Murder in the City: Blue Lights (12 page)

She couldn’t be serious but the deadly intent in her eyes said she was.

“And then what? He kills him and you go to jail?”

“I don’t care.” She shook her head like it hung on a string, bouncing around with the power of the emotions that emanated from her skin. “As long as Julie’s alive, I don’t care if I have to pay a price. Put me in front of a jury of twelve people just like me, who have daughters, sisters, mothers, wives.” She met his gaze intently. “I’ll take my chance in front of those twelve people.”

And he knew she would. But he couldn’t let her. “We’re going to do this my way.” He walked across the room, retrieved his phone and began dialing. “I’m sorry, Lainey. But this is our best chance of getting your sister back alive.”

“No,” she screamed at him. “This is not your decision.”

But he continued dialing. He was an officer of the law and as much as he’d like to hand Moseman over to this maniac who had Julie, he couldn’t. He had to follow the law or he was no better than this man who felt he could decide for all of society.

“Life can’t be lived like this man wants us to live,” he said, looking intently into her eyes, hoping she could forgive him.

“It’s not your sister.” Her voice was grave and from somewhere distant, as if she’d already resigned herself to losing Julie.

“We won’t lose her, Lainey. I promise you.”

She looked at him forlornly, as if she were already planning her sister’s funeral. “It’s not within your power to promise.”

Damn, he’d kill this man himself if he harmed her sister. He would hunt him down and kill him himself.

But right now, he had to go with what he believed was their best chance to get this little girl back alive.

Even if it meant alienating Lainey Thomas for life. He had to treat her like the family of any other abduction victim and do what he thought provided the best chance of getting Julie back alive.

Like with a hundred other families, he had to remove himself emotionally enough so that he could do his job.

* * *

Lainey held onto the door grip because Brice drove like he was driving a fire truck, hardly slowing at turns. Finally, they arrived to a sea of blue lights. Men poured out of vehicles, armed for battle.

They could have been ready to take Baghdad. They looked that scary all suited up in their special operations outfits, with khaki jump suits, bullet proof vests, helmets and what looked like machine guns swung over their shoulders. The expressions on their face said they were ready to go into war as well, serious, intent on their instructions.

Lainey felt like throwing up. All those guns would be aimed at the building where her little sister was being held.

When things got this crazy, there was no controlling the outcome. Anything could happen, things could go wrong, and Julie would be just a memory.

She wanted to run up the street and around the corner to the building where Julie was being held.

To do what, she wasn’t sure. But she wanted to do something.

More and more men kept piling out of police vehicles as well as their own personal vehicles, since many had been called from home.

An armored truck drove up with six men in the back, with large guns.

“There’s no service of any kind to this place,” an officer told Brice.

No phone, no power, no water. That indicated a vacant building.

On a hill overlooking the staging area, she saw John Canton in front of a camera, already going live from the scene.

No other news crews were there yet. This guy always seemed to have an inside source.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a line of SWAT officers advancing toward the building.

Two officers broke off and darted away into a wooded strip of land that ran along the back of the block, and she assumed continued on behind the building where Julie might be.

Lainey’s phone rang, and she jumped, every nerve in her body poised for a response to danger.

She yanked it out of her pocket, and saw that it was Julie’s phone that was calling.

She turned away from Brice. He was no longer on her side, having taken control of the situation, going against her opinion.

It wasn’t his sister who might end up dead.

She walked further away from Brice. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw him watching her.

“Is it Julie?” he mouthed.

She shook her head no. She was on her own now. It was her and Julie, in a fight for survival.

Much as they’d been on their own since their parents’ death.

She punched the connect button. “Hello.”

A man’s muffled voice spoke back. “So, you told the cop, huh?”

He already knew they were sneaking up on the house. She whirled. Where was he and how much could he see?

“He was there when Julie called, and listened in on the conversation.”

“Talking to him can get your baby sister killed.”

Something about the voice, muffled as it was, sounded familiar. But the message sent chills through her.

“Please don’t hurt Julie.”

“I won’t if you give me what I want.”

Anything. She’d give him anything.

“I want you to bring me Moseman. Are you with me on this?” he said, his voice low and demanding.

“Yes.” Her voice came out weak and feeble.

“You’ll bring me Moseman?”

“Yes. I promise.”

“You’ll bring me Moseman and not tell the cop. And I’ll give you back your sister.”

“Yes. But give me back Julie first.” She waited, feeling like every breath must be loudly obvious to the person on the other end of the line.

“I’ll give her back. But, just so know, it would be very easy for me to get her again if you double cross me.”

“I won’t double cross you. I’ll find Moseman and bring him to you wherever you want.” She held her breath, hoping. Hoping. Such a pathetic word for what she felt, every muscle straining for an affirmative. Every inch of her skin wanting to hug Julie safely in her arms again.

“Okay,” he said.

She sucked in oxygen, for the first time feeling as if it were actually getting to her lungs.

Okay
. Such a simple word for the answer to her prayers.

“She’s in the house three doors behind you and the cops.”

Lainey jerked around, looking for the house he indicated. “The house with the blue shutters?”

“And the for sale sign. That’s right.”

Instantly, Lainey started running. She darted around several police vehicles.

“Lainey,” Brice yelled behind her.

But his words were insignificant, as if the wind were blowing. It had nothing to do with this moment.

Her entire attention was on that house with the blue shutters and the for sale sign. She ran past several cops, who were all staring in the wrong direction. She was running away from the targeted house was all they knew.

What she did didn’t matter because their attention was focused on something else.

Everything faded away except the door to that house. Her feet pounded on the pavement, the hard surface jolting her body with every step. As she ran, she pulled her gun from the side holster, holding it at the ready. Then, someone grabbed her arm and jerked her to a stop.

“Lainey.” Brice grabbed her tightly by one arm, and latched onto her gun hand with his other hand.

“Let me go.” She struggled against him because she had to get into that building.

“Where are you going?” His face, inches from hers, was hard, lacking in emotion.

While her entire body vibrated with powerful emotions.

“Don’t worry about me,” she yelled. “Go get him.” She pointed in the direction of the originally suspected house. Then, she jerked violently away from him.

Surprise layered itself on his face but he didn’t grab her again. She pivoted and ran toward the door.

But just as she reached it, he was beside her, pushing in front of her, with his weapon drawn and pointed toward the door.

“Get out of the way,” she screamed.

“I’m with you, Lainey.” His voice was intent, strong, commanding.

“No, you’re not. Move aside.”

“She’s in there, isn’t she?” He didn’t give an inch. Like a SWAT team member, he stood his ground, unyielding. “We’re going in, together.”

He pushed the door open, his weapon out, still keeping her behind him.

Then, down a long hall, she saw Julie. Bound, tape over her mouth, she was tied to a pipe underneath a sink in the bathroom.

Lainey’s gaze connected with Julie’s terrified eyes, and Lainey broke and ran toward her.

Instantly, Brice was beside her, moving in front of her, pointing his gun, pushing the bathroom door aside, checking for anyone hiding there.

Then, he pivoted, and moved down the hallway.

Lainey fell to her knees beside Julie, unfastening the tape from her mouth. Tears poured down Julie’s face and she leaned against Lainey, sobbing incoherently.

Lainey hugged her. “It’s okay, Julie. You’re okay now.”

Then, Brice was back, talking into a radio and a second later cops pumped into the house filling it with men with guns.

Chapter Fourteen

Brice sat in Lainey’s living room in an overstuffed armchair, waiting. Finally, Lainey walked out of the back of the house.

“She’s asleep.” Lainey collapsed onto the couch, her head falling back against the headrest.

Her eyes closed and she relaxed into the upholstery. Her long, brown hair glistened, reflecting back the light of the nearby lamp.

Purple shadows around her eyes, contrasted with her smooth, porcelain skin. Exhausted from a lack of sleep, she was still beautiful.

After what he’d seen this afternoon, he knew the beauty went all the way through.

The way she’d been laser intent on getting her sister back, determined to do whatever it took.

Running toward that house, not worried about her own safety, just the safety of her sister, she’d looked like a fierce warrior.

She could have been killed. But, rescuing her sister seemed to have been all that mattered to her.

Chills ran through him when he thought about how things could have turned out.

When had he suddenly started to care so much about Lainey Thomas?

He’d been attracted to her for a while now, with images flashing through his mind of her underneath him.

But hell, any guy who saw her would have those impulses.

This was different. This was a want to take care of you and protect you for a long time feeling.

She wasn’t just any victim.

Not someone he’d walk away from if things went wrong and think about occasionally later that it was too bad about that woman’s sister getting killed.

She looked like an angel, but he was pretty sure she’d made a deal with the devil. A deal to get her sister back.

The guy had demanded she hand over Sean Moseman. Then, he’d demonstrated in the most graphic manner possible that, even with countless SWAT officers outside the house where the abductor supposedly held her sister, her sister wasn’t safe.

So, of course Lainey Thomas would do whatever he said now. Just like the mayor and just like the banker had done.

This man had shown he had power over people in high places. A mayor, banker, and now the district attorney’s office.

Damn, he wanted to kill this guy. To forget the law and kill him, same as this guy thought he could take the law into his own hands.

Because looking at Lainey lying there, so exhausted physically and emotionally, he knew he’d do whatever it took to keep her safe.

She must feel desperate and alone, facing the demands of the kidnapper. Instinct told him the kidnapper hadn’t turned Julie free without first securing promises from Lainey. Well, she wasn’t alone in this horrible situation. He was in it with her.

“Lainey.”

She opened her eyes to stare at him with those large blue orbs. Mistrustful, distant. It killed him to see those sentiments in her eyes. He’d done it his way, the cop way, taking control from her hands.

And, the monster who’d kidnapped Julie had known Lainey had double crossed him.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to help you.”

Her expression didn’t change, doubt still shining in her eyes.

“We did it my way and it didn’t work. I’m willing to do it your way now.”

She straightened and sat up, with great effort as if her whole body were weighted down, as if concrete covered her and it was starting to set.

He moved over to sit beside her on the couch. She tensed.

“Lainey, I’m serious. I will help you. You’re calling the shots now.”

She half laughed. “That’ll be the day, that Detective Mark Brice is a passive participant.”

The sound of that laugh, deep in her throat, vibrated through his body. He took her face in his hands, and her eyes rounded.