Ursa Major (22 page)

Her breath whooshed from her lungs.

Sirens sounded, louder now.

Footsteps pounded outside the office. Moments later, the fire alarm went off.

Thank you, Liam.

Her cell phone rang. She stiffened, afraid just the ringing would spark a fire. Her hands on Bill formed a lifeline, one she hated to lose. “Bill. Let’s go. The fire alarms are going off. We have to evacuate the building.”

He jumped to his feet like a man half his age. Diving for the lighter, he snatched it up and held it triumphantly over his head. “Good, then I can do this.” He flipped the cap of the lighter.

“No!” Sarah wobbled after him, wishing she’d worn her sneakers instead of low-heeled boots. Her cell phone stopped.

“Sarah, you all right?” Liam’s voice echoed in the office.

“In here!” She charged Bill, grabbing his wrist and yanking him away from the circle of gas cans. He hit the desk, doubling over. His keyboard tray shot out, hitting his chair and sending it careening across the office with a clatter. Bill grunted.

The lighter fell. Sarah snatched it and pocketed it. Keeping hold of his wrist, she yanked him upright. “Let’s go.”

He smacked her.

Her cheek stinging, she whirled from him as he opened his desk drawer and pulled out his cigar lighter. Sarah stood there, tears running from her eyes as she watched him flip open the lid. The cigarette lighter in her pocket sat heavy and cold.

“Sarah?” Liam’s cry echoed in the halls.

“In—”

Bill grabbed her, hauling her against him and clamped his hand over her mouth. “Don’t bring him in here. I’ve lost enough. You won’t go. Now you’ll pay.” He thumbed the lighter.

Her gut dropped. Goose bumps rose on her skin and she clamped her teeth down on his hand.

Bill yelped.

She spat out the foul taste of gasoline. Whirling, she brought her knee into his groin. He doubled over. Grabbing his wrist, she somehow managed to pry the lighter from his hands, and once she had it, she ran.

“Run!” She yelled down the hall. Her boots pounded, behind her, she heard Bill moving, maybe finding some other way to set the fire. “Run!”

Liam stood in the doorway. “Sarah?”

“Run, damn it! He doused the place in gas. He’s crazy. I can’t stop him.” She stumbled, suddenly realizing that she’d left him there.

Liam grabbed her arm. “Let’s go.” He pulled her down the hall, hitting the door to the stairwell with a thud.

The security guard stopped at the top of the stairs, panting. “The police are on their way.”

“Good. Let’s get out of here.” Liam paused just long enough to send the guard down the stairs ahead of them, and then pounded after.

Sarah stumbled, her feet moving too fast for her to keep up. Somehow, she managed to make it down to the ground floor wondering why the hell the building wasn’t blowing up yet.

Liam slammed open the door in front of her, and she found herself running straight into her boss.

Ken grabbed her shoulders. “Sarah? You all right?”

She nodded, panting too hard to speak. “Bill… still up there…” She forced herself not to double over and draw in breath, instead throwing her shoulders back and sucking in air. They scuttled away from the building. “He spilled gas,” she said when she could draw breath.

Police and fire personnel swarmed the building.

Sarah clung to Liam. He looked grim, as if he’d seen this all before. Perhaps, he had. She didn’t know what work he’d done for the Quintursa, and maybe he did this sort of thing all the time. “What’s going to happen to him?” Sarah asked, aware Ken still stood next to her.

An officer hurried toward them. “You Ken?” he asked her boss.

“Yes. Is everything all right?” Ken stepped forward.

“He’s asking for you, sir. We have a bullhorn situated outside the building. It’s too dangerous inside.” The uniformed officer escorted Ken to the grassy strip running alongside the building.

Sarah followed the officers’ attention to the window, where Bill leaned halfway out of it. His foot hung over the ledge, his hands gripping the frame. On the ground lay the screen, shoved out in his attempt to flee. If he couldn’t burn the whole building down, he’d jump out a window. Not that she wanted to see her boss hurt, but she wondered if a six story fall onto grass would really kill him? At least if it did, he wouldn’t take the entire building and maybe even more out with him. She immediately hated the uncharitable thought.

“We have to go over there.”

Liam held her back. “Let them do their job.”

She heard Bill speaking, though couldn’t quite make out the words. Someone relayed something to Ken, and he raised the bullhorn to his lips. “Bill, I’ve known you for nearly twenty years. Don’t do this. We can work it out. The firm will survive. You will survive. Just come down off the window and let’s talk.” It wasn’t the most impassioned speech she’d ever heard, but coming from Ken, it was quite a lot.

“Please come down,” she whispered. She leaned into Liam’s strength, wondering if she shouldn’t be over there. If it weren’t for her, then this wouldn’t be happening.

“No!”

Even from her vantage point, she heard Bill’s shout. He wavered, edging further onto the ledge.

Men rushed forward, clamoring around Ken, who yelled at him to stop through the bullhorn.

Sarah’s fist flew to her mouth. She choked on a sob, turning and burying her head against Liam’s shoulder. Automatically his arms went around her, and she clung to him, feeling so weak for not being able to watch. Her blood whooshed in her veins, echoing in her ears loud enough to drown out the men’s clatter. Ken spoke again through the bullhorn, this time it was just a noise.

“It’s all my fault,” she whispered against Liam’s solid warmth. “If I hadn’t—”

Liam pressed his fingers to her lips. “Shh. It’s not your fault. The Quintursa didn’t tell me what was going on before, but I don’t think your boss has been stable for a long time.”

Sarah jerked from his hold. “You don’t know him.” Whirling, she headed for the officers, bowling past several uniformed men until she reached Ken.

“Sarah. You shouldn’t be here.”

“Yes, I should.” Power filled her, reminding her of the clarity she’d felt when she had written her report. Here, now, she knew that wallowing in her guilt wasn’t the thing to do. She may have caused this. It might have been her report that turned Bill over the edge, and if it was, she had to face that. She grabbed the bullhorn from Ken’s hands and raised it to her lips. “Bill, stop!”

In the window, the figure froze. Both legs were on the edge, feet sideways on the miniscule ledges. “Sarah. Go.” His voice drifted to her, weak and sad.

“Don’t do this. I’m sorry I wrote the report. I believe every word of it, and I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

Ken rested his hand on her shoulder. “It’s not your fault, Sarah.”

“Let’s talk. I know Senator Durwell fired my sister because of my report. I’m sure his cronies aren’t happy that I am opposing further drilling in ANWR. I take full responsibility.”

“It’s not about you,” Ken said. He rested his hand over hers on the megaphone. “Your report and Senator Durwell’s actions are just a small drop in a very big sea of trouble.”

“You always were a good girl, Sarah.” Bill called. He teetered onto the edge of the ledge.

Sarah dropped the megaphone. It made a horrible blaring noise as it hit the ground.

Bill jumped.

He flung himself from the window face down, arms and legs outstretched as if to hug the ground he was about to meet.

The crowd gasped.

Sarah stifled a shriek, then Liam was there, his hands on her shoulders as the body impacted with a sickening thud.

Officers rushed forward.

Sarah stared at the milling crowd, unable to remove the image of Bill, falling like a ragdoll from the window. The crunch of flesh against unforgiving sod, like a dull thump, squelched in her mind. Her stomach heaved. She turned, doubled over, but nothing came out.

Liam stroked her hair. Someone pressed a bottle of water into her hands, and she sank to the pavement, clutching the plastic bottle in her hands. Moments later, an officer came over and started the process of asking her questions. What had happened in the office? What did she see? What did he say? She told them everything she knew, feeling as if she watched a crime drama on television instead of lived through it. What happened would make the papers. Distantly, she registered someone from the Times and the Post.

When the last officer left, Ken came over. “You up for talking?”

She nodded. Through it all Liam hadn’t said much, just reassured her it wasn’t her fault and that he loved her. Those few words resonated in her heart and soul. “Yeah. I think I’d like to know what really was happening. Do you want to go…?” She glanced from Liam to Ken, then back again.

“There’s a Starbucks across the street. That okay?”

“Can Liam come with us?”

“Yeah.”

The three of them walked to Starbucks in silent. Once they were inside, drinks in hand, Ken steered her and Liam toward a corner table. For the first time, he looked tired, far older than his years.

Sarah touched his hand. “It’s bad, isn’t it?” She inwardly grimaced at her trite choice of words. “I take that back, I know it’s bad. But this could end Hodges & Associates, couldn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Ken sipped his drink.

Beside her, Liam remained silent, her rock. Even without him she would have honored her ethics. With him, it was easier because, although she knew most of the money and power of Washington was against her, she had someone in her corner. Sarah rested her hand on his thigh beneath the table, the warmth of his skin radiated through his jeans. His presence reassured her.

“I’ve known about this for a while and I’ve kept it from the staff. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have, but I did what I thought was good at the time. Bill…” Ken lowered his voice. “He hasn’t been…right for a while. He has addictions, expensive ones that made him owe money to off-shore corporations and has had him bouncing money through accounts to try and keep ahead. It caught up with him. I was trying to get him to go public, even though I knew our reputation would take a hit. You have no idea the figures he’s indebted to both personally and professionally. The firm isn’t going to be the same.”

Sarah drew a harsh breath.

Liam turned his hand and squeezed her fingers.

Her mind whirled. She knew, oh she could imagine, what had transpired, the backroom deals and political machinations that weren’t confined to one particular party. She learned long ago that both sides of the aisle worked the system, warping and twisting it. Her boss’ actions were simply more proof of that.

“But it will continue, right?” Politicians survived scandals, even went on to second terms or to become president. Sure, some stepped down, but others continued. Surely the firm would do the same.

“I hope so. We’re going to have to start fresh. I like your work, Sarah. I know I pressured you and did some things that I’m not proud of, but that report is a grade A piece of writing. There’s a future there. You have a future there.”

Her heart warmed at having her work validated. The long hours she’d spent on the report might have been to help ease her broken heart. They’d also helped a people. Liam’s people. “Thank you.”

“You don’t deserve this. With Bill’s death—” Emotion choked Ken’s voice.

Sarah blinked her eyes. The image of her boss’ broken body lying on the ground haunted her. Whatever he done, shouldn’t have been so bad that he’d felt a need to take his own life. He’d nearly taken out the entire building. The firm had been his world. Destroying it had cost him his life.

Ken turned his attention to Liam. “Look, without you, Sarah wouldn’t have written what she did. She’s always been a fine analyst. Something changed up there in Alaska. I know you’re just a tour guide and you’re probably anxious to get back to your company. I’m thinking that we could use someone like you.”

Sarah smiled at Liam being called ‘just’ anything. “I thought you were against my report and my staying in Alaska?” If he weren’t, if she had a chance to go back, she’d take it in a heartbeat.

Liam arched his eyebrow at her. “Staying?”

Sarah shrugged. “If things hadn’t gotten so bad down here, I probably wouldn’t have left.”

He inched her hand higher on his thigh.

“I needed you back here and I needed your report. Trying to get you to placate Senator Durwell with it is one of those things I regret. There’s not a lot we can do tonight. You know enough. I’m sure you can piece together the rest. Once Bill’s funeral is over, I’ll call everyone back and we can see where the firm can go from here.” Ken drowned the last of his coffee. “I don’t want to make offers until I’m sure there is going to be a firm after all of this.” He shoved back his chair and rose.

Sarah and Liam followed suit, and she noticed that he still held her hand. She let him. Right now, though she had a good idea what had happened, she wondered, even with Liam beside her, what the future would hold. “You have my numbers. Call, or email, if you need anything. Okay, Ken?”