Текст книги "Tall, Dark and Deadly"

Автор книги: Lisa Renee Jones

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Текущая страница: 25 (всего у книги 40 страниц)

He kissed her, his fingers resting on her cheek. “I love you, Lauren. I’m just trying to protect you and everyone around you.”

She softened instantly at the sincerity, the torment, in his voice and pressed her lips to his. “I love you, too.”

He pulled back to search her face. “Then do this for me. I support you, baby. I believe in what you do, I do. But this is about safety.”

“What if it isn’t even about this case? We have clippings from other cases and the links to Sheridan.”

“Then it’s not this case and we’ve ruled it out. We have nothing at this point but a gamble, but we have to take it, Lauren.”

“I need to think, Royce. I need to”

He kissed her. “Think. That’s better than ‘no’.” He slid his fingers under her hair to her neck. “Tell me you love me again.”

She softened, smiled. “I love you.”

He covered her mouth with his, as if he was trying to absorb the words, as if he cherished them. Lauren relaxed into the kiss, lost in him, letting herself forget everything but him undressing her, touching her, kissing her. When she finally straddled him, when he was buried deep inside her, and their eyes connected, she realized that her big, grizzly alpha had a soft side he saved just for her. And somehow, for just this little bleep of time, it made everything okay, and no man had ever done that for her before now, before Royce.

***

The next morning, Lauren woke in Royce’s arms, to her cell phone ringing on the bedside table. He grabbed it and handed it to her.

She frowned at Caller ID. “It’s the DA. This can’t be good.” She answered, to hear her boss, Milton Waters demand, “Where are you? I’m at your apartment and you aren’t here.”

“You're at my... why?”

“I received a delivery for you this morning,” he said. “Where are you?”

Royce rolled out of bed when she gave him the address. “Any clue what’s going on?”

She headed to the closet. “He’s going to tell me to plea.”

“Did he say that?”

She yanked a pink t-shirt from a hanger in his closet, that was beginning to feel like hers, clinging to that little piece of goodness in the midst of a whole lot of hell.

By the time Lauren had dressed in jeans and pulled on boots, Royce was leading Milton to his living room. The District Attorney, forty-something, good looking, and dressed in his standard black suit and red tie, was crackling with anger. “I’m having the trial date postponed a week. Plead the case.”

She crossed her arms in front of her. “Milton…”

“The Mayor wants the case done. I want this case done. I only let you ride this out because the victim’s family took it to the news.”

“Not because the woman murdered her husband,” Lauren said. “Of course not.”

“The public, and the jury, will be sympathetic to her,” he said. “They won’t be when we get a building full of people killed and I did nothing to stop it.”

Lauren took that like a punch in the gut. “If we plead it out now, you’ll look weak and we’ll invite other attacks. You’ll risk your office falling apart, and on an election year to boot.”

He considered her a long moment. “You tell the opposing council to give us something to work with, a piece of this puzzle that justifies the deal we swore wasn’t happening. Then you plead the damn thing and do it by Monday.” He headed for the door and stopped and turned. “And I’m going to let the media know that there is new evidence, and plead talks are in the works. So you damn sure better come up with a good follow up story to justify this. I’m in this because of you.”

Lauren stood there, staring after him, unmoving even when the door slammed shut. Royce pulled her into his arms. “Baby”

She pushed away from him. “No. Don’t. You want this too. Everyone wants this. I don’t know why I fight like this. I don’t know why I think that what is right matters when no one else does. I need to go call Mark.”

He looked like he might argue, but then nodded, stepping back. “Just remember his reasons aren’t mine.”

She scraped her teeth over her lip, chest tight. “I know. I do. I don’t mean to lash out at you. I’m just upset and confused and I just don’t know what I’m doing anymore. But I know I can’t keep this up. I can’t leave Julie in a hotel. I can’t put other people at risk. It just feels like this was all for nothing.”

“I’m here when you need me.”

Her lashes lowered and lifted. “I know and it matters.” She headed to the kitchen, taking her phone and some paperwork with her, before sitting down at the table.

A few minutes later, she was deep in conversation with Mark. “I’ll get you what you need,” he said, pausing a moment. “Look. I’m happy to get my deal, but let’s put that aside. You’ll never get to fight for what you believe in in the public sector. Lindsey and I have been talking about you. We want you to come work for us. Or go out on your own, Lauren, or with Julie. Just get the hell out from under that asshole Milton.”

She sank back into the chair. “Until this week, I think I would have said ‘no.’ I would have thought I was caving to the pressure and giving up on my beliefs.”

“Is that a ‘yes’?”

“It’s an ‘I’ll think about it.’ Seriously. I’ll think about it seriously.”

“I’ll take that,” he said. “Are you going to the annual Children’s Charity event at the museum? Lindsey and I will be there and we can talk.”

Oh, God. Julie coordinated the event every year and not without pain, and this time, while stuck in a hotel. “Yes. Probably.” If she could go without putting everyone at risk.

“Great. I’ll look for you. And how about I get you this plea information today, and we just get it behind us?”

“Email it,” she said. “And yes. Now that I’ve decided to do this, let’s be done with it.” She ended the call and noted the missed call from her father.

Lauren sighed and called him back, listening to half an hour of him telling her all the reasons she should quit her job. He almost talked her into keeping her job, when he said, “You can be my legal counsel for the Presidential campaign.”

“I’m sure Brad and Roger have that handled,” she said.

“We need you too, Lauren,” he said. “Running for the nomination is going to be a family affair. We might as well stand united.”

She could almost hear her stepmother in his words. “I support you, Father, but in the background.”

When they finally hung up, she sat there, staring into space, replaying the conversation, and telling herself not to let it impact her decision.

“You okay?”

Her gaze went to the doorway, to where Royce sauntered towards her, too graceful for such a large man, his long hair loose around his shoulders.

She pushed to her feet and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Mark wants to hire me and my father wants me to quit my job and join his campaign. Oh, and Julie has a huge charity event at the museum Saturday night that I am now afraid to go to for fear I will turn it into ‘Nightmare in the Museum.’”

“Let’s see how the next few days go, and decide about the event. As for the jobs,” his strong arm circled her waist, “what do you want?”

She didn’t know anymore. “You,” she said. “I want you to help me forget all of this.”

He scooped her up and headed for the bedroom, where she planned to stay as long as she could possibly keep him there.

Chapter Twenty

Her dress was sexy as sin, a long, cream colored number that Julie had brought her, that hugged every sleek line of her body. Just another reason Royce wanted to turn away from the museum before he pulled the truck into the valet parking. He didn’t care that Saturday night had come with no more threats, that the plea had seemed to end the hell. The bastard was still out there, still a ghost they couldn’t find, and he wasn’t going to rest until they found him. This had ended too easily, and too easy, he’d learned, was never easy at all. It was the calm before an explosion, but he wasn’t going to put Lauren on edge again. He damn sure didn’t tell her that he was so antsy about this event that he had Blake and Luke in a surveillance van a block away. When tonight was over, he was going to present her tickets to Rome, and they were getting the heck out of Dodge until he knew this was really over.

“You sure you don’t want to just skip this?” he asked her for the third time since he’d shackled himself into a monkey suit, otherwise known as a tuxedo.

“No, Royce,” she said. “You know I have to be there for Julie. I put her through living in a hotel for days. I have to show my support. She’s family. And she bought me this dress.”

He sighed and turned into the drive. “I do owe her for that one. I like it.”

She laughed. “So you keep telling me. I’m sure Sharon will call it inappropriate, when her own dress will be far more so.” She shrugged out of her coat and the valet opened her door.

Royce quickly exited and handed off the keys before stepping to her side, wrapping his arm around her as she shivered. “I’m going to have to give up this tux jacket. You’re going to be cold inside.”

“You just want an excuse to give it up,” she said. “And you have to wear it.”

They waited by the door, as several other people entered before them. Suddenly, cameras started to flash around them and a reporter stepped close to them. “Is it true your father is running for the Republican nomination, Ms. Reynolds?”

“That’s a question for him,” she said quickly.

“Is that why you caved to a plea deal for the husband killer?”

She stopped walking, the color draining out of her face.

Royce pulled her to the other side of him and forward, inside the building. The minute they were inside and signed the register, he pulled her aside. “Blow that off, baby. It means nothing. If that’s the worst thing that happens tonight, we’re good.” His hand brushed her bare shoulder. “The best thing, at least for me, is going to be peeling this dress off of you.” He motioned to the room. “Let's go mingle so I can get to do it sooner rather than later.”

She laughed, a soft, sexy sound that he’d never get tired of hearing, and wrapped her arm around him. They entered an oval room with doorways leading to art displays, towering ceilings and several winding stairwells that lead to the balcony areas above. Displays of food and drink framed tables and chairs with white tablecloths

Julie rushed towards them, dressed in a long light blue silk dress that accented her voluptuous curves that he was pretty sure Luke would approve of, even if his brother wouldn’t admit it.

“Hey, sweetie,” Julie said, hugging Lauren. “How are you?” She looked at Lauren’s arm where the burn mark was covered by a bandage. “Stylish and sexy. Does it hurt?”

“No, not anymore,” Lauren said, and then added, “And it’s not like I could hide it in this particular dress.”

“Which I should thank you for buying,” Royce quickly added.

Julie winked. “My pleasure and yours too, I hope.” Then to Lauren, “I have to mingle. Mark and Lindsey are looking for you. They are at a center table. Mommy Dearest is shopping the art, and your father is on his way. Brother Brad is also present.” She glanced up. “Judge Moore and his wife are here. Talk about awkward.” She lowered her voice, “I’m serving her divorce papers Monday.”

Lauren gaped. “And he’s with her tonight?”

“Yeah. He’s a cold-hearted bastard, that one.” She plastered on a fake smile. “Off to act friendly.”

Someone cleared their throat from behind them and Royce turned with Lauren’s hand tucked under his elbow. Her stepbrother, whom Royce had met on several occasions, stood there, and Royce felt Lauren tense and melt closer to his side.

“Lauren,” Brad said tightly, his gaze hitting Royce with a hostile blow. “I see you haven’t disposed of your bodyguard.”

A muscle in Royce’s jaw jumped, but he kept his tone cool. “Seems there are all kinds of unsavory characters around her I need to protect her from.”

Brad’s eyes narrowed, sliding from Royce to Lauren and back. “She’s making some statement to her father. Once she’s done making it, you’ll be done.”

“What?” Lauren demanded. “I... I don’t even know what to say to you.”

“You say ‘where’s the bar?’ and walk away,” Royce offered, turning her away and urging her forward, before leaning in close. “And I’ll be your statement any day of the week, as long as its forever.”

She stopped and looked up at him. “What?”

“I got you now,” he said. “I’m not letting you go. But we’ll talk later.”

The tension slid away from her. “Talk. You want to talk?” She rose up on her toes, and whispered in his ear, “Either you want me forever or you don’t.”

He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her, not giving a damn about the properness. “I want you. Forever.” He trailed his fingers down her arm. “Let’s find Mark before I forget why it matters and drag you out of here.”

She laughed and they quickly found Mark and his wife Lindsey, a dynamite blonde who was as gorgeous as she was friendly, and joined them at their table.

“So I hear Mark proposed a new career option for you,” Lindsey said, getting right to the point.

“He said something about it, yes.”

“So what do I have to do to talk you into it? I need some women power at the firm. I’m the only one there.”

From there, Royce was pleased to see Lauren relax, and get lost in conversation with Lindsey. Royce and Mark were both pleased to see the magic unfold, as Lindsey convinced Lauren that she had to join their firm.

A good hour passed before Lauren pushed to her feet and Royce followed her. “Bathroom,” she said. “You talk your football. I want to find Julie, too, so I might be a few.” She took off through the crowd.

He hesitated, fighting the urge to follow her, telling himself he was being paranoid. But whoever had been terrorizing her was still out there somewhere.

***

Lauren walked down the hallway into the ladies, feeling more relaxed than she had in a very long time, a smile touching her lips. She was in love and she was no longer being stalked. And, damn it, she was going to quit her job and join Mark and Lindsey, and if she could talk Julie into leaving the firm she was with, she’d get her on the boat, too.

She turned a corner to enter the bathroom when Sharon stepped in front of her, her black dress twinkling in the overhead lights. “Let's step to the courtyard and talk.”

“It’s cold, Sharon, and I have to get back to my table.”

“I received an interesting delivery today,” she said. “You're going to want to know what’s inside and not where others can see it.”

Lauren’s lips parted in shock. This couldn’t be happening. There couldn’t be yet another threat. “Okay. Let’s go.”

“I thought so,” Sharon said smugly and turned and headed down the hall, away from the main room.

Lauren balled her fists at her sides and followed, telling herself not to overreact. Sharon was notorious for her ridiculous reactions to things. She opened the door, the cool fall night chilling her skin.

Greenery and trees lined a red brick path that allowed guests to go forward, left or right.

“We’ll want to walk further into the courtyard,” Sharon said, flicking her a hard look. “We don’t need an audience.”

Lauren hesitated a second, before following again, not comfortable with the secluded location, which was ridiculous. Sharon was a bit off her rocker, but she wasn’t dangerous. A few people milled around at the concrete seats along the way, and while that should have eased Lauren’s unease, it didn’t.

Sharon walked up the steps of the gazebo, a slim heater hanging from the ceiling and down to almost the floor, sending Lauren in pursuit a bit more eagerly. Lauren rushed to the glowing device and held her hands above it. A second later, someone grabbed her from behind and she blacked out.

***

Twenty minutes after Lauren left the table Royce was talking football with Mark when he saw Julie nearby and stopped mid-sentence. Lauren wasn’t with her.

“Give me a minute, Mark,” he said, pushing to his feet and going to Julie’s side. “Where’s Lauren?”

“I don’t know. I thought she was with you. Is something wrong?”

“She went to the bathroom and was supposed to be finding you. I need you to”

“I’m going,” she said, heading for the bathroom without another word. Royce fell into step with her, his adrenaline pumping, telling himself to stay calm. She was okay.

“Has her father arrived?”

“If he has I haven’t seen him,” she said, as they rounded the corner to the bathroom. “But maybe that’s because they are off talking. She’d been avoiding him.” She pushed the bathroom door open and went inside.

Royce’s cell phone rang and he yanked it off his belt to see Blake in the Caller ID. He answered and Blake immediately said, ”Is Lauren with you?”

“No, I can’t find her.”

“Front door,” Blake said. “Now.”

“She’s not here,” Julie said, rushing out of the bathroom.

Royce turned away from her, charging for the door, and barely keeping himself from running. He was in front of the building in a minute flat and the van was waiting.

The side door opened. “Get in,” Blake said and Royce didn’t ask questions.

Royce was inside and the van moving before the door was even shut, Luke taking off like a bat out of hell. He rotated on his heels to find the computer panel on the wall lit up with a tracking program, a dot beeping.

“That’s Lauren,” Blake said. “That chip you put in her watch wasn’t working. I found the problem. Now it’s working. Luke has the feed up front, too.”

Royce inhaled a calming breath, and letting it out. “What else do we know?”

“Not a damn thing.”

“Exiting towards the Bronx,” Luke shouted.

Royce headed to the front with Luke, willing the van to move quicker, and cursing the traffic that had them at a dead stop... afraid Lauren would be dead before he got to her.

Chapter Twenty-One

Lauren woke to a throbbing in her head and neck, lost in a fog she couldn’t seem to escape.

“I don’t understand why I’m here,” a female said. “I’m not supposed to be involved. You said I wouldn’t have to be involved. And what’s the camera for?

“Better to see with, sweetheart.”

The voices played in her head, her mind starting to process. Sharon. The female was Sharon. She tried to move and couldn’t, panic overtaking her. Lauren jerked her head up and tugged on her arms to find her hands tied behind her back, behind the rails of a wooden chair.

 Her gaze traveled frantically over a warehouse of some sort, and landed on the two people talking, their backs to her. Sharon and... Oh God. Wilkins, dressed in army fatigues with at least one gun and one knife attached to his hip. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be happening.

“Well, look who’s awake,” he said, turning to face her. “This would be no fun if you weren’t fully present.”

“I don’t need to see this,” Sharon said. “I don’t. I need to get out of here. Take me out of here before you do it.”

“It?” Lauren said. “What is it?”

“You’re a smart person,” he said, walking to her and squatting down beside her. “I’m pretty sure you can figure it out.” He brushed his gloved fingers over her cheek and Lauren tried to pull away, pretty sure the gloves were a bad sign for her future. He laughed, as if her resistance amused him. “Pretty little thing, you are. I think Mama here hates you for that as much as she does anything else. We bonded over hating you that day I paid your father a visit. A romp in the sack later, a few bucks in my bank, and I got paid into scaring you into that plea. She’s hot in the sack, a fucking wildcat your old fogie father can’t keep up with.”

“Shut up, Jonathan,” she growled behind him. “Just shut up.”

He flicked a look over his shoulder. “Who’s she going to tell?” His eyes fixed on Lauren. “She’s a wicked witch. I knew you wouldn’t leave the DA, and you sure as hell wouldn’t marry your stepbrother. That’s some twisted shit.” He pulled his gun and slid it to her chin.

“Please, don’t do this,” Lauren said, her voice shaking, her entire body shaking. “Please.”

“We were always going to end up right here, with you and me,” he said. “I knew that the day I visited your office.” He pushed to his feet, walked to a video camera and adjusted it.

“Do you really think my father will run for office after I’m murdered?” Lauren demanded.

“I’ll convince him he has to make the world a better place, in your honor, you little bitch,” she snapped. “And he’ll win with the sympathy vote. You will give me the White House from the grave. I’ll finally get something for putting up with you all these years.”

Jonathan walked to Sharon and came up behind her. “What are you doing?” she demanded.

“Getting you ready for you big day,” he said, pressing the gun into her hand. ”You’re going to shoot her yourself.”

“No. No, I can’t do it.”

“You will,” he said, stepping back from her and pointing another gun at her head. “You’ll shoot her or I’ll shoot you both.”

“What?” Sharon screeched. “What are you doing?”

“Insurance, sweetheart,” he said. “When you get to the White House you’re going to get my sister pardoned or the world will know you murdered your stepdaughter.”

He stepped backwards to the camera and she turned to him. “Turn around!” he shouted, cocking his gun. She started to shake and cry.

All Lauren could think of was how much she wished she’d told Royce how much she loved him, how alone Julie would be. How alone her father would be. “Don’t do this, Sharon,” Lauren said. “You have a gun just like him. Shoot him. Shoot him and I won’t say a word about this.”

Sharon whirled on Lauren, holding up the gun. “Shut up! Shut up! You are always talking.” She cocked the gun.

Lauren squeezed her eyes shut and started to pray. Royce was going to blame himself, he was going to let it eat him alive. She didn’t want that. She didn’t... The sound of bullets rang out and she braced herself for impact, but nothing happened. Suddenly, Sharon was on the ground and so was Wilkins, and Royce was kneeling in front of her, his hands on her face.

“You’re okay. You’re okay, baby.”

“Is she?”

“Dead,” he said. “Yes.”

Lauren burst into tears, shaking worse now than ever. Royce untied her and picked her up and she curled into him, not wanting to see Sharon’s body. The sound of sirens erupted outside the building, as they exited what seemed to be a warehouse.

She had no concept of time, of when the chaos calmed and the EMS crew, reluctantly released her. She knew though, that they had tried to convince her to go to the hospital to be treated for shock.

They walked to the van and paused by the passenger door. “I have to tell my father,” she said.

“We’ll do it together.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

“You don’t ever have to do anything alone again,” he promised. “I’m here and I swear to you, Lauren, I will never again let you down like I did tonight.”

She flung her arms around him. “You didn’t let me down. You saved my life. I love you. I don’t know if I’ve really truly told you how much. I didn’t tell my mother enough. I was a teenager, and it wasn’t cool and then she was just gone. Tonight I almost died and my last thought was how much I wished I had told you how much you’ve changed my life, how much you mean to me.”

“I love you, too, baby, more than you know. If you’d have died in there, I would have died with you.” He ran his hand down her hair. “Let’s go talk to your father. We’ll get through the bad, and we’ll make the good together.”