Chapter 31
CHAPTER 31
TANK
Shit.
Ok, so maybe I’d been a little too cocky. In my defense, they hadn’t pulled any weapons yet. And the key rule in buying time is to not freak out unless there are weapons present.
So much for keeping my cool.
I widened my eyes to make myself appear scared. “Please don’t,” I said.
It was part real and part acting. The key to a believable lie was to make sure there was a touch of truth in there. Enough that even you could believe it despite knowing you were lying.
Maybe I was the delusional one.
“He’s much more agreeable when we threaten his loved ones, huh, brother?” Lune looked over to Pratt who was still staring at me.
“Obviously. It’s not like he’s used to being on the other side. How many of your guys has he taken out? You’re the last man standing.”
Lune waved the words away with his free hand. “I would have always been the last one standing. Those idiots thought I was only the killer-for-hire when really I was smarter than all of them. They were a shield meant to keep me in hiding until just the right moment.”
“And that moment is now?” I asked curiously.
He nodded. “It is. I’ve always hated that my brother had to suffer while I was trying to build a life for us. Even after I got to him, things were never the same. Do you know what it does to a child’s confidence to have to live in someone else’s shadow? Do you understand the long-lasting effects neglect can bring?”
“Hey!” Pratt shouted. “Don’t go saying all that shit! We agreed I was fine. This isn’t just about me.”
Lune threw back some kind of logic that I missed because I noticed something I hadn’t before. Mindy was moving. It was a slight thing, though noticeable enough to steal my attention.
Her eyes met mine in a flash before closing again. I saw determination in that glance. One that told me she had a plan of some kind.
I wondered for a minute if she wasn’t affected by the drug or if she was, and it had worn off quicker. Had she drunk any water at all earlier? Had Stabler? I tried to remember, but the shouting before me was distracting.
Tuning back in, I heard Pratt tell Lune to “stop parenting him,” which didn’t seem to help the situation. As their fighting picked up, the gun aimed at Chance became part of the show. Lune waved it around as he spoke. The larger his hand gestures became, the more the weapon moved.
I would have been worried if I weren’t so relieved to see the focus off my boyfriend. Chance still hadn’t moved much. As I glanced at him, I watched as his chest moved slowly up and down.
It was enough for now.
We’d all get medical care as soon as possible after this fucking issue was handled once and for all. By handled I meant we had two dead bodies.
Two bullets. One conclusion.
I nearly laughed at the dumb joke. My brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders right now. I hadn’t been able to fully shake the lingering grogginess the drug created.
It was a wonder I even managed to follow along with everything going on.
“I’m done with this,” Pratt growled as he shot up from the seat he’d taken.
Lune crossed his arms. “You can’t be fed up with it. We’re family. Besides, this is what you wanted. I’ve taken care of everything to ensure you’d get your revenge. The Linds are already gone, and he's the last piece.”
Hearing him mention the Linds murder like something on a checklist was the final nail in his coffin. No matter what, this bastard was going to get what was coming to him.
“I didn’t fucking tell you to kill them.” Pratt stomped like a fucking child. “None of this was my idea. I wanted a quiet life where we got to lay low. But no, you had to go on to be a fucking serial killer whose tracks I had to cover up. Now the department is making connections and shit.”
“And you’ll do what you’ve always done… you’ll make it go away. Destroy the evidence. Clean it up so we can keep going. It’s the family way.”
“Says who? I don’t like this, Lune. It’s exhausting. First the murder, then the stupid donations to a political campaign. You keep stirring up shit that should be long buried.”
Pratt slumped, his energy gone after the adrenaline of their fight. It was pitiful to watch the two of them. Miscommunication was never fun, and it seemed they were swimming deep in its waters.
Glancing past them, I took a second to take in Mindy’s position. Her body had shifted since I last looked. I doubted anyone else would have noticed, but it was obvious given I knew she was awake.
As I watched, her eyes opened to meet mine again. She raised her brow and flashed her gaze toward the bickering brothers.
I wasn’t sure what she wanted me to do at first. Not until she raised one hand to the side to wiggle her fingers at me.
Ohhhhh.
Distraction time.
“Why become a serial killer if you wanted to hide? That’s the kind of thing that attracts attention,” I stated.
They turned my way. Their expressions were confused for a second. Almost like they’d forgotten where they were or that I was awake.
How had they ever managed to pull off anything in the past? Maybe they’d been successful because they hadn’t worked together. The pair was clearly counterproductive when in a team.
“There’s no choice in becoming a serial killer. It just happens.” Lune shrugged. “Besides, I already said I was a killer-for-hire before. I liked to leave my own mark behind, though the authorities never picked up on it.”
“Because I buried the evidence!”
At Pratt’s outcry, Lune rolled his eyes. “Yes, you did. And I appreciate it, little brother. More than I could express. The fact still remains that all is well. No one is going to connect the dots anytime soon.”
I tilted my head. “But they already have.”
“What do you mean?”
“What’s confusing about what I said? A connection has already been made about the killings. My team found your little mark you left behind. We sent the details to Stabler, who then forwarded them to your director. Even if you manage to pull all this off, you won’t make it far before someone else comes after you.”
They both froze at the threat. Lune’s gaze was assessing me, likely to see if I was telling the truth while Pratt’s panic poured out in waves.
“The director? As in MY director at the bureau?”
I nodded. “One and the same. Right after you took emergency leave, he put Stabler on the serial case because he thought he saw a connection in the style of the murders. Knowing how good we were with figuring out puzzles, Stabler gave us access so we could help.”
Pratt turned to Lune, his body vibrating as he spoke. “We’ve got to get out of here now. If this is true, we’ll never be safe. They’ll connect us just like these guys did. We’ll be on the run forever. I can’t… I won’t….”
Lune slapped his brother across the face. With a growl he said, “You will not lose your shit on me. I love you, brother, but I won’t be spoken to this way.”
With his hand on his cheek, Pratt stared at the other man in shock. Clearly they weren’t the kind of siblings who’d roughhoused as kids because Pratt was devastated by the blow. His eyes watered as his mouth hung open.
“You hit me,” he whispered.
“I had to. You weren’t making any sense.”
The words were inauthentic. I could tell Lune didn’t mean them, and so could Pratt.
Before anything could escalate, two voices shouted, “HANDS UP! FBI!”
Lune and Pratt spun around only to find Mindy and Stabler standing at the ready. With guns pointed in their direction, the two were out of options.
Or that’s what I thought.
In a move that was far more idiotic than I would have pegged him to be, Lune reached for his gun. Mindy wasted no time shooting him in the shoulder. He went down, his arm limp from the wound.
“I told you to put your fucking hands up, you creep.” With her weapon still raised, she made her way over to his side. She cuffed him, careless of his wound. Hearing the man cry out was a joyous experience.
Pratt was far smarter than his brother. With a resigned expression, he put his hands in the air. Stabler cuffed him next.
Neither officer started reading them their rights. It was pretty clear to me this wasn’t going to go further than this room. Not after what they’d likely heard like I had.
“Do we need to get you a recording of that confession?” I asked Stabler when Mindy came to undo my binds.
He shook his head. “No. I’ll tell the boss we have no leads but that I’ll keep the case open. When the time comes, we can produce a body and cover story.”
“Look at you go, Stabler. You’re turning into one of us. Looking for a change in careers?”
“Not a chance, Tank.”
At the sound of my boyfriend’s name, I attempted to get to his chair. It was a struggle to walk after being out for however long. I knew I had to look ridiculous as I made my way to him on hands and knees.
I’d never crawl for anyone else. Only Chance Sheppard had this kind of pull on me.
“Babe,” I said against his temple.
He didn’t reply. I peppered kisses against his skin, my heart racing as I begged the universe to keep him alive. I needed to know he was safe and healthy and still with me.
“Who’s the doctor you use?” Stabler asked, reminding me there was work to be done.
With my whole team out of it, I needed all the help I could get.
Lune was mumbling on the floor, while Pratt leaned against the table. His eyes caught mine, and I saw just how he knew this was the end.
“You hadn’t even told the director yet,” he stated.
I shook my head. “No, I hadn’t. But it doesn’t matter. Your time was up either way.”
His slow nod let me know he understood. Whatever had been the original intent hadn’t worked out. The brothers who thought they could protect one another wound up being the other’s downfall.
“Someone hand me my phone.” I pointed in the direction of the desk where all the devices had been piled up. I wasn’t sure why they’d done so. Maybe it was because they intended to keep an eye on any transmissions coming in.
Either way, I needed to call Dr. Brigg in order to get her here. Maybe even Fabian, though his specialty was in rehab. The more hands on deck, the better.
As I glanced around the room, my heart sank. My past had come back to hurt all these men. What was supposed to be our safe place had been infiltrated.
No matter what happened next, we’d be making even more changes. Stricter security policies and hidden alarms.
NightShade Security would never go through this again.
I dialed the number for the doctor as I kept my eyes on Chance. Dr. Briggs answered quickly despite the late hour.
“Tank?”
“Hey, doc. I need you and Fabian at the office. There’s been a problem.”
She hummed. “What kind of problem? What supplies will I need?”
“Not sure. The team has been drugged. I was too, but not as much as them. That or they gave me something to wake up.”
“Do you know the drug?”
I turned to Pratt. Lune was still muttering to himself. He wouldn’t be any help.
“What did you give us?” I asked him.
He turned away from me as he replied, “GHB.”
“Did you catch that, doc?”
“Sure did. Can I say that it’s not surprising you have the assailants in custody already? NightShade never ceases to impress me. We’ll be there in half an hour or so. If anyone stops breathing or convulsing, call 9-1-1 immediately. Understood?”
“You’ve got it. We’ll keep an eye out.”
I ended the call, then handed the device back to Stabler. “Half an hour til they get here. We need to get some fresh water. We’ll all need it, and I don’t trust those machines anymore.”
“I don’t either. I’ll leave Mindy here with you while I hunt down some sealed bottles. That ok?” He left after I agreed we’d be fine.
Mindy leaned against the desk, her gun still ready should she need to let out another round into one of our bad guys. Her eyes told a different story than her posture though.
There was amusement in her features. “I’m guessing you’d prefer I not tell my cousin about this when we speak next?”
I groaned. “Please don’t. He’s enough of a pain in the ass. I don’t need him teasing me, or worse, checking in.”
“You’re right. He probably would try to step in under the guise of being helpful. He never could take a hint.”
“Isn’t that the truth.” I smiled despite the exhaustion weighing me down. “What will you do after this? You going to become Stabler’s partner? Seems like you make a good team.”
Her gaze moved to the door. “It’s up to him and the director. Not a lot of people want to work with a female agent. Sucks, but that’s the way of it.”
“Stabler doesn’t mind.”
“No. It doesn’t appear that he does.”
“Then I think you should go for it. You won’t know until you try.”
Her voice was gentle, yet firm, when she replied, “Neither can you. Live the life you want, Tank. Don’t let anyone else take it away from you. Don’t let them take HIM away from you.”