Scorched (39 page)

“Shit!”

He heard the alarm in the driver’s voice and leaped down. Gage’s stomach plummeted as he saw the problem. The platform where the car’s tires rested was a good ten inches lower than the top of the wall.

Gage’s pulse spiked. Ten inches was impossible. He tried to stay cool, but he was feeling the sharp bite of panic now.

All around him, sirens wailed. The asphalt beneath his feet vibrated. The wind whipped against his face as he gazed at the tires and ran through possibilities.

“A ramp.” He glanced up at the driver, who looked about ready to piss his pants. Gage rushed back to the tow truck.

“Gage!”

He turned to see Kelsey hurrying toward him, dragging two police barricades behind her.
Two
ramps.

I love this woman,
he thought as he rushed to take them.

“Get in the tow truck,” he told her. “Pull the line in some more—the red button.”

Kelsey hitched herself behind the wheel as Gage heaved one of the barricades over the hood and handed it to the tow truck driver. As the car rolled forward a few more inches, Gage positioned the wooden plank to form a ramp between the truck platform and the concrete wall. Tommy mimicked his actions.

Gage glanced through the Mini’s window and checked the clock. “Twenty seconds!” He pointed at the driver. “We push on three, got it?”

Tommy nodded, and he and Gage crouched down at the front of the car, their hands braced against the bumper.

“One! Two!
Three!
” With a mighty grunt, Gage threw his weight against the car. A few red-faced seconds ticked by. He felt the instant they overcame the inertia. The Mini rolled back and up. They kept pressing, pressing, and suddenly the weight was nothing—like pushing a sled across the snow at his parents’ house. The car tipped over the wall and Gage thrust his arms forward to catch himself as he pitched toward the platform.

Boom!

The invisible force picked him up and hurtled him back against the truck.

•   •   •

Elizabeth glanced up in time to see the fireball soaring down into the bay. She stared at it, openmouthed, then looked at Derek.

“Call Gage,” she said, but he was already dialing.

Ramli muttered something and Elizabeth looked at him. He was on his knees in front of her, hands cuffed behind his back. A smug smile curled the corner of his
mouth as he gazed at the bridge. He glanced back at her, and she searched his eyes, looking for some shred of . . . something. Whatever she was looking for wasn’t there.

Elizabeth swallowed her contempt. She took a deep breath.

“You have the right to remain silent.”

CHAPTER 26

They followed the signs to San Francisco International Airport, and Gage got a familiar sour taste in his mouth. He looked at Kelsey behind the wheel, and she had the same tight expression she’d been wearing all afternoon. Gage hated these moments. He never knew what to say because there really wasn’t anything. No matter what he said, it sucked all the way around.

He looked out the window. “Thanks for returning the rental.”

“No problem,” she said, and her cheerful tone grated on his nerves. “I’ve got plenty of time until my flight.”

“I bet you went a bit over the mileage limit,” Derek said from the backseat. He sounded cheerful, too, but in his case it was genuine.

While Gage had been stuck for hours in an FBI debriefing room, Derek had tracked down their CO, who’d been in a transport plane, just minutes away from going wheels-up with the rest of their team. After explaining the situation, Derek managed to convince Hallenback to overlook their unauthorized absence.
Soon after that, the CO had called back and ordered him and Gage to get their asses to the East Coast and catch the next flight to Frankfurt, where he’d find a way for them to rejoin their team.

So Derek was feeling very proud of himself. Meanwhile, Gage felt like shit.

Kelsey’s hand rested on her leg. Gage reached over to take it, but she pulled away.

“So, Derek, I meant to ask you.” She glanced in the rearview mirror. “What’d you do with your pickup truck?”

He leaned forward. “Popped the keys in the mail to Dietz’s parents. They live in Oakland.” He looked at Gage. “You ever met Mike’s little brother?”

“No.”

“He’s headed to UCSD in about six weeks. Said he’d take it down there for me.”

Gage glanced at Kelsey. He shot Derek a glare.

“That is, if we’re not back by then,” Derek said. “Who knows, right?”

Kelsey stared straight ahead. Gage’s gut clenched as she pulled up to the passenger drop-off area.

“Kelsey, thanks for the ride.” Derek clamped a hand on her shoulder. “You take care now.” He looked at Gage and tapped his watch. “See you inside, bro.”

A blast of air and traffic noise entered the SUV as Derek hopped out.

“So.” Kelsey looked at him. “Do you have your passport?”

“Yeah.”

“Your real one?”

“Yeah.” He searched her face, hating the look in her eyes. He’d seen it so many times before. She was determined not to cry.

“Be sure to take your pills,” she said. “Do you have them?”

He didn’t answer.

“Do you?”

“Come here.” He reached over and pulled her to him. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her until she kissed him back and he tasted the salt of her tears.

She pulled away. “You need to make your plane.”

Gage clenched his teeth. He didn’t want to leave like this. He didn’t want to leave at all. But it was worse—especially for her—if he sat here and dragged it out. He grabbed his bag and opened the door.

“I’ll call you.”

She didn’t say anything. She just looked at him, and he could tell she was struggling not to nod, or agree, or do anything that would officially start their relationship again at the eleventh hour.

“Brewer!”

Gage turned around. Derek stood in the automatic door. They were going to be late.

“Go,” Kelsey said. “You’re going to miss it.”

Gage got out. “I’ll call you.”

She didn’t respond, and he closed the door and turned around to face the wall of glass. A big aquarium of travelers rushing in every direction. So many people. So many goddamn anonymous people with no connection to one another.

I don’t want to be alone anymore, Gage.

Fear clawed at him as he walked toward the door.
One foot in front of the other. His feet felt like lead.

He turned around. The Explorer was moving away from the curb. He lunged for the door handle. She jabbed the brakes as he yanked the door open and jumped inside.

“What’d you forget?”

He shoved the gearshift in park. He pulled her to him and kissed her—hard.

“Marry me.”

She stared at him.

“It’s what I should have said last night.
That’s
my fantasy.”

“You want—”

“I want you. Us. Marry me, Kelsey.”

“But—”

“I’ve got siblings, cousins, a whole mess of nieces and nephews. I can give you those things you want. I can give you a family.”

Horns blared behind them, and she whirled around.

“Brewer!”

He turned to see Derek waving him over. Gage ignored him and looked at Kelsey.

“I love you and I’m tired of leaving.” He leaned over and kissed her one last time. “Don’t argue for once. Just think about it.”

Gage got out and slammed the door. He started jogging toward his friend, and his shoulders were suddenly light. Weightless. She hadn’t answered. But he’d finally said the right thing.

•   •   •

Elizabeth hurried across the parking lot, searching for her car. With her luck, they’d probably towed it from
the hospital lot since it hadn’t moved from its space in two days. She glanced at her watch and sloshed coffee on her shoes.

Forty-five minutes. She probably should have picked a different hotel last night—one near the airport—but by the end of the day, she’d been dead tired, and she’d found herself crawling into a cab and asking for the Dragon Inn. At the time she hadn’t been thinking about the five-block hike to her rental car, but she was thinking about it now as she rushed to make her plane. The phone in her purse chimed, and she whipped it out.

Not another delay. All she wanted was to get home.

“LeBlanc.”

“This is Gordon Moore.”

“Hi. How are you?” She hadn’t heard from him since yesterday when they’d been in the midst of the crisis.

“I wanted to touch base with you,” he said.

She smiled with satisfaction. Supervisory Special Agent Gordon Moore wanted to touch base with
her
. She spotted her rental car and strode over to it.

“I thought you’d be interested to know that Rick Bolton was arrested and charged this morning.”

“Wow.” She halted beside the car, hardly able to believe it. “By who?”

“The Securities and Exchange Commission.”

“You’re kidding.”

“We’re still working on a raft of other charges, but these were easier for now. He’s been charged with insider trading in connection with the sale of some pharmaceutical stock. He just made a fortune on one of the companies that manufactures an antibiotic used to prevent anthrax.”

“Wow, that’s . . .” She didn’t know what to say. “That’s pretty unbelievable.”

“Believe it. And don’t worry, we’ll get him on the rest of it, too. It’s just going to take some time. But I wanted you to know.”

Elizabeth stood there, trying to digest it. Rick Bolton had been arrested. Trent Lohman was dead. Adam Ramli—thanks to her—was in custody and undergoing questioning. He hadn’t revealed anything about stateside associates or a sleeper cell of any kind, but whether he ever did or not, she knew there had to be more.

There were always more.

There were always threats.

That’s why she, and Gordon, and Derek, and Gage had a job. She felt a swell of pride knowing she’d done hers right this time.

Elizabeth cleared her throat. “Thank you for the update, sir.”

“Thank
you.
You were an integral part of this investigation. You ever need anything at the Bureau—anything at all—I want you to call me.”

She was speechless.

“LeBlanc?”

“Yes, that’s . . . Thank you, sir. I appreciate that.”

“It’s Gordon,” he said, and she thought she heard amusement in his voice. “Take care of yourself.”

He hung up, and she stared at the phone in her hand.
If you ever need anything at the Bureau.
It was an incredible offer. She wondered if she’d ever take him up on it.

Elizabeth unlocked her car and felt a wave of optimism. The day was looking up. She might actually make her plane. She slid behind the wheel and found
herself staring at a blue Bears cap. Laughter bubbled up in her throat. She picked it up and saw the note taped beneath the brim.
Call me,
followed by a phone number.

Tears welled in her eyes. She took out her phone and started to dial. Her finger hovered over the last digit. What would she say to him? What would
he
say? Was he even in the country anymore?

She felt a pang of empathy for Kelsey Quinn. How did she live with the stress?

But it was only a phone call. Elizabeth pressed the last number and waited through three rings. She was both relieved and disappointed when she heard his recorded voice.

“Vaughn here. Leave a message.”

The low-key drawl brought a smile to her face.

“Hi, it’s Elizabeth. I don’t know how you got into my
locked
car, but I guess it’s one of those SEAL tricks.”

She stared at the cap for a moment, recalling the very first time she’d seen it.

“Rumor has it you and Gage caught up with your team. I’m not sure where you’re going, but—” A lump rose up in her throat. She cleared it away. “Wherever it is, be careful.”

And please, please don’t get hurt. The world needs more men like you.

But she left the last part unsaid because even though she’d made her first big arrest, she still had moments of total wimpiness. Such as right now. So she kept it light and hoped somehow he’d know.

“Anyway, thanks for the hat,” she said. “And sorry again about your boots.”

CHAPTER 27