Chapter 36
JASON
Although it was the last thing I wanted to do, I put a closed door between me and Laurel. I should probably start getting used to her not being around. By this time tomorrow, the Atlantic would be between us.
I turned my focus to Beth. “What are you doing here?”
“She’s the price you had to pay to make tonight happen,” Caroline interjected. “And since drawing him out didn’t work, that means WITSEC is our next step.”
“No,” I said.
Indignation filled Beth’s voice. “You don’t get to decide that.”
“I’m just telling you, you’re wasting everyone’s time. She won’t do it and her mind’s made.”
“You understand I need to hear that from her, right?” she snapped.
I stifled back a sigh. At least this would give me a chance to speak to Caroline alone. I gestured to Laurel’s dressing room door. “Okay. Have at it.”
She lifted a hand, rapped her knuckles on the wood, and disappeared inside as soon as Laurel told her to come in.
The door had barely shut before Caroline leaned in, impatient. “You want to fill me in?”
“No.”
She did not like that. “What the hell, Dunn?”
I wasn’t sure if I could trust her, but my gut said so. In the moments before the show began, she’d spouted off a rage-filled tirade, reminding us that the man we were searching for was responsible for the death of two federal judges and at least two marshals, probably three.
She was a lot like me when it came to the job. She lived for the chase, enjoyed the authority, and, I suspected, didn’t mind the gun at her side. And she was fiercely loyal. If the situation had been different, there was a chance we would have eventually become friends.
“Do you know what really happened to Bill?” I kept my voice low. “I suspect he got too close to uncovering whoever in the Marshals Service is working for Frey or his syndicate, and that got him killed.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “It’s not safe for Laurel to be on the books, and you know it.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Not really a lot of options here.”
I drew in a deep breath. “I have the means to send her away, somewhere safe until the mole’s been found and Frey’s caught.”
“What?” She stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “You know I can’t let you do that. Take a witness that important out of our protection? Never going to fly in a million years.”
That was easy enough to solve. “She’s going to refuse any further protection once we’re done here.”
Caroline took a half step back, as if my statement had knocked her sideways. She peered at me, perhaps trying to gauge if I were bluffing, and then her expression soured when she realized I wasn’t.
“I can’t believe I’m even considering this,” she said, mostly to herself. “Fine. Let’s say we do it your way. What kind of assurance do I have that she’ll testify? Because you know it’ll be nearly impossible to pin this all on him without her.” She gave me a hard look. “And then he fucking walks.”
My blood heated with anger at the idea. “That’s not going to happen. You have my word.”
Her eyebrow rose. “Maybe I just pull you. Last time I spoke to her, she wanted you removed.”
I let out a humorless laugh. “You’re welcome to try, but trust me, she won’t like that.” It hadn’t worked so well when Bill had tried it, and, holy shit, things were different now.
Those three words had passed from my lips like they weren’t hard to say, even though my stomach had been churning in the moments before. I couldn’t let her go on that stage without knowing.
“Please, Caroline,” I said, filling my voice with weight. “Let me do this. It’s our best chance to keep her safe, and if anything goes wrong, it won’t touch you. It’s all on me.”
I hoped she didn’t notice the desperation I struggled to keep from my expression.
“All right. Jesus.” She scrubbed her fingertips over her forehead. “Get her gone. We catch this guy, and then you and I are going to have a conversation about how this all went down. You got me?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. That conversation’s not going to be pleasant for you.”
The dressing room door opened and Beth plodded out. Her pissed off expression said it all, but I asked it anyway. “How’d it go?”
She glared at me like I’d let her walk into an ambush. “Not well.”
“I tried to tell you.” I hoped my smile was restrained.
Caroline ticked her chin at me. “What do you need right now?”
“A clean vehicle.” We couldn’t use the one I’d parked in the garage because it wasn’t secure and I wouldn’t have time to sweep it for devices.
She nodded and turned her attention to the other woman. “You came prepared to move her into the program tonight?”
“Yeah,” Beth said. “I’ve got two agents standing by, but since she’s refusing to—”
Her gaze swung back to me. “You could use their car.”
The conversation was moving too fast for Beth. “What? Whose car?”
“Dunn needs a secure vehicle,” she said, “and you have one on standby.”
Beth considered it, and displeasure flashed across her face, followed by resignation. “Where exactly is my team taking you?”
“No,” I said. “I’m not looking for a ride.”
“You’re not . . .” She realized what I meant and her tone turned incredulous. “You want to, what? Just have it? You cannot be serious.”
“I’ll only need it for a few hours.”
She turned to the other woman with disbelief. “And you think I’m going to authorize that?”
“No, I am.” There was no hesitation from Caroline, silencing any further protest. “A clean vehicle,” she said, like she was checking it off my list. “What else?”
“Everything Bill was working on, on my desk,” I said. “I’ll be in the office by midnight.”
Right after I put the woman I loved on my brother’s plane.
I’d have to deal with my feelings about that later. The door opened and Laurel reappeared, dressed in the clothes from this morning, with her suitcase beside her.
Caroline gave her a plain look. “You aware of this plan he’s got?”
Laurel’s face gave nothing away. “Yes.”
She sighed and extended a hand. “All right. Good luck to you both, and stay safe.”
“Thank you. You too.” Laurel took the offered handshake before turning her focus to me.
Anger rolled off Beth in waves as she called for the car and led us to the back exit of the theater. I understood her frustration. In her mind, this plan was reckless and dangerous. It was why I tried to ignore her furious glare as she asked her agents to hand over the keys.
Her tone was sharp and colder than the winter air surrounding us. “I don’t know what you said to her, Dunn, but you’re going to get that girl killed.”
Her words parked a boulder on my chest, making it difficult to think, difficult to move. When I offered no response, she ripped her gaze away and followed her agents back inside. I didn’t breathe again until she’d disappeared into the theater.
But I forced myself to block it out and focus on the task before me.
The Ford Explorer was black and unassuming, and I had Laurel wait inside the building with the marshal manning the door while I put her suitcase in the back.
Then I opened the door to the back seat and waved her over.
She darted across the alley and into the SUV, keeping her head down as I’d instructed.
“Stay down until we’re out of the city,” I said once I was seated behind the wheel.
The car ride was tense and quiet for the first few minutes. When we crossed the river, I called Shawn and got the hangar number. Then I set my phone on the dashboard, and the weight of what was about to happen slammed into me.
Gone, but safe. This was what I wanted, I kept telling myself. I had to put her life above anything else.
“Shawn’s twenty minutes ahead of us,” I said.
“How long until we get there?”
“Thirty, maybe forty-five minutes.” That was how much time we had left together.
“What if I changed my mind?” she asked. “What if I want to stay?”
I exhaled slowly. “I know you want to, but you can’t. I need you to be safe.” I strove for a light tone, even when I felt none of it. “And you promised.”
Her voice was quiet. “I thought he’d come.”
I had, too. There was both relief and a feeling of dread about the fact he hadn’t. My gaze darted to the rearview mirror to check for a tail, but none of the cars behind us looked familiar.
“Will we be able to talk once I’m gone?” She sounded fearful of my answer.
“Yes. I worked it out with Shawn. He knows what needs to be done to make that possible. You two have a long flight where he can go over it.”
Mostly because I wasn’t sure I could keep talking. We lapsed into silence with so much to say. It was the car ride to the helicopter all over again, but much, much worse.
The orange lights of the city faded behind us when we curved onto the Stevenson Expressway.
“It’s safe to sit up now,” I said.
As soon as the statement was out of my mouth, she sat up, but she kept moving. She put her hands on the backs of the front seats, and her feet slid over the center console.
“What are you—” I started.
She pushed between the opening in the seats and slipped into the passenger side, moving as if it were easy for her. “I’m not spending the last few minutes we have together that far away from you.”
I exhaled and gripped the steering wheel tighter as she buckled herself in, and as soon as it was done, I reached for her. Her fingers twined with mine and our joined hands rested in her lap.
The first exit for Midway Airport came into view just as a new worry took shape in my head. What if I wasn’t able to make myself let go of her, like I hadn’t been able to that first day in the safe house?
“Once Shawn’s got the new passport,” I said, navigating the back roads to the private airfield, “you become that identity. Don’t ever use your real name, no matter what.”
She swallowed thickly. “Okay.”
It had been a few years since he’d had taken over as CEO, and apparently, he’d upgraded the corporate jet. I wasn’t happy about any aspect of this situation. Even though the plane was relatively big, she’d be trapped alone with him for a good ten to twelve hours.
I trusted my brother with her life, but that didn’t mean I trusted him not to hit on her.
She looked like she was going to be sick when I put the SUV into park, leaving the engine running. I’d have to do this fast and get it over with before I caved. Besides knowing she was finally safe, I owed it to Bill. To Derrick, and Hannah, and two federal judges.
Frey would be brought to justice, and I was goddamn sure I’d be the one to do it.
She stayed in the Explorer while I unloaded her suitcase. Shawn appeared at the top of the stairs leading to the open cabin door.
“Do you know all of the crew?” I asked.
“Yes. I trust them.”
“Good.”
A second after I had her car door open, she launched into my arms.
“Come with me.” She said it like she already knew my answer but couldn’t help herself. “Stay with me.”
“I’ll take care of what has to be done and then I’ll find you, L, believe me.”
We both went in for the kiss at the same moment, our lips colliding. Footsteps thumped down the nearby staircase, signaling Shawn’s steady approach.
“Are you ready?” he asked, seemingly unaware I was busy.
I pulled back from the kiss, leaving my hands on her so I could study her face. Memorize it. Remember the feel of her in my arms, because soon that memory was all I’d have.
He didn’t wait for my response, probably knowing I wasn’t capable of giving one.
He took the suitcase and delivered it to the flight attendant who carried it onboard.
I fought the desire to tell him to slow down, to stop rushing me, but every passing second on the tarmac in the freezing cold was one more second Frey could use to slip farther away.
More time spent chasing him meant more time apart.
So, my gaze went to my older brother, who’d agreed to do me an enormous favor. If anything, Shawn was thrilled to do it because the end result was I’d return to what he’d always declared as my home.
“Thank you,” I pushed out, “for all of your help, Shawn. I appreciate it.”
He understood this wasn’t easy for me and nodded. “Of course.”
Laurel’s breathing increased when my focus returned to her. I cupped a hand to her rosy cheek, tilting her anxious, beautiful face up to mine.
The words weren’t difficult but the emotion behind them was. “I love you,” I said.
“I love you, too.”
She tasted sweet, and I tried to memorize that, too.
Last time I’d said goodbye to her at the helicopter, she hadn’t been prepared.
But this time she was, and her kiss was ferocious and persuasive.
It begged me to change my mind, and the pull to do so was a force stronger than anything I’d felt before.
Shit, I had to resist.
“Goodbye,” she said when the kiss ended.
“I’ll see you soon.” The words choked tight in my throat, and I forced my body to release her.
She went like every step was on brand new legs, everything beneath her unstable. Her small frame ascended the stairs, her typically straight shoulders hunched over, and then she disappeared into the plane.