Say Goodbye (Romantic Suspense #25) - Karen Rose Page 0,236

everything under control there, and that—and seeing that Kowalski was still on the move, so DJ must have been, too—had helped him remain calm. But then Kowalski’s vehicle had stopped and so had his heart. It hadn’t beaten normally until he’d seen that Liza was still alive.

He could hear Croft getting out of the SUV. She’d been calling their location in to Raeburn, who was coordinating from the field office in Sacramento. Once they’d had Kowalski’s signal to follow, Raeburn had redirected the SWAT team to veer off I-5 and head east.

He’d also put eyes in the air. There was a chopper not too far away.

All of this gave Tom a feeling of control that was just enough—barely enough—to allow him to think past the fear of seeing a gun at Liza’s head.

“I want you to back off,” DJ snarled. “Tell your partner to stop. Not another step forward. There are three bodies on the ground right now. None of them listened. Follow their lead and it’ll be four.”

Liza’s gaze was locked on Tom’s face and the trust in her eyes bolstered his spirit and ripped it apart, all at once.

“I’ve got something you want,” Tom said.

DJ’s eyes narrowed. “What?”

“Eden’s bank account.”

DJ went rigid. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not. How do you think we knew about Sunnyside? I saw the transfers from your account to theirs. I’ve had access to Eden’s bank accounts for almost a month. We were just waiting for you to show up.”

“You’re lying,” DJ said again, but this time he sounded less certain.

“First transfer on Thursday morning, one hundred thousand dollars. Second transfer, two hundred fifty thousand. We have Pastor’s financial advisor in custody, so he can’t take any more.”

“What do you mean, any more?”

“He’s been skimming for years. Just like your father skimmed when he had your job.”

“How do you know about my father?” DJ’s eyes gleamed, his greed apparent.

“Pastor’s wife told us. Your father gave her a million bucks. Did you know that?”

DJ’s face contorted into a scowl. “Of course he did,” he muttered. “Bastard.”

“Which is why you killed him.”

“I killed him because he helped Gideon.”

“I can see how that’d make you upset,” Tom said mildly. “So. What do you want?”

“I want my money.”

“Let her go and we’ll talk.”

“No. You’re getting back in your SUV and driving away. You and your partner. You will transfer all the money to my account and then I’ll let Miss Barkley go.”

“Not gonna happen,” Tom said. “Besides, we know where Eden is now. By the time you got there, you wouldn’t have a home to return to.”

Liza’s eyes widened, her lips curving in a satisfied smile.

It wasn’t true—yet. But it would be soon. Minutes before they’d come upon this scene, Raeburn had informed them that they’d gotten the warrant for Daniel Park’s cell phone records and, sure enough, there were weekly calls from the same number, going back years. They were only interested in the calls over the last month. With any luck, Raeburn would be calling them with a triangulated location within minutes.

“You’re lying!” DJ spat.

“I told you. We have Pastor’s financial advisor. And his phone records.”

DJ paled.

Tom smiled. “I can see you understand where I’m going with this. So what’s it going to be? We can talk money, but I hold the cards. You’re not getting a penny until you let her go.”

He watched the riot of emotions cross DJ’s face, hoping he’d realize that it was time to fold. But, of course, he did not. He backed up a step, dragging Liza with him. She followed, her eyes locked on Tom’s, her hands clenched into fists. She was waiting for instruction.

DJ was not going quietly. Nor was he willing to negotiate.

Tom and Croft hadn’t really discussed this particular scenario, but Tom knew it would only end when DJ was locked away for the rest of his life. Or dead. Tom was okay with either.

Tom knew he should be a mess of nerves right now. But his mind, so accustomed to compartmentalizing, seemed to be doing okay.

From the corner of his eye, Tom saw Croft creeping around a shot-up Jeep. Presumably Kowalski’s. They might not have discussed this scenario, but Tom had confidence in Croft’s instincts. She’d do the right thing.

“Tell her to stop!” DJ shouted. “Your partner needs to back the fuck off.” He yanked Liza back another step and then another until he was at the tail end of a white Ford Explorer. Pastor lay dead on the ground beside it.

Kowalski had to be dead. Pastor