Urban Renewal (Urban Elite Book 1) (30 page)

Max

I know I’m biding my time. The feds are going to come through that door any minute. Any other hostage would be praying for deliverance, but me? I’m torn between wanting more time to get this guy’s story, and just wanting to get out alive. Society is fascinated with serial killers and I’m in the perfect position to give them some insight on one man’s journey of death and destruction. I don’t expect anyone to sympathize with him, I know I certainly don’t. I do, however, want him to come out of this alive. I want his story, but I also want him to live to pay for his crimes.

In that moment, I set aside my professional ambitions and commit to doing whatever I have to do to get justice for the women he butchered. Fuck him. I’m done.

“It didn’t bother me at all killing those women. What bothered me was that no one saw me, heard me, or even knew I existed. Not even you, Max. More than once I walked right past you, Max, close enough to smell your delicious scent, and you never noticed me. Even when we were face to face, you still didn’t really see me.”

What the fuck is he talking about? The only time I’ve ever laid eyes on him before now was when I saw his face on the security tape. And here he is, looking at me like a lover betrayed. This guy’s a piece of work. My breath hitches in my throat when he reaches in his pocket and removes my mother’s pearls.

“Remember me now, Max?” he asks slyly. What is he talking about? Little does he know that he’s unwittingly given me the diversion I’ve been hoping for. I know Agent Turner is watching and waiting for an opportunity to bring this ordeal to an end. Well, here goes nothing.

“Oh, you brought them with you. Thank you, Lance. How very thoughtful of you.” I lift my hair off my neck and ask tentatively, “Would you please fasten them for me?” If I’ve done my job and gotten his trust, he’ll put the gun down. I hold my hair up and wait, knowing that the next few seconds will either be a disaster or save the lives of everyone in this room.

He smiles smugly at his brother and dangles the pearls from his finger before sauntering over to where I’m sitting. He stops in front of me, then leans over to put the gun down on the counter behind me. I feel the pearls slide against my skin as he fastens them around my neck, and I can’t resist reaching up to touch them as I’ve done so many times before.

He’s tucking a strand of hair behind my ear when all hell breaks loose.

Jack

I hate to cut the kid’s interview short but getting her out of there and taking Lance into custody are the operation’s top priorities – in that order. As Agent Turner’s crew gets in position, I stay behind to watch the monitor so I can signal Turner the instant we’re clear to strike. As soon as the gun hits the counter, it’s over. Lance never sees it coming.

I push my way through the sea of law enforcement, determined to see for myself that Max is alive and well. I exhale with relief as SWAT exits the room with Lance in handcuffs, followed moments later by Dr. Chambers, who emerges from the room with his arm around Max’s shoulders. The teargas has irritated their eyes and skin -- a small price to pay, considering they both could have died.

I left Spider in the control room, told him to ensure that the footage is saved properly so it can be used as evidence when Lance goes on trial for murder. I thought I was going to have to use handcuffs on him to keep him from crowding Max when the strike was over. I know he is determined to look after her himself, but something tells me she’ll need a little space to get her head on straight after all the excitement. With Liam’s arm lingering around Max and her not complaining, it’s probably for the best that Spider’s occupied elsewhere.

Max accepts a damp cloth from a member of Turner’s medical team and presses it to her eyes. Tear gas is a bitch but it gets the job done. She dabs at her eyes and jokes with Liam that she’s glad he got to see her all dolled up since she’s not exactly looking her best at the moment. He stares at her blankly, then frowns as he asks, “What?”

“The night we went out to dinner and my pearls were stolen. At least you know I clean up nice compared to this!” she chuckles. I think I know what’s going on here but I want to be sure before I say anything. Turns out, Dr. Chambers saves me the trouble.

He wipes his eyes with the damp cloth he was given, then wipes his hands and holds one out to Max, who stares at it, dumbfounded, as he introduces himself.

“Max, is it? I don’t think we were ever formally introduced in there. I’m Dr. Liam Chambers. As you’ve probably figured out by now, I’m an orthopedic surgeon.” He shoots a self-deprecating smile her way and I raise an eyebrow when I see a hit of charm shine through and her cheeks flush in response. “I enjoy my work, but it’s not usually this exciting. Are you okay?”

Max scowls up at the good doctor, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. “I’m sorry, what? Liam, why are you introducing yourself to me, that’s not funny at all. Especially after all the time we spent discussing this case in the first place. I mean, who knew we were discussing your bother the whole time. Is that creepy, or what?”

I walk up behind Max and lay a hand on each of her shoulders, for moral support and because I think there’s a good chance she might pass out if this conversation goes the way I think it’s going to go. Liam tilts his head to the side and considers her for a long moment before the muscle in his jaw starts to tick. “I’m afraid we’ve both been played, Max. We’ve never met. I believe you’ve been dining with my brother, Lance.”

And that’s when Max finds out she has indeed been dating a serial killer. I barely have time to catch her before she hits the ground.

Jack

I look around the large table with satisfaction. I’ve gathered everyone together in the restaurant area of the motel for a quick staff meeting. It’s been two months since Lance was arrested. Since then, things have gone better than I ever could have anticipated. I’ve put a lot of time and effort into putting this team together, but the comradery among the team members happened all on its own. I couldn’t be more pleased.

Lady – or Evelyn, as she is now known -- has fit right in and become a core member of the team. She and Max are close.

Recruiting has been going well, with new members arriving next week to start intensive IT Security classes with Spider – if he can leave Max’s side, that is. At the moment, he’s leaning back in his chair with his arm draped around the back of Max’s seat. It will be interesting to see how those two work out the chemistry that’s simmering between them before it steams up the whole place. I suspect something’s going on between them. If so, they’re being discreet and I appreciate that. The fewer distractions within the team, the better. The possessiveness in his eyes as he watches her laughing with Evelyn is something I recognize because I see it in myself whenever I look at my woman.

Valerie finally decided to retire early after all, so we’re working together full time now. Knowing she’s close by has given me a renewed sense of inner peace and, for the most part, those old insecurities have hit the road. No doubt about it, life is good.

Max pushes her plate away and announces she’s headed to Our Lady to do another interview with Lance, who is incarcerated in the private wing of the psychiatric hospital while he awaits trial for a long list of offenses. She’s still pissed off that he passed himself off as Liam, and even more pissed that she never suspected a thing. Spider, on the other hand, is still seething about the goodnight kiss that came up during our debriefing about her interactions with Lance.

“Gotta go, people, I’ve got just enough time to make visiting hours.”

“You’re not going without me, Max” Spider says as he prowls along behind her.

“Fine, fine,” she says irritably before turning and thrusting her index finger against his chest. “But I don’t need a babysitter, so you’re staying in the waiting room.”

“Fuck if I am; I don’t trust that son of a bitch.”

“Fuck if you’re
not
! You know perfectly well that he won’t talk if you’re in the room. All you two do is glare at each other anyway, it’s like I’m not even there, it’s ridiculous. Come along if you insist, just stay out of my way.” She turns to me, telling me, “Dr. Brinkley assured me that I have nothing to worry about. Security is tight at that hospital. He said he personally guarantees my safety.”

“Yeah, right,” Spider mutters. “That fucker gives me the creeps me, too.”

“Whatever. Dr. Brinkley said he’d escort me to the interview room, so I don’t want to be late. Anyway, the last thing I need is to spend another hour with you and Lance staring each other down while I twiddle my thumbs.” They continue arguing until their voices fade into the distance.

Yes, everything is coming together really well, and my vision of urban renewal for Louisville is becoming reality. The Urban Elite team has become a tight-knit group that grows stronger with each new case. Just like a family should.

Their Loathing

“I don’t know why you keep coming here. It’s not like you want to see me. I promise you, the feeling’s quite mutual,” Lance drawls from across the metal table.

Liam tries in vain to scoot his chair back so he can get comfortable, only to roll his eyes when he’s reminded that the damn thing’s bolted into the floor. “I suppose I’m a bit curious,” he muses as he tilts his head to the side to smirk at his long lost sibling. “What was lost, now is found. We have so many years to make up for. And it’s not like you’re turning me away, so you must not mind too much.” His hand strays to the cell phone in his pocket. He presses the small button on the side to activate the frequency scrambler that will block the audio for the hospital’s security feed.

“So,” Liam murmurs serenely as he flicks a bit of lint from his suit jacket, “are you enjoying your stay so far, little brother?”

Lance’s head is bowed as he gazes down at the metal table and purses his lips. He slowly lifts his gaze and glares up at his brother with unabashed hatred as he hisses, “Fuck. You. You’re no better than I am, keeping that woman caged in your basement against her will.”

“I beg to differ, it isn’t against her will. Not anymore. Unlike you, I’m a master at what I do. Stockholm syndrome is a beautiful thing, isn’t it? Within a month she formed an attachment to me and has become rather devoted. It’s sweet, really. I won’t have you talking about her.”

“What, have I struck a nerve? How delicious.”

“Not at all. She means nothing to me, she’s simply a source of amusement,” Liam assures him with a haughty cock of an eyebrow.

The door opens and Dr. Brinkley steps inside. “Lance. You have a visitor downstairs. What shall I tell her?”

“Of course. Ten minutes, Doctor, thank you.” Brinkley leaves, quietly closing the door behind him. Lance directs his attention back to a scowling Liam and smiles dismissively. ”Now if you’ll excuse me, I must go freshen up for my next visitor.”

“Who the hell is visiting
you
?” Liam asks skeptically. “What, do you have some sicko pen pal offering you marriage and conjugal visits?” he laughs sarcastically.

“Oh, no, nothing like that. Just my weekly interview with Max. She’s writing a book, you know. About me,” he boasts with a sly smile. “I think she still enjoys my company more than she cares to admit. Maybe more so, now that she realizes she never spent any time with you at all. I think you’ll agree I’m far more intriguing. My life has been…unconventional. She likes that. Thinks her readers will lap it up.”

Liam’s face heats and his jaw tightens. “Really. Well, if anyone has a story to tell, it’s my houseguest. Maybe Max would like to write a book – it would be a work of fiction, of course -- about such a guest’s perils. She could call it
Cellar Door
. You know, I’ve been meaning to reach out Max, perhaps I’ll invite her to dinner and get better acquainted.” He smiles broadly when Lance pulls his lips into a sneer. “Lance, I can’t very well have you featured in a book without me upstaging you, can I? It’s just the natural order of things.

“And in the end, no one believed you. How wretched that must be for you, Lance, knowing the feds weren’t even curious enough to investigate your outlandish claims about my guest. Who would believe the ravings of a mad man, anyway -- especially one who’s trying to implicate an impeccable pillar of society’s elite, like me? I
am
Dr. Liam Sheldon Chambers, after all.”