Unauthorized Return (Unauthorized Series Book 4) (12 page)

Aria drove into town the next morning, Coleton quiet in the seat next to her, her eyes constantly scanning the road and the buildings surrounding them. They both wore caps pulled low over their faces, providing precious little disguise, but better than nothing. She didn't think they were in any danger until they got within a block of the courthouse, but she wouldn't take any chances.

Her body did the job of watching for danger of its own accord. Her mind ran over the plan one more time. It would have to be good enough. It was all they had. Her thoughts jumped to the man next to her. The man who was currently in more danger than she had ever had to face in her life, even in her career as a police officer. Her breath caught in her throat at the thought of what awaited him over the next few weeks. Constant vigilance, and constant danger. Every time they had to enter the courthouse would she feel as sick as she did right now? Would she even get a chance to accompany him? Or would the chief or the assistant chief pull her off the case today as soon as she walked in the door?

Tiredness threatened to overwhelm her, but she fought it back. She had clung to Coleton for hours the night before, begging him to make love to her again and again, not wanting to lose even a few precious hours with him to sleep. He seemed to have felt the same way. He had spoken very little, only touching her, caressing her, plying her body with his fingers and tongue, going over every inch of her with his frantic touches.

When they had left this morning, they had packed everything they brought with them, knowing the chances were good they would never return to that apartment. Aria had looked around before she closed the door, and felt a lump lodge in her throat. She'd been so happy there. It felt like she was leaving to go to a funeral march. Whose funeral, she didn't know.

Coleton reached over and squeezed her hand briefly, perhaps catching some errant thought of hers, knowing she needed his comfort. She gave him a small smile, then returned to her constant vigilance.

When traffic slowed on the highway in front of her, she felt almost panic-stricken, sure that somehow
they
had manufactured the traffic slowdown, that in a moment, large men with guns would burst from the vehicles around them and pump the car full of bullets, cutting off any chance or hope they had at something more.

But nothing happened. They sat in traffic for twenty minutes and then began to move again.

When they passed the courthouse on their way to the diner beyond it, Aria swore lightly under her breath.

Coleton jumped forward. "What? What is it?"

"Nothing. It's just we're late for court."

"Oh. That's bad, isn't it?"

Aria nodded dully. "Definitely bad."

Aria pulled into the parking lot of the diner across the street and wedged the tiny car in between a dark blue Suburban and a silver minivan, her mind spinning. She thought it could be a good thing that they were late in one way. Arriving early or late would give Coleton the best chance of making it inside unscathed. And hopefully they did not have an antsy judge who would charge either one of them with contempt for being late. The last thing they needed was to be thrown in jail overnight.

Aria parked the car and got out first, scanning the rooflines of the buildings around them, then looking across the street at the courthouse. It was large, with huge, white columns in front, and an expansive lawn with large maple trees dotting it.

She motioned to Coleton to get out of the car, her eyes on constant alert. Coleton did and they started across the street, walking quickly and deliberately. As they passed under the large trees dotting the lawn of the courthouse, Aria looked up, half expecting teams of ninjas to drop down from the branches and surround them. When they reached the front door, she breathed a sigh of relief. Coleton flashed her a heartbreaking smile, then pulled the door open.

Aria pushed in front of him and entered first, relieved to see the corridor almost empty. There were only two security guards standing at the metal detector. She walked up to them and flashed her badge, going around the metal detector, then waited for Coleton to walk through it. A lump formed in her throat when she thought about how easy it was for her to get into the courthouse with her gun. All you had to do was show a badge. They didn't even check her ID.

Her mind flew back to a statistic she had read once. The Westwood Harbor Police Department, over the last ten years, had reported one hundred and twenty-two lost or stolen police badges.

Aria pulled her mind away from that fact, reminding herself to be extra vigilant. She could only deal with the threat she faced in front of her, not one she invented in her mind.

Aria checked the court docket on the wall and quickly discovered what room they were in. She set off down the hallway at a quick pace, hearing Coleton following behind her. When she reached the doors, she paused to take a deep breath. The moment of truth. Judgment day. It all came down to this. Pick your cliché, she was never going to be ready for it, so she pushed the doors open and walked inside.

The large room held at least a hundred and fifty people. The judge already sat at the bench, which was definitely bad. A line of potential jurors queued up in the middle of the room, between the spectator's benches. As she swung the doors open, the voice that had been talking fell silent and almost every eye swung their way.

One set of eyes felt particularly heavy to Aria. She looked for them and found them almost immediately, to the left, sitting at the defense attorneys table. An old man, his dark face lined heavily, his mouth in a moue of contempt. Fiore Savoy. Coleton's father. He was dressed in a suit with his hands unshackled. She felt him marking her, storing up her face for later. He looked agitated, riled up, ready for blood. Aria had a chance to think for an instant how his rage and insanity made him look younger and more powerful than he should look.

Coleton saw his father marking Aria and he stepped in front of her quickly, staring his father down defiantly.

No
, Aria thought, her attention pulled to all four corners of the room at once. Just because they were in a crowded courtroom did not mean Coleton was safe. One hundred witnesses did not stop people from committing murder. There were many people willing to go to jail if it meant something greater to them.

Aria pushed lightly at Coleton's back, whispering for him to find a seat and sit down, but before he could even move, the prosecuting attorney weaved his way through the crowd and spoke in Coleton's ear, motioning savagely towards his desk. Coleton nodded and looked at Aria with warmth in his eyes. He motioned he had to follow the attorney and Aria motioned for him to go. He wasn't hers anymore.

Aria moved silently down the aisle, finding a seat as close to Coleton as she could get. The judge motioned for the defense attorney to continue and he did, calling names and asking the potential jurors questions. Aria's eyes scanned the room, marking every person they fell on as a potential danger or not.

Within moments, someone sat heavily behind her and leaned forward. Aria whipped around to see who it was. Assistant Chief Foley. His expression was barely restrained. "Thank God you're okay. We've been worried sick about you for days. Why didn't you ever call in?" he said.

Here we go
, Aria thought. This was her chance to find out if Harrison had been telling the truth or not. And if he hadn't been? That was going to change a lot of things in her mind. She was glad it was Foley talking to her, and not Harrison. "I did call in. Assistant chief Harrison answered. He tried to get me to tell him where I was."

Confusion passed over Chief Foley's face. "Wait a second. When was this? What line did you call?"

Aria opened her mouth to answer, certain that things were about to get crazy, when things did exactly that. But not in the way she expected.

Fiore Savoy grunted and stood on his chair. Aria heard gasps around her and that's when she turned to look at him. He was standing tall and straight, his eyes scanning the crowd, his right arm extended in front of him, his fingers shaped like a gun. He turned back and his eyes locked with Coleton's. He opened his mouth and a booming voice came out, which left no doubt that he was telling the truth. "Anyone who testifies against me or makes a judgment against me will get to know me up close and personal!" His eyes finally moved away from Coleton's and they scanned the long line of potential jurors. "That's what you want isn't it?"

Fiore Savoy's lawyer tried to shove him down off the chair and Fiore danced away, surprisingly agile for a man his age. He took a step up and stood on the small table, then aimed a kick at his lawyer's head. Aria half stood, not sure how this was going to play out. Would he climb down and go for Coleton?

The judge slammed his gavel on the bench and as if it were a signal, a woman screamed in the line of potential jurors. Two of the jurors bolted and ran right out the door.

"Order, order!" The judge screamed from the bench. "Guards, take him down. Get him down and remove him from the room!"

The row of seats behind Fiore Savoy and his lawyer was taken up by a dozen men in orange jumpsuits. Aria was not sure if they were prisoners charged with the same crimes that Fiore was, or if they had somehow received the right to attend court with him. They stood up as the four courthouse guards moved across the room, slowly converging on Fiore.

"Ah, fuck," Assistant Chief Foley cursed. "This is gonna be bad." He stood and lifted his chin at the closest guard. "I'm with you," he said. The guard nodded.

Aria stood up from her chair and grabbed Coleton by the sleeve, pulling him back with her. "If they start fighting, we take off," she told him. He nodded, his eyes disbelieving and plastered on his father.

People pushed and shoved in the aisles, trying to get away from the guards and the intimidating men. The doors in the back opened and potential jurors streamed out, some screaming, some crying, most of them on their phones or taking pictures as they retreated.

The guards converged on the table, taking Fiore Savoy down easily. He didn't resist at all and Aria almost breathed a sigh of relief, but then the men in the orange jumpsuits made their move.

The one at the far end yelled, "Now!" and they all rushed the guards, lifting their shackled hands, shuffling their shackled feet. Aria saw each of the four guards have shackles thrown about their necks as the prisoners pulled and tried to strangle them. One guard managed to get his Taser up and tase the prisoner trying to make him pass out. Aria jumped back and pulled Coleton with her.

One of the prisoners noticed them and headed their way. "Chief!" Aria shouted, pushing Coleton towards the exit. They couldn't get far though, because throngs of people blocked their way.

Assistant Chief Foley grabbed the prisoner stalking Aria and Coleton, throwing him on the ground, then handcuffing him to a bench. Another prisoner came up behind him and hit him on the back of the head. Foley stumbled, then turned to fight.

The judge yelled louder, then dropped his gavel and stood up, his face warring between absolute anger and incredible fear. He backed up, then darted forward and spoke into his microphone.

"Court adjourned until tomorrow at 9:00. All juror candidates and spectators leave the room at once. All juror candidates return tomorrow at 9:00 or I will charge you with contempt." He banged his gavel once on the bench for effect and fled out of the room, leaving the guards locked in combat.

Aria took Coleton by the hand. "We're out," she told him, throwing one last look at his father. Fiore Savoy stood off to one side of the melee with no one holding him or guarding him at all. His eyes were locked on Aria and Coleton as they struggled to make their escape through the crowd of people attempting to flee. A large man fell on the ground in front of Aria, almost knocking her to the ground in the process.

When Coleton pulled her to her feet and she was able to look back, Fiore Savoy was gone.

Out in the hallway, the courthouse corridor stood awash in frightened people. Only a few of them actually headed for the exits, most milled around and got in Aria and Coleton's way. Outside, Aria could hear sirens in the distance. Would they be too little, too late? New courthouse guards and sheriffs swarmed the room they had been in, adding to the pandemonium.

Aria looked around frantically, her mind trying to think what she would do if she saw Fiore Savoy. She knew what her body would try to do - arrest him. But he had all this planned, she knew, and trying to arrest him would no doubt leave Coleton in danger. Fiore probably had a weapon of some sort, and people waiting for him outside, maybe even right here in the corridor.

Aria pulled on Coleton and headed for the closest exit.

They ran full speed towards their tiny car, with no attempts at watching for ambushes, even though Aria knew there could be one behind any tree. They made it to the car unscathed and climbed inside, slamming the doors. Aria jammed the keys into the ignition and threw the car into reverse, squealing tires as she pulled away quickly, then drove out of the parking lot and took a right on the main street, simply because it was easier.

She had no destination in mind. Where could they go? The police station was out. Not safe. Their love nest was out. At least until she knew if they had a tail or not. She had no choice but just to drive. Anything had to be safer than the courthouse right now.

Coleton pounded on the dashboard, startling her. "I can't believe he did that!" Coleton swore. "Why can't he just bend over and take it already! He's done the crime, now he needs to do his time! How did he get away with that shit?"

Aria gritted her teeth and weaved in between two cars, then turned right quickly at the next street. "I know, Coleton. You're right. Everybody underestimated him. And now we're all going to pay for it."

Coleton turned to her, his eyes wild. "What do you mean?"

"I think he might've escaped."

Coleton moaned and pressed his palms up against his temples. "Of course he did, the fucking bastard! Goddammit! Why can't he just die already! A stroke, a heart attack, something!"

Coleton pounded the dashboard again and craned his neck forward to see the sky out of the front window. "Come on, God. Aren't you paying attention? The bad guys are fucking winning! Can't you send down a lightning bolt or something?" he screamed and Aria winced. He was cracking up.

He turned to her. "Don't you get it Aria? This is when it happens! He's got a plan. He's going to find me and shoot me himself!"

"He might try," Aria admitted. "Maybe we should get you a gun..."

Coleton froze, his face still.

"If it comes down to you shooting him or being shot ..."

"I couldn't shoot my dad," Coleton fired back immediately.

Aria didn't say anything for a few moments, thinking, as she allowed her driving to slow a bit. "So you do still love him then?" she finally replied.

"No." Coleton said without hesitation. "He's dead to me."

Aria nodded and let it drop. She had already noticed that anytime Coleton spoke about his dad, it was almost in reverential terms. His eyes glazed over slightly and he became breathless. Aria could almost see his child self coming out. He was a strong and mature man, except when it came to his father, who still terrified him.

Aria didn't blame him. Fiore Savoy was terrifying. A monster who had no moral compass or conscious. A man who always took what he wanted with force. Aria remembered the look in his eyes as he stared at her and she shivered to think of him loose somewhere in the city.

Aria's mind wandered back to the guards and Assistant Chief Foley. Had anyone been injured? She hated the thought of that.

Aria watched her rearview mirror and her four quadrants as best as she could while slowing her driving even more. She had no destination in mind. No idea where they were going to end up.

A few miles later she swore lightly under her breath. "Uh oh," she said.

"What? What's wrong?" Coleton asked immediately, his entire body still tense and worried.

"We're being followed."

Coleton craned his neck back to see behind them.

"A block and a half back. Dark SUV."

"I don't see it."

"Behind that bus."

Coleton watched behind them as Aria took a hard right and then another hard right. But within a minute, he saw the dark SUV making the same turns.

Aria floored it and ran the next yellow light, then turned right once and left twice, then sped up and got onto the highway for two miles. She took a random exit, then drove leisurely through the suburban neighborhood they ended up in. Coleton watched behind them.

This time it was Coleton who swore under his breath. "They're still back there."

Aria pressed her lips together. "Did anyone touch you in the courtroom?"

Coleton shook his head. "No one."

Aria thought furiously. "Are you sure? What about the attorney? Did he put a hand on your back or anything?"

"No." Coleton shook his head emphatically when a faraway look came into his eyes. "One of the guards elbowed me in the ribs as he ran by to get my father."

"Lean forward," Aria demanded, then ran her hand over his back and his side. "I don't see anything but he must have put something on you."

"Something like what?"

"A transistor. It could be as small as a pencil eraser and flat. It could look like a sticker."

Coleton tore off his jacket and examined it. Finally he rolled down the window and just pitched it out.

Aria nodded approvingly. "Hold on."

***

Coleton held on. He'd learned by experience that Aria drove a car like she'd stolen it. Just like she had stolen his heart. He watched her profile as she slammed the car into second gear and skidded around the corner.

Up until now, even though he'd always known he was in danger, he'd never considered his father a cop killer. But seeing the way his father had stared at Aria in the courthouse, he knew that was all about to change. He felt like Aria was in incredible danger, and it was all his fault. He couldn't stand to be the one to have done this to her. If she was murdered, and it was all his fault, which it would be, he would die. His father wouldn't have to murder him. He would die of a broken heart on the spot.

He had to think of a way to get away from her. To draw his father away from her. To make sure his father knew that she no longer had anything to do with protecting him. To beg for her life if he had to. In his mind's eye he could see himself calling his father somehow, with one last request.
I'll come to you willingly, if you'll leave her alone forever.

Coleton looked behind them, feeling the pain of the bullet that would be coming. "I don't see them," he said softly, trying to make his mind up.

"Good," Aria said with a clenched jaw, and sped up. Coleton made sure his door was locked as he was thrown against it, then tried to hold himself in place. Eventually, she slowed down.

She flashed a magnificent smile at him. "I think we did it."

He smiled back, but it felt like he was already dying inside. "What now?"

"I'm not sure," she said. "I don't know if anywhere is safe. Maybe we should just drive around for a while and give them time to sort it out at the courthouse. We can call in later and see if things are under control. But even if everyone was subdued and your father is still in custody, I don't think that means you're safe, do you?"

Coleton just stared at her and she eyed him curiously. She didn't speak though, giving him space and time to figure out what he wanted. He watched as she got on the highway and he didn't question her decision. She was heading south, and he just wondered how far.

An hour later, Coleton still wrestled with his decision, but Aria cut through his thoughts. "We're going to need to stop for gas."

"Are we safe?"

"I'm almost certain we are."

Aria took an exit and pulled into a gas station. She parked just inside the entrance and spoke to him seriously. "I'm going to wait until that pump is free," she said lifting her chin to indicate the pump closest to the door. "When I stop, you get out and go inside to pay. If you hear me honk the horn, you run out immediately and jump in the car."

Coleton nodded and took one last long look around at the roads in front and behind him. He did not see anything suspicious. The car in front of them cleared out and Aria pulled into the spot she had her eye on. Coleton followed her instructions to a T and within five minutes they were back on the road.

"Do you ever think about just running?" Aria said in a strange voice.

Coleton looked at her, dumbfounded. Finally he spoke. "I already did that, remember?"

She shook her head. "I don't mean to New York. What about Brazil? Or Japan?"

He shook his head. "And always be looking over my shoulder? Besides, my life is here."

Aria moved her hand from the gearshift onto his leg, then found his hand and twisted her fingers in his. "I could go with you. We could start a new life," she said quietly.

Coleton stared at her, his mouth agape. Finally he gathered his senses and tried to lighten the situation. "They would love you in Japan. With that blonde hair and those light blue eyes, you'd be bigger than Godzilla."

Aria half smiled and gave him a stern look. "I'm serious."

"You'll lose your job."

"That's not as important as you would think. As I thought a month ago."

Coleton shook his head vehemently. "I don't want you to lose your job and end up resenting me because of it."

"That's better than losing you," she said in a small voice. "You could wind up dead if we stay here."

"It's not better for me
.
. I'd rather be dead than have you hate me."

"I could never hate you, Coleton."

"You could. If we ran right now, I'm afraid you would. Eventually."

Aria was silent for a long time. Coleton knew she saw the wisdom in what he was saying. The stress of being on the run for the rest of their lives could destroy them both.

He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. "Look, I know it seems hopeless. It seemed that way to me for a long time. But if something happens to me, you're going to be okay." In the back of his mind, he saw himself making the deal with his father. "I know Jason hurt you, but that was on him, not you. Your next husband won't -"

"I am never getting married again!" Aria almost yelled, her eyes bright and hard as she sped up slightly onto the highway.

Coleton studied her. He saw the pain written clearly on her face and wished he could take back his words. He never wanted to cause her a second of pain. If only he could get his hands on that jerk Jason, that jerk who had destroyed her peace of mind, her sense of safety, her view of the world. Coleton's thoughts wandered towards teaching Jason a lesson for only a few brief moments before Aria spoke again.

"If we are not running, we'll need to head back. Get close enough that we can make it to court tomorrow morning at nine."

Coleton nodded absently. He still had a decision to make. "Are we going to try to stay somewhere tonight?"

"Yes, how about a motel just outside the city limits?"

He gave her a lopsided smile. "Only if we can stay on the first floor," he said.

She smiled back. "You're on."