Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

“Turn around! Don’t let him get away! We need to find him!” Jina did not want to lose this shooter. “Hurry!”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Cole said tersely. “We need to get out of here.”

“No! There are two of us and only one of him!” She would have grabbed his shoulders to shake him if she wasn’t preoccupied with watching out the rear window. Or what used to be a window but was now open space. “We have the advantage!”

Cole turned the vehicle around. Yet he was moving too slowly for her peace of mind.

“I think he headed east.” She had only gotten a glimpse of the vehicle as it turned away. No doubt the driver had understood that she would have taken him out and had decided to bail. “Take a right up at the next block.”

Thankfully, Cole did as she requested. The street was empty. It was too late. This guy could be hiding anywhere.

She dropped her chin to her chest with despair. She hated being forced to play defense with this perp. Taking a deep breath, she turned and slid into a sitting position. “Never mind. He’s gone.”

“We need a replacement vehicle,” Cole said, his gaze meeting hers in the rearview mirror. “And I’d really like to know how he found us here at the pub.”

“I can’t answer that.” The way the perp had shown up was cause for concern. Then a thought occurred to her. “Pull over. Maybe he put a GPS tracker on the car.”

“And when would he have done that?” Cole asked, as he pulled into the parking lot of a local business. “He found you at the American Lodge without the rental being there.”

“It was there earlier, though.” She jumped out of the back seat, then leaned in to ask, “Do you have a flashlight?”

“Only my phone.” He turned the flashlight app on, then handed it to her. “Do you know what you’re looking for?”

“I hope I’ll know it when I see it.” GPS trackers came in all shapes and sizes. Some were easier to detect than others, especially if the perp placed it somewhere well out of reach. She stared with the rear of the vehicle, deciding that was the most logical place to put it.

It only took five minutes to find it. She stared at it for a long moment, then decided to leave it. She took a picture with Cole’s phone and then returned to the front seat.

“This is it.” She showed him the picture, which wasn’t as clear as she’d have liked because of the darkness. “I left it there, though, so we can use it tomorrow.”

He frowned. “Why would we want this guy to find us tonight?”

“He won’t. We’ll park this at a motel, then get a ride to a different one. Then we can pick up the rental SUV prior to the sting operation.”

“The SUV will attract attention now that the rear window is broken,” he said with a frown .

“We’ll park it in the back, out of sight.” She glanced at him with exasperation. “Why are you being so stubborn? We can make this work for us. I’m sure this guy will come after me tomorrow at our designated place. Between my phone and the rental car, he’ll believe he has me cold.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m afraid of,” Cole argued dully. “Cold as death.”

She scowled. “I wish you had more faith in me and my team’s skills.”

“I have faith in God and in you and your tactical team.” He pulled back out into traffic. “But that doesn’t mean a plan can’t go sideways.”

“What’s the alternative?” She tried to swallow her anger. “Seriously, Cole, what other option do we have? This perp knows far more about me than I do about him. We’ve tried to narrow down his identity from a list of possible suspects without success. I’m open to your thoughts on a better way to find him.”

He was silent for a long minute. “I’ve spent these past five years as a Peabody detective tracking perps through solid police work. Digging into the victim’s backgrounds, interviewing those closest to the vic, and going through forensic evidence. I feel like this idea of setting yourself up as bait is premature.”

“I disagree. We’ve been playing defense for twenty-four hours without success. I’m ready to shake things up.” He may as well accept the fact she wasn’t changing her mind. “And as I said before, if you don’t want to participate, that’s fine. I’ll get my teammates to provide backup.”

“I’m in.” He didn’t sound happy about it, but that was too bad. “Where do you suggest we leave the SUV?”

“Good question.” She tried to remember what other motels were in the area. Back in July, Roscoe had stayed in the Red Mill Motel. “Head west on the interstate. I know of a place that should work.”

“I hope this guy doesn’t do something crazy to hurt innocent people,” Cole muttered.

“Me too. But keep in mind, he’s already putting innocent people into harm’s way by shooting at us. Not to mention setting Mr. Glen’s house on fire.”

“I know.” He didn’t look satisfied.

“Trust me, I don’t want anyone hurt either. Which is exactly why we’re going to set a trap for him tomorrow.” She smiled grimly in using his own argument against him. “The sooner we get him behind bars, the safer everyone will be.”

“I said I’d help.” He sounded testy. “Where’s this motel?”

She continued giving him directions to the Red Mill Motel. When they arrived, she was glad to see the red “No Vacancy” light was on. Having all the rooms full might give the perp pause since he wouldn’t know which was their room.

Cole drove around to the far side of the motel, then backed the SUV into a narrow opening so the broken back window wasn’t readily visible. Then they climbed out, grabbed their respective bags, and walked back out front.

“Call for a rideshare,” she suggested.

“They may not have anyone nearby,” he warned as he thumbed his phone screen.

“If not, I’ll call someone on the team.” Cassidy would likely volunteer to head out to pick them up.

“I found one.” He sounded surprised. “Although it appears the quickest arrival time is fifteen minutes.”

Fifteen minutes was a long time to stand around waiting outside the motel. Especially when the perp had put a tracker on their car. “Here’s a better idea. Let’s walk over to the restaurant to get a ride from there.”

“Works for me.” He pocketed his phone, and they quickly set out to cross the overpass of the interstate. It had only been two months ago that she’d helped rescue Roscoe’s pregnant girlfriend, Libby, from a gunman determined to take her and her child out of the picture, permanently. Thankfully, they were able to catch the bad guys before anyone was hurt.

The way she hoped to get this perp in cuffs.

She kept an eye on the exit ramp leading to the Red Mill Motel, but not a single vehicle had headed that way. Thankfully, the rideshare driver showed up right on time.

“You’re going to the Wildflower Motel?” the driver asked.

“Yes, please,” Cole answered.

“I know the Red Mill is booked. There’s a family reunion this upcoming weekend,” the driver explained, clearly the chatty sort. She preferred those who drove in silence. “I’ve taken a few people into town to the local bar.”

“That’s nice.” She managed a smile. “Do you know if the Wildflower has rooms?”

“Dunno,” the guy said with a shrug. Then he caught her gaze in the rearview mirror. “Guess we’ll find out when we get there.”

She glanced at Cole, who surprised her by taking her hand. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll find a place to stay.”

Sweetheart? Had he lost his mind? Then she realized he was playing a part for the driver. Which seemed a bit extreme, since she didn’t see how the perp would know which rideshare they’d taken.

“I’m not worried, darling,” she responded, giving his hand a warning squeeze. “I know we’ll find something.”

Their driver continued talking about the reunion and how nice it was to have more business in this rather remote area. She tuned him out, trying to think of a good place to use for their sting operation.

MPD had a safe house. She wasn’t sure it was available, and it was located in a neighborhood that would make keeping eyes on the property from a distance more difficult. The home they chose needed to be somewhat remote while offering locations for her teammates to lie in wait.

That wasn’t asking too much, was it?

At least she had her computer and could start looking for rental properties that would suit their needs.

They arrived at the Wildflower Motel fifteen minutes later, and the vacancy light was on. Well, part of it anyway, the middle letters were burned out.

“We appreciate your help,” Cole said, releasing her hand to use his phone to pay and tip. “Have a good night.”

“You too!” At least the guy was cheerful as he waved at them before taking off.

They headed inside to find a young adult sitting there, watching movies on her phone. She seemed annoyed to be interrupted. “I suppose you need a room?”

“Do you have two connecting rooms?” Cole asked.

“Nope. But I got a room with two beds, which is kinda the same thing.” The girl eyed them curiously. “Want it or not?”

“We’ll take it.” Jina hadn’t known Cole for long, but after spending the past twenty-four hours with him, she accepted that he was an honorable guy.

He used a credit card to pay. Since they’d used his phone to get there, she didn’t complain. Her phone had likely been used as well as the tracker on the SUV. Without those two items in play, they should be safe .

“Room 5,” the girl said, handing them a keycard. “Checkout time is ten a.m.”

“Thanks,” Cole murmured.

A few minutes later, they were in the room. She dropped her bag on the bed closest to the bathroom, sweeping the room with a critical eye. “Not the worst I’ve seen.”

“You want first dibs on the bathroom?” Cole asked, stifling a yawn.

“Sure.” She grabbed her overnight bag and ducked inside, reminding herself this was not the time to relive their kiss. Especially since she’d never shared a room with a man. Sure, she’d spent hours on a stakeout with her teammates in a car, but this felt different.

Her problem, not his. Cole had been married. He knew how to share personal space.

Splashing cold water on her face helped wash away her bone-weary fatigue. Her night of practically no sleep, combined with the various aches and pains from her workout, followed by rolling the Jeep were catching up with her.

Emerging from the bathroom, she nodded at Cole. “Your turn.”

As he disappeared inside, she pulled her laptop from her bag and began searching for rental properties. But all too soon, the words blurred on the screen. With a sigh, she set the computer aside and pulled the blanket up to her chin.

And despite her concerns about being stuck in a small space with Cole, she fell instantly to sleep.

Cole awoke to the scent of coffee. Blinking, he looked around until the small motel room came into focus.

Freshly showered and wearing clean clothes, Jina looked amazing. He still found it difficult to mesh the tough MMA fighter to the stunning beauty staring at the coffee maker as if willing it to hurry up and brew.

“Good morning.” He swung out of bed and stretched. “Hope you slept okay.”

“Surprisingly, I did.” She glanced at him, then looked away. “I’m glad you’re up. I found a couple of places that are worth checking out.”

“Already?” He frowned, checking his watch. It was barely seven. “How long have you been up?”

“About an hour.” She shrugged and reached for her coffee. “This thing only brews one cup at a time. Do you want one?”

“Sure.” He leaned over to look at her computer screen as she filled the coffee maker with a fresh cup of water.

“It’s not great coffee, but it will work in a pinch.”

“I need a few minutes to shower and change.” He grabbed his overnight bag and edged past her. “We need to discuss those locations you found before we call the rest of your team.”

She arched a brow without saying anything. He sighed, knowing it wouldn’t be easy to come up with some sort of compromise. As much as he understood and shared her frustration with the series of events, he wasn’t sure that setting herself up at bait was the best solution.

Not that he had a better idea.

When he emerged from the bathroom, he found Jina back at her computer. She was right about the coffee, but he’d had worse, so he didn’t hesitate to drink it. “Show me what you’ve found. ”

“Okay.” She scooted off the bed and set the laptop on the small table. “I’m looking for a place that’s far enough away from other homes yet isn’t hours from here. Also a place that provides some coverage for the team.”

“Sounds reasonable,” he agreed.

“Yeah, well, there aren’t a lot of options.” She used the track pad to pull up the first property. “This is my top pick, although it’s in Timberland Falls, and the cops there aren’t big fans of ours.”

Setting aside his coffee, he turned the screen to review the property details. Ignoring the interior of the home, which was probably what most renters would care about the most, he went through the outside photos. “I can see why you like it. The home sits on a full acre of land, and there are plenty of trees.”

“Exactly.” Her blue eyes gleamed with anticipation. “The only downside is that there are homes on either side. Not close, but not that far either.”

“What about something near our current location?” he asked.

“I’ve looked at a few, but they have farmland surrounding them.” She shrugged. “Too flat and open for what we need.”

Her mention of farmland was a stark reminder of his cold case murder. He needed to give his lieutenant an update sometime today but wasn’t sure how to broach the subject of Jina being a possible suspect.

Normally, he ran his cases by the book, but in this instance, he was tempted to keep Jina out of the case summary. At least for now.

Not that her involvement would be viewed in a positive light if he brought her into the conversation later. Just the opposite .

Lieutenant Karl Bell would yank him off the case before he could blink.

“There’s one other place that might work,” Jina said, oblivious to his internal struggle. She turned the computer back toward her and brought up the second image. “This one is in Surrey. There’s a lot of construction going in on the other side of the nature preserve, which is why I bumped it down on the list.”

He forced himself to concentrate on the screen. “I see what you mean. The weather is still nice enough that people could be walking through the nature preserve too.”

“Hopefully not after dark, but yes, the new homes going in makes this one risky as far as innocent people being in danger.” She grimaced. “I’ll keep searching. I have a bad feeling the Timberland Falls PD won’t be very understanding if there’s another shootout involving MPD officers in their jurisdiction.”

He frowned. “You make it sound like that happens on a regular occurrence.”

“Yeah, well, it has happened at least three times in recent months.”

“Really?” He eyed her warily. “Sounds like Zeke was right about you being a magnet for trouble.”

“Not just me,” she protested. “In fact, this is my first time in the spotlight.”

He wasn’t reassured by that. It seemed to him that Jina’s job was more dangerous than his ever was. And not just because Milwaukee boasted a higher crime rate than Peabody—times ten—but because of her position on the team.

And the way Jina willingly put herself in harm’s way.

Was this how Renee had felt about his job? He winced, regretting the way he’d downplayed her concerns .

He pushed the computer aside and turned to face her. “Promise me you won’t be reckless about this.”

She frowned. “I can’t think of a time I’ve been reckless.”

“Maybe not in recent months, but this guy is after you.” He reached for her hand, and to his surprise, she didn’t jerk away. “I think it’s easier to think logically and rationally when others are in danger, compared to being the one sitting in the crosshairs.”

To her credit, she didn’t brush him off. Holding his gaze, she nodded. “You’re right about that. I’ve had similar concerns back when my teammates were in danger. I don’t have a death wish, Cole. I like my job, my life.” Now her gaze slid from his, and her cheeks went pink. She tugged her hand from his, and for the first time ever, she appeared flustered. “I promise I won’t be reckless.”

“Good.” He resisted the urge to pull her into a warm embrace. As far as his cold case murder was concerned, he was less than objective when it came to Jina.

Another hug and kiss would not help.

“I, uh, need to make some calls.” She jumped to her feet, but he grabbed her hand to stop her.

“It’s barely seven thirty. Not to mention, you can’t use your phone.” He couldn’t help but smile at her frown. “How about we have breakfast first and call your teammates when we’re finished. That way we can get some decent coffee.”

“Okay.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “That means we’ll need another rideshare.”

“Maybe.” He reached for his phone. “Let’s see if there’s something within walking distance.”

She nodded and moved to the window to peer outside. “It’s overcast,” she said with a frown. “I hope it doesn’t rain on our parade. ”

“I don’t think it’s supposed to rain until later tonight.” He used the map app and identified a chain breakfast restaurant a mile away. “Found one. Let’s pack our stuff and get out of here.”

Jina nodded and closed her laptop, tucking it into her overnight bag. She ducked into the bathroom to get her toiletries and stuffed them inside too. “Ready when you are.”

She might look high maintenance, but he’d never met a more practical woman. The combination shouldn’t have been attractive.

But there was no denying he liked her. Cared about her. And couldn’t help but wonder if she’d see him again once this sting operation of hers was over.

In the three years since Renee’s death, he’d never planned to become involved in another relationship. Especially not with someone as beautiful and prickly as Jina.

She wasn’t his type. And she was a suspect in his cold case. Yet both of those deterrents didn’t seem to matter.

“Cole?” She was frowning at him now. “Is something wrong?”

Yeah, I need my head examined , he thought with a sigh. But he shrugged and grabbed his bag. “Nope. I’m ready.”

The overcast sky brought a distinct fall chill to the air. He’d stashed his sport coat in his bag and would have offered it to Jina if he’d thought she’d take it.

“I love fall,” she said to his surprise. “It’s my favorite time of year.”

“What do you love the most?” He was curious to know everything about her, which should have sent more alarm bells screeching in his ear.

“The colors.” She gestured to the trees. “They’re only just starting to turn, October is better, but I like the cooler weather, the colors, and football.”

That made him laugh. “Of course, you like football.”

She arched a brow. “Why not? My parents were big fans. It was one of the few things that helped me bond with my dad.”

“Does Shelly like football too?”

“No, she’s a girly girl. Shelly likes to cook and bake. I can’t do either without burning the house down.” Her smile faded. “I feel bad for Mr. Glen. Once this is over, I need to find out what I can do to help rebuild his duplex.”

“You’re a softie,” he said with a grin.

“Yeah, well, don’t tell anyone. I have a hard-core image to protect.”

“Dully noted.” He nodded toward the half-empty parking lot of the restaurant. “Looks like we won’t have trouble getting a table.”

“Good. I’m hungry.” She frowned. “Although I don’t know why, I didn’t run my five miles this morning as usual.”

“You make me feel like a sloth,” he complained, opening the door for her.

They chose a booth in the back, and their server started them off with coffee. Jina held out her hand. “I need to borrow your phone to call Cassidy, Zeke, and Flynn.”

He gave her the device and perused the menu. They didn’t offer a full Irish like Rosie’s Diner, but there were some options that should provide enough protein to get him through the day.

Sipping his coffee, he listened as Jina called her teammates, quickly explaining her need for a spare vehicle and her plan of setting herself up to draw in the shooter. Each time, she promised to call Rhy .

“Okay, they’re all meeting us here for now.” She slid the phone across the table.

He nodded at the phone. “Shouldn’t you call Rhy?”

“After I have a plan, yes.” She sat back as their server returned to take their orders. When that was finished, Jina leaned forward. “I know my boss well enough to know that he’ll need time to inspect the plan for flaws.”

“Okay.” He could see her point and was glad Rhy would have to approve whatever scheme she and the others came up with. “How long before the rest get here?”

She shrugged. “Depends on traffic. They’ll likely want to grab something to eat too.”

“No problem.” Their server to refill their cups. “We’ll move to a bigger table.”

Ten minutes later, their meals arrived. Jina clasped her hands in her lap, obviously waiting for him to say grace.

“Lord Jesus, we thank You for this food and for keeping us safe in Your care. Please continue to watch over us and to give us strength. Amen.”

“Amen.” She smiled. “I used to get annoyed when some of the guys said grace, but now that I’ve been targeted by this perp, I can see why some people lean on prayer.”

“God is always there for you, Jina.” He tried to keep his tone light. “Trust me.”

“I do trust you.” She looked thoughtful, then dug into her breakfast with gusto.

They were just finishing when his phone rang. Despite not recognizing the number, he answered. “This is Cole Roberts.”

“It’s Cassidy. I picked up a tail and may have compromised your location.” She sounded calm despite the situation. “I’m driving past the restaurant, but I suggest you get Jina out of there. ”

How had Cassidy been followed? They’d left the tracker on his SUV! He tossed money onto the table and stood. “We need to go.”

To her credit, Jina didn’t argue. Rather than heading out the front, he boldly strode through the kitchen, ignoring the employees demanding they get out.

Maybe Jina’s plan was the right move. Being forced to go on the run was getting old.

He wanted to nab this guy as much as she did.