed down enough that Grady, the cops and the Secret Service could catch up to him.

  “There’s a nasty bump back there. You’ll have a headache.”

  She closed her eyes and said, “And an earache. And an ‘everything else’ ache.” She smiled at the EMT but didn’t open her eyes. “Still, it beats being dead.”

  Stringer laughed. “It really does.”

  Despite the moment of humor, she couldn’t let go of the worry. Skylar opened her eyes and looked at Stringer.

  His attention was on his phone. “Skylar—” He saw she was looking at him.

  Was Grady hurt?

  “It isn’t bad,” he said. “Grady did it. He caught Barnes.”

  THIRTEEN

  Grady pushed the door open and walked down the hallway to the room where the doctors were examining Skylar. The rest of his team had shown up, and they’d pinned Barnes in a corner. He’d given up. Thankfully, he hadn’t chosen to end his life—or forced them to do it. Grady hadn’t wanted to kill him when the alternative was watching justice play out.

  Still, worry over how Skylar was doing remained foremost in his mind. What had she thought when she woke up and he was gone?

  Stringer pushed off the wall and walked toward Grady.

  “How is she?”

  “A mild concussion. Scrapes and bruises.” Stringer checked his phone. “Nothing major…and I have to go back to the office.” He stuck his hand out again. “Congratulations on bringing Barnes in.”

  Grady nodded. Shook his friend’s hand. “I can’t relax yet.” He motioned to her room. “I need her off the street, in a safe house. Just until we know for sure there’s no threat.”

  Stringer nodded. “Then you should take her somewhere safe. Now. Barnes is too much of a wild card. We have no idea who he was working with beyond Wilson and those guys. Not worth the risk. The second shooter killed himself before we could capture him, so we have next to no information on this operation.”

  “You think Barnes will talk?”

  Stringer shrugged. “You think more people are involved?”

  “I wouldn’t discount the possibility. Barnes must have friends or a place he could’ve gone to hide out.” And yet he’d headed for the National Archives. Trying to disappear in a crowd? It hadn’t worked.

  Grady said, “I’d have figured he was the kind of man who had a whole plan in place. That he’d try to flee to an extradition-free paradise to spend whatever money he’d amassed.”

  “But he didn’t,” Stringer said. “And now we can ask him about all of it.”

  “Keep me posted.”

  Grady wanted to work with his Secret Service team on this. Help bring Barnes’s entire operation down. But Skylar was hurt. He’d have to figure out how to keep her safe from any other threats and pray he could trust the agents and cops assigned to protect her.

  “What are you thinking?”

  Grady said, “I should stay with Skylar, and make sure she’s safe.”

  Stringer nodded. “I’ll run things on my end and call you.”

  He gave his friend a nod and knocked on Skylar’s door.

  “Come in.”

  He cracked the door and got a look at her. Hospital gown. That blond hair down, all around her face. She looked…young. “How’s your head?”

  “I had them give me regular painkillers. I’ll be okay.”

  He shot her a look. “Is that even true?”

  “He said it was a bump, and it’ll hurt, but he didn’t even think I had more than a little concussion.” She lifted her hands. “Gave me some things to watch out for. Like slurring or getting dizzy. Said I shouldn’t push too hard.”

  He pressed his lips together. “A little concussion is still a concussion.”

  “Honestly, the bruise from getting shot is worse than the bump on my head.” She tipped her head to one side. “You brought in Barnes?”

  He nodded.

  “And you’re okay?” She looked him over. Was she worried he’d been injured?

  “Everything’s fine.” He settled on the end of the bed. “And I’m good to stay long enough to get you home once the doctors are done.”

  “You want me to go home? You think I’m going to just sit around there by myself, when Barnes will probably tell the Secret Service I’m as guilty as he is?” She almost sounded like she was going to cry. Grady figured she wasn’t upset as much as just tired. She’d been through the wringer so far today. She needed rest, not another stressful situation.

  Grady reached for her hand and folde
d his fingers between hers. “Barnes might try to get you in trouble, but he isn’t going to succeed. Do you have anything to feel guilty for?”

  She shook her head.

  “Then why are you worried?”

  Skylar sniffed, then wiped her eye. “Sorry.”

  “For what?” He shifted closer and touched her cheek. “Lie back and rest. I’m going to get some coffee, and I’ll be back, okay?”

  Skylar obeyed, but not without a flash of rebellion in her eyes. “Fine.”

  Grady hid his laugh behind a cough and shifted blankets that didn’t need fixing under the guise of tucking her in. “I’ll be back.”

  *

  A few hours later, Skylar was released. The evening sky was darkening when he pulled up to the curb to collect her. She looked battered and worn-out but not in enough danger of serious complications for the doctor to admit her overnight.

  Grady drove her home. He held her hand the whole way, just like he’d held it the whole time she waited to be examined for release assessment.

  The man didn’t have a lot of words sometimes, but those he did have spoke loudly enough for her to get his meaning. Grady didn’t like the fact that she was in danger. He didn’t like the fact that, even going with him, she would continue to be in danger. He couldn’t change that. But he’d backed down and taken care of her. Shown her comfort when she needed it.

  That alone made her busted-up heart begin to knit back together.

  “We’ll have people outside, just in case there’s still a threat. We’ll be making sure you’re safe.”

  Skylar nodded at Grady’s statement but couldn’t muster much more feeling. Music played low on the car stereo. He’d been surprised when she gave him a residential address instead of the name of a hotel. Not many people knew her uncle was a senator. Nor was it a secret, necessarily.

  What were they going to talk about? Sure, she’d pushed for him to stick with her. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t going to be awkward. She knew she was keeping him from work. Maybe he wanted her to tell him it was okay for him to go.

  “The house has an extensive security system. I’m sure I’ll be fine until everyone working with Barnes is caught.” If she needed to, her uncle could probably pull some strings that would make Grady’s head spin. But she’d rather it was him. Her uncle—and her father—were both fiercely protective of her.

  Skylar was going to tread carefully, but that didn’t mean she was going to walk into a relationship. She wouldn’t discount a good, solid friendship, though. It might be nice to have a friend she could count on. And if there was anyone who fit that bill in her life right now…it was Grady.

  She’d already given him her number, and Grady had called her so she had his on her phone waiting for her when she got home. Why was she so excited about that? It wasn’t like she was going to start texting him like some eighth-grade girl with a crush.

  The GPS announced, You have arrived at your destination.

  Skylar pointed at the brownstone two doors down, her uncle’s house. “Right there.”

  He pulled over and parked under a tree that had been planted last year. It was still being supported, tied so it stayed upright. Skylar had been like that for a long time. Joining the Secret Service had been her way of breaking free of the restraints. Going her own way. Proving to the world she was strong on her own.

  She shifted in her seat to face Grady. “You probably have to get back to the White House.”

  He frowned, his gaze on the house. “I’m not going to leave, Skylar. So you don’t have to try to convince me to go. For the time being, I’m here and trusting the rest of my team will get the answers we need from Barnes. That’s what being part of a team means.”

  Skylar pulled off her shoe and got out the door key from where she’d hidden it that morning before the exercise, then put her shoe back on and climbed out of the car. Grady walked her up the steps. She let them inside, then entered the code on the alarm panel. When he left, she would rearm it to alert her if any doors or windows were opened. For now, Grady was here. She might not have her service weapon on her, but there were guns in the house she could access. And Grady had his on his hip.

  Safety was relative, she knew that. At least she could appreciate the fact that she was okay right now. She’d learned firsthand that was what counted most: the present. Let the past go. Don’t worry about a future that was out of her control. Right now, she was okay.

  She and Grady stood in the hallway together. The grandfather clock ticked each second.

  “Do you,” she began, “want a drink?” She motioned over her shoulder in the direction of the kitchen. “I could make tea. Or coffee.”

  “Coffee sounds good.”

  Why that pleased her so much, Skylar didn’t dwell on. She strode down the hall and pushed through the door to the kitchen. The housekeeper had already come this morning, so the place was pristine and smelled like lemons.

  “Senator Richard Farringdon? That’s the connection?”

  “Guilty as charged.” She chuckled, and glanced over to see him eyeing a framed photo of the two of them. She had her army uniform on, and her uncle’s arm was across her shoulders. “I’m his niece.”

  “I saw a footnote in the file they sent me about a familial connection. I didn’t get that far before the exercise started.”

  “He’s at home in Montana, so…” She didn’t really know how to end that, so she said, “It’s my father’s birthday in a couple of days. Uncle Richard said he’d go since I couldn’t make it.”

  Grady said, “Are you close?”

  “My father and uncle are all the family I have.” She’d pushed away from them for the year she’d been married. Since then they’d well and truly made up for it, barging in and making her connect with them. She smiled, thinking about her last camping trip with her father. He hated fishing, but he’d pretended well enough to enjoy himself. “We’ve worked so hard to be close it seems strange to think of my dad getting older.”

  Grady frowned. “I can’t say I’ve ever thought to work on my relationship with my parents. It just is.”

  She nodded. “Most people feel that way. We’ve been through a lot, and we had to work some things out. Especially when I told them both about Earl, and…” She paused. “Do you even want to hear about this?”

  “Yes,” he said quietly. “I do.” Grady pulled two mugs from a mug tree.

  He was being so gentle. She didn’t realize it then, but he’d given her time to work things through in her head. He wasn’t probing, just seeking to understand. Of all the things he could have done or said… “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “Letting me talk.” She shrugged.

  “You’re part of the Secret Service team now. There is no way we’re going to let him get to you.” Grady stepped closer. “Don’t worry, okay? I know that sounds trite, and it might not be helpful, but you really can trust we’ve got your back.”

  She nodded. “My ex-husband cheated on me. It hit me hard, made me doubt myself.”

  “How long have you been divorced?”

  “Two years.”

  “I understand having your confidence shaken, but you have to know that’s not the woman I spent time with this morning.”

  She felt her eyes widen.

  *

  “You faced down the danger, Skylar.”

  “You faced it down.” She smiled. “I’m pretty sure I was just running the other way.”

  He smiled back, captured by the amusement on her face.

  “And then you threw yourself on top of me outside, when we were under fire, like a total Secret Service agent hero.”

  Grady shrugged one shoulder in mock humility. “It’s what we do.”

  Skylar laughed. The sound was like sleigh bells in winter and felt like hope. She poured two cups of coffee, and they sat, chatting about nothing and everything. Soon enough he’d get word that agents were stationed outside.

  Right now there was nowhere else
in the world he would rather be than here with her.

  Had he ever felt that way with Paula? Grady didn’t think so.

  At a pause in the conversation, he said, “I was engaged a while back.” He knew about her past relationship. It made sense to tell her about his. At least, that was what he told himself.

  “You were?”

  He nodded. “Paula ran off with the friend who would have been my best man. Three months before the wedding.”

  Skylar gaped. “Why did she do that?” Like she couldn’t believe anyone would consider not marrying him.

  Grady tucked the feeling away and shrugged. “She wanted a nine-to-five guy who took the boys to football practice on Saturday mornings. That’s not what this job is.”

  “Even with the relative stability of being stationed in the White House—”

  “For now, at least.”

  “You still can’t guarantee hours or weekends off.” She shook her head. “She really thought you were going to…what? Get a new job?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Change, anyway. She wanted you to be someone else.”

  “Not the man she’d said yes to.”

  Skylar nodded. Were those tears in her eyes? “That’s nuts.”

  “I’m glad you think so.” He lifted his eyebrows. “It means I’m not crazy because I think the same thing.”

  “Wow.” She shook her head. “Just…wow. I can’t believe a woman would do that to you.”

  Grady nearly laughed out loud. He’d come a long way since Paula had left. But the sting of betrayal was still there. It had marked him. Not just the loss of their relationship, and the marriage they should have had, but also the loss of his best friend. He’d kept everyone in his life at arm’s length since then. Licking his wounds.

  He didn’t want to start dating again. What if the same thing happened? He couldn’t guarantee there wouldn’t be another situation where he’d get hurt all over again, so what was the point? It wasn’t worth the risk.

  Grady walked over to the sink and set his mug upside down. To his right, there was a shuffle. A flash of movement reflected in the kitchen window. He turned, drawing his weapon and thumbing the safety as he turned. Skylar gasped.