She had barely gotten the words of her simple prayer out when the car slammed into another parked vehicle, a delivery van. The airbags deployed, and they were all jerked forward.
Kaylee slammed her face into the back of the driver’s seat. She had to catch herself before she fell to the floor.
Stuart slammed into the door frame beside the passenger door. She heard the sickening thud as his forehead hit the interior. He leaned back and groaned.
Trina shoved the door open and dove out, stumbling onto her knees. Moving faster than anyone rightfully should right now. “Go, Dad!”
Silas Nigelson only grunted.
Trina, the gun still in her hand, made a run for it. Still in her bank clothes. Low heels on her feet. She raced past the delivery van blocking the side street.
Kaylee heard a yell.
Three cops in uniform raced past the car. She heard a gunshot, and one flinched. They all kept running, calling out for Trina to stop.
Kaylee’s world spun. It took a second for her mind to realize she needed to breathe. Then she was sucking in air that smelled like tangy smoke. She coughed it out.
Someone opened her door.
Donaldson crouched beside her. “Hey, Kaylee. You okay?”
Another officer pulled open the front door and cuffed Silas to the steering wheel while he moaned.
Kaylee looked at Stuart. She scooted toward him on the backseat and touched his shoulder. “Stuart?”
He moaned. Blood trailed down from a cut on his temple.
“Hey.” She gave him a tiny shake, just in case. Then she asked Donaldson, “Did you call Dean?”
“He’ll be here in two minutes,” the younger officer said. “What do you need?”
“A cloth, or rag. Something to press against his head.”
“Head wounds bleed a lot, you know?”
“Okay.” Why was that relevant? Maybe he was telling her so she didn’t freak out at the sight of it as it kept coming. And coming.
She refused to think about blood on her hands. Conroy. Her parents, lying lifeless in the street. She wasn’t going to freak out. Nothing would be solved by it.
Like when Trina had been yelling at her. Waving a gun around. What would it have benefited her to scream about all the lies Trina had told her? To complain, as loudly as possible, that Trina had betrayed her. Kaylee had fallen for it. But the satisfaction she’d have felt making a ruckus would’ve been hollow.
So, she’d kept her mouth shut. Done what her brother had instructed her to do, what her favorite fictional spy would do. Even Stuart had seemed to agree—he’d even squeezed her hand in solidarity.
Now he just needed to wake up.
A sob worked its way to her throat. She swallowed it down. No. I’m not going to dissolve.
Instead, she told Donaldson everything. She’d have to tell him all over again so he could write it all down, but she needed to say it. To have him react like that—eyes flaring and his face turning red—it gave away the fact she was holding something important for her brother. But she no longer cared.
These people were her friends. Her family. They would give their lives for her, as Conroy had almost done.
That was what a good life was about. And she would never again take any of them for granted.
Stuart moaned.
“It’s okay. Trina’s gone, and Silas is cuffed. We’re safe now.” He had saved her. That was the truth.
In a time where she should have, by all rights, dissolved into a mess of traumatized emotions, losing the ability to think straight, she hadn’t. She’d kept her cool. Stood her ground.
Kayla didn’t think she would ever get over the fear. Maybe that wasn’t the goal. Just as avoiding all possible situations where she might feel fear probably wasn’t the healthiest way to move on with her life. She would never be “cured” of her trauma. Despite trying to ignore it, or deal with it, the memories would forever be there.
Now she had new ones.
Maybe life was just about finding good in the bad. Moments of peace and joy. Where she felt safe, despite what was happening.
Because Stuart was with her. A man who cared enough he didn’t want her to be scared. Who didn’t let her get kidnapped alone. Who thought she was beautiful.
“Stuart.” She needed to look into his eyes and see those things for herself. To see all the feelings she had for him reflected in his gaze.
She gave his shoulder another gentle shake.
He moved before she realized what was happening, so fast she couldn’t even track his movements. His hand slammed against her throat and his fingers wrapped around her neck, cutting off her air.
“Stuart,” Donaldson yelled his name like an order. “Let her go, man.”
Kaylee couldn’t speak.
He opened his eyes just as hers bugged out. Only paranoia and fear were there, not everything she’d been expecting just moments before. That he knew her. That he felt safe.
She patted his arm and squeezed it, willing him to realize where he was. That he was hurting her.
Inhaling through her nose didn’t work. Spots exploded around his head, obscuring her vision. She was starting to pass out.
Donaldson grabbed her arm and tried to pull her away from him. “Stuart, let her go!”
In one last ditch effort, she shoved at his chest.
He let her go. She fell toward Donaldson, coughing and gasping for air. Her throat felt like the worst infection-like swelling she’d ever experienced.
She looked at him. He had both hands over his face. When he pulled them away, he looked grief stricken.
“Stuart.” She couldn’t get his name out without coughing, and it was barely audible.
Donaldson tugged on her arm. “Let’s go.”
Across the car, Officer Allen pulled out Silas Nigelson. He’d been shot during the past few months, in a raid by gunmen on the police station. Now he was back to full duty.
The bank manager had a very red nose, but it wasn’t bleeding. Donaldson walked her to the back of the car while Dean passed them, heading for Stuart.
“He’s disoriented. He hit his head.”
Dean glanced at her and nodded, then got in the car.
“He didn’t mean it.”
Donaldson tugged her away. “Come on. Let’s give them some room.”
“He wasn’t trying to hurt me. He thought I was a threat.” For some reason, she continued, “It’s what people with trauma do. They get flashbacks. Especially in intense situations, and when they get hurt.”
“I know what happened to you,” Donaldson admitted. “What you saw…with your parents.”
“I don’t want to talk about it. But you know that means I understand Stuart. More than a lot of people might.”
“Doesn’t mean he gets to hurt you.”
“He couldn’t help it.”
Yes, she was defending him. “He didn’t mean it,” wasn’t a good defense. There wasn’t much that would excuse what he’d done, nearly choking her. He could have killed her. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t offer understanding and forgiveness. Wasn’t that what the pastor was always talking about?
This wasn’t an offense. But the principle still stood.
Donaldson said, “Did you forgive the man who murdered your parents?”
“He’s dead.”
She’d figured that settled the matter, given the eye-for-an-eye policy. Justice had been served. It didn’t heal the devastation caused. Maybe it made Brad feel better. Kaylee just tried to move on.
Now she had just discovered that she could withstand a whole lot more fear than she’d imagined. “Trina pointed a gun at me.”
“You told me that.” He was a younger man, and he’d been there with both Conroy and Mia the day they faced down the man intent on destroying their lives. Seemed like Donaldson was having a hard time with all this—probably the fact his chief was in the hospital, fighting for his life. He was now falling back on the fact he was one of the good guys. The “bad guys” were those who didn’t fight on his side. And he didn’t count Stuart as one of the good guys.
She took a moment and prayed he would find peace soon.
Kaylee said, “I looked Trina in the eyes, and she told me she would make sure that Stuart never walked again. And not once did I freak out. I just stared her down and kept my cool.”
“Good for you.”
“You don’t get it,” Kaylee said. “This is huge. I never thought I’d be able to handle something like that. And I stood my ground.” She couldn’t help the smile that stretched her lips wide.
“I’m glad you’re super happy you got kidnapped.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m glad you guys intervened. Who knows what might’ve happened if you all didn’t show up.” She lifted on the balls of her feet and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. “I appreciate you, Donaldson.”
He blushed.
“Where’s Basuto?”
“Right here.” The sergeant jogged over.
Dean backed out of the car, and Stuart climbed out after him. Neither looked happy. In fact, it kind of looked as if they’d been arguing in the car.
She said, “Everything okay?”
Neither said anything. Basuto was the first to speak. “Trina is in the wind. She’s fast, and our guys lost her.”
Kaylee’s stomach flipped over. She was gone? That meant she was out there, maybe even watching.
She spun around.
Silas struggled against Officer Allen. “It was all Trina! She’s crazy, and she dragged me into this for some payday. I didn’t know what was happening!”
“He’s lying.”
She spun to see Stuart’s attention was on Basuto. The sergeant nodded. “Nigelson isn’t getting out from under this until she’s brought in and everything is squared away.”
Stuart nodded.
“But we also have a separate problem.” Basuto’s shoulders were tense. Kaylee’s shoulders followed suit and a chill ran through her. With Silas in handcuffs, she’d thought their only problem was Trina, but there was more? “We got word there’s a tactical team inbound from the State Department. They want to talk to you—” He pointed at Stuart, then glanced at her. “—and they want whatever you have. Apparently, it’s national security.”
Stuart took a step back.
Dean glanced at him. “I’ll call our team. See if they can get in the middle, stir up some distractions.”
Stuart nodded.
“Seems like the two of you have solid targets on you,” Basuto said. “Might want to lay low somewhere under the radar. Get whatever you have and go to ground until we figure out what all this is about.”
Kaylee had been so relieved at how well she’d done facing down Trina, she wasn’t prepared to be blindsided by this new development. “We need to run?”
She’d thought her life was safe. Now it was certain it very much was not.
Stuart said, “I know a place we can go, but I need to do something first.” He glanced at Dean. “Can you help me?”
The former SEAL said, “You wanna try one more time?”
Stuart nodded.
“I’ll call Ellie. She can help me get set up. Ted, too.”
“Don’t bother Ted. He needs to be at the police station,” Basuto said. “He has plenty to do, and he’s been worked up about finding your father.”
Dean frowned but said nothing.
Stuart turned to her. “I know you didn’t want to tell Trina where the flash drive is, and that was the right thing to do.” He nodded. “You did good.”
“Thanks.” Why did she feel like this was leading up to something?
“Now I need you to tell me where it is so we can go get it. The thing needs to be kept safe and secure.”
Kaylee had been doing that this whole time. Obviously she had, or someone would have found it by now. “The note said not to give it to anyone who doesn’t know the password.” Before he could argue, which he was gearing up to do, she continued, “Brad said it’s my job to keep it safe. So, if you don’t have the password, then I can’t give it to you.”
Instead of arguing that point, he turned to Dean. “You’re up.”
The former SEAL nodded. “Let’s get you your memory back.”