Protective Custody (16 page)

And her phone, which was still connected to whoever she'd been talking to. Nick swiped that, too.

Cops and paramedics flooded into the room, and, with relief, Nick motioned toward Mason.

In all of the chaos, Nick slipped through the crowd before someone could grab him and headed for the elevator.

He knew exactly how Wayne planned to get out of the building.

Down the stairs, through the basement, to the outside door.

He swept toward the stairwell and shoved the door open. Let it close behind him. Shutting his eyes, he listened.

And heard the faint sound of receding footsteps.

They were going down, just like he figured. Into the phone, he whispered, “Go to the outside basement door. They'll be coming out there.”

“Who is this?” the voice barked.

“Judge Nicholas Floyd. I was in the chambers with Deputy Marshal Carly Masterson and Judge Wayne Thomas. He's taken her hostage.”

“We know. We heard.”

“There's a basement. I heard them in the stairs just a short time ago. I believe he's heading for the basement exit.”

“We'll have it covered. Where are you?”

“Following them.”

C
arly shrugged against the hard hand gripping her upper arm and got nowhere. Sure, she could use some self-defense moves, but there was no guarantee she would get in a good kick before he pulled the trigger.

“So, what are you going to do when you get out of here and after you kill me?”

“Shut up.”

“Oh, come on, what's it going to hurt to tell me?” She stumbled down the next flight of stairs and felt the nose of the gun dig into her back. Held at gunpoint twice in one day.

A new record for her.

Wayne stopped her at the door and looked at her. “It won't take much to procure a new identity. Disappearing will be easy.”

“That's why you didn't bother to kill Nick back there. You're already planning to go underground.”

“Before this day is over, my name will be mud. I'll be a wanted man. Killing Nick's not going to change that.”

“Or killing me.”

Another pause. “I don't want to kill you.” He shoved her toward the door and said, “Open it.”

She didn't move.

Another jab with the gun. Hard enough to leave a bruise. She winced.

His voice came closer to her left ear. “Open the door. I don't want to kill you…but I will without hesitating if I need to.”

Carly shuddered and placed a hand on the door. She knew he was serious, and for a moment she wondered where she would spend eternity should the unthinkable happen.

She believed in God, had loved Him and wanted His will for her life for a long time. When Hank had died, the faith she'd thought was so strong had crumbled like dust.

And she'd hardened her heart and blamed God.

But Nick hadn't blamed her for the disappearance of Christopher. And he hadn't turned his back on the God who hadn't stopped his wife and sister from dying.

She knew now that God wasn't to blame after all. Death was a consequence of man's disobedience. Maybe Nick was right and bad things just happened because it was a fallen world that had turned its back on God.

Just like she'd done.

Grief hit her all at once, and although she'd made the decision to choose to believe again earlier, the realization of what she'd nearly done to her life, to her spiritual well-being, almost sent her to her knees.

I'm sorry, God. I was wrong. I'm sorry. Please forgive me.

The gun jabbed harder into her lower back, and she gasped. Leaning against the door, she gave it a push. It swung open slightly. Alarm bells rang, but Wayne didn't seem that concerned. Of course, he would have known opening the door would do that. She took a step toward the opening. His grip on her arm yanked her back inside. “What are you doing?”

“Not that way. Nick would have told them to have that door covered. Now we go back up.”

A chill swept over Carly. Would the authorities fall for that little trick?

A voice through a bullhorn sounded just over the ringing door. “Wayne Thomas, this is the Spartanburg County Police Department. You are surrounded. Throw your weapon out.”

Back up the steps they went, the captain's voice fading as they climbed. “Where are we going?”

“You'll see. Just keep climbing. Two more flights.”

“The parking garage.”

“You're quick, I'll give you that.”

“They'll have cops all over it, Wayne.”

“Not the part I'm going for.”

What part could he possibly be talking about? She ran through the layout in her mind, but couldn't figure it out. It didn't matter. She didn't plan on letting him get that far anyway.

Now he was behind her. Her mind flashed through possible escape moves. A sound from above reached her ears, and she almost stopped to listen. Instead, she kept going, wondering if someone had figured out what Wayne had planned. She was almost to the parking-garage level. If she was going to act, she needed to do it soon.

“Stop there. Did you hear something?”

“Just you,” she lied. There was no way she was going to tip him off if help was just above her.

He snorted. “Right.”

Three more steps and she'd be on the landing. But she needed him closer.
Just one more step, Wayne.
“So, are we going to stand here all day?”

“Shut up and let me listen.”

“There's nothing up there…”

She felt him move up one more step, shut her mouth and lashed back with her elbow.

A choking, strangling cry met her efforts, and she whirled to see him grab his throat. The gun clattered to the steps and bounced down to the landing below them. Carly held her breath, waiting for the thing to go off and send a bullet flying in a direction she couldn't guess.

When it landed without discharging, she breathed a sigh of relief. She started to go after the weapon, but Wayne was already scrambling back down to retrieve it.

Flight was her only option. Pushing herself up the next flight of stairs, she aimed for where she knew help would be.

“Come back here, Carly! I let your friend live because you said you would get me out of here. Now get back here!”

The man was losing it.

She kept going. Heard him closing in behind her. Her head throbbed in the place where Debbie had pistol-whipped her, but she ignored it and pushed on.

Then Nick was there at the top of the landing.

Wayne thundered behind her.

“Nick, he's got a gun. Get out of sight,” she panted.

His eyes flicked over her and revealed pure relief at the fact she was in one piece. Then they hardened and he said, “Be ready to move fast.”

“Wha—?”

Then he was a blur, diving past her as Wayne rounded the landing and hit the steps just below her.

Flesh struck flesh and the two men went down, crashing to the floor. Carly blinked and heard a fist connect, followed by a groan and a spurt of blood. Whose, she didn't know, but kept her eye out for the gun.

Nick's arm came back and crashed down. Wayne
hollered and rolled, thumping down the flight of stairs he'd just come up moments before.

Carly raced after him, but once again Nick beat her there. Wayne reached for the gun that had flown from his hand and landed next to the wall.

Nick grabbed for it at the same time and two desperate hands covered it, fought for it.

Wayne pulled Nick off balance, and Nick landed on his former friend with a grunt.

The gun went off next to her left ear, the explosion blasting in the enclosed area. For a brief moment Carly was deafened.

“Nick!” she called.

Blood seeped from between the two men. Fear drummed through her, and with one eye on Wayne, she grabbed for Nick.

He rolled off, fresh blood staining his once pristine white shirt.

At first she thought he was dead but then realized his chest was heaving with the effort to breathe.

Wayne's chest was still. It looked like a bullet had cut a path through his heart that would beat no more. The weapon rested on the floor beside him. She shoved it out of grabbing distance just in case.

A hand on her shoulder made her jump, and she turned to see Nick sitting up and asking her something. She couldn't hear him. Turning her head, she listened with her right ear. “What?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she gulped. “I'm fine. What about you?”

He nodded. “I just want a shower and a change of clothes. And I want to kiss you and tell you everything that's going on inside me.”

She gave a small smile. “I think that can be arranged.”

 

Wayne was dead. Debbie was in custody, and Christopher's grin hadn't left his face since he saw his uncle. When Nick walked out of the courthouse, Catelyn and Ian had been waiting with Christopher. The little boy had thrown himself into his uncle's arms, and Carly had wept at the sweet reunion. Ian had held Carly and let her cry.

Then the two of them got swept along in the aftermath. The paperwork had started for her, and the trial had gotten underway for Nick. She hadn't seen him since, except for brief snatches she managed to get each night on the news as he left the courthouse.

Yesterday, Nick had called and asked her to meet him at Lake Bowen Fish Camp. The trial was over, and de Lugo had been found guilty. Relief like nothing she'd ever felt flowed through her. She'd recused herself from the assignment, as she felt like protecting him had become a conflict of interest for her.

But it was hard putting his safety into other hands. Plus, she missed him.

She loved him.

And she told herself that it wasn't possible. How had she grown to love a man in such a short amount of time?

But there wasn't a doubt in her mind that she did.

And now the case was over. And so was her discontent. Holding onto her anger with Nick and God had just been her way of grieving at first, then quite possibly had become a comfortable habit. But thanks to Nick and his steady faith, Carly had made peace with God and Hank's death. No, it wasn't fair and it made her want to cry from missing him, but acknowledging that it wasn't Nick's fault—or God's—had gone a long way in healing her heart.

She pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and saw that his car was already there. Joy at the thought of
spending time with him lifted her nearly off her feet as she glided through the door. From a booth in the back, he waved at her.

He looked
good.

As she walked toward him, he stood and hesitantly wrapped her in a hug when she got near enough. She slid her arms around his waist and snuggled next to his heart.

When he pulled away and looked down at her, she could tell he had something pressing on his mind.

“I know it's only been a couple of weeks,” Nick said, clearing his throat and shuffling his feet. He slid back into the booth, pulling her in next to him. “But?”

He took her hand and smiled down at her. “At the safe house, you told me I wasn't crazy when I said I thought we…um…”

“Had feelings for each other?”

He flushed. “Yeah. I'm out of practice with all of this, but I'm…falling in love with you, Carly.” He swallowed hard. Her heart fluttered in her chest like a trapped butterfly.

He touched her hand, and she looked up at him. His eyes met hers. “Two weeks ago, when all of the danger was going on and I was going crazy feeling like I was being pulled in a hundred different directions…” He trailed off, and she waited. “You—and God—kept the insanity at bay. You were the calm in my storm. I needed that. I needed you.” He traced her eyebrow with his forefinger, and Carly let her eyes drift shut.

Then she opened them and smiled. “I think we did that for each other. I seem to remember a meltdown or two of my own.” She paused. “And you turned to the only one that could really do anything about the situation. I loved that about you.”

His eyes warmed, and he looked wistful. “Is that all you love about me?”

She felt the heat rise into her cheeks. “No, but I need some feedback here.”

“How do you feel about the kids?”

“I'm very fond of them,” she said without hesitation. “I would even go so far as to say I've come to love them. We all went through a lot together—that bonds people in a way that just hanging out doesn't compare with. And they're easy kids to love.”

He gave a faint smile. “Yes, they squirmed right into my heart the minute I learned of their impending births.”

“So, what's the problem?”

Nick blew out a sigh. “I guess I'm afraid.”

Not expecting that one, she felt thrown off. “You? Of what?”

Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he pulled her to him and planted a kiss on top of her head. “That I'll lose you. That the kids will come to love you and look at you as a mother figure, and then—we'll lose you.”

Anger stirred, but she pushed it back. She didn't want to be angry. She wanted to know where she stood with him. What he was feeling. “So, you're saying you don't want to take a chance on us?”

“No. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying I'm scared and I need reassurance—and I'm not sure what to do about that because I've never really been in this situation before. Never really thought it would be an issue. Then you came back into my life, and…here we are.”

Carly thought for a moment, wracking her brain for the right words. Sucking in a deep breath then exhaling on a prayer, she said, “Nick, I don't know what to tell you. But do you know what my quiet time this morning was?”

“Quiet time?” Surprise lifted his brow.

“Yes.” She nudged him in the rib with an elbow. “Since I've chosen to follow God, I figured I'd better spend time with Him to get reacquainted with Him.”

This time he pulled her into a fierce hug. “I'm so glad you and God got that worked out.”

“Me, too.” She stroked his cheek. He hadn't shaved this morning, and his whiskers scratched her palm, sending shivers up her arm. “Anyway, as I was saying, I was reading in Philippians this morning and came across a very interesting verse.”

“Philippians?”

“Chapter 4, verse 6. Are you familiar with it?”

His brow furrowed. “I don't recognize the reference right off. What does it say?”

“‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.'”

He was silent for a moment then gave a low chuckle. “And you memorized it.”

“Because I was a little anxious about that talk you mentioned you wanted to have.” She reached out and squeezed his fingers.

Taking a deep breath, she said, “I'll be honest. I want to be with you, to encourage you and to be there during the good times and bad, but I'm not living my life being afraid. I've just found some peace and security in God, and I'm going to trust Him with my future. Hopefully, that future includes you and the children.”

He smiled down at her.