Edge of Danger (Edge Security Series Book 3) (17 page)

T
he train thundered past Zach
. He stood on the platform beside Jake and, for the first time in his life, he froze. He couldn’t move, couldn’t think. Alyssa was down that tunnel.

Jake told Dani to stop the trains, but Zach didn’t pay attention. A numbness had settled over him, blocking his feelings and slowing his thoughts. He walked to the edge of the platform and dropped down onto the tracks.

“Doc!” Jake yelled behind him. “Dani’s still working.”

Zach didn’t acknowledge him, but pulled out his penlight. He needed to find Alyssa. A sense of urgency thawed the ice around him. He began to jog.

“Zach!”

Footsteps sounded behind him. Jake had followed him. Zach ran faster, not trying to get away from Jake, just trying to get to Alyssa quicker. She might need help, or be lying on the tracks hurt or…

No. He refused to think it. Alyssa was smart and tough. She would have found a way to survive. He pushed his legs to move faster, shining his light along the tracks. Garbage littered the dirt and sludge. Jake kept pace just behind him.

He didn’t see Alyssa ahead. He stretched his legs and increased his pace. He couldn’t help but look on the tracks, his mind conjuring images of Alyssa dead and torn apart by the train. Pain seared through his chest and he ran faster.

“Dani stopped the trains,” Jake said from behind him.

Zach nodded, but didn’t say anything else. She hadn’t stopped the last one. The one that might have k—

No. He moved faster, pumping his legs hard. He wouldn’t think like that. He shone his flashlight off the walls and the tracks ahead. Nothing but dirt and graffiti.

Graffiti?

People came down this far into the tunnel? He slowed, still jogging, but not the desperate sprint of moments before.

“Zach?” Jake asked. “What do you see?” The sharp question reminded him that Jake searched for his sister out here, just as Zach searched for his lover.

“Graffiti,” he said, pointing. “Kids come down here. But why? Why would they tag so far down a tunnel? Unless they have somewhere to hang.” He shone his light over the walls, trusting his innate sense of balance to not let him trip.

His light shone over an alcove in the wall. He ran closer. A metal door hidden inside stood open and waiting. He pulled his weapon and ran inside. At the opposite end of the hall, he paused and listened before chancing a look into the room beyond.

It was an abandoned platform. Alyssa stood where the tracks should be laid, looking down a dark tunnel.

She was safe.

His breath shuddered out of him and he lowered his weapon. He moved toward her compelled by a need to touch her, reassure himself she was alive.

She turned to him. “I lost her.” Bitter anger laced her voice and it stopped him.

His relief drained from him, leaving him in a void for a brief moment before anger sparked a light. “You chased her down a subway tunnel,” he said quietly.

“Not that it did any fucking good.” She scowled at the darkness beyond their lights.

The anger grew. “The trains were still running.”

Something in his voice must have warned her. She looked at him. “You would have done the same.”

“Would I?” he said.

“Doc?” Jake asked. He laid a hand on Zach’s arm. “She’s safe.”

He shrugged off Jake’s arm. “No, she’s not. She’s got a fucking death wish.” He holstered his weapon and looked at this woman he cared too much for. “Are you so desperate to die?”

She took a step back. “No. I was doing my job.”

Zach looked around the dark and empty platform. “Were you really? Where the fuck is Reynolds? Were you chasing her or a fucking figment of your imagination?”

Jake stepped between them. “You’re out of line, Doc.”

Alyssa moved closer. “You think I
imagined
her? How dare you? You’ve gone too far.”

His anger shattered and fell around him, leaving him empty and exhausted.

“No,” he said heavily. “You have.” He left them standing together and didn’t look back.

T
he sun was beginning
to set the next day when Jake pulled up in front of her building. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay with you?”

Alyssa shook her head and regretted it, as it set her head throbbing again. The ER doctor had said she’d just had too many knocks this week. She agreed.

“You’ve seen the size of my apartment,” she said. “You’ll be more comfortable at the hotel with your team.” And no matter how much she loved her brother, she wanted to be alone. Though if Zach had asked the same question…

She clenched her jaw. Zach hadn’t asked the question. In fact, she hadn’t seen him since the subway tunnel yesterday evening. She’d been in the hospital for most of the day, giving her statements to the detectives who’d shown up while she’d been examined. She’d been the last one released.

“Besides,” she said, “you have to plan the next step. You have to catch her.”

Jake nodded. “It’ll be a lot easier now that we know who she is. That’s all because of you.”

She brushed aside his words. She hadn’t done enough. “What about Hajjar? Did he talk?”

“Masters released him with the FBI’s apology. Turns out the guy really didn’t know anything about Reynolds’ alter ego. He had concrete alibis for the other bombings. It looks like Reynolds set him up to take the fall by planting traces of C4 in his apartment.”

“And we fell for it because he’s Middle Eastern,” Alyssa said. “Poor guy.”

Jake nodded. “Yeah, the guy just wanted to go home when he was released.”

The case was almost closed. They didn’t have Al Shabah in custody yet, but she wouldn’t slip away again. Alyssa doubted she’d even make it out of Manhattan.

Alyssa was so exhausted she almost didn’t mind being dismissed once again from the case.

Almost.

She wasn’t officially off the case, but Masters had ordered her to go home and rest. She’d seen the concern in his eyes. It had annoyed her, but she’d understood it. It was only for twenty-four hours, but it was the most critical time for catching any criminal. She hated that she was stuck at home while others tracked down Al Shabah.

Others like Zach.

She expelled her breath harshly. She would not go there right now.

Jake’s frown of concern made her force a smile. “I’m fine,” she said to his unspoken question.

“Lyssa,” he said. “Don’t bullshit me. You haven’t been fine in a long time.”

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. God, she needed a shower. She focused on Jake again.

“You’re right,” she finally admitted.

His eyebrows raised. “Holy shit. Could you repeat that so I can record it on my phone?”

That brought a real smile out. “Never,” she said. “Mom will never believe I said that.”

His grin faded. “I’ve missed you, Lyssa. So has Mom.”

Alyssa didn’t turn away, though she wanted to. “I know. I… I’m going to work harder to deal with the PTSD. I want my life back.”

“Good,” he said. “Family holidays have sucked without someone to tease.”

Something inside her eased. “Come see me before you leave. And go kick Beth Reynolds’ ass.”

She waved to him from the top step of building. Inside, Alyssa unlocked her door and entered her apartment. Dim light came in through the window and she saw the sunlight hitting the Hudson as the sun went down in the west.

She dumped her messenger bag on the floor by the door and unbuckled her holster as she went to the kitchen. She laid her weapon on the counter. She wanted—no, needed, a glass of wine. She didn’t care what the ER doctor had recommended.

She still had some of that red that Zach had bought the other night when—

No. Thinking of that night was only going to make her thoughts slump further. She grabbed a glass from her cupboard and pulled the cork from the wine bottle. Would Zach ever speak to her again? Did she want him to?

Her heart beat harder just remembering the anger in his face as he’d shouted at her. And the fact that he hadn’t come by yet was probably her answer. He wasn’t coming to apologize.

She took a gulp of wine and surveyed her bare-bones apartment. A pair of sunglasses lay on the coffee table.

Awareness prickled her skin and heightened her senses.

They weren’t hers.

She heard no sound but her own breathing. Her gun was in its holster, sitting on the counter. She reached for it, barely breathing, her wine glass still in her hand.

“You’re like a cockroach,” a female voice said from her bathroom. “You just won’t die.” Beth Reynolds stood in the doorway, a scarf wrapped around her head, covering her hair and neck. She wore a black shirt, jeans, and scuffed tennis shoes.

She had a gun pointed at Alyssa’s chest. “But now you will.”

Alyssa held up her hands. “Tell me why. Why do you want me dead so badly?” Alyssa didn’t really care, but she knew as long as Beth was talking, she wasn’t shooting.

“He took my child from me. I will take his woman from him. It’s not the same, but it will be enough for now.”

“Why all the bombings? Why not just target Zach?”

Reynolds’ eyes widened. “Because all American soldiers kill innocents. They are all guilty and should pay.” She raised the gun. “Including you.”

Z
ach stood
behind one of the operators of the DAS. The multiple screens on the wall ahead covered all sections of Manhattan. “What are we missing?” he said.

Marc shrugged and yawned, even as Masters jotted notes on his clipboard. Masters looked up. “We’ve got all the parameters plugged in. She’s gone to ground. As soon as she hits a street we’ll find her.”

Zach rubbed a hand over his head. Where was she hiding?

“You’ve been at this for hours,” Marc said quietly to him. “You should rest. I’ll wake you as soon as anything happens.”

He didn’t want to rest. He didn’t want to stop, because then he’d have to think about something other than the mission.

He’d have to think about Alyssa.

And the way he’d lost it. Just like she’d said.

He was thinking about her. “Fuck,” he muttered.

“Problem?” Marc asked.

“Yes. No.” He shook his head.

“Go grab some sleep,” Marc said. “Now.”

“Roger that.” Zach left the DAS control room in downtown Manhattan. He hailed a cab and spouted off Alyssa’s address before he thought it through.

He needed to see her, he decided, even if only to apologize. He’d been raised better than to take out his frustrations on others. Alyssa hadn’t deserved his anger—well, not all of it anyway.

He gritted his teeth at the thought of her running down the subway track. But she’d been right, he would have done the same thing to catch Al Shabah.

So he was here to apologize. He wasn’t sure if that would make it right between them. Or even if he wanted it to. In any case, they needed to talk, and talk seriously, about her PTSD. Did she have a death wish? Because he wasn’t sure he could handle a relationship with a woman who did.

The cab pulled onto her street. Jake’s car sat in front of Alyssa’s building, with him alone in it. Zach made eye contact with Jake as he paid his driver.

He walked over to him.

“What are you doing, Doc?” Jake asked in too casual a tone.

“Back down, College. I’m here to apologize.”

Jake stared at him. “And if she doesn’t accept it?”

“I leave. You know me.”

Jake’s eyes narrowed. “I thought I did. She is my sister, Doc. I won’t allow you to hurt her.”

Zach didn’t say anything. What could he say? He was pretty positive this situation wouldn’t end well between them. Had he screwed up his friendship with Jake, too?

“I will do my best,” Zach finally said.

“Do better than that,” Jake growled. He revved the engine on the rental and took off down the street.

Zach sighed and then went to Alyssa’s door. She didn’t answer when he buzzed. He frowned. So she was ignoring him, was she?

He pulled a lock-pick from his pocket and within seconds had the door open. He jogged up the stairs to the third floor and knocked on her door.

She still didn’t answer. He rolled his eyes, but he guessed he deserved this. He knocked again. “Open up, Alyssa. I know you’re in there. We need to talk.”

A
lyssa couldn’t help it
. She glanced at the door when she heard Zach’s voice. Reynolds’ eyes had lit up like a kid’s on Christmas morning. Alyssa’s stomach sank. This was not good.

This time, she kept her gaze on Reynolds as she inched her hand toward her holster. If she could just get her gun…

“Don’t.” The glee was gone from Reynolds’ face, replaced by a cold focus.

Zach knocked again. “Don’t be like this, Alyssa. I came to apologize.”

Reynolds used the hand without the gun to point at the door. “Answer him,” she said in a low voice. “Make him go away.”

“So you can shoot me in peace?”

“Answer the door, or I will shoot you and then him when he comes in to save you.”

Alyssa counted three breaths, her mind racing with possibilities. Zach might survive the encounter and kill Reynolds, but she would most likely be dead. Alyssa wanted this maniac caught, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to die. Now that she was in true danger, she found herself again clinging to life.

The thought almost made her smile. She would have to tell Zach if she got out of this. She wasn’t desperate to die; she wanted to live. Especially if it meant she could spend more time with Zach.

Zach, who knocked on the door again. “Alyssa, I’m here to apologize. Don’t make me do it in the hallway. Please open your door.”

Reynolds motioned again toward the door. “Answer him.”

Alyssa stepped past the woman, briefly considering grabbing the gun, but Reynolds was smart: she’d kept enough distance between them that Alyssa couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t get shot. Her gaze must have lingered too long on the gun, because Reynolds’ finger tightened on the trigger. Did she suspect what Alyssa was thinking? Alyssa lifted her hands, palms out as she passed the woman.

She walked slowly to the door. Reynolds moved past her and kept her eyes on Alyssa as she slid the chain into place. The woman stepped to the side, directly behind the door.

“Answer him,” she mouthed.

Alyssa had to clear her throat before she could speak. “Go away, Zach.”

Silence on the other side.

Please don’t go.
She really didn’t want to die.

“Alyssa, open the door.”

She looked at Reynolds, who nodded slowly. “If you do anything stupid, I will shoot him through the door.” She pointed the weapon at the door. The 9mm bullet from the Beretta pistol would rip through the door and hit Zach easily.

Reynolds’ knuckles had whitened while holding the trigger at half-depression. It would take very little for the gun to go off.

Alyssa swallowed. The only thing she could do was try to get Zach to leave. Then she’d deal with Beth Reynolds. She vowed to herself that she wasn’t going to let Reynolds leave her apartment, no matter what happened.

A brief plan of wrestling for the gun as soon as Zach left entered her head. She needed to get Zach away as soon as possible, before Reynolds decided to kill him out of revenge.

Her heart beat so hard that she thought it would bruise her chest. She opened the door to see Zach standing there with a frown on his face.

“What do you want, Zach?”

The frown didn’t go away. He studied her. “Are you okay?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Reynolds stiffen at the question.

Don’t look. Don’t look.

“I’m fine,” Alyssa said.

“You don’t look fine,” he said.

Reynolds positioned her weapon a little higher. Zach’s heart. Dammit, the woman knew how tall he was.

“Getting almost blown up and run down by a train will do that to a girl,” she said.

Zach’s lips compressed and he nodded. Alyssa’s shoulders almost slumped in relief, but she caught herself and kept herself straight.

“I came to apologize,” he said. “I shouldn’t have said what I did. I shouldn’t have gotten so angry.”

She didn’t say anything. What could she say?

“Alyssa?” he said, his gaze searching hers. “Will you let me in?”

God, she wanted to. So badly. But she had to send him away. She shook her head. “I’m sorry.” She started to close the door.

He put his hand on it, stopping her. Her eyes widened and her breath caught. He couldn’t come in.

He froze. “You’re scared of me,” he said softly.

God. This was so hard. Her heart felt like it was being torn in two. That he could ever think she’d be scared of him.

But then hope lit within her. If he truly knew her… If he remembered who she was…

She took a deep breath and gave a small nod. “You’re a big guy refusing to leave. Most women would be scared.”

She left the words unspoken, but hoped he remembered them.
I’m not most women.

Zach’s frown had turned puzzled. He opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it. His shoulders slumped a little.

“Fine,” he said. “I’ll go. Goodbye, Alyssa.”

“Goodbye, Zach.”

His gaze seared her as she shut the door.

She swallowed and faced Beth Reynolds. Had Zach gotten the message? Would he get help?

She had no idea. If she died today, would he think for the rest of his life that she’d been afraid of him? That thought more than anything made her determined to survive.

Beth Reynolds had her back to the door and motioned Alyssa away from it. “Now—”

The thunderous crack of the door bursting open made Alyssa dive for the floor. Splinters flew. A gunshot sounded. Zach dove into the room, his Sig Sauer up and firing at Beth Reynolds.

Five shots to the chest.

“Does she have a bomb?” Zach demanded.

Alyssa stood. “No, not that I could tell.”

Zach lowered his weapon but he still stood tense and ready, his presence overwhelming her apartment. Overwhelming her.

She walked to him and slid her arms around his waist, breathing in his scent. One of his arms hugged her back.

For a long moment, Alyssa couldn’t speak. She just focused on breathing, trying to calm her racing heart. Zach’s hand rubbing up and down her back went a long way to soothing her. Finally, Alyssa looked up into Zach’s face.

It hurt her to see his eyes guarded. Had he believed her words?

“What took you so long?” Alyssa asked.

Zach raised an eyebrow, but then he gave a hoarse laugh. ”Jesus, you scared me.”

She hugged him tighter. “You know that I would never be scared of y—”

He stopped her with a kiss. A warm, soft kiss that soothed as much as it caressed and promised more. He pulled back. “I know. That’s what tipped me off. You’re not the type to hide behind a door. I knew someone was in here with you. And when I figured that out, I’d never been more scared.”

“But it didn’t stop you.”

He frowned. “Never.”

Her fingers kneaded the hard muscles of his back. She could touch this man all day. Every day.

Sirens could be heard in the distance. Her apartment was a mess. The door hung from its hinges and blood spread in a pool beneath Beth Reynolds. This woman had been responsible for so many deaths, including her friends.

She hoped they rested easy now.

I
t was
in the early hours of morning before Alyssa made it home again. Exhaustion seeped through her. Beth Reynolds had been positively identified and Zach had been cleared in the shooting. Alyssa had just gotten out of a five-hour debrief, of which Zach and Marc had only been part for the first hour. Jake and the rest of the E.D.G.E. team had never even come back to the CTB.

When she’d finally gotten out of the briefing, Zach hadn’t been around. She’d called the number she had for him, but it was out of service. She dialed Jake next, but no one answered. They must have all left already. She’d known it wouldn’t last between her and Zach, but leaving without saying goodbye was a little abrupt.

Her apartment door had been fixed. It had probably been Zach who’d called to have it taken care of. She’d have to tell Jake to thank him for her, knowing that she most likely wouldn’t see him again.

She opened her new door and flicked on the light. Zach rose to his feet from her couch. It could have been a creepy thing, except two brown paper bags filled with groceries sat on her kitchen counter. The sight of them reassured her. He must be planning to cook for her, even if his face seemed carved from stone.

“When do you leave?” she asked.

“I have two days before I have to report back.” His voice held no emotion, either.

“So we have two days?” A smile tugged at her lips.

“That depends on you,” he said. He stood still, but almost vibrated with energy.

“What’s wrong?”

He ran a hand over his head and, just like that, all of the energy was released. “I’ve seen guys with PTSD. Good men that could no longer function. It’s okay to admit you need help.”

She held up her hands. “Wait. I am getting help.”

“But you’re not using it. Tell me the truth. Are you suicidal?”

“No! Where is this coming from?”

His eyes widened. “You chased her down the tracks.
The subway tracks.
Al Shabah had a death wish.” His voice got quiet. “I need to know if you do too.”

She sighed. “No. In fact, if anything, today reinforced how much I want to live. There were too many moments when I thought I was going to die.” She lifted her chin. “But I would do it all again.”

He scowled.

She moved closer to him. “Don’t you see? We saved lives. A lot of lives. And we caught the bad guy. Of course I would do it all again. I’m a cop.” She smiled, but could feel a wave of sadness threatening her composure. Would he really shut her out because of what she chose to do? “I love my job. If you have a problem with it, or how I do it, then this,” she waved her hand between them, “isn’t going to work.”

The tightness around his eyes eased and he moved closer to her. “No death wish?”

She shook her head.

He stepped closer again. “You’ll keep getting help?”

She nodded.

He moved so close she felt the heat of him. “I love the fact that you want to serve and protect. But I hate that you put yourself in danger.” His lips compressed and he gave a one-shouldered shrug. “I can’t throw stones. And as for what’s between us?” He moved even closer. One deep breath and their chests would touch. “Because of what I do, I can’t promise that I’ll be around very much.”

She purposefully took a deep breath, and her body came alive, even as his eyes darkened with need. “That’s okay,” she managed to say. “My job keeps me pretty busy.”

His hands came up and eased her leather jacket off her shoulders, letting it fall to the ground. “It takes just over an hour to fly to New York from Montreal.”

She smiled. “It’s a good thing you’ve got pilots in that super-secret company of yours.”

Zach laughed and wrapped his arms around her. She shivered as she came into contact with him.

“I’ll be getting my pilot’s license ASAP,” he said, bending his head for a kiss.

She leaned back. “I have one rule,” she said. “You will be expected to cook dinner for me whenever you come to town.”

He gave her a hard, short kiss. “Anything for you, Firecracker.”

“Then I expect to see you as often as possible, partner,” she said, before setting her lips on his and letting herself fall.