Worth the Risk (24 page)

“Shut up, you traitor,” Sam replied without taking his eyes off his ex-partner. “A good thing, Heely? Ripping off people experiencing the most traumatic time of their lives. On what planet would I
ever
have agreed to be involved in that?”

“In the one that kept me away from Kelsey.”

The words were another shot in the gut. “You used her to get to me.”

“Tried to. Failed.” The other man shrugged again. “She was a smart girl, Sam. But she had a big, giant heart, too. Loved me for real and still believed I loved her, even when she knew what I was involved in. Thought maybe she could
fix
me. Begged me to go straight. Said we could trust you to help us.”

“I would’ve done whatever she needed.” Sam’s voice had grown thick.

Heely smiled slowly. “That’s what I told her when I turned it around on her. Told her she should be convincing you to get in on the deal. I think that’s when she figured out I was in it for the long haul.”

“So you faked her kidnapping, then killed her.”

“Other way around, actually.” Heely appeared unfazed by the admission. “It’s funny, actually. I always assumed she’d told you. It was one of the main reasons I made myself disappear. Added my name to the list of deleted files to create a paper trail. Had a friend on the inside alter my fingerprints in the system for identifying
my
body, then left someone else in charge. Went off to enjoy my retirement.”

Sickened by the other man’s indifference toward his actions, Sam lunged again, but Worm held tightly.

Heely waited for Sam to stop struggling before he went on. “I spent the first bit of time waiting for you to do something. At the very least, to alert the rest of the PD. When that didn’t happen, I thought maybe you’d figured out I was alive. That you were biding your time. Making it personal. Always assumed it would be you, not the damned file that came back to haunt me. When my contact on the force called me up and told me the USB stick had gone missing, I agreed to help get it back, but I wasn’t worried. We traced it from one of our deleted friends to his wife to Tamara Billing.”

Sam recalled the names from the files. “Mr. and Mrs. Barovitz.”

“Barovitz had become a liability. Too much transparency with his wife.” Heely smiled darkly. “Still. We thought it would be an easy recovery. Get in, get the file. Get out.”

“Delete the witness,” Sam added.

“Exactly.” Far too impassive.

“But she was ready for you.”

Heely’s gaze strayed to Tamara for a second. “Expecting us, at the very least. Smart. Like your sister. Hid the file and had her husband lead us on some wild-goose chase. Took us a few days to figure out what the hell was going on, and by the time we did, you were already involved. Damned if I thought that was how it would pan out.”

“Guess it’s your lucky week.”

Heely’s jaw twitched. “Sam?”

“What?”

The twitch became a smile. “You realize if you’d just been a little less by-the-book—if you’d been even the slightest bit willing to look the other way—Kelsey’d still be alive. You’re just as much to blame for her death as I am.”

For a second, the familiar guilt hit Sam again, and the emotion ruled him. Then Meredith’s voice—gentle and sure and just at his shoulder—carried up to him.

“He’s a liar. Kelsey wouldn’t have let you help them. She was proud that you were a cop and proud of all the good you were doing. You told me that yourself.”

Her words rang true, and Sam saw Kelsey’s kidnapping and death for what it really was. Not his fault. Not his responsibility. Just cold-blooded murder. And her killer stood just five feet away.

“Meredith,” he growled, very, very softly.

“Necessary action,” she murmured back.

Together, they moved.

* * *

Intuitively, Meredith knew what Sam expected. What he’d trusted her with.

As he charged forward, she drew back her elbow and slammed it back as hard as she could, straight into Randy’s stomach. Surprised, the cop grunted and stumbled. He shot out an arm, knocking Meredith to the ground. But the flailing motion made him lose his grip on his gun. The weapon landed on the ground. It slid across the floor and stopped just in front of Tamara’s chair. Her sister met her eyes, nodded, then lifted her bound feet and covered the gun.

Meredith struggled to right herself, and noticed that Randy was already moving toward Tamara. With a gasp, she went after him. Her sister saw him coming, too, and she kicked the weapon in Meredith’s direction, then slammed her feet into the corrupt cop’s knee. He buckled, but his eyes stayed on the gun as it skittered along, then bounced under the desk.

Meredith scrambled across the floor after it, ignoring the scrape of wood on her knees. From the corner of her eye, she could see that Sam was still grappling with Heely.

Heely.

Sam’s dead partner. When he’d addressed the man by that name, she thought she’d misheard. But no. The conversation that followed confirmed it. Heely was alive. And he was the one who’d taken her sister.

He’ll pay for both things,
Meredith thought as she reached a little farther under the desk.

Her hands closed on the cool metal just as Randy reached her. She tried to turn the gun on him. But he was too quick. Too strong. Before she could even get her fingers in the right place, he tore it from her grip, pushed himself to his knees and took aim at Meredith.

She didn’t have time to react. A bullet flew past from the other direction, grazing the shoulder of the man who threatened her.

“Get down!” Sam barked.

Meredith’s head whipped to the side. Worm was against the wall, wheezing. Sam stood in front of the big man, Heely’s gun in one hand and the man himself in the other.

“Get down,” he repeated. “Put the weapon on the ground.”

Thank God.

But her relief was short-lived. Heely wasn’t ready to give up. With a wild twist, he spun and drove a fist into Sam’s injured arm. Sam let out a holler, and the gun slipped from his hand. Faster than seemed possible, the other man reached down, stood up again and then lifted the gun.

“Guess I’ll take you out one at time on my own,” he said grimly. “Starting with the girl who couldn’t mind her own damned business.”

He pointed the weapon at Tamara, and Meredith was near enough to see his finger tighten on the trigger. Near enough that she swore she could hear the tiny squeak as he squeezed. But she wasn’t near enough to get there. It wasn’t enough to stop her from trying. As she dove forward, though, a familiar, solid blur beat her to it.

Sam slammed straight into Tamara, then toppled down beside her, fresh blood soaking in just above the old wound. Meredith glanced back to Heely. He was smiling smugly, and Randy had regained control of his gun, too. Worm was already pushing himself away from the wall toward Tamara.

Meredith tried to move, but Sam lifted a hand and groaned, “Hamish,” and she knew her best bet for saving them lay elsewhere.

As Heely raised his gun again, Meredith stood. She jammed her hand into her pocket and dug through until her hands closed on the USB stick. Then she yanked it out and lifted it up.

“You can’t kill us,” she gasped. “If you do, you’ll never get the Hamish file. Or find out where the copy is.”

The salt-and-pepper-haired man didn’t move the weapon. “It’ll be easy enough to take it when you’re dead. And as far as the copy is concerned... I have my doubts about its existence.”

“Ask Worm,” Sam interjected from the ground. “We downloaded what’s on that stick and we sent it to him. Is it so hard to believe we made a backup?”

Heely’s eyes flicked toward him. “Worm?”

The ponytail bobbed up, then down. “Could be true. They sent one over to me.”

Heely sighed. “Get me that hard copy. I’m going to shoot the hell out of it so no one can make a damned copy ever again. Then we’ll figure out whose death is most likely to motivate Ms. Jamison to tell us exactly who else she sent a copy to.”

Randy took a step toward Meredith, and she backed up automatically.

Heely growled and switched his aim to Tamara, who had started to cry. “Just give me the damned thing.”

Meredith took one step toward him. Then another. On the third, Worm gave her an unexpected shove, and she fell forward, smacked straight into the cop and lost her grip on the thumb drive. She cried out as her back slammed into the wood wall.

For a second after she hit, she was winded enough that she couldn’t move. She saw Sam try to stand, and Worm’s foot land on his back. She saw Tamara’s shoulders move up and down in a near silent sob. She heard Heely bark something angrily at Worm, who was staring at the USB stick near his feet.

He lifted his gaze to Meredith. “Get it.”

“What?”

“You dropped it. Pick it up.”

Confused, aching and sure she was just going to wind up dead anyway, Meredith bent down to grab the file. Then froze. Above her, slim red beams filled the room. Two trained on Heely. Two trained on Randy.

“Took them bloody long enough,” Worm said as he lifted his foot off Sam’s back and reached down to help him up. “Please don’t hit me.”

As a half a dozen armed men filed into the tiny cabin, Meredith’s head spun. Vaguely, she was aware of what was happening, what was being said as Heely and Randy were being taken into custody. She heard someone explain that the arresting officers had been delayed by the storm, but arrived—almost too late—via helicopter. Worm was telling Sam he’d been acting as a triple agent. And someone had started to untie Tamara.

You should be doing that,
said a little voice in her head.

She tried to take a step across the room, but she swayed and had to grab the edge of the desk to hold herself up. Immediately, Sam was at her side, pushing aside the protesting paramedic who’d been dealing with his gunshot wound.

His hand landed on her shoulder. “Sweetheart? You okay?”

“We did it,” she responded, barely able to talk.

“I promised you we would.”

He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss before the lead officer tapped him on the shoulder.

“I’m fine,” Meredith assured him, and turned her attention back to her sister.

A lump formed in her throat. Over the last two days, a whole lifetime had somehow managed to go by. She’d almost died. Fallen in love. Realized what her sister meant to her. But none of that stopped those old feelings—the insecurities and the rift between them—from resurfacing. Even though she wanted to put it aside, even though she knew how insignificant it all was, she found herself unable to move.

But in the end, she didn’t have to. The second the last of the ropes came off, Tamara launched herself from the chair and barreled straight into her arms, and Meredith didn’t hesitate. She wrapped her sister—her living, breathing,
safe
sister—in as tight an embrace as she could.

Epilogue

“I
t’s so quiet in here,” Tamara said.

It was true. The hospital that they’d been airlifted to had been train-station noisy the last few hours. But since things had settled down—with Tamara in bed and hooked up to an IV and Meredith in a lounge chair—it seemed very empty.

Meredith offered her sister a smile. “You want me to call the cavalry back in?”

“No.” Tamara sighed. “It just feels funny to be peaceful. My client brought me that USB stick a week ago, and my head has been buzzing ever since. And then today with all the police and the doctors, and...”

Meredith saw the way she trailed off and swallowed, and she knew where her mind had gone. “Nicholas. I’m so sorry, Tami.”

“I knew he was dead before they told me. We were supposed to meet. To take the USB stick and figure out who to give it to. We knew we couldn’t trust anyone in Bowerville, so we were going to go all the way to Seattle. I waited for two days, worried sick. Then Nick called me and told me the plans had to change. He sounded...funny. He said it wasn’t safe for us anymore and he’d hide the file somewhere only we would know about. He told me if anything happened, to call you. Our fail-safe, he called you. And he said to remember Hamish and Matilda and to tell you to remember, too.”

“So it was him leaving the clues.”

“Yes. And when I didn’t hear from him again, I knew they’d got to him.” She paused, her face crumbling, then inhaled raggedly and continued. “I followed Nick’s clues, trying to find him and the file. I didn’t want to call you, even though he told me to. I got Sam’s name from my client. She said her husband had told her he was the best in the business. And trustworthy. But I didn’t want my name attached to the request, so I hired an actress to do it.”

“We found her,” Meredith confirmed. “But you could’ve come to me, Tami. I would’ve helped.”

“I know. But I didn’t want to put you in danger. And I didn’t want you to know how badly I needed you.”

Meredith reached over to take her sister’s hand. “It’s what older siblings do.”

Tamara looked down at their clasped palms. “I’ve never felt like I measured up, Merri.”

“I didn’t mean to make you feel like that.”

“It wasn’t that I didn’t measure up to your expectations. It’s just...you. Everything you did was so perfect. So good. It all mattered. I could never be that way.”

The revelation startled Meredith. “You think
I’m
the more successful sister?”

“You are. You’re a paralegal. You’re completely self-reliant. You—”

“You run a million-dollar business!”

“Giving my opinion to sad couples.”

“Helping people.”

“Sad people.”

Meredith stared at her sister, dumbfounded for a long moment. Then a small giggle escaped her mouth. And another. After a few seconds, her sister joined her. They laughed together until Tamara grabbed Meredith’s hand and twisted it to look at the ring that still sparkled there.

“Is this real?” she asked.

“It’s not from a cereal box.”

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

Meredith stared down at the pretty stones. “I want it to be real.”

“After two days? That’s crazy!”

Surprised, Meredith brought her gaze back up. “What?”

But her sister was grinning impishly. “You should go tell him.”

“I did.”

Tamara’s eyes went wide. “You did?”

“Yes.”

“What did he say?”

“Well. Actually, he said it first.”

“So why are you in here with me?”

“I just got you back. I’m not going to leave.” Meredith twisted the ring on her finger and eyed the door uncertainly. “Besides that...what if it was just a heat-of-the-moment thing?”

Tamara shook her head. “I’ve been counseling couples for five years. I know that look on your face. You love him for real. And you should go tell him before your head explodes.”

“You’ll be fine for a few minutes?”

“Yes.”

“You’re sure?”

“Go!”

Meredith took a breath, hugged her sister and stood.

* * *

Sam tried—and failed—to roll over into a more comfortable position. The doctors had insisted on hooking him up to so many tubes that he felt like he was literally tied to the bed. Every move was a struggle. He flipped to his side, set off an alarm on the oxygen monitor, then let out a curse.

“Not the greeting I was hoping for.”

Sam stopped struggling immediately, restlessness disappearing at the sight of Meredith’s tall silhouette in the doorway. “Hi, sweetheart.”

She stepped into the room, looking far more nervous than he had since meeting her.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

He cracked a half smile. “Isn’t that my line?”

“Only when you’re not the one who got shot twice in one day.” She took another step, then stopped.

Sam lifted his injured arm up. “The drugs seem to be working.”

Meredith winced. “I don’t think you should be doing that.”

He raised it higher, triggering another alarm. “This?”

“Stop that! You’re going to hurt yourself even worse.”

“Make me.”

The beeping got louder, and Meredith hurried over. As she put her fingers on his forearm and tried to push it down, Sam grabbed her with both hands and yanked her into the bed. She fought him, but the movement just made the alarm blare, and after a moment, she gave up and settled against him.

“Do I win?” Sam asked, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair.

“It’s hard to tell.”

“Not from here. I’ve got the girl I love in my bed. I saved the day. And I’m guaranteed at least a few days of free meals. Points for me.”

For a second, silence hung between them. Then she exhaled and spoke in a small voice. “So you meant it.”

“Did you think I didn’t?”

“I think I made you break all your rules. And there was a lot happening, and I’d understand if you said some things you didn’t mean.”

Sam leaned back to look down at her face. “Do you know what happened right before you came in here?”

“What?”

“My old boss from the Bowerville PD came in and offered me my job back.”

“Did you accept it?”

“No. I told him I couldn’t leave my new partner.”

“Your... Oh.”

He lifted a golden curl and twisted it around his finger. “Don’t you think Potter and Jamison, Inc., has a nice ring to it?”

“I hope you mean Jamison and Potter.”

She reached up to yank the curl away, and Sam grabbed her hand and pulled it to his cheek. He could feel the pulse in her wrist, thrumming against his skin.

“I’ve got an even better idea,” he said, his voice husky.

“What’s that?”

“Potter and Potter.” His forefinger found the familiar, diamond-studded band and slid over it. “What do you think?”

“I won’t make your life easy,” she warned.

Sam chuckled. “I’m sure the risk will be worth the reward.”

And he leaned down to kiss her as thoroughly as he knew how.

* * * * *

Look for Melinda Di Lorenzo’s
next thrilling tale
available from
Harlequin Romantic Suspense
in March 2017!

And don’t miss her previous books
TRUSTING A STRANGER
available now from Harlequin Intrigue
and
PINUPS AND POSSIBILITIES
and
DECEPTIONS AND DESIRES
available now from Harlequin Intrigue Noir

Keep reading for an excerpt from
OPERATION COWBOY DADDY
by Carla Cassidy

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