Tracked Through the Woods, page 17
It took almost twenty minutes to reach the Jeep. He paused, waiting for Abby and Peter to catch up, when he heard a rustling sound.
He turned, in time to see a man emerge from the brush. For the second time that night, his heart just about stopped in his chest.
A paunchy, bald guy stood holding a gun pointed directly at him, and it took him a moment to recognize Rex Jericho, the Chicago Chief of Police.
Another dirty cop!
SIXTEEN
The moment Wyatt stopped abruptly Abby knew something was wrong. Her dad had been moving slowly, so they were roughly twenty feet behind him. She quickly pulled her father deeper into the brush.
“Shh,” she whispered in her dad’s ear. “Trouble.”
He nodded and crouched behind a tree. She stood near him, straining to listen.
“What brings you here, Chief Jericho? You’re a little outside your jurisdiction, aren’t you? Chicago is a hundred and ninety miles from here.”
“Shut up,” a strange male voice snapped. “Where are the Millers? They were right behind you.”
“Peter Miller was injured by my former partner, Allan Trudeau. The cabin is crawling with cops. You’re not going to get away with this.”
“I told you to shut up!” The blatant panic in the police chief’s tone concerned her. Abby had been about to call Liam, but there wasn’t time. Unfortunately, she also didn’t have a weapon, as all the weapons had been taken as evidence.
She felt along the ground until she found a large rock. The angle wasn’t good, so she put a hand on her dad’s shoulder, silently warning him to stay down, as she moved sideways to find a better position.
“Where are the Millers?” Jericho shouted. “I want them here right now! I need to get rid of all three of you once and for all!”
“I don’t know, I told you the old man is hurt. They could be a half mile back for all I know.” Wyatt spoke calmly, the same way he had when facing off with his corrupt partner.
She knew he was vying for time. It wasn’t easy to pinpoint the chief’s location in the dark, but after two more steps she saw the barest hint of moonlight illuminating the back of his bald head.
Without hesitation, she brought her arm back and threw the rock at him with as much force as she could muster.
Thwack! It struck him on the back of his head. The man grunted and stumbled forward. Wyatt sprang at him, yanking the gun from his hands and then wrenching his arm up behind his back.
Abby ran forward. “Are you okay?”
“I’m great, thanks to you.” Wyatt smiled, then turned his attention to his prisoner. “How nice of you to bring your own handcuffs.” Wyatt pulled them from the cop’s belt and quickly shackled his wrists together. Then he took Jericho’s gun and placed it in his holster and patted the guy’s legs.
“What are you doing?” Abby asked.
“Making sure he doesn’t have a backup weapon. Like this one.” Wyatt pulled a small revolver from an ankle holster.
“Glad you thought of that.” She stared down at the man for a moment. Abby was shocked she’d hit her target. At best, she’d hoped to distract him long enough for Wyatt to disarm him.
The man groaned again but didn’t move.
“Nice arm, Abby. You should be playing on a woman’s softball team.” Wyatt glanced up at her. “Where’s your dad?”
“Here.” Peter came up behind her. She reached out to put a hand on his arm. “I had no idea the Chicago police chief was involved in this.”
“Yeah, I had suspected a few dirty cops, but not him.” Wyatt rolled the chief over on his back. The man’s eyes were closed, but Abby was relieved to note he was still breathing. “Jericho was brought in as chief ten years ago. When I joined the FBI, we noticed an uptick of organized crime, and wondered what was going on.” He scowled at the man on the ground. “Now we know.”
“Jericho must have been working with your partner.” Abby was still trying to wrap her mind around the entire situation.
“Yeah, and Jericho must have been the one in a position of power,” Wyatt agreed thoughtfully. “It seems to me that Jericho stayed hidden, forcing Trudeau do the dirty work. And only when he’d failed, decided to take matters into his own hands.”
“Why didn’t he just run?” Abby asked. “If he’d disappeared, he probably would have gotten away with it.”
Just then, the chief’s radio squawked. Abby couldn’t believe when she heard Liam’s voice come through the speaker asking for an update on the crime scene techs’ arrival. That was when she understood. “Jericho was listening in the whole time?”
Wyatt nodded. “Appears so. He knew Trudeau wasn’t dead and must have been worried the truth would come out.”
Abby blew out a sigh. “And that’s how he avoided being caught by the deputies that cleared the area.”
“Exactly.” Wyatt reached down to take the radio. He used it to respond. “Liam? We have the Chicago chief of police, Rex Jericho, here in handcuffs. He pulled a gun on me and threatened to kill all three of us.”
There was a pause, before Liam asked, “Where are you?”
“I don’t have the exact coordinates, but we’re roughly a mile northeast of the cabin,” Wyatt said. “I’ll turn on the Jeep headlights so you can find us.”
“Roger that. Be there soon,” Liam said.
“Unlock the Jeep, Wyatt,” she said. “My dad should sit down for a bit.”
“You got it.” Wyatt dug out the key fob and unlocked the car. He stared down at the chief. “I’m surprised he didn’t have backup with him.”
Abby glanced around worriedly. “Let’s hope he doesn’t.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. If there had been anyone here, they’d have shown themselves by now,” Wyatt hastened to reassure her. “It just struck me that he must have been handling things at a higher level to ensure the Marchese and Raffa families were able to get away with their crimes.”
“You think there could be more dirty cops involved?” Abby asked.
“I think there must be.” Wyatt sighed, then opened the driver’s-side door and slid behind the wheel. He powered the Jeep’s engine, the headlights shining brightly in the night. “Liam will find us easily enough now,” he joked.
“Yes, he will.” She shut the door, huddling in the back seat beside her father. Their nightmare was over. Granted, there would be a cleanup among the ranks as the chief was arrested and prosecuted, along with Allan Trudeau from the FBI, but that wouldn’t involve her or her father.
“Hang on, I think that might be Liam and a few of his deputies.” Wyatt shot a reassuring glance at her, then slid out of the Jeep. “Stay inside where it’s warm, okay?”
“Thanks.” Her chest tightened as she realized this might be her last few hours with Wyatt. Sometime tomorrow, maybe after they spoke with Liam, he’d have to head back to Chicago to meet with his boss about Trudeau and the police chief. She had to assume Wyatt would be busy uncovering the extent of corruption that had infiltrated both law enforcement agencies.
Leaving her and her father to resume and rebuild their lives.
A wave of sadness hit hard. She didn’t want things to end this way. Yet the idea of going to Chicago did not appeal to her in the least.
No, she wanted to stay in Green Lake, close to her sister, Rachel. It felt nice to know she could settle in one spot rather than constantly being on the move.
She wasn’t worried about finding a job at a restaurant, although she didn’t want to work as a server or even as a cook forever.
“What’s wrong, Abbs?” Her father used her nickname as he reached for her hand. “You look sad.”
“Oh, I’m not.” She forced a smile. “I’m glad we found you, and that the dirty FBI agent and police of chief won’t cause any more trouble.”
“I feel bad for thinking Wyatt Kane set me up,” her dad acknowledged. “I’m glad he was helping to keep you safe.”
“He was amazing.” She spoke softly, even though Wyatt was outside talking with Liam. “I wouldn’t be here if not for him.”
“Seems like you did your part in saving Wyatt, and me, too,” her dad pointed out. “I’m proud of you, Abbs.”
“Thanks.” She told herself it was enough to know she and her dad were safe and together at last.
Still, she watched Wyatt, her heart yearning for something she could never have.
* * *
“This night keeps getting more and more interesting,” Liam said dryly. “First a dirty agent, then a dirty chief of police. Are you sure there aren’t any politicians involved?”
“No, I’m not,” Wyatt said honestly. “But you can be certain my boss and those higher in the Bureau will be looking under every rock we can find to make sure no one else is involved.”
“You did great work here, tonight,” Liam said in a more serious tone. “If you ever decide to make a career change, we’d be happy to have you as part of our team. Abby, too. I plan to talk to her more tomorrow, see what her thoughts are about the future.”
“I’m glad you’re considering Abby. She gets the credit for taking Jericho out with a rock.” Wyatt stared thoughtfully at Liam. “I hadn’t thought about working as a local law enforcement officer.”
“Hey, I get it.” Liam raised a hand. “You’re way overqualified to be a deputy. I just happen to have two men who are retiring at the end of the year and figured I’d mention it. No pressure, I will certainly understand if you’d rather stay where you are.”
“I’m honored,” he admitted, his thoughts whirling. He’d mistakenly blamed his boss for being the leak, but discovering his own partner had tried to kill him was just as bad. He’d always planned to have a career within the Bureau the way his father had, but it was difficult to imagine going back and picking up where he’d left off. “Will you give me some time to think about it?”
Liam looked surprised. “Of course.”
“Thanks.” He glanced at the Jeep, unable to see Abby and her father because of the headlights shining so brightly, but he was sure they would not be interested in heading back to Chicago, either. Abby had mentioned her intent to stick around Green Lake to be closer to her sister. Peter would want to do the same. “I’ll see you later, okay?”
“I’ll call you,” Liam said. He and Garrett had hauled Chief Jericho to his feet. The man swayed a bit, but was awake, his gaze darting from Liam and Garrett back to Wyatt.
“You don’t have anything on me,” the chief protested.
“We have you threatening to shoot a federal agent and two civilians,” Wyatt corrected. He wasn’t in the mood for dealing with the dirty cop. “Get him out of here, Liam. I’m too tired for this.”
“Let’s go.” Liam tugged on the chief’s arm. “I’m sure you know your rights, but I’ll tell you them anyway.” As Liam recited the Miranda warning, Wyatt turned and climbed back into the Jeep. He let out a sigh of relief, then glanced over his shoulder at Abby and Peter.
“Ready to get out of here?”
“Yes, please,” Abby said wearily.
“Me, too,” Peter agreed.
“Let’s do it.” He put the Jeep in gear and pulled out of the hiding spot, navigating the uneven terrain to reach the road.
The trip back to the hotel didn’t take too long. His passengers in the back were silent, and he was glad to see Peter was sleeping.
Once they were close to Appleton, he searched for a fast-food restaurant. Despite it being five in the morning, he was pleasantly surprised to find a place with lights on and an Open sign in the window.
“I’ll order breakfast sandwiches and coffee for each of us, okay?” Wyatt asked softly.
“Yes, that would be great,” Abby whispered back.
He purchased the meals, then drove straight to the hotel.
Peter lifted his head, sniffing the air. “I smell something great.”
“Nothing fancy,” Wyatt warned. “But it should take the edge off your hunger.” He parked in front of the hotel and pushed out of the driver’s side, carefully balancing the three coffees and bag of food.
“Thank you, Wyatt.” Peter’s tone was sincere as he took the coffee cup tray from him. “I owe you more than I can ever repay.”
“Hey, this isn’t your fault,” Wyatt protested. He pulled out the key and unlocked the door. “Abby proved to be a great partner, and she would not rest until we’d found you.”
“We were a great team,” Abby agreed. She turned on the lights as he set down the bag of food. The room was cramped with the three of them, but they made it work.
Wyatt wanted nothing more than to talk to Abby alone, but of course, this wasn’t the time or place. He unpacked the sandwiches as Peter set the coffee cups around the table.
“Wyatt? I’d like to say grace.” Abby reached for her dad’s hand, then took his, too. “Dear Lord Jesus, we thank You for protecting us and keeping us safe. We are humbly grateful to be here, eating this food You have provided. Bless us, Lord. Amen.”
“Amen,” Wyatt and Peter echoed. Glancing at Peter, he could see the man’s eyes were suspiciously moist.
“That was beautiful, Abby,” Peter murmured. “The entire time I was being held at gunpoint, I knew I was wrong to give up my faith.”
“Wyatt helped bring me back to God,” Abby said. Her gaze shifted from her father to his. “I know you would have sacrificed your life for me, Wyatt.”
It was a statement, not a question, but he nodded. “Yes, of course. I couldn’t believe it when you shot Trudeau. I was hoping you were far away from the cabin.”
“So was I,” Peter said dryly.
“I wasn’t going to leave either of you.” Abby smiled at her father, then added, “I knew Wyatt would do everything possible to save you, Dad. He is by far the most honorable man I’ve ever met.”
“I wanted to save both of you,” he corrected, even though his heart soared at her words. “I’m glad I was able to be there for you, Abby. And to help find you, Peter.”
Peter’s gaze shifted from him to Abby in a way that made Wyatt realize his feelings were probably clear to the older man. But Abby’s father didn’t say anything more, digging into his sandwich with gusto.
For a long moment they simply enjoyed the food, then Abby broke the silence. “What was that Liam said about a job? Yes, I was eavesdropping, but couldn’t hear much.”
He took a sip of his coffee, then set it down. “I told him he should consider hiring you as a deputy. I know you’ll have to take the entrance exam, and go through the academy, but I’ll help you study if that is something you’re interested in. Honestly, Abby, I think you’d make a great cop.”
“Me?” Her eyes widened. “That’s not possible, I only have a GED.”
“Anything is possible. You proved that over these past few days,” he said. “And trust me, you’re smarter than you’re giving yourself credit for.”
She still looked perplexed. “I thought Liam offered you a job.”
He shifted in his seat, then nodded. “He did, yes. Apparently, he has two deputies who are retiring at the end of the year.”
She eyed him over the rim of her cup. “But you’re an FBI agent. I’m sure you’re headed back to Chicago, right?”
“Wrong.” In that second, he made up his mind. “I don’t want to stay in the Bureau. I’m going to take Liam up on his offer. But my future depends on you, Abby.” He glanced at her dad, then added, “I know the timing isn’t great, but one thing this experience has taught me is that life is short. I care for you, Abby. Deeply. More than just care. I want to explore a relationship with you. I don’t want to be far away from you, and I don’t think either of you want to live in Chicago.”
“I’ll go wherever Abby wants, but not until I get a chance to visit my daughter, Rachel,” Peter spoke up. “If she wants to see me, that is. I’ve been banished and shunned by the Amish, so she may not want to.”
“She does, Dad,” Abby quickly interjected. “Although I don’t know all the Amish rules, I know Rachel wants to know you’re okay. Even if it’s only a brief meeting.”
“That’s good to hear.” Peter smiled, ate the last bite of his sandwich, then added, “Sounds like you two need some time alone.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin, rose and took his cup of coffee in the other room.
Wyatt wasn’t going to waste a second of the privacy Peter had wisely given him. “I love you, Abby. I know you may not feel the same way as I do—we haven’t known each other for long, but I hope you’ll give me a chance to show you how much I care. I will go wherever you want, just as long as we’re together.”
She eyed him for a long moment. “I love you, too, Wyatt. I’m not sure how it happened so quickly, and I never imagined you felt the same way. Are you sure about this? I have nothing to offer you, except my heart.”
“I would gladly take your heart, and your love, and your everything.” His heart soared at her words. He stood and drew her to her feet. “I don’t need anything but you, Abby. Only you.”
She went up on her tiptoes to kiss him, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. Things were happening fast, yet despite the short time frame, he knew Abby better than he’d known Emma.
Abby was twice the woman Emma was. She had risked her life for him. And for her father.
The way he would have sacrificed himself for the two of them, as well.
When she broke off their kiss, it took a moment for his head to clear. “I love you so much, Abby. And if you don’t want to be a cop, that’s fine. I just wanted you to know you had options. Choices.” He searched her blue eyes, hoping he hadn’t pushed too hard. “You’re so strong I know you can do anything you set your mind to.”
She smiled. “I may have been called stubborn a time or two,” she teased. Then her expression turned serious. “Your faith in me is humbling, Wyatt.”
