Cold Fury, page 35
part #1 of Cold Justice® - Most Wanted Series
She heard the throb of helicopter rotors and optimism began to grow inside her.
“Not a rescue mission I’m afraid, my dear.” Leech spared her a glance. “My getaway plan.” His pale blue eyes met hers. “My reasons for sticking around are almost over.”
Because she’d be dead.
“Killing me, Sylvie, Beasley, you mean? Why not the others? The judge, the crime scene techs?”
“Oh, you bloodthirsty soul, Hope. Who knew?” He held her gaze then as he gave a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Well. I did. Obviously.”
What did that mean?
She thought about all the times she’d wanted the opportunity to be alone with this man and extract her pound of flesh. In none of the scenarios had she imagined herself with her hands cuffed behind her back and him with a gun.
“If you must know,” he sounded almost bored. “You were the three who told lies about me. You and the good doctor in the courtroom and Jeff to anybody who’d listen after he screwed up the trial.”
“You lied.”
“No.” He tilted his head to the side. His eyes glittered. “I omitted certain truths. Not the same thing.”
Semantics.
She hadn’t lied on the stand but he’d convinced himself she had. She couldn’t imagine she’d be able to change his mind after all these years.
Colin was inching closer to the gun. She had no more desire to see her former intern reach it than Leech did.
She walked over. “Don’t worry. I’m handcuffed. I’m going to kick it out of reach.” She shoved it with her foot, careful not to let the trigger catch on anything. Then moved back so she stood in front of the fireplace.
Was that a shadow she saw moving outside the window?
“Any last words?”
“Colin or me?”
He smiled. “I always liked you, Hope. Why don’t you start? Leighton here bores me.”
She raised her chin and swallowed. “Last words? Sure. How about I’ve dreamt of being alone in a room with you for years. I had planned to kick your ass for what you did to my family.”
“Oh, spare me the self-pitying theatrics. It’s you and me, Hope. You can drop the pretense.” Leech sighed dramatically. “I didn’t kill your pathetic little family. I went to your house that day because I stupidly believed we were friends.”
Fury burned through her veins.
“You murdered them in cold blood!” She rushed him. He still had the gun pointed at Colin, and she took him by surprise.
She barreled into him and shoved her knee into his groin the way Aaron, Seth Hopper, and Sebastian Black had taught her. She didn’t hold back but put all her force into shoving his balls into his scrawny throat.
Leech’s face contorted in pain as he curled over, and she remembered what else her bodyguards—her friends—had taught her. To run. She sprinted for the back door and was brought up short in surprise as she heard an ear-splitting crack, and then men poured into the house. She froze. They streamed around her, and she flinched as she heard another gunshot.
Please don’t let any of these people get hurt.
She went to whirl around, but someone took her head and pressed it against his chest. Aaron. She sagged against him as he wrapped his arms tight around her.
“Don’t look,” he ordered. “Leech definitely didn’t want to go back to prison.”
Her stomach lurched, and she closed her eyes as her heart thudded madly against her ribs. “Thank you. Thank you for finding me. Thank you for saving me. I knew you would.”
His hand rested cool against her nape.
“I think you were already saving yourself.” He laughed against her hair, but the sound was cut off abruptly as if he couldn’t quite go there. Someone removed her handcuffs and placed them inside an evidence bag. When her wrists were free, she wove them around this man and held on so tight she was worried she might hurt him. She didn’t care about the ballistics vest and weapons. She didn’t care about the audience. Slowly her pulse calmed, and her breathing returned to normal as she realized it was over. Leech was dead. She could hear them working to stabilize Colin.
She stiffened and tried to pull away. “Oh, God. Ella is—”
“We have her.” His arms tightened and his hands moved up and down her back in a soothing motion. “Alex Parker backtracked the movement of the burner cell Colin used, which is how we initially found you. When Frazer noticed it was outside Ella’s apartment early this morning, we figured she was either an accomplice or in danger. They were able to follow the signal to an abandoned warehouse near the docks, and Boston PD sent out a search party and found her bound and gagged in an old office. She was fine but suffering from exposure. They took her to the hospital for observation.”
Hope gripped his vest. “Thank goodness. That poor woman.” The scent of Aaron filled her senses and helped ease the terror of the last few hours.
Her fingers dug deeper into his flak jacket, and she held him to her. She didn’t want to ever let go. “Even alone with me Leech wouldn’t admit to killing Danny or Paige. The bastard went to his grave denying it.”
“Maybe the reality of murdering a child was too much even for him.”
“I’m glad he didn’t know he had a son.” Maybe that was cruel, but Leech had died thinking he was the last of his line. There was satisfaction in that.
And as tempted as she was to stand here and absorb Aaron’s comfort, she knew he had a job to do. She was ready to declare undying love to the guy, but maybe he wanted a casual relationship. Sure he’d been upset by the “just sex” comment, but it didn’t mean he wanted to jump into the deep end with her. He’d been hurt before.
Suddenly unsure, she released him and stepped back. “I hope we get the chance to talk privately back at the house when you finish here.”
He looked confused for a moment and then his expression blanked as he became aware of the other men moving around them.
He nodded and stepped away. “We’ll escort you to the hospital, and I’ll talk to my boss about what time we ship out.”
Her eyes went wide, and agitation swept through her. She didn’t want him to leave. She reached for her usual armor, but it seemed to have disappeared.
Aaron was still a man who risked his life on a daily basis. Could she deal with that? Would he want her for more than the short time they had left when she suddenly wanted a whole lot more? A whole lot more.
“I’m not going to the hospital.”
Aaron opened his mouth to argue.
“I’ll have blood drawn and photos taken here for evidence by anyone qualified to do so but I feel fine and I refuse to put myself through hours of being examined by doctors to tell me the same thing. There’s blood, prints, DNA, and duct-tape in the back of that crashed cab. I have a few bruises and a couple of sore wrists but I’m otherwise uninjured.”
Aaron examined her critically, staring into her eyes, searching for signs of a concussion. She smiled so he would realize she was telling the truth. “If I feel unwell in any way when I get back to Boston I will go to the ER.”
Realizing she was serious, Aaron yelled. “Hopper, get over here and take some photographs of Hope’s injuries.”
Seth strode over to her side. “Somebody refusing medical treatment?”
Aaron’s jaw flexed.
“I don’t need a doctor. Just record these injuries and take a blood sample so they can figure out what he drugged me with.” Hope held out her wrists for a series of shots, then turned them over for more, spreading her fingers wide. Seth angled her head toward the window to photograph the gash on her temple and bruising on her face.
Aaron scowled.
Someone dumped a heavy medical kit on the floor beside them and Seth made short work of collecting two vials of dark crimson blood. He taped cotton wool over the injection site, labeled the blood vials with time, date, plus her name. Signed them and sealed them in an evidence bag that he stored in a small cooler.
“All done.” Seth nodded and backed away, taking the evidence and medical kit with him.
Aaron opened his mouth to speak, but they were interrupted by yelling coming from outside.
Her head dropped as she recognized Brendan’s voice. “Uh-oh. I better get out there before he gets himself arrested.”
“Okay.” Aaron scrubbed the back of his head, his brown-black eyes full of regret. “I’m sorry for not protecting you—”
“What? No! You did everything right. No one could have predicted Colin abducting me from the courthouse.”
“I should have.”
“How? There’s a difference between smart and psychic. I like the former, but I’m not sure I’d enjoy the latter.” She forced a smile, but she could tell he was going to beat himself up about this. She touched his arm. “Please don’t leave without saying goodbye. I need to apologize—”
“No. You don’t.”
“I want to explain.” She couldn’t say what she needed to say in front of an audience. It might cost him his job. “Promise me, Aaron. Please.”
He pressed his lips together and looked away. He nodded again but still didn’t say the words. Instead, “You’ll need to make a statement, which is gonna take some time, I’m afraid. And I have a lot to finish up here before the local agents arrive to take over.”
“Don’t worry about me. The danger is over. Brendan can give me a ride home.”
Aaron walked her to the door. They didn’t touch, and the few inches between them felt like a gulf a thousand-feet wide. She looked up before she went outside and noted all the other guys pretending not to stare.
“I’m sorry if I got you into any trouble, Operator Nash,” she whispered.
“You are worth every moment of trouble, ADA Harper.” He smiled suddenly—a flash of white teeth against that trim beard—and her heart double-timed in her chest.
She blinked slowly. Maybe they had a chance. Maybe he’d forgive her for the hurt she’d caused him, and she’d figure out how to deal with the constant risk of his job. After all, she realized with sudden insight, she’d survived the worst life could throw at her, and she was still here. Why not be open to the best that life had to offer?
She took his hand and leaned up to press a quick kiss to his cheek.
“So are you, Aaron, worth every moment of trouble.”
Surprise widened his pupils.
She stepped outside to find Brendan and Lewis Janelli going nose-to-nose with Hunt Kincaid.
She sighed. Some things didn’t change.
56
Aaron watched Hope walk into the backyard and into the arms of another man. A tiny kernel of hope that maybe they could figure something out had started to grow inside him—if he was willing to take another chance with his heart. Hope had said she liked the fact he was smart, and he knew she liked his body. Maybe rather than diminishing one aspect of himself, he should start embracing the whole.
But what if she was only looking for a little fun? Who could blame her after what she’d been through?
He wanted more.
Brendan wrapped his arm around his former sister-in-law and hurried her away. Aaron squashed the petty jealousy that squirmed free of its shackles.
Lewis Janelli stood and glared after the two of them.
“You’re letting her leave with that guy?” Seth Hopper stared at him as if he’d lost his mind.
“I can’t abandon the scene—”
“Yeah, you can. Fill in the FD 302s on the flight home. In the meantime, go claim your woman.”
Aaron crossed his arms. “I’m not sure Hope would appreciate being ‘claimed.’” But the thought of her being his woman made something primitive rear up inside him.
Seth grinned. “You won’t know until you try, will you? What d’you have to lose?”
“My self-respect. My pride. The chance to maybe grow on her over time?’
“She is gone on you, you idiot.”
Aaron shot his friend a curious look. He’d thought he’d hidden his feelings pretty well this last week. “What makes you say that?”
“You see her hugging or kissing the rest of us?”
Aaron pulled a face. “She’s been through a traumatic experience—”
Seth slapped the back of his head. “For a smart guy, you’re being dense as a rock.”
Aaron rubbed his head. “Hey.”
“Go after her. We’re out of here anyway. Gotta clear the crime scene. ME’s en route, and Boston FO agents are five minutes away.”
Aaron held Seth’s eyes. “She’s too good for me.”
Seth’s eyes widened, and he grabbed Aaron’s hair and brought their heads together. “You are one of the best men I know. Don’t let me hear that bullshit pass your lips ever again.”
Aaron shook his head and laughed.
“She’s been through a lot. She deserves someone like you, Professor.” Seth scrubbed his head with his knuckles and released him.
Aaron checked his watch. “Okay, I’ll drive her Beemer back to her place. Hopefully, the brass doesn’t want us to fly back tonight. Once Colin Leighton is transported, leave two guys behind until the locals get here. Everyone else can head back to Hope’s place to pack up.”
“Understood. Air ambulance is almost here. Demarco will ride with Leighton.”
“Good. Let me know his status and where he’s taken.” Aaron strode off and tried to stop himself from grinning.
“Hey,” Janelli hurried toward him. “Can I catch a ride with you?”
He paused. “Your partner left you behind?”
Janelli sniffed. “He said he wanted a private conversation with Hope and knew she wouldn’t be comfortable if I was there.”
“Sure. I can drop you back.” Aaron headed to Hope’s Beemer which was parked in the driveway, key in the console.
“Leech really tell Hope Harper he didn’t do Danny or their kid?” Janelli asked. “I heard some agents talking.”
Aaron nodded. Placed his flak jacket and carbine, safety on, in the footwell behind the driver’s seat. Got in.
Janelli climbed in the passenger side and admired the butter soft leather of the seats. “Nice ride.”
Aaron reversed out and headed south back to Beantown.
Janelli pulled a face. “I guess I owe you an apology.”
“Not me. Hope.”
Janelli grimaced. “I was a prick.” The furrows in his brow were deep enough to plant corn.
“Something on your mind?”
Janelli ran his tongue around his teeth. “No.”
He wasn’t a very good liar for a detective.
“But I got to thinking, after our conversation.”
Aaron’s lips twitched. “After I had you thrown out of the courthouse.”
Janelli rolled his eyes. “I’m trying not to remember that asshole move—did you really think I’d attack a woman? Especially one who could get me thrown off the force?”
Aaron pulled his lips to one side. “You threatened her. I was doing my job.”
Janelli moved his head to one side and rubbed his neck. “I guess. I’m used to running my mouth without anyone calling me on it, ya know?”
Aaron scowled at the guy. “You have to know Hope was only doing her job back then. Like the judge. Why pile all the blame for what happened on her?”
Rather than looking annoyed Janelli pulled his lips back thoughtfully. “I’ve hated her for so long. Pauly was such a good guy, a mentor to me when I never really had one before…” He shook his head. “It was hard to lose him that way.”
Aaron thought about losing Montana and knew exactly how challenging it was. “Time to let it go, at least in relation to making Hope responsible for the mistakes Pauly Monroe made.”
Janelli pursed his lips. “I guess. Leech getting out got me thinking about a lot of things from back then.”
Aaron frowned. “Like what?”
“Stuff that didn’t add up the way it should with the benefit of hindsight and more years on the job.” Janelli sank into his seat and looked uncomfortable. “I checked logs for the night Pauly Monroe died.” He sucked in his lips. “Brendan was lying about being on a stakeout.”
Aaron frowned. “Why would he lie?”
“I dunno.” Janelli picked at a loose thread on his jacket. “Maybe it was an unofficial investigation or something he knew the captain wouldn’t approve of.”
“Brendan Harper doesn’t strike me as the type of cop to put in unpaid overtime.” Suddenly things clicked into place for Aaron and fear flooded every neuron in his body. “Could Brendan have killed Monroe?”
Janelli huffed out a disbelieving gasp. “No way.”
Aaron’s heart beat too hard. “It makes sense. He’s Johnny on the spot the next day. Makes a point of seeking you out, and the two of you head to Monroe’s house together so he can be there when you find him and check he didn’t forget anything. He can also explain away any of his DNA being found at the scene.”
“Why?” Janelli shifted uneasily. “They were partners for years. They were pals.”
The full implications hit Aaron. “Shit. Could Brendan have killed his own brother and niece?” He pressed his foot hard on the accelerator. Brendan had Hope.
Janelli held out his hands toward the dash, clearly reading Aaron’s mind. “Whoa. Slow down. Brendan’s not gonna hurt her. He’s obsessed with her. He wasn’t very happy when he spotted her giving you that peck on the cheek back there though.”
Great.
Aaron’s head was going to explode. He thought they’d rescued Hope, but he’d allowed her to walk right into another predator’s arms.
He shifted and pulled his cell out of a side pocket. “Call Frazer. Put it on speaker.”
Frazer answered, but rather than let the guy congratulate him on a job well done, Aaron interrupted. “Listen. I have Lewis Janelli in the vehicle, and we’re heading back to town, following Hope, who caught a ride with Brendan. The thing is, I got to wondering, what if Leech really didn’t kill Danny and Paige Harper? What if Brendan did?” The wheels in his brain were spinning at full speed now. “What if Brendan was the detective who took and planted that material at the third crime scene?”
