Christmas Justice (Carder Texas Connections #7)(46)
“Trouble, Texas. She and a kid are in the target’s car.”
“Strickland’s third strike. Our source here isn’t talking. Kill them, too, and dispose of the bodies.”
“Won’t there be questions?”
“Just make them disappear. In the eyes of the world they are already dead.”
Léon turned to Shep. “What’s the plan?”
“Leave no one alive. Including Strickland.”
“The girl?”
“Even the girl.”
Chapter Ten
Two blocks from the sheriff’s office, Garrett let the SUV idle. Trouble’s Christmas lights knocked against the light poles.
The place looked deserted, causing the hairs on his arms to stand on end. He had a bad feeling about this whole thing. Too many unknowns.
He needed a diversion, and with Daniel and CTC still an hour away, he had no choice about who he had to choose. It tore him apart he’d have to put Laurel in danger.
“We’re out of time,” Laurel said.
“I know.” Garrett let out a sigh. “How’s Molly?”
“Resting now.” Laurel stroked the girl’s forehead. “I gave her some acetaminophen. Her temperature popped up last night, so maybe she’ll sleep longer. I need to get her checked out by a doctor.”
“Hopefully this will be over soon.” Garrett studied the sheriff’s office. No one was behind the building. Thank goodness. “I have a way to sneak into the back of the building and get to a stash of weapons, but I need a distraction.”
“I’ll drive,” Laurel said, “and park in front of the sheriff’s office. Hopefully they don’t have a bazooka in their arsenal.”
“Don’t even joke about that, Laurel.”
“If I don’t joke, I’ll run screaming from town, Garrett. I’m terrified for Molly.”
He turned in his seat. “And I’m scared for both of you.
“When you hear things go bad in that building, you take off to Hondo’s place, the Copper Mine Motel. It was on the right as we headed into town. Daniel will be there soon.”
“What about you?”
“If it goes well, I’ll get to Hondo, Lucy and the deputy. I’ll meet you there with the name of the person who ordered these hits. Let’s switch places.”
Garrett exited the vehicle, leaving the car running to ward off the nippy morning. He rounded the car and Laurel slipped into the front seat. He knocked on the glass and she cracked the window.
“Give me five minutes before you round the corner. Until then, stay down.”
She nodded, but tears glistened in her eyes. “You’re a good man, Garrett Galloway, so go kick some bad-guy butt and come back to me.”
“I promise I want to.” He touched Laurel’s cheek, then looked over at Molly. “You’re going to do great with her,” he said.
Her eyes darkened. “That sounded a lot like goodbye. Please don’t let it be.”
“You know I need to do this.”
“For your family,” she whispered.
“And for you.” He kissed her lips lightly, lingering for just a moment. “For you and Molly and me.”
Garrett eased into the alleyway. He took one last look at Laurel and lifted up a silent prayer. Please, let them be okay. He had to focus on the job at hand: take Strickland out, hope he hadn’t brought a ton of friends and save Keller, Hondo and Lucy. Not to mention Laurel and Molly.
He scanned the area. He didn’t see anything unusual, then paused. One vehicle stood out. The Escalade had to be Strickland’s.
Garrett checked his watch. He didn’t have time to hesitate. In less than four minutes Laurel would pull the SUV in front of his building.
He rounded the sheriff’s office. He had cameras inside and outside, but they required a password to access. He hadn’t even given the code to his deputy. Garrett ran his fingers along the bricks at the back of the building. He pulled out a loose one. Inside was a latch to the emergency entrance. Garrett had always thought the whole setup bordered on paranoia, but now he thanked his overly cautious predecessor. Of course, the man had been right, just not careful enough. He was serving twenty for drug trafficking.
Praying Strickland had kept his deputy in the main room, Garrett entered the digital code and the lock clicked. Slowly he eased the door open.
He heard one set of heavy footsteps pacing from the far room to his left, near the jail cells. Had to be Strickland. He wouldn’t allow anyone to be moving around.
“Your sheriff is cutting it close, Deputy,” Strickland snapped. The footsteps stopped. “You ready to die for a traitor?”
“Sheriff Galloway is on the up-and-up. I’ll never believe he did what you said.”
“Damn straight, you cow dung,” Hondo hollered, rattling the bars of the cage. “He’s twice the man you’ll ever be.”
Hondo should know better. What the hell was he doing? If Strickland lost his temper, he’d start shooting. Garrett had no doubt that if Strickland had his way, no one would be left alive. Not Laurel or Molly. Not Keller, Lucy or Hondo. And certainly not Garrett.
He glanced at the wall safe, opened it and pulled out an extra set of keys to the jail. If nothing else, he needed to get those keys to Keller or Hondo so they had a prayer of escaping.