Down to the Wire

by Laura Scott

  Declan glanced at his watch for the fifth time in ten minutes. What in the world was taking Tess so long? He understood she didn’t want to leave, but they didn’t have a choice.

  His goal was to keep her safe. Maybe his imagination had been working overtime on the walk back from the church. It was possible that the only thing he’d heard was the wind whipping through the trees. But he wasn’t going to take a chance with her life.

  Tess was clearly getting tired of being on the move, and he didn’t blame her. He knew that she was still feeling the effects of her concussion. She needed to rest and relax, two things that were difficult to accomplish when you were constantly running from one place to the other.

  He straightened, realizing she might have fallen asleep again. Maybe that was why she wasn’t ready to go?

  He hated the thought of waking her up if she had indeed fallen asleep. Yet she could sleep as long as she needed once they’d gotten settled in a new hotel.

  Five minutes, he promised himself. If she hadn’t opened the connecting door by that time, he’d have to use his second key to get into her room.

  Tess wouldn’t be happy to know he actually had a key to her room, especially considering the way he’d kissed her. But since he’d paid for both rooms, the clerk hadn’t batted an eye when he asked for one.

  He still couldn’t believe he’d lost his head like that. The same way he had ten years ago. Granted, their brief kiss the night he’d driven her home after rescuing her from Gains hadn’t been nearly enough. He’d thought about kissing her often during those first few weeks after graduation, but then he’d joined the marines and he had bigger things to worry about, like staying alive.

  So why had he kissed her again, tonight? He shouldn’t have taken advantage of the situation. For one thing, she’d had a concussion. For another, she was his responsibility to keep safe. Getting emotionally involved with Tess was not part of the plan.

  Okay, he’d made a mistake by kissing her tonight. But he couldn’t allow himself to make another one. Even if Tess had seemed annoyed when he’d apologized for taking advantage of her. Did that mean she’d enjoyed the embrace as much as he had?

  Don’t go there, he reminded himself. Stay focused.

  He went through his notes one more time, still frustrated by the fact that Isaac had confirmed Gray had actually been at home during the time he and Tess were making their way back from church. But interestingly enough, it appeared that Jeff Berg had taken a short personal leave of absence from his brand-new job.

  Had Jeff come back here to exact his revenge on Tess? Declan had instructed Isaac to put out a notice that Jeff Berg was a person of interest in the bombings.

  More than five minutes had passed, so Declan took out his spare hotel key and stepped outside. But before he could walk over to Tess’s door, he stopped abruptly when he saw she was outside, talking to a young man who towered over her by a good twelve inches.

  It took a minute to recognize the young man as her brother Bobby.

  “Tess!” His tone was sharper than he intended. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  She jumped around at the sound of his voice and then stepped protectively in front of her brother, as if Declan were the enemy instead of the guy who’d pledged to watch her back.

  His fault, for sounding like a marine drill sergeant. He mentally kicked himself for reverting to his military mode. But he’d been so surprised to find her outside talking to her brother as if nothing had happened.

  “Don’t yell at me,” Tess said defiantly. “My brother needs help. He’s as much a victim of a crime as I am.”

  Yeah, right. Declan reined in his temper. “Let’s get inside the hotel, okay? I don’t like having you out here unprotected.”

  “I can protect my sister,” Bobby said arrogantly. “We don’t need you.”

  Declan fought for control, when he really wanted to give the kid a piece of his mind for what he’d put Tess through during his disappearing act. He glanced at Tess, hoping she would see reason. “Please, let’s go inside and talk, all right?”

  “No one followed us here,” Tess said wearily. “Bobby was the one behind us, so there’s no need to worry.”

  Somehow the knowledge that her brother was the one who’d followed them wasn’t exactly reassuring. “Don’t enable him. He needs to be held accountable for his actions,” Declan said gruffly. Ignoring her withering glare, he took out his phone, planning to call Isaac. “It’s probably better if we go down to the station to talk.”

  “What? You can’t be serious. Didn’t you hear me? Bobby is the victim of a crime!”

  “I heard you,” he said, striving to remain calm.

  “Come on, Tess, let’s get out of here,” Bobby said, tugging on her arm. “We don’t have to stay here with him.”

  “Bobby, wait, just give me a minute, okay?” Tess gazed at Declan as if imploring him to listen. “Don’t you remember what it was like to be Bobby’s age? To have everyone automatically assume the worst about you? Can’t you give him the benefit of the doubt? At least until you’ve heard his side of the story? Please?”

  Declan blew out a sigh, realizing she was right. He did remember what it was like to be Bobby’s age, but he’d earned his title of being the town troublemaker and he was pretty sure Bobby had earned his, too. Maybe he could wait a few minutes to hear the kid’s side of the story. “All right, fine. But let’s talk inside.”

  “Please, come with me,” Tess said to Bobby. “I don’t have my car, so it’s not as if we can just drive away.”

  Her brother scowled but gave a tight nod. “Okay, but if he calls to have me arrested, I’m outta here. I’ll be fine on my own.”

  Since that was exactly what Declan had intended to do, he couldn’t blame the kid for his response. But he’d made Tess a promise to listen to Bobby’s side of the story, so he would. But if the kid tried to lie to them, he wouldn’t hesitate to cuff him.

  Because whether Tess realized it or not, he was going to do whatever he had to in order to protect her, even from her brother, if necessary.

  * * *

  Tess kept a hold on Bobby’s arm, as if he might run off if she let go, while they followed Declan inside the hotel room.

  Bobby remained tense and she suppressed a sigh, knowing she would have to be the buffer between the two hardheaded men. Somehow, someway she had to convince Declan to give Bobby the benefit of the doubt.

  When the door closed behind her, it seemed the room shrank considerably, uncomfortably crowded with the three of them in there. She gave her brother a nudge toward one of the chairs located near the desk. She sat on the edge of the bed, forcing Declan to take the chair next to Bobby.

  “Bobby, explain everything you told me earlier to Declan,” Tess said, breaking the silence.

  He repeated his earlier story, and to his credit Declan didn’t interrupt. When Bobby finished, she wasn’t surprised when Declan went back to clarify a few key points.

  “So Mitch is the one who assaulted Tess,” he surmised.

  “I didn’t know anything about that,” Bobby said with a frown. “He had no right to go after my sister. If I had known his plan, I would have called the police.”

  “But you didn’t,” Declan reminded him.

  Bobby exhaled sharply. “No. I know I should have, but you don’t understand what Mitch has been through. His mom has...issues.”

  Tess exchanged a glance with Declan, and he nodded, obviously remembering the way Mitch’s mother had been drunk when they stopped by. “I know, Bobby,” she said softly. “I went over to Mitch’s house to try and find you.”

  Bobby’s face flushed with anger. “You shouldn’t have done that, Tess. You have to stay away from there. It’s a really rough neighborhood.”

  She silently agreed, remembering the rock that had
shattered her windshield. Was Mitch the person responsible? Or someone else?

  “Where were you Thursday evening?” Declan interjected. “That’s when Tess went to Mitch’s house looking for you, but someone threw a rock at her car, causing her to crash into a light pole. She’s lucky she wasn’t seriously hurt.”

  Bobby scowled and jumped to his feet. “Are you accusing me of hurting my sister?” he asked defensively.

  Declan raised a hand. “Calm down, Bobby. I’m not accusing you of anything. I was just wondering if you were still with Mitch close to that time, that’s all.”

  The teenager’s anger deflated as quickly as it had flared. “The last time I saw Mitch was roughly two-thirty in the afternoon. By Thursday evening, I was back in Greenland Park, hiding out and trying to figure out what to do next.”

  It broke Tess’s heart to think of her brother being all alone without friends or family to help him out. Why, oh, why hadn’t her brother contacted the police?

  “I believe you,” Declan said.

  Bobby’s head snapped up, his gaze surprised. “You do?”

  “Yes, I do. There’s no way you’d purposefully harm Tess. The only thing I don’t agree with was your decision to avoid going to the police.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’m going to call one of the guys from my SWAT team to put out an arrest warrant for Mitch. Will you provide an official statement about the way he stole your phone and your car?”

  “Yeah, I’ll give you a statement. But aren’t you going to arrest him for assaulting Tess?” Bobby demanded.

  “Yes, but we still need more proof to make those charges stick,” Declan explained. He started to make the call, but then stopped. “Bobby, did you ever see Mitch building a bomb?”

  “What?” His eyes widened in alarm. “No, why? Do you think he’s the one setting the bombs?”

  Declan shrugged. “Anything is possible. What’s the rumor mill at the high school? Is anyone taking responsibility for the bombs? Or maybe bragging about them?”

  Bobby slowly shook his head. “No, although a few of the kids made smart-aleck comments about how it would be nice if the bomber would hit the high school so we wouldn’t have class.”

  “What about any kids in the chemistry class?” Declan asked. “Any of them say anything about how easy it would be to make a bomb?”

  “Nah, I didn’t hear anything like that, but I took chemistry last year, so I wouldn’t have been in there to hear anyone bragging or talking about it.”

  Tess spoke up. “Bobby, if you know anything at all, please tell us.” She gave him an imploring look. “Who was the kid who mentioned wishing classes would be canceled?”

  “Ricky Jones, but he’s not smart enough to plant bombs. He just talks big, that’s all.”

  “We might have a little chat with him anyway, just in case,” Declan said as he rose to his feet. Tess noticed a wince flash over Bobby’s face and knew her brother wouldn’t have given a name if he’d known that Declan was going to interrogate the kid. He called Isaac, but the call must have gone to voice mail since Declan only said, “Call me back,” before hanging up.

  “This is really serious, Bobby,” Tess said in a low voice. “People have died. The police have to investigate every lead.”

  “I guess,” her brother muttered. “You can’t blame me for not wanting to be a snitch.”

  “I can blame you if you don’t tell us something that could help arrest this person,” Tess countered.

  Her brother sighed. “Okay, okay. I hear you.”

  Declan swung back around to face them. “Tess, are you ready to go?”

  “Go where?” she asked. “I thought we could stay since Bobby was the one who’d followed us from the church.”

  “There’s not a lot of room here, and rather than get a third room, I think it might be best if we all go back to my place.”

  Tess hesitated, instinctively wanting to squash Declan’s offer. But she had her brother’s safety to consider. Just the thought of Bobby being alone in his own hotel room caused her stomach to clench in fear. She wouldn’t put it past Bobby to disappear again if he somehow thought Declan was turning against him.

  “If Tess wants to stay here, then that’s what we should do,” Bobby chimed in, automatically siding with Tess. She was touched by his loyalty.

  Declan didn’t say anything but kept his gaze centered on her. “Tess? I promise we’ll get to the bottom of who’s planting these bombs. But I need you to hang in there with me, at least for a little while longer.”

  She trusted Declan, and maybe Bobby needed to realize just how much the police could help them. “You’re right, going back to your place would be easier,” she acknowledged. “Thanks for the offer.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Bobby looked as if he wanted to argue, but she narrowed her gaze and shook her head. “Don’t, Bobby. I’ve had a long day and I just want to get some rest.”

  “Does your head hurt?” Declan asked softly.

  “Not too bad,” she hedged even though the dull pounding was back.

  “The doctor told you to take it easy,” Declan reminded her. “You should have stayed in the hospital another day.”

  “Hospital?” Bobby’s voice rose in alarm. “You didn’t say anything about being in the hospital!”

  “I’m fine, it’s just a concussion.” She glared at Declan, annoyed that he’d worried her brother with that detail. “All I need is to rest.”

  “Listen, Declan, you have to find a way to make Mitch pay for what he did to Tess,” Bobby said harshly. “That’s ridiculous that he hurt her bad enough to send her to the hospital. I can tell you what drugs he’s been taking and where he gets them. Maybe that can help you track him down.”

  Declan nodded. “That would help. I’d like nothing better than to find a way to prove Mitch assaulted Tess, and we can talk more about that later. First, I want to get you both someplace safe. Tess is still in danger from someone planting bombs around the city, and until we know for sure that Mitch is or isn’t involved, we can’t afford to get complacent.”

  “Crazy. This is just so crazy,” Bobby muttered. “I can’t believe someone actually has it out for my sister. Tess doesn’t have any enemies, well, except for that stupid ex-boyfriend of hers. He was a jerk.”

  “Jeff Berg, right?” Declan asked. When Bobby nodded, he added, “Yeah, I’m checking him out, among others. We’ve found three bombs near Tess, and the others had been planted in places she used to work or hang out in.” Declan frowned. “Way too much of a coincidence to ignore.”

  “I appreciate you watching out for my sister when I wasn’t able to,” Bobby said solemnly. “She deserves the best.”

  “I agree,” Declan replied. “And I promise I’ll protect her with my life if necessary.”

  Tess felt a tiny flutter in the region of her heart as she watched Bobby and Declan talk, pulling together as a united front in order to protect her. She was glad Declan had dropped his overbearing I’m-in-charge cop attitude, and that he was actually treating Bobby like an adult who had something to contribute. Far different from the way Jeff had treated her brother, and she was ashamed to think she’d dated Jeff for three months when he clearly didn’t deserve one ounce of her attention.

  Now watching Declan converse with Bobby gave her hope, especially since Declan connected with her brother in a way Jeff never had.

  And for the first time in a long while, she found herself believing her brother would be okay. At least if they could get through this nightmare. Bobby would graduate from high school and hopefully then go to college or at least a technical school program. She needed to believe he would have a good future ahead of him.

  And she knew that with Declan as a role model, anything was possible.

  THIRTEEN

 
Declan glanced in the rearview mirror at Bobby and Tess in the backseat of his truck as he headed for the highway. She was leaning against her brother, looking relaxed and happy for the first time since he’d been called to disarm the bomb that had been planted beneath her school desk. Despite his earlier annoyance, he was sincerely glad that Bobby had tracked them down at the hotel, although he hadn’t been thrilled to hear how Tess had actually left a note in the church stating her exact location. Still, he couldn’t deny that her plan had worked. And the kid’s concern for his sister rang true, he found himself honestly believing Bobby’s story. He planned to call off the arrest warrant on Bobby and put the APB out on Mitch Turner instead. Granted, he’d have to convince the feds, but there would be time to clue them in later.

  Maybe now he could focus the investigation on finding Mitch and the bomber. Not necessarily in that order.

  He took a long, winding route to get to his place, making sure no one followed them. The closer he came to his neighborhood, the more vigilant he became. About three blocks from his house, he stopped at a red light near a corner gas station. Glancing over, he noticed a beige sedan, much like the car he’d seen Allan Gray driving, parked in front of a pump. A man was in the process of opening his gas tank and Declan peered through the darkness, trying to get a glimpse of the guy’s face. When the man turned and looked up directly at Declan’s truck, a chill snaked down his spine.

  Allan Gray. The instant their gazes clashed, Allan looked away, hunching his shoulders and keeping his back toward the street as he pumped gas.

  The light turned green and Declan pivoted the wheel to the right, going the opposite direction he’d originally intended. He went past the gas station and was tempted to turn around and go back to confront Gray, but held back because he had Tess and Bobby with him.

  But what was Gray doing on the opposite side of town from where he lived? Trinity Medical Center was located in the general area between the gas station and Gray’s house, and there were service stations every couple of blocks scattered around the city. So there was no need for Gray to drive so far out of his way to fill up his tank.