Dylan closed his eyes, at war with himself. He knew Kole was right and that he wouldn’t be allowed in on this operation for good reason, as well as that Kelsi would be pissed at him if Abby did manage to sneak in and something happened to her. Butdamn it, he needed to be in there. His skin itched with his need to act, to use his training and dosomething.
After a long moment, he nodded, not looking at Kole. His anger at him was misplaced, he knew, but that didn’t make it easier to accept. “Fine.”
Abby was still creeping away from the two of them, so Dylan said, “Abby. Get over here. We’re going to monitor the perimeter to make sure nobody escapes through a window or some unknown exit.”
She glared at him, knowing the truth was that the two of them were being sidelined.
Kole sighed in relief and his eyes lingered on Abby before he turned and jogged to join the group assembled near the front door.
As they waited for the teams to prepare to breach, Dylan heard Abby whisper, and he turned to her, asking her with his eyes to repeat whatever she said.
“She never told me. About the threats.” She glanced at the house, eyes unfocused. “I could have helped her. Why didn’t she say anything?”
“She didn’t tell me either. Not until I found a note with flowers and thought it was from Sheridan,” he confessed.
Abby swung her head back to meet his eyes.
He chewed his bottom lip before continuing. “Kelsi’s dad leaving left a big scar on her heart. She was so young, and she thought that he left because she was too difficult to handle. All these years, she’s thought that if she was able to handle everything herself, to never be difficult, that people would stick around.”
Abby’s eyes widened, and he knew she understood what he was saying, but he finished his thought anyway. “To her, this threat made her difficult. Telling us would mean we wouldn’t want to stick around, because it wasn’t easy.”
“That’s ridiculous. I would never leave her for something like that.”
“I know that, and so do you, and deep down she does too. But trauma responses aren’t rational.” They both were quiet after that. His heart hurt for the girl they both loved, and it was clear hers did too.
“It’s not my place to say, but she’s only ever had eyes for you, you know,” Abby said softly.
Something settled in him hearing her say that, and he realized he’d still had fears about the relationship. Confessing them to Kelsi the night before had eased them, but he needed time to shake them off completely. He raised a hand to her shoulder, squeezing lightly in silent thanks.
They both remained quiet and waited for the men in combat gear to move in. The man in the lead held up the ram to the lock, and the man beside him monitored the talkie, raising three fingers and lowering them one at a time. When the last finger dropped, the officer swung the ram, striking the lock and breaking in the front door.
Abby gasped sharply and reached over to grip Dylan’s forearm tightly when Kole followed the heavily armored men into the house. Together, the two of them could only stand there and wait, listening intently for any sign of trouble and praying for everything to turn out all right.
CHAPTER 47
Kelsi
3 Hours to Trial
Kelsi was comingback to consciousness again when the sharp cracks resounded through the house, followed by heavy footsteps on the floors. She struggled to raise her head from where it had been hanging against her chest.
McGuinness and Sheridan both immediately straightened, and all three of their heads swung toward the door in unison.
Kelsi wondered when McGuinness had returned. Did that mean the trial was over? How long had she been out for this time? Was Dylan okay?
Sheridan grabbed a gun from the back of his pants but held it as though he was unsure of what to do. He stepped behind Kelsi, where she was still bound to the chair. McGuinness stepped behind Sheridan, the cowards using her as a human shield and a hostage rolled into one.
The steps outside the door grew louder.
“This is the Virginia Beach Police! We’re coming in!”
The first man to reach the door stepped in, a rifle raised at the men standing behind her. He had a helmet over his head, so she couldn’t see his face. He stepped further into the room,making way for the similarly attired men with rifles to stream in. Four in total filled the small space, and the fifth man through the door lacked the full armor and helmet but had a Kevlar vest on. He was familiar to Kelsi, and she recalled his face smiling at her from the photo of Dylan’s squad on his desk. He had a handgun rather than a rifle, and he pointed it at the men behind her. The others also had their weapons trained on her abductors.
The man she recognized scanned her face and body quickly, before flicking his gaze back to the others hiding behind her. “Put your hands up and slowly get to your knees. You’re under arrest for kidnapping and obstruction of justice.”
Kelsi’s body sagged in relief. She hadn’t expected to make it out alive.
Sheridan raised his hands above his head, gun still held in one. Kelsi strained to glimpse her two captors behind her. She could see Sheridan’s hand with the gun out of the corner of her right eye. It slowly started lowering as he kneeled, following the instructions of the cop.
