by Chris Taylor
“You bitch!” Billy pulled his arm back and slammed the gun across her face. The sound of her nose breaking was loud in the quiet room. She screamed. Blood spurted from her nose.
“Dylan! H-how could you? You’re…you’re my brother.”
Shock ricocheted through Will. Moments later, he was engulfed by rage. His vision turned red—as red as Savannah’s blood. He shook from the impact of it. He pointed his gun at Billy’s head.
He saw the flash of orange seconds before the force of the bullet’s impact in his chest hurled him backwards. He slammed into the concrete floor. Pain exploded through him. His body was on fire. Like a man drowning, he struggled to breathe. Savannah’s brother stood over him. In slow motion, he watched as the man raised the gun a second time.
CHAPTER 29
Savannah screamed again and hurled herself at her brother. Aiming for his gun hand, she braced herself for the impact. Her shoulder connected with the solid plane of his chest. Pain shot up her arm. Dylan cursed and flung her aside. Without the use of her hands to break her fall, she landed hard on the concrete floor and grunted in pain. Will lay still and silent a few feet away.
Fear clogged her throat and threatened to choke her. Please, God, please God, please, God. Please don’t let him be dead.
Her attention was drawn by the clatter of boots on the concrete. The sound of men shouting frantic orders to each other slowly infiltrated her daze.
“Freeze! Police! Put the gun down! Put the goddamn gun down. Now.”
It was Pete. He stood in front of her, his arm extended. The dim light glinted off the barrel of his gun.
“Pete, you have to help Will. Please, you have to help him!”
“Savannah?” Pete’s voice cracked through the silence, taut with surprise. His gun remained trained on her brother. Pete glanced in her direction. “You have to get out of here.”
She turned her frantic gaze in his direction. “Pete, can’t you see? Will’s hurt. I have to do something.”
“Get out of here.” Each word was bitten off. Even in the dim light, his lips were white with anger.
She flicked uncertain eyes toward Dylan. His gun was still pointed at Will’s head.
“Dylan, what are you doing? Are you out of your mind?”
Dylan glanced at her, his eyes wild with fear and excitement. “Shut up, Savannah. Do as he says and get the hell out of here.”
She pinned him with her gaze. “I’m not leaving until you hand that over.” She nodded toward the gun.
“It’s never gonna happen, sis.” His face was suffused with anger. His gaze swung crazily between her and Pete. Her stomach tightened in fear.
She took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm. “Dylan, please. Just hand the gun over. We can talk about this. Let’s go outside. I’m sure we can sort this out.”
“No one’s going anywhere, Sav. Not you. Not me. And especially not him.” His head flicked in Will’s direction. “This is it for me. The end of the line.” He gave a snort of humorless laughter. “They don’t call me Billy the Kid for nothing.”
His eyes were insane. She barely recognized him. Her heart leaped into her throat. Sweat trickled between her breasts. Fear froze her to the floor.
“Stand back, Billy. Drop the gun, or I’ll shoot.” Pete’s voice cracked in the stillness.
“Go your hardest, copper. I’m going out swinging.”
In the end, it took only a matter of seconds. Shots rang out, deafening in the enclosed space. The blinding flashes of gunfire burned into her retinas. Savannah screamed and turned her face away. Awkwardly throwing herself over Will’s prone form, she buried her face in his shirt. The sound of bullets behind her thudding into flesh sickened her.
And then, it was over…
The silence terrified her. She didn’t dare move. A hand fell on her shoulder and she cried out in fear.
“It’s okay, Savannah. It’s over.”
As Pete’s words sunk in, she collapsed in relief. Peering up through the dimness, her gaze strayed sideways.
She made out Dylan’s still form where he lay in a crumpled heap on the floor. His shirtfront was stained dark with blood. “Oh, my God!”
“I’m sorry, Savannah. I had no choice.”
She stared in horror at her brother. Blood trickled from his nose. His chest remained motionless. She knew she should go to him, but her legs refused to move.
Pete reached for the bindings around her wrists and severed them with a knife. A few moments later, she was in agony as the blood rushed to her fingers. A groan from Will snatched her attention.
“Oh, thank God, you’re alive!” Now oblivious to the fire in her fingers, she bent over him and clasped his head in her hands. “Please, please, Will, wake up. Please, wake up. You need to wake up now.”
“Savannah, you’ll have to move away,” Pete murmured. “The paramedics are here. They need to get in and see him.”
Savannah pulled away and looked dazedly around her. Two paramedics hovered behind Pete. One of them carried a large medical bag.
“Excuse me, ma’am. We need to get through.”
With her eyes fixed on Will, she stood slowly and backed away. One of the paramedics knelt beside him and checked his injuries. The other one went to where Dylan lay. Savannah looked away, unable to watch.
“We need to get a couple of stretchers back here. Can someone make a bit more room for us?”
Savannah’s attention returned to the paramedic who had spoken. She indicated Will with her hand. “Is he okay? He’s going to be all right, isn’t he?” Her voice shook.
“He’s going to be fine. He’s got a fair lump on the back of his head, though. Probably knocked himself out when he hit the concrete. He’ll be a bit sore in the stomach for a few weeks. Took a bullet by the look of it. Lucky for the vest. It saved his life.”
“Oh, thank God!” Her legs weakened in relief. She reached out blindly toward Pete for support.
“We’ll take him to hospital, just to be sure. He needs to be checked over by a doctor, maybe kept overnight for observation.” He turned to look in Dylan’s direction. “I’m afraid it’s too late for this one.”
Her legs moved of their own accord. She knelt by her brother’s side in a pool of sticky, wet blood. Her hand reached out and brushed a dark lock of unruly hair from his forehead. Hot, quiet tears ran down her cheeks.
“Oh, Dylan. I’m so sorry. Where did I go wrong? How could I have been so blind to what you were going through? Why didn’t you say something?” Her voice broke in anguish. Hot tears fell in earnest. She bit her lip to stem the sobs that threatened to overwhelm her and then cried out when the pain of her split lip made itself known.
“Savannah, we need you to come away. This is a crime scene. It has to be preserved.” Pete’s voice was gentle, but insistent. He gripped her elbow with firm pressure and pulled her to her feet.
“Come on. Let’s go outside. They’ll bring Will out shortly. Besides, someone needs to see to your injuries.”
* * *
Savannah was met by a contingent of red and blue flashing lights upon her exit from the warehouse. The sun had climbed higher and now shone as bright as diamonds. Feeling had finally returned to her fingers and she held up a hand to shield her eyes against its intensity.
Uniformed policemen swarmed everywhere. TRG officers, still in their combat gear, milled around, talking to each other in muted tones. A few moments later, the paramedics strode out wheeling a stretcher.
Recognizing Will’s dark head, she hurried over. His pain-hazed eyes squinted at the daylight and connected with hers. Relief flooded through her.
“Oh, Will, you’re awake! I’m so glad you’re all right!” Her legs almost collapsed beneath her. She reached for his hand where it lay limply on the white sheet and squeezed it tightly.
“How the hell did you get here? I thought you were coming over to my place?” he muttered, his voice weak and unsteady.
She closed her eyes brief
ly at the memory. It seemed like a lifetime ago. “I was. I really was. But Dylan…” She shook her head, unable to continue.
He nodded feebly, his head barely moving on the pillow. She had to lean low to hear him when he spoke again. “You look like hell, but it sure is good to see you.”
“Ditto,” she whispered and squeezed his hand again.
The wheels of a second stretcher crunched on the pavement. Savannah turned her head toward it. Her brother’s body had been covered with a sheet.
Her legs trembled. She tightened her grip on Will’s hand.
“Who?” he rasped, watching as the paramedics wheeled the stretcher toward another waiting vehicle. The words Glebe Morgue were painted in stark lettering across its back doors.
She forced her gaze back to his. “It’s Dylan. My-my brother.”
He frowned. “I remember you saying something about your brother.” He shook his head. “How…?”
“I don’t know all the details. He-he turned up at my condominium and held me at gunpoint. He brought me here so Vince could…kill me.”
Will closed his eyes. “Billy the Kid. He was Maranoa’s off-sider.”
Savannah nodded sadly in agreement. Will’s hand tightened on hers and she was filled with gratitude. She didn’t know how long it would take for her to come to terms with her brother’s horrific double life and his tragic death. She’d tried to look out for him for so long and still things had gone terribly wrong.
“Hey, beautiful. Don’t look so sad. Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
His voice was still weak, but the pressure against her hand reassured her. Tears pricked her eyes. She gave him a wobbly smile. “I can’t believe how close I came to losing you.”
“You’re not going to get rid of me that easily. I have at least another fifty or sixty years in me.” He grinned up at her, but it was strained at the edges. Pain shadowed his eyes.
“Will, you need to get to the hospital. Let them take a proper look at you. They can give you something for the pain.”
“Yeah, that’s probably not a bad idea. It feels like a buffalo sat on my chest.”
Pete strode up to the stretcher. “Better than a bullet,” he said with a dry smile. “Lucky for you, I was already on my way through the doorway when the first shot rang out. I arrived just as O’Connor stumbled out, looking petrified. You flew backwards and I realized you’d been hit. Savannah came from nowhere and attacked the shooter. She deflected his arm and he was unable to get off the other shot.”
Will turned his head to face her, his eyes wide. “You saved my life.”
She looked away, pleased but embarrassed.
“I’m sorry about your brother, Savannah,” Pete murmured. “If I’d had any choice…” His eyes clouded over with regret.
Her smile disintegrated. “You did what you had to do. Dylan made his own choices. I was there, remember? If it wasn’t for you, Will would be the one on his way to the morgue.”
He shrugged uncomfortably. “The paramedics said Dylan died instantly.”
“I guess that’s a good thing.” Savannah came around the side of the stretcher and hugged Pete tightly. “Please don’t beat yourself up about it. Even I accept Dylan was an adult. Only he was responsible for his actions and their consequences.”
Her gaze returned to Will’s pale face. “I can’t tell you enough how thankful I am that you saved Will’s life. I don’t know how I’m ever going to repay you.”
Pete looked away, embarrassed. His voice was gruff with emotion. “Don’t be silly. Will would have done the same thing for me.”
“Too right,” Will readily agreed. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t be eternally grateful.” He reached for Pete’s hand. “Thanks, mate. I owe you one.”
Pete colored, but returned the handshake. “Just get yourself better so you can get back on the job. We’re short staffed as it is.”
Will smiled and closed his eyes. A few moments later, he opened them again, his expression fierce. “We scored one for the good guys today.” He looked past both of them toward the clear, blue sky above him. “And one for you, too, baby brother.”
The waiting paramedic cleared his throat. “Come on, let’s get you to Prince Alfred Hospital. You need to get those ribs checked out to make sure none of them are broken. Taking a bullet like that can still cause damage, even though it’s not lethal.” He wheeled the stretcher over to the waiting ambulance.
Savannah watched until the doors closed behind Will. She turned back to Pete. “What happened to Max and Maranoa?”
“They’ve been taken back to the station. We’ll interview them and then lay charges. They’re going to be spending quite some time looking at four square walls.”
She shuddered, still trying to come to terms with the knowledge her boss and her brother were tied up in such despicable activities. A sudden thought occurred to her.
“Pete, what about the girls? What’s going to happen to them?”
“It’s okay. “I’ve spoken to the guys in immigration. They’ve had their eye on Maranoa for a while. They knew we were investigating him for drug importation. They decided to let us have first go at him.” He shrugged. “Everyone felt for those girls, but the drug operation had far more implications for the wider community.”
She bit off a protest, knowing he was right. At least now they’d be safe.“What’s going to happen to them?”
He shrugged again. “I guess it depends on immigration. They’ll probably be sent back to Thailand.” He turned back to her. “You need to get yourself to the hospital, too. That nose looks broken and the gash under your eye could probably do with some stitches.”
Savannah touched a tentative finger to her injuries. “Yes, doctor.”
“If we go now, we should be there by the time Will’s seen by the medical staff.”
Savannah sighed gratefully. Now that the drama was over, the pain in her face had become more pronounced. Her nose and lip felt twice their normal size. Her cheek throbbed. “Thanks, Pete.” She frowned down at her ankle ravaged by the blister. “That would be great.”
Thankfully, Pete’s unmarked vehicle was close by. She climbed in and sighed with relief. Her head dropped backward on the head rest. She drew in deep breaths of air and did her best to come to terms with all that had happened.
She was inordinately grateful Will had survived the ordeal relatively unscathed and the whole sordid brothel business had been resolved, but she couldn’t help the heavy pit of sadness that had lodged deep in her belly when she thought of Dylan.
Her head knew what she’d told Pete was right, but it wasn’t that easy for her heart to accept and believe it. The guilt of failure still weighed heavily. Perhaps it always would.
She thought of her parents and knew they would have been devastated over the loss of their son, but proud of the part she’d played in seeing justice done. No matter what happened, she was going to have one hell of a story.
She thought of Will and the all-encompassing love she felt for him. Despite the pain in her face, a gentle smile curved her lips and calmed her racing pulse. She clung to the feeling, recognizing it as hope. She pictured their future together and let the healing joy of that scene trickle into her heart.
CHAPTER 30
Three weeks later
Will strode into the living room where Savannah was unpacking the last of her things.
“That was Andy on the phone. He’s passed the course! He’s now a fully certified police negotiator.” The grin on Will’s face couldn’t get any wider. Savannah returned it. Will had already told her about Andy’s past and why becoming a negotiator was so important to him. She couldn’t wait to meet a man she’d already heard so much about and couldn’t help but admire.
“That’s fantastic, Will. He must be thrilled.”
“Yep, about as thrilled as I am to be out of that hospital and to have you here with me for good. And not only that, Pete’s extended my leave for another week. We have all the time
in the world to get to know each other better.” He pulled her into his arms and bent his head and nuzzled the side of her neck.
Savannah pulled away, looking up at him dryly. “Don’t think you’re getting away with it that easily. I’m happy for Andy, but we need to talk about this—us—before you make me forget we still haven’t dealt with it. I didn’t want to say anything while you were recovering, but now…”
He sighed and set her away from him. “You’re right. We need to talk.”
“Okay. Are we going to be mature about this?”
“Yeah, I think we can be adult about it, don’t you?” His gaze remained steady on hers.
“I’d like to think so.” She moved to sit on the leather couch in the living room. Curling her feet underneath her, she looked up at him. “Are you going to sit down?”
He grinned slowly and moved toward her. He took a seat in the opposite corner of the modular couch.
She rolled her eyes. “You could come a little closer, you know.”
“I’m still a little mad at you, remember? And I’m still waiting for your apology.”
“Okay, then. I’m sorry for deceiving you about where I was going that night. From the moment you told me you were going to the Black Opal, I’d made up my mind to come along, despite your objections. It was wrong and I shouldn’t have done it.”
His gaze challenged at her. “Why can I hear a “but” coming?”
A wry grin tugged at her lips. “Probably because there is one coming.”
He sighed. “Okay, let’s hear it.” He leaned back and stretched his legs out in front of him.
“The reason I didn’t say anything at the time was because you wouldn’t have let me go. You’d already flatly refused to discuss it when I’d tried to tell you I was going. I didn’t want to go behind your back, but you didn’t leave me any choice.”
His eyes narrowed. The glint of earlier humor evaporated. “Oh, so it’s my fault, is it?” He stood and paced the floor in front of her.