Sharon Dunn - Montana Standoff

“I used to work here.” Bryan angled his head, not making eye contact. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

Sarah stepped a little closer to him. “Used to?”

His expression turned hard as granite. “It’s a long story.” His voice became thick with emotion. “And not one I want to tell.”

Even though she knew his anger was over whatever had happened on the job, his retort stung—a reminder of a much more personal anger that he had directed at her ten years ago. When she’d found out she was pregnant, they’d gone to a pregnancy counseling center. Naomi’s Place had been warm and filled with love, a safe place for teens to live while they were pregnant. They both had agreed that giving up their little girl was the best choice for everyone. But after Bryan signed away his parental rights, he became sullen. His silent rage had made her feel like he blamed her for not wanting to keep their child. It didn’t make sense. They had made the decision together. They didn’t get a chance to talk things out. Instead, he left. His parents moved away shortly after.

In the two years after Bryan left, she had been adopted by a loving family. The adoption had come too late for Crew, who was past eighteen and already descending into his life of crime, but it had helped cement Sarah’s resolve to take her life in a different direction. She too had left for college to get a degree in social work. She’d returned because she loved Discovery, because Crew and her adoptive parents were here, and maybe somewhere in the back of her mind she hoped Bryan would come back, as well.

Now he was back. But whatever he’d been doing, the years had not been kind to Bryan Keyes. The vulnerable teenager she had known was lost to a man with an eight-foot wall around his heart. And she had no desire to try to climb over it.

The female officer returned. “Why don’t you come this way? I’ve set up an interview room for you. It’ll be easier to concentrate in there.” She held out her hand. “I’m Officer O’Connor, but you can call me Bridget.”

Sarah stepped toward Bridget. Fear rose up. She didn’t want to think about those two men. She glanced back at Bryan. “Can Bryan come with me?”

The officer spoke gently. “I have to take your statements separately.”

“It’ll be all right.” He reached out and squeezed her upper arm. “Bridget has a very gentle bedside interrogation technique.”

His joke made her smile.

Bridget opened a door labeled Interview Room One. “Right in here.”

Sarah took in a deep breath. Tension wove around her chest at the prospect of having to relive the terror of the last few hours.

And worst of all was her certainty that it still wasn’t over.

* * *

The look of vulnerability Bryan saw in Sarah’s eyes as she turned the corner nearly tore his heart out. She was still shaken, still afraid. If he could just hold her. He remembered the softness of her skin and the light floral scent of her hair. Heat rose up his neck. Even after ten years, the memory held a power over him.

All the more reason for him to keep some distance between them now. He wouldn’t do her any favors if he got distracted by the past. Only by staying focused on the danger could he truly help her.

He couldn’t make the interview any easier for her, but maybe he could make sure those guys didn’t come after her again. Once the thugs got back into town, Sarah would still be in danger unless Crew came forward.

Bryan looked through the window where Chief Sandoval sat hunched over his desk. Overwhelmed with frustration as the case against Tyler Mason dissolved, his parting words to his boss weeks ago had been harsh.

He understood why Sandoval had no desire to waste manpower and resources trying to find a new angle on the investigation. Mason did such a good job of playing the part of a fine upstanding businessman that most people fell for his act. Unless they could get another eyewitness to Mason’s human trafficking ring who could put the finger on Mason, they really didn’t have a case.

A tightness embedded in Bryan’s chest as he walked toward Sandoval’s glass office. The older man raised his head and peered through the window, giving away nothing in his expression.

Bryan tapped on the door.

“Come in.”

“Sir?”

Sandoval leaned back in his chair. “Have you decided to put that badge back on, Officer Keyes?”

Bryan shook his head. If his job wasn’t about getting justice, he wasn’t so sure it was a job he wanted.

Sandoval’s chair creaked as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk. “Too bad, you’re a good officer.”

The compliment warmed him. Whatever conflict they had had, Sandoval was a competent chief. “I need to talk to you about another matter.”

Sandoval nodded. “Go ahead.”

“There’s a woman in the interview room with Bridget right now. I witnessed two men try to kill her earlier today. I think her life is still in danger. She can identify them.”

Sandoval straightened the papers on his desk. “So you think they will come for her again?”

“They were pretty relentless up on the mountain. Can we set her up with some protection?”

“Why were these men after her?” Not showing a high level of interest, Sandoval glanced at his computer monitor. “What does this relate to?”

“They wanted to know the whereabouts of her brother.”

“Is the brother a criminal?”

Bryan was uncomfortable with the classification—the Crew he knew had been a good person, just on a bad path. “He has a history of drug use,” Bryan admitted.

“So this might be about a bad debt or stolen drugs.” Sandoval seemed distracted as he rose from his chair and opened a file cabinet drawer.

“We don’t know. My gut says it’s more serious than that. These guys were pretty persistent. Sarah’s not involved in drug culture—if they were going to kill her to send a message to her brother then it seems like more is at stake here than a simple debt.”

“I can’t spare an officer to provide 24/7 protection, but I can send an extra patrol through her neighborhood at night. The dispatcher can be made aware if a call does come from her home.” He slammed the file drawer shut.

That wouldn’t be enough to keep Sarah safe, but pressuring Sandoval would not be effective. “I appreciate that, sir.” He turned to go. If the department couldn’t protect Sarah, maybe he’d have to.

He wandered back through the station. The female officer who had been with Sarah walked toward him holding a computer printout. “Thought you might want to look at this. These are the two men she identified.”

Bryan studied the photographs. “Yeah. Those are the guys.” Something clicked in his brain, and he examined the picture of the short, skinny man a little closer. Earlier, they’d been a bit preoccupied with running for their lives. He hadn’t had time to think about who these men might be.

“Smoke is coming out of your ears,” said Bridget.

Bryan tapped the piece of paper. “Something about this guy is ringing a bell.” He looked up from the paper. “Where is Sarah, anyway?”

“She’s reading through her statement so she can sign it.” Bridget poked him in the chest. “I’ll need to do a sit-down with you, too.”

He stared at the printout. “Can we do it later?”

“Sure, but I don’t want to wait too long.” She returned to her desk.

Bryan gripped the corners of the computer-generated photograph. The skinny thug was connected to a previous case he’d worked. That had to be why the guy looked familiar. He’d seen him in another photograph. His brain clicked through the possibilities. Only one case had been the focus of his attention since he’d come back to Discovery.