Page 50 of Trial Run

Chapter Twenty

Reggie had her hand on the door handle of the car, ready to jump out the second Lennox stopped the car.

“Don’t even think about it,” Lennox said.

“Oh, I’m going to do more than think about it. Besides, you brought me along. Did you seriously think I was going to wait in the car? Would you?”

“I said I understood why you wanted to go in, but this is Sarah’s operation. I’ll do everything in my power to get you inside, but it’s her call.”

Reggie nodded, but she was already formulating a plan on her own. She promised Lennox she’d wait in the car while she went and talked to Sarah, but the minute Lennox was out of sight, she ducked out the door and dashed around the side of the building, looking for a back door.

She found one within seconds, but not on her own, as she watched a guy in a hoodie glance around and then duck behind the brick wall surrounding the dumpsters and disappear from sight. She ran over to see where he’d gone and showed up just in time to see a door slowly swinging toward the building, about an inch from closing shut. She jammed her hand into the doorway and pulled hard, propping the door open with one of the bricks lying nearby, just in case she needed to make a quick escape.

The hallway was dark and industrial looking. She used her phone for a flashlight and shined the light a few feet ahead. No doors and no sign of the guy she’d followed in. She had two choices. Go back outside, find Lennox and Sarah and tell them about the guy, or plunge ahead and assess the situation for herself.

If you were a PI working on a hot case, would you sit around and wait for the cops or check it out yourself?

She spent a split-second wondering what Skye Keaton would do and she knew she’d do exactly the same thing. She cupped her hand over her phone to dim the light and quickly but quietly stepped through the corridor, edging past a pile of boxes and praying she didn’t make any noise.

She needn’t have worried since a quick glance around told her she was alone. Whoever the guy was that she’d followed in had disappeared fast, like he was on a mission and Reggie knew in her gut the mission was Brooke.

When she reached the end of the hallway, she found a door to a stairwell and an elevator. The directory next to the elevator told her she was on the first floor and the only other thing located there was the lobby. She started to press the up button for the elevator, but quickly decided the stairway was a better option and less likely to announce her arrival. She started climbing, stopping at the landing between floors to make sure no one else was in the space. When she reached the second floor, she pressed her ear against the door before pushing it open, praying no one was waiting on the other side, but when she crossed the threshold someone grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her back into the stairwell. She started to push back before she realized the someone was Lennox.

“What the hell are you doing?” Lennox hissed.

“Same as you, apparently.” She pointed at the door. “Having a look around. Were you going to come back and get me or leave me wondering what’s going on?”

“I told you, everything about this search is Sarah’s call and she nixed you being in the building for obvious reasons.” Lennox shook her head. “And I knew you’d come anyway.”

“Just like you would if Wren went missing.” Reggie was prepared to do battle over her right to be here. “It’s a building open to the public and I’m a member of the public. Are you going to argue with me or help me find Brooke?”

Lennox paused only a moment before pointing at the door. “I’ve already checked out the rooms on the left side of the hall. Let’s tag team the ones on the right.”

Reggie clapped her on the shoulder, grateful for the friendship and even more grateful not to have to search for Brooke on her own, partly because she could use the help, but mostly because she was worried about what she might find. Anger swelled within her. Anger at the threats on Brooke’s and her son’s lives. Anger about the shooting last year. She was ready to unleash some of her pent-up rage, and if Brooke was hurt, she would find that fucker Mark and take him and anyone else who was involved down.

The corridor was quiet, and she signaled to Lennox that she’d check out the doors on the right side. The first office was completely empty—no desks, no chairs, and nothing in the storage closet. The second and third ones were sparsely furnished, but the lack of any buzzing machines or strewn about office supplies seemed to signal no one was using them. Was the rest of the building like this? Where were all the tenants Mitchell had been worried would be disturbed by the police presence? How good a businessperson was Mitchell or Benton if this prime piece of real estate was practically empty?

Back in the hall, she looked around for Lennox, wanting to ask her if the offices downstairs were as empty as the ones up here, but Lennox was nowhere in sight. She started to cross the hallway to look for her when she heard a weird sound, like anoverly exaggerated laugh on a haunted house soundtrack. She stayed perfectly still for a moment, trying to figure out which direction the sound was coming from, but the sound had faded to silence, and she was left guessing where to turn. She closed her eyes for a moment and focused on the memory of what she’d heard, finally deciding the sound had come from a bit farther down the hall. She stood outside the office door two down from where she’d last searched, careful to keep silent. Her care was rewarded a moment later when she heard Mark’s unmistakable voice asking someone if they’d heard anything and she instantly knew that someone was Brooke.

As if summoned, Lennox appeared in the hallway and Reggie quickly put a finger over her lips when she noticed Lennox about to say something. She pointed at the door with her free hand and mouthed.She’s in there with Mark, hoping Lennox understood.

Lennox nodded. She pulled her phone from her pocket and pointed at the screen, typing with determination before shoving it her way.I’ll go get Sarah. You wait here. Don’t go in until I get back.

Reggie watched her go, content to lose her company if it meant she wasn’t being watched, and determined not to wait a second longer if it meant leaving Brooke in danger. She pressed her ear against the door, but the conversation had gotten muffled, and she could only pick up a word here and there—federal offense, kidnap, willingly. Mostly Brooke’s voice. She sounded cool and calm, but Reggie detected an undercurrent of worry. When she heard Mark say, “So, I should kill you now,” she stiffened with panic. Where the hell were Lennox and Sarah?

She stared at her phone. There was no message and no time for a back-and-forth exchange. She knew what she needed to do and the fact she didn’t have a weapon or the backing of a posse of federal agents wasn’t going to stop her. Slowly and carefully,she reached for the doorknob and twisted it, relieved to find it wasn’t locked. She had two choices, slip in and hope she could enter the room undetected or burst through the door and make enough noise to create a giant distraction and convince Mark she was accompanied by a team of agents.

There really wasn’t a choice at all. She took a few steps back to give herself space for a running start and then shot forward. When her shoulder connected with the door, she yelled with as much ferocity as she could muster. “Police! Drop your weapon or we’ll shoot!”

* * *

Brooke strained to see around Mark, allowing herself to be hopeful for the first time that afternoon, but instead of a cavalry of federal agents showing up to save the day, Reggie stood alone in the doorway looking ferocious and wonderful, but also completely vulnerable considering Mark’s gun was now trained on her.

Reggie raised her hands in the air. “You’re going to want to drop that gun,” she said.

“I don’t think so.” Mark laughed. “I knew you had a crush on her, but this is seriously over the top.” He motioned for her to hand him her phone, and then turned and pointed to a spot next to Brooke. “Go over there and stay put. You like her so much, you may as well spend your last moments with her.”

Brooke kept her eyes on Reggie as she walked over, willing her to see the gratitude she felt for Reggie’s attempt to save her and the regret for putting her in this situation. She never should’ve let Reggie get close, never should’ve involved her in her problems. She’d spent her life working things out on her own and now it was going to end with the one person by her side who’d made her feel like she deserved to have a partner who could share in life’sups and downs before she’d ever really had a chance to fully appreciate their time together.

---