Chapter 14
The café buzzed with news that the man known as Angel had been tied up like a Thanksgiving turkey and left on the steps of City Hall. There were two million dollars in bags around him.
I hadn't heard from Carlisle since yesterday, but I knew he must have planned it. Hegarty had undoubtedly caught up with Angel.
Pen watched the commotion at City Hall from the corner of the café as more reporters gathered.
I was only interested in the outcome because I knew Pen would be fine with Angel locked up.
In a few minutes, Angel, along with Aiden and Jane, where going to be transferred to a more secure facility until their trials.
My friend sipped her decaf latte, but she wasn't enjoying it.
She wasn't enjoying much of anything at the moment.
I wondered where Jessop had gone. I thought he had gone after Pen when he left the hospital, but she hadn't seen him. Yes, I confessed, I told him everything. Thank goodness she was okay with that. Of course, I didn’t mention the bundle of joy that belonged to him growing inside Penelope.
Something was off, though. Where did Aiden get two million dollars?
A lightbulb moment hit me. Carlisle had the money.
Had he had it all along? Or did Aiden have it, and did Carlisle know where it was because they were working together?
I shook my head, trying to rid myself of all the mistrust I felt toward Carlisle.
Surely, he wouldn't be working with Aiden.
But was he? Carlisle was involved in many things in this town and beyond, so it made sense that he knew what Aiden had been doing.
I knew Carlisle didn't know Aiden had killed his sister because I had a feeling Carlisle would have killed Aiden rather than work with him.
Should I talk to Oliver about my suspicions?
I wanted to protect Carlisle, but how could I if he was working with Aiden and Jane?
I must be wrong about this. I had to be.
Pen moved over to where I was pondering everything. "I will never get used to decaf," she complained quietly. So far, I was the only one who knew she was pregnant. I hoped she would tell Jessop soon.
"What's going on over there?" I nodded toward City Hall.
"It's a zoo with all the reporters." Pen glanced toward the town square, where camera crews were setting up. "I don't want to watch. Do you mind if I go and lie down upstairs?"
"Of course I don't mind. You know better than to ask." I smiled and gave her a hug. "I'm here if you need me."
She snorted. "I should be saying that after what happened to you yesterday." Her eyes roved over my bruised face. It didn't hurt too badly, thanks to the concoction of pain pills I’d taken.
"I'm fine." I gave her a brief hug. "I'm going to head outside. I want Aiden and Jane to see me watching them get carted off to jail."
"Be careful, or Detective Levi Riley will step in." She raised her eyebrows because I'd told her about Levi.
"That isn't funny," I grumbled.
"Oh, yes, it is." She went into the back hallway while I grabbed a jacket and went out front.
Was this the best thing to do? I had no idea. I just knew I had to see them taken out to the secure transport. I hadn't told Pen, but I needed to make sure that my best friend was safe from her deranged soon-to-be ex-husband and that they were out of town.
As though in sync, a hush fell over the reporters.
I glanced up at the entrance to City Hall.
Oliver stood in his full uniform. I pushed my way to the front and saw that only Angel and Aiden were being led forward.
Where was Jane? My eyes scanned the area, and I caught sight of Carlisle and the woman getting into his SUV in my periphery. That bastard!
"Tallulah?" Riley—Levi—spoke directly into my head. "I'm sorry. I tried to keep Jane in jail. She took a deal and told the DA everything she knew about Aiden's enterprise."
"She belongs in prison."
"I agree."
Behind Oliver, two officers were leading Aiden.
Lane and Riley were on either side of Angel.
It was difficult to think of Detective Riley as Levi.
I would get there if we stayed in touch.
I hoped we would, because he was the only one who could truly understand what it felt like to have a conversation with someone else in your mind.
I had plenty of experience talking to myself.
Suddenly, I sensed someone nearby with the thought of death hanging over them.
I clutched my chest, feeling lightheaded.
What the heck was going on? I glanced up and met Levi's concerned gaze.
I knew what it meant. I started running toward him and shouted in my mind, "Levi, get down!
Gun aimed at you!" He froze, and a second later, I tackled him to the ground as the sound of a rifle shot echoed through the air.
People screamed and ran. Levi rolled me off him, got to his feet, and tugged me up with him. "Stay down," he said. He shoved me behind a news van and peered around the corner.
I glanced back and saw Angel lying on the ground, blood pooling around his head. I felt queasy. That had been meant for Levi. I knew it had.
Police radios started squawking, and I heard that they had found where the shot had been fired from. However, the shooter had escaped.
Levi turned to me and offered his hand. I took it, and he pulled me straight into his arms. I rested against him. I could feel his heart pounding under my ear. "Are you hurt?"
"No, you?"
"No, but Angel's dead and Aiden's gone."
"What?!"
I pulled away from him and looked around. I spotted Oliver right away, and he looked furious.
"Oh God, Pen!" I turned and ran toward the café.
"Where is she?"
“In my apartment above the café.”
Heavy footsteps followed, and then Levi caught up with me. I'm a fast runner, though, so I managed to keep up with him and his long legs. He opened the door, and I ran past him into the back. My fingers trembled as I entered the code. "Pen?" I shouted as soon as the door opened.
It was quiet upstairs, but my heavy breathing from running through the town square made it hard to hear anything else. "Pen?!" I shouted again. I headed to the bedroom she uses when she stays over, but there was no sign of her. There was an indentation on the pillow, though.
"I think she's in the tub. I heard water."
Levi was about to burst into the bathroom when I caught his arm. "If she's in the tub, she's probably naked." I gave him a pointed stare, and he had the good grace to blush and step aside. "I need to stop talking to you in my head. It's making me lazy," I thought as I pushed open the bathroom door.
To my utter relief, Pen was relaxing in the tub with her noise-canceling headphones on, paddling the water with her foot. "She's okay. Give me a few minutes."
"I'm not leaving you two alone, so call if you need me. I'll wait in the lounge."
I slipped inside the bathroom and stood over Pen, blocking the overhead light. Her eyes snapped open in surprise and she yanked her headphones off. "Tallulah James! You scared me."
"Pen, you scared me to death when you didn't answer me. It was chaos at City Hall."
Her complexion paled. "What do you mean?"
I rubbed my temples. "I managed to save Levi. You know, from what happened in my vision?"
She nodded. "Go on."
"The bullet hit Angel instead, so he's dead. In the chaos, everyone scattered to safety, and somehow, Aiden escaped. I had to come here to make sure he hadn't come for you. Levi's out in the lounge keeping guard."
"Oh."
"Pen, you need to get dressed. I'm not sure what else to tell you.
" My head started aching from the stress of the day.
Maybe it was from the punch to my face or from talking to Levi in my mind.
It seemed to be easier to do now. Had the connection grown stronger because I'd used it a few times?
Levi, too. The how and why could wait. “Pen, please get dressed. I'll wait with Levi."
"I don't know what to do. I feel lost and overwhelmed." I looked at Levi feeling sad and helpless.
He took a step toward me as the door to my apartment flew open. Carlisle stood there. He gave Levi a quick glance before moving forward and enveloping me in his arms. I froze at first, but then I gave in. I hated myself for wanting this man when he continued to hurt me.
I broke free of his embrace and stepped into the living room, where Levi waited with a concerned look on his face.
"Don't cry, Tallulah."
"I'll cry if I want to, damn it!" I stomped my foot, hiccuped, and dropped into an armchair.
"What the hell is going on here?" Carlisle asked in an unpleasant tone.
"Why are you here?" I asked, instead of answering his question.
"I heard what happened. I wanted to make sure you were okay."
“I’d have thought you'd have better things to do, seeing as you rode off with Jane." I narrowed my eyes and noticed he glanced at Levi, who showed no signs of leaving. "I saw you," I added quietly.
"You don't need to cover for me."
"You didn't tell me. If he doesn't want me to know, then he shouldn't do things where I can see him."
Carlisle narrowed his eyes at me, and I let him see the hurt in my gaze. "Just go. I'm tired, and I've had a really shitty few months."
"Tallulah, we need to talk." He hesitated. "I can explain, but I shouldn't have to if you trusted me."
"You haven't given me a reason to trust you, Carlisle. You tell me one thing. You hide ten others. You knew I wanted Jane in prison. I told you that. Yet today, you went behind my back and got her out. That means you'd already set the ball in motion, right?"
He didn't answer.
I rubbed my forehead. "Please leave. I need to think about Pen right now."
Carlisle cursed but left as quickly as he arrived.
Levi moved forward and crouched in front of me. "Do you need any painkillers?"
"The kitchen drawer under the coffee maker."
I curled into the chair, pulled a throw blanket over my lap, and settled in. Levi gave me the pills and a glass of water. I smiled in thanks, too tired to say anything aloud. Once I had taken them, he moved the glass of water to a side table and sat down on the sofa.
"Why am I suddenly relying on you?" I groaned. "I didn't mean for that to sound bad. It's just unusual for me to rely on a stranger. I don't understand why I feel comfortable with you." I smiled. "Although, when you first started broadcasting, I wanted to punch you."
Levi winced. "I'd want to punch myself, too. I had some, um, vivid thoughts."
"Yes, well." My cheeks felt heated, so I looked out the window.
Levi cleared his throat. "The truth is, with you, it's different. I've heard odd thoughts over the years, but for some reason, we can have conversations in our minds together. I haven't done that with anyone before, and I'm just as curious as you are."
I nodded and closed my eyes. "I'm going to nap for five minutes.”
“I’ll be here when you wake up."
After settling in, I heard a buzzing noise that sounded like a phone. Then, I drifted off to sleep.