Daphne drew in a long breath. ‘Joseph?’ she began uncertainly. ‘We want the girls safe, of course, but let’s do this wisely, in a way that will let us use whatever evidence you find. If it’s fruit of the poisoned tree, we won’t be able to charge Gage with kidnapping.’
Taylor’s stomach went tight with panic. Whoa. Wait. Fruit of the poisoned tree? Alec had hacked into Denny’s account, true. And technically Alec had broken the law, so technically anything they discovered from the hacked accounts wasn’t useable in court. But we can use the information to find the girls. The girls were the priority, weren’t they?
Gage had done so many other terrible things. They had good evidence to charge him with the murder of Valerie and those three people the morning before. After they found the girls. They couldn’t be going back to the beginning.
Joseph said our plan was good. But Taylor caught the barest flicker of hesitation in his eyes. He was reconsidering. No, don’t. Please don’t leave those girls with Gage Jarvis.
‘There is another way to get Lilah to talk to us,’ she blurted out.
‘I don’t like the look on your face,’ Fitzpatrick said darkly, and he was definitely not teasing. ‘It’s telling me that we do not want to hear this other way.’
Taylor flinched, and the tight leash she’d kept on her anger simply snapped. ‘I don’t give a good goddamn whether you like my look or anything else about me, Detective.’ Scowling at her, Fitzpatrick opened his mouth to respond, but she waved his words away. ‘Have I given you any reason at all to make that statement? No I have not,’ she barreled on, not giving him a chance to answer. ‘What I have done is exactly what you’ve asked of me, up to and including making myself goddamn bait for a psychopathic killer.’
She rose slightly out of her seat, her finger jabbing at the air to underscore the words she could no longer hold back. ‘You recruited me. You asked for my help. You involved me. You were all too happy to use me as cannon fodder when it suited you, but the minute the bullets started flying it somehow became my fault. Yes, I distracted my father. And yes, I am sorry he’s hurt.’ Her voice broke. ‘I am so goddamn sorry. But as sorry as I am, it was not my fault. Why didn’t you have snipers on the goddamn roof? Why didn’t you put anyone outside the restaurant? Because you didn’t expect a fucking gunman to be hiding across the street, that’s why. And I get that. I do. I don’t blame you, so don’t blame me when all I have done is cooperate.’
She stopped abruptly, suddenly aware that she had the undivided attention of everyone in the room. And that her cheeks were wet. She retracted her pointed finger and let her hand fall to her side. Her heart hammered, her head pounded and her throat burned.
‘I shot a man today,’ she whispered, then swallowed hard. ‘I never shot anyone before, but I shot a man after he shot my father, who might die before I ever get to know him.’ She looked down at her jeans. ‘I’m still covered in his blood. Because we cooperated. So, Detective Fitzpatrick, if I haven’t earned your respect, I have at least earned the opportunity to see this through without any of your condescending bullshit.’
Wiping her eyes, she lowered herself into her chair. For a second you could have heard a pin drop. Then Ford shifted uncomfortably in his chair, grabbed her hand and squeezed it hard. ‘Jesus, Taylor,’ he breathed in her ear, his words only for her hearing. ‘Warn me next time.’
Confused, she chanced a glance up at him from the corner of her eye and quickly understood. His cheeks were flushed, his blue eyes sharp and focused. And aroused. It was all she could do to keep her face blank as she looked back at the other faces around the table, meeting the eyes of each person. But under the table she squeezed Ford’s hand back, giving his thumb a caress with her own before letting him go.
Apparently Ford was turned on by a woman who spoke her mind. Good to know. They wouldn’t last long if he’d wanted a shrinking violet. Taylor might have been sheltered, but Frederick Dawson had always respected her opinions and taught her how to stand up for herself when she expressed them. Thanks, Dad.
Daphne looked pleased. Alec grinned in delight, and Deacon simply appeared amused. And shock of shocks, Joseph Carter actually smiled at her.
Fitzpatrick, however, looked stunned and dismayed. ‘You’re right,’ he said. ‘But you’re also wrong. You have done what I have asked. You have cooperated. And you’ve earned the right to see this through. But I don’t blame you for Clay being shot.’
‘You could have fooled me,’ she said quietly.
Fitzpatrick sighed. ‘I can see how you might think that based on what I said, and I admit I’ve found the timing of your arrival suspicious, given everything else that’s happened. I apologize, Taylor. You haven’t seen me at my best today.’
She dipped her head. ‘Accepted. Thank you.’
Fitzpatrick gave her a brisk nod. ‘Okay. Back to Lilah. Do you want to try talking to her?’ That he asked without a hint of condescension went further to soothe her ire than his apology had.
And now Taylor had to pretend that she wasn’t aware of the large, aroused man sitting beside her. ‘Yes, but if she’s not taking calls from the police, there’s every chance she won’t take mine either. However, if Gage does have the girls, she might take a call from him.’
Nods all around the table made her feel even better. ‘You want to call her by spoofing Gage’s number,’ Joseph said.
Taylor nodded. ‘It could backfire on us, of course. Especially if Gage is there with her and sees the caller ID on her phone. But if he’s not and I play it right, Lilah might be able to give us details that could save Jazzie and Janie’s lives.’
Joseph nodded. ‘Let’s do it then. Alec, go get one of those burner phones.’
As if on cue, all the phones around the table began to buzz and ding as a series of texts were delivered. The room went suddenly, painfully still. Taylor sucked in a breath and closed her eyes, afraid to look at the phone in Ford’s hand. Afraid of what she’d see. There was only one reason everyone was being texted, all at the same time.
Please, please let him be okay. I just found him.
Then Ford’s arm was around her shoulders and he was pulling her to him. ‘He’s okay,’ he whispered in her ear as whoops and hollers broke out all over the room. ‘He’s out of surgery and he’s going to be okay.’
Taylor collapsed against him, boneless with relief. She opened her eyes just in time to find herself squarely in the middle of a huge group hug as everyone came together like they were doing a wonderful, disorganized square dance. These people were her father’s family and she celebrated with them until, after about a minute, Alec broke away from the huddle.
‘I’m gonna go get the burner phones,’ he said. ‘And we’ll get started.’
Baltimore, Maryland,
Sunday 23 August, 9.05 P.M.
Ford was glad when his mother rushed back up to the OR waiting room to sit with Stevie. Because looking your mom in the eye after almost coming during a meeting with cops? Too fucking embarrassing for words.
But he hadn’t been able to help himself. Taylor had been amazing. And she used my words, Ford thought, pride swelling his chest until he thought he’d bust with it. He hadn’t been sure she’d absorbed what he’d told her when Officer Meyer had belittled them earlier, in the elevator on their way to the ER waiting room. That Joseph and JD owed her participation after involving her in this scheme in the first place. She’d been so nervous about meeting Tanner that he hadn’t thought she was really listening. But she had listened and made his words her own.
And she’d been breathtaking.
She’d left the room a few minutes before to ‘freshen up’. A nurse had brought her a pair of scrubs so that she didn’t have to wear jeans crusted with her father’s blood. Ford figured his mother had sent the nurse, because that was exactly the kind of thing she did. She was an awesome mother. When she w
asn’t embarrassing him, anyway.
Deacon settled into the seat next to him, leaning over to bump his shoulder lightly. ‘Going to the target range with Faith?’ he murmured. ‘Best. Aphrodisiac. Ever. Better than oysters. Helluva lot cheaper, too.’
Ford closed his eyes, feeling the heat creep back up into his cheeks. ‘Thank you so much,’ he said sarcastically. ‘Damn, Deacon, now I can’t get that picture out of my head.’
Deacon’s chuckle was downright wicked. ‘Then my work here is done. As long as it’s Taylor who stars in your little fantasy and not my fiancée, of course.’
Ford winced. ‘Of course.’
Taking off his wraparounds, Deacon leaned his head back with a sigh and rubbed his eyes. ‘Damn, I’m tired.’
He looks it, too, Ford thought, suddenly worried about his friend. ‘Look, Deacon, I’m sorry I was an ass earlier. I know you get the urgency in these situations. And I’m sorry that you’ve watched so many people die recently.’
‘Thanks. Some of those we lost were important to Faith’s people in Cincinnati. It’s been rough. A few of the funerals in particular just . . . yanked my heart out. It’s hard when you have to tell a stranger that their husband or son isn’t ever coming home. But when it’s family . . . God.’ He hesitated, then sighed. ‘And it’s not only that. You remember when we found you in West Virginia?’
‘Yeah,’ Ford said in a duh voice. ‘Not like I’m ever going to forget any of that. Why?’
‘Do you remember when I told you about my sister Dani, the one who was sick because she’d listened to a boyfriend who told her he was disease-free?’
Ford sucked in a breath, remembering the conversation as clearly as if it had been yesterday. Deacon had been gently urging him to get himself tested because Kimberly had been a lying bitch and Ford had been intimate with her. Because I trusted her. And Deacon had trusted Ford, with information not everyone knew. It was the moment Ford knew he and Deacon would be friends.
‘She’s not . . . she’s not one of the . . .’ Don’t let her be dead. ‘God, Deacon, is she okay?’
Deacon nodded, but his body shuddered. ‘I hope so. She was attacked. Stabbed. She made it through surgery and is recovering, but . . . Dammit, Ford, I’m scared for her. She’s HIV positive and I’m fucking terrified she’s going to get sick. And I can’t lose her. I can’t.’
Ford drew a breath and realized that no matter how much they’d all needed Deacon here, his friend might have needed them more. He squeezed Deacon’s shoulder gently. ‘But she’s safe for now. Right? You may have to hold on to that today, and tomorrow too. And then every day after that. Worrying about it just wastes time you could be spending with her.’
Deacon’s mouth curved up and Ford felt a wave of sweet relief. ‘When did you get so wise, kid?’ Deacon asked gruffly.
‘Watching my mom battling breast cancer,’ Ford said honestly. ‘I still worry sometimes, but less now. It was Mom who told me to be happy with each day we have. So . . .’
Deacon’s lips pursed hard and his throat worked, but at the end he held himself together. ‘Thanks, kid,’ he whispered, then drew a huge breath, his chest expanding. He relaxed into the chair, then rolled his head, opening one eye to give Ford a puzzled look. ‘I’m surprised you didn’t read about my case online. It’s been national news for the past week.’
‘I was camping with Dillon for the past week. No Internet.’
Deacon smirked. ‘I’d forgotten about the bachelor party camping trip. Did you take Tanner’s RV?’
Ford rolled his eyes. ‘Of course. Dillon wanted to sleep in tents because he’d never done it before, but Clay convinced him to use the RV because Tanner was too old to sleep in a tent.’
Deacon snorted. ‘Ha. I hope Tanner didn’t hear that. Clay just likes having A/C.’
‘He wasn’t the only one.’ Ford grimaced. ‘It was hotter than hell. Anyway, I just got back yesterday afternoon.’ He rubbed his jaw ruefully. ‘And promptly met the business end of Taylor’s right hook.’
Deacon grinned delightedly, which had been Ford’s reason for telling him. He hated seeing his friend so sad. ‘She hit you? Seriously?’
Ford laughed. ‘Knocked me on my ass. I learned not to sneak up on her. Which I honestly hadn’t meant to do. I thought she heard me walking behind her, but I thought wrong.’
‘Damn. And she’s a great shot, too. I bet Clay is one proud papa. I hope he wakes up before we have to leave. I want to see his face when he looks at her. I bet he goes to mush.’
‘Pretty much,’ Ford said quietly.
They sat for a few moments in silence, and then Deacon sighed. ‘I gotta say, the past few weeks have been so bad that I almost called Holly and told her I couldn’t come to the wedding. I was ass-deep in paperwork and surrounded by too much death. And then with Dani getting hurt . . . I figured I’d only bring the party down. Dani wanted me to go, but I didn’t want to. Then Faith forced me to get on the plane, and I’m so glad she did. Seeing you guys was exactly what I needed.’
‘What we needed too. The waiting room was like a wake before you showed up.’
The door opened and Alec came in holding two throwaway phones, Taylor close behind him, and Ford found himself sitting a bit straighter. She’d evidently borrowed a hairbrush and some lipstick, and she was all cleaned up and looking . . . gorgeous. Damn. I do have it bad.
‘Aw, shut up,’ he muttered to Deacon when the man laughed.
‘Got the burners,’ Alec announced, and they gathered around the table again. Here’s one for you, ‘Taylor. Hopefully you can reach your other dad in California.’
She held the phone like it was a precious stone. ‘Thank you.’
‘So how are we gonna play this?’ JD asked Joseph.
‘Maybe call Lilah’s phone and wait to see who picks up,’ Joseph said. ‘If it’s Gage, Deacon, you can pretend to be a telemarketer or something. They spoof all the damn time.’ He looked at Taylor. ‘Don’t take offense, but I don’t see you as a bullshitter. Deacon, on the other hand, is the king of the bullshitters.’
‘And proud of it,’ Deacon said, buffing his nails on the lapel of his suit.
‘I have no issues with Agent Novak handling Gage. But,’ Taylor added in a gently admonishing tone, ‘don’t ever underestimate someone who’s spent her whole life bullshitting because she thought she had to hide to stay alive. If I didn’t have Clay’s eyes, no one here would have ever suspected that I wasn’t born Taylor Dawson.’
Respect flickered in Joseph’s eyes. ‘Point taken.’
‘Thank you. Now if Lilah answers, I made a note of what I wanted to say.’ She pushed the paper across the table so that the cops could read it. All nodded their approval.
‘I have the spoofing site open,’ Alec said. ‘Ready when you are.’
‘Let’s make the call,’ Joseph said, ‘then get ourselves over to Denny’s house. The officer on surveillance duty knows that Denny is likely to leave quickly and is ready to follow. During the break, I lined up SWAT resources and Children’s Services if we need them. I canceled the hostage retrieval team. Hector left Agent Ingram in charge. I want Hector here for this op. Go ahead, Alec.’
Alec dialed and they held their collective breath. The phone rang several times and Ford thought it would go to voicemail, but at the last moment Lilah picked up.
‘Hello? Who is this?’ She sounded tentative, her voice hoarse and raw, as if she’d been crying. Then a carefully indrawn breath, followed by a whisper. ‘Gage?’
Taylor opened her mouth, but Joseph held up his hand, silently asking her to wait. A few seconds passed as his expression tightened with indecision, then he whipped a handkerchief from his pocket, covered the phone, and pitched his voice to a raspy growl. ‘Yes.’
Lilah shuddered out a tortured breath. ‘Thank God. Where are they? Are
they okay? I’ll come get them. Just tell me where. Nobody will know, I promise. Just tell me where they are.’
Joseph remained silent, his hand still lifted for Taylor’s silence as well.
‘No,’ Lilah moaned. ‘Not again. Please. I did what you said. Both times. What can you possibly want now? I cleaned out my bank accounts, so there’s no more cash.’
After about ten seconds of continued silence, Lilah began to cry, huge ragged sobs. ‘Dammit, Gage, they’re just little girls. They’re your little girls. How can you do this to them? I’m begging you. Is that what you want? You want me to beg you on my knees? I will, then.’ She choked on her tears. ‘I don’t have any pride left. Just give them back to me. Please.’
Joseph gave Taylor a nod, and she drew a deep breath. ‘It’s not Gage. It’s Taylor Dawson. Please don’t hang up.’
‘Oh my God. Oh my God.’ Lilah just cried harder. ‘He has you, too?’
‘No, no. I’m safe, completely safe. I know you think this is cruel, and I’m sorry, but I wanted the truth about Jazzie and Janie and you wouldn’t answer any of our phone calls. So I tricked the phone into displaying Gage’s number.’
‘No.’ Lilah’s voice was horrified. ‘He’ll find out you called. He’ll know. What if he has my phone tapped? How could you do this?’
Taylor closed her eyes, but not before they’d filled with both pity and panic. Ford covered the hand she rested on the table with his, squeezing it lightly.
‘Gage is hurt, Lilah,’ Taylor said quietly but quickly. ‘He’s bleeding heavily. I know, because I shot him myself. He can’t go to a hospital, because they’ll turn him over to the police. He’s going to run or he’s going to go under and let his wounds heal. It’ll have to be somewhere where he feels safe. He may have already done so. If he dies, no one will know where the girls are. Do you have any idea where he’s keeping them? Any clues, background noise or anything?’
‘No.’ Lilah’s voice had hardened to a thin, brittle shell. ‘I don’t know anything except that if my girls are hurt because he caught me talking to you, you won’t have to worry about Gage. I will make you wish you were never born. Don’t call me again.’