Almost Dead (28 page)

CHAPTER 66

Hayley stopped at the bottom of the stairs, looked at the closed door at the end of the hallway.

Every day for the past four days, Lizzy had sat inside that room. Hayley could hear the clacking of the keys on the computer from where she stood. If Kitally or Hayley tried to talk to her, Lizzy ignored them. It was as if nobody else existed. Papers, books, and notepads were piled high on the floor around her feet. The eraser end of a pencil was permanently lodged between her teeth, another pencil tucked behind her ear. Lizzy never used pencils, but she always kept one close.

Lizzy had eaten little. She had turned down every meal Kitally cooked up and offered her. She hardly ever came out of the office for food or water—at least not during the day. Usually Hayley heard her rustling around in the kitchen sometime around three in the morning.

Hayley and Kitally knew that Lizzy had stayed by Jared’s side until the end. They also knew she’d been to the house she’d once shared with Jared. They saw her the day she came home, looking close to death herself: her hair a tangled mess, her eyes swollen and red. They were worried about her, and Hayley had had enough.

Hayley marched toward the door, entered the office, and took a seat in front of the desk where Lizzy had been parked for too many days.

Then she waited.

Five solid minutes passed before Lizzy looked up at her.

“It’s been long enough,” Hayley told her. “You’re not eating, sleeping, or doing anything but clacking away on that stupid keyboard. What’s going on?”

“I know what I’ve got to do.”

“What do you have to do, Lizzy?”

“I need you and Kitally to take over the investigative business. At least for now.”

“Why? What will you be doing?”

“I’m tired of people hurting me and the people I care about. I’m tired of being a victim. I think you’ve had the right idea all along.”

“I don’t know about that,” Hayley said.

Lizzy ignored her. “I’ve been researching those who have been naughty and those who have been naughtier. From here on out, I plan to work on keeping them from hurting anyone.” Lizzy held up a piece of paper—a list of names.

“What is that?”

“Ten known criminals I need to watch.”

“Why them? What did they do?”

“One guy was recently released, and within hours he raped a young girl who was walking home from school. He’s back inside, but we both know they’ll let him out again. My plan is to keep an eye on him. I’ll make sure I know the moment his feet hit the streets.”

“And then what?”

“I’ll do what you do—I’ll make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else.”

“How do you know what I do?”

“Trust me—I know.”

Hayley wasn’t sure she liked where this conversation was going. It was one thing for
her
to go out at night and take out the trash, but something else altogether to see someone like Lizzy get involved. Lizzy was one of the good guys. One of the few people left in this world who cared more about others than themselves. After all she’d gone through as a teenager and then as an adult, she’d still somehow found a way to claw her way out of death and destruction. She had volunteered her time to teach young girls how to defend themselves. She had also opened her heart to love. Lizzy had been afraid to love Jared unconditionally—to do so had been like walking into a battlefield without weapon or armor—but in the end, she’d done it. She’d given her heart freely to Jared. And in return, she’d lost everything in an instant—on her wedding day, of all days. Lizzy had paid the ultimate price.

Hayley made herself finish traveling where her thoughts had taken her. What would she have Lizzy do? Lie down and die—or fight back?

“Jason Walker,” Lizzy said next, pointing to someone else on her list. “He’s in prison, too. He’s been there for ten years, but now his release date is coming up. If he so much as looks inside his neighbor’s window, I’ll be ready to take action.”

Hayley exhaled. “Boundaries? Limits?”

“No boundaries. No limits. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“There are too many scumbags out there, Lizzy.”

“I’ll go after one bastard at a time.”

“What did this Jason Walker do?” Hayley asked.

“He raped an eighteen-month-old baby.”

Hayley frowned. “And they’re letting him out?”

“He served his time and was a model prisoner.”

Kitally barged into the room just then. “What’s going on in here?” She looked at Hayley. “She’s talking to you?”

“She wants us to take care of business while she does her own vigilante thing.”

“Bullshit,” Kitally said, then turned to Lizzy. “I’m in.”

Lizzy kept her gaze on Hayley. “I’m not going to discuss this with Kitally.”

That pissed Kitally off. “What the hell? Can you see me here in the room with you? Am I invisible? Talk to
me
.” She glared at Lizzy until Lizzy finally looked at her. “I thought we were a team,” Kitally said to her. “A family.”

“You’re nineteen years old, not even old enough to order a drink.”

Hayley snorted. “That’s a stupid thing to say. Age has nothing to do with anything. Kitally has more life experience than most fifty-year-olds. Whatever your plan is, whatever direction you’re going with this, we’re going along for the ride.”

“Damn you two,” Lizzy said. “We cannot get caught!” She pointed a finger at Kitally. “That means you can’t peer into warehouse windows without knowing where all your players are, got that?”

Kitally crossed her arms and didn’t say a word.

“If we get caught, it’s all for nothing. They’ll lock us in a cell, throw away the key, and it’s over. Do you both get that?”

“I’ve got more experience with this sort of thing,” Hayley said. “I’ve got a few ideas how this is going to work.”

Lizzy leaned back in her chair. “Go on.”

“The three of us work together. No going rogue. It’ll be a team effort.”

“What about Lizzy Gardner Investigations?” Kitally asked.

“The business will continue on as if nothing has changed.”

“That will be our cover.”

“Yes.”

“We do our research, make sure these idiots are deserving of our wrath. We don’t use violence unless absolutely necessary, and, like Lizzy said, we don’t get caught.”

Now that she’d starting talking to them like this was really going to happen, Hayley wasn’t happy about this newest turn of events.
She
had stepped over the line—she’d made her choice—but Lizzy and Kitally were wired differently. They cared about people, went out of their way to help others. It wasn’t too late for them.

“Ultimately,” Lizzy said, her tone resolute, “we do whatever it takes to get the job done.”

The silence in the room was thick and raw.
It was clear in that moment that nothing would ever be the same again. But still, Hayley couldn’t help but wonder if this was only a temporary lapse of judgment on Lizzy’s part, so she looked at Lizzy and said, “This doesn’t sound like you.”

Lizzy lifted her chin. “That’s because the old Lizzy Gardner no longer exists. You don’t know me any longer. Nobody alive knows me.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

David Downing must be acknowledged first for his editing expertise. He literally morphs into my characters as he edits. It’s sort of scary and also fascinating at the same time. Thank you, David.

Alan Turkus. You’ve been on this crazy publishing journey of mine since the beginning. I can’t thank you enough for your constant enthusiasm and support. You’re always calm under fire, a trait I greatly admire. And you haven’t steered me wrong yet. Thanks!

Kjersti Egerdahl, Jacque Ben-Zekry, and Tiffany Pokorny. Thanks for always having all the answers.

Jana DeLeon, Denise Grover Swank, and Jane Graves. Without providing me a continuous means of procrastination, I would go nuts. Thanks for the laughs.

Vincent and Tony Rolandelli, two of many nephews. Thanks for forming the band Almost Dead, and thus providing me with an awesome title for my book. You rock!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo © 2012 Morgan Ragan

New York Times
and
USA Today
best-selling author Theresa Ragan grew up with four sisters in Lafayette, California. She has garnered six Golden Heart nominations in Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart Competition for her work. After writing for twenty years, Theresa self-published in March 2011 and went on to sell more than one million books. In 2012, she signed with Thomas & Mercer and is having the time of her life. Besides writing thrillers under the name T. R. Ragan, Theresa also writes medieval time travels, contemporary romance, and romantic suspense. To learn more about Theresa, visit her website at
www.theresaragan.com
.