Always Watching (8 page)

“That's a pretty accurate summary.”

“I vote for taking my chances and trying to get out.”

“I'm with you. Where's the attic access?”

Wade moved back down the hall and Olivia followed him. He stopped at a pull-down attic string just like the one in his house. He reached for it, then drew his hand back. “If someone is up there, she may have rigged this too.”

“I was thinking the same thing.”

He gave a low growl. “We have to get out of here.”

“Yes, but we can't be stupid about it.” She paced back to the window.

“I think it's pretty stupid to stay in a building with bombs strapped to it.”

She shot him a dark look and he grimaced.

He was taking his fear and frustration out on her and she didn't deserve it. “So what do we do?”

She let out a low breath as she looked out the window again. “We don't have any choices. We don't know what's rigged and what's not. So . . . we wait.”

Not the answer he wanted, but the red and blue lights of arriving emergency vehicles brought a small measure of relief. “How's the officer outside?” he asked in a low voice. He'd delayed asking. Not because he didn't care, but because he didn't want to hear the answer he was afraid was coming.

Olivia shook her head. “I don't know. Quinn, you here yet?” She disconnected the Bluetooth option and put it on speaker.

“Pulling in.”

“Have someone check Officer Petite fast. He still hasn't moved and I'm afraid he's either unconscious or dead.”

“On it. Bomb squad is approaching the building. Officers are holding back a man by the name of Dale Price. You know him?”

“He's the station manager,” Wade answered. “He doesn't live too far from here. As soon as he heard there was dead air, he would have been frantic. He's probably tried to get ahold of me on my phone.” Which was turned off. “When I didn't answer, he headed over to find out what was going on.”

Wade looked out the window to see Dale pacing frantically. He would have already powered up the backup show from his home while he investigated the source of the dead air. And now he'd be worried about Wade.

“Officers are searching the area and the businesses attached to this one. The officer who was watching the building is alive, but drugged and out cold. Probably with the same drug she got Wade with last night.”

Wade felt that bit of tension ease. He didn't know how he'd live with someone else hurt as critically as Maddy—or worse. He heard the commotion near the door. “Bomb squad is sending in the robot. Once we clear the door, we'll get you out and they can clear the rest of the building.”

“Can you tell what will set it off? What kind of trigger it has?” Olivia asked.

Wade frowned at her.

“Going to have to wait on that one,” Quinn said.

“What do you mean?” Wade asked her.

“I want to know if it's set off by us opening the door or . . . something else.”

“Like a cell phone.”

“Right.”

“Or a remote control device where she can set it off whenever she wants?”

She shot him a concerned look and he knew he'd guessed it. She was worried whoever had planted the bombs was just waiting for whatever she considered to be the right moment to press a button and blow them all to bits.

Olivia didn't have time to offer much comfort to Wade, she was too busy watching the commotion outside. The small robot deployed by the bomb squad made its way slowly to the building. When it reached the steps, it rolled up to the door in front of them. The long steel arm lifted and the camera zoomed in on the device attached to the center of the two doors. After a few tense minutes and the viewing of different angles, the little robot backed away.

“What's going on, Quinn?” Olivia asked.

“They're going to disarm the bomb.”

“So it's real.”

“Did you doubt it?”

“Not really. Hoped it was a scare tactic, but . . .”

“Yeah.” She heard someone say something but couldn't catch the words. “Hold on a sec,” Quinn said.

An ambulance squealed off and out of the parking lot. Olivia guessed the unconscious police officer was the occupant. There were two other ambulances waiting at a safe distance. She hoped they weren't needed.

“There's a bomb rigged on the back door as well,” Quinn said. “They're not remote detonated, they're set to go off if you push open the door.” That was a relief. “However, there's also a timer on it. Looks like we have about six minutes to get you out or disarm it.”

All relief fled.

“What about up in the attic area?” she asked.

“Still checking that out but got a bomb guy suiting up to disarm the one on the front door and get you two out. Now.”

“What if it's a trick? You try to get in the front door and the back one blows?” Olivia asked.

“We've thought of that, but there's no evidence that's the case.” He raked a hand through his hair. “And we're running out of time.”

Olivia could see Quinn's grim voice didn't set well with Wade, but he had no choice but to put his life in the hands of people who knew more than he did. He didn't like it one bit. From the corner of her eyes, she saw his fingers curl into hard fists.

A figure who looked more like an extra in an alien invasion movie stepped up to the door and set a metal box on the ground next to him. His gaze met hers through the door and she breathed a sigh of relief. It was Katie's friend, Shaun Garrison. His eyes widened briefly when they met hers. She nodded and he did too. A silent promise not to let them blow up.

She believed him. Or rather, believed he would do his best to disarm the bomb. If he didn't, they'd find out on the other side of eternity. She gave a brief thought to the fact that she wasn't ready to die. Ready in the physical sense and the spiritual. “Shaun's got this,” she told Wade.

He was watching the man outside the door with an intense expression. “You know him?”

“Yes. We're going to be just fine. He hasn't cut the wrong wire yet,” she joked without humor.

“Why does that only make me feel marginally better?”

She gripped his fingers in a hard squeeze, forcing him to relax his fist. “Be ready to run.”

“I've been ready.”

Shaun bent down and went to work. “How much time do we have, Quinn?”

“Four minutes and counting.”

Her stomach clenched. He bent his head as though listening. “What?” His voice thundered in her ears.

“What is it?” she demanded.

“The back door has two minutes and twenty seconds on it.”

“She wanted everyone focused on the front,” Olivia whispered.

“Surely she had to know we'd check the whole building,” Quinn said. He listened again, then looked up, his eyes sharp. “The attic's clean now. Can you get up there?”

Now?
“Yes.”

Wade didn't waste a second. Still gripping her hand, he pulled her to the string hanging from the ceiling. With a hard jerk, he had the stairs down. She pushed him to go first. He hesitated, obviously wanting her to go first.

“Now's not the time for gentlemanly manners. Go.”

He did.

“Give me the countdown, Quinn. Count it down in my ear,” she said as she followed Wade up the stairs. She reconnected the Bluetooth option with one hand, never stopping her forward momentum.

“Fifty-nine seconds. Fifty-eight. Go, go. Fifty-six—”

Olivia registered the words. Once in the attic, she noticed Wade had his phone out and turned on. By the light of the white
booting-up-screen, she could make out the way they needed to go. But they didn't have to use it. One of the bomb squad members was already there, shining a bright light. “Come on, move it, people. I'm not ready to die.”

Neither she nor Wade bothered answering, but she did notice he picked up his speed a bit. She kicked aside boxes, debris, and insulation, staying on the flat storage surface. “Forty-five, forty-four.”

Guided by the squad member's light, Wade slipped through a hole in the wall that belonged to the business next door. Quinn's voice continued the countdown.

“Go, go, go!”

Wade slid down the stairs that were already down, thanks to the bomb squad. Olivia followed. The door was propped open by another member.

“Twelve, eleven, ten.”

Olivia hit the door a fraction of a second after Wade. She heard the other two squad members running after them even as she counted down the remaining seconds in her head.

She saw Quinn grab Wade and shove him behind a barrier that had been erected. Next, hands were on her, pushing her. “Zero,” Quinn breathed.

The explosion rocked the back of the building. Wade gave a grunt when Olivia's body slammed into his. She wrapped her arms around him and took him to the ground. He belatedly realized she was trying to protect him from any flying debris that might find its way around the barrier. Stunned, he lay still, ears ringing, adrenaline pumping.

When the decibel level of the chaos lessened slightly, Wade raised his head. Everyone else was also on the ground, but now stirring.

Quinn, who had landed beside Wade, pushed himself to his feet. “Anyone hurt?”

“Negative over here,” someone called.

“Liv, you all right?” Quinn asked.

Wade untangled himself from her and she shoved her blonde hair back from her face. He honed in on the bruise on her cheek and lifted a hand as though to touch it, then stopped. “You're hurt.”

She felt the cheek and shrugged. “It's just an asphalt scrape. It's fine.”

“Wade? Wade! Are you all right?” Dale rushed toward him and Wade stood to clasp the man in a quick hug. Dale pulled back. “You scared me to death, man.”

“I know. Scared myself there for a bit. Did you play the backup show?”

Dale gaped. “You almost just got blown to bits and you're worried about the show?”

Wade shrugged and tried for a cool façade, even though his insides still shook. “It's less stressful to think about the show than the fact that I was almost blown to bits.”

Dale shook his head. “Yeah. I started it up as I left the house to come over here.”

“Good. Good.” Then he didn't know what else to say, because the reality of what had just almost happened hit him.

He swayed and Olivia's arm immediately went around his waist. “Sit back down for a minute,” she said.

He decided not to argue and slumped back onto the ground, his arms resting on his knees while he gathered his composure. He noticed the crowd along the street. Cars had pulled into the grocery store parking lot opposite the station and a line of people stood on the sidewalk.

The firefighters were on the scene and Wade thought he'd spotted a news van or two. The sight spurred him back to his feet. “I need to get home and let Amy know I'm all right.”

“It's the middle of the night, Wade,” Olivia said. “She's not going to see anything about this until tomorrow when you're home safe and sound and there to reassure her.”

Dale stared at the building.

“I'll rebuild the station for you, Dale,” Wade promised.

His friend shot him a tight smile. “That's what we have insurance for.”

“Yeah, but—”

“No buts. This isn't your fault. I'm just glad you're okay and hope they catch the lunatic responsible.”

Wade was moved to speechlessness. Dale had invested his life savings in the station and now it lay in ruins. And the man didn't blame Wade for the destruction. Of course he'd make sure Dale came out on top of the whole situation, no matter the man's protests.

Wade stayed by Dale's side while Olivia stayed by his. The firefighters controlled the blaze and soon started packing their equipment back into the trucks.

“The bomb on the front door never went off,” he said.

Olivia turned to him. “No, Shaun managed to disconnect the right wire again.”

He gave a faint smile, remembering her reassurances that they'd be fine because Shaun hadn't missed one yet.

A bomb squad member walked up to Quinn and showed him something. He looked at it and shook his head. Olivia approached him. Wade followed.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Grant found it right before y'all put in an appearance in the attic.” He nodded to it. “C4 and some wires. Rigged to blow when the attic door opened. Grant disconnected it in time.”

Olivia breathed out a slow breath. “Thank you, Grant.”

“My pleasure.” Grant walked off to take care of the bomb and Wade felt his knees go weak again. He watched the officers work a little longer. When the sun started to climb in the eastern sky, he decided it was time to go home.

Olivia must have been watching him closely. “Let me know when you're ready and I'll take you home,” she said.

He nodded. “I'm ready.”

She led the way, but he couldn't help one last glance over his shoulder at the chaos left behind. Fury began a slow burn in
his gut, along with a steely determination not to be a victim. He wouldn't let this person take over and control his life, his actions, his day-to-day living.

He refused. And yet he couldn't help wonder if he'd survive the next attack.

Exhaustion dogged her heels as she stepped into Wade's house. Katie and Haley had shown up at the station—probably notified of the events by Angela—and insisted on being a part of the escort back to Wade's home. Quinn had also followed. Upon arriving home, Wade showed them all into the den area. “I'll fill Martha in and check on the girls in a minute. First, I need to call Stacy's mother and let her know what's going on. Erin's out of town with her job, some kind of nursing conference.” He moved a stuffed bunny from the end of the sofa and set it on the mantel. “Stacy was going to stay here all weekend, but now I don't know if that's the best thing. Who knows when this maniac will strike again?”

Olivia wanted him to get some rest while she had one last consultation with Quinn, Haley, and Katie, but it didn't look like that was going to happen. “One of us can take her to wherever her mother wants her dropped off if she doesn't want her to stay here any longer.”

Wade pulled out his phone and dialed the number. Then waited. “Hi, Erin, it's Wade. Give me a call when you get a chance. Stacy's fine, but I just want to run something by you. Thanks.” He hung up. “I'll go check on the girls.”

“Good. I'll be talking to the team.”

In the den, she didn't bother to take a seat. Instead, she paced to the mantel, then turned to face the others. “First, how is the officer who was outside? Officer Petite is his name. Does anyone know if he's all right?”

“I talked to the sheriff on the way over here,” Quinn said. “Officer Petite was drugged with propofol. I believe you're familiar with that one.”

Olivia nodded. “The same drug that was used on Wade.”

“So whoever attacked Wade was the same person who put the bombs at the radio station,” Katie said.

“Most likely. He—or she—caught Officer Petite by surprise and got him with a hypodermic needle in the side of the neck.”

Olivia winced. “He had his window down?”

“Yes, both the passenger's side and the driver's side. His car was turned off, so he was probably hot and letting the air circulate. But he'll be all right,” Quinn said. “At least that was the report I got.”

“Good. That's good.”

Wade stepped back into the room and Olivia didn't bother scolding him. He was a big boy. If he wanted to spend his time listening and contributing to his case, she wasn't going to protest that he would be better off sleeping.

Quinn looked at Wade. “I'm glad you came back. Let's talk about tonight. Tell us in detail about when your stalker called the show.”

“That was about an hour into it,” Wade said as he took a seat in the wingback chair next to the fireplace.

“Which would be around 1:00 a.m., right?”

“Correct. I talked to her briefly, then switched to a commercial while she was still on the phone because I didn't feel like the listeners needed to hear the conversation.”

“Smart move,” Quinn said. “Then when you hung up, it wasn't long before the lights went out.”

“Right. And the generator didn't come on. Did you figure that one out yet?”

“It was sabotaged.”

“Sabotaged? Of course it was.” He sighed. “How?”

“Whoever it was simply cut the lock off the gate that surrounded the generator and pulled out the battery. It was sitting on the ground.”

Wade shook his head. “This is all crazy.”

“And the bombs?” Olivia asked.

“She had help. According to the time stamp on the phone records, while you were talking to her, someone else was taking out the officer and rigging the doors with those bombs.”

“But how did he get them on the front door? I would have seen him.”

Quinn shook his head. “It was really simple. Everything about the bomb was already put together. All the person had to do was wait until your back was turned, then walk past the door and push the pieces with the adhesive onto the metal frame of the door. Probably took about three seconds total. Unless you just happened to be watching, you never would have known he or she was there.”

Olivia looked at Quinn. “Any video footage?”

“Some. We're still going through it. But from what I was told, the person was in disguise with a hoodie and dark glasses, gloves, and black clothes. I don't think the footage is going to be that helpful.”

“Of course not,” Olivia murmured, then sighed. “Okay, so the plan is to increase security. I'm going to need more manpower. From now on, you have two bodyguards instead of one.”

Katie nodded. “Absolutely. I'll work on a schedule.”

“And I'll work on getting more manpower.” She looked at Haley. “Actually, can you call Lizzie Tremaine and Charlie Lee? I want to know if they're available for some contract work.”

“Of course.” Haley clicked a few buttons on her phone, then looked up. “I've sent them a text asking for a good time to talk.”
She slid her phone into her back pocket. “I've also sent you the three résumés you requested.”

“That was fast.”

Katie pursed her lips. “I had them ready to send to you the moment you asked. This case is a bit different than any other we've handled. We definitely need more help.”

“I agree.”

“All right,” Quinn said, “I'm going to head back to the station. I'll fill Bree in on the events of the night and we'll be in touch if we have any other questions.”

Olivia escorted the man to the door and stood quietly, watching out the window while he drove away. Her mind went to their wild escape from the building and she shuddered. She guessed that one would show up in her nightmares sometime in the near future.

“Haley and I can stay if you need to go home and get a few hours of rest,” Katie said from behind her.

“Or you can just stay in one of the guest rooms,” Wade said, walking up to her.

“Thought you were going to get some sleep.”

“Not while my adrenaline is still racing.”

She gave a knowing nod. Unfortunately her adrenaline was crashing.

He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Seriously, there's a room all made up and ready. I don't mind if you use it.”

Olivia wavered. Part of her wanted to go home and clean up. Another part of her didn't want to bother with the drive. And she always kept a change of clothes and a toothbrush in her car. “All right.” She looked at Katie. “Wake me in a few hours.”

Katie nodded and Olivia motioned for Wade to lead the way. He did and she followed him up the front staircase. They passed
Amy's bedroom, coming from the opposite direction they'd taken earlier. He stopped two doors down. “Here you go.”

“It's very nice, Wade, thanks.”

“Of course.”

“Promise me you'll try to get some sleep. I know your adrenaline is still racing pretty hard, but you have to find a way to relax and rest or you won't be good for much of anything.”

“Hmm. True.”

“Katie and Haley have this. Katie won't let Amy and Stacy out of her sight and Haley will have the house, along with a couple of off-duty officers.”

“Good.” He nodded. “Let me know if there's anything else you might need.”

“I will.”

He hesitated and she looked at him. He cleared his throat. “Thanks for getting us out of the radio station alive.”

She scowled. “I didn't do much.”

“Yes. You did. If I'd been there by myself, I never would have noticed the bomb strapped to the door. If you hadn't been there, I would be dead.”

She nodded. “I'm grateful it ended the way it did.” Because she'd learned the hard way that not all endings were happy ones.

“Me too.” He studied her. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.”

“Liar.” He said the word softly.