Irrevocable Trust (Sasha McCandless Legal Thriller Book 6) (31 page)

She desperately wanted to stop and take out the knife, but she didn
’
t dare
—
she was more afraid of losing him than of wandering into a dark alley without a readily accessible weapon.

Her heart thrummed in her throat as she stepped into the alley.

He was walking briskly
—
like a man with a purpose.

She hesitated. If she followed too closely her heels clacking against the bricked-over ground would give her away.

As she was trying to convince herself to move forward, the man looked over his shoulder, as if he
’
d heard her.

She shrank back along the wall of the nearest building, flattening herself against the surface and trying not to think about how dirty her cream-colored jacket had to be getting.

He froze for a moment, then turned back and continued along the alley. Just past a row of dumpsters, he stopped and stepped into a nook between two structures.

She hoped he hadn
’
t just gone through a passageway out of the alley. Slowly, silently, she removed her cell phone and the knife from her bag. Then she reclosed the bag and gently set it on the ground. She crept closer to the niche the man had disappeared into.

I sure hope this isn
’
t an ambush
, she caught herself thinking. Mainly because Daniel would be bitterly disappointed if his star student had allowed herself to be lured into a trap. She
’
d
never
hear the end of it.

“
The judge terminated the father
’
s rights.
”
A gravelly voice rumbled from within the space.

“
Any other rulings?
”
A second voice asked.

She peeked around the corner of the building. The man from the courtroom was standing in front of another man who sat sprawled against a wall. The seated man rose to standing. Her heart seemed to stop for a moment and a chill ran down her spine.

It was Jeffrey Bricker, no question about it. The silver hair, buzz-cut close to his scalp. The military bearing.

She pulled back around the corner and listened hard.

“
Uh, I didn
’
t get the details because they were in her office for part of this, but it sounded like the attorney representing the Bricker guy asked her not to approve the woman lawyer as trustee of some trust.
”

“
What did the judge say to that?
”

“
She said it wasn
’
t her decision to make. She was sending them back to the first judge, the one from the other day, to decide.
”

“
Now?
”

“
No, but she said soon.
”

“
What else happened?
”

“
Oh, right, the boy and his brothers and sisters are going to stay with the lawyer and her husband until
—“

“
What?
”
Bricker
’
s rage echoed off the bricks.

Sasha fumbled with her phone and pulled up her contacts list. She keyed out a message to Connelly and Hank:

Bricker
’
s in the alley between Grant and Ross. Hurry.

Now what? She couldn
’
t very well call 9-1-1, unless she wanted to reveal herself. But there was no way Bricker was walking out of this alley without handcuffs and leg chains. Not if she had anything to do with it.

She
slipped the phone into the pocket of her suit jacket. Then she shifted the knife from one hand to the other, shaking out her free hands as she did so
—
first the left, then the right. Her mind raced.

She had to hold Bricker here until Connelly showed up. He couldn
’
t slip out of their grasp.

The homeless man stammered,
“
That
’
s what the judge said.
”

“
Son of a
…
what did Pulaski have to say to that? Did that worthless piece of dirt even object?
”

“
Um, maybe back in the judge
’
s chambers
—“

“
No. Is that what you
’
re saying, Pat? No, he didn
’
t?
”
Bricker
’
s voice took on a sharp, chilling quality.

“
I don
’
t know,
”
the man hurried to clarify.
“
I
’
m sorry.
”

“
I
’
ll kill him.
”

Bricker delivered the threat in an emotionless, almost clinical, way, but it was anything but empty.

Pat didn
’
t respond, and, from her hiding spot, she couldn
’
t see what the two men were doing. What if Bricker hurt Pat? Even worse, what if he fled?

Stay put. Wait for Connelly
.

Her brain was screaming silent orders.

But her hand tightened around the hilt of the knife and her legs were moving without permission from her cerebral cortex.

She stepped into the opening and blocked the only means of egress.

At the sound of her heels striking the bricks underfoot, both Bricker and Pat turned to stare. The homeless man blinked furiously, as if she were a hallucination that he could clear from his eyes if he tried hard enough. Bricker
’
s eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly flattened his expression into a mask of pure anger.

He looked older, harder, and less polished. His stint in prison and the months of living on the run had etched new lines in his face since she
’
d seen him last. His eyes were unchanged, though. Icy blue pebbles.

They stared at each other unspeaking, then his eyes drifted to the knife by her side.

“
You actually brought a knife to a gun fight. It would be funny, if it weren
’
t so tragic,
”
he commented, gesturing toward his jacket. He reached inside for his handgun.

She ignored the jab and calculated the distance between them. Call it twelve, twelve-and-a-half feet.

Got him. Assuming Daniel was right and she was fast enough, she could take Bricker down before he got one good shot off. Time to move.

She tensed her thigh muscles and prepared to sprint forward. Then she heard the loud clomp of footsteps in the alley behind her.

Bricker shifted his eyes from her face to a point over her left shoulder.

He raised the gun and leveled it, not at Sasha, but behind her.

“
You.
”
The single syllable dripped with disgust.

She risked a quick glance to her rear, expecting to see the welcome sight of Connelly and his Glock. Instead, a panting, wild-eyed Cole stood, feet planted wide, a handgun in his shaking hand aimed at his father.

He stood about twelve feet or so behind her. She was basically situated dead center between the gun-wielding father and son.

Reflexively, she stepped to the side.

“
Clay,
”
Bricker breathed.

“
The name
’
s Cole,
”
the boy said.

“
No, son, your name is Clay Bricker. You can reject me if you want, but there
’
s no denying my blood runs through your veins.
”

Sasha sucked in her breath.
Where was Connelly already?

“
Why
’
d you do it?
”

“
Do what
—
put your mother down?
”

Cole
’
s eyes blazed and he jabbed the gun in the air.

“
Why?
”
he repeated.

“
Because she betrayed me, and traitors have to be dealt with as a deterrent. I spared you then, but I won
’
t spare you again, Clay.
”

“
I
told
you. My name is Cole. It
’
ll be pretty funny when I kill you with the gun you got her for protection, don
’
t you think?
”

Bricker was laughing.

Sasha
’
s mind raced. She had to stop this, now. It was time to put her head down, run as fast as she could, and aim for his middle. She inhaled, filling her lungs with air, and took off. She sprinted, her arms and legs pumping, her ankles wobbling in the stupid stilettos.

In a flash, she reached him. She didn
’
t hesitate. She wrapped her arms around his midsection, and tackled Cole, pushing him to the ground. She cushioned his fall as much as she could. He blinked away tears and stared up at her in wordless disbelief at her betrayal.

She looked up and saw Bricker advancing on them. He pointed the gun down
—
toward the ground and their heads. She knew from experience that he wouldn
’
t hesitate to execute someone with a single shot to the head.

She pried Anna
’
s gun out of Cole
’
s hand, swallowed the bile rising in her throat, and aimed the weapon up at Bricker. She stared at his cold eyes and steeled herself. She couldn
’
t believe she was going to have to shoot him. She told herself to squeeze the trigger.

Where the hell was Connelly?

Bricker took aim at the back of Cole
’
s head
—

From behind him, Pat swung his own arms wide, knocking Bricker
’
s hand to the side as he fired. The gun bucked, but the bullet arced far to the left and burrowed into the brick wall.

Bricker wheeled around, shouting in incoherent rage, and shoved Pat against the wall.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Leo had been running from the parking garage toward the alley when he heard the unmistakable crack of a gun being fired. From the way it echoed, he knew it had come from within the alley. He poured on the speed, fear of what he might find, pulsing in his mind.

He rounded the corner and assessed the scene in a fraction of a second. Sasha and Cole, cowering on the ground. The homeless man from the courtroom batting at Bricker
’
s arms. Bricker, aiming a gun at Sasha.

Leo reached for his Glock. He squeezed off two steady shots, aimed at Bricker
’
s gun hand. The first whizzed by him. The second grazed Bricker
’
s arm. He lost his footing for a moment, but then he took off running.

Leo stopped and crouched beside Sasha and Cole.

“
Are you hurt?
”
His voice cracked with fear.

“
No. We
’
re both fine.
”
She was rocking Cole like an infant.
“
Go, please. Don
’
t let him get away again.
”

“
No way. I
’
m not leaving you.
”

His throat was so tight and dry he could barely force the words out.

“
Connelly, please.
”

“
You okay, Cole?
”
he asked, ignoring the fire in her eyes.

“
I would have been if
she
hadn
’
t stopped me,
”
he snarled. He pulled free of Sasha
’
s arms.

Leo and Sasha locked eyes. She shook her head sadly and gestured with the gun.

“
He had Allison
’
s gun. He was going to kill his dad.
”

Jesus. What do you say to that?
Leo wondered.

He didn
’
t have to respond because the homeless guy piped up from his spot against the wall.
“
You hit him. Right bicep.
”