Chapter Twenty
Reggie had her hand on the door handle of the car, ready to jump out the second Lennox stopped the car.
“Don’t even think about it,” Lennox said.
“Oh, I’m going to do more than think about it. Besides, you brought me along. Did you seriously think I was going to wait in the car? Would you?”
“I said I understood why you wanted to go in, but this is Sarah’s operation. I’ll do everything in my power to get you inside, but it’s her call.”
Reggie nodded, but she was already formulating a plan on her own. She promised Lennox she’d wait in the car while she went and talked to Sarah, but the minute Lennox was out of sight, she ducked out the door and dashed around the side of the building, looking for a back door.
She found one within seconds, but not on her own, as she watched a guy in a hoodie glance around and then duck behind the brick wall surrounding the dumpsters and disappear from sight. She ran over to see where he’d gone and showed up just in time to see a door slowly swinging toward the building, about an inch from closing shut. She jammed her hand into the doorway and pulled hard, propping the door open with one of the bricks lying nearby, just in case she needed to make a quick escape.
The hallway was dark and industrial looking. She used her phone for a flashlight and shined the light a few feet ahead. No doors and no sign of the guy she’d followed in. She had two choices. Go back outside, find Lennox and Sarah and tell them about the guy, or plunge ahead and assess the situation for herself.
If you were a PI working on a hot case, would you sit around and wait for the cops or check it out yourself?
She spent a split-second wondering what Skye Keaton would do and she knew she’d do exactly the same thing. She cupped her hand over her phone to dim the light and quickly but quietly stepped through the corridor, edging past a pile of boxes and praying she didn’t make any noise.
She needn’t have worried since a quick glance around told her she was alone. Whoever the guy was that she’d followed in had disappeared fast, like he was on a mission and Reggie knew in her gut the mission was Brooke.
When she reached the end of the hallway, she found a door to a stairwell and an elevator. The directory next to the elevator told her she was on the first floor and the only other thing located there was the lobby. She started to press the up button for the elevator, but quickly decided the stairway was a better option and less likely to announce her arrival. She started climbing, stopping at the landing between floors to make sure no one else was in the space. When she reached the second floor, she pressed her ear against the door before pushing it open, praying no one was waiting on the other side, but when she crossed the threshold someone grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her back into the stairwell. She started to push back before she realized the someone was Lennox.
“What the hell are you doing?” Lennox hissed.
“Same as you, apparently.” She pointed at the door. “Having a look around. Were you going to come back and get me or leave me wondering what’s going on?”
“I told you, everything about this search is Sarah’s call and she nixed you being in the building for obvious reasons.” Lennox shook her head. “And I knew you’d come anyway.”
“Just like you would if Wren went missing.” Reggie was prepared to do battle over her right to be here. “It’s a building open to the public and I’m a member of the public. Are you going to argue with me or help me find Brooke?”
Lennox paused only a moment before pointing at the door. “I’ve already checked out the rooms on the left side of the hall. Let’s tag team the ones on the right.”
Reggie clapped her on the shoulder, grateful for the friendship and even more grateful not to have to search for Brooke on her own, partly because she could use the help, but mostly because she was worried about what she might find. Anger swelled within her. Anger at the threats on Brooke’s and her son’s lives. Anger about the shooting last year. She was ready to unleash some of her pent-up rage, and if Brooke was hurt, she would find that fucker Mark and take him and anyone else who was involved down.
The corridor was quiet, and she signaled to Lennox that she’d check out the doors on the right side. The first office was completely empty—no desks, no chairs, and nothing in the storage closet. The second and third ones were sparsely furnished, but the lack of any buzzing machines or strewn about office supplies seemed to signal no one was using them. Was the rest of the building like this? Where were all the tenants Mitchell had been worried would be disturbed by the police presence? How good a businessperson was Mitchell or Benton if this prime piece of real estate was practically empty?
Back in the hall, she looked around for Lennox, wanting to ask her if the offices downstairs were as empty as the ones up here, but Lennox was nowhere in sight. She started to cross the hallway to look for her when she heard a weird sound, like an overly exaggerated laugh on a haunted house soundtrack. She stayed perfectly still for a moment, trying to figure out which direction the sound was coming from, but the sound had faded to silence, and she was left guessing where to turn. She closed her eyes for a moment and focused on the memory of what she’d heard, finally deciding the sound had come from a bit farther down the hall. She stood outside the office door two down from where she’d last searched, careful to keep silent. Her care was rewarded a moment later when she heard Mark’s unmistakable voice asking someone if they’d heard anything and she instantly knew that someone was Brooke.
As if summoned, Lennox appeared in the hallway and Reggie quickly put a finger over her lips when she noticed Lennox about to say something. She pointed at the door with her free hand and mouthed. She’s in there with Mark , hoping Lennox understood.
Lennox nodded. She pulled her phone from her pocket and pointed at the screen, typing with determination before shoving it her way. I’ll go get Sarah. You wait here. Don’t go in until I get back.
Reggie watched her go, content to lose her company if it meant she wasn’t being watched, and determined not to wait a second longer if it meant leaving Brooke in danger. She pressed her ear against the door, but the conversation had gotten muffled, and she could only pick up a word here and there— federal offense, kidnap, willingly . Mostly Brooke’s voice. She sounded cool and calm, but Reggie detected an undercurrent of worry. When she heard Mark say, “So, I should kill you now,” she stiffened with panic. Where the hell were Lennox and Sarah?
She stared at her phone. There was no message and no time for a back-and-forth exchange. She knew what she needed to do and the fact she didn’t have a weapon or the backing of a posse of federal agents wasn’t going to stop her. Slowly and carefully, she reached for the doorknob and twisted it, relieved to find it wasn’t locked. She had two choices, slip in and hope she could enter the room undetected or burst through the door and make enough noise to create a giant distraction and convince Mark she was accompanied by a team of agents.
There really wasn’t a choice at all. She took a few steps back to give herself space for a running start and then shot forward. When her shoulder connected with the door, she yelled with as much ferocity as she could muster. “Police! Drop your weapon or we’ll shoot!”
* * *
Brooke strained to see around Mark, allowing herself to be hopeful for the first time that afternoon, but instead of a cavalry of federal agents showing up to save the day, Reggie stood alone in the doorway looking ferocious and wonderful, but also completely vulnerable considering Mark’s gun was now trained on her.
Reggie raised her hands in the air. “You’re going to want to drop that gun,” she said.
“I don’t think so.” Mark laughed. “I knew you had a crush on her, but this is seriously over the top.” He motioned for her to hand him her phone, and then turned and pointed to a spot next to Brooke. “Go over there and stay put. You like her so much, you may as well spend your last moments with her.”
Brooke kept her eyes on Reggie as she walked over, willing her to see the gratitude she felt for Reggie’s attempt to save her and the regret for putting her in this situation. She never should’ve let Reggie get close, never should’ve involved her in her problems. She’d spent her life working things out on her own and now it was going to end with the one person by her side who’d made her feel like she deserved to have a partner who could share in life’s ups and downs before she’d ever really had a chance to fully appreciate their time together.
She mouthed “I’m sorry,” but Reggie mouthed back “Don’t be” and then smiled to punctuate the words. How could Reggie be so calm right now? Was she always this unflappable or was she pretending to make her feel better? Either way, Brooke mourned the chance she’d blown to be with Reggie, to take their relationship to the next level. Reggie was a keeper, but she’d kept her at a distance. Big. Mistake.
“Last chance,” Reggie said, directing her words at Mark. “Let us walk out of here and you might have enough leverage to keep from going to prison for the rest of your life.”
Mark laughed again. “I’m not going to prison. Prison is for people who don’t have important friends.”
“Nope. Prison is for people just like you and Harry Benton. He’s going down and so will you.”
“You’re just saying that because you think he’s responsible for you getting shot.”
“I know he’s responsible for me getting shot and other people dying.”
Mark shook the gun. “Then you know I’m serious when I tell you you’re not leaving here.”
Reggie raised her hands again and pointed at Brooke. “I’ll stay, but let her go. You don’t need us both and she’s got a kid.”
Brooke bit back a cry of protest. She didn’t want Reggie to sacrifice herself, but she was all Ben had. If something happened to her, she didn’t even want to consider what might become of him. Still, she couldn’t let Reggie take that on. Hell, Reggie wouldn’t be in this position if not for her, so it was up to her to make sure she didn’t suffer more because of it, but before she could say anything Mark sealed both their fates.
“You must think I’m an idiot,” he said. “Like either one of you wouldn’t go straight to the cops if I let you walk out of here.” He motioned for Reggie to stand next to Brooke. “Give me a minute and I’ll figure out what to do with you both.”
Brooke watched Reggie walk toward her, desperate to say something, but when she opened her mouth, Reggie frowned and cut her eyes toward Mark. She was right. The words she wanted to say weren’t ones she cared for Mark to witness. She’d save them for later and pray there would be time for more.
When Reggie reached her side, she reached back and gave her hand a quick squeeze and all she could think about was that there was no one she’d rather be in this situation with. She looked across the room at Mark who was busy texting someone on his phone and took a risk. “I hate that you’re here, but I couldn’t be more grateful.”
“Nowhere I’d rather be,” Reggie whispered back.
Considering their situation, it was a total lie, but also the perfect thing to say which only matched pretty much everything else about her. “I’m afraid we’re not getting out of here alive.”
“We are. Lennox and Sarah are in the building. They’ll find us soon.” Reggie dropped her voice a bit lower. “Besides, I promised Ben nothing would happen to you.”
Brooke scrambled for a breath. “He’s okay?”
“Safe and sound.”
The tension she’d been holding all day dropped a notch and it was replaced with a renewed confidence. “We have to get out of here so you can keep that promise. He’s big on people keeping their promises.”
Reggie nodded. “And I’m big on keeping mine. Trust me?”
“Hundred percent.” The commitment should’ve surprised her, but it didn’t. She didn’t know when her fear had shifted into full scale head over heels, but she knew one thing for sure. She would follow Reggie through fire.
“Stop talking.” Mark hissed the words at them, but he was still staring at his phone.
“What’s the matter?” Reggie asked. “Your buddies aren’t rushing to help you out of the mess they got you into? Are you always the guy who gets stuck standing alone when the trouble stops being fun? The cops are on their way and they’re not any locals your buddy Benton might be able to con into letting you off the hook. It’s the feds and you’re going away for a pretty lengthy stretch. No parole from federal prison. Flip on your pals and you might get a break.”
He slammed his phone down on the nearest desk. “Shut up, shut up, shut up.”
Brooke flinched at the anger in his tone, but she’d pledged her trust to Reggie, and she was committed to following her lead. As if she could hear her thoughts, Reggie shot her a look of “I got this,” and stepped closer into Mark’s space.
“Leave now and you might have a chance.” She looked at her watch. “They should be about done searching the other floors by now.”
“You’re bluffing. If you had cops in the building, you would’ve waited for them before charging in here or at least texted them before you decided to go rogue.”
“Maybe I did.” Reggie grinned and pointed at the phone lying on the table next to his. “Why don’t you see for yourself.”
Mark tripped over his confident swagger as he rushed to pick up the phone. He held it up to Reggie’s face to unlock the screen and started jabbing his forefinger on it in a desperate search for information even though it might be too late to be of any use. Brooke’s eyes were on him, so she didn’t notice when Reggie went into motion, but she saw the blur of her body lunging toward Mark, knocking the phone out of his hand as they tumbled to the floor. She rose from her chair, forgetting she was still strapped securely to it, and stumbled forward, a heavy, awkward useless effort to come to Reggie’s aid. She’d barely made it two steps before she heard a loud bang and the room went still.
She stared at the floor, at Mark and Reggie lying in a tangled heap with a trail of blood snaking out from the space between them. She heard shouts in the distance along with repeated hard slaps of footfalls running toward her, but it was all a distant echo against the backdrop of a piercing scream.
It wasn’t until the door burst open again that she realized the scream was her own and the second she did, she crumpled to the floor.