Expired Game (Last Chance County Book 5) Page 8

  Animosity against anyone in a police uniform was one thing, but most folks in this town loved Conroy. They were coming to love Mia, now that she was back in town. It was clear they made each other happy, and this town was their home.

  Who could begrudge them the life they wanted after all they’d been through?

  Now that she’d been standing for a while, she was feeling the effects of the long day yesterday. How many times had she been hit on the head? Enough she’d lost count.

  Sergeant Basuto stood in the walkway.

  Jess stopped in front of him. “Sergeant?” She lifted her chin. Things had been weird since Conroy was shot by a sniper. Basuto had stepped up to fill the gap since Mia had been spending most of her time helping Conroy recuperate.

  Still, something was going on with him she hadn’t figured out.

  “Get some rest, Ridgeman.”

  She nodded. “Understood.”

  As she walked with her sister to the door and gave Ruby another hug, Ellie frowned at the sergeant. Jess didn’t want to get into it. Not while she had nothing but a hunch and speculation.

  Besides, she had enough problems of her own without wading into others’.

  If she was going to target someone that needed “help,” it would for sure be Ted. That guy was hiding a serious amount of something. She hadn’t worked that out either.

  Jess sighed. Her sister opened her car door for her, and she shot Ellie a look. “Thanks.”

  Ellie giggled.

  She leaned her head back on the headrest and closed her eyes, not wanting to lose this train of thought. Right after being kidnapped, Ted had been…well, he’d been Ted—not in a state of shock and disbelief that he’d been targeted. No, it was more that he took it in stride. That was half the problem, him being his normal self. Whatever that was, it had been brooding behind his eyes for longer than the two years she’d known him since she moved back.

  His dad.

  That was her guess. Though, how that made him roll with so much when most people would freak out, she had no idea. She’d expected to have to talk him through the shock. No. He’d been upset, but that was more about being in pain. Her sister told her he’d badly sprained his wrist.

  What had his dad done to him? Whatever happened, it seemed like West didn’t even ruffle him.

  First Basuto. Now Ted. She didn’t want to suspect either of working for West, or at least being influenced by him, but the truth was she didn’t know. They were longtime residents. She’d grown up here but had been gone too long. Jess was treated like a newcomer.

  Now, more than ever, she knew she had to root out West. Before the disease spread any further.

  And it was going to be up to her.

  Twelve

  Dean shoved the door open over Ted’s shoulder. “Go ahead.”

  Ted glanced at his brother, but Dean had already turned back to the car. He stepped into the house. They both lived there with Stuart who now worked for Hollis at the diner. Ted’s father had ruined Stuart’s life as much as he’d ruined both Ted’s and Dean’s lives, and Stuart had now seen fit to take his wife and go “off the grid.” All because of Pierce Cartwright.

  Then there was Zander and his three teammates. The four of them were operators on a private security team; a business that Zander ran. All off on a mission right now.

  That left him and Dean in a house that had two floors but multiple bedrooms. Ted’s army of reprogrammed robot vacuums took care of the square footage, and the rest of them split the bathroom and kitchen chores on a rotation.

  Ted knew it was more like living in a military barracks—since basically all of them had had that kind of lifestyle at one time or another, except for him. But to him it still felt like a family. The kind who stood together when a threat came. Like Zander had helped Stuart before. Like Ted had helped Dean and Ellie. The way they all would bind together if Ted’s father showed up on their doorstep.

  Unless the place was quiet and empty. His family busy with their lives.

  Dean stepped in the front door. Ted turned in the foyer. Dean’s expression softened from concentration to compassion. “The boys got a call early. They hit the airport pretty quickly.”

  Ted nodded.

  “I prefer it when they’re here, too.” Dean squeezed the tendon between Ted’s neck and shoulder. “I don’t have to take out the trash as often.”

  “Pretty soon you’ll be married to Ellie, living…” Ted frowned. “Where will you be living?”

  “I don’t know yet. And there’s no rush.” It seemed like he was trying to reassure Ted.

  After everything that had happened to him yesterday—and the reason his left arm was currently in an athletic wrap—he figured that made sense. Dean had probably freaked out after finding Ted with his hands tied together and about to kill a guy with a shovel.

  Of course, Ted explained he’d just been about to make sure the gunman was completely knocked out. Not trying to end his life.

  Of course, none of them believed him.

  Ted slumped onto the couch.

  “Hungry?”

  “Not really.” He laid his head back and closed his eyes. Dean might be a former Navy SEAL, but he was also the town’s unofficial EMT. Lately, he’d been getting fewer calls for that as folks knew he’d been focusing his efforts on setting up a therapy center in the mountains for people needing to work through their trauma.

  If he told Dean he should be first in line, his brother would freak out. So he’d never said anything. So far, he’d been dealing with it fine. Right?

  A little voice in his head tried to tell him otherwise, but Ted pushed that thought aside. Which only left the way open for thinking about Jess. The crack of that shovel against her skull. He knew she was fine; Ellie and Dean had both reassured him of that. But hearing it over and over in his mind. Seeing her fall. Feeling her weight slump against him. Ted couldn’t shake it.

  “Tea?”

  He shrugged one shoulder.

  “I’m sorry no one is here.”

  “It’s not Christmas morning. Or my birthday. And Stuart did the right thing taking Kaylee as far away as possible from…”

  He didn’t even want to say the name.

  Ted tried, in general, not to act like a disappointed kid when he wanted to hang out and the boys weren’t here. He was a grown man, nearly twenty-five. They weren’t his brothers. But he still missed them when they were gone. Especially in such a big house. It echoed when it was empty, reminding him way too much of the days after Dean left for the Navy. When Ted had been alone with his father.

  Or just alone.

  His dad hadn’t always needed help with a con he was running. As far as Pierce Cartwright was concerned, when Ted didn’t serve a specific purpose, he was a nobody.

  Ted shuddered. “Is he really loose?”

  Dean perched on the arm of the couch. “I can’t believe the feds lost him. Though, considering how Dad is, maybe that’s not so astounding.”

  “If anyone can escape federal custody, it’s him.”

  “They’re saying he charmed a female agent.”

  “Gross.” Their dad was like…old. Super old.

  Dean chuckled. “You’ll be wrinkly one day, and you’ll be whistling a different tune.”

  “If I live that long.”

  He heard Dean shift onto the couch and opened his eyes. His brother said, “I’m not sure I want to dig in with that right now. Could be you’re just suffering from acute lack of filter, considering the meds they gave you.”

  “Yeah. That’s probably it.”

  “When it was clear you’d been taken?” Dean shook his head. “I couldn’t breathe.”

  “Now you know how I felt when you were off on SEAL missions, and I had no idea if you’d call or if someone would show up with a piece of paper and condolences.”

  Dean stared for nearly a minute. “I’m calling it ALF. Acute Lack of Filter.” He dug his phone out of his pants pocket. “Maybe no one has copyrighted tha
t, and I can have Ellie ghostwrite a book for me. Dealing with ALF.”

  Ted’s shoulders shook as he tried—and failed—to suppress the chuckle. “Every family member of a military serviceman or woman, cop, or any other first responder goes through the same thing. You felt it. It’s not pleasant knowing someone you love could be in danger.” He shrugged one shoulder. “We deal. Because it’s the right thing to do.”

  “I did not want to deal,” Dean said. “I wanted to start shooting West’s men.”

  Ted smiled.

  “Tell me what happened.”

  All the humor he had been feeling dissipated. Ted stared at the photos on the mantel because the last thing he wanted to do was go over—again—what happened. The pictures were ones Zander had put there when they moved in, making it more personal and less like the barracks they were used to from military life. Above them hung an ocean scene, a photo one of the boys had taken in Bali on a stakeout. Or a vacation. Ted couldn’t remember.

  “Bro.”

  He glanced at Dean, still not wanting to discuss it. “I already told the cops everything. You heard it all. West had a job he needed me to do, and I did it. I lost the flash drive from the bank somewhere in the process of it, so we have nothing on the database.”

  “The one you wrote.”

  Ted nodded. Yes, he’d told them that much. Considering it was a lost lead, he hadn’t figured it would have the same impact it would’ve had otherwise. Not an in-your-face reality, but more of an abstract concept. Something Ted had done an indeterminate number of years ago.

  Long enough he’d practically forgotten it existed.

  His bother continued, “That had to have been hard, realizing it was your handiwork that allowed these people to do what they’ve been doing. Using innocent women to make money.”

  He wanted to fire back that no one was innocent, but that didn’t always go down well. Dean would only wonder why he was so cynical. He’d have to tell his brother that was something he and Jess had actually agreed over.

  Instead, Ted picked at a thread on the hem of his shirt. “There’s nothing I can do about how my work is being utilized. Dad sold all kinds of things I programmed to all kinds of people. There’s probably code I wrote in some Chinese government network.”

  Dean made a face. “But you put a virus or a worm, or something, in West’s system, right?”

  Ted shook his head. “I gave myself access to the database at the same time I made him admin credentials. If I come across the program again, I can use that to access it. Otherwise, no. I wasn’t able to destroy it.”

  Dean let out a long breath.

  “I thought they were going to kill me. Instead the plan was the same as it was at the bank. Kill both me and Jess. Like that will stop the cops from going after West?” Ted didn’t get how that worked. Cops didn’t scare easily. At least, not the ones he worked with. “I didn’t have enough time to get creative. I did what I could as slowly as possible without arousing suspicion.”

  “Okay.”

  Ted glanced over.

  “You don’t have to convince me. You kept yourself alive, and you probably saved Jess’s life. I heard she was pretty banged up fighting that guy.”

  He bit his lips together.

  “You still don’t want to talk to her?” After nearly a minute of quiet, Dean said, “I know it was scary. These are the times we need to pull together, not push the people we care about away.”

  “You don’t even like her.”

  “That’s not…” Dean’s denial fell flat. “I didn’t understand her. Now I know how driven she is, and when you were in trouble, she waded in without hesitation.” He sounded proud of her. “Either way, she’s going to be my sister-in-law when I marry Ellie. I’m glad I’ve come to appreciate her, even if she does kind of drive me crazy still.”

  Ted huffed out a breath. “You should see her undercover. No fear. She’d walk into molten lava if someone needed help.”

  “Why is that a bad thing?”

  Ted scrunched up his nose in a shrug. Protecting people unable to protect themselves wasn’t a bad thing. Jess was noble, but the reason why she was so driven to do it was what stumped him every time.

  He just didn’t understand. She seemed to have her reasons. And it didn’t seem she had any intention of ever telling him what they were.

  “You like her, right?”

  “Sure, but it’s complicated.”

  “Except when it’s the simplest thing in the world.”

  Dean was only saying that because he was in love, working on a proposal for his girlfriend. How quickly people in relationships forgot how it felt to be single. On the other side of things. Sure, there was a dance where two people opened up to each other. But it didn’t always work like that.

  Sometimes one had no intention of opening up. Ever.

  And the other was equally as stubborn.

  For entirely different reasons, they were both determined to leave the past behind. Except his was currently rearing its ugly head.

  He squeezed his eyes shut. Too much would go wrong if his dad showed up. If everyone found out he’d been his dad’s pawn far longer than Chief Ridgeman ever knew. That he’d let the former chief down so thoroughly…

  Ted didn’t want to think about how it would go down.

  “Everything is going to be okay,” his brother said. “The FBI will find Dad. The police department will identify which of the founders is West. You’ll be part of it, testifying in that way you do where you have to explain yourself because nobody understands half the technical stuff you’re talking about.”

  Ted grinned. “I think that might’ve been a compliment.”

  “You know it was.”

  “I don’t need my ego stroked just because I feel crummy. This isn’t a pity party.”

  “Good.” Dean sat forward on the couch, forearms on his knees. “Because I want you to call the FBI back and tell them what you know about Dad.”

  “Just like that?” He wanted to be sick again. “Maybe I will take that tea.”

  “Coward.”

  “After everything? You’re going to say that about me.”

  Dean squeezed the bridge of his nose. “Okay, fine. You’re the farthest thing from a coward, and I know that. It was a cheap shot.” He lowered his hand to his lap. “You don’t think I want to be the one with the information? I’d make sure he’s nowhere near you ever again.”

  That sounded pretty final. As though Dean might’ve entertained the idea of killing their dad.

  But he hadn’t tried to do it.

  Ted swallowed. “I would rather believe he’ll never come here because it’s too obvious.”

  “That’s the goal. So give them what you know, and they can make sure he’s caught before he even thinks to bother you.”

  “That makes sense.”

  Dean gently shoved the side of Ted’s head. “Time to face your fears, bro. And I’ll be right there with you.”

  Ted could only wish that were true.

  Thirteen

  Jess rang the doorbell. The camera in the corner of the eave lit up with a red light, though she’d heard Ellie say that it was always recording and not just when someone showed up. Not only Dean, but also Zander and his team, were worried about security.

  A good thing, considering someone had tried to kill her and Ted twice yesterday.

  The door swung open and Ted stood there. “Uh…hey.”

  Jess shifted, feeling the weight of her off-duty gun holstered on her hip. “Hey. Ellie told me to come and pick her up.”

  Ted frowned. His arm was in a sling, and his hair was mussed as though he’d only recently woken up. “Dean and Ellie went for a walk. They said they were going to get lunch and go see a movie.”

  That made no sense. Jess was sure she was supposed to get her and bring her home. But that wasn’t what her brain lit on. “They left you here unprotected?”

  Ted started to speak, then just shook his head.

  Jess
sucked in a breath through her nose while she tried to figure out what on earth was going on. Sure, they were both in danger, but she had a gun she’d been trained thoroughly to use and could take care of herself.

  Given what she’d seen of Ted, he could take care of himself as well. But he had a badly sprained wrist. She only had a headache. And a tiny staple in her head.

  “Also—” Jess leaned in for another sniff. “—what is that smell?”

  Ted barely stepped back. She just about managed to not bump his arm as she wiggled between the door frame and his body. “Sorry.” She glanced up at him, their faces close.

  His eyes flashed. Then he turned away to shut the front door.

  Jess kept going toward the kitchen where a pot simmered on the stove. Behind her, she heard Ted press buttons on the alarm panel. She laid her hands on the counter at the breakfast bar. “Why does that smell so good?”

  She glanced over her shoulder.

  Ted cracked a smile. “Stuart left soup in the fridge.”

  She turned to him. He just stared at her, so she said, “Is it okay if I stay for lunch? Ellie told me she was going to go grocery shopping, but she didn’t do it yet.”

  He sighed. “Fine.”

  Jess watched him trail around the counter into the kitchen. “Everything okay? How’s your arm?”

  He shrugged one shoulder, then pulled two bowls from the cupboard one-handed.

  “Need some help?”

  “No.”

  She hopped up on a stool, and he set a bowl in front of her. Jess used the spoon to stir it. “Chicken noodle.”

  He flopped a loaf of bread in front of her. It rolled onto its side. A second later he put a knife and tub of butter next to it.

  “Want two slices?”

  He came around to the stool by her, carrying his bowl. “Sure.” He slid onto the seat beside her. “It’s definitely a soup kind of day.”

  “Right? Overcast, dim, and kind of dreary.” She frowned. “Why would Dean and Ellie go for a walk on a day like this?” And why lie to her, saying she needed to pick up her sister, only to ditch? Unless Ellie was conniving to get Jess and Ted alone to talk to each other.