Page 49 of Baby Me

As soon as Mike stepped away from the opening, Gary shot the dart into his shoulder. Stunned, Mike grabbed his arm and took another step forward, frowning. “What the hell did you do,Kate?”

A moment later he tumbled to the ground. I took five solid steps toward him, and standing over his limp body, just before he closed his eyes, I said, “Don’t trust a mother-fucker who tried to killyou.”

He hadn’t been my brother before and he wasn’t now and wouldn’t be any time soon. Some DNA might have connected us, but that was all. Beyond that, he was a stranger. He was an assassin and even worse than Cortez himself. I’d never trust any promise he made to me nor honor one I made to him because he didn’t deserve anything from me. His family betrayed mine. They forced my biological parents apart, which resulted in my real father joining the priesthood. And my stepfather had been living in the woods for the past ten years. I wouldn’t put it past Cortez to have meddled in Xavier’s disappearance as well. I looked down at Mike’s sorry ass one last time, then went to untie the rope we’d need to keep him secure for ourjourney.

“Gary, George – there are two men in my shed who we need to get rid of and it’s time to spread the word that Kate Black captured Mike Donaldson and she’s taking him in to make an arrest in his own goddamnprecinct.”

“Consider it done.” Gary used his cell phone to call Marianne, who would call everyone she knew, including the Maddens. They would let the right people know about Mike’s capture. I tied Mike up, and George hoisted him over his back. We climbed up the hill toward where Gary had parked histruck.

We spent the next eight hours driving that same truck to New York, stopping twice for gas and once more so that I could make sure that Brook and Lola had received my message. If anyone would look out for me if things went sour, it would be thosetwo.

The afternoon in New York was sunny and easily mistaken for a spring morning instead of fall. I stopped a few blocks away from the station and removed Mike’s gag. He’d been awake for the past four hours, and we didn’t want him screaming. Mike sat in the back between Gary and George, his face somber and his expression still mellow from the sleepingaid.

“It’s time to play, Mikey. A promise is a promise.” I jabbed the needle into his thigh and emptied the syringe into the muscle. “See you on the otherside.”

He didn’t even get a chance to reply as the sedative began to work its way into his body. His head flopped to the side, and for the first time since we left Michigan, I took in a nervousbreath.

This isit.

“Don’t worry, Kate. You’ve got this, and we have your back. The offer still stands: we can come withyou.”

“Thank you, but I have to do this on my own. Anything else and Cortez will get suspicious. I only have one chance to get him where I want him, and I’m not going to make amistake.”

I dropped Gary and George around the corner from the precinct and drove right to the front door and parked. “Here we go,brother.”

I yanked Mike out of the car and dragged him out by his arm before draping him over my shoulder and marching up the steps to the front door. It slid open. Armed, the new director of the precinct was waiting there for me with a pair of handcuffs at his belt and two bodyguards at eachside.

“Kate.”

“Director. This is Mike Donaldson. He’s wanted on multiple counts, one of them being prisonbreak.”

“Sit him down and complete the paperwork so we can book him.” He pointed to the counter with the stack of waiting papers. I acknowledged his request and had just proceeded to the counter when the front door slid open. I watched as Aaron Cortez crossed the threshold and pulled out his gun, all in slow motion. I was ready, though, and pressed the trigger I’d been holding between me and the counter, shooting him dead center in his chest. He fell back in shock, reaching for the gun that fell out of his hand, and I shot again, this time into his shoulder. The old man didn’t give up and tried to get to his gun once more, but I didn’t let him, and shot him for the thirdtime.

Aaron Cortez dropped to the floor, the ten second commotion settled and the precinct fell quiet. Blood spewed from underneath him. For the first time in a long while, I feltfree.

It was moments later that I realized another fight ensued outside where Cortez’s backup tried to barge through the front door. They failed. The echo of gunshots settled quickly and both Gary and George, along with Brook and Lola, all come inside. Someone removed the gun from my hand and helped me to sit. It all felt surreal, but it was finallyover.

Slow claps began to resonate in my ears as my colleagues congratulated me on one of the biggest catches of a lifetime — foranyone.

When I looked up at Brook, though, and found despair in his eyes, my heart sank. “How’s Cameron?” Iasked.

He shook his head. “Not good. He’s being transferred to the New York hospital now. You should come withus.”

Chapter 13

Cameron

The soundof a pulse monitor beeped in my ears. The air was cold, and my mouth felt dry. I tried to say something, but the words just wouldn’t comeout.

“He’s coming around.” I heard one familiar voice and then another. They made my headhurt.

“Shh, be quiet. Go get the doctor.” Someone else’s voice reverberated in myears.

Too loud. You’re still tooloud.

A warm hand touched mine, and a sense of peace overwhelmedme.

Kate? Is thatyou?

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