by Syd Parker
“Let’s go get him.” She nodded towards the laptop.
Rick studied the laptop as they drove. The dot hadn’t moved. It was a steady flash somewhere in Navy Pier. Not so strange for the middle of the day, but for late at night, it was strange. Even stranger because it was Richard Hudson, and he had called Phillip Stein more than twenty times in the last two days.
Rebecca had the lights and sirens on this time. Cars moved slowly out of the way as she maneuvered her way through the dense downtown Chicago traffic. She pulled into Navy Pier and crept along the road, waiting for Rick to signal they were close.
“There.” Rick stopped them at a point on the back edge of the pier, closest to the Grand Ballroom. There was a dark sedan parked haphazardly. From the looks of it, the occupant had fled the car quickly. The driver’s side door was thrown open, and the engine had been left running.
They got out and started walking towards the end of the pier. They passed the twin spires of the domed ballroom barely visible against the murky sky. Their guns were drawn, and both had flashlights trained on unseen spots in the dark.
“You son—of—a—bitch. You took everything from me.”
Rebecca felt Rick tense next to her and without a word, they began running towards the sound. Their flashlights bouncing around wildly as they ran towards the voice.
“Please, I didn’t do anything.”
The sound of desperation filled the air, and Rebecca knew what they would see before they even spotted Richard Hudson.
“Richard. Chicago PD.” Her flashlight finally found them at the edge of the pier. Richard had Phillip Stein on his knees, a gun leveled at the back of his head, ready to shoot him execution style. “Put the gun down now!”
Richard turned and the beam of her light hit his eyes. They glowed eerily, and she knew immediately that he had snapped. The look of crazy desperation penetrated the night. “Don’t come any closer, Detective. He deserves to die.”
“Put the gun down. He’s not worth it. Let the law decide his punishment. This won’t bring Lizzie back.” Rebecca’s voice carried softly across the air. She could tell that Phillip was already bleeding, and his face showed signs of bruising.
Rick saw him hesitate and used the opportunity to shut his flashlight off and back away from Rebecca. He knew immediately what he was going to try to do. If he could come around from behind Richard and surprise him, he just might be able to stop him before he hurt someone.
“He stole my life.” Richard screamed. His voice was full of raw anguish.
Phillip craned his head, and Rebecca could make out the look of sheer fear in his eyes. “Please help me.”
Richard pulled his hand back and slammed the gun into the side of Phillip’s head, eliciting a painful howl.
“Richard.” Rebecca moved closer, her gun still trained on Richard. “Think about what you’re doing. Are you willing to give up your life for revenge? Is that what Lizzie would want for you? Ask yourself what Lizzie would want.”
Richard’s arm dropped slightly. He looked as though her words might have penetrated his brain and latched onto some shred of sanity.
Phillip tried to pull away, and Richard yanked his collar angrily. “Don’t move. Tonight you will die.”
Rebecca tensed. She could see in his demeanor that he was close to shooting. She couldn’t make out Rick’s position in the dark, but hoped he had been able to circle close to Richard. She just needed to keep him occupied for a couple of seconds longer. “Richard. Please. Think about Lizzie.”
Richard heard her steps and whipped the gun around on her. “Don’t come any closer to me, Detective. Don’t make me shoot you too.”
A chill ran through Rick’s blood. Richard was completely out of control, and Rebecca was in his line of fire. He quickened his step. He had to completely back away from them and circle outside his line of vision, and having to be quiet was taking way too much time. He prayed Rebecca could keep his attention just a few seconds longer.
“I’m not your enemy, Richard. This isn’t the way to deal with this.” She was ten feet away now, close enough to see the whites in his eyes. She could shine the light directly in them, but worried that in his wild reaction. he would shoot her. “Put the gun down, Richard.”
“Stop!” His voice was menacing. She had taken his mind off of Phillip and put it on her, a dangerous move.
He saw her move towards him. He loosed his grip of Phillip’s collar and leveled the gun on her. Time suddenly stopped. Rebecca’s eyes widened. She heard the gun fire and felt the bullet hit her. As she fell, her flashlight dropped from her hands and rolled towards Richard. She didn’t see his body hit the concrete seconds behind hers, his blank eyes staring into the night sky.
Rick leveled his gun on Phillip. “Don’t move! Don’t you fucking move!” He knelt down next to Rebecca, panic racing through his veins. He shined his light on her body, searching for the wound. He saw blood on her right side, and he ripped her shirt away. “Stay with me, Rebecca.”
Her eyes met his, and he saw the fear in them. She looked like a wounded animal. He pressed his hand to the wound and pulled his phone from his pocket. “Officer down! Repeat Officer down! The southeast corner of Navy Pier.”
Rebecca’s body was starting to shake. The cold, shock and blood loss making her tremble uncontrollably. “Jones…Jonesy, I’m s…sorry. I fu…fucked up.”
“Shh, shh, it’s okay, honey.” He stroked her brow. “It’s gonna be okay.”
He heard sirens in the distance, and knew help was close. Beyond the distant sirens, he heard something new. A small, shuffling sound. Whipping around, he saw Phillip pushing off the ground. He whipped around, his hand grabbing his gun. “Get down! Get down! Don’t make me fucking shoot you, you sick fuck.”
Phillip hit the ground with a loud thud and raised his hands above his head. “Don’t shoot. Don’t shoot. I’ll stay down.”
Rick watched him a second longer and knew he wouldn’t move. He turned his attention back to Rebecca. “It’s okay, Boss. We’re gonna get you taken care of.”
Rebecca smiled weakly. “I ne…need J…Jordan. P…please.”
He squeezed her hand reassuringly. “I’ll get her.”
Rebecca’s eyes fluttered close.
“She’ll be there when you wake up.”
Chapter 23
Jordan listened to Rebecca’s slow, even breathing. When Rick called her and told her they were taking her to Mercy for a gunshot wound to the abdomen, she had nearly lost it. She had grilled him for hours before finally calming down. Fortunately, the bullet had gone straight through her abdomen and missed all her organs.
Richard Hudson was dead. A single gunshot to the head. Once Rick realized that he was going to shoot Rebecca, he had fired without even thinking. It was only the dark and Richard’s poor aim that had kept the bullet from penetrating her heart or some other organ and possibly killing her. Jordan was furious at them for following a lead without them.
Her anger had turned to concern when she saw Rebecca. Her face was incredibly pale, and even in repose, Jordan could tell she was in pain. Jordan hadn’t left the room except to shower for the three days that Rebecca had been there, needing to be there when she woke up.
She was exhausted and not even sure if Rebecca would be happy to see her when she woke up. She wasn’t certain where they stood anymore. Rebecca had told her she couldn’t do the relationship thing. She was too distracting. Then she had held her hand and Jordan thought everything was okay. But then after their disastrous meeting with Meghan Mercer, things had gone south again.
Confusion was the order of the day, and Jordan had had three full helpings. Even when she woke up, they probably wouldn’t be discussing the subject anyway. That is if Rebecca didn’t kick her out of the room when she saw her.
“Hey kid, how’s she doing?”
Rick’s soft voice broke through the silence, and Jordan shot him a weary smile. “Same as earlier.”
Rick squeezed her
shoulder. “She’s going to be okay, you know?”
“Yeah, I know.” Jordan rolled her shoulders. She was tired and sore from being curled up in that chair for seventy—two hours.
“Listen, why don’t you take a break? I’ll keep an eye on her.” Rick nodded towards the door. “Besides, there is someone outside that wants to talk to you.”
Jordan’s brow knitted in confusion. “Who would be here?”
“Matt.” Rick bent over her. “I don’t think he feels comfortable coming in here, but he wanted to come by and check on Rebecca. Make sure she was okay, and I think check on you.”
“Oh.” Jordan swallowed. Things between her partner and her still weren’t great. His feelings for Rebecca were stronger than Jordan had known, and the fact that she had started a relationship with Rebecca stung his ego a little bit. It would take a while, but she knew in time, things would get back to normal. For now, she would just tread lightly.
She ran a hand through her unruly hair and pushed herself out of the chair, sighing loudly.
Rick cupped her elbow. “Don’t worry too much. Pretty soon this will all just be a bad memory. The important thing is we finally got the right guy.”
Jordan nodded, her eyes flicking to Rebecca and resting on her face. “But at what cost?”
Rick opened his mouth to reply, but Jordan stopped him. “I know, I know.”
Matt turned at the sound of Jordan’s footfalls, a tentative smile breaking out on his face. “Hey, Jordie.”
Jordan shot him a grateful smile. “Hey, yourself.”
Matt shuffled nervously. “How is she?”
“Oh, you know.” Jordan shrugged. “Still unconscious but stable.”
“Rick said she got lucky.” Matt met Jordan’s gaze. “How are you holding up?”
Jordan’s breath caught in her throat. No matter what, Matt was like a brother to her, and when things got tough, he genuinely cared about her well—being. “I’m alright. Anxious and worried.”
“I figured.” Matt nodded towards the door. “Let’s get some coffee. You look like you could use it.”
“You saying I look tired?” Jordan asked.
“Nah.” Matt smirked. “I’m saying you look like shit.”
Jordan punched him in the arm. “Thanks, dude. Way to kick me when I’m down.”
Matt chuckled softly. “You can take it.”
“Probably.” Jordan fell in step with Matt, and they walked to the waiting room and stopped at the vending machine.
He slid a dollar into the machine and punched several buttons. He waited while the machine dispensed a Styrofoam cup, filled it with hot liquid and opened the door for retrieval. He handed Jordan the first cup and bought a second for himself.
“Thanks.” Jordan blew on her cup and took a tentative first drink. “So, did you talk to Mitchell?”
“Yeah.” Matt sat in one of the chairs, and Jordan sank down beside him. “Until Stein is convicted and put away, she’s still worried. Especially after catching the wrong guy.”
“I’m sure she’s just worried about Julie. That somehow he’ll try to come after her.”
“Hell, can you blame her?” Matt stared at his cup. “I don’t think Mitchell’s let her out of the house for months without being attached at the hip.”
“Maybe now they can finally get back to normal.”
“She said she is going to push for a quick trial and conviction.”
“What Mitchell wants, Mitchell gets.” Jordan said softly. “In this case, I think she deserves it.”
“She’s not going to let anyone mess up the investigation or the trial.” Matt nodded down the hall. “Rick says he’s handling it, but Mitchell wants us on his ass twenty—four, seven. She doesn’t want any mistakes.”
Jordan nodded. “No, I know. I just need to make sure Rebecca’s okay. Maybe you could play detective with Rick for a while. I know that’s asking a lot, but I’m not there right now.” She tapped her temple. “In here, until I know she’s out of the woods, I can’t focus on anything else.”
“Yeah, I’m on it.” Matt crumpled his empty cup and stood up with a groan. “And whatever is going on with you guys, fix it. She’s good for you.”
“You think?” Jordan stretched her arms over her head and looked up at Matt. “So, are we good?”
Matt met her gaze and held it, obviously thinking over her question. He was quiet for so long that Jordan worried what he might say. Finally, a smile broke out on his face. “Yeah, yeah, we’ll be okay.”
Jordan watched him walk out of the waiting room and smiled at his retreating form.
She knew that whatever happened, they were good and Matty would always have her back.
“Jordan.” Rick’s voice broke through the silence. “She’s awake.”
Jordan shot out of the chair and practically ran to Rebecca’s room. She took a tentative step into the room and felt Rebecca’s emerald green gaze boring through her. She stood paralyzed, trying to find her voice.
Sensing her insecurity, Rick pulled her towards Rebecca’s bedside and stepped back behind her. He pointed to Jordan and mouthed so only Rebecca could see. “Talk to her.”
He left the room silently, and Jordan laughed nervously. “Hi.”
Rebecca swallowed, and when she spoke, her voice was weak and raspy. “Hi.”
“How are you?” Jordan couldn’t hold her gaze, and she stared at her feet. “I mean, do you hurt? Can I get you anything?”
“Jordan.” Rebecca’s voice penetrated Jordan’s tough exterior and coursed through her veins like healing balm. “Sit down.”
Jordan slid into the chair silently and took her hand, caressing her palm with her thumb. Her eyes drank in Rebecca’s face hungrily. Despite her pallor, Jordan thought she was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. “I’m sorry.”
“For?” Rebecca’s eyebrows knitted in confusion.
“For not telling you about Meghan, for not being there to save you.” Jordan smiled ruefully. “I fucked up royally, and I messed us up.”
“That doesn’t matter anymore. It’s the past.” Rebecca shook her head. “And it’s my fault. I didn’t call in backup.”
“Why?” Jordan narrowed her eyes questioningly.
Rebecca shrugged. “I’m stubborn and selfish. At least, that’s what Jonesy calls it. Apparently, I have a habit of doing what’s right for me and not considering anyone else’s feelings. It’s that way with work. In my relationships. That’s why I pushed you away. I push everyone away. I don’t want to do that anymore. I don’t want to push you away. I need you in my life. You ground me. I was wrong. When I’m with you, I’m not distracted. It’s when I’m away from you that I can’t think. I can’t function.”
“Stop.” Jordan put a finger to Rebecca’s lips. “You’re being too hard…on the woman I love.”
Rebecca’s eyes locked onto Jordan's, and she smiled shyly. “You love me?”
Jordan nodded. “I’m sorry to just throw it out there, but I do. Somewhere along the way, you got inside me.”
Rebecca felt her chest clench tightly. It wasn’t hearing the words or seeing the look on her face. It was a feeling. Somewhere deep inside. A sense that everything would be all right because this woman loved her. And with that knowledge came the realization that her heart belonged to Jordan. There would be no pushing her away again.
Chapter 24
Jordan grabbed the phone on the last ring. “Gray.”
Rick’s gravelly voice came through the phone. “It’s Detective Jones.” He paused a second. “We got a problem.”
Jordan’s blood froze. “What? Rebecca?”
“No.” She could hear muted voices in the background, and she knew he must be at the precinct. “We got a call this morning. They found another body.”
The color drained from Jordan’s face. The nightmare was repeating itself. “Where?”
“Alley near Adams off Michigan.”
“Give me twenty.” Jordan grabbed her keys.
“We got a small break this time. We’ve got video of the alley. Hopefully, we can get something to identify this bastard.”
Jordan sighed. “I hope so. We can’t afford to be wrong again.”
“Well, you know what they say. Third times a charm.”
Jordan ended the call as Rick’s nervous laughter faded into the background. She pulled her coat on and ran to the garage. Within minutes, she had called Matt, picked him up and was pulling latex gloves on searching for Rebecca’s red hair among the crowd gathered around the body. She knew she would find her at the crime scene despite being shot only ten days before. She had one thing right about herself. She was as stubborn as they came.
She stopped next to Rebecca and lowered her voice. “What are you doing here?”
Rebecca flicked her eyes to the yellow tape. “It’s my case.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Jordan’s voice lowered to a warning tone. “I mean, why are you here? You shouldn’t be here after you know.”
“Jordan, I’m fine. Really.”
“Detective.”
Rebecca pulled her gaze away from Jordan’s face. “What do you have?”
“I think you will want to see this.”
Jordan pulled the crime-scene tape up and she and Rebecca stopped over the body. The M.E. pulled back the victim’s hair. A large bruise discolored the right side of her face from her forehead to her jaw. “This one got the shit beat out of her. These wounds are perimortem. She sustained them right before she died.”
Rebecca leaned over and tried to hide the wince of pain in her abdomen. She hadn’t had the stitches removed yet and pulling against them hurt. “Damn.”
“And look at this.” The M.E. lifted her hand and held out her fingernails. “We’ve got skin and blood under the nails. Probably the perp’s.”
Rebecca studied her hands. “Bag ‘em. I don’t want to do anything to compromise the evidence. In case you didn't notice, the CDD is pretty much the laughing stock of Chicago. Fucking this one up again isn’t an option.”