Defense Breach

by Lisa Phillips

  She needed to put God first, even in work situations. She needed His help, and would accept it gladly, considering He’d given her Grady. The man had stood at her back through all of this.

  She didn’t have enough words to say how thankful she was for him and the fact that he was in her life right now. Skylar didn’t know where it was all going to go, but what she did know was that it had been a blessing she hadn’t realized she needed. God had known, though.

  “Ready?”

  She nodded, and they got out. Grady opened the back of the SUV and pulled out a vest. She strapped it on while he did the same, then he handed her a ball cap. “Put your hair up under there. You have the training to be here, and I want you to see Barnes taken down. But I don’t want him recognizing you in the crowd of agents and getting any ideas. That okay?”

  She nodded. While she wasn’t specifically Barnes’s target here—the man was trying to escape, not still kill her—that didn’t mean she was out of danger. They were Secret Service. Danger was what they lived, day in and day out.

  Skylar couldn’t wait.

  They met up with the group crowded against the side of a hangar. Only hand signs were exchanged. At the appointed time, everyone’s phones vibrated in their pockets, and then the signal to move was given. Skylar laid her hand on Grady’s right shoulder and followed him along the side of the hangar, her rifle snug in front of her.

  The hangar was lit up, shining light onto the runway in front of the building. The plane was inside, a small craft that could probably fit a dozen people. She didn’t know much about planes, but this one looked expensive. The interior lights were on, but there was no noise from the engine.

  Kristine and Barnes weren’t ready to go yet.

  Where were they?

  Grady looked at a handheld device. Red dots on the screen surrounded the area. Two dots at the center, one a little dimmer than the other.

  Positions were established, and one of the agents got on a bullhorn.

  “This is the United States Secret Service. You are surrounded.” His voice carried through the otherwise quiet hangar. Everyone braced for what was about to happen. “Put any and all weapons down, and come out with your hands up, immediately.”

  The alternative would be messy. The steps up to the door of the plane formed a funnel. Barnes and Kristine could pick off anyone who climbed them, shooting before the person even reached the top. Creating mass casualties without ever leaving the plane.

  No one wanted things to go that way.

  From inside the plane there was a scream, and then a gunshot.

  Skylar gasped. Nothing else came. Just that one shot. Who was dead? The agents were all braced. To breach the funnel and give their lives? She wasn’t okay with that. None of them should have to sacrifice so much. Too high of a price to pay. God, help us.

  Barnes emerged through the door and stood at the top of the stairs, gun in his hand. Had he left Kristine behind to die so she couldn’t tell anyone the extent of what Barnes had done? There was evidence enough. Skylar needed to get in the plane and see if she could save Kristine. The woman had held a gun on her earlier today, but that didn’t mean she shouldn’t live in order to pay for her crimes.

  Leaving the other agents to their cries for Barnes to put his gun down and surrender, Skylar lowered her weapon and moved closer to Grady’s back, so she could whisper in his ear. “We need to get in that plane.”

  He nodded, but didn’t lower his weapon or take his attention from Barnes.

  They were on the edge of the group, a strategic move from Intelligence to make Skylar the farthest position away from the plane. But it played in their favor now. Once Barnes was clear of the bottom step and in custody, they had a clear shot to run up the stairs and try to keep Kristine alive. If she hadn’t bled out. If Barnes had even shot her.

  There was a low probability it would even work, or that they’d be able to save her. But wasn’t life always worth the risk? Sacrifice was noble, when a life was given for someone else. But risking everything on the off chance of saving someone—kind of like what Grady had done with her, basically since they’d met—meant so much more.

  I love him.

  He felt her shift and glanced over for a second. “Don’t move until I give you the order.”

  She patted his shoulder, so he’d know she understood.

  They waited while Barnes descended the stairs. Would he kill himself? Or shoot at the agents and make it so they had to use lethal force? Neither outcome was satisfactory to her. She wanted Barnes to pay for what he’d done. She wanted to go to court and testify about everything she’d seen him do today.

  “Put the gun on the floor, Agent Barnes.” The lead agent’s voice invited no argument. Skylar figured he called the man Agent so Barnes might hold on to some latent camaraderie and it might lessen the likelihood he’d try to hurt one of them. Whether it would work or not remained to be seen.

  “Agent Barnes.”

  In answer to the demand, he moved his arm to his side and began to lower himself to the ground. When he’d placed the weapon on the floor, they surrounded him. His arms were tugged back, and Barnes was cuffed.

  *

  Grady led the way to the plane, keeping his body between Skylar and Barnes. Even cuffed, there was no way he was going to let that man even get a look under her ball cap. Let alone get near her. It was a good idea to check the plane, and he was proud of her for thinking of it. That simple suggestion meant she cared about people. Even ones who had caused her harm.

  Pride swelled up in him. That he knew her and that she was this kind of woman. One who cared, when others might not. Everything about Skylar pulled him to her, drawing him nearer and nearer to her orbit. And he liked it. Enough to wonder if he could stay here long-term.

  There was nothing about their worlds that would mesh. Even with them both being Secret Service agents. How was he going to go about fixing that problem?

  Skylar could get posted anywhere in the country—or even overseas—once she graduated from training. The only option open to them would be for Grady to get a transfer. The Secret Service wasn’t a place where internal relationships tended to thrive, even if it was allowed. Their lives were too stressful and hectic for that. But he’d seen it work. In fact, there was a married couple on the president’s detail with him at Camp David right now.

  If Locke and Alana could make it work, then why couldn’t Grady and Skylar?

  Lord, that’s what I want next. This situation is nearly at a close. I’m ready to come out of…relationship hibernation. He nearly chuckled to himself as he recalled Skylar calling it that. Stringer’s suggestion, but she’d called Grady’s self-imposed singleness for what it was. Hiding. I’m done with that, Lord. I want to make a change. One that’s going to better my life for years to come.

  Because, after knowing Skylar for even such a short time, he knew he wanted her in it. If Grady let her walk away he would regret it for the rest of his life. Skylar was the only thing that was going to make him happy.

  Them. Together. Forever.

  Grady couldn’t think of a single thing he wanted more than that right now.

  His eyes locked with Barnes’s, but he didn’t let the man get under his skin. Grady had everything he wanted right here with him. No one was going to take it away. Not even a traitor.

  Skylar’s foot reached the bottom step.

  He halted her with a hand on her arm, four other agents around them. He was going to go first, so he put her behind him in the center of the group. She held her gun like she’d been born to be a Secret Service agent, but Grady’s nature was to protect. They ascended the stairs.

  He was certain Kristine was dead. Skylar might believe it was possible the woman was alive, but someone like Barnes—if he’d shot her—wouldn’t have missed. He’d have shot in order to kill. He climbed to the door of the plane and waited. Prayed Skylar wouldn’t be faced with a dead body.

  Listened.

  He didn’t hear anyth
ing, so he went in.

  Suitcases and duffels had been loaded onto the seats and the floor between. Kristine lay on the floor at the back of the plane, a wound on her forehead. No life in her eyes.

  Skylar’s breath hitched.

  “Nothing we can do for her now.” He turned to a duffel close to him and unzipped it. Daniel’s logbook sat on top. Underneath, hundred dollar bills had been rolled up, secured with rubber bands. Grady whistled.

  “Check this out.” Skylar showed him another bag, and pulled out a velvet pouch. She loosened the ties and poured a teaspoon of diamonds into the palm of her hand. “Wow.”

  “That’s some bling,” one of the agents said.

  “I guess they were headed to Aruba with their retirement stash,” she said.

  “And a ton of money in the bank,” Grady added. “All their ill-gotten gains from years of having Daniel Painter make fakes, and then replacing artifacts worth millions with those fabrications.”

  Skylar whistled softly and stared at Kristine. “They had to have known someone would find out.”

  “But no one did, until yesterday. Kristine got away with this for years, partnering with Barnes. Keeping it all from us when it was right under our noses.” Grady frowned, not liking any of it. “They probably laughed while they did it, knowing we were completely fooled.”

  “But you weren’t, were you?” Skylar asked. “I mean, did you completely trust the guy?”

  Grady shook his head. “There was always something off about him.”

  “That’s your instinct telling you that you didn’t completely trust him. Which means some part of you did know.”

  Grady squeezed her shoulder. “Thank you for saying that.” Even though he didn’t like the fact that Barnes had been a traitor, along with Kristine, the reality was they’d all been swindled by the two of them. “We need to hand the scene off to investigators.” Grady pointed to the door. “Let’s get out of here. I’m sure there are better things for us to do.”

  “Oh, yeah?” She looked interested in what he could mean by that.

  “Yeah.”

  He was ready to take Skylar to a late dinner. Very late. It had been a long, crazy day, but he was too wired to go home. Plus he was hungry. What would she say to some greasy diner food at this time of night? He wanted to start there, and then see how things progressed. To tell her about his feelings, and see what she might have to say in return. There was no guarantee. He couldn’t tell the future, so he didn’t know how things would turn out. But he was willing to risk getting shot down by her for the chance at something he thought maybe could be great. Probably even fantastic.

  Grady followed Skylar out of the plane. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him. “Are you going to tell me what it is?”

  “Secret.” He smiled back. They were finally done. “Because you probably need to get that arm seen to, and you look like you’re ready to crash, anyway. It’ll keep.”

  She looked at her watch. “I’m so wired I don’t think I could rest even if I wanted to.”

  Grady opened his mouth to reply, but a commotion by the door got his attention.

  Barnes stumbled and went down. Grady watched like it was slow motion as the man twisted and pulled a gun from another agent’s ankle holster. He continued rotating, coming around. Squeezed the trigger and started to fire.

  Bang. Bang.

  Bang.

  Skylar.

  Grady grabbed her and spun her so his body was between hers and the shooter.

  The bullet hit him in the back, slicing through him before it lodged in his chest. All Grady knew was a sharp pain. More shots rang out, and he flinched. But they didn’t hit him. It was the sound of Barnes being taken out.

  Grady’s legs gave out, and he let go of her to tumble backward down the stairs.

  TWENTY-ONE

  Skylar couldn’t sit down. She leaned against the wall of the hospital waiting room. Grady was in surgery. The bullet had ripped through his vest and his lung, but not come out. It could easily have hit her, and very nearly did. In fact, it would’ve been better for Grady if it had. He wouldn’t be in such bad shape now.

  Still, in the few hours since he’d collapsed, she hadn’t stopped thanking God for the fact that it hadn’t also ripped through his heart.

  He’d have died instantly.

  Saving her.

  Skylar swiped at a tear.

  Stringer touched her shoulder and handed her a cup of coffee. She’d drunk so much already it was swimming around in her stomach. Despite that, she said, “Thanks,” then set the cup on side table close to her.

  The Secret Service milling around were as antsy as she was. Director Tanner, who had been shot when Wilson was killed, was out of surgery now. The prognosis was good. He would recover. Skylar prayed they got the same news about Grady.

  Soon.

  How much longer was it going to take?

  Movement by the doorway brought her attention around. But it wasn’t hospital staff. “Dad.” Her uncle was right behind him. Right behind her uncle was Niles.

  Skylar’s breath hitched as she ran into her father’s open arms. She settled her face against his shoulder while he wound his arms around her.

  “Any word on Grady?”

  She shook her head, her tears wetting the shoulder of his jacket.

  “How are your arm and your head?”

  Skylar leaned back. “I don’t care.”

  Her uncle leaned in. “I’ll talk to the nurse. Have someone come and look at it so they can give you painkillers.”

  Before she could argue, he trailed off with Niles beside him. The private security guy gave her a wink before he turned away.

  Skylar let her gaze settle on her dad. “How did you know?”

  The corner of his mouth curled up. “I’ve been kept apprised.” Without missing a beat, he said, “Your scores at Secret Service training are impressive.”

  She smiled up at the man who had raised her single-handedly. Taught her to be independent and strong. “Thank you.”

  “And the young man in surgery?”

  She nodded, feeling the emotion well up in her again. Talking would only make her cry. Wilson was dead, Kristine was dead and Barnes had been killed after he shot Grady. They’d had to neutralize the threat, and she hadn’t cared one bit. Not when Grady had been lying on her, bleeding out on the stairs of the plane.

  She didn’t want to feel like a bad person over that, but she was going to have to process the forgiveness part of this. After she knew Grady was going to be okay.

  Her uncle came back over, saving her from having to talk about Grady with her father. It was all too new. Right now, they didn’t even know if Grady would even make it out of surgery. The damage had been extensive. What if he didn’t pull through? What if he did but he couldn’t be a Secret Service agent anymore? What if that meant he didn’t want to see her because it was her fault?

  Sure, most of that worry was the fatigue talking, but there was a kernel of truth in it. The concern was real. He might decide she wasn’t worth all this trouble. Or he would friend zone her, and she’d never be able to ask for more because it would risk what they did have.

  “There’s some deep thought going on in there.” He touched her cheek. “I’m praying he pulls through.”

  Skylar nodded. “Me, too.”

  About an hour later the doctor came in. He took in all the badges and holstered weapons in the room and said, “Grady Farrow.”

  The crowd closed in around him. Her father stood on one side of her, and Stringer—who had shown up a few minutes ago to wait with her—set his hand on her shoulder.

  “The damage was extensive.”

  “We already knew that,” Skylar said.

  The doctor shot her a dark look. “That being said, we were able to repair his lung. The recovery time will be considerable, and I’ll need to speak with his superior about the particulars of his prognosis, but he’ll be alive to enjoy the rest of his life.”
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br />   Skylar exhaled, realizing she’d held her breath through all of his words. “Can I see him?”

  The doctor looked past her, at Stringer, who nodded.

  “Five minutes only. I’ll have someone come and get you when he wakes up.”

  Two hours later, after another cup of coffee, Skylar washed her hands where she was guided to and then was ushered into his room. Grady’s face was pale. Tubes and wires ran from his body to the panel of monitors beside his bed.

  “He’s awake?” He didn’t look awake. She glanced back at the nurse, who nodded.

  “In and out, and it’s likely he might not remember whatever you tell him.” She grinned. “Now might not be the time for heartfelt confessions—unless you want him to forget afterward.”

  Skylar didn’t smile back. She could see how some people might want to say what was on their heart at a time when the recipient would forget. It would feel real, but with none of the fallout.

  Skylar wanted the fallout. She wanted honest feelings and answers, so she stuffed down everything she’d been planning to say. It could wait until later.

  She leaned against the bed rail and watched. A few seconds later his eyes flickered open, and he groaned.

  “Yeah, I don’t imagine that feels good.” She touched his cheek. “Thank you.” She hadn’t even planned on saying that, but it wasn’t as poignant as the rest of what she’d planned to say. Gratitude didn’t expire if you used it too much. “Thank you for saving my life.”

  She would keep saying it. Every day, if he’d let her.

  “Even though it could have cost you everything.” He really thought she was worth that? “Even though it didn’t, diving in front of that bullet for me cost you a whole lot of something.” Time would tell exactly what. And yes, it was what he was trained to do, but he’d had a choice.

  He didn’t have to do that.

  He’d done it because he wanted to.

  For her.

  Maybe even because he loved her.

  That would be good because it turned out she loved him as well.

  “Sky…” his voice trailed off.