The Chase Read online

  TWO

  Jonas pulled on his bulletproof vest and tugged it into place, glad that the early morning rain had finally stopped. He knew he’d upset Madison with his concerns, but he’d had to make sure she was ready. She’d been quiet on the ride over to the sleepy waterfront community where they were preparing to do some investigating, but maybe she was just focused on the job ahead. On the other hand, he knew he shouldn’t have made it sound as if he doubted her. Because he didn’t. He’d first learned how competent she was when they’d met in Nashville a few years back, and then again just over three months ago when they’d worked together for the first time as partners. He trusted her with his life.

  He glanced at her profile as she checked her service weapon and adjusted her gear. Dark brown hair with a few scattered highlights hung just past her shoulders and her expression was completely focused. He’d missed her input out in the field the past three months. The time they’d spent together had proved that not only was she smart, able, and beautiful, but at times, vulnerable as well.

  He’d make it up to her tonight over dinner.

  And maybe tell her what he should have told her weeks ago.

  He checked his own weapon and felt his mouth go dry. Setting up a raid on a fugitive was one thing. Telling her how important she’d become to him, and how almost losing her had made him realize his feelings toward her were far from simply professional, was a completely different thing.

  “You ready for this?” he asked, pushing his feelings aside.

  “I’ll admit to having a bit of nerves under the surface, but the adrenaline is good for me. It keeps me focused and on my toes.”

  “I agree. And Madison . . . I hope you didn’t take what I said at your house the wrong way. I really am glad you’re back.”

  She pulled on her raid gear that was marked with both POLICE and US MARSHAL. “It’s a job with high risk, and I understand your hesitations. You just need to know that I’m mentally ready for this, and I’ve got your back.”

  “I’ve got your back.”

  The thought hit him from out of the blue. Felicia had always said that to him every time they went out on a raid. Was that the problem? He’d allowed his feelings toward Madison to cross the line and now he was worried that the same thing was going to happen to her that had happened to Felicia.

  He forced himself to ignore the thought. Whatever he felt for Madison didn’t matter right now. The two of them had a job to do, which meant he had to stay as focused as he expected her to be. He shoved his weapon into the holster then slammed the trunk shut. He’d gotten used to compartmentalizing his personal and career lives in order to keep the two separate. It was the only way to function because distractions could be deadly. And now definitely wasn’t the time for a distraction.

  He finished securing the rest of his gear, his focus now razor-sharp. This raid, like most of those he planned, was the culmination of days of surveillance and started early in the morning to help with the element of surprise. That surprise was their ace up the sleeve. But no matter how much they planned and how many details they ironed out, when tracking down fugitives, they had to be ready for the unexpected.

  As soon as the small task force made up of US Marshals, FBI, and local law enforcement was assembled, he started giving out assignments and ensuring they were all on the same page.

  Jonas’s jaw tensed as he rested his hands on his hips and glanced toward the line of houseboats. “We’ll approach the house from the east. From the information we’ve gathered, this is the house of Ben Galvan’s ex-girlfriend, Kira Thornton. We know that a man—who we believe is Galvan—has been staying here. A neighbor identified the photo we showed her and said she’d seen him around within the last twenty-four hours.”

  He glanced one last time at Madison before they started moving from the parking lot at the edge of the pier toward the house. No matter how many concerns he had, he knew she was right, and he didn’t have to worry about her. This was their window of opportunity because another day and Galvan might be long gone. They had no idea what they were going to find on the other side of that door. It was always a risk. Always a gamble that something out of their control would go wrong.

  The small waterfront community was made up of several dozen houseboats, all connected by wooden walkways. The additional touch of flower boxes had been added to the floating neighborhood.

  Four deputy marshals lined up outside the front door, while the rest of the team fanned out, ready to proceed at Jonas’s signal.

  When they were all in place, he banged on the front door. “US Marshals with a warrant. Open the door.”

  He waited a few seconds then pounded again, ready to make a forced entry if necessary.

  He was about to signal for the man behind him to break down the door when a young woman opened it. Clearly surprised, she took a step backward. Her long blonde hair was pulled up in a ponytail and she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt. Jonas recognized her from the photo that had been distributed to the team earlier.

  “Kira Thornton?” he asked.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I have a warrant to search your house and a federal arrest warrant for Ben Galvan.”

  “Ben . . . No . . . Wait . . . Ben doesn’t live here.”

  “Then I’ll need you to stand back while we search the house.”

  “I’m telling you the truth.” Panic laced her voice. “Ben isn’t here. We’re not even together anymore.”

  “Is there anyone else in the house, ma’am?”

  “No . . . yes.” She shook her head, clearly confused by the unexpected encounter.

  “Is there anyone else in the house?” he repeated.

  “I’m sorry . . . My brother. He’s been staying here with me for a few days, but I don’t understand what is going on.”

  “What’s your brother’s name?”

  “His name’s Brandon, but you’re still not telling me what’s wrong. What did Ben do?”

  “I just serve the warrants, ma’am.”

  “Well, he’s not here, and I have no idea where he is.”

  “You need to stay here while we search the house.”

  Jonas signaled two of the officers to stay with her while the rest of them made a sweep of the house. He couldn’t assume she was telling the truth, and he didn’t want to be taken by surprise.

  Assumptions. That was when things went wrong. He sent two more officers upstairs, then headed down the short hallway that was flanked by three doors in the back of the house. The first one opened to the bathroom.

  “Clear.”

  A man in his midtwenties, with cropped blond hair, stepped into the hallway, immediately locking gazes with Jonas. From the photos he’d passed out to his team, he knew immediately that this wasn’t Ben. Which meant it had to be Kira’s brother.

  Jonas held up his badge, keeping his gun in front of him as well. “I need you to put your hands in the air now and move into the living room in front of me.”

  The man hesitated for a split second, then did a one eighty and burst into one of the rooms at the back of the house.

  Jonas spoke into his two-way radio. “We’ve got a runner. He’s heading out of the south side of the house. I’m going after him.”

  The window was already up and the screen knocked out by the time Jonas entered the bedroom seconds later. He shoved open the window a couple more inches, then slipped outside and onto the three-foot-wide deck that ran the back of the house. Beyond that was the water. Brandon was sprinting toward the next house to the left.

  Where did he think he was going?

  One of their agents rounded the corner and ran toward them. Brandon hesitated briefly then slammed into the agent, knocking the man onto the deck. Jonas maneuvered around the downed agent, still managing to stay a few feet behind Brandon as they neared the end of the deck. Brandon jumped the couple of feet onto the back of the next houseboat.

  While the fronts of the houses were attached to a wooden sidewal
k, the backs had varying widths of a narrow ledge. One misstep would leave one—or both—of them in the water. Jonas frowned. Not exactly how he wanted to start his day.

  Jonas saw Brandon’s feet slip as he jumped onto another deck, but he managed to catch his balance. There were only a few more houses until they got to the end, and after that, there was nowhere left to go. Brandon launched himself onto the back of the last houseboat, then glanced behind him as if trying to decide what to do, but the man was running out of options. Jonas sped up. There was no way he was going to let him get away.

  Brandon jumped into a small boat tethered beside the last house on the row and tried to start the motor.

  Seriously?

  Jonas drew in a sharp breath of fresh air. The guy needed to know when it was time to give up.

  A second later, Madison came around the corner, then stepped on the edge of the boat, her gun pointing at him. “I’m not sure where you think you’re headed, but it ends here. Put your hands in front of you now.”

  Brandon halted, then turned toward Jonas, who was just a bit farther behind. Brandon looked at the gun Madison leveled at him and surrendered.

  “Now that was impressive.” Jonas walked toward the two of them. “Apparently three months of rehabilitation and you haven’t lost your touch.”

  “Just doing my job.” She shot a grin at him, then pulled out a pair of handcuffs and slapped them on the man’s wrists before reading him his rights. She turned to Jonas. “And I didn’t even break a sweat.”

  “I’m not sweating.” He looked down at his shirt and vest and laughed. “Or I wouldn’t be if I wasn’t wearing so many layers.”

  At least he hadn’t fallen in.

  Madison smiled. “Why don’t you go ahead and question him. I’ll be right back.”

  Jonas turned back to the man. “I need to know why you were running, Brandon.”

  “I don’t know . . . Maybe because seeing an armed man in the middle of the hallway before I’m even half-awake scared me. What would you have done?”

  “I wouldn’t run when someone showed me their badge,” Jonas said. “People sometimes run when they’re guilty.”

  “I told you, you scared me. That was all.”

  “Maybe next time, you should think twice about running.” Jonas held up his phone. “Do you know this man?”

  Brandon squinted his eyes while he looked at the screen. “Sure. It’s Kira’s old boyfriend.”

  “Her ex?”

  Brandon nodded. “That’s what she told me.”

  “When’s the last time you saw him?”

  “I don’t know. A month or so ago. We weren’t really friends. I don’t think he liked me, which was fine, because I wasn’t crazy about him either.”

  I wonder why.

  “Why didn’t you like him?” Jonas asked.

  “Does it matter? He just . . . didn’t seem good enough for Kira. In the end, she said she needed to get on with her life. Whatever that means. Why are you looking for him?”

  “We have a warrant out for his arrest,” Jonas said.

  Brandon shook his head. “I never did like him dating my sister. And I was probably onto something if you’ve got a warrant out on him.” He caught Jonas’s gaze. “So what did he do?”

  “I figured you’d know.”

  “To be honest, except for the fact that he likes skydiving and rock climbing, the guy’s a bit of a bore. I mean he’s an accountant.” Brandon motioned toward his hands. “So I’ve answered your questions. Can we please take off the cuffs?”

  “I don’t think so. Both you and the cuffs are heading downtown.”

  Brandon held up his hands. “This was a mistake. I know I shouldn’t have run—”

  “But you did,” Madison said, walking back up to them. “So I called in to see if there might be another reason for you to run. Looks like there are two open arrest warrants out on you for drug possession and distribution.”

  “That explains a lot,” Jonas said, signaling to one of the officers. “Which means we’re going to have someone take you down to the station and book you.”

  Jonas handed Brandon off, then headed with Madison back to the houseboat, where they were still searching. One of the officers hurried toward them.

  “What is it?” Madison asked.

  “A box of ammo.” Officer Alexander held up the bagged evidence. “It was shoved back behind a stack of books in one of the closets, but it’s the same caliber that was found in the bank robberies.”

  “Did you find a gun as well?” Jonas asked.

  “No. Just the ammo.”

  “Let me take a photo before you file the evidence. My guess is that Kira’s trying to protect Ben,” Madison said, turning back to Jonas.

  “He could have stashed it here without her knowing it.”

  “Maybe,” Madison said. “We need to talk to her. If he’s involved in the robberies, there’s a good chance she knows where he is.”

  THREE

  Madison and Jonas approached the houseboat where Kira was standing in front, yelling something at one of the officers, clearly angry over her brother’s arrest.

  Jonas stopped at the end of the wooden planks leading up to the house. “Since your intuition has been right on target today, I’m happy to have you handle her.”

  Madison rested her hands on her hips. “Is this all a part of your plan to welcome me back to full-time duty?”

  “Honestly, I’d hoped for something a bit more exciting, but I guess this will do.”

  She shot him a smile. “Very funny.”

  They walked up to one of the officers, who was just ending a call on his cell phone.

  “What is she hollering about?” Jonas asked.

  The officer slipped his phone into his pocket. “She’s convinced her and her brother’s rights have been violated.”

  “But there was a warrant out on Brandon,” Madison said.

  The officer shrugged. “She doesn’t seem interested in that fact.”

  “I’ll talk with her,” Madison said, starting toward the house.

  She walked up to the woman and forced a smile, flashing her badge. “Kira, I’m Deputy US Marshal Madison James—”

  “I need to know what’s going on. Now. You can’t just take my brother, but no one will listen to me.”

  Madison held up her hand. “I know you’re upset, and I’m here to listen to you, but I need you to stand out of the way while they finish searching your house. There’s a bench—”

  “No . . . you have no right to harass me and my brother.”

  “First of all,” Jonas said, coming up behind Madison, “we have a warrant to search the premises. Second—your brother is under arrest for drug possession and distribution.”

  Kira crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s not possible.”

  Madison tried to soften her expression. “I know this is upsetting, but the best thing you can do at this moment is let us do our job.”

  “How? By letting you take my brother away?”

  “Brandon is being escorted to one of the district offices. As soon as a judge sets his bail, you’ll be able to get him out, if that is what you choose. In the meantime, please cooperate so they don’t decide to arrest you as well. I’m pretty sure you don’t want that.”

  Kira’s frown deepened as her phone rang. She glanced at the screen before shoving it into her pocket and then shifting her attention back to Madison. “I’m sorry. You’re right. This . . . this just wasn’t exactly what I was expecting today.”

  “How about we go sit down for a few minutes then?” Madison followed the woman to an iron bench overlooking the water and a row of houseboats, then sat down next to her while Jonas stayed standing. Madison decided to start with the nice-cop approach. “How are you feeling? No one expects their home to be raided, and I know something like this can be unnerving.”

  Kira’s brow rose. “Unnerving? Terrifying is more like it. Do you know what it’s like to be dead asleep, then hear peo
ple shouting at your door and ordering you to open up? All I could think about was that one of us would get shot by mistake.”

  Madison glanced at Jonas then back to Kira.

  “You do know that this isn’t the first time your brother has been arrested. He’s in serious trouble.”

  Kira’s expression darkened. “I know it’s not the first time. Brandon’s been in and out of trouble with the law since high school. I was just giving him a place to stay while he’s between jobs. He’s always between jobs, but he said he was clean. I wanted to believe him.”

  “Which is understandable. We want to believe those we care about.” Madison watched as Kira’s shoulders dropped slightly. She was starting to relax some. Madison took the opportunity to press further. “It’s quite a place you have here. The houseboat and these views of the water and Mount Rainier are amazing.”

  Kira just shrugged. “It’s my parents’ place, actually. They’re traveling through Europe right now.”

  “What do they do for a living?”

  “My dad’s semi-retired but is still part owner of a tech company. He still goes in to work three or four days a week.”

  “And I understand you work for him?”

  “In the marketing department.” Kira’s frown settled on her face. “Listen, do I need a lawyer?”

  “That is up to you, but you’re not under arrest,” Jonas said. “We’re just hoping for information.”

  “About Ben.”

  Madison nodded.

  “You said you had a warrant for him,” Kira said, “but you still haven’t told me what he did.”

  “He is the reason we have a warrant on your house. We have evidence that he’s been staying here.”

  “He was for a bit, but not anymore. Like I told you, we broke up. I haven’t seen him for weeks.”

  “When exactly is the last time you were in contact with him?”

  “The day we broke up. Four, maybe five weeks ago.”