Part 17 (1/2)
Chapter Twenty-Nine.
”Lach?”
His chest tightened and he bowed his head, drinking in the sound of her voice. It was filled with fear and seemed to call out to him for hope. It didn't matter that the entire room could hear her. This conversation was between the two of them and to h.e.l.l with everyone else. He would never lie to her and couldn't promise her that everything would be all right when he didn't know for sure. He'd only felt helpless like this once before, yet this was a thousand times worse.
”Phoebe, has he hurt you?”
”No.” Phoebe paused and Lach prayed that Stewart wasn't taking the phone back already. He looked up from the speakerphone and across the room to where Crest was standing. The man had kept Lach sane enough to keep his mouth shut, enabling him to stay and be here for when she asked for him. He owed his boss a debt of grat.i.tude. He heard Phoebe take a shaky breath. ”Lach, I need you to know something. If-if this doesn't work out, I need you to know that I love you. I've loved you from the moment you rescued me in Northern Africa. You made me realize that I didn't have to live for a memory or the people around me. You gave me back my life and I would give anything to be able to spend it with you.”
”Phoebe-”
”I love you,” Phoebe whispered, but each word was said as if there were a period after it. Lach curled his fingers into his palms to prevent himself from slamming them down on the table. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. She wasn't supposed to think her life was ending at any moment and that they wouldn't get to see the future he hadn't even taken time to mention. His f.u.c.king motto-it is what it is. He promised himself he'd change it if they could just get through this with her life intact. Before he could reply, she continued. ”I'm sorry this had to turn out like your last a.s.signment. I know how hard that was for you. If there was something that I could do to make this time different, I would.”
Phoebe broke off, as if someone were trying to take the phone away. Lach tensed, not wanting to lose contact with her. He hadn't had a chance let her know that he felt the same before she'd brought up how he would feel after this was all said and done. She was worried about him when it was her life at stake.
”Phoebe?”
”Please, just let me say goodbye.” It sounded as if the phone was being jostled, but Lach exhaled slowly when he heard Phoebe once more. ”Lach?”
”I love you, Phoebe.” Those words didn't come close to encompa.s.sing what Lach felt, but those were the only ones he could get across. He had so much more to say to her, but no time. ”I promise we'll get you out of there.”
”Phoebe, could you please put Stewart back on the line?” Robbins asked, nodding his head toward Lach that he did a fine job in keeping the conversation going. Lach could see one of the technicians rewinding the call and enhancing the background to see if there were any remnants of conversation being held not picked up by the human ear. ”Stewart? I appreciate your good faith. We're working on getting the media...”
Lach tuned out the conversation as he walked back over to the window and where Crest was still standing. He felt like he'd been given a piece of heaven just in hearing her voice, only to have it taken away. He leaned his forearms and head against the window, grateful for the cold. He was angry that he and Phoebe had been cheated out of a moment in their lives that should have been special, not forced because of an idiot with daddy issues. He replayed their exchange over and over in his head. It wasn't until the third time that he caught her message. Son of a b.i.t.c.h.
”Crest?” Lach pushed himself off of the gla.s.s and looked back toward the technician who was shaking his head that they'd picked up nothing. ”Send Connor over to the prison to talk to Victor Ward. Jax needs to hit up Crescent and any family that Timothy has. Ethan needs to speak with anyone related to Austin Bentley. As for Taryn, we need her up here for a second opinion regarding the software. Someone other than Stewart Barnes is in control. We need to find out who it is.”
”Robbins, my men are out there searching right now for any lead of who might actually be the one in charge in that apartment.” Crest crossed his arms as he made his point known. ”This is the only logical course of action. If Lach's right, whoever it is will most likely take everyone out before the media are set up to hear Senator Barnes speak.”
Lach leaned against the wall and impatiently waited to hear the final verdict. Either way, he was going in. The best course of action was to take whoever had control by surprise, giving up the game. He was willing to risk his life, so he didn't see what the problem was.
”Sir, I've been Phoebe's second s.h.i.+ft detail for months,” Thornton said, putting in his two cents. The four of them were far enough away from prying ears. ”If Phoebe sent Lach a message, then she did.”
”You're asking that I send a civilian into a hostage situation.” Agent Robbins shook his head at the reckless proposition that was being placed before him, setting his hands on his hips. ”This isn't protocol and you know it. McKinnon, you ran your own team. Imagine what my superiors will say if this goes belly up.”
”That I volunteered,” Lach replied, keeping his tone even. ”If I'm right, it's not going to matter what you do. Whoever is really controlling this situation will kill everyone in that apartment and it won't matter. Give me an earpiece where you can monitor the situation. If I get killed, it's on me.”
”Agent Robbins, this isn't your typical hostage situation where you can negotiate with the hostage taker for hours,” Crest pointed out, motioning with his hand toward the electronics. ”You've tried calling Barnes' phone for the last forty-five minutes. He doesn't answer anymore. He won't. It's not him and if McKinnon is willing to enter into a hostile situation to garner you more information, he's your best bet.”
”This isn't your run of the mill rescues. We're talking about the daughter of a presidential nominee.” Agent Robbins looked around the room, as if hoping another answer would appear. ”We haven't even given this remotely the amount of time we should before making this kind of decision. When the equipment we need to electronically eavesdrop on them arrives, we'll know more about what's going on in there.”
”There isn't any time,” Lach stressed, straightening his form. He didn't do it to use his height as an advantage. He was running out of minutes on the clock and regardless of what Robbins said, Lach was going inside Phoebe's apartment. ”What have you got to lose?”
”A former Marine? A former special agent with the FBI Hostage Rescue Team?” Robbins met Lach's gaze. ”A good man who the media will put on a pedestal, effectively questioning my judgment and calling for my resignation if you get killed?”
”You and I both know that whatever happens here today will be spun for political reasons,” Lach answered, taking a step forward and only stopping when Crest held up a hand. This was waste of time. ”I've been there and done that, Robbins. I have no doubt that you know what went down on my last mission with the Bureau. I'm telling you from experience that Stewart Barnes is not the perpetrator here. Let me prove it and you come out the hero. If I die, spin it to suit your needs. I don't care how you make it happen, but I'm walking out of this room within four minutes.”
”And what of Phoebe and Kimmie Dunaway? If this goes south, you'll be responsible for their deaths.”
”No,” Lach replied, knowing full well that whoever was holding a gun to Phoebe and her sister was the person accountable. ”They're dead if I don't. Of that I have no doubt.”
”Son of a b.i.t.c.h.” Robbins held out his hand to Thornton, who then placed something in his open palm. The primary agent then held it out for Lach to take, much to his disapproval. ”Keep this earpiece in place the entire time. We'll be able to hear everything that is said. We'll give you a key to Phoebe's apartment, so you'll have to unlock the door quickly and take them by surprise before they figure out you're trying to get in and they try to forcefully keep you out.”
”Done.” Lach took the earpiece and situated the bit so that it wouldn't be visible unless one actually looked for it. He'd shed his jacket a while ago, but he slipped his holster off and handed it over to Crest, who would take care of his back-up weapon. ”I'll go in unarmed. If I'm not shot upon entry, I'll be patted down.”
”You don't want to wait for your fellow agents to come back? What if they find nothing?” Agent Robbins asked, although he stepped away and gave Lach s.p.a.ce to leave their closed circle. ”Are you sure you want to risk this?”
”We don't have time to waste. Besides, I should have had the courage to do this long before today.” Lach was already across the room and out the apartment door. Knowing that no one could hear him, he spoke the truth to himself. ”Phoebe needs me to have the strength.”
Lach had made the decision to go through Phoebe's apartment door and try to reason with whoever was responsible for this, yet it wasn't until this moment as he faced the wood that his adrenaline spiked. Fear had taken hold earlier and had his gut twisted in a knot. His muscles were still tense but he did his d.a.m.nedest to keep his heart rate steady. He didn't doubt that he was making the right choice. He just hoped like h.e.l.l it didn't blow up in his face and get them all killed hours earlier than planned. He intended to tell Phoebe he loved her in person-semper fi, do or die.
Without giving himself a chance to think of the consequences, Lach pushed the key into the aperture, turning it quickly and then shoving the door open. He heard numerous gasps and figured he had two seconds before someone came around the corner. The question remained if he or she would shoot first and ask questions later. There was only one way to find out. Slamming the door and holding his hands up in the air signaling surrender, he'd only taken two steps before Austin Bentley appeared holding a weapon in his hands and a surprised look on his face.
The other man wasn't half as surprised as Lach was to see Steve Johanson lying on the floor with a pool of blood beneath his head. Lach couldn't ascertain whether or not the other man was dead. What was clear was that Johanson's weapon was missing from his side holster.
”Hannah!” Austin exclaimed, pulling his finger tighter on the trigger. Lach had been about to use the other man's shock to his own advantage and rush him when he'd said the young girl's name. Lach pulled back just in time to realize that something more was going on and he hoped like h.e.l.l his earpiece was picking this up. It was hard to even his breathing out, but he slowly inhaled to appear composed. ”s.h.i.+t. Hannah, what do we do?”
”What the h.e.l.l?” Hannah said, holding her weapon up at the same time. It happened to be Johanson's service issued Sig Sauer P229 in a .357 caliber. ”We didn't say you could come in here.”
”No, you didn't.” Lach quickly observed the room, ensuring the correct count. Timothy, Phoebe, Kimmie, and Stewart were all huddled together on the couch. His gaze hovered over Phoebe a little longer, taking in anything that might cause him to take this situation in another direction. She didn't appear hurt, but she did look just as stunned to see him as Austin and Hannah. He wanted to go directly to her but knew that he had to see this through if they were going to live. Now was the time to bluff and he hoped to h.e.l.l that he didn't blow them sky high. ”Everyone knows. End this before they bring in the snipers.”
”Hannah? You said this wouldn't happen.” Austin wiped the back of his hand over his mouth and that's when Lach noticed the sweat. ”We're f.u.c.ked.”
”No one knows,” Hannah replied, shaking her head emphatically. She twisted and pointed her gun toward the four hostages on the couch. ”Give me your weapon or I'll shoot one of them.”
”I don't have a weapon.” Lach stayed in his position, wanting to draw Hannah and Austin's attention into two different directions. ”They sent me in to talk to you, that's all.”
”They don't know!” Hannah exclaimed, the gun shaking in her hand and making Lach's discomfort level rise. She would actually pull the trigger. ”Austin, see if he has a weapon.”
Austin looked between the two of them in disbelief. ”f.u.c.k, no. I'm not going near him.”
”Austin, you really had us surprised.” Lach kept his tone even and deep, wanting the man to know that he was as lethal as Austin thought he was. ”Your family is out there. Your mother broke down in tears.”
There was a piece of truth to what Lach just said, but Austin didn't have to know that. His family had been notified, but due to different circ.u.mstances. They thought he was a hopeless hostage at the hands of an unstable U.S. Senator's son. If Lach kept using Hannah and Austin's tells correctly, he'd be able to draw them into further believing that their ruse was over.
”Hannah, how would they know?” Austin took a step back, bringing him closer to Johanson's body. ”I didn't tell anyone. I swear.”
Through Lach's peripheral vision, he saw Phoebe try to keep Stewart from talking. The kid had attempted to get up from the couch when both sisters tried to keep him from moving. Hannah saw the same thing and stepped closer to where they were situated, which was not what Lach wanted.
”Hannah.” All eyes swung toward the young girl and since Lach had been watching her closely, he caught the sliver of doubt that crossed her face. She'd just given herself away and now Lach needed to capitalize on it. ”Your father ratted you out.”