Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

February 14 th

10:38 P.M.

Electricity buzzed through Ella’s bones as she walked into the dressing room and took a deep breath.

The concert was done, whether or not Dora had taken their bait and shown up remained to be seen, but regardless, it felt like tonight had been a win. It had been far too long since she last played in front of an audience, and she’d forgotten how exhilarating it was.

This was something she’d been doing since she was five years old. She’d done solo concerts and some with various members of her family, even a couple with all of them together. It was part of her, the music, the concerts, it was something she wanted to spend more time doing. As much as she loved working for Prey, and couldn’t imagine not having that in her life, she needed this in her life, too.

Needed more than she’d been giving herself.

Because there was something else she needed.

Some one else.

When the door behind her closed with a click, she spun around expecting to find that someone standing there. Miguel would be grinning at her, and he’d pull her into his arms and spin her around, congratulating her with a kiss that would turn the electricity burning through her veins into a fire there was only one way to quench.

A way she would insist that they make happen before they went back out there to join the cocktail party.

Only when she faced the person who had entered her dressing room, she saw it wasn't Miguel. It was a woman, and she was dressed like one of the ushers. Her head was bent, hair falling down to cover her face.

It was only when the other woman slowly lifted her head and raised a hand to brush her hair back, that Ella realized who it was.

“Dora,” she whispered as a manic smile took over the woman’s face.

Their plan had worked. Dora was there, she’d believed the ruse that Ella was leaving Prey, believed she would be unprotected tonight, and decided to try to come after her. Even though she’d been praying this would work, that they would all finally be out from underneath the mole’s thumb, it felt surreal standing face to face with someone she’d worked with, seen every day, and trusted.

Since she’d opted not to wear comms like the guys, their chatter in her ear while she was playing would be too much of a distraction, they hadn't left her alone and vulnerable. They’d suspected if she came, Dora would strike when Ella was alone, so instead of wearing a unit so she could communicate with Miguel and the others they’d given her a panic button.

All she had to do was press it and they’d all come running as fast as they could.

As surreptitiously as she could, Ella moved her hand toward the bracelet on her wrist where the small device was located.

“Whatever you're going to do I wouldn't if I were you,” Dora warned, taking a step closer after locking the door behind her.

“I'm not doing anything,” Ella said but stilled her hands.

“I'm not stupid, and I've worked for Prey for three years now. I know that Miguel won't have left you alone with no way for you to contact him, and whatever you were about to do was going to summon him. Nuh-uh. I don’t want anyone interrupting this moment.” There was a gleefulness about Dora that made Ella feel like she’d been transported into one of those old movies where the villain practically vibrated with glee about their evil plans.

While for the last three years she had believed Dora to be a nice woman who had tragically lost her husband in a car accident, a hard worker, a loyal employee, not quite a friend, but an acquaintance that she liked, it was clear she’d never seen the real Dora Hibbert.

Because the woman standing before her wasn't the same one who had greeted her each morning when she walked into the building. Who was often still there in the evenings when she called it quits after a long day.

“Why?” she asked. If she could keep Dora talking, then Miguel was going to show up sooner rather than later anyway. Even if she didn't use the panic button he would come to her as soon as he could get through the crowd and backstage to her dressing room. Not just because he wanted to make sure she was safe, but because he wanted to be with her, to celebrate with her, to hold her and tell her how proud he was of her.

“You know why,” Dora said like it was obvious.

“I don’t. We saved your husband, proved he was innocent of stealing and selling weapons. If it wasn't for us, he would have spent the rest of his life behind bars.” It was one of the reasons that Dora had been discounted as a suspect. Of course, she’d been investigated along with everyone else, but the fact that Prey had cleared her husband’s name along with the fact that she had plenty of money, had helped eliminate her.

Obviously, they’d been wrong.

They’d missed the psychosis that Dora Hibbert hid so well.

“Exactly,” Dora hissed like that answered everything. Only from where Ella was standing it answered absolutely nothing.

“What do you mean?”

“Did you know that Christopher saved me one night when I was twelve?” Dora’s eyes glazed over as she spoke. “My mother was dragging me toward a man she intended to give me to for sex so she could score some money for drugs and he stopped it from happening. That was the day I knew he was going to be mine. He was meant to be mine. My best friend’s brother. My savior. She didn't understand, didn't know what it was like to grow up without a loving family. She tried to make him choose, her and their family, or me. He chose me.” Glee lit Dora’s face for a moment before it vanished. “He was supposed to choose me.”

“And then he cheated.”

Dora nodded. “You cleared him, and I thought everything was going to be okay. He was all I needed, he loved me. The first person who ever did. But then I found out the truth.”

“He was cheating on you.”

Fury raged in the eyes that looked back at her. “Disgusting pig.”

That they could agree on. “It wasn't an accident, was it? Christopher’s death?”

A slow smile curled up Dora’s lips, reminding Ella of the Grinch. “Nope. It was no accident. I knew where he was going and was waiting for him, all I had to do was wait for a day when there was a truck coming in the opposite direction and then throw the spikes into the road. As soon as they pierced Chris’ tires, I knew I’d done it.”

“You got your revenge.”

“But it wasn't enough,” Dora snarled. “You had to be punished, too. If you hadn't cleared his name, he would have been in prison, I never would have learned the truth about him. I still would have had someone that loved me.”

“Ella?” The door rattled as Miguel called out her name.

“Don’t,” Dora whispered before she could answer, pulling back her coat to reveal a suicide vest strapped to her chest. “I don’t care about him, about whoever else might be here. You're the one I want revenge on not them, but I also don’t care if they wind up collateral damage. It’s up to you. Just you and I can go boom, or we can take out your boyfriend as well.”

There was no way she was getting Miguel hurt.

This grudge Dora had was against Athena Team only, and if she had to be the sacrifice that allowed the others to be safe then she would. It wasn't how she wanted this to end, she’d wanted her shot with Miguel, but it was the better of the options.

Thankfully, the concert hall was a big place. There were passageways and corridors leading everywhere, and multiple ways out of almost every room.

Including this one.

“You never planned on getting away with it, with getting the money and building a new life, did you?” she asked Dora.

“Money means nothing to me, it was love I wanted, and you took that away from me. All I wanted was for you to all suffer like I did. A letter to the man on Christopher’s team who was the real smuggler, a promise for revenge on the people responsible for getting him put behind bars, and I got Raul’s name. From there it was easy to get my revenge, so very easy.”

“Ella? Why is the door locked? Are you okay, honey?” Miguel called out as the door shuddered and she suspected he was trying to knock it down.

“And now I get to take you out with me,” Dora said, the creepiest smile Ella had ever seen lighting up her face like a kid who had woken up on Christmas morning to find every single item on their list to Santa sitting under their tree.

“Only if you can catch me first,” Ella said, taking off toward the second door to the dressing room. If anyone was dying tonight it wasn't going to be Miguel, it wasn't going to be his team, it wasn't going to be Rocco’s team, and it wasn't going to be any of the innocent people who had paid to come there tonight and hear her play.

If anyone was going to die tonight it was only going to be her and Dora Hibbert.

February 14 th

10:42 P.M.

Something was wrong.

There was no way Ella would lock the door to keep him out.

Even if she’d seen something that spooked her and she felt unsafe, she wouldn't just ignore him while he was calling out to her.

Why hadn't she pushed the panic button?

When she’d said she wasn't comfortable wearing comms Miguel hadn't liked the idea. He’d wanted to know that all it took was one word and he could be by her side, but he’d also respected that this whole thing had been his idea. If he wanted the concert to look believable, and Ella said having him and the rest of the guys murmuring in her ear was going to be a distraction, then he had no choice but to go along with it.

Trusting her.

Now he was wishing he’d insisted.

If he could hear Ella’s voice, he could know exactly what he was up against.

It was Dora Hibbert he knew that much. The figure in black hurrying toward the dressing rooms was the mole, he felt that down to his bones. Whoever had locked the door had to be Dora, and he didn't like the idea that anyone was trying to keep him from what was his.

Regardless of his fears about himself and a future with Ella he couldn’t deny that the woman already owned him. Just because it was far too soon to be even thinking about the L word it didn't mean he didn't know deep down inside, in a place he hadn't even known existed, that this woman was made for him.

Now, she needed him, and nothing was keeping him from her.

Certainly nothing as flimsy and insubstantial as a locked door.

“Mole is in the room with Ella, door locked,” he said into his comms as he rammed his shoulder against the door.

The guys probably said something in response, but he heard sounds coming from the other side of the door, and his focus zeroed into one thing.

Getting to Ella.

Standing back, he slammed his foot into the door and was rewarded by a crack, and then a moment later, the broken remains parted enough that he could see inside.

A figure in black was running through the room.

No signs of Ella.

“They’re on the move,” he said into his comms as he shoved his body through the too-small gap. Miguel barely registered the shards of broken wood ripping at his tux, his mind was too focused on its single goal.

As soon as he was through, he started running in the direction the figure had gone, toward the other door to the dressing room. He didn't waste time checking the room for Ella’s body, the mole wasn't running because they’d already achieved their goal and wanted to escape. There had been no time for Dora to kill Ella and hide the body.

The mole had to be chasing Ella.

Somehow, she’d decided running was the better option and he wished he knew why. What had Dora threatened her with? Ella knew he was right outside the door, why hadn't she called for help or pressed her panic button?

Whatever the reason, he picked up his pace. He could catch up to them. Ella was fit but she didn't spend hours every single day training. He had no idea about Dora, but Miguel was confident he could catch up to them before the mole had a chance to hurt Ella.

If she hadn't already.

He had to believe that Ella was so far unharmed because there was no blood trail. Whatever Ella’s reasons for running, she was making them with a clear head, so he had to believe she knew what she was doing and had some sort of plan.

This place was like a maze, corridors heading in different directions, crisscrossing one another, leading to dozens of dressing rooms and storage rooms. If he lost them then he could lose Ella for good. All it would take was the mole to get her alone for a moment without interruption and it could all be over.

There was not a doubt in his mind that Dora was armed. Although why the woman hadn't just shot Ella and been done with it he had no idea. Maybe she’d been armed with a knife instead and hadn't been able to get close enough. Ella had self- defense training, and he knew she wasn't going to go down without a fight.

“Hey, Dora, stop!” he yelled when he spotted her up ahead.

“Miguel! Stay back!” Ella’s voice screamed even though he couldn’t see her.

At least he knew she was still alive.

Although she was crazy if she thought he wasn't coming after her.

Dora disappeared around a corner, and then the next thing Miguel knew the world around him blew up.

The force of the explosion was enough to take him to his knees, but not enough to pick up his body and slam it into the ground. Certainly not enough to injure him beyond making it feel like he’d been given a single-body jarring blow.

“Miguel? What happened?” Rocco’s voice demanded in his ear.

“Bomb. Dora had a bomb,” he replied, shoving off the shock and scrambling back to his feet, consumed with the need to get to Ella.

Just because he hadn't been injured didn't mean she hadn't.

She was a whole lot closer to the blast than he was even if he had been a mere fifty yards or so away from Dora when she set off her bomb.

Now he knew why Ella had run, why she hadn't pressed her panic button, or answered him when he’d been on the other side of the door.

Damn, brave woman was trying to protect him.

Protect them all.

Dora must have told her about or shown her the bomb and Ella had drawn her away. It was the only reason he could think of that she would run instead of reaching out to him when she knew he was just on the other side of the door.

The closer he got to the epicenter of the explosion the more his heart dropped.

While the force of the explosion hadn't been all that powerful it was enough that parts of the walls and ceiling had collapsed, blocking him from getting to Ella.

Not acceptable.

“Ella?” he yelled, willing her to reply. If he’d lost her while he was mere yards away, he wasn't sure he’d ever be able to get over it. This woman hadn't just wormed her way into his heart, she’d barreled in without even trying or realizing she was doing it. She’d just shown him what real bravery looked like. It didn't matter to Ella that she’d been scared out of her mind and far outside her comfort zone, she’d accepted the risks and put her life on the line to protect her family, while simultaneously protecting her team and their drug.

She made him want to face his own fears and insecurities rather than trying to run and hide from them. She made him want to be a better, stronger person. She made him want to look to the future instead of constantly looking over his shoulder to the past.

Losing her before he even got a chance to tell her how much he admired her, admitted that he was falling for her, and asked her out on a real date, seemed so unfair, and yet he had no one to blame but himself. There had been nothing but himself standing in the way of doing all those things already. He’d ignored everything, his gut, his brother, Ella herself, and cowardly hidden behind his fears he might turn out to be just like his parents.

When he got no response, he called out again. “Ella? Honey, can you hear me? Call out if you can, El, I’m here, I'm coming.”

There were no responses to his pleas.

Nothing.

Just silence.

Mocking silence, reminding him it could already be too late.

No.

He couldn’t accept that.

Ella was there, right behind this wall of rubble and he was going to get to her.

Reaching for a piece of debris, Miguel tossed it aside then immediately reached for another. Cops and firefighters would be on the way, and the guys would be there soon. They’d get through the pile of concrete and wood and steel and through to Ella on the other side.

Seconds blurred into one another, turning into minutes.

“Ella?” Rocco asked, suddenly appearing beside him.

“Not answering.”

“You sure she’s in there?” Gumby asked.

“I heard her tell me to back off right before the explosion went off,” he replied. “She knew Dora had a bomb, she tried to lead her away from us, from the people here for the concert.” As proud as he was of her for caring about everyone else, he was furious that she thought it was okay to endanger herself in the process.

She came first.

Always.

Not him.

Not anyone else.

Just her.

“We’ll get to her, man,” Ace assured him as more men appeared around him and they began to systematically work their way through the piles of debris.

Miguel prayed that was true even as the silence on the other side of the rubble reminded him that when he got to her all he might find was a lifeless body.