Chapter 8 - The Pier
Rain hammered St. Agnes Pier at midnight.
Laura wore a wire beneath her coat.
Garrett hated every second of the plan.
“You stay where I can see you,” he said.
Laura checked the flash drive in her pocket.
“You've said that six times.”
“I'll say it seven.”
“Garrett.”
He looked at her.
“I need you to trust me.”
“I trust you.”
“Then what's the problem?”
“I don't trust bullets.”
She almost smiled.
Then his expression changed.
“If anything goes wrong—”
“I know.”
“No.”
He touched her face.
“You don't.”
Laura became still.
“I spent my entire life believing attachment made people vulnerable.”
Rain ran down his face.
“Then you walked into my house and argued about broken porcelain.”
Despite everything, she laughed.
Garrett kissed her forehead.
“Come back.”
Laura walked onto the pier alone.
Hale waited beneath an abandoned warehouse awning.
Emily sat tied to a chair.
Laura's heart hammered.
“Let her go.”
“The drive.”
“Girl first.”
Hale smiled.
“You're exactly like Daniel.”
“Thank you.”
“It wasn't a compliment.”
“I took it as one.”
Hale’s smile vanished.
Laura held up the drive.
“You murdered him.”
“He became inconvenient.”
Laura fought every instinct in her body.
“Say it.”
Hale frowned.
“You want a confession?”
“I want to hear you admit it.”
“Why?”
“Because for six years I imagined the man who killed my brother. I want to know whether the real thing is as pathetic.”
Hale struck her.
Laura stumbled.
Garrett nearly emerged from cover.
Malcolm stopped him.
Laura straightened.
Blood touched her lip.
“That's it?”
Hale grabbed her throat.
“I ordered Daniel Beckett killed.”
Laura stared into his eyes.
“He should have minded his business.”
Behind the warehouse, Agent Morales heard every word through Laura's wire.
Hale continued.
“And now you're going to give me that drive.”
Laura smiled.
“No.”
His expression changed.
“Federal agents already have copies.”
Hale reached for his gun.
Laura moved.
She drove her elbow into his wrist.
Emily kicked the chair sideways into his knees.
Gunfire erupted from Hale's men.
Garrett's team answered.
Laura dragged Emily behind a steel support.
“Stay down!”
Hale ran toward a waiting boat.
Garrett pursued him.
Hale fired.
Garrett staggered.
Laura screamed his name.
She ran.
Hale turned the gun toward her.
Then Celeste stepped from behind a parked truck.
She fired once.
Hale's weapon fell from his hand.
Federal agents swarmed him.
Laura barely noticed.
She reached Garrett.
Blood covered his side.
“No.”
“Laura.”
“No, no, no.”
“It's not—”
“Don't tell me it's a graze.”
He managed a weak smile.
“This one's slightly more enthusiastic.”
“Garrett!”
Paramedics rushed forward.
Laura held his hand inside the ambulance.
At the hospital, surgery lasted two hours.
Laura sat in the waiting room wearing his blood.
Emily slept against Bess.
Percy paced.
Malcolm stared at the floor.
Even Celeste remained.
At 4:26 a.m., the surgeon emerged.
“He'll recover.”
Laura closed her eyes.
Her knees weakened.
Bess caught her.
Hours later, Laura entered Garrett's room.
His eyes opened.
“You look terrible,” he murmured.
Laura started crying.
“You got shot.”
“I noticed.”
She hit his uninjured shoulder.
He winced.
“Violent woman.”
“You chased an armed murderer.”
“So did you.”
“That's different.”
“How?”
“I was angry.”
Garrett stared at her.
Then laughed.
Laura sat beside him.
His hand found hers.
“Stay.”
It was one word.
But Laura knew what he meant.
Not tonight.
Not until discharge.
Stay.
She looked at the feared man lying beneath a hospital blanket, stripped of his suits, guards and reputation.
And she realized she wasn't afraid of him anymore.
That frightened her more than anything.
“I don't know how,” she whispered.
“Neither do I.”
Garrett squeezed her hand.
“We can be bad at it together.”
Laura laughed through her tears.
“That's the worst romantic speech I've ever heard.”
“I was shot.”
“Excuses.”
He closed his eyes.
May you like
But he did not release her hand.
Neither did she.
