Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
MAYA
Ilook up from my phone to see two sets of twin eyes watching me carefully. Oh shit, the gig might be up. Lying to either of these two is hard, and I've already been doing it for months.
"What?" I ask sweetly.
"Want to tell me who you're texting? And who upset you?" Derek asks.
"No." I turn to Greg waiting.
"Who is it, Maya? With everything going on, you can understand why we're worried, right? Has the stalker resorted to calls and texts?"
"No. For your information, it's a friend. I'm upset because our schedules never work out so we can see each other." I can't give them too much information.
"Who? You aren't seeing anyone. You've not even picked up any of the guys from the gym since you came back from London months ago." Leave it to Derek to point that out.
"Picking up random guys at the gym, young lady?" Greg asks.
"Now you two listen... First, I'm not going to explain my non-romantic relations with either of you. Second, look who's talking, Mister Slut." I glare at Derek.
"Okay, children. Let's get back to the point. Maya, we won't be able to keep this stalker quiet much longer. If something big happens, the department needs to know." As usual, Greg jumps in and scolds us. I glare at Derek. He’ll get his ass kicked at the gym next time.
"I know, Greg, but I can't let James or anyone else find out."
I head back to my condo after our late dinner and run on the treadmill, wondering if Duncan is cheating on me.
I need to take a pill and get some sleep, but I need to get this excessive energy out of my system.
I couldn't even spend his birthday with him—work came first for both of us.
I still see the hurt in his eyes when I left him in New York.
Every time I've tried to head to see Duncan, he ends up having a change of plans and heads to another location.
I was just thinking it was bad timing, until this morning when I woke up to see his face plastered all over the news with the French diplomat's daughter in his arms. She's no young girl. She’s a grown woman.
And I want to rip her arms off. This is why I don't do long-distance relationships, one of us can't take the temptation.
Who am I kidding? I don't do any relationships.
Oh well, guess I was right, this wasn't going to work out.
I can't believe he couldn't tell me he wanted to be with her.
She's gorgeous with her blond hair, curves, and softness.
I bet she listens to him and doesn't argue at every chance.
It's obvious she doesn't care who knows about them.
He and I have talked or texted almost every day, maybe we're just friends.
That's it. We’re better friends who have had a couple of fantastic weekends.
I know so much about him. How he feels about the loss of his mother and fellow soldiers.
How he and Joshua met. How he and James talk weekly.
What I mostly know is he's honest, so it really hurts that he couldn't tell me about whatever her name is.
I'm bustling around my condominium when Derek walks out of the guest room.
"Why the hell are you slamming cupboards, sexy? And jeez, the music is loud enough to wake the dead."
"Nothing, I'm heading to the gym for a workout. Want to come?"
"Nah. The last time we went to the gym when you were in a mood you handed me my ass. Thanks for letting me stay here last night. My roommates like to party a lot, and you know I don't."
"No problem, that's what friends are for." My phone rings, “S.E.X.” from Nickelback blares out of the speaker. I look at the caller ID and hit ignore. I can't talk to him right now. It immediately starts ringing again, and I reject his call…again.
"Someone you don't want to talk to? Want to discuss it with me?" Ever since our dinner last month, Derek’s been trying to find out whom I talk to all the time.
"I don't think it'd be a good idea. But thanks."
"Hey, I'm not trying to pry, just know you can't hold it in. You've listened to me. Let me return the favor. Like Dad said, it better not be your stalker. He hasn't resorted to calling you yet, has he?"
"No. Got another bouquet of roses I sent to the hospital last night. Maybe later we can talk." My phone continues to ring off the hook. I silence it and send him a quick text.
Me
Get the hint. I don't want to talk right now.
Duncan
I swear it was nothing. I need to explain, please.
Before I can send a reply, both Derek’s and my cell phones go off with the paging tone. Crap, time to work. He returns the call as I grab both our go bags and head for the door.
"We're on our way, about ten out. Meet you at the location. Text it to my phone. Yes, sir." He hangs up.
"What's up?" I ask as I set the alarm and lock the door behind us.
"Hostage situation. They want us to meet them on location. Is all your gear here?"
"Yep. Good idea I had yesterday in bringing it home."
We load into the SUV and head to the location the precinct texted him.
As we pull up, I look around the neighborhood.
It looks like an average blue-collar neighborhood, but I can see that a perimeter has been set up around a house at the end of the block.
I can't see where they're going to want me to set up but figure they'll let me know.
"Captain," we both say as we walk up to him.
"Sierra and Echo, we want you to set up on the roof of that home over there." He points to a house about three down from the target. I notice other ERT members getting ready around us.
"What's the situation?" I ask.
"Husband has already killed his wife and is holding his two-year-old son hostage.
I'll signal if I feel we need you to take the shot.
First, I want you to get some infrared on that home and tell me what you see with both of your scopes.
Officers last saw him in the living room in the front eastern quadrant.
Got it? We've got Team Two set up on the south side of the house. "
"Yes, sir." I walk back to my SUV and pull open the back. I get out my bag and start pulling on my gear. I didn’t have time to change out of my workout clothes, so I put the cargo pants over my shorts and the black shirt on over my T-shirt and button it up.
My phone vibrates across the cargo area and I leave it.
I need to focus on this situation, not Duncan.
I put my tactical vest on and pull my hair into a bun at the back of my neck.
I then strap on my belt and holster, snap my sidearm into its thigh holster, and hook my comm piece into my ear and around my neck.
I open my gun case and look at my most trusted piece of equipment.
She's like a friend. When I hold her, I know what my purpose in life is.
I shoulder my rifle and put on my glasses and black ball cap.
Because we are away from all the activity, I don't need to wear the helmet.
Derek is geared out about the same as me, except he doesn't carry a rifle.
He has a spotting scope and a machine gun strapped to his back.
I watch as the entry teams get into position.
A new Team Two has started with us. It just so happened that two other guys on the unit could meet the marksman skills and they got moved up into the open positions.
Yancy's murder is still unsolved, but I'm no longer a suspect.
There is still another knife of mine out there, and someone was trying to set me up.
We head to the home the captain directed us to.
When I get to it, I see some more team members waiting.
They help boost me up to a low roof so I can climb up higher.
I make sure to keep my riflescope protected from bumps and the sunlight doesn't reflect off it.
I get into position with Derek next to me.
The roof isn't very sloped and I'm able to lie on my belly.
The homes are older construction with shingled roofs.
The day is cold with a little bit of a breeze; and I hope it doesn't start to rain.
I slip a mag into my gun and chamber a round as Derek pulls out his data book and starts writing down all the distances and ratios I give him.
I twist my ball cap backward so it's not in my way.
I line up with the house and start checking each room before finally stopping on what appears to be a family room.
Sure enough, he's there and holding the boy to his chest with a gun in his hand. I press the button to open the comm.
"I see him in the living room. He's holding the boy and has a nine millimeter loosely gripped, hanging down next to his leg. Do you still want me to check the house with infrared?"
"Yes, Sierra, I want to make sure the little boy is the only hostage. Also, what's your shot like?"
"I’ve got a clean head shot, but he'll drop the boy to the floor, so not a good idea. I could aim for the gun hand, although the little boy's leg is right there; if he moves, it could be worse. I've no chest shot."
"Copy that," he says as I click off my comm.
"Okay, Echo, infrared." I flip some switches on my scope and make the necessary adjustments to be able to see heat signatures within the structure.
The secondary part of the scope slips into place.
Again, I scope the whole house and finally the living room.
I'm still telling Derek different measures and distances as I search.
He's looking through his scope too and doing the same, confirming the measurements as he writes them into our data book.
I can make out the last vestiges of heat from the wife’s body on the floor of the room across from the husband, but the small heat signature in the corner stops me. I focus more and curse softly before flipping on the comm again. Derek looks where I am and curses too.
"Captain, we've got a situation. There’s a second hostage in what appears to be a crib in the corner of the room."
"Son of a bitch. We were hoping the neighbors were wrong when they said the family just had a baby. The husband hasn't even mentioned it once. Is it alive?" I can hear the anger in his voice, and like me, I feel the tension ratchet up more with this discovery.
"Captain, this is Bravo Team Two, we don't have any confirmation from our side as we have the brick wall back here," my teammate says into the comm.
"Appears to be sleeping. Active heat signature, so not dead and not currently making itself known," I say with as much hope as I can muster.
"Okay, Sierra, we're going to have to figure out a way to get him to put the boy down so we can get in there before we have a serious tragedy."
"Yes, sir." I click off my comm.
"Damn, sexy, glad I'm not you. You know I can't handle kids and guns in the same area." Derek sounds stressed and I want to turn and look at him, but I keep the husband in my scope and my eye on him. I switch my scope back to regular and look for any way to end this.
Wait, did I just see that? I watch him a bit longer and realize what's happening. I click my comm back on.
"Captain, I think he's up to something. He's talking to the boy."
"Keep an eye if you need to end it. You know what I mean. That's an order. Everyone clear."
"Yes, sir," I say as I hear each of the team members respond with an affirmative.
I watch carefully as the man lowers his head to kiss the little boy.
I see his eyes look at me and know he's found me.
Shit, this isn't good. He puts the little boy down, steps back, and looks directly at me.
How did he see me? I know we didn't give away our position.
"Shit! Sorry, sir. We got suicide by cop about to happen," I relay into my comm.
The man says something to his son again, looks at me, then points his gun at the little boy.
Well shit, just another thing to fuck up my day.
I take the shot. Good for him I'm the best. My bullet hits him in the upper right of his chest. It makes him drop the gun and fall down, but hopefully he doesn't die.
The rest of the team rushes in the minute the shot leaves my barrel.
I keep my team and the perp in my sights.
When the coast is clear, I start to relax. I couldn't take the kill shot. Deadly force was necessary but not needed. I knew my bullet was going to be close, but I couldn't, no matter what, take the kill shot. I wasn't going to leave those children without another parent.
Oh yeah, sure, he'll go to jail and the kids will go somewhere else, but he'll live with what he did and his kids will, at least, have a parent alive. I wish we'd been called earlier to prevent the wife’s death, but that could have been what started this whole situation.
I lie my head down on my gun and feel my heart harden a little to this newest pain.
It's always like this; I get bitterer with each shot.
Am I actually making a difference? Is being alone so worth it?
Oh yeah, my pseudo boyfriend just cheated on me.
Maybe alone is better. I feel Derek's hand on my shoulder.
"Come on, sexy, let's blow this Popsicle stand." He laughs. I know he's pretty messed up about what just happened, but this is the way he deals with the pain. I twist my ball cap around to cover my face and start packing up my gear.
We climb down and head back to the SUV. Other officers are patting me on the back and congratulating me on an excellent shot. I just feel empty and lost. I look out to see the news crews zeroed in on me. I don't want to be featured in a news story and pull my cap lower on my face.
"Sierra, right call. He had more bullets in that gun but is screaming that you should've killed him."
"Sir, I didn't see a reason to kill him."
"Sierra, you did fine. See you at the station for debriefing."