Trouble with a Badge (17 page)

Scottie stopped in his tracks, but Levi could still see the struggle for him to rein in that temper. So, Levi decided to push a few more buttons.

“Want to know some other ugly words?” Levi didn't wait for Scottie to respond. “Endangering a baby. You put Tasha's baby in danger when you came after Alexa and me.”

The muscles in Scottie's jaw stirred. “I needed the kid. It was the only way I could get Tasha to realize the three of us could be a family.”

“It was the only way you could get her to cooperate,” Alexa spat out. She looked ready to launch herself at Scottie.

Levi shot her a warning glance, which she probably would ignore, so he got to work again.

“Did it feel good to hurt Tasha?” Levi asked him. “To have your thugs shoot her in the head with a dummy bullet?”

“All necessary,” Scottie insisted. “I needed Alexa to believe Tasha was dead or she would have kept looking for her.”

“I would have,” Alexa snapped.

Scottie shrugged as if he'd made his point. “Now, all I need is Tasha and the kid, and I can make sure all of us have good lives. She's my soul mate, and in time she'll see that.”

“Good lives?” Levi challenged. Time for more button pushing. “That's Tasha's blood on the floor in the hall. Your hired thug didn't have a soft touch when it came to handling her.”

Scottie made a sound—part surprise, part outrage—and his gaze flew to his thug. “You hurt Tasha?”

The guy frantically shook his head. “No, boss. He's lying. You said don't hurt her, and we didn't.”

Scottie came toward him. Not in a rush. Each step seemed slow and calculated. Judging from his enraged expression, Scottie didn't believe the man. Which was exactly what Levi wanted. Scottie was coming closer, and when he was within reach, Levi could grab him and put an end to this.

But that didn't happen.

“Don't shoot,” someone called out a split second before the door to Levi's right opened. “It's me, Tasha.”

Hell. He hoped the woman wasn't surrendering. Because if she was, Scottie would grab her and order his thugs to kill the rest of them. No way would Scottie leave this many witnesses behind.

Scottie and Levi both turned, and Levi saw Tasha. Clearly shaken. Still bleeding. But she wasn't alone. There was a man behind her, and he had a gun pointed right at her head.

Lockwood
.

Chapter Eighteen

Alexa could have sworn her heart skipped several beats. She'd braced herself for another gunman to come crashing through the door, had braced herself also for the fight with Scottie.

But she hadn't expected to see Lockwood holding Tasha hostage.

“Don't let him kill me,” Tasha said.

Though Alexa couldn't see Scottie, she heard him, and Tasha's words got him running past his thug and Levi. With his gun lifted, Scottie came running into the room, and he cursed when he saw Lockwood.

“Let her go!” Scottie shouted. “I'll kill everyone here if you don't.”

“Go ahead. Kill them,” Lockwood said. There wasn't a shred of emotion in his voice, but his body language was sending a different signal.

For one thing, Lockwood was bleeding, and it appeared he'd indeed been shot in his left side. He seemed steady enough, but he had to be in pain. Tasha, too. Her arm was no longer bleeding, the tourniquet had done its job, but the muscles in her face were tight.

“Where's Dexter?” Jericho asked, and he sounded as dangerous as he suddenly looked. An identical expression to Levi's.

“Your deputy's fine,” Lockwood insisted. “He's tied up and probably pissed off that I got the jump on him, but he'll be okay.”

“Prove it,” Levi insisted.

Lockwood huffed. Or maybe it was a grimace. “Tell them you're all right,” he called out.

Several seconds crawled by. “I'm okay,” Dexter finally answered.

The relief was instantaneous, cutting through some of the fear, but the fear returned with a vengeance when Scottie pointed his gun at Lockwood.

“Let her go!” Scottie shouted.

Clearly, he was losing it. Not that he had far to go to jump completely off the deep end, but Alexa didn't want him to start a gunfight. Not with Tasha in the middle. Plus, that other thug still had his gun trained on Levi.

“I killed your hired idiot,” Lockwood said, looking at Scottie. “That leaves us and idiot number two here.”

“Johnny?” the thug called out. Likely the name of his partner who'd helped with this attack.

Nothing. No answer, not even when the thug yelled for him again.

“Told you he was dead,” Lockwood explained calmly. “I thought I'd thin the herd before I came in and told you how this is going to work.”

“It's going to work by you releasing Tasha,” Scottie barked.

“I will. Eventually. You've probably noticed I'm bleeding. That means I'll have some trouble driving off because idiot number one shot me before I could get him. That's where you come in. You come with Tasha and me, and once I'm someplace safe, I'll hand her over to you.”

Oh, God. Lockwood was going to use Tasha to bargain for his own freedom.

Maybe.

Lockwood looked at her. Just a glance, but he also lifted his eyebrow. Was he trying to tell her something?

“Do as he says, Scottie,” Tasha insisted. “You, me and Lockwood will leave now.”

“No.” Alexa couldn't say it fast enough, either. “If Lockwood doesn't kill you, then Scottie eventually will.”

“I'm not a killer,” Lockwood insisted. “But Scottie is. You want to tell the Crocketts how you paid to have Todd and that other woman murdered? Or how you showed up at the sheriff's office to save Alexa from the poison only so you could watch your plan in action?”

Scottie didn't deny any of that, but it explained why those explosives hadn't been lethal.

“Or maybe they're more interested in what you did to Marcos?” Lockwood added.

With his gun still raised, Scottie went closer to Lockwood. “Marcos doesn't matter. Give me Tasha.”

Scottie also moved closer to Alexa and Jericho, too. If he came just another foot, she might be able to grab him and get him off balance.

“But Marcos does matter,” Lockwood argued. “Go ahead. Tell Levi and Jericho what you did, and then you can leave with Tasha and me.”

Scottie stood there, obviously seething. The anger boiling inside him. Maybe it would bring all of this to a head before Alexa could figure out how to stop it.

“Marcos is dead,” Scottie said to no one in particular. “His lawyer, too. I thought it best if I didn't have any witnesses to a phone call I got from my stupid employee to tell me that Todd had been shot. I wasn't sure that Marcos actually heard it, but I couldn't take the risk, could I?”

Scottie looked at Jericho then. Smiled. “Good thing you didn't have time to frisk me when I came running into the police station.”

She wasn't sure if his story was true, but if it was, Alexa might have cheered because Marcos was no longer a threat. But right now, the danger was greater than ever.

“Let's go with him,” Tasha repeated. And she glanced down at Alexa.

Alexa didn't see surrender in her friend's eyes. No. This was something else. The same thing she was seeing in Lockwood's.

Determination to get out of this alive.

This was perhaps a plan to get Scottie out of there so Jericho and Levi could deal with the hired gun. But if that was true, this plan had failure written all over it. Lockwood and Tasha were both hurt, and Scottie might be able to overpower them. If not alone, then he could have another hired gun waiting outside to do that. Tasha could be going from the frying pan right into a deadly fire.

Alexa looked at Mack to make sure he was okay. He was still behind cover. Then she looked at Levi, their gazes connecting. A dozen things passed between them, but she got his silent message. He didn't want her doing anything stupid or dangerous, but that might be the only two options they had left. She gave him a silent message, too. With that gun to his head, she didn't want him moving or trying to fight his way out of this.

Not yet.

But she prayed they'd get an opportunity for that soon.

After all, if Scottie did leave with Tasha and Lockwood, then the hired gun could just start firing. Levi would be his nearest target.

Jericho leaned into Alexa just a little, and she saw him move his hand to the back of his jeans. He was going for his backup weapon, and she needed to do something to make sure Scottie or his man didn't see what was happening and shoot him.

“Tasha, do you really want to do this?” Alexa asked.

Tasha nodded. “It's the only way. If and when you find Violet, take care of her for me.”

Scottie jumped right on that. “
If
? There's no if in this. Alexa knows exactly where the baby is because with the help of the Crocketts they hid her from me. That's why Alexa should come with us.”

“No,” Levi snarled. “Alexa doesn't know where the baby is. None of us do. We wanted it that way so that nothing would be leaked in case someone managed to tap the phones.”

Scottie glanced at all of them. Alexa, Jericho, Levi and then Tasha. It was the truth, and Scottie must have sensed that because he cursed and glared at them. “I'll find her. So help me God, I'll find her.”

Not that any of them had a say in it. Alexa didn't want this monster anywhere near Violet.

Scottie turned his glare back on Lockwood. “You could just kill me if I go with you,” Scottie said.

“I could. But I'm the one holding all the cards here. Or rather the only card that counts for you—Tasha.” Lockwood tipped his head toward the hall behind him. “Now let's get moving.”

Scottie didn't budge even when Lockwood and Tasha took a step back. “If you walk away from this and leave Tasha with me, I'll tell you the name of the Moonlight Strangler. You'll finally be able to catch him.”

Alexa wasn't sure who looked more surprised by that offer. Lockwood, Tasha or her. But Lockwood stopped moving, and his surprise turned to interest.

“How do you know who the killer is?” Lockwood asked.

Scottie smiled. “Connections. Let's just say a friend of a friend put me in touch with him. The Moonlight Strangler and I have had some interesting conversations. I think he might be a fan of mine. I've offered him my assistance if he ever needs it. Like going after Alexa for example.”

That sent a new chill through her. “He doesn't want me dead.”

“So he said. A pity. But I'm there for him if he ever changes his mind.”

It sickened her to think of Scottie in any kind of alliance with the Moonlight Strangler. And maybe he wasn't. There was no proof that the Moonlight Strangler had ever worked with an accomplice.

“Scottie's lying,” Tasha said to Lockwood. “Let's just go.”

But Lockwood still didn't move. The odds were that Scottie was indeed lying and this was all a ploy to get the marshal to hand over Tasha. However, it had to be tempting for Lockwood to get a shot at collaring a vicious serial killer.

Once, Alexa would have felt the same way.

Not now, though. All she wanted was for them to get out of there alive so that Tasha and Mack could be taken to the hospital.

“Well?” Scottie pressed Lockwood. “Do you want the info or not?”

Either way this wouldn't turn out good for Tasha. Or for them. The only winner in this scenario would be Scottie himself.

With his hand still behind his back, Jericho looked up, snagging Levi's gaze. Levi, in turn, snagged hers. Alexa wasn't sure what was about to happen, but she knew she had to get ready to move.

She didn't have to wait long.

Jericho whipped out his backup, but he didn't aim it at Scottie. He pointed his gun at the man holding Levi. Levi elbowed the guy again and then lunged to the side.

Just as Jericho fired a shot.

The gunman, too, darted to the side, and the bullet slammed into the wall. Levi didn't waste any time tackling him, and the two fell on to the floor just a few inches from her. Unfortunately, the thug managed to keep hold of his weapon, and he landed on hers so that she couldn't get to it.

Yelling like a crazy man, Scottie ran toward Lockwood and Tasha, battering right into them. Tasha screamed out in pain. Probably because her wounded arm had gotten crushed in the assault.

“Here,” Mack said, and he tossed Alexa his gun.

She caught it, turned but quickly realized she didn't have a clean shot. Levi and the hired gun were fighting, maneuvering all over the floor and were wedged in the doorway between the two rooms. No way could she risk firing a shot because she might hit Levi.

Jericho didn't have a shot, either, because Scottie had maneuvered Tasha so that she was in between Jericho and him. Worse, Scottie had clamped his hand around that raw cut, and it was clear Tasha was in excruciating pain.

Scottie didn't waste any time creating yet more pain. He bashed Lockwood in the head with his gun. Lockwood cursed and tried to scramble out of the fray, but Scottie would have no part of that. Scottie hit him again.

“Alexa, I was just trying to help you,” Lockwood called out. “Now you need to help me.”

She wasn't sure she believed him. Nor could she help. However, Jericho did something about that. He tried to latch on to Tasha to pull her out of the way, so Alexa went to help Levi.

Not that there was much she could do.

They were still in a life-and-death fight, and she didn't have a clean shot.

She dropped down on the floor to get herself in a better position, and when Levi punched the man in the face, his head dropped back just enough for her to bash him with the gun.

The shot blasted through the room.

And for several heart-stopping moments, Alexa thought the gun she was holding had gone off and she'd shot Levi. But then she heard the sound behind him and glanced around to see that it wasn't Levi who'd been shot.

It was Lockwood.

Clutching his chest, the marshal fell back. He slammed into the wall before sinking to the floor.

Scottie didn't waste any time. He latched on to Tasha's hair and dragged her to her feet. He also put the gun to her head.

Levi sprang into action, too. The gunman she'd hit was still dazed, and Levi punched him again. And again. Until the guy quit moving, and Levi ripped the gun from his hand.

“Get down and shoot him if he tries to move,” Levi told her. And Levi took aim at Scottie. “You aren't leaving with Tasha.”

“Not much you can do to stop it,” Scottie said, and he smiled.

Tasha looked at Alexa and shook her head. Now, Alexa saw surrender in the woman's eyes. “Take care of Violet,” Tasha mouthed.

Alexa nodded, but she didn't want Tasha to give up the fight. Not yet.

“Take me with you,” Alexa told Scottie. “That's the only way you'll get the baby.” And it was also a way for Alexa to get Tasha out of this.

Jax was probably somewhere close by, and now that Levi had disarmed the hired gun, it meant both Jericho and he could help stop this disaster in the making.

Scottie stared at her a moment as if considering it. Then, without warning, he lifted his gun.

And fired it.

At her.

Alexa scrambled over the thug, and the bullet slammed into him instead. The man didn't even manage to make a sound. The shot killed him instantly.

If Scottie had any reaction to that, he didn't show it. He glanced over his shoulder and started backing out of the room with Tasha in tow.

Levi clearly didn't have a kill shot for Scottie, but he hurried to the door, only to have to duck back in when Scottie fired at him. The bullet slammed into the doorjamb.

“We can't let him get away,” Alexa insisted, but it was something Jericho and Levi already knew.

“You're not getting out this way!” someone shouted. “Scottie, put down your gun now.”

Jax.

Judging from the sound of his voice, Jax was in the same part of the hall where they'd first found Tasha.

Scottie cursed and with his eyes widened he volleyed glances among Levi, her and Jax. His eyes widened even more when Jericho doubled around and came out the door where the thug had entered and grabbed Levi.

“This isn't over!” Scottie yelled, and he started shooting.