Heat rose in Jessie’s cheeks. Yeah, the sex was still really hot, but orgasms were fleeting. Just like Sean’s time in Ramona.
“I’m glad we learned what really happened back then. Apparently, it’s bothered Sean as much as me.”
“What about the future?”
She cringed inwardly. This was the part that would make her feel worse. “We don’t have one. Not together, at least.”
“What the hell? I don’t think you ever got over him. Why not give it another try?”
“Because…” Oh God, there were a million reasons why not to get involved again. Having sex with Sean was stupid enough but getting emotionally entangled would just be inviting trouble and heartache. And she had more than enough of both right now. “Because…too much has changed in eight years. I have a daughter, and he doesn’t have a clue about kids.”
“He could learn.”
“How many single guys want to take on the responsibility of some other guy’s kid? Dealing with their own is traumatic enough.”
“I bet Sean would.”
She sighed again. “Besides, his life is in LA. Unlike me and Chicago, it seems to be a good fit.”
“Luke says Sean doesn’t like LA all that much,” Karla said.
“Well, even if he doesn’t like the city, that’s where the LAPD is, and that’s his dream job.”
“Dreams change. Haven’t yours?”
Jessie rested her head back against the cushion and closed her eyes. Yes, hers had changed drastically over time. Gone were her dreams of growing old with Sean, of a happy family living in a small town, and of running her own child care facility. “I’ve given up on my dreams, Karla.”
“Why?”
Her eyes popped open, and she glared at her friend. “Have you looked at my life lately? Forget about dreams. I’d be happy just to have normal back.”
“Have you and Sean talked about the future?”
“No,” she said emphatically. “There’s no point in getting my hopes up.”
Karla cocked her head. “So you have hopes, just not dreams?”
Tears stung her eyes, but it seemed silly to cry over something as insignificant as lost love when her mom was dead and her daughter kidnapped. She raised her chin. “Look, Karla, there’s no going home again, ya know. We can’t turn back time. Sean and I are two totally different people than when we were in love. There’s no second chance. Not for us.”
“Jessie—”
“Stop. Please.”
When the doctor stepped into the exam room, Jessie silently thanked him for rescuing her. She really didn’t want to continue this conversation with Karla. Sean was her past, not her future.
“How’s my patient feeling?”
“Sore, but okay,” Karla said.
The doctor glanced at the two pain pills in the tiny paper cup. “Don’t need these?”
“What I need is a clear head to give the deputy my statement about the assault.”
He picked up the cup and folded it around the pills. “Put these in your pocket for later. Those stitches are going to hurt like hell when the local wears off. If you need more, just call, and we’ll send a prescription to the pharmacy.”
“Thanks. Can I leave now?” Karla asked.
“Sure. Just take it easy for a couple days. And call if you have any problems. The nurse will give you the post-treatment instructions on your way out.”
As the doctor shook her hand, a voice called from the other side of the door, “Ms. Johnson, it’s Deputy Anderson. May I come in?”
When he left, the doctor held the curtain aside so the deputy could enter. Anderson shook hands with both women and then pulled out his notebook and pencil.
“Uh, Deputy Anderson, Karla was just cleared to leave. She’s been here almost three hours already. Would you be able to take her statement at her apartment?” Jessie asked.
Karla gave her a huge smile of gratitude.
“No problem,” he said, looking from one to the other. “I’m sure you’d like to get over to the station, Ms. Hargrove. Why don’t I drive Ms. Johnson home?”
“What a great idea,” Karla said. “I know you’ve been dying to see if they’ve made any progress, Jessie. You get going. I’ll be fine.”
* * *
Sean glared at the map on the computer screen as if his intensity could make the image reveal the desired information. Where is the son of a bitch? He glanced at his watch. Jesus. Time was flying, and neither the Amber Alert nor their efforts had produced a single solid lead.
No sign of Drake and Callie anywhere.
They’d sent law enforcement officers to all the airports from the Mexican border to LA. Same with the train stations. The airlines and Amtrak had no passengers listed as Drake and Callie Hargrove. Even the bus depots were on the lookout. And with the feds’ cooperation, deputies were monitoring the border crossings.
Their only brief lead had been through Drake’s rental car, which they’d tracked to an agency at the San Diego airport. But the car had been turned in hours earlier. The man and little girl had ridden the shuttle to the airport terminal but then disappeared. All the terminals had been thoroughly searched, and the airport personnel put on alert. Drake and Callie didn’t show up on any of the video footage, suggesting they’d left the premises immediately without ever entering the buildings.
Had they taken a cab? A bus? A hotel shuttle? To where and why? All options were being investigated, but still no sign of the pair. However Drake planned to get to Chicago, he was doing a damn fine job of staying under the radar.
After getting Karla to urgent care, Jess had popped home just long enough to find pictures of her ex and daughter. Copies of those photos had now been shown to hundreds of people with no results.
Sean shoved his fingers through his hair. He was beyond frustrated.
A couple hours ago, he’d called Jake Stone and described the situation. His friend had immediately offered to help. But even his unconventional resources hadn’t uncovered their location.
Luke set a fresh cup of black coffee in front of him. “You’re going to bore holes in my monitor staring at it like that.”
“I don’t give a fuck,” he growled. Then he shook his head. “Sorry, man.”
“I’m right there with you on the frustration scale, buddy.”
“Sean. Luke.”
They both turned. Jess stood in the doorway, her shoulders slumped, her face drawn, her eyes sunken and ringed with dark shadows. Sean bolted out of the chair, reached her in three long strides, and pulled her into his arms.
“Christ, Jess. You look…” He bit off the rest of his comment. How she looked wasn’t really the issue. What it indicated about her mental and physical state was the real point. And her appearance said—loud and clear—that she was teetering on the edge. Beaten beyond belief. Devastated beyond despair.
He tightened his embrace. “Let me take you…wherever you want. Nate and Chad can stay with you.”
“No,” she mumbled into his chest. “I need to be here. Have you found anything?”
“Just the rental car, like I told you earlier.” He ushered her across the office and gently pushed her down into a chair next to the desk.
“Coffee, Jessie?” Luke asked.
“Please.”
Sean dropped into the desk chair and scooted in front of her. “Babe, you really should go home or someplace and rest. How about Chad’s house?”
“I can’t. My baby’s out there, somewhere, with…with…” She covered her face with a trembling hand. “Drake wouldn’t hurt Callie, would he? No matter how mad he is at me for divorcing him, he wouldn’t hurt his own daughter, right?”
Sean didn’t want to lie to her, but the truth would definitely freak her out. Since becoming a cop, he’d seen people do plenty of unbelievable things. His faith in mankind had declined precipitously as case after case presented new ways for inhumanity to rear its ugly head. “He’s just trying to get Callie to Chicago.”
A
t least that part was probably true. What Drake was capable of doing to achieve that goal, only time would tell.
“If you insist on staying, I’m gonna put you to work. You know Drake better than any of us. How would he get to Chicago?”
“Fly. He’s too impatient for any other way.”
“Unless he’s sprouted wings, we’ve nailed down all the flying possibilities in Southern California. And all the train possibilities. And the buses.”
She snorted. “Buses. No way. The only time I ever knew of Drake lowering himself to ride a bus was when we went to Las Vegas on one of those What Happens in Vegas tour buses with some San Diego State friends before we were married. He swore he’d never do it again.”
Chapter 26
Sean watched four additional unmarked vehicles park along the street near the What Happens in Vegas bus station. Eight more deputies spilled from the cars, bringing the total to twelve. Guns drawn and hunched over, they ran toward the outdoor courtyard where Drake Hargrove sat on a concrete bench, talking to his daughter. Sean fought the natural instinct to draw the Glock from his waistband. He wasn’t an official participant in this operation, so he’d been relegated to shadowing the group approaching from behind the perp. He exchanged a nod with Luke, who was heading in with the other deputies from the left.
Luckily, most of the customers taking the late bus to Las Vegas had chosen to wait inside. Only three smokers lingered next to one of the trees scattered throughout the large patio. The deputies surrounded the area, taking cover behind benches, trash cans, newspaper dispensers, trees, or anything else offering a hiding place.
Drake remained focused on showing Callie something on his phone. The little girl stood rigidly between his spread legs, barely moving and not talking. Not a peep. Knowing she was a chatterbox, Sean’s heart squeezed with the understanding that the poor kid was too scared to speak. And rightfully so.
When all the players were in place, a deputy wearing a bulletproof vest stepped into the open, several yards in front of the suspect.
“Drake Hargrove! Sheriff’s department!”
Drake’s head snapped up. Callie jumped and spun around.
“Hands out where we can see them! Face down on the ground!”
The three bystanders were quickly shooed away by other deputies.
Drake yanked Callie closer to him and pulled his gun from under his shirt. He shoved the muzzle against her temple. “Stay back or I’ll shoot.”
“Daddy, that hurts,” Callie whined.
“Shut up, kid.”
The deputy held out his hands, palms forward. “Relax, Mr. Hargrove. No one needs to get hurt. I’m Detective Harlan. Let’s talk this through…together.”
Not saying a word, Drake glared back.
“Let Callie go. You’re her daddy. I’m sure you don’t want her to get hurt. Just send her over to me.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? She’s my ticket out of here,” Drake said.
Jess’s ex surveyed the area. Everywhere, guns were pointed at him. Hopefully, an unnerving sight.
Sean held his breath. The guy had to realize there was no way out. Alive, at least. But Sean didn’t give a damn what happened to Drake. Saving Callie was the only thing that mattered. Overwhelming protectiveness swelled inside him.
Hostage situations sucked. Law enforcement faced a high probability of the vic being injured…or killed. Sometimes it depended on logistics, sometimes on the perp’s state of mind. Drake didn’t seem crazy, but he was sure eaten up by something. Hate? Revenge? Would the asshole really shoot his own daughter rather than surrender?
Sean had an opinion, but he didn’t know the answer. He doubted anyone did. Even Jess.
“What can we do for you to fix this situation?” Detective Harlan asked.
“Tell my bitch of an ex to let me have my daughter.”
“Well, from where I stand, I think it would be hard to convince Ms. Hargrove to allow that. Put the gun down, and let’s see if we can come up with some ideas.”
“Do you think I’m stupid? My only leverage is this gun and this kid.”
A few deputies on the left shifted position. Drake jumped up and whipped around. He pointed the gun in their direction. Everyone froze.
Sean took advantage of all attention being focused on the opposite side of the area and circled out from behind to a position more even with Drake and Callie on the right.
“Stay back. I’m warning you,” he yelled at the deputies who had moved.
“Mr. Hargrove, calm down. We don’t want anyone to get hurt. Put the gun down so nothing happens…accidentally.”
Drake swung back around toward the detective. His gaze darted from person to person, gun to gun. Sean could see his eyes taking on a wild look like a cornered animal. Not good.
Gripping her shoulder, he pulled Callie against him, her face pushed directly into his thigh. He put the gun to her temple again. She flinched and turned her head to the side. Sean leaned forward. The movement caught her attention. She stared at him with deer-in-the-headlights eyes, face ashen, body trembling.
Sean nodded, smiled reassuringly. But she didn’t react. A wink also failed to get a response. Poor kid was probably going into shock.
A female deputy on the opposite side called, “Ready, Detective.”
“What’s ready?” Drake shouted.
Callie jerked around to face forward instead of toward Sean.
“We have someone who wants to talk to you,” Harlan said. “Step forward, Deputy Klein. She’s unarmed, Mr. Hargrove.”
A very nervous deputy held up an iPhone facing Drake while she inched several feet closer. Sean couldn’t clearly see the face on the screen, but he knew it wasn’t Jess.
“What in heaven’s name are you doing, son?” a woman’s voice called from the phone.
Drake jerked back. “Mother?”
So they’d managed to get his parents in Chicago on a video call. Good idea.
“Drake, oh my God, put that gun down before someone gets hurt.”
Deputy Klein moved forward. Sean hoped Harlan had lied about her being unarmed.
He reined in the urge to leap or shoot or take some action. Maybe the mom/son strategy would work. He wasn’t very hopeful, but he had to at least give it a chance to play out.
“I can’t, Mother.”
A man’s face joined the woman’s on the screen. “Listen to me, Drake. I’ve got a call in to the best criminal defense lawyer in Chicago. Give yourself up, and we’ll fix this. Together.”
“No way, Father,” he sneered. “If I do, that bitch will get Callie. One hundred percent. I can’t let that happen.”
Sean’s muscles tensed like guitar strings. This tactic wasn’t going to work. Drake was too far down Revenge Road.
Somewhere nearby, a car door slammed. Drake whipped his head around. Callie squealed. The entire scene seemed to freeze. Sean’s gaze was riveted on the gun pressed against the little girl’s head. As her father turned back, he adjusted his grip on the weapon. His finger slipped around the trigger.
Fuck. Time’s up. Mommy and Daddy aren’t going to solve this. Sean’s eyes shifted to Luke. Their gazes locked. Sean gave a slight nod. Luke responded in kind.
“Drake! Drake! What’s happening?” his mother yelled from the phone.
“Turn that damn thing off,” Drake hollered. He shifted to block his parents’ view of Callie and glared at the cordon of law enforcement surrounding him.
“Goddamn it, son, listen to me,” his father said. “I—”
Drake spun around. “Shut the fuck up. This isn’t about you. I…” He pulled the pistol away from Callie’s head and aimed it toward the deputy with the iPhone.
In that split second, Sean took off. With long, running strides, he launched himself across the concrete. As he flew in front of Drake, one arm wrapped around Callie and pulled her beneath him. He broke their fall with his other arm and his knees. Even so, he heard her breath rush out of her lungs when they landed hard
a couple feet away.
“Fuck,” Drake shouted.
A shot rang out. White-hot pain engulfed Sean’s left arm, yet he managed to wrap himself in a ball around Callie.
Time blurred.
Gunshots exploded from multiple directions. A woman’s scream came from the phone. Something clattered on the concrete. Drake gave a garbled cry and landed with a loud thud.
Then silence.
Sean gasped for air and waited for the next phase. Seconds later, the singed air filled with shouted orders and running footsteps.
The tiny body beneath him shook violently.
“I’ve got you, Callie. You’re safe now.”
Sobs racked her small frame even harder. He hugged her tighter and kissed the back of her head.
“M-M-Mommy,” she whispered.
“Hang on, munchkin. You’ll be able to see her in a minute.”
“Callie?” Dropping to the ground beside him, Luke choked out the name in a panicky voice.
“She’s okay,” Sean said.
Luke’s gaze flicked heavenward for a second. “You’re hit, buddy. EMT’s coming.”
“Just a scratch.” But thank God the bullet had struck him and not Callie. Sean jerked his head back toward where he knew Drake’s body lay. “Be sure it’s covered. I don’t want her to see.”
“On it.” Luke scurried away to take care of the request.
A paramedic appeared in his place. “Detective Burke, I’m Scott Talley. Is…?” His gaze dropped to Callie and bounced back up.
“She’s good…uh…not good, but uninjured,” Sean answered the unspoken question in the man’s eyes. “Just waiting for them to cover…it.”
The EMT checked out the scene behind them and nodded. “Done.”
Sean turned his head to confirm it. A tarp now covered the bullet-riddled body of Callie’s father. He released a long sigh of relief and leveraged himself off the little girl.
“Hey, munchkin, we can get up now.”
Even though he righted himself to sit beside her, she remained in a tight ball with her eyes scrunched shut. Gently, he grasped her trembling body and lifted her onto his lap. Eyes still closed, she burrowed in as close as possible to his chest.
Deadly Deception Page 25