“I could say the same about you. Well, except for the part about the makeup.”
He grinned at her remark, but his smile faded. “I’m worried about you. At some point, this is all going to catch up to you and it’s going to be too much. I don’t want to be responsible for adding the final straw.”
“And you think a dress will be the final straw?”
“I have no idea.”
Poor guy. He was meeting himself coming and going.
“I’m tougher than you’re giving me credit for.”
“You’re the strongest woman I know. And I know some of the strongest women in the state.” He spoke with a conviction that left no room for argument. He believed what he was saying. “But I’ve learned a lot from the men who love those women. I know when a strong, determined woman gives her heart to a man, it’s his responsibility to cherish and protect it because he’s the only one who knows how fragile that heart really is.”
He tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “I know you can handle the dress shopping and the gala and the gossip. That isn’t the issue. But you’re doing important work right now and you’ve had a difficult week. If this is going to be distracting and stressful, then I’d rather you skip it. I don’t ever want you to do anything out of some perceived obligation.”
She planted a kiss on him then. One that left both of them surprised by its intensity.
“Thank you,” she said when they finally broke apart. “I needed to hear that.”
“If I could remember what I said, I would say it again.” He did have a bit of a dazed expression, and she quite enjoyed that she had the ability to do that to him.
Four hours later, she was clinging to that kiss to keep herself going. “How many dresses have I tried on?”
Anissa laughed. “Three.”
“Feels like thirty.” This entire process was one massive torture session. Not only did she have to try on dresses, but Anissa insisted that she come out into the large mirrored space near the entrance to the dressing room and model each one. And she had almost no privacy. There were four individual stalls, but they didn’t even have real doors. The only thing between her and any total stranger who also happened to be in the dressing room were two swinging doors with a disturbingly large gap in the middle.
“They’ve all looked great.” Anissa sounded like she meant it, but she might have been lying just to calm her down. Sabrina couldn’t tell.
“I can’t move in them. I need to be able to move. And breathe. Breathing is important.”
“Don’t forget the part where you need to make Adam’s mouth fall open and those society girls cry over their loss.”
“Yeah. That too.”
They tried on dresses for another thirty minutes. Nothing was right. One was too tight. One too revealing. One would have been perfect for Adam’s grandmother. She’d given up on yet another gown when there was a knock on the dressing room door.
Anissa would want to see it anyway. “I’m coming.” She gathered the long skirt of the dress in her arms and backed out of the stall. The little jacket that came with the dress fell to the floor and she bent over to grab it.
A shot rang out.
Too close.
She hit the floor.
Two more shots fired in rapid succession from somewhere behind her. Her ears rang. What was happening?
The air filled with screams. “Sabrina!” Anissa’s anguished voice cut through the cacophony.
“I’m okay.” She was. Wasn’t she?
She rolled over.
“Don’t look.” Anissa stood between her and a large mass on the floor. The dress Anissa had been trying on was covered in what could only be parts of the man she’d shot.
“Is he dead?”
“Very. Are you okay?” Anissa spit the words.
“Fine.” Physically, at least.
“Pete!” Anissa called out through the dressing room door. “Get in here.” Anissa kicked open each of the other stalls and then returned to Sabrina’s side.
Sabrina got to her feet. “Pete’s here?”
“Of course he is. You don’t think Adam would let us go shopping without extra security, do you? Not after what happened Monday.”
The part of Sabrina’s brain that wasn’t screaming in panic was impressed by Anissa’s calm.
“Call Adam.” Anissa’s terse order didn’t leave any room for argument.
Sabrina tried to ignore the trembling of her fingers as she pulled up her most recent calls and hit Adam’s number.
“Hi.” How did Adam make that one word sound like a caress? “Done shopping already?”
“Not exactly.”
“What’s wrong?” There was nothing gentle about his tone now.
“Someone took a shot at her.” Anissa spoke loud enough for Adam to hear her. Sabrina put the phone on speaker.
“What? Where are you?” Adam’s voice had gone from gentle to concerned to full-on panicked.
“We’re in the dressing room. Pete’s not responding.” Anissa’s voice was like ice.
“Stay on the line with me. Don’t hang up.”
“Okay.” Sabrina had no plans to disconnect the call.
“Gabe!” Sabrina could picture Adam getting Gabe’s attention. “Someone came after them. Get backup over there.”
“Are they okay?” Gabe’s voice was faint, but Sabrina could hear the worry.
“They’re both on the line.”
“We’re fine, Gabe.” Anissa was still spitting her words. “But we’re not leaving this dressing room until someone gives me the all clear. I’ve got one guy dead. No one else is in here with us. Three shots fired. One by him. Two by me.”
“Hang tight, Bell. We’ll get you.” Gabe probably meant his words to be comforting, but even Sabrina could tell how angry he was.
The sound of doors slamming came through the phone. Gabe was talking to someone about backup.
“Bri, are you injured?” Adam asked.
“No.”
“He shot at her in the dressing room. I don’t know how he missed.” Anissa pointed to the bullet now lodged in the wall of the dressing room.
A bullet that should have hit her in the chest. “I dropped the jacket.”
“You what?” Anissa looked confused.
“The jacket. I thought it was you knocking on the door. I backed out, but I dropped the jacket, so I bent down to pick it up . . .” The reality of what had happened was sinking in. “I should be dead.”
The sound of a revved engine reached Sabrina’s ears. “We’re at least ten minutes away,” Adam said, “but there’s a police unit in the parking lot. Gabe’s talking to them now. They’re on their way in.”
“Okay.” What else could she say? She was trapped in a dressing room trying very hard not to look at the body of the man who’d tried to kill her.
Why would anyone think she was a threat?
Who would want her dead?
“You, in the dressing room! Put your hands up!” That was not Pete.
Anissa didn’t look impressed. “I’m Investigator Anissa Bell. If you come in here with a weapon drawn, I will shoot you and get your identification later.” She waved her hand at Sabrina and whispered, “Get as far to the side as you can.”
Sabrina complied with her order. She liked Anissa. A lot. But right now she was kind of scary. When she backed into the corner of the stall, she understood what Anissa was doing. She’d effectively gotten Sabrina out of sight of whoever would come into the dressing room.
“No one needs to shoot. I’m mall security. Got a call someone thought shots had been fired.”
“That’s because they were,” Anissa said. “Why don’t you stay where you are and make sure no one comes in here?”
“Um . . . I’m going to have to call this in.”
“You go right ahead. While you’re at it, close the store for the night.”
“What’s going on over here?” A new voice. Female. Bossy.
The security guard
’s voice dropped and a hushed conversation happened beyond what Sabrina could hear.
The bossy voice then came over the intercom system. “Ladies and gentlemen, could I have your attention, please? Due to unforeseen circumstances, we’ve been asked to cooperate with the police department in an investigation, and this requires us to close our doors immediately. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you and ask that you proceed to the nearest exit at this time.”
The hum of talking outside the dressing room faded as people responded to the request. Then a new voice. Female. Firm.
“I’m Officer Tollison. Got a call from a buddy over at the sheriff’s office that you might need some assistance.”
“Claire?”
“Anissa?”
“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you,” the security guard warned. “She threatened to shoot me.”
“It’s safe to enter,” Anissa said.
Sabrina couldn’t resist watching through the crack in the stall. A petite blonde in full uniform peeked through the dressing room entrance and then walked all the way in.
“Well, this is great, Anissa. I thought I was getting off for the day, but this paperwork will take me the rest of the night.”
“Tell me about it. Thanks for responding so quickly.”
“No problem. We were the closest unit to the scene—had just responded to a disturbance across the street when dispatch notified us of the situation here. I’m glad to help. What do you need?”
“I need a perimeter around us so we can get out of here. I need you to look for one of our guys. Plain clothes. Pete Stanfield. He should have been nearby, but we can’t reach him.”
“On it.” Officer Tollison spoke into her radio for a moment and another officer appeared at the entry to the dressing area. They conferred for a few seconds and then he walked away. Officer Tollison gave Anissa a tight smile. “We’ve got three units on the scene already and more on the way—so we’ll have your perimeter set up in no time. And we’ll find your missing deputy.”
“Thanks,” Anissa said. “And, Claire, you might want to give them a heads-up. We have some worried sheriff’s investigators en route.”
“Yeah. Gabe sounded like he was ready to crawl through the line when dispatch patched him through. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him rattled before.”
So that explained it. She was a friend of Gabe’s. Or maybe she’d worked with Gabe? But Gabe was sheriff’s office and Claire Tollison was city police. Either way, she seemed nice and slightly less scary than Anissa at the moment.
“What a mess, Anissa,” she said. “I’m sure you’re dying to get out of that dress. Let me get an evidence bag. And some scissors. Because there’s no way you want to pull that over your head.”
Anissa blew out an exaggerated sigh. “Good point.”
Claire disappeared, but her voice carried as she assigned officers to secure the perimeter of the store, clear the building, guard the room, and find her some scissors.
Anissa leaned against the wall. She still had her weapon drawn, but she didn’t have it aimed at the door anymore.
“Where are they?” Adam’s question broke through the murmurs of the others.
“We’re coming in, Bell,” Gabe called. “Don’t shoot us.”
Sabrina stepped out of the corner as Adam rushed through the door. “Bri.” He climbed over the dead body without giving it a look. His eyes raked over her. There was nothing suggestive about it. He was clearly looking for injuries. Making sure for himself that she was okay. He took her face in his hands and his lips found hers for just a moment. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
All the fear and terror and confusion swept over her afresh and she clung to him. “I don’t understand what’s happening,” she said.
“Me neither. But we’ll figure it out.”
After the fiasco on Monday, he’d made sure Juan stayed as close as he could get to Sabrina. An effort complicated by the constant presence of police officers.
Juan was an idiot. If he’d been more efficient on Monday, they wouldn’t be dealing with this issue.
But Juan had made a friend at the university and that friend had overheard the conversation. Sabrina was going dress shopping.
It had been a hurried plan, but it was a good one. It would work.
And now Juan was inside with orders to finish the job.
He should have left Juan to do the work alone, but he hadn’t been able to resist being nearby.
He’d seen her go in. Now he waited for her to come out.
He’d been listening to the police scanner for the last hour. Nothing but the usual midsize city drama.
How he wanted to be away from it all.
Soon.
So soon.
Years of cultivating the right relationships. Hours spent smiling at people across the table when what he really wanted to do was jam a steak knife in their eye.
Not that he ever had. He knew who he was and what he wanted. He had no bloodlust of his own. No desire to watch the life leave an enemy. No compulsion to make anyone suffer.
But if someone wanted to kill and it helped him achieve his goals at the same time? Well, that was fine with him.
The radio chatter picked up. This was it.
He sat straighter in the seat of his car. He could almost feel the tropical breeze on his cheek. The sand under his feet. The chill of the drink in his hand.
Multiple units responding? Shots fired?
Excellent.
He closed his eyes. He could taste the saltwater on his tongue. Smell the coconut oil warming on his skin.
He deserved this. All the years he’d fixed everyone else’s messes. Now it was his turn to relax.
His turn to let someone else deal—
The siren jolted him out of his fantasy.
The Carrington Police had responded far more quickly than he’d expected. Kudos to them.
He got out of his car. He couldn’t resist the opportunity to hear what was happening up close.
He walked along the perimeter of the mall. If anyone noticed him, it would look like he was looking for his car.
“What happened, officer?” a young woman asked from the sidewalk.
“I can’t say,” he said. “Please go on to your vehicle and leave the premises.”
“Do you think the mall will reopen tonight? I needed some earrings.”
A woman leaving the mall paused. “Honey, some guy got shot. Tried to kill a girl in the dressing room.” Her words were hushed. “No way they’ll be reopening tonight. It would be best for you to go on home.”
“Is that true?” the young woman asked the officer.
He didn’t deny it. “I’d recommend you go home, miss.”
How was this possible? Sabrina didn’t carry a weapon. And he’d given clear instructions to Juan to be sure the officer with her was out of commission before he tried anything.
He took the long way back to his car. But he no longer could risk her coming out and seeing him.
He was on the interstate before he screamed. “No!”
It was midnight before they finally pulled into Leigh’s driveway.
Leigh was working and Ryan was on niece and nephew duty tonight, but Leigh had insisted they stay at her house again.
Gabe and Anissa had ridden in the front seats. “Wait here.” Gabe handed the keys to Adam. He and Anissa entered Leigh’s home with their weapons drawn.
Sabrina huddled against Adam.
“It’s a precaution,” he told her. “You’re safe.”
“If you believed that, you wouldn’t be sitting here coiled tight and ready to spring.”
She might have him there. “I almost lost you tonight. I’m not inclined to take any chances.”
“I’m not complaining,” she said.
Lights flicked on through the house as Gabe and Anissa checked every room. Gabe reappeared at the door and waved them in. “Let’s get inside,” he said.
Gabe held the door f
or them. Anissa waited inside. She walked straight to Sabrina and put her hands on Sabrina’s arms. “You need to sleep.”
Sabrina shook her head.
“At least go take a shower. That’s where I’m headed. Let’s wash as much of this night off as we can.”
“Okay.” Sabrina allowed Anissa to lead her up the stairs. When she disappeared into her room, Gabe turned to him.
“We have a problem.”
“Tell me about it.”
They walked into the kitchen. Leigh always had a supply of goodies and tonight was no exception. Fresh-baked red velvet cupcakes awaited them along with a note that she’d prepped the coffeepot with decaf and all they had to do was turn it on if they wanted some.
Gabe hit the power button and inhaled a cupcake in three bites.
“Is Anissa okay?” Adam pulled the paper off his cupcake.
“She’s ticked.”
“Has she ever—?”
“No.”
Adam’s heart sank. It was a common misconception that police officers shot perpetrators several times a year. The reality was that most of them made it through their entire careers without ever having to fire their weapon at a suspect. Even fewer ever actually killed anyone.
Gabe grabbed the cream from the fridge. “How does Sabrina take her coffee?”
“Black.”
“Think we should wait for them?” Gabe helped himself to another cupcake.
“No. My guess is they may be a while. It’s gonna take more than one shower to wash that away.”
“True.”
They waited for the coffee to brew, then poured their own cups and settled at the kitchen counter. “What are you thinking?” Adam had his own thoughts, but he wanted Gabe’s insights. Gabe had worked undercover for years, and he had a better understanding of the criminal mind-set than Adam would ever have.
“I think we’re missing something. Someone thinks Sabrina is a threat. They have specifically gone after her. Twice. We need to find out who the dead guy is and how he was connected to her.”
“You’re assuming he wasn’t just hired to do a job.”
In Too Deep Page 23