Page 32 of Alibi for Murder (Colby Agency: The Next Generation #2)

He released her.

Allie walked to the door and unlocked it.

Steve stared at her. “You okay?”

She nodded.

“Thank God.”

She moistened her lips, struggled with whether she should tell him to run or…didn’t matter, he wouldn’t. “I think you should come in.”

“Where’s Rivero?” he asked as he stepped inside.

That was the moment Steve’s gaze landed on the other person in the room.

Allie saw the recognition flare in his eyes. “Hello.” He extended his hand. “I’m Steve. Durham. Steve Durham.”

Tommy looked at his hand a moment then grasped it with his own. “Tommy. Madison. Tommy Madison.”

Steve glanced at Allie. She explained, “Rivero introduced me to Tommy, and then he left.”

Steve nodded. “I see.”

“You’re taking me to my grandmother,” Tommy explained. “I have paused my termination of the target until I determine the accuracy of her statement.”

“Rivero told him I’m today’s target.” Allie winced. “Like in a video game.”

Steve looked to Tommy. “Then I guess we should get going.”

“I explained,” Allie said, to maintain some sense of continuity, “that it might be difficult to get in to see her before daylight.”

“I can arrange an afterhours visit.” Steve smiled at Tommy. “I’ll make a call en route.”

Tommy looked to her. “I am trusting you, Allie. We are friends.”

She nodded. “We are.”

They walked out of the house. Allie inhaled her first deep breath since Rivero turned on her and started spilling all the ugly details of his heinous betrayal of so many people.

On some level, she felt vindicated that she now knew her parents had been murdered by someone associated with Ledwell. And yet, her heart wanted to break with a new kind of grief.

Her parents had been murdered—stolen from her when she needed them most.

“You’ve ruined everything!”

Allie froze.

Rivero.

The gun he held was aimed at Allie. But he’d left. Had he been watching?

Steve stepped in front of her and warned, “Every law enforcement agent in the county is looking for you, Rivero.”

Rivero shook his head. “Doesn’t matter now.

I had barely driven away when the call came.

Ledwell has thrown me under the bus. Used me to do their bidding, and now they’re refusing to protect me.

” He looked beyond Steve’s shoulder, straight at Allie.

“All because of you.” His gaze slid back to Steve. “And the Colby Agency.”

Despite the fear shrouding her, Allie understood one thing with complete certainty. Tommy was listening to this exchange, and he would analyze the words and come to conclusions. Whatever else happened, she needed to try and make sure he came to the right ones.

“If you hadn’t set up the murder of my parents,” she railed at Rivero, “and all those other people, you wouldn’t be in this situation. You are the one who told them who to go after time and time again.”

“I did what they paid me to do,” he growled, aiming at her head now. “Those people loved making all the money Ledwell paid them but didn’t have the courage to recognize the significance of what the company was doing.”

“Is that why you killed Thomas Madison and tried to pin it on me? To take out two problems with one swipe.”

“That wasn’t my call,” he argued, “but it was the right one.”

“But the person who ordered his termination only did so because you told them his health condition was a security risk,” Allie argued, guessing basically.

“He had been a security risk for a long time, and the powers that be just didn’t want to see it.

I made sure they had to see what was right in front of them.

He should have been eliminated when his wife died.

He was basically worthless after that.” He waved the gun at them.

“Now, go back inside. We’re not doing this out here. ”

Allie and Steve started walking in reverse, toward the house. Neither wanted to turn their back on this wacko.

Tommy followed their example.

Once they were inside, Rivero ordered, “On the floor, face down. All of you.”

Steve shook his head. “You’re wasting time. If you want any reasonable possibility of getting away before you’re caught, you should have been gone long before now.”

“On the floor,” Rivero shouted.

“It is true?” Tommy stepped forward. “Did you see that my father was terminated?”

“On the floor, Tommy,” Rivero said. “I’m in charge now. You must do as I say.”

“Answer the question.” Tommy took another step toward Rivero.

Rivero swung his weapon toward Tommy.

Steve made a move. Rushed him. The two struggled.

The weapon discharged.

Allie grabbed the nearest object, a small sculpture on the table by the front window. She raised it to slam into Rivero.

The two men suddenly rolled to the right, and Steve had him pinned to the floor. The weapon had flown out of his hand. She tossed the statue aside, and it landed with a thump.

Before she could locate the weapon, Tommy had picked it up. He stared at the gun, then at Allie.

“You should let me hold the gun.” Her heart thundered.

He stared at it a moment longer, then handed it to her. Her knees wobbled with relief.

Steve shouted over his shoulder, “I need something to restrain him.”

“A moment please,” Tommy said before rushing toward the kitchen.

“Grab my phone from my back pocket,” Steve said, “and call 911.”

“Gladly.” Allie plucked his phone from his pocket and made the call.

Tommy returned with a dog leash. He thrust it at Steve. “We had a dog once.”

“Thanks.” Steve took the leash and secured the man.

Rather than rant and curse, Rivero said nothing. He was done, and he knew it.

Allie wasn’t done by a long shot. She intended to see that Ledwell was brought to justice for every life they had damaged or taken.

The determination she felt was bone deep…soul deep.

Foster Residence

Ridgeland Avenue

Woodstock, 1:30 p.m.

Once Rivero was booked and both Steve and Allie had given their statements, they took Tommy to see his grandmother.

Mrs. Talbert had been thrilled and humbled to meet him.

She was a little confused about how he was here, but it would take time for the full ramifications of what had happened to sink in.

The Colby Agency had called in a specialist from another AI research and development lab to determine how best to help Tommy.

That expert would determine how to move forward with ensuring Tommy was properly cared for.

According to Fraser and Potter, Ledwell’s son had spilled his guts. And, ironically, the CIA was claiming no knowledge or involvement whatsoever in the mess that was Ledwell Labs.

When there was nothing more they could do, Steve had driven to Allie’s ruined home.

They sat in the driveway staring at the damaged structure.

She doubted there was much inside that could be salvaged.

More than anything else, she regretted the loss of all those family photos.

Thankfully, she had the few photos that had been in the time capsule. Her baby bracelet, shoe and spoon.

“You’re going to be okay.”

She turned to the man behind the steering wheel of the borrowed car. “You think so?”

He smiled wearily. “I know so.”

They were both utterly exhausted. “Thank you. I’m glad you have so much faith in me.”

“You’re smart. You’re determined.” He leaned into the headrest. “And I plan on being around to see that you have everything you need to be okay.”

A smile slid across her lips. “I like that plan.”

He leaned toward her. “Good.” Then he kissed her, one of those slow, sweet kisses.

When they drew apart just far enough to get their breath, Allie realized she desperately needed a shower and to brush her teeth. She must look a fright. And she was starving.

“I am starving,” she confessed. The shower and all else could wait.

“We should drive over to Red’s and order everything on the breakfast menu.”

“At this hour, we might have to settle for lunch.”

Steve smiled. “I think he’ll make an exception for the two of us after what we’ve been through.”

“Sounds great.”

As he drove away from the place that would never again be her home, he said, “You need a place to stay until you decide what’s next.”

She sighed. God, she hadn’t even thought of that. “I do.”

“I know this great place in the city where there’s an extra room.”

She turned to him. “Are you serious?”

He glanced at her. “I am completely serious. That’s what friends do.”

“I guess it’s a good thing we’re friends.”

He reached out and took her hand in his and rested it on the console. “We are friends, and I want very much to explore the possibility of more.”

She squeezed his hand. “I’m all in for further exploration.”

Maybe she’d ignored her social life all this time because somewhere deep down she had known the right one was coming.

Allie couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

* * * * *