CHAPTER NINETEEN
One minute, Holly was stepping into the elevator. The next, she was staring down the barrel of Cruz’s gun. Instinct kicked in, and she waved her hands and screamed as if scaring off a bear. At the same time, she stepped to the side, attempting to get out of the direct line of fire. Cruz moved to enter the elevator but got distracted when someone yelled his name.
“Cruz! Drop the gun,” a deep voice commanded. Cole!
Holly’s pulse flew into overdrive. The last thing she saw before the doors closed was Cruz turning his gun on Cole. The last thing she heard was a gunshot.
The doors sealed shut, and the elevator jolted upward on its way to the twelfth floor. Desperate to find out what had happened in the lobby, she punched at the tree of buttons, wanting off as soon as possible. The elevator stopped at floor five, and she exited.
If Cole shot Cruz, she would be fine. But if Cole had been hit, she would need to hide or find a way out of here. Was it possible she’d just witnessed Cruz kill a third cop? She prayed with everything she had. Please let Cole be okay . She repeated the mantra over and over.
She left her suitcase in an alcove by the ice machine and sprinted down the hall to the stairwell. Cautiously, she opened the door, peeking inside before slipping in. She descended the stairs to the first floor and waited, listening for any clue as to what was happening outside.
Realizing the stairwell wasn’t near the elevator, she slipped out into the lobby and came around from the opposite direction to the elevator bay. A crowd had gathered, and she couldn’t see past it, but she dared not go any closer. If Cruz was still alive, she had to stay hidden.
Finally, she heard his voice. Music to her ears. Cole! Thank God. He was barking orders, telling people to stand back. She pushed her way into the crowd and almost fell when she popped through the other side. Their eyes locked, and he froze. His shoulders visibly relaxed, and he reached her in two long strides.
“Holly.” He pulled her into his arms.
“Cole.” She exhaled into his neck. They stayed cemented together, holding tight until two uniformed police officers arrived. Cole let her go and held up his hands, letting the gun dangle from a finger.
“Off-duty PD,” he said. “Badge is in my front pocket.”
One of the uniforms approached cautiously and reached into Cole’s pocket, pulling out the shiny piece of metal that proved he was law enforcement.
“What happened?” the patrolman asked.
Cole told them quickly and efficiently. “Call the five-four. They’ll confirm.”
The policeman nodded, and he and his partner started pushing the bystanders back, asking for witnesses as they went. Holly knew she would have to give a statement too, but for now, she was laser-focused on Cole.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said, looking her up and down. “You?”
“Fine.”
“When I heard you scream…” He shook his head.
“Knee-jerk reaction. Tried to scare him off like a bear,” she said, waving her hands in demonstration.
“Jazz hands don’t fend off bullets, Holly.”
“I’m not dead.”
He chuckled. “It did distract him long enough for me to get in position.”
“How did Cruz know I was here?” she asked. “He was supposed to be across town.”
“Don’t get me started,” he said, a hint of anger in his voice.
“What are you doing here?”
“I caught wind of this hasty, harebrained plan. When I found out they hadn’t assigned anyone to protect you, I came myself.”
“Oh. Well, I’m glad you did.”
“So, why are you here?”
“I decided to testify,” she said. “But they’d already let Cruz go. I was trying to help get him rearrested.”
“By using yourself as bait? Holly, do you know how dangerous that was?”
“Detective Flanigan said I’d be nowhere near him!”
Cole plowed a hand through his hair. “Yeah. Heads are gonna roll over that stupid plan.” He sighed. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
Uniformed officers arrived by the dozen and moved around them to secure the scene. Cole escorted her away from the dead body—the second she’d seen this month.
“I should probably stop coming to New York. I’m two for two on someone dying when I do.”
He huffed out a laugh. “How long are you in town?”
“Till the day after tomorrow.”
“Well, the detectives will want a statement from you about what just happened. I think it’s safe to say you won’t need to meet with the DA anymore. Cruz isn’t going anywhere.”
“You’re not going to be in trouble, are you?” Killing someone—no matter how evil he was—probably came with some headaches.
“Shouldn’t. It was self-defense. Paperwork will be a hassle, but I don’t think I’ll get jammed up over it.”
The detectives arrived, and Cole went toe-to-toe with Flanigan. “Give me one good reason not to punch you in the mouth right now.”
“I’m sorry, dude. This wasn’t my op,” Flanigan said, backing away with his hands up. “I mean, it was my idea, but not my implementation. You were right. It was stupid to assume Holly would be fine.”
“You know what this means,” Cole said, narrowing his eyes. “The only question is, is it you?”
“I’m no rat,” Flanigan said defensively. “But I will find out who is.”
Holly wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but from the context, it sounded like Cole thought the PD had a mole. Which made sense. How else would Cruz know where to find her? Did that mean she was still in danger?
Another pair of detectives came and took Holly’s statement. Cole had to step away to give his own but remained within eyesight. She watched him hand over his gun to an officer, who sealed it in a plastic bag. As soon as he finished, he returned to her side.
“You can’t stay here,” he said. “Just in case.”
“In case what?” Her voice involuntarily raised an octave.
“Just to be safe,” he rephrased. “This should be over. Cruz’s gang has nothing to gain by coming after you now. But no sense taking chances. Where’s your bag?”
“I hid it on the fifth floor.”
“Let’s get it and get out of here.”
She led him up the stairs and down the hall. They grabbed her suitcase and returned to the lobby.
“Where are you going?” Detective Flanigan asked.
“Are you kidding me?” Cole shot him a dirty look. “You fix the hole in your squad. I’ll take care of Holly.”
Flanigan nodded. “Copy that. I’m sorry, man. We’ll get to the bottom of this. I promise.”
Outside the hotel, Cole hailed a cab and gave an address. They rode in silence for a few minutes, Cole silently fuming next to her.
“You think a police officer gave Cruz my location?” she said, assuming that’s what had him upset.
He gave a curt nod. “There’s no other explanation.”
“I’m sorry.”
He did a double-take. “For what?”
“That one of your coworkers is crooked.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, well. I’m sorry too.”
“For?”
“What I said to you on the phone last week. I didn’t mean it.”
“You were right,” she said.
“No. You are the least cowardly person I know. You wanted to protect your friends. I get that. I was frustrated, but that’s no excuse. I was out of line.”
“S’okay.” She shrugged. His apology meant more to her than it should have.
“What made you change your mind about testifying?”
“My friends and I decided we could take care of ourselves. We’d have the town on our side and home-court advantage. Green Valley Falls versus the Fire Vipers.”
“It wouldn’t have been a basketball game.”
“I know. But it was the right thing to do. Dangerous or not.”
He studied her. “That’s really brave, Bennett.”
Uncomfortable with the compliment, she changed the subject. “Where are we going?”
“The only place I can think of where I know you’ll be safe,” he said, pulling out his phone and starting a text. “Let me just warn them we’re coming.”
Awhile later, the driver parked at the curb of a beautiful two-story Colonial. A woman rushed out to greet them, throwing her arms around Cole before they even got to the front steps. She was pretty, maybe mid-fifties. A man and two younger women stood on the porch behind her. Cole’s family. It had to be.
“Hey, Mom,” Cole said, returning the hug. “Thanks for letting us crash here.”
“Anytime. You know that. So, who’s your friend?” she asked coyly. Holly smiled when Cole turned a low shade of red.
“Mom. Please.” He ushered them all inside. “This is Holly. Holly, this is my mom, Ellen. My dad, Bruce. And my sisters, Steph and Tracy.” He pointed to each one as he introduced them.
“Nice to meet you all,” Holly said. “Sorry to intrude.”
“What happened, Cole?” Steph asked bluntly. “Must be pretty serious for you to bring a woman out here.”
He rolled his eyes but told them the story.
“You shot a guy?” Tracy said. “Wild.”
“There’s a mole in the PD?” Steph asked. “Even wilder.”
“Are you okay, honey?” his mom asked.
“I’m fine. I think we’re out of danger, otherwise I wouldn’t have come out here. But just to be safe, I didn’t want to go to my place. If it is a dirty cop, finding my address would be simple.”
“Well, we’ll fire up the grill and have a game night,” his mother said.
“Or open some beers and get out the old family albums,” Steph said with a wicked wink.
“Ooh. I’d pay good money for that option.” Holly laughed.