Chapter 8

Raelyn ducked and pressed her back against the wall, hoping it was thick enough to stop a bullet. The moment the intruder stopped shooting, she listened intently, knowing she needed to be ready for the moment Grayson breached the front.

Hearing the loud thud as he kicked the front door open, she moved quickly peering around the corner into the kitchen. Hugo Morrison was inside armed with a handgun, and he made the mistake of glancing back when Grayson entered.

"Police! Drop your weapon!" Her sharp command had Morrison turning back to face her.

"You heard her," Grayson said. "Drop the gun!"

Even though Morrison was surrounded, he didn't drop his weapon. Instead, he took aim at her, leaving her little choice but to return fire.

He went down beneath the force of her shot. Grayson rushed forward to grab the gun.

"We need to clear the place." The possibility of Morrison not being there alone spurred her inside. She and Grayson methodically cleared the entire house, exchanging grim looks before heading back down to the injured man.

Of course, Isaiah was already there, using a kitchen towel to stanch the bleeding.

"Call 911," she told Grayson, who nodded and pulled out his phone. She knelt on the other side of Morrison. "Who sent you? Why are you doing this?"

The perp's eyes remained closed, his breathing shallow. Isaiah was putting all his weight on the open wound to slow the bleeding.

"Hugo, talk to me!" She spoke louder, hoping to get a reaction. "Who sent you? Why are you trying to kill Isaiah?"

The large Black man's eyes fluttered open, and he grimaced. "Hurts."

"We have an ambulance on the way." She tried to hold his gaze, but he wasn't focused on her. He was staring at some spot over her shoulder. She resisted the urge to turn and look to make sure no one was there. "Talk to me, Hugo. What's going on here? Why are you doing this?"

Finally, he looked at her but appeared confused. As if he didn't understand the question. Then he closed his eyes and went limp.

She swallowed hard, glancing at Isaiah in horror. They couldn't lose him. They needed him alive and talking!

"Ambulance will be here any minute," Grayson said quietly.

That may be a minute too late. She reached over to check his pulse. It was faint and rapid. She was afraid he didn't have much time. "Come on, Hugo, talk to me!" She was almost begging now.

Hugo groaned, and whispered, "Chief."

She leaned forward, her pulse racing. "Who is the Chief? What's his name?"

There was no response. She looked at Isaiah again, but he shook his head helplessly, still holding pressure on Hugo's wound.

The sirens were louder now, and she knew the third district officers and the ambulance had arrived. She hated feeling so helpless. Why hadn't Hugo surrendered? Why had he pointed his gun at her, knowing he'd be shot?

As if reading her mind, Isaiah said, "I think he must be afraid of the consequences of snitching on the Chief."

"How could those consequences be worse than this?"

Isaiah's eyes darkened. "I don't know. Maybe Morrison has family somewhere, or maybe he thought dying of a gunshot wound would be better than whatever revenge the Chief might extract from him."

She shivered as the possibility. Moments later, uniformed officers entered the home, followed by two EMTs with a gurney.

Rising to her feet, she moved out of the way to make room for the medical professionals. There was nothing more she or Isaiah could do other than to pray that Hugo survived this and that they'd be able to question him when he got out of surgery.

Isaiah didn't move away from Hugo until the EMTs had him connected to their equipment and had started intravenous fluids. Then he rose and joined her in the corner of the room.

"You expected him to be inside," Isaiah murmured.

She shook her head. "Not really, but I took precautions knowing that anything was possible."

He scrubbed his face with his hands. "I was so scared watching as you and Grayson confronted him."

"We're well-trained cops," she reminded him. Although, she could understand his concern. She and Grayson acted without thinking, relying on their training to get through the tough situation.

The tactical team was the best of the best, but that didn't make them infallible. They'd lost Kyle last Christmas, although that had been a targeted attack against him rather than a random event. And yes, the team practiced different scenarios. In the end, it came down to gut instinct based on years of experience and training.

Grayson gestured for her to join him in the living room with one of the third district police officers. She and Isaiah slid past the EMT crew.

"This is Officer Mark Stern," Grayson said. "I was explaining to him how you and I were working undercover to see if we could find Hugo Morrison."

She recognized Stern as one of the cops who had responded to the church shooting. She could tell he was not happy before he spoke. "Since when do cops perform undercover work in other precincts?" he demanded.

A flash of irritation hit hard. "Shouldn't you be glad to have additional help in working the case rather than arguing over turf? I'd think you'd be more concerned with what just transpired here."

The officer flushed at her rebuke. But before he could fire back, another officer came forward, a sergeant based on the stripes on his sleeve. "I'm Sergeant O'Malley. Would you please give us your version of events?"

Gladly, she thought, trying to keep her expression neutral. The third district officers had a tough job, no question about that. But she'd think they'd welcome assistance in any form.

When Grayson nodded at her, she took the lead in explaining how Pastor Isaiah Washington had been attacked and fired upon several times by Hugo Morrison. "We came here today in plain clothes hoping to get a glimpse of him. But we honestly didn't expect him to be waiting inside Isa—er, Pastor Washington's home."

Sergeant O'Malley's gaze slid to Isaiah for a moment, then he nodded. "Okay, so then what happened?"

"He opened fire. My partner, Grayson, breached the front door. We had him surrounded, identified ourselves as police officers, and demanded he drop his weapon." She paused, then added, "He didn't."

Sergeant O'Malley frowned at that. "Really?" There was no mistaking the doubt in his tone.

"Officer Lewis is correct," Grayson said firmly. "He knew we had him cold, but he took aim at her regardless. She fired one shot, taking him down."

She knew they'd want to take her second service weapon as evidence, so she handed it over, feeling naked without it. All she had left now was her small Smith and Wesson that fit into her ankle holster.

But there was nothing she could do about that. Rhy would place her on desk duty for sure this time, but she hoped he'd allow her to continue protecting Isaiah. Hugo was no longer a threat, but if the Chief did hire him, they were far from safe.

For all she knew, the mysterious Chief would double down on his efforts to eliminate Isaiah.

Sergeant O'Malley placed her weapon in an evidence bag. She glanced at Grayson, noticing his frown. She wouldn't reassure him about her Smith and Wesson until they were alone.

"Coming through," the EMT said.

They moved out of the way so the medical team could get Hugo Morrison out of the house and into the waiting rig. He groaned in pain as the EMTs shifted him to get him through the broken front door.

She realized Isaiah would need to fix the front door, much the way he had repaired the break-in at the church. Hugo had intended to kill him, but why now? Isaiah has been out of jail and back in the community for years.

It all came back to the shooting that had unfolded in front of the church. But even that seemed like a strange reason to target Isaiah. It wasn't like he was out there in the middle of things. Kids and cops had exchanged gunfire.

She abruptly turned to Isaiah. "Did you ever get the list of victims' names?"

"No. And I would still like that so I can visit the families."

Yeah, she thought the list was important, too, but possibly for another reason. She looked at Sergeant O'Malley. "I would like that list of names ASAP." Reading his hesitation, she added, "I can have Captain Finnegan reach out to your Captain Sanchez if that helps. They're meeting today I believe."

O'Malley shrugged. "Fine. I'll get it for you."

"Now," she said firmly. "That list may help us figure out why Hugo Morrison risked his life to take out Isaiah."

O'Malley didn't look happy but reluctantly nodded. He headed outside to his squad, and she knew all police vehicles were equipped with computers. No printer, but these days, information could be sent and delivered electronically to phones without resorting to paper.

She and Grayson followed him out. He slid in behind the wheel and tapped computer keys. Then Sergeant O'Malley glanced at them. "You both want a list?"

"Yes, please." She needed one as she feared she'd be cut out of the information loop. Thankfully, Grayson didn't argue.

"Emails?" O'Malley asked.

She provided hers, then Grayson did the same. It took less than a minute for the list to appear in her email folder. She tapped on her phone, opened the document, and scanned it. Five names were on the list of citizens who were killed. There was the one officer's name, too, a guy by the name of Dillon Colbert.

After forwarding the list to Rhy and Joe, she lifted her gaze to O'Malley's. "Thank you. Appreciate this."

"Yeah, sure." O'Malley waved toward the house. "I'm sorry about Stern's attitude back there. He's been taking things personally lately. He was close to Dillon."

She held his gaze, unwilling to let him off the hook so easily. "Here's the thing, we all lost a brother in blue that day. Fighting within the ranks isn't going to help. We need to work together on this, and frankly, the more cops involved with that task, the better."

"I know, I know." O'Malley lifted his hands. "I couldn't agree more."

"Good." She wanted to ask about getting fifth district officers here, too, like Reed Carmichael, but she decided that was above her paygrade. She turned away, intending to find Isaiah, knowing it wouldn't be long until the crime scene techs would be crawling around the place, searching for evidence.

"What made you ask about the list of names?" Grayson asked as they headed back to Isaiah's house.

"Maybe we're coming at this all wrong." She stopped to look at him. "The kids were shot by cops who were called in by Isaiah. He made the call anonymously, but maybe they just assumed it was him. I'm wondering if these attempts to kill him are related to family members seeking revenge."

"A possibility," he agreed. "But you'd think they'd be targeting cops, not the preacher."

"Isaiah's the one who made the call. He breached the so-called code of silence in this neighborhood." She looked around, noting the empty streets. Not a single person had come out of their homes to watch the activity. And she knew why. They didn't want to be interviewed as a witness. They didn't want to rat anyone out, and they didn't trust the police not to haul them down to the precinct if they happened to have outstanding warrants.

It was exactly what her mother had done years ago when they'd lived on the south side of Chicago. Her mother stuck her head in the sand when Kenny attacked her, pretending nothing happened.

She tried not to feel deflated. For as far as she'd come in her career, at times like this, she felt as if she was walking through quicksand, unable to make any forward progress at all.

Isaiah had gonein the basement to get supplies to fix the door, but the cranky officer, Stern, roughly took them away. "You can't touch anything. This is a crime scene."

Isaiah swallowed his protest and nodded. "Okay. But I need to fix the broken front door at some point."

"Not now" was Stern's curt response. "You need to get out of here."

And cops wondered why the community didn't trust them? It was officers with attitudes like this that gave the others a bad name.

Biting back a retort, he made his way back to the front door just as Raelyn and Grayson mounted the steps. He managed a smile. "I guess we need to stay out here."

"We'll find a place to stay soon," Raelyn said. "I'd like to show you something, though." He stepped up beside him, showing him a document on her phone screen.

His heart squeezed when he realized this was the list of victim names.

"Do any of these names sound familiar? Do they attend your church services?" Raelyn asked.

He sighed. "Two of the names sound familiar, Omar Talbert and Tyson Richards. I believe their respective mothers have attended services."

"Do you think those kids with street names are friends or relatives of these two?" She pressed. "I'm looking for another connection to investigate."

"I have no idea." He tamped down a flash of anger. "I told you I don't know the real names of those kids. They go by their street names only."

She looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned to Grayson. "We need more intel on these victims."

"I'll call Gabe Melrose," Grayson said. "I'm sure he can dig up more for us."

"Thanks." She slipped the phone back into her pocket. "I guess we can head out of here, then."

"What about the house?" Isaiah asked with concern. "I rent the place from the mayor. I can't just leave that front door broken, or there will be nothing left when I get back."

"The cops will take care of securing the place," Grayson said. "Especially if the mayor is the owner."

Maybe that's what Grayson and Raelyn would do, but not the cops here. He shook his head. "I doubt Officer Stern will lift a finger to help."

"I can change that. Hang on." Raelyn hurried back to the squad at the curb. She spoke to Sergeant O'Malley, then came back up. "O'Malley assured me he'll make sure the place is secure. He understands that he'll have to answer to the mayor if he doesn't."

Despite the dire circumstances, he couldn't help but chuckle. If the mayor didn't have enough power to get this accomplished, then no one did. "Fine. Where to?"

"Good question." Raelyn looked at Grayson. "Do you think Rhy will spring for a safe house? Or a motel?"

"Yeah, he will." Grayson didn't hesitate. "Let's head back to the Jeep. I'll call Rhy on the way."

"Good." Raelyn looked relieved, and Isaiah realized her financial situation was as tenuous as his was. Another thing they had in common.

It wasn't right that she, or Grayson for that matter, should pay out of pocket to keep him safe. Yet he wasn't sure that was the job of the police department either.

How had things gotten so complicated?

He followed Raelyn down the street to the corner, conscious of the way Grayson stayed close behind him. Even now, it was humbling to realize how these two officers didn't hesitate to put their lives on the line for him.

Was he worthy of this level of protection? Probably not. Yet he also knew God had brought them together for a reason, and it wasn't up to him to question the Lord's plan.

The trek to the Jeep was uneventful, yet Isaiah knew that people were watching them from nearby homes, peeking through blinds or around curtains. He thought about the names of the recent victims. At the very least, he wanted to visit the families of the two teenagers he'd recognized.

Yet he didn't want to place them in danger either.

They didn't cut through backyards this time. The streets were empty, which was highly unusual for this time of day. Sure, the kids should be in school, classes didn't let out until the first week of June, but no one bothered much with finding delinquent kids in this area of the city. The teachers and principals were grateful when the troublemakers stayed home.

He highly doubted any of the kids who'd come through the church that fateful day were sitting in the classroom. Especially not Pinky.

A hint of orange movement caught his eye. He glanced at the house on the corner but didn't see anything. Had that been Tiger?

He almost mentioned the possibility to Raelyn but decided to remain silent. For one thing, there was no sign of the mixed-race kid now. And he wasn't even sure the movement had been one of the kids who'd come through his church at all.

His imagination was working overtime. Being constantly on guard was wearing on him. He didn't like looking for a gunman around every corner.

He told himself they were safe for the moment because even if the Chief did hear about Hugo being shot, it would take time for him to find a replacement.

Or so he hoped.

The rest of the trip back to the Jeep was uneventful. Raelyn slid behind the wheel, and Grayson took the passenger seat, so he climbed into the back.

"You might want to keep your head down," Grayson advised. "At least until we're out of this neighborhood."

"I live here," he felt compelled to point out.

"Yeah, and Morrison was waiting in your house with a gun," Raelyn shot back. "It doesn't hurt to make yourself less of a target."

"I can't do my job if I stay out of sight." It was bothering him to think that some people may have come to the church to look for him because they needed someone to talk to.

"I understand." Raelyn's tone was softer now. "I know how much you care about your church and those who attend services. But you can't help them if you're dead."

He thought of the day he'd lay bleeding in the street. It's not your time, my child.

Was it still not his time? He had done some good here, but lately, he'd felt useless. As if God's saving him hadn't mattered much.

"Please?" Raelyn asked.

"Okay." He bent at the waist so that his upper torso was stretched out in the back seat. It wasn't comfortable, but it wouldn't take them that long to get out of the neighborhood.

There was nothing but silence for several long moments the Jeep moved through the streets. No doubt both Raelyn and Grayson were on hyperalert for any threat.

Then he heard Grayson speak. "Rhy? There was an incident at the preacher's house."

Oddly, he didn't mind the way Grayson referred to him as the preacher. He didn't sound derogatory when he said it, and that was his job after all.

"Yeah, Raelyn surrendered her weapon. I think she deserves a replacement, though. Even if you keep her off active duty, she deserves to defend herself."

Despite his deep aversion to guns, Isaiah silently agreed with that plan. Raelyn was in danger because of him. Her home had been set on fire, and she'd been nearly struck by gunfire as often as he had been.

He sent up a silent plea for God to keep her and the rest of her team safe.

"We'll be there soon," Grayson was saying now. "Ten minutes at the most."

"Where?" he asked. "To the precinct?"

"Yes," Raelyn answered. "Rhy is expecting to have more information on the Glock that was processed through the lab."

The Glock, most likely left behind by Pinky. He closed his eyes for a moment, hoping he was wrong.

"Look out!" Grayson shouted.

He almost sat up but was thrown off-balance when Raelyn wrenched the wheel hard to the left. He heard the sound of gunfire, but there was no metallic ping or breaking glass to indicate they'd been hit.

Raelyn hit the gas, the Jeep lurching forward. Then she took another series of turns, making him dizzy. After what seemed like forever but was likely only a handful of minutes, he heard Grayson say, "All clear."

"What happened?" He sat up and looked around.

"There was a car on the street with the driver's side window open," Grayson said. He turned in his seat to face him. "As we passed, I saw there was a man crouched in there with a gun. I think he was waiting for us, but thankfully, he was parked close to the intersection, so we were able to get away." He patted Raelyn's arm. "Good driving, Rae."

"Thanks." She met Isaiah's gaze in the rearview. "And that's the reason we asked you to keep your head down."

He nodded. "I get it. I'm a target."

"No lie," Grayson muttered.

He noticed the streets were changing now as they headed out of the north side of the city. Today, he was glad they were leaving the old neighborhood behind. There had to be a way to get to the bottom of this mess. He settled back in his seat when he realized they were on one of the local highways, making quick time in reaching the precinct.

As before, Raelyn drove around to the back of the building to park. He was impressed at how well she'd handled the near miss.

"We'd better check the Jeep for damage," Grayson said as he opened his door.

"Okay." Raelyn slid out from behind the wheel. He emerged from the back seat, watching as the two cops closely examined the vehicle.

"It's clear," Grayson announced.

"Let's get inside." Raelyn glanced around. "Isaiah shouldn't be out in the open like this."

Rhy was waiting for them inside, his features grim. "I noticed you were checking the Jeep."

"Someone took a shot at us but missed," Grayson said. "Raelyn got us out of there."

Rhy sighed. "This is getting out of hand."

"Do you have news for us?" Raelyn asked. "Because we could use some leads."

"Yeah." Rhy met Isaiah's gaze. "How well do you know Pinky?"

His stomach clenched. "I don't know him that well, but he has come in for services and stayed for the meal. Why?"

"That Glock left in the church was used to kill Officer Dillon Colbert and matches the slugs taken from the other two injured officers as well."

Isaiah wasn't surprised. "But we don't know that Pinky pulled the trigger. Or that it was even the gun that Pinky had used to threaten me."

"Did the lab get any prints?" Grayson asked.

"No. The weapon was wiped clean." Rhy was still holding his gaze, and Isaiah knew they believed he was protecting Pinky. And in a way he was because he absolutely did not want to see Pinky arrested for killing a cop.

If the kid entered the prison system now, he'd be changed forever, and not for the better.