Roan's gun mirrored his. "Did my uncle have you arrange this meeting?"

Maintaining a healthy distance, Douglas stepped closer to Roan. "I made all the arrangements. The interesting thing is that our dear chief isn't aware that he's been hounded by his own police force." The man let out a maniacal laugh. "I call that irony in the perfect form, don't you, Lieutenant?"

"Cut the c.r.a.p...where's my uncle and Ms. Radar?" Roan caught the man's gaze and watched for any telltale movement that might give the game away. Sure enough, there was a flicker on cold, barely discernible emotion.

A condescending smile hovered around Douglas's mouth. "I often wondered why you had no interest in me and never had a man in your life. Does Ms. Radar...ah, but that's so formal...Echo...the pretty Echo with the luscious lips. Does Echo press all your b.u.t.tons, Lieutenant? I can see your grandfather turning in his grave if he knew you'd turned out to be a lesbian. He so loved the traditional family values."

"You can leave my personal life out of this. You're not fit to speak the names of Echo or my grandfather. Exactly what are you doing? You're too insipid to have the b.a.l.l.s to do anything but be a lackey licking the boots of greater men than yourself."

Douglas curled his upper lip in a snarl. "You have no idea of my capabilities...any of you. People say your intelligence borders on brilliant, but I don't see any evidence of it. Your uncle is so darned proud of you, even though he won't admit it, a sure weakness, one of which I've used to my advantage. Now I'm ensuring there are no loose ends before leaving the area." He looked quickly at his wrist.w.a.tch. "In precisely five minutes."

Roan felt the words reverberate in her brain as she chastised herself for not shooting him when he looked at his watch. Does that mean...no way, no way in h.e.l.l did he kill them. However, her stomach refused to stop churning as she glanced around to see any evidence of anyone else in the room with them. "If you've hurt either one of them, so help me..."

"So help you what? What can you do? Shoot me? If you do, I'll return the favor...it will be poetic justice for all those times you spurned me."

"Is this about me? You did this to get back at me for not taking any interest in you...are you mad?" Roan shook her head. "Forget I asked that, you obviously are."

Douglas let out a cynical laugh. "Don't be so egotistical. Arrogance runs in your family. Even that so-called saint of a grandfather you put on a pedestal had feet of clay. It would be my pleasure to provide you some enlightenment on that subject...but I'll let him inform you of his sordid episodes when you meet up in h.e.l.l." The man laughed again before sneering. "Have no illusions...I'm going to kill you."

Holding her hand steady made the wounded area of her chest react and Roan moved slightly to ease the pain. "I haven't, but if you're so committed to this path, why not tell me the truth? Isn't that what all criminal geniuses want...one person to know what they did? If you tell me, it will be a fitting last gesture. You impart that knowledge only to send it to the grave with me."

Douglas gave the woman pointing a gun at his chest a hard gaze. Smiling, he said, "I'll tell you if you drop your gun."

"Can't do that...what would my superiors think if they knew I'd given in so easily?" Roan shrugged slightly. "I have a reputation to consider."

"I'll show you the others if you drop your weapon. You could have a tender goodbye moment with your love." Douglas's eyes never wavered, and his reward was seeing her facial muscles tighten.

Roan considered the offer and quickly checked off all the possible scenarios. With a face devoid of emotion, she said, "I'll make a deal with you. Show me the others and you get the gun."

Douglas snorted in irritation. "And you expect me to trust you?"

Roan frowned. "Why not? I could take a shot now and you'd be dead before your trigger finger squeezed the first round."

He digested her words for a second and nodded. "Step this way." He waggled the gun, motioning for her to go ahead of him.

Roan knew it wasn't the smartest move, but once she saw her uncle and Echo, she could ignore his request and take him down. She saw two figures trussed up like chickens sprawled on the dusty floor, and when she saw movement from each of them, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, now give me the gun."

Roan turned around slowly and with a feral smile, pulled the trigger. The bullet hit its mark in Douglas's right shoulder, making the gun fly out of his hand. With blood oozing freely from the wound, he groaned in pain. Roan kept her gun aimed at Douglas as she located his weapon and kicked it out of reach.

With a cynical smile, she kicked the back of his legs and watched as he landed unceremoniously on the floor. She cuffed him as he cried out in agony as the brutality of the action caused pain in his shoulder.

"You lied to me. This is police brutality. I'm going to have your badge," Douglas cried with a crazy expression on his face.

"You're pathetic. Trust me, there's a line and you're last." She turned her attention to the now writhing figures on the floor and saw that her uncle was bleeding. She untied him and quickly gave him a brief check for any major trauma; she didn't see any. He looked dazed and slightly confused as blood seeped copiously from a head wound. "You'll be okay, backup will arrive soon."

Roan turned her attention to Echo, who was no longer struggling against her restrains. "You're going to be okay. Let me get these knots untied and you'll be free," Roan said as she first removed the gag and began to untie the knots.

"Thank you, I thought I was going to die." Echo sucked in a breath before tears rolled unchecked down her dirt-covered cheeks. Then as the bindings fell away, Echo, with a cry of relief, placed her arms around Roan's neck and hugged her tightly. "You're so brave...a hero."

"I got you, Echo, I've got you. No one's going to hurt you again, I promise." Roan unconsciously kissed the head under her chin. Moments later, Roan pulled back from the stranglehold Echo had on her neck, allowing her to remain close. Then with a wry smile, she smoothed away the tears from Echo's cheeks. Inside, her stomach went back to normal; the people closest to her were no longer in danger.

In reply to Echo's "hero" comment, she said, "Never going to happen, besides, it's all in the line of duty, ma'am...bravery didn't come into play." Continuing to hold Echo close, she could hear both their hearts pumping but couldn't distinguish between them.

Roan reflected on her words-bravery wasn't the word to use for her actions. She had been arrogant and foolhardy and she knew that they all could be dead if things had turned out differently.

Echo snuggled farther into the shoulder and knew that no matter what happened she would love Roan for the rest of her life. If she was alone in that, she could handle it. Having Roan in her life on any level was enough...more than enough. "I guess I'd better let you go."

Roan moved slightly to allow Echo s.p.a.ce as their gazes locked in what was becoming an increasingly difficult task to avoid. She drew in a deep breath of intense satisfaction for the sheer vitality of holding the woman who was alive and well. "Yeah, I need to get that sc.u.mbag and my uncle to a hospital. What about you...did he hurt you?"

Echo shook her head at the intensity of Roan's question. "No, I'm okay, except for the odd bruise." She gave Roan a wry smile. "I don't understand what's going on. Did that man kill Karen and Shelby?"

Roan shook her head. "I'm not sure, but it's a distinct possibility. I promise to give you the full story in person as soon as I can."

Echo nodded. Her head was in a whirl as she felt shock and relief all at the same time. With a rolling of her eyes, she said, "I think I'll take that vacation Stan offered and leave here for a while." She took Roan's hand and easily rose to her feet. She swayed a little in her high heels and decided that she was going to wear them forever if it meant that Roan would hold on to her.

With her attention focused on Douglas and the job at hand, Roan really hadn't listened to what Echo had said. She inwardly smiled as she placed a hand on Echo's back to balance her. "I think that's a great idea."

Echo's face mirrored her disappointment that Roan hadn't even blinked at her remark of leaving. She shook her head realizing that she was being selfish as she watched the man on the floor consume Roan's attention.

Roan grinned devilishly as she saw Douglas attempting to squirm out of the cuffs. "Idiot," she mumbled before saying, "Let's get out of here. I want that sc.u.m in the place he belongs...behind bars."

With help, Mahoney wobbled onto unsteady feet.

"I'll help him outside, Roan," Echo said, noting the chief's distress. She took his elbow and steered him out of the room.

Roan gave Echo a grateful smile, then went down on her haunches next to Douglas. The glare from the man didn't intimidate her. "Just you and me, let's get you on your feet."

She took great pleasure in dragging him to his feet by his injured arm. His cry of pain settled on deaf ears as she pushed him out of the building into the steadily darkening skies. She unlocked her vehicle and pushed him into the backseat. Then she withdrew her cell and called the precinct.

Echo drew in a breath of air. It wasn't exactly fresh. It was more the thought of being in a position to breathe again. She shivered slightly when she realized how close she came to the madman killing her just like Karen. As the air hit her lungs, the acrid essence of the smoldering vehicles a.s.sailed her nostrils and she cringed. Still, it was better than the stench inside 78 Coney Avenue.

As she guided Mahoney carefully down the steps to the sidewalk, a thin arm latched onto hers and with remarkable gentleness, helped her shoulder the burden of the heavy man at her side. Once on the sidewalk, the arm proved strong as it held up the chief.

Echo turned to her helper and smiled. "Thank you," she said to the young man who she asked to wait for her. She reached for her purse and realized it was inside the building; she had no money to pay him. In a voice filled with pent-up emotion that threatened to spill out into tears, she expelled a ragged breath. "I'm sorry, my purse is inside. I'll go back and get it so I can pay you."

The young man shook his head and gave her a warm smile. "No. I'm glad you didn't get hurt." He motioned to Roan, who was speaking on her cell. "She'd have been p.i.s.sed big-time if you had."

Echo couldn't hold them back any longer and allowed her tears to fall. Touched by the young man's gesture and his observation of Roan, she gulped back the lump in her throat. "What's your name?"

"Calvin."

"Echo," she said quietly. "It's good to meet you, Calvin. Do you live around here?"

He shrugged. "Sometimes."

Roan saw Echo talking with the young man who helped support her uncle. Once she was certain Douglas was secure, she headed toward them. "Everything okay?"

Echo felt Calvin shrivel when Roan came up to them.

"Roan, I'd like you to meet Calvin. He helped me out earlier," Echo said gently. She'd seen Roan's ramrod stance and knew she was suspicious of Calvin.

"Okay, I'll take him now," Roan said as she moved toward her uncle. Echo's arm shot out and caught hers.

"Roan it's okay...let Calvin help." Echo caught Roan's eyes and smiled.

Roan finally nodded and flexed her shoulders.

Echo pulled Roan to one side and whispered, "Thanks for not being stubborn."

"Me?" she said, touching her chest. "Stubborn? Give me a break."

Echo chuckled and squeezed Roan's hand gently. When they heard the sirens in the background heralding reinforcements, she reluctantly released the hand that had folded around hers.

Chapter Twenty-one.

Roan wanted to escort Echo home personally, but Renaldo had been insistent that she should go to the precinct. They needed her preliminary report. They'd agreed Echo could give her statement at her convenience the next day. Nodding, Echo gave Roan a rea.s.suring smile before leaving with Painter, who offered to take her home after she'd refused to go to the hospital for a checkup.

Roan felt her hackles rise but had to concede that Echo certainly knew how, if unconsciously, to pull people into her orbit. It made her smile slightly as she recalled Echo's confession that she was gay. What that meant hadn't registered until she thought she was about to lose her for good. A part of her wanted to explore exactly what that entailed, except she had another place to be right now.

As Echo left the scene, Roan made an impulsive decision. She ran into the street and tapped on the hood of the departing vehicle. Painter stopped immediately.

He lowered his window. "Is there a problem, Lieutenant?" Roan shook her head but didn't pay attention to him as her gaze caught Echo's. "I'll call you later to see how you're doing, okay?"

Echo felt her lips tug into a tiny smile at the concern. She'd hoped Roan would say something, but to do something as public as stop a police vehicle was more than she hoped. "Thanks, I'll be waiting."

Roan stood her ground just staring at Echo with her smile mirroring Echo's "Is that all, Lieutenant?" Painter never figured his hero was a lesbian. He had to admit they both had good taste in women. "Sorry, Detective, yeah...drive safely."

Roan moved away from the vehicle and watched until it was out of sight. Then she turned her attention to the man who had caused this mess.

Never in her wildest moments could Roan ever have considered Robert Douglas capable of committing murder. In all the years she knew him, she thought he was a man without a backbone. Perhaps that was her problem. She had been half convinced of her uncle's involvement and she'd forgotten the cardinal rule-check every avenue.

After giving a verbal description of events to Renaldo and the deputy chief, Roan found herself outside her uncle's hospital room. She was rooted in place as she tried to decide whether to leave the visit until the next day. She reasoned that it was ten o'clock and probably too late for a visit. As she was about to walk back down the corridor, the door to her uncle's room opened.

A middle-aged woman who looked vaguely familiar exited the room. "Roan...is that you?"

The woman's voice was gentle. Roan frowned as she tried to figure out where she had seen the woman before. "Yes, do I know you?"

The woman smiled. "You might not remember. It was a long time ago. I was a friend of your uncle's when you were living with your grandfather." She extended her slim hand. "Laura Hanson." Roan took the proffered hand and shook it politely. "I'm sorry.

I don't remember the name, but you do look vaguely familiar." The woman shrugged and Roan could see disappointment flash for a few moments across the woman's face. "He's awake if you wanted to go in. I was going for coffee...would you like me to bring you one?"

"I won't be here that long," Roan said. When she saw the surprise in the woman's face, she added, "Thanks all the same." The woman nodded and continued down the corridor in search of coffee.

Taking a deep breath, Roan opened the door and entered the room. Her gaze immediately drew to the pale man in the bed. A bandage covered the gash on his head, and for the first time in her life, she actually felt something more than anger toward him. "Hi, I thought I'd better check on how you were doing."

Declan Mahoney stared at her in a trance-like state. Then he motioned for her to move closer to the bed.

Roan did as asked but refused to sit. "They say you'll be out of here in a couple of days...mild concussion and a couple of st.i.tches. Not bad...all considering."

Declan sighed and wet his parched lips with his tongue. "Yes...all thanks to you."

"I did what had to be done." Roan shrugged and walked toward a piece of medical equipment in the room and began to fiddle with some of the switches.

"You put yourself in danger. Was that because of the girl?" he rasped as he reached for a gla.s.s of water on the bedside table.

Roan returned her attention to her uncle who looked vulnerable to her for the first time. It was in complete contrast to her image of him as she'd grown up. Weird how hospitals do that...make a person defenseless in so many ways. She'd experienced that firsthand and hadn't enjoyed it. "That girl as you call her has a name...Echo Radar. If it wasn't for her, we'd still have a murderer at large who lived in our own backyard, yours more precisely."

Declan nodded and felt the flash of pain from his head wound and bit on his lip. "Then when I'm out of here, I'll arrange to have dinner with her as a thank you."

"You will not! Don't even attempt to get your greasy hands on her...she's definitely not your type,"

"Temper, temper. You always used to be so cool and controlled. What happened to make you so antsy? Have you fallen in love or something equally as shocking?" Declan knew he was riling his niece. He wanted to say how proud he was of her and her actions. However, they had bridges to build before he could do that, and she might not be willing.

"Look, I didn't come here to argue with you. I just wanted to check..." She shook her head and turned away. Their antagonistic relationship would never get better. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Roan reached the door. She was about to leave when her uncle repeated his words.

"Thank you for saving my life. Thank you for listening to a stranger and doing the job properly. Thank you most of all for caring." He meant every word and waited for Roan to say something. He didn't know what but hoped she would say something. The silence lengthened.

With her back to the room about to leave, Roan gruffly replied, "You're welcome."

Declan smiled. "Go home, Lieutenant Keating, and get some rest. I'll expect a full report from you personally as the case unfolds. You can join me for lunch tomorrow and bring enough for us both...I hear the food here is terrible."

Roan felt a chuckle forming as she turned to meet the bland expression on her uncle's face. "Yes, Chief. Oh, how do I know the woman who left your room earlier?"

A sad but happy look drifted across her uncle's face. "She's the one that got away. I'll tell you about it one day. Perhaps when you bring Ms. Radar over for dinner one night, Laura will be there, too."

Roan blinked rapidly and couldn't prevent a tiny smile from tugging her lips as she bid him good night. As she opened the door, she saw the woman in question sitting in a chair cradling a coffee cup.

"He's still awake," she said as she looked at the woman with curiosity.

Laura gave her gentle smile. "Excitement always was an adrenalin rush for Declan. He used to love roller coasters...the higher the better." She chuckled quietly as she obviously thought of something that was amusing.

It suddenly dawned on Roan where she met the woman. "I know you...you were engaged to my uncle. You both took me to the fair, and I threw up all over Uncle Declan after he insisted we take a roller coaster ride after hot dogs."

"Yes, I remember that. I was just thinking the same thing. He didn't even get cross with you because in his eyes you could do no wrong...he always used to say you reminded him of your mother." Laura stood, moved toward the door, and saw the disbelieving expression on Roan's face. "He was never good at revealing how he feels. I more than anyone should know that. Hopefully I'll see you again. Good night, Roan."