Fatal Exposure (20 page)

“So why did you kill Hoffman?” he asked again, needing to distract her. “What was the colonel’s role in this?” Praying she wouldn’t notice, he inched his hand toward the edge of the bed.

“Hoffman.” She grimaced. “Talk about a waste of humanity. He was a sleazy little pervert who didn’t deserve to live.”

“So you knew what he was like?” He reached the cord and tugged.

She nodded. “I found some photos he kept in his desk. Really nasty stuff. And after that...”

“You blackmailed him.”

“We had an agreement. I kept quiet about his twisted hobby, and he did favors for me. But he screwed up in the end. He needed to get rid of Brynn, but he was too squeamish to do it himself. He put Markus Jenkins on her trail, but you found her first. And when it seemed you’d joined forces and weren’t going to bring her in, we decided you both had to go. But Markus Jenkins failed to kill you, too. And now it’s up to me.”

“But why kill us?” Brynn asked, the desperation in her voice gutting his heart. “Why not let us go? We didn’t know you were involved. We never would have connected it to you.”

“Parker would have.” She waved the gun at him, and he froze, thinking she’d seen him move. But she continued speaking, and he seized the remote control. “Once he joined up with you, I knew he’d figure it out.”

“Still—”

“Look.” Her voice hardened. “It doesn’t matter. I have my orders to kill you. I’m not the only one who wants you dead.”

Parker blinked, her revelation making him pause. Someone else wanted to kill them? “Like who?”

But Lieutenant Lewis only shook her head. “I can’t tell you that. This thing is huge. It goes way up the chain. Powerful people are involved, more than you’ll ever guess. You have no idea how big this is.”

She cocked the hammer on her gun.

Parker’s pulse raced. Knowing he only had seconds, he ran his finger over the buttons, trying to decide which one to push. He didn’t dare hit them all and risk tipping Lieutenant Lewis off.

Sweat popped out on his brow. He tried to envision the remote control, but he’d hardly glanced at it as he’d shoved it aside. He slid his finger to the button in the center, then paused.

Brynn cleared her throat. He spared her a glance, and she raised her chin in a barely perceptible nod. His heart warming, he sent her a mental thanks, then jabbed the button to call the nurse.

A signal trilled down the hall. The red light beside the bed turned on. Parker silently swore, hoping Lieutenant Lewis wouldn’t attribute it to him.

But then a shout rang out. Footsteps pounded in the hall. Lieutenant Lewis glanced at the light, and fury blazed through her eyes. She jerked her gun toward Brynn. “Don’t move or she’s dead,” she warned, freezing Parker in place.

The door swung open behind her, and Enrique Delgado appeared in the room, flanked by several cops. They all had their weapons drawn.

“Drop your weapon,” Delgado ordered.

The lieutenant stilled. Fear flashed through her gaze, every shred of color fading from her face. But her gun never veered from Brynn.

Parker sat frozen in horror, understanding how this would end. The lieutenant knew she couldn’t escape. She wouldn’t leave here alive. But if she was going to die today, she intended to take someone down with her—
Brynn.

The lieutenant’s hand began to shake. Sweat glistened on her waxy face. Then her expression changed, her eyes filling with resignation. And Parker knew in that instant she was going to shoot.

Desperation screamed through his skull. He had to do something. He had to stop her somehow. But the slightest move, and Brynn would die.

Her trigger finger moved. Knowing it was hopeless, Parker dove off the bed toward Brynn, flinging himself toward her with all his strength. But she was too far away.

The gun went off, the suppressor silencing all but a quiet pop. Brynn cried out. Her eyes flew to his, her shock turning to pain. Blood welled through her shirt. She clutched her chest with her free hand and staggered toward him, then sank to the tiled floor.

Gunfire broke out, the officers mowing down Terry Lewis where she stood.

But he’d arrived too late to save Brynn.

Chapter 18

T
he rules be
damned.

Flanked by half a dozen guards, Parker strode down the hallway
to Brynn’s hospital room the following afternoon, determined to get inside. He
was still pushing his IV pole, still wearing the ridiculous, open-backed
hospital gown, but he’d added a robe and socks. Police swarmed the hall. Access
to the floor was tightly restricted, the security extreme. In the twenty-four
hours since that shooting, he hadn’t spent a single moment alone.

Outside the hospital was even worse. This was the biggest story
to hit Baltimore in decades. It was a complete media circus with news vans and
reporters everywhere. And every law enforcement agency in the region had flooded
the hospital—state and city police, the ATF and FBI.

A nurse trotted up beside him. “Excuse me, sir. You need to get
back into bed. You’re not authorized to get up yet.”

“Try to stop me,” he muttered, striding past her. He’d twiddled
his thumbs long enough. He wasn’t going to wait another second to see the woman
he loved—no matter what the regulations said.

He neared Brynn’s room—obvious by the armed guards blocking the
door—the desperate need to see her hardening his resolve. Watching Lieutenant
Lewis shoot Brynn had been the worst moment of his life—worse than seeing
Hoffman hold her at gunpoint, worse than hearing about her abuse, worse even
than learning about Tommy’s death. He’d never recover from that heart-stopping
moment when he’d thought that she was dead.

And he’d been frantic ever since—during the hours she’d spent
in surgery, during the night as she’d lain in the ICU, hovering between life and
death. Now they’d finally moved her to a recovery room under heavy police
protection, refusing to let him near.

But enough was enough. Nothing was going to stop him from
reaching her side. He had to see for himself that she’d survived.

A second later, he reached her room. He recognized several
police officers, including the one blocking the door. “Martinez,” he said with a
nod.

“Hey, McCall. Love the dress,” Martinez quipped. “You here to
give us a fashion show?”

His mouth quirking up, Parker flipped him a rude hand signal,
and everyone around them laughed.

But then the guard’s expression sobered. “Sorry, man, but she
can’t have visitors yet. Nobody’s supposed to go inside.”

“I’m not here. You didn’t see me.”

“Hell, McCall. You know I can’t let you inside.”

Parker leveled him a gaze.

The guards exchanged glances. Martinez heaved out a sigh.
“Fine, you’re not here. I didn’t see you come by. But you owe me for this.” He
moved aside to let him pass.

Still wheeling the IV pole, Parker opened the door and stepped
inside. His gaze arrowed straight to the bed, and his heart made a crazy loop,
fear and love tangling up inside. Brynn looked so small, so defenseless, so
pale.
But she was alive.

Her eyes fluttered open. Her gaze connected with his, and he
struggled to breathe. Dark circles underscored her eyes. The bruise stood out on
her cheek. Her hair was a messy splash of color against her white pillow. She
still had her arm in the sling. But now bandages covered her chest. Cords ran
across the bed like wires at an electrical substation, connecting her to a bank
of machines. Black stitches marched across her scalp, trailing a smear of brown
antiseptic over one temple. She looked like an alley cat who’d barely survived a
brawl with a Rottweiler.

She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

“Hi,” she whispered.

His throat suddenly thick, emotions somersaulting inside him,
he went to her side. For an endless moment he simply gazed into her eyes, too
overcome to speak. There was so much he needed to tell her, so much he had to
explain.

He managed to clear his throat. “How are you feeling?”

The corner of her mouth slid up. “Like I’ve been shot. But I’m
not in any pain. The drugs are doing their job.”

“Good.” He couldn’t bear the thought of her suffering. He
wanted to scoop her up and hold her close, to run away with her to someplace
safe.

Like he should have done from the start.

His legs unsteady, he pulled up a chair and sat, cursing his
weakened state. He could only imagine how she must feel, despite her insistence
that she was fine.

Needing a moment to compose himself, he glanced around the
room. “Who sent flowers?”

“My agent. She phoned a while ago.”

“So she’s all right?”

Brynn nodded. “She’s at home now. But she still has the
bodyguard. She found out who took that photo, by the way, the one that appeared
in the newspaper.”

The photo that had started it all. “Who was it?”

“A reporter. He’d been following her for months, watching
everything she did. He saw me meet with her a couple of times and figured it
out.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not. At least Hoffman is dead now. And we found out who
killed Tommy.”

Unable to resist, Parker reached out and took her hand, the
soft, silky warmth of her skin, the fragile feel of her slender wrist reminding
him of how perilously close she’d come to death. He gazed into her eyes,
struggling for the words to say, his heart kickboxing in his chest. “God, Brynn.
I thought for sure I’d lost you.”

“Yeah.” Her voice sounded rough. She squeezed his hand, her
luminous eyes on his. He battled back a rush of memories, not wanting to relive
the terror of hearing that deadly pop, of seeing her fall to the floor.

“I was scared,” she admitted. “When she pulled out that gun...I
didn’t see how we were going to survive.”

They nearly hadn’t.
She
nearly
hadn’t. And it was all his fault.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, his voice raw. “I should have figured
it out sooner.”

She tightened her grip on his hand. “You couldn’t have known
she was involved.”

“I knew something was off when you told me Hoffman was dead. It
didn’t make any sense.” But he’d been too slow, his mind too foggy to figure it
out. And as a result, Brynn had nearly died.

“What happened to her?” she asked.

“You don’t know?”

She shook her head. “No one’s told me anything yet.”

“She’s dead. Suicide by cop. She knew she couldn’t escape, so
she decided to die instead. That’s why she shot you. She knew that as soon as
she fired at you, they’d take her down.”

Brynn squeezed his hand, a myriad of emotions passing through
her eyes—relief, understanding, sympathy. “I’m sorry, Parker.”

He ran his thumb over her knuckles, his chest suddenly tight.
He knew what she meant. She wasn’t sorry that Lieutenant Lewis had died. She was
sorry that another officer had betrayed him. She understood how deep this cut,
undermining everything he’d once believed.

But had he acted any better toward her? He’d lied about his
relationship with her stepfather, destroying her trust—just when she’d needed
him most.

He had to plead for forgiveness. He needed to tell her he loved
her and ask for another chance. “Brynn,” he began. He swallowed hard, regrets
piling up inside. “I’m sorry. I never meant to deceive you. I mean, at first I
did. I didn’t know you. I thought you had something to do with Tommy’s death.
And Hoffman showed me your file.”

“It’s pretty convincing.”

He nodded, his throat dust-dry. “I didn’t know who to believe.
But I realized pretty fast that something was off. Those reports didn’t match
what I saw about you, the woman I was getting to know. And when I finally
figured it out, I didn’t want to hurt you. You’d already suffered too much. I
was trying to find a good time to tell to you. But I really did plan to tell you
the truth.”

“I believe you.”

A rush of relief spiraled through him. Declarations crowded his
throat—his hopes for their future, his need to stay with her forever,
his love.

But a sharp knock came from the door. Then Sergeant Delgado
strolled in, accompanied by several guards. Delgado’s gaze met his, and his
mouth kicked into a smile. “I figured I’d find you here.”

Parker frowned and released Brynn’s hand. Of all the people to
show up now... He gave him a reluctant nod. “Have you met Brynn?”

“Not officially.”

“This is Sergeant Delgado,” Parker told her.

The sergeant swaggered over to Brynn, an interested gleam in
his eyes, and clasped her hand. Parker’s eyes narrowed, his face heating when
Delgado didn’t let go. But the sergeant was in Don Juan mode, puffing out his
chest, flashing her the smile reputed to make women swoon.

Two seconds, Parker decided, working his jaw. And then he’d
wipe that smirk off his playboy face.

Brynn extracted her hand, then shot Parker a questioning look.
“He’s been working undercover,” he explained, wishing to hell he’d back off.

But Delgado cocked one hip and folded his arms across his
chest—to better display his biceps, Parker guessed. “One of our informants gave
us a tip,” Delgado told Brynn. “He said there were rumors that a senior officer
was involved with child pornography, but he didn’t know who it was. The trail
seemed to lead to Colonel Hoffman, but we didn’t have any proof. So internal
affairs sent me to the cold case squad, thinking I could monitor him better from
there.”

So Delgado hadn’t gotten his position through brownnosing.
Parker’s faith in the police force rose. “What the lieutenant said—that
something big was going on—any chance that’s true?”

Delgado switched his gaze to him. “Yeah, we think so, but we
don’t have any leads yet. We were trying to bring her in alive, to interrogate
her.” He shrugged. “About the only thing we know right now is that whoever this
mastermind is, he has power.”

Power?
“You mean like another
cop?”

“Maybe, but our sources are all tight-lipped. Whoever this guy
is, he’s got them running scared.” Delgado turned to Brynn again. “And until we
catch him, you’re in danger. As soon as the hospital discharges you, we want to
put you in protective custody.”

A startled look entered Brynn’s eyes. “You mean a safe
house?”

Delgado gave her a nod. “Probably some place out West. Wyoming,
maybe. Just until we figure out what’s going on.”

“But why would he want to kill me? My stepfather’s gone.
Lieutenant Lewis and her cousin are dead—and they’re the ones I saw in the
warehouse. I thought I was safe.”

To Delgado’s credit, sympathy filled his eyes. “I wish you
were. But someone ordered Lewis to kill you. Both of you. And this mastermind
appears to have a lot of influence, even within the police department. Until we
bring him in, we need to put you somewhere safe.”

But Brynn’s mouth turned flat. A stubborn look entered her
eyes. “I’m not hiding out again.”

“I know it sounds drastic,” Delgado said. “But—”

“No, absolutely not. I’m not going into hiding again.”

Parker caught his eye. “Listen, Sergeant. Give her some time to
think about it, okay? She just got out of surgery.”

“Fine. We’ll talk about it later.” He looked at Brynn again.
“We need another statement from you, too, but that can wait until you’re ready.”
He gave Parker a nod and left the room.

For a minute, neither spoke. Parker finally broke the silence
with a sigh. “As much as I hate to agree with Delgado, he’s right. This isn’t a
joke. They don’t put people into protective custody unless there’s a good
reason.”

“I don’t need to think about it. I’m not going.”

“Brynn—”

“Listen, Parker. I know you think I’m being unreasonable. But
I’ve spent most of my life on the run. Ever since I left home I’ve been hiding,
always looking over my shoulder, always worrying that Hoffman would catch up to
me. And when Tommy got shot it was even worse. I had to keep moving all the
time. When you showed up, it was the first time I’d allowed myself to do
anything even remotely permanent—to own a house, to have a garden, to have even
a hint of a normal life. And I can’t go back to hiding out again. I’m not going
to keep living in fear.”

“It’s only until they track this guy down.” He shifted forward,
taking hold of her hand again. “For God’s sake, Brynn. I couldn’t stand it if
something happened to you. That moment when Lieutenant Lewis shot you...” His
voice broke. A huge lump blocked his throat.

Her eyes softened, all trace of her temper gone. “I know,” she
whispered. “I felt the same way in the cabin when Hoffman shot you.”

“Then you can see why...”

“I can’t do it, Parker. It would kill me to hide again.” Her
gaze held his. “Are you going to do it?”

“I can’t. I need to stay here and help track him down.”

“Then you’re not quitting your job?”

“I thought about it,” he admitted. “First Hoffman, then
Lieutenant Lewis...”

She squeezed his hand. “I know how much that hurts.”

“Yeah.” Their betrayal hurt all right. Even after his father’s
arrest, he’d believed in the integrity of the force—an idealism he’d now lost
for good. He’d become more realistic over the past few days, more jaded. The
blinders he’d worn were gone.

“I might switch to internal affairs, though. There seems to be
a need for that.”

Her eyes warmed. “You make a wonderful knight in shining armor,
Parker McCall.”

“Hardly.” He’d nearly failed her. “But the bad guys are still
in the minority. Most cops are good.”

“Like Delgado.”

“Yeah.” He shook his head. Delgado had turned out to be one of
the good guys, even if he was still obnoxious as hell. “But the main thing is
that I can’t give up. You taught me that.”

“
I
did?” She looked surprised.

“Yeah. Your courage... You never gave up.”

“How can you say that? All I’ve ever done is run.”

“You survived. There’s a difference. And you stopped running
when people needed you. You risked everything to help them, even when no one
believed you. You’re the most courageous person I know.”