Best Laid Plans(101)

“You have two choices,” Lucy continued, taking a step closer to Elise. The girl stared at her with a straight face, but her eyes were watering. Lucy didn’t want to make her cry, but maybe getting her to fall apart would be what would give her the courage to finally talk. “You take Tia up on her offer to help you. Detective Mancini is one of the most dedicated and honest cops I know. She wants to help you get out of this life, to help you finish your education and get a job. And she can do it. That means you tell us everything—everything—including who hired you to drug Harper Worthington and why you came to San Antonio in the first place. You talk, you get a free pass if you join Tia’s program. A second chance, which, at this point, I don’t know if you deserve.

“Or you keep protecting the person who wants you dead. You will go to prison because we have enough on you to make sure of it.”

Elise’s bottom lip quivered. She glared at Lucy, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Fuck you!” she screamed and threw a plastic cup half-filled with water at Lucy. It fell at her feet.

“It’s your call, Elise.” Lucy turned and walked out.

She walked down to the nurses’ station and took a deep breath. She was shaking, but she didn’t think she’d started shaking until she’d left the room. She’d hated doing that, but it was the only way she was going to get through to the girl. The girl wouldn’t take kindness if it came from Mother Teresa herself, but a threat? That she understood completely.

“Good work,” Barry said.

Lucy jumped. “I didn’t know you were here.”

“I listened in. You got to her.”

“Let’s hope so.”

Tia called. “Van’s here, at the south exit.”

“I’m going to cuff her,” Lucy said. “It’ll send home the message that we mean business.”

“You can’t. She has her arm in a sling.”

“I’ll cuff her good hand to me,” Lucy said. “And ride over with her. It’ll send a psychological message that I’m sticking to her like glue until she talks.”

Barry concurred. “It’s a good idea.”

Ten minutes later, Lucy walked out the south entrance with a very unhappy and agitated Elise handcuffed to Lucy’s wrist. Tia met them at the automatic sliding doors. The SAPD transport van was parked in a loading zone twenty feet away.

“We’re ready,” Tia said, walking a step ahead of them toward the van. “And when—”

A shot rang out, followed by several more. A pain spread through Lucy’s back and her vision wavered. She reacted immediately and turned her body to cover Elise while pushing her down at the same time. Tia fell on the sidewalk next to her. Lucy smelled blood. Hers or Tia’s? Screams echoed. Someone was returning gunfire. From the corner of her eye, she saw Barry behind a pillar, gun out, shattered glass all around them. Lucy had her own gun out, but in her left hand because her right was cuffed to Elise. She could shoot with her weaker hand, but wasn’t as accurate.

Then the gunfire stopped. There were shouts and cries and Lucy couldn’t move.

“Kincaid!” Barry called.

She wanted to shout that she was okay, but she couldn’t. She took in a deep, painful breath.

“Kincaid! Are you hit?”

“Vest,” she said, breathless. “Tia.”

She looked over at the sidewalk. Tia was lying there, bleeding. Unconscious.

God, no. Tia.

Barry took command. He motioned for the guards to secure the area. Two cops shielded Tia and helped a nurse and orderly pull her in through the doors.

“Elise, are you hit?” Lucy asked, breathless. She still found it hard to catch her breath and her back hurt. She prayed she was just bruised.

Elise didn’t answer, but she was shaking, so that was a good sign, Lucy hoped.

Barry came over and said, “Holy shit, Kincaid. You’re hit.”

“No.”

He reached down and touched her back. “You’re wearing a vest. You were shot in the back. You would have been dead.”

“Good thing I put on my vest this morning.”

She didn’t normally wear a vest on the job, unless there was a specific reason to. But because of Kane’s visit last night and his warning to watch her back, she’d decided that for the time being, it would be a good idea.

“Did you get him?”

“There were two. I’m pretty sure I got one, but they were in a car and bolted. A drive-by. I have the make, model, and license, already put an APB out. Let’s get you checked out.”

“Elise,” Lucy said. “Let’s get up.”

Elise was sobbing uncontrollably. “I did everything they wanted! Why do they want me dead? Why?”

“Who, Elise?” Lucy asked.

“Rob Garza. He’s Adeline Reyes-Worthington’s campaign manager.” She took a deep breath through her sobs, then everything came out in a rush. “I—I came from Washington. Rob likes kinky stuff, that’s how we met. Then he said he had a job for me in San Antonio, and since I was tired of Washington, I agreed. He gave me a f*cking lot of money. Twice as much as you found. He gave me the syringe. He told me if I got caught, that no one would do anything because I’m an underage whore and you’d all feel sorry for me. But I didn’t know what was in it! Everything else I said was true, I swear. I swear! I was just supposed to take pictures. That’s it. Don’t let him hurt me. Please, I’ll do anything you want, don’t let him hurt me.”