Operation Reunion (17 page)

Chapter 29

“W
here?”

Kayla focused on that question so that she didn’t have to face the simple fact that now that her goal might actually be within reach, she wasn’t sure she wanted it. This quest had consumed her for so long she wasn’t sure what would be left of her when it was finally over, one way or another.

“Out off of Breakers Road,” Liam said. “Quinn’s heading over there. Rafe’s staying on the building because somebody will need to watch the back entrance.”

Kayla wondered if she’d had too much sleep; she couldn’t seem to process this.

“An abandoned building?” Chad had friends here, he had her. This made no sense. “But why would Chad—”

“I don’t know,” Dane said. He didn’t add, “And I don’t care,” but Kayla heard it anyway. Apparently so did Liam because for the first time he looked uncomfortable and excused himself to go back out to his car and to his guarding of the area around them. She wondered if he’d been warned.
Watch out. They’re in the middle of a breakup so things are a bit intense....

Kayla shook off the useless speculation. She looked around automatically. Without a word Dane picked up her phone and handed it to her. That was still working fine, it seemed, that communication without words, that knowing someone so well you knew what the slightest gesture meant.

She made herself concentrate on the phone, called up the map app they both used and entered the location. The image that popped up told her little until she backed out a click and saw the surrounding area.

“The old tag arena!” she exclaimed.

“What?”

“You know, the place that used to be a skating rink ages ago, then it was a video arcade, then a laser tag arena?”

“Out by the gravel plant? I went there a few times.”

She nodded. “And Chad used to spend a lot of his free time there, with Troy and their other friends.”

“They closed down years ago, didn’t they? I remember my dad saying it was because the home video game systems were getting so good, and my mom saying it was more because the kids were getting out of control.”

“And Chad was furious. Especially because our parents wouldn’t buy him one of the home systems.”

“He ever heard of a job?” Dane said.

Kayla forced herself not to defend her brother; Dane had had a part-time job from the age of sixteen and had little patience for those who expected everything to be given to them. Or made their way through life on looks and charm. Most of the time she agreed with him. Except regarding Chad.

She’d always told herself Dane just didn’t understand her brother, but now she was asking herself if perhaps she shouldn’t have thought more about why she always made that exception for Chad.

“I don’t think it was the games so much as a place to hang out with his friends,” she finally said.

“You’re right about that,” Dane said, his mouth twisting wryly. “Believe me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was into the games,” he said. “Chad and his buddies were into harassing the younger or smaller kids who were into the games.”

She stared at him. “Harassing?”

“Intimidation might be a better word. Or bullying.”

“Chad wouldn’t—”

“I was there. He did it to me. Personally. Would have been worse if Troy hadn’t finally pulled him off me.”

“You never told me that!”

“Please. You never wanted to hear a word against him.”

“What did he do?”

“Picked the weakest, littlest kids and extorted their game money from them. Threatened them if they didn’t hand it over. Beat me up just to demonstrate what would happen if anybody resisted.”

A memory flashed through her mind of the day they’d made that promise to each other to never let others determine who they were. The day she’d sworn to make the most of what looks she had yet never deny her intelligence, and the day he’d sworn to become tough and fit and yet never give up what he loved. He’d been sporting a bruised face and skinned-up knuckles that day, but he would only tell her he’d run into a bully.

Chad.

He’d never told her it was her brother who had done it.

And it obviously wasn’t open for discussion now; he had taken back his phone and was making a call. Cutter’s gaze shifted to her, and she realized he’d been watching them like a human would watch a tennis match, head moving side to side as each of them spoke.

“It’s Dane,” he said into the phone. “Kayla knows the place Liam told us about. Chad used to hang there when it was a video arcade.”

He listened for a moment. Quinn, she guessed.

“Yes,” Dane said into the phone. Then “Yes,” again and more listening. Kayla barely managed not to demand to know what was going on. If Chad was really this close, she wanted to know, and she wanted to know now.

What she didn’t know was what she would do about it. And again she felt the uncertainty she’d never expected. How could her goal of so many years be within reach, and yet she suddenly wasn’t sure she wanted it?

“All right,” Dane said and ended the call. He turned to look at her, and when he spoke it was with no more emotion than a police officer making a report. “Building appears empty right now. Quinn and Rafe checked the inside and there are signs someone’s living there, but they can’t be sure what belongs to the homeless guy until they question him further.”

“Who is he? I hadn’t heard of anybody local losing their home, not lately anyway.”

“Don’t know who he is, but Quinn said Hayley was making arrangements for him, getting him into a shelter Foxworth helps fund.”

Kayla blinked. “They’re into a lot of stuff.”

“Seems that way.”

“So now what?”

“They’re going to watch the place, see if Chad shows up.”

“I should go—”

“Quinn wants us to sit tight. With watching that place, your house and here, they’re spread a little thin.”

“Then we should go there now, and they could stop watching this place.”

“There’s nobody there now. There’s no point. And if there are too many people around, it could spook him and they’d lose him again.”

“You’re assuming it is Chad,” she said.

He said nothing, but she saw his jaw tighten and knew he was holding back whatever response had come into his mind.

“All right,” she said, “I admit it sounds like it is. But that’s why I should be over there.”

“Quinn will call if he shows up. Then we’ll decide.”

Reluctantly she conceded. She wasn’t used to doing nothing, and they had another discussion about the possibility of taking Cutter for a walk through the woods behind the motel. Dane seemed to waver on that one. Probably, Kayla thought sourly, because he and Cutter had bonded. Then again, the dog was generally more cooperative than she had been, and she had the grace to admit that much at least.

But in the end Quinn’s caution won out, and except for letting Cutter out when he needed it the door stayed shut with the “Do not disturb” sign hanging on the outside knob. And Kayla tried not to think of other times when that sign would have had an entirely different intent, times when they had hung it on the door of a room specifically to avoid interruption of a long, passionate session of enjoying how in tune their bodies and their minds were.

It was an effort to keep from pacing the room. But when she did, Cutter seemed to get wound up, and Dane, who was trying to sleep a little more, always woke up. This time the dog was curled up beside Dane on the other bed, and she noticed in sleep Dane’s arm had come to rest along the dog’s side. It was a picture that would have once made her smile, made the love she felt for this man bubble up inside her to overflowing.

Now it just made her hurt more.

She welcomed the distraction later when Dane woke up and, after checking the time, suggested dinner; they’d been nibbling on the snacks Hayley had brought, but a real, hot meal sounded wonderful. Dane quickly put to rest her thoughts of actually going to the restaurant by saying they’d order it to go. She didn’t really quibble, although the thought of even a temporary escape was very tempting, because it didn’t seem fair to leave Cutter here all alone in a strange motel room. And at this point, she wasn’t sure he wouldn’t figure out a way to follow them anyway.

The meal of fish and chips they ended up with wasn’t the best she’d ever had, but it wasn’t the worst either, and under the circumstances she figured that was enough. Mindful of Hayley’s words, she gave Cutter a couple of bites of fish, which he took delicately from her fingers, while he caught the fries Dane tossed him neatly in midair.

Later, Dane amused the patient animal by taking a rolled-up sock and tossing it for him. The room was too small for the dog to run, but he seemed to enjoy the challenge of catching the makeshift ball over and over.

When darkness finally came again, Kayla didn’t know what she was going to do. She didn’t feel at all sleepy, and she certainly wasn’t relishing another night spent in this room, with Dane so near and yet so emotionally far away. Now Dane was playing tug of war with Cutter, the worse-for-wear sock standing in for a rope. As a buffer between them, the dog was serving quite well.

“You’re right,” Dane said when he finally called it quits and sat down. “We should have gotten a dog.”

She didn’t know whether to feel gratified at the agreement or pained at the reminder of that damned past tense. And before she could decide, Dane’s phone rang. At this hour, it had to be someone from Foxworth.

After he said hello, he listened for a long moment before speaking again.

“Yeah, I got some sleep. Enough, anyway. I’m good. She needed the sleep more,” Dane said. Kayla’s gaze shifted to the dog, who was sitting, watching Dane as if he knew who he was talking to. “And you were right—Cutter helped me stay awake.”

Part of her wanted to believe he’d stayed awake to watch over her because he still loved her. But another part of her knew that was just who Dane was; if he took on a responsibility, he saw it through. And that’s all she was to him now.

“No. She needs to be there.” Kayla’s breath caught at his words. “I know. I’ll keep her back. But if it is Chad, he may only cooperate with her.” Another pause, and then, “All right. We’ll bring him.”

He disconnected the call, slipped the phone into his pocket, leaned over and scratched Cutter’s ear.

He did everything but look at her.

When he didn’t speak, the words finally burst from her. “What’s happening?”

“Get the sweatshirt Hayley bought you.”

“I don’t need a sweatshirt. I need to know what’s going on.”

“You will. It’s cooled off outside now, and you can’t take the chance of a cold when we’re not sure your lungs are a hundred percent yet.”

She needs to be there,
he’d said. “He’s there? Chad?”

“Someone is. Rafe is watching the building now, and Quinn’s on his way.”

She darted over to the shopping bag she’d set on the dresser and yanked out the new, zip-front sweatshirt Hayley had thoughtfully provided. She pulled it on, turned back and saw Dane watching her with a sad expression she’d seen a lot of lately. It took her a moment to work out that it was because she’d resisted his suggestion until she’d realized it had to do with Chad.

I can’t play second fiddle to your fixation any longer.

For the first time she realized just how much she had made him feel that way. Now that it was too late.

His expression cleared and shifted into something painfully neutral, uncaring. “Quinn wants us to bring the dog. And then stay clear until it’s safe,” he said in a businesslike tone that matched the look.

He turned away then, walking to the dresser to pick up the keys to Rafe’s car. She wondered idly what Rafe was driving in the meantime and how many cars Foxworth had access to. And again she realized her mind was skittering for the safety of mundane, unimportant thoughts to avoid dealing with the biggest one of all.

“Let’s go,” Dane said.

Kayla shoved her hands into the pockets of the sweatshirt, mainly to hide how her hands had knotted into fists. It felt so close, so imminent. Ten years of her life, and it could all be coming together tonight.

It could all be coming apart tonight.

She said nothing as they left the room and walked to Rafe’s car. Dane opened the back door and Cutter jumped in as if it were familiar territory. It probably was, from what Hayley had said. Kayla got in while Dane was doing that so that she wasn’t faced with wondering if he would open the door for her as he usually did. He said nothing in turn—just walked around and got in the driver’s side.

The silence continued as they drove through the night. It didn’t surprise her. What was there to say now? The past ten years of her life had been aimed at this moment. She couldn’t turn back now if she wanted to, despite the urge to call it all off. She’d set this in motion, and it was out of her control now.

And now she would have to live with the results.

Chapter 30

D
ane hadn’t been out this way in years, but not all that much had changed. The building still stood alone at the far end of what had once been a pasture of some sort. It was the size of a small barn, about a story and a half tall, with an even higher roof. The windows and doors were boarded up now, and it had the empty look of the long abandoned.

Memories stirred as he looked at it. It had been cavernous inside, a big, open space where the games had once stood in a random sort of array that had actually been carefully planned, with alcoves to give each game its own space and avoid the distraction of having a traditional pinball or shooting gallery competing with the latest alien invasion game. There had been an open, raised level across the back, about ten feet higher than the floor, where the offices were and where what security there had been often stood to overlook the space and keep order. They’d never responded quite quickly enough to stop Chad and his crew from their own form of entertainment, though.

Most of the youngest kids just quit coming. Many of the older ones, too. He himself had been too stubborn, refusing to let Chad deprive him of a favorite pastime. Although he was the same age, he’d been weaker and smaller then, the growth spurt that had taken him to over six feet yet to come. But he’d started working out, biking, running, getting strong. Oddly, he hadn’t needed his new strength and confidence; they’d left him alone after that beating.

Or maybe it was that same new strength and confidence that had warned them off. He’d never really known, nor cared, as long as they stayed away.

He stopped the car about halfway down the long driveway and turned off the headlights. They were twenty yards from the building and still in the trees, where the darkness was nearly absolute. They were also at the spot where the driveway curved toward the building, and the headlights would have announced their arrival rather blatantly.

Kayla glanced at him.

“Quinn said to wait here,” he said.

It was the first thing he’d said since they’d left the motel; they hadn’t spoken at all on the drive. He’d been glad of it. The last thing he wanted to hear right now was her excitement at maybe seeing her brother again. He should be glad for her, he supposed, but selfishly he wasn’t. Not when he thought about the price they both were paying for this obsession of hers. True, it could well be over soon, finally resolved, but too late. For them anyway.

Still, he felt compelled to warn her. “Quinn said if he’s here, they’ll have to call Detective Dunbar. Chad is still their prime suspect.”

He wasn’t sure, there in the dark, but he thought she winced. Yet she didn’t speak or take her eyes off the building as they waited. Once Dane thought he saw a faint light through the upper window, as if someone had a flashlight inside, but it was quick and didn’t repeat, so he wasn’t certain.

Cutter was suddenly on his feet in the backseat, looking out the back window. A low rumble they’d heard before issued from his throat. If there was such a thing as a happy growl, this was it. Or maybe respectful, Dane thought.

“Quinn,” Kayla said, recognizing the sound from that first day out at Foxworth just as he had.

And a moment later the big SUV pulled up beside them and Quinn was there. And somewhat to Dane’s surprise, Hayley was with him.

Dane got out and opened the car door for the anxious Cutter.

“Quiet,” Hayley said to the animal as he jumped out. Obediently, the dog skipped his usual happy bark of greeting for her. But he danced at her feet until she bent down and hugged him, crooning about how much she’d missed him. Then he moved to Quinn, sitting at his feet and looking up expectantly.

“Ready to do a little work, buddy?” Quinn asked as he scratched the dog’s ears.

Instantly the dog was back on his feet, tail up, ears alert, answering in the affirmative as clearly as if he could speak.

Quinn unclipped a small walkie-talkie that matched the one Hayley had given them from his belt. He keyed it and spoke.

“Rafe?”

“North side” came the laconic response.

“Cutter and I will be making the approach. Stand by, and stop anybody who leaves the building.”

Instead of an answer, Dane heard a click, as if the man on the other end had simply pushed the talk button and released it. This was obviously not new to them.

“I want to go with you,” Kayla said. “If Chad’s in there, I need to see him.”

“Not yet,” Quinn said almost absently, clearly already focused on the task ahead. “Ready, boy? Let’s go.”

Dane understood Kayla’s desire; he was feeling a bit antsy at staying here himself. But as he watched Cutter and Quinn move out across the open space between here and the building at different angles, as he saw the way Cutter raced ahead, then stopped, lifting his head into the faint breeze, sniffing, then turning his head and sniffing again, then respond to an apparent hand signal from Quinn, he realized they were a smooth-working team. And that Quinn Foxworth was far more than the executive or philanthropist he’d first thought he was.

“They’ve done this before, haven’t they?” he asked Hayley softly.

“Yes.”

“I should be there,” Kayla said.

“No,” Hayley said with a reassuring touch on Kayla’s arm. “If you go in now, I’ll go in after you, and if I go in Quinn will be mad, and trust me, you do not want to see that.”

Dane couldn’t help chuckling; he had no doubts that Quinn mad over Hayley putting herself at risk would be a fearsome sight.

“You’ve got your walkie-talkie?”

Dane nodded; he’d stuck it in his back pocket as they’d left the motel room.

“He’ll call us when it’s safe to come in.”

Dane sensed Kayla was about to speak, but she apparently changed her mind. Just as well; if she’d insisted she’d be safe with her brother, he would have likely said something harsh. Perhaps the concept that someone had tried to kill her had finally penetrated.

Or perhaps the fact that Quinn had been armed had made her realize this wasn’t necessarily going to be the joyous occasion she’d always hoped for.

For a moment he felt bad for her, so bad he almost went to comfort her, as he always had. But he kept going back to what he’d thought through yesterday as she’d slept. One of two things would happen here tonight.

One, Chad would not be there, whether it was because he never had been or because he had moved on or some other reason that didn’t really matter. In which case Kayla would simply slide back into search mode, expending her time and energy and money on the endless quest.

Two, Chad would be there. And Kayla would be either delighted and lost in the happy reunion, or hurt to learn the brother she’d loved to exhaustion hadn’t cared enough to keep in touch, maybe hadn’t even thought about her all that much. Or worse, she’d be devastated if it turned out Chad had been guilty all along.

Whichever way it turned out, Kayla would be either continuing her search, or wrapped up one way or another in his return. And if it turned out he was back in legal trouble, if the police arrested him, she’d probably throw all that effort into defending him. Either way, the result for him would be the same.

He’d lost.

Maybe he’d never had a chance to win.

* * *

If there was anything Quinn had learned in the time since a finally generous fate had set Hayley and Cutter in his path, it was to trust them both. Right now, it was the quick, uncannily clever canine who had his full attention. He’d given up questioning how the dog seemed to always know what the mission at hand was, how he barely had to formulate a command before the dog was off and running, as if he’d already known what to do and had merely been waiting for the order.

This time was no exception. They made their entrance through a delivery door where the lock appeared to have been broken long ago judging by the weathering and rust buildup. Cutter had stopped just inside in that way he had, his head lifted, nose pumping as he processed scents, ears alert as he listened for the slightest sound with that hearing that was uncanny even for a dog. Quinn’s eyes were already adjusted to the dark outside and only took a moment to change further for the deeper darkness inside the building. He kept his small, high-power LED flashlight in his pocket for the moment; he could see well enough to make out shapes in the cavernous space, and he didn’t want to betray his location too soon.

In what seemed like only a few seconds, Cutter headed for the far left corner of the building with obvious purpose.

In the beginning, it had been a stretch for Quinn to trust the dog completely, to accept that he would find what they were looking for and warn of any impediments, human or otherwise. But now he knew better, and he followed without hesitation.

In the end, it seemed almost anticlimactic. Cutter signaled with a single, sharp bark that he’d found something. Quinn ran the last few feet and found Cutter at the entrance to one of the old game alcoves, one that was more walled off than the others, making it almost a private room. The dog was on his feet, his attention riveted on what—or who—was inside that space.

It was obvious the dog didn’t sense a threat, but Quinn wasn’t quite ready to cede full assessment of the danger to a dog. Yet. Cutter might be smart, as dogs go downright brilliant, but the concept of firearms or even knives as weapons was asking a bit much.

Now was the time for the flashlight. Quinn pulled it out and set it to spotlight mode, which was a wide, intense beam that could temporarily blind an opponent at night. With the light in his left hand and his sidearm as a precaution in his right, he made the move, leaning around the wall to look into the alcove.

The light flooded the small space like it was a stage.

Apparently Cutter had been right about the threat level. The man inside the alcove was huddled against the back wall, staring in apparent shock at the dog in front of him. He had a dark blanket pulled around him, making his pale face stand out even more. He wasn’t moving, but his hands were hidden by the blanket so Quinn stayed wary, although the man seemed pinned in place more by the sight of Cutter than Quinn and the powerful flashlight. Quinn supposed the sudden appearance of a fifty-pound dog could do that, although the guy was looking at Cutter like he’d seen one too many werewolf movies.

Quinn registered all this in a split second. These were logistical details, the threat of the hidden hands, the lack of movement, the fear of the dog. Important, necessary, but not the overriding fact.

That was, simply, that they’d found him.

Because there was no doubt this man huddled in the blanket was Chad Tucker.