Prisoner and Together: All of You series complete set (32 page)

Lani

It’s making me a little nervous that Tony is leaving Barrett’s office, with a group following after him.  Jamie glances at me, but walks toward the exit that leads to Connie’s office building.  Riley and Killian are chatting with each other, as if no one else exists.  L.T. looks at me and smiles like he’s in a toothpaste ad. 

Tony walks toward me, and his face is an emotionless mask.  Something is happening, something Barrett wants to keep from me.

“Hey, honey.  What’s going on?” I ask, as I reach out and touch his forearm.  He takes my hand and holds it in his.

“Lani, I have to ask something of you, and it’s very important that you don’t say no, or argue.  Okay?”  He stares at me with those smoldering black eyes, and I want to say yes to whatever he asks me.  “Barrett thinks he knows where your dad is, Lani.  We’re going to get him.”  His voice is firm, not happy. 

“That’s great!  When do we leave?”  I can’t hide the enthusiasm in my voice.  I scoot my chair back, and before I can stand up he grabs the armrests of the chair and kneels down in front of me.  This can’t be good.

He inhales loudly, gazes deep into my eyes, and says, “Barrett doesn’t want you to be involved in the rescue mission.” 

“What?  Why?”  He shrugs his shoulders, and shakes his head.  “Why can’t I go?” I demand.

“I don’t know,” he replies, as he looks away.

“You don’t know?  It doesn’t have anything to do with me being pregnant, does it?”  I try to stand again, but he places his hands on my wrists, and holds me where I am.

“I really don’t know, Lani.  He said it almost as if he was challenging me.  It’s almost as if he’s using this to test us.”  He sounds just as miserable as I feel.  “If you want me to stay here, with you…”

“I don’t want you to stay here with me.  I want to go with you.”  Am I whining?  Damn it, I am.  I frown, and I chew on my bottom lip.  “This isn’t fair.”

“No, it’s not,” Tony agrees.  “I won’t go.”

“No, you go.  I need someone I trust looking out for my dad.”  I reach my arms up his body to twine my fingers in his hair, and I give him a gentle, loving kiss on his lips.  “Get home safe, and bring my dad back with you.”

He kisses me back for several moments, until Burke calls out his name. 

“I will.  I promise,” he assures me, as he moves away.  Right now, I hate Dane Barrett, and I hope he can see it in my eyes.  He looks smug, for a moment, but my withering glare is too much for him, and he looks away.

Chapter Eighteen

Tony

This doesn’t feel right.  I should be with Lani.  I mean, I don’t want her in danger either, and I completely agree with Barrett that her safety is the most important thing right now.  I expected this would feel better than it does, having an automatic weapon in my hands, and a flak jacket on my chest.  I thought I’d be doing it with my SEAL team, or maybe even with Lani. 

We’re squeezed into the back of a SWAT van; Riley is sitting beside me, and across from us are Burke and Jamie. 

“When’s the last time you were in one of these?” Burke asks Jamie.

Jamie laughs.  “In Winston?  Never.  How about you?”  He avoids my eyes.

“It’s been a few years for me.  I love the excitement of the anticipation, but usually when a SWAT team rolls up outside, the suspects give up.  Usually.”  He’s looking at me when he says it.  I nod, and chuckle nervously.  I don’t want him to know I’m feeling nervous, though.

“How long until we roll up?” I wonder aloud, as I wrap my hand around my wrist again.

Jamie glances at his watch, and replies, “About five minutes.”

I wish I could talk to Lani.  I hope to God Chief Vaden is really here, and all goes well.  I say a little prayer for the crew.  I always prayed before missions, and everyone got out alive.  Sometimes we were injured, but still breathing.

Riley and Burke fist bump.  “Be safe,” Riley states.

“Be safe,” Burke echoes.  Tradition, I realize.

So I glance at Detective Johnson, who looks a little lost.  Maybe as lost as I feel without Lani.  “Be safe,” I insist.

“Be safe,” he replies.  Then we fist bump.  I feel a little better, and I think he does too.

Lani

I sit across from Connie in her office.  She has a really nice office, with a flowering plant in the windowsill, and a view of the duck pond across the street.  I have to admit, I’m a little jealous.  The only way a cop gets an office in Winston is if they’re the lieutenant, or the chief.  I know Connie’s job is important, and I know she’s deserving of the perks.  But I really wish I had a door.

She closes a file and stares at me, as I pace in front of her window.  “They’re gonna be okay, Lani.  You don’t have to keep me company.” 

“I know.  There’s just so much that can go wrong,” I say, as I cross my arms in front of my chest. 

“Congrats on the baby, by the way.  Can I be the godmother?”  I turn toward her, and she frowns.  “I’m not supposed to ask, am I?  I’m sorry, ignore that.”

I can’t help but smile.  “Of course you can be the godmother, Connie.  I don’t have a lot of female friends.  I’ve slept with a lot of them.”  I bite my bottom lip nervously.

“And I’m sure they all enjoyed it just as much as I did.”  She doesn’t even blush, which makes me feel a little sheepish.  “It’s in the past.  You don’t have to dwell on it.”

“Yea,” I nod.  “Because I’ve settled down now.” 

“It’s not such a bad thing.  Being married is the best thing that ever happened to me.  You’ll love it, I’m sure.  I mean, you’ve
seen
Tony.”  She gasps, and her face brightens up.  “I can’t wait to throw your bachelorette party!”

I groan loudly.  “I can’t believe you’re thinking about this right now.” 

“I have to distract myself all the time, when Jamie’s working.  I mean, I know you don’t think your job is all that dangerous, and you have it under control.  But when you love someone, and you don’t know if they’re going to come home, you learn to think about other things.”  She sounds so cheery about it.  She really is beautiful, with her long blonde hair styled into the perfect office up do and her bright blue eyes highlighted with navy blue liner, but I never realized exactly how wonderful she is until just now.

And I know that’s me now, relegated to worrying about the person in my life in a dangerous situation.

“Thanks, I really do appreciate all of this.”  I return to the window, and continue to worry about Tony.

Tony

The back doors of the van open, alerting us we have arrived at the location.  I shut my eyes, and let them adjust to the sunlight that floods into the dark compartment.  We begin to file out, and I am the last to leave.  I look around at my surrounding, obviously a farm of some kind.  I don’t know what this shit growing around me is.  I’ve never been in a field in my life. 

“It’s corn, city boy,” Jamie comments, when he sees my confused stare.

“Hmmm…” I reply with a nod.  Whatever I say right now would be wrong, so I don’t say anything.

Jamie scoffs, chuckles, and pats me on the shoulder.  “You’ll learn.”

Barrett is already on site, and he approaches as we exit the vehicle, which means I get to feel even more foolish after Johnson’s teasing jab.  He immediately begins to bark orders, authoritatively.  It’s enough to piss me off.  After what happened with Lani, I’m already not in the mood for this.

“The farmhouse is fifty yards that way,” Barrett states, as he points through the cornfield.  I think I can see the top of the house above the stalks.  “But we believe Chief Vaden is being held in the barn, which is forty yards in the opposite direction.  Johnson and Riley, head off with the Winston PD officers toward the house, and clear it.”  Then he turns toward me and Burke.  “You two are with me, we’re going to clear the barn.”  Barrett makes a circular motion with his finger, and the SWAT team moves toward the barn.  We follow behind him.  Out of the corner of my eye I see Burke rolling his eyes at the back of Barrett’s head.

I’ve done raids before, but never in the US, except maybe during training.  I’ve even done raids where I’ve rescued victims held for ransom.  But this is different, because Lani’s dad is the victim.  It’s too late to have second thoughts, though, because the battering ram is already near the barn door.  The barn seems so rundown, I could probably kick it in myself.

“SWAT, open the door!” someone says from near the door.  There is a pause, full of excitement and anticipation, and a little fear.

“Go, now!” the team leader calls out after several moments, and as soon as they’re inside I hear gunshots.  My blood starts pumping, and the adrenaline gets going.  My first thought is,
I need to keep Lani’s father alive
.  I run into the barn, without worry that someone inside has a gun, and see a man writhing on the ground.  He’s screaming loudly.  He’s still alive, but probably shot.  It’s really too dark inside to see who it is, because there are no windows, and no lights.  I fumble in my pockets, but I don’t have a fucking flashlight.

“Fuck!” I call out. 

“Tony!” I hear from the other side of the huge open room.  As soon as I hear the voice, I know it’s Lani’s dad.

“Chief Vaden,” I yell, and run toward the sound.  “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be okay as soon as you get me out of these fucking chains.”  I hear them rattling before I see the chief.  I sneeze, violently, from the hay that’s between me and him.  I stop and stare, wondering if I need to climb over it.

“Who’s that screaming over there?”  I think it’s Barrett’s voice.

“It looks like Cruickshank.  I think he’s shot,” Burke replies loudly. 

I run toward the end of the hay bales, and find Chief Vaden chained to the wall, by a handcuff on his wrist.  He lifts his hand to show me, and I can really only see the movement.  I feel like busting down a wall, just so I can see something.  “’Bout damn time you found me.  Where the hell is Lani?”

“She’s pregnant,” I reply, abruptly.  I’m instantly regretful.  “I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have blurted it out like that.”  I turn around, and yell, “Who has the…”

Barrett is two feet from me, holding a flashlight and shaking a set of keys.  “I’ve got this,” he states, sounding almost cocky.  He approaches Lani’s dad with what can only be described as swagger.  I can’t believe how much I want to punch him, especially when he says, “Are you okay?  Lani’s worried sick about you.”

Asshole
, I want to say.  But I don’t.

“The house is clear.  Hughes isn’t here.”  It’s Johnson’s voice over the comms. 

Before I can lift my hand to my mouth, I hear Barrett saying, “We have the chief.”

I turn away from him, and try not to scoff.  But I guess it comes out, because Burke approaches, and pats my shoulder. 

“It’s okay,” he says under his breath.

“Okay?” I murmur.

“Did you get that son of a bitch?” Chief Vaden asks from behind me.

“He shot himself, we believe, as soon as we entered the structure.  He didn’t even do that right, because he’s still breathing,” Burke answers, which is punctuated by a loud moan.  “And crying like a baby.  But Hughes isn’t here.  She’s gone.”

The chief walks toward Cruickshank, then glances down at him.  “That’s the man who kidnapped me.  Hughes was the person who helped him.  Should someone tend to his injury?”

Barrett thrusts his cell phone at the chief, and says, “We’ve already called for paramedics.  Call your daughter.  I’m sure she’s waiting to hear from you.”

I sneeze again.  I don’t know if I’m allergic to the hay, or Barrett’s bullshit.  So I leave the old structure, and walk toward the SWAT van.  But that doesn’t stop the sneezing which is now becoming violent and almost hurtful. 

Detective Johnson approaches at a slow jog, from the east where the house is located.  “We couldn’t find Hughes.” 

“Her boyfriend shot his damn self, but your captain is fine,” I inform him.  “Can I borrow you phone, so I can call Lani?”

“Sure,” he replies, and he pulls it out of his pocket, touches the screen several times, then hands it to me.

The phone is ringing, and I quickly put it up to my ear as I hear, “This is Detective Vaden.  Please leave a message after the beep.”

After the beep plays, I speak into the phone.  “Hey, baby, it’s me Tony.  I’m okay, and so is your dad.  We’ll be headed back soon, and I’ll let you know all the details when I see you.  I love you, baby.  I love you so much.”  Then I hand the phone back to Lani’s partner with a “Thank you.”

“Why don’t I take you to buy a phone this evening, and maybe we can get a beer?” he suggests, as he puts the phone back in his pocket.

“I’d like that.  But I have no cash, or bank account.”

“We can still get a beer,” he offers.  I nod, as Riley and Burke join us.

“Let’s go get a fucking beer,” Riley seconds with a huge grin on his face.

“I need a drink,” Burke agrees.

I turn toward the barn, and Barrett is standing next to the chief, who is speaking into a phone.  That must be why Lani didn’t answer.  “I’m in,” I say as I turn away from them.  An ambulance is finally pulling into the driveway of the house.

“I suggest a strip club,” Riley says rowdily, and slaps Detective Johnson on the shoulder.

“Woah, slow down.  Let’s start with beer, at a bar.  Lani would remove my head from my body if I took Tony to a strip club,” Burke counters.

“Then who the fuck is going to plan his bachelor party?” Johnson asks, and turns to stare at me.

“I guess she’ll have to make an exception,” Burke replies with a sly smirk.

We load back into the back of the SWAT van, as the paramedics stroll past us with a gurney.