Love Inspired Suspense September 2015 #2, page 46
Max rose from his chair and gave Brian a hefty pat on the back. “Thanks, man.”
Brian nodded toward Sydney and walked out.
“I can see your mind racing,” Max said as he turned to Sydney.
She stood up. “This is far too dangerous, sending him in there like that to face Jones and his East River thugs.”
“He’ll be fine. It’s not his first undercover job.” He walked over to her. “This is our best shot at getting the evidence to tie Diaz to Jones. We have no other choice. We have to start being proactive instead of reactive.”
“I’m assuming you’re not going to say anything to Elena about this?”
“Absolutely not. I think she’s on our side, but I’m not willing to risk Brian’s life on that assumption.”
“What about your own safety?”
He grabbed her hands, sending a shiver down her arms.
“Don’t worry about me,” he said softly. “My job is to worry about you.”
“I can’t help but worry.” She took a deep breath as Max took a step closer to her.
Then Max’s phone buzzed—and the moment ended almost before it began.
*
Max was playing with fire.
If his phone hadn’t rung the night before, he had been very close to wrapping his arms around Sydney. Too close. Even though his brain told him it was an absolutely awful idea, his heart was saying otherwise. He couldn’t handle these emotions that were completely foreign to him.
All day he’d tried to put any thought of being more than friends with Sydney out of his mind. Time had passed slowly as he’d done his best to keep his distance from her. The house was large enough for that not to be a big deal.
Now he was on edge as he waited for Brian to return to the house. Brian had been cryptic over the phone, but things sounded as though they were a go for the undercover operation.
“Hey.” Sydney walked into the kitchen with a smile that punched him in the gut. He took a deep breath and focused on the case.
“Brian is on his way. I think we’ll probably be moving on the operation tonight.”
Her brown eyes widened. “What will you need me to do?”
“We’ll figure that out once Brian gets here. But I can guarantee I’m not going to do anything to put you in the line of fire.”
She placed one hand on her hip. “I’m not so fragile, you know.”
“Believe me, you’ve shown yourself to be anything but fragile. But these guys are out for blood. Your blood specifically, and I have to make sure that they don’t get close enough to spill any.”
He heard the door open signaling Brian’s arrival.
“Hey, Sydney.” Brian smiled at her as he walked into the kitchen.
“Where do we stand?” Max asked.
Brian took a seat and motioned for them to do the same. “We have a confidential informant who works at the bank where some of the East River money is being funneled. The CI is going to be meeting with Lucas tonight after hours to discuss some money flow issues. The CI won’t know that I’m FBI, but I’ll still be able to use the CI to get into the meeting.”
“How?” she asked.
“I’m going to track the CI, and before he goes in the meeting I’ll make sure he knows that he has to take me with him. By force if necessary.”
“Why not just tell him who you are?” she asked.
“No need to risk it. It’ll work out better if he thinks I’m on the dark side like Lucas Jones. Don’t worry, I know my cover. It’s one I’ve done numerous times before.”
“What bank?”
“Tenth Street Bank downtown.” Brian paused. “And I can handle this, Max. I don’t want you to get too close. We’ve both done ops like this before. This one will be no different.”
“If the meeting goes too long, you know I’ll come for you.”
Brian nodded. “But you have to give me a lot of time and leeway. I’m not exactly sure what will transpire once I get inside that bank with the CI.”
“Understood. But I’ll still be there, regardless. How long do you want me to give you?”
“Two hours.”
Max let out a breath. “Okay. But I would prefer if it was shorter.”
“I don’t want to work under that type of pressure, knowing you could bust in at any moment. This may be our only chance for me to try to get in with Lucas.”
“And what did you tell your boss?” Max asked. “Are you still working for Tom?”
“Yeah. I told him that I was going to do an off-the-books undercover operation and that he needed to trust me. In the twelve years I’ve worked for him I’ve never made a request like that, so he understood that it had to be something big, and he didn’t ask any questions. Just told me to be careful and that I couldn’t expect FBI backup. Which I told him I fully understood.”
“Once again, I appreciate you sticking your neck out,” Max said.
“You’d do the same for me. We leave in an hour,” Brian said. “But make sure you give me plenty of room to operate.”
“I’ve got your back.” Max only hoped that he wouldn’t need to act.
*
“I’m glad you realized that I needed to come along with you,” Sydney said.
“I don’t trust anyone besides Brian, and I wasn’t about to leave you completely by yourself. Given my reservations about Elena, I just feel better having you with me.”
Sydney had been relieved she hadn’t had to fight him on it. She felt so much safer being by his side. And she prayed for Brian’s safety as he got ready to go to the meeting.
They sat in the car parked a block down from the bank in metered parking. She clutched her hands in her lap. It was nighttime, but the bright downtown streetlights illuminated the area.
“There,” Max said. “Rounding the corner is Brian and the confidential informant. They’re about to go in the bank.”
“I wonder where Brian found him.”
“He has his ways. I told you he’s good.”
“Is Lucas already inside?” she asked. Her hands were clammy in anticipation.
“No. Since it’s after hours, the CI will open up the door and let Lucas in.”
She could hear herself breathing in and out as the minutes ticked by in silence. “I wonder what’s taking so long?”
“We have to just wait it out.”
“Is there another entrance that we can’t see from our vantage point?”
“Not one that can be accessed after hours. Brian checked on all of that.”
“All right,” she replied softly.
“No need to worry just yet.” He reached over and gave her hand a squeeze.
She tried to tell herself to get a grip. She was totally safe with Max. They were in his car, and nothing was going to happen to her. She kept her eyes focused on the area surrounding the bank.
A few minutes later her world stopped. Her breath caught as she physically recoiled in her seat.
“That’s Lucas Jones,” Max said as he pointed at two men walking toward the bank. “It’s just like we’ve planned, Sydney. No need to be worried. He can’t even see us.”
“No,” she said softly. “The man beside Jones.”
“What about him? A guy like Jones rarely travels alone. He will always have some type of security with him. That’s just how they operate.”
She pushed down the wave of nausea that threatened to overtake her. “He’s not just anyone, Max. That man is my ex-boyfriend.” She paused as she continued to fight the urge to flee. “That’s Rick Ward.”
Max quickly straightened up in his seat. “Are you sure?”
“Ppositive,” she stuttered. “I’d recognize that man anywhere.”
“Well, this complicates things,” Max said.
“I thought you said there was no current information linking Rick to the East River gang.”
Max blew out a breath. “I did tell you that. But the source of that information was Davies.”
“Oh, no,” she said.
He reached over and touched her shoulder. “We can’t jump to any conclusions.”
She started to to shake. The man who had abused her was definitely involved in this. There was no questioning it now. Just as she had no doubt he’d kill her. “I know you have to say that, but it all has to be connected. Rick gets out of prison and takes right back up with East River. He wants his chance at revenge. Against me.”
“I won’t let that happen. Do you hear me?”
She nodded.
“Right now I just need to keep my eyes on that building and the clock. The two hours has started.”
Sydney felt like the hands on her watch stood still. She didn’t know what to say. What could she say? That she was terrified that the man who had taken so much from her was back to take it all? That when the time came would she really be willing to stand her ground and take on the man who’d injured her both physically and emotionally?
She looked over at Max who remained focused and calm amidst the latest developments. After an hour had passed, she was getting restless. “Can I get out and stretch my legs just for a minute?”
“Sure,” he said. “I’ll get out, too, but you can’t go anywhere. Stay right beside the car.”
“That’s fine. I just want to stand for a minute.” She was having a hard time remaining calm sitting so still in the car. What she wouldn’t give for a nice jog right now to expend some of her nervous energy.
People milled about on the streets, but it wasn’t crowded. Taking in a few deep breaths of fresh air settled her a bit.
“Get back in the car now, Sydney!”
Max’s sharp tone broke her out of her thoughts. She did as he said without question, and turned to look. “What’s going on?”
He jumped in the driver seat, started the car and pulled away. “We’ve got company.”
“How do you know?”
“I think it’s law enforcement in an unmarked car. I saw a guy get in his car as soon as you got out. It was like he recognized who you were.”
She wanted nothing more than to flee the scene. But then she remembered. “What about Brian?”
“He’s on his own for now. I’ve got to get you out of here.” He paused. “Hang on because this could get dicey.”
She gripped her seat, but she couldn’t help herself. She had to turn around. “I don’t see anyone.”
“Doesn’t mean they’re not coming. If it is law enforcement, he could’ve called it in and tagged our car and plates. We may have cops on top of us as at any moment.”
“No, we can’t let that happen.”
He punched the gas. “I hope Elena isn’t behind this little stunt.”
“Why would you think it was her?”
“Because she’d be the only one who would focus on Brian’s whereabouts.”
“We don’t even know if it’s anything. It could be unrelated.” She craned her neck to see out the rear window. “I still don’t even see anyone tailing us, Max.”
Max didn’t respond but instead floored it as he weaved through the city streets, then hit the interstate and headed north.
After a few minutes, she looked back again. “Doesn’t look like we were followed.”
Max ran a hand through his hair keeping the other on the wheel. “I’m so sorry, Sydney. Maybe I was just imagining things.”
She smiled. The conscientious marshal wasn’t as unshakeable as he let on. “It’s completely understandable that you’d be overly cautious, and I’m grateful. So where does this leave us?”
“I’m going to circle back and head to Brian’s house. Make a cautious approach there just in case. Then we’ll just have to wait for him.”
“Sounds like a plan.” She only hoped that Brian made it back.
*
Max was worried he was losing it. By acting with his emotions, something he normally wouldn’t do, he’d left Brian without backup. The more he replayed the events in his head, the more he was convinced that the person he saw had nothing to do with Sydney or the investigation. He was imagining threats where none existed. He just hoped it wouldn’t cost Brian his life. He would never forgive himself for the misjudgment if it did.
He was sitting in the living room waiting on any word from Brian. It’d been almost three hours since Brian went inside the bank, and Max was worried.
When they had returned to Brian’s, he’d conducted a security sweep and determined all was safe. Sydney had opted to lie down for a few minutes and rest. But Max was far too keyed up for that, replaying the night’s events over and over again in his mind.
He paused for a moment and wondered how Sydney was managing to keep her cool. Yeah, no doubt she’d been getting antsy waiting in the car—and understandably so after she’d seen Ward. But once Max had lost it and driven them away, she’d regained her composure quickly. Was it her faith that made her so strong?
Max knew where his strength came from—it came from within. But with Sydney it was as if she had an extra layer of courage. Her faith was definitely helping her. And by helping her stay calm it was helping him, too.
She’d told him earlier that she was praying for him. A part of him almost welcomed those prayers. But that didn’t mean he could return to his faith, did it?
His mind wandered back to his youth and sitting in church where he’d been so interested in the sermons. What ultimately had turned him off from faith? Had it been the actual ideas…or had it been his parents?
The door slammed, closing off those thoughts, and he jumped, almost knocking over his glass of soda.
He breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw Brian. “What happened?” Max asked.
“I could ask you the same thing. You were nowhere to be found when I walked out of the bank.”
Max stood up. “There was a false alarm. I thought we had been made, so I got Sydney out of there. I’m sorry I left you hanging, but since I wasn’t sure, I didn’t feel it was safe to double back to the bank.”
Brian nodded. “Well, the meeting was a lot more than I bargained for. I can tell you that much.”
“And you don’t even know all of it.”
Brian walked over to him, his eyes wide with concern. “I was hoping you could shed some light on why Jones’s hired muscle came to me at the end of the meeting with a proposal.”
“What kind of proposal?”
“A deadly one.”
SEVEN
Sydney walked down the stairs just in time to hear the ominous words come out of Brian’s mouth. Her heartbeat raced. “What do you mean?”
Both men turned and looked at her with deep frowns on their faces.
“You can go back and rest. I’ll catch you up later,” Max told her.
She shook her head as she entered the living room. “No way. This is all about me. I deserve to know the truth.”
“Well, I tend to agree,” Brian said. “But someone’s going to have to help me fill in the blanks.”
She felt Max’s eyes on her, assessing her. She nodded and he turned to Brian. “Ask away.”
“All right. Well, the guy with Lucas Jones was named Rick Ward. And after I was done talking to Jones, he approached me about using my resources to track down and kill someone.” His eyes darkened as he turned to her. “You, Sydney.”
She wasn’t the least bit surprised. It was just as she suspected. Rick wouldn’t rest until she had been punished for what she’d done to him. She’d embarrassed him by running out on him when he’d never expected she’d have the nerve or the courage to leave him. “Brian, that man you met is my ex-boyfriend.”
“Ward is your ex?” Brian asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Unfortunately so.” She didn’t really want to rehash the history with Brian, but considering all he was doing for her, he deserved to know the truth. She gave him the condensed version. “He seemed nice enough at the beginning, but then he became highly abusive. So much so that I feared for my life. One day I was able to make a break for it, so I did.”
“I’m so sorry, Sydney. But now this makes a lot more sense to me. It seemed very personal for Ward. And we had this conversation after Lucas Jones had left the room. Ward was very intent on getting this job done whatever the cost. He offered me one hundred thousand.”
“How did you respond to Ward?” Max asked.
“I told him I’d think about it, but that I’d want a better deal than that, as well as access to Jones.”
Then it hit her. “I have an idea.”
Max walked over to where she stood. “What is it?”
“Have Brian agree to this deal with Ward.”
“What?” the men asked in unison.
“We’ll fake my death.” She stood with her hands on her hips, proud of her idea.
“No way,” Max said. “It’s way too risky. Ward is the type of guy that will want proof.”
“We’ll have to come up with something,” she told him. “But just think about it. It’s the perfect plan. It gets Ward off my back and gives Brian time to investigate the link between Diaz and Jones.”
“And how do you suppose that we’ll make the US Marshals think you’re dead?” Max asked. “They’re still looking for us.”
“All the more reason to go on the run. Get away from here.” She looked at Brian, hoping he’d back up her idea.
“She may have a point,” Brian said. “It could be a great plan.”
Max threw his hands in the air. “Maybe in the abstract. But I’m telling you, the details of faking her death make me very nervous. How are you going to convince Ward that you killed Sydney?”
Brian remained calm as he defended his opinion. “We’ve done things like this before.”
“But this is different,” Max said.
“But it’s doable,” Brian countered.
As the men argued, Sydney grew more certain of her plan. Feeling as though she could fight back against Rick was empowering. Maybe it wouldn’t be with her fists, but this would be even better.
Finally, Brian seemed to win out. He calmly explained how he’d make Sydney’s plan work. “Ward is supposed to get back to me with a new quote for my dirty work and a guarantee of another meeting with Jones. I didn’t want to seem desperate to work with them. I think Lucas Jones and I had a good talk. But it’s going to take more than one meeting to get what I need from him. Guys like him don’t divulge critical details in the first meeting. Sydney’s plan would buy me the additional time to work on the connections.”
