Sin (The Waite Family) (32 page)

“Yeah, I know.
Don’t move around.
You are going to owe me big time for this. I’m going to want you tied to my bed for a week.
And don’t think
that pretty ass of your
s
i
s
going to not feel the slap of my belt either.”
She could hear him panting as hard as she was.
“Christ
,
I want to fuck you right now.”

She knew what he was doing.
He was doing for both of
them
.
Trying to get them to think about anything but what they were about to do. She
,
and possibly
he
,
w
as
going to kill someone.
She was used to pulling the trigger, but he wasn’t as seasoned at it as she was.

“Payton, please don’t do this now. Damn it
,
my nipples are aching right now.”
She laughed when he growled.
“Behave. And be safe or
,
so help me
,
I’ll be the one hurting your ass in the bedroom.”

His laughter was still echoing in her ears when she closed the connection.
She slipped between two cars
,
took off her lime green jacket
,
and stuffed it under the car next to her
to reveal her black long sleeved shirt. She pulled a black skull cap down over her face that covered her all the way to her chin.
It was just after seven o’clock in the morning and just dark enough that she hoped she wouldn’t be noticed.

Sin saw the doors open of the car about thirty feet away from her and an older woman step
ped
out.
A man got out of the back seat just behind her.
Sin looked at the picture again to be
sure
she
had
the right person and confirmed it was
Mrs.
Cooperider.

Sin waited for the next call and thought about the one she’d made to Caitlynne Grant on the way over here. She was one pissed off cop.
And Sin found she kinda liked the woman for that.

“I don’t like being in the dark about shit going on in my city, Miss Waite.” Her voice had been barely civil and held a great deal of pissed-offness.

“You’re not in the d
ark. I’m telling you right now. I haven’t killed anyone…yet. There may or may not be a shooting in the lot of the mall and I would very much appreciate it if you’d keep your cops away in the near future.”

Sin could hear the woman counting and nearly
laughed at her
, b
ut caught herself. She didn’t think the woman would appreciate it much and would probably order her shot on
sight
if she did.

“May or may not doesn’t…what the fuck i
s
going on?
And why am I just now—I have someone at my door at six-thirty.
Could
you have
anything to do with that?”

“Yes
,
ma’am. I
thought
you might like the story better coming from the one who is in charge of it.”
Sin was glad she’d called David first.
“
His name is David Patterson and he’s going to explain to you what is going on.”

Sin listened to the exchange between the two of them.
David, ever the diplomat
,
was polite and cordial.
Sin probably would have shot the woman or tied her up and left her there until the mission was complete.
But hearing her take a strip of hide off David made her think Captain Grant would have shot first.

“All right
,
Waite,”
s
he said as she came back on the line.
“I’m going to keep my cruisers away
,
but I swear to Christ
,
if a civilian so much as gets a hangnail from this I’m hauling your ass in on every charge I can come up with.”

Sin hung up.
She was only
concerned
about on
e
civ
ilian getting hurt and he was just now getting out of his car.

~~~

Coop couldn’t see Sydney
,
which he supposed was the point.
He looked at his mom then and nearly leapt toward her.

“Don’t move or she’s dead. Are you armed
?
” Wickett asked.

Coop nodded.
Sydney told him to be armed and not to lie when asked.
Some people would do the stupidest things when stressed and maybe Wickett was just dumb enough not to check.

“Good boy.
Throw you
r
piece toward the grassy area.
Then I want you to cross your arms over your chest where I can see your fingers.”

Coop took the Glock out of the back of his pants by two fingers.
He glanced to his left to throw the
gun and nearly bobbled it.
Sydney was laying there
,
flat as the ground. Fuck.
He tossed the gun more toward her fee
t
and was glad when it didn’t hit her.

Coop looked back at his mom.
She’d been beaten. Her lip was bloodie
d
and he could just make out her blackening eye.
But
she stood
proudly
before
the
man who was hiding behind her.

“You okay
,
M
om?”

He saw a ghost of a smile before her lip thinned out in apparent anger.
“H
e
shot your sister in the leg. I
hope
you
know
I’m not happy with you for disobeying me
,
young man.
”

“No
,
ma’am. I know you’re not. But I have it under control.” At least he hoped he did.

Wickett laughed. “How touching.
You got nothing under control
,
you son of a bitch.
Walk toward me slowly or I blow a hole in your momm
y’
s head.”

“You’ll tell me
why
first,
” Coop
said suddenly.
He had to stall. Sydney couldn’t move on Wickett until she heard from Shipley.

They weren’t sure if he moved Shaller again before he’d left the hotel. And they didn’t want to take the chance of her dying without medical care.
Coop looked at his mother and wondered just how badly Shaller had been hurt.

“Why?
You mean other than the fact that you fucked up my plans for my future? Shit
,
Cooperider, you’ve done nothing but be a goody
-
two
-
shoes since I met you.”
Wickett shook Coop
’
s mom hard as he continued.
“Why the fuck couldn’t you
have
just been a rich dick and stayed out of my way?
Damn it
,
you should have died that night.
That bullet I put in your gut should have—
”

“You shot my son?”
Coop couldn’t believe how quickly his mother turned on Wickett.
“He almost died
,
you asshole.”

“Mom,” Coop tried.

“Don’t you ‘mom’ me
,
Payton Riley Cooperider. I’m the one who sat next to your bed day and night while this man—
”

“Shut up,” Wickett said as he drew back to hit her.

Coop started forward
,
but Sydney was suddenly there. “Don’t fucking move.” Sydney had a gun to his temple as she wrapped her other arm around his throat.

Her sudden
“
down
”
had Coop lunging for his mother and pulling her beneath him.
He felt something hard spray along his back. Shots were being fired.
He put his hand over his mom’s face.

What seem
ed
an eternity but was probably only a few seconds
,
Coop heard a body drop beside him.
The sun was just up enough w
h
ere he could see
Wickett’s body lying in a pool of blood.
Since he couldn’t see Sydney he started to rise when she said
“
don’t
”
beside his head. He’d not even heard her move.

“I think I got him,” she whispered.
“But I can’t be sure. Call the troops. Tell Grant that there was another shooter in the CPA’s office across the street from the mall.
Tell her one dead bad guy. That should make her happy.”

Coop turned to look at her. There was blood all over her shirt.

“It’s not mine
,” she told him quietly.

“My daughter,” his mom whispered while Coop called the number he’d been given at the house.
“Is she…that hotel we were at was guarded. We have to get to her
.
S
he’s been hurt badly.”

“Your daughter is on
t
he way to the hospital. A friend of mine…he made sure s
he
w
as safe before he called me.” Sydney moved over and put her mouth close to his when he closed the phone.
“Kiss me please
,
Payton. I’ve had a shitty day so far.”

He’d never been so happy to kiss anyone in his life.
But it wasn’t near long enough. They could hear the sirens in the background getting closer.

As they loaded his mom in the ambulance Coop
tried
to keep his eye on Sydney. She was talking to Captain Grant. Well, she was listening to Captain Grant. She was doing all the talking, loudly as a matter of fact.
Sydney just kept grinning. Coop wasn’t sure
,
but he thought that might have been pissing the captain off more.