Chapter Thirty-Four
Sheriff Jeffries pulled up to the main building at the same time Wes and Kip returned. “This is turning into a big mess. Five dead fetuses,” Jeffries said. “And my man lying in a bed in your clinic. Mighty nice of you folks to treat him. Just a big old mess.”
Five dead fetuses?I never said that.A chill ran down Wes’s spine, and he visibly stiffened. “You can call it that.”
Wes caught Kip’s eye as he reached toward his back to his gun. “Your Witsec identity paid off. That’s one big set of balls you have. When did you decide to shoot Eleanor? And try to kill your lieutenant?”
“That boy said you were sharp. When did you figure it out?” Jeffries asked.
“How did you know there were five and that they were fetuses? I reported we found human remains.”
“Damn it. A slip of the tongue.”
“And a bumper-to-bumper transfer. Before Hartung lost consciousness, he said the vehicle that hit him fit perfectly behind him. The timing was perfect; you rear-ended him and showed up to offer assistance. Hartung said you rarely came out.”
When Kip reached for his weapon, Jeffries fired a suppressed shot at Kip’s feet. “I wouldn’t do that. I go down, Eleanor and two little innocents will go too,” Jeffries said. “We are all going inside, and when we have what we need, I’ll let you live. Place your weapons on the ground.” Jeffries pointed his own gun at Wes and Kip. Both complied.
As they walked up the stairs, Wes raised his voice to warn anyone within earshot in the building. “What do you need? And more importantly, why?”
“I’m the treasonous bitch’s big brother, Shaw.” He smiled cruelly. “She always was a problem. Once I get what she has, she’s the world’s problem.”
“You bastard. You helped whip her sixteen years ago, and you shot her,” Wes roared.
“I winged her. A little pain and a good warning,” Jeffries said.
“She’s your sister. How can you be so cruel?” Wes’s voice rose.
“Belinda is my sister. Elora, she deserves nothing. Sixteen years and she still is causing trouble.” Shaw glared.
Wes saw red. “I’m going to tear your head off and shit down your throat, you son of a bitch.” He lunged.
A shot echoed. Wes lay on top of Jeffries. Warm blood spatter pelleted his face.
“Wes.” Kip’s voice calling his name dimly registered. Kyle and Kip pulled him off Jeffries to his feet.
Troy stood off to his left with Gwen supporting him, a Glock 16 in his hand. Luther Jeffries, also known as Shaw Drake, lay dead, a hole directly between his dark, open eyes. Troy dropped the clip and handed it and the gun to Gwen.
Kip was on his phone, his words alien to Wes. The shot still reverberated in his head. “He was Ellie’s brother,” Wes said as he slid down the wall. His heart beat out of his chest as the rush of adrenaline took over.
* * *
Wes wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, leaned onto the porcelain bowl and stood. After brushing his teeth, he stripped off his bloody clothing and stepped into the shower. The water pounded against his back.
He lost control, and that likely cost valuable intel. He didn’t make things better by yelling at Troy, “You could’ve shot his gun hand.”Wes shook his head.
“Asshole, you run the Center for Training. You wrote the curriculum. If you’re going to pull the trigger, you shoot to kill,” Troy had barked.
He slapped his hand against the tile. The soap scrubbed the blood clean, but it did not clean up the set of mistakes he made. He’d asked Kip and Troy to take the lead on the investigation when it came to Eleanor. Now he had to let them do it; he needed to apologize to Troy, and he’d have to face Kieran.
“I’m done being respectful. You better start talking, or you will be protecting witnesses in the middle of Antarctica,” Kieran was yelling as he came down the stairs.
“I can’t go there,” Lance Starr yelled back.
“They made you split the child in half, didn’t they?” Kieran referred to the story of King Solomon.
“Chase, I’m not going there.” Starr stood to leave.
Kieran grabbed his arm. “Sit your ass down. You have a decision to make. Shaw Drake is dead. Are you going to leave here and notify whatever names they’re living under that their oldest son is dead? Or are you going to admit you were had and work with us before more young women go missing and more of the Drake family dies?” Kieran closed space on the Marshal.
