Harlequin Intrigue July 2021--Box Set 2 of 2

by Carol Ericson

  Just as Collin bounced down the stairs, Samantha gave the window one last yank. She almost fell backward when it flew open.

  A silent sob of relief shook her entire body. Samantha clutched the windowpane and scaled the wall with her toes. She struggled to pull her body up. When the gash in her calf scraped the wall, a burning pain shot up her leg. She clenched her teeth, determined to ignore the agony and escape the basement.

  “Get out here, you coward!” Collin yelled. “My nine and I got something we’d like to discuss with you!”

  That was all Samantha needed to hear to pull herself out of the window. She tumbled onto the side of the house and hopped up, then hobbled toward the front yard.

  The delivery truck was pulling away from the curb. She bit her bottom lip and limped into the street, shuffling alongside the truck in an attempt to stay hidden from Collin’s house.

  Her breathing quickened as she rummaged around inside her pocket for her car key. When the remote fell into her palm, she yanked it out, frantically pressing the fob.

  Samantha tumbled onto her car and snatched open the door. She quickly climbed inside, picking up her injured leg and groaning while dragging it over the door sill. She fumbled with the key for several seconds before it finally slid inside the ignition.

  “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go,” she cried out, turning the engine, then slamming the door shut. Her right foot got caught underneath the brake pedal as she rushed to get the hell out of there.

  “Come on!” Samantha screamed. She wiggled in her seat until finally freeing her foot, then stomped on the brake and threw the gearshift into Drive.

  Her chest filled with thick waves of panic. She peeled away from the curb and tore down the street as thin streams of air poured from her mouth.

  “Calm down,” she choked, pressing her hand against her neck and massaging it rigorously.

  Just before she turned the corner, Samantha glanced in the rearview mirror. She watched as Collin came rushing out of his house, his head swiveling from side to side as he searched the block. He was still holding his gun in his hand.

  “This was too much,” she sobbed. “This was way too close.”

  Her entire body shook uncontrollably when she realized just how close she’d come to getting herself killed.

  Samantha grabbed her cell phone and called Gregory. The call went straight to voice mail, and it took everything in her not to completely break down.

  “Gregory,” she choked, “it’s Sam. I spoke to Kenzie earlier today, and she told me that she thinks Collin is in the drug business. So I...” She paused, unable to admit that she’d broken into Collin’s house. “I just really need to talk to you. No, actually, I really need to see you. Please call me as soon as you get this.”

  She disconnected the call and sped down the street, anxious to lock herself inside her house and wait on Detective Harris to get there.

  CHAPTER TEN

  “Seriously, Samantha,” Gregory stressed as he paced her living room floor. “What in the hell would possess you to break into Collin’s house? I thought you were kidding when you made that, that outrageous suggestion over dinner. What were you thinking?”

  “For the tenth time, the door opened accidentally. I stepped through it. Maybe someone was in jeopardy,” she said, clearly pretending. “Besides, I was triggered by the phone call with Kenzie. Plus Collin violated my home first, remember? On more than one occasion, might I add. Now, I can agree that what I did today was dangerous. But Collin deserved it.”

  Gregory turned and faced her, his eyebrows shooting up so high that they practically touched his hairline. “Wait, you actually think there’s a difference between breaking into someone’s house and what you did today?”

  “Yes,” Samantha snipped, defiantly folding her arms in front of her and plopping down onto the couch. “There is.”

  The detective could see the lingering fear behind her rebellious glare. He knew she was fighting to conceal how shaken up the run-in at Collin’s house had left her.

  “Well, let me ask you this,” he said. “Did Collin invite you over?”

  “No.”

  “Was he home when you got there?”

  “No.”

  “Did you have permission to enter his house? Or did you just stroll through the door without—”

  “Yes, I did just stroll through the door. The open door. As I said, someone could have been hurt and—”

  “And you should have just called for help, not gone in,” he said.

  “Okay, okay,” Samantha interrupted. “I get it. I shouldn’t have gone inside Collin’s home. But I did. And as a result, I got my hands on some explosive information,” she insisted, grabbing the notebook she’d found in his trunk. “Accidentally. I found it accidentally and meant to put it back, but things happened,” she said, hardly making an effort to cover her guilt.

  When Gregory threw her a doubtful side eye, Samantha patted the seat next to her.

  “Please,” she continued, “come on. Sit down so we can put a plan together on what we’re going to do with all this new intel that I—”

  “Excuse me,” Gregory interjected. “But what exactly am I supposed to do with the new intel you stole out of Collin’s house? Go to Chief Wentworth and tell him that his son is selling drugs, and the reason why I know is because Samantha Vincent entered his home illegally and lifted his drug ledger? I just—I can’t...”

  Samantha watched as Gregory, frustrated, ran his hands down his goatee and stared up at the ceiling.

  “Actually, I don’t think you’re going to be able to go to Chief Wentworth and talk to him about any of this,” she said matter-of-factly.

  “Oh, I know I can’t. Because, like I said, the route you took to obtain that information is completely unlawful, and—”

  “Gregory. Please, sit down. You don’t even know the half of it. There’s way more to Collin’s drug operation than you think.”

  He paused and dropped his head, then finally walked over to the couch and took a seat.

  “What in the world have I gotten myself into?” he muttered.

  Samantha stopped thumbing through the notebook and turned to him. “Listen, I know what I did was...sketchy. And the last thing I want to do is drag you into a situation that could jeopardize your job. But the men we’re dealing with here are dirty. They need to be called out and apprehended.”

  “I understand all that. But—”

  “Hold on, Gregory.” She reached over and gently placed her hand on his forearm. “Let me finish.”

  Her touch penetrated through his shirt and caused a sensual rush to shoot straight through his chest. It shut him up immediately.

  “Now, as you already know,” Samantha continued, “I tried to go the legitimate route and seek justice the right way. However, considering what I’m about to share with you, I can no longer color within the lines. But I can’t do this alone. I need to know that you’re all in. One hundred percent. Are you down?”

  The detective stared at the floor, unable to look her in the eyes for fear of what her gaze might do to his judgment as well as his libido. After several moments of contemplation, he nodded his head.

  “Yes. I’m down.”

  “Whew! Good.” Samantha sighed and relaxed her hunched shoulders. “I’m so happy to hear that.”

  She moved in closer to him and opened Collin’s notebook. As their thighs brushed up against each other, Gregory struggled to focus on the contents of the book rather than her electrifying touch.

  “So like I was saying,” Samantha continued, “this ledger proves that Collin is running a major drug ring. What surprised me is that the ins and outs of the entire operation all appear to be right here in the notebook.”

  “Wow. That’s crazy. In this day and age, you’d think he would’ve kept this information locked away on a secured co
mputer. I can’t understand why Collin would have something like this just lying around his house.”

  Samantha flipped through the book’s pages. “Well, sometimes we get lucky.”

  “You certainly did. So what’d you find in it?” he asked, willing himself to focus on her words rather than the exotic floral scent of perfume pulsating off her neck.

  “A lot of what you see here are coded or abbreviated words. But I did a little research online while I was waiting for you to get here, and I think I’ve cracked the codes on what a lot of them mean.”

  Gregory studied the bright blue columns filled with random terms, numbers and addresses. “Okay, I already recognize some of this terminology. But I’m interested to hear what you came up with.”

  Samantha turned to the back of the notebook. “For starters, I think Collin put the most important information on the last pages. See where it says Chef’s Menu? I think that’s code for drug recipes.”

  “Yeah, I’m familiar with the slang terminology where people refer to drug dealers concocting drugs as chefs cooking in the kitchen.”

  “Exactly. Then next it says Diane, as if that’s the name of a person who’ll be preparing the meal. But I think that’s code for diamorphine, which as you know is the main ingredient in heroin.”

  “Oh, wow. I agree. Good catch.”

  Gregory glanced over at Samantha, watching as her supple lips spread into an appreciative smile. He fought off the urge to lean over and kiss her.

  “Thank you,” she said. “I’m just getting started. You see where it says meat with a side of fennel? I actually think Collin’s referring to meth and fentanyl.”

  The detective’s eyes widened as he studied the list. “Hmm. Once again, I think you’re correct.”

  “And here where it says oysters?”

  “Let me guess,” Gregory chimed in. “Oxycodone.”

  Samantha leaned back and threw him a sly smirk. “See, we’re on the same page. I told you we make a great team.”

  “Yes, we do,” Gregory murmured, his ardent tone intimating that he meant more than just business.

  She eyed him curiously before turning her attention back to the notebook. “And you already know the meaning behind the rest of these ingredients. Flour, cornstarch, powdered milk, sugar...”

  “Yes, ma’am. Fillers that would bulk up Collin’s product and increase his profit margin.”

  “You got it.” Samantha raised her hand in the air and gave the detective a high five.

  “And look,” she continued, flipping through several pages. “I think these addresses belong to Collin’s clients and possibly some of his drug runners. The dates listed track when the transactions occurred, and I think the numbers represent how much money he puts out and how much he brings in.”

  “Wow...” Gregory’s eyes shifted from the book to Samantha. “You know, while I don’t condone how you got ahold of this ledger, I have to admit, I am in awe right now. Your analysis is really impressive. Now we just need to figure out exactly how I should present this information to Chief Wentworth. He’s going to be devastated when he finds out Collin’s involved in all this.”

  Samantha closed the notebook and gently placed her hand on Gregory’s thigh. “Yeah, about that...”

  Without thinking, he covered her hand with his and looked her directly in the eye. “What about it?” he whispered, unable to project his voice properly due to a stirring sensation in his lower abdomen.

  Samantha glanced down at his hand then looked back up at him and cleared her throat. “When I was paging through the book, I stumbled upon a list of pickup locations for the drugs. Guess whose name was at the very top of the list?”

  “Whose?”

  “Chief Wentworth’s.”

  Gregory felt his entire body go numb. He fell against the back of the couch as a pang of nausea hit the pit of his stomach.

  “You have got to be kidding me,” he moaned. “So he’s in on all this, too?”

  “According to this ledger, yes.”

  The detective balled his hands into tight fists. “This is starting to feel exactly like what I went through in Chicago all over again. The reason why I came to Gattenburg was to get the hell away from all the corruption and foul behavior. And now this.” He leaned forward, propping his elbows onto his knees. “I just feel so sick. And betrayed.”

  Samantha reached out and caressed his back reassuringly. “I’m so sorry, Gregory. I really didn’t want to have to tell you that. But at least you know whom you’re dealing with now. And you know why I had to act in such an...unorthodox...manner. We’re talking major corruption here.”

  “I do. And I appreciate you telling me.”

  The pair gazed at one another silently before the buzz of Gregory’s cell phone interrupted the moment. He pulled it from his pocket and stared down at the screen, then jumped up from the couch.

  “I cannot believe this!” he exclaimed.

  “What’s going on?”

  “One of the detectives just texted me. He received word that the bodies of the three missing Westman’s workers were found up in Galena in the Tapley Woods.”

  “Ugh,” Samantha moaned, gripping her stomach. “Did he say how they died?”

  “Apparently from a drug overdose. Whatever was in their systems was very potent and very lethal.”

  “That is such devastating news...” Samantha stood up and slowly approached the detective. “Gregory, you know how I’ve been saying we’ve got to figure out what’s really going on inside Westman’s Automotive Factory?”

  “I do.”

  “Well, I think I have. And I believe it’s directly linked to those men’s deaths.”

  “Okay. Let’s hear it.”

  Samantha took a deep breath as the pair sat back down on the couch. “I think Westman’s is doubling as a drug lab. And Collin’s testing his product out on the employees who are addicts. If that’s the case, I wonder how long he’s been in business and what Jacob knew.”

  Gregory stared up at the ceiling. “Maybe Jacob found out that Collin was selling drugs and threatened to turn him in. Or what if Jacob was actually in business with Collin and got caught up in a deal gone wrong?”

  “I can’t see that being the case,” Samantha refuted. “Jacob supposedly went to talk to Collin about the Westman’s workers after they went missing, remember? If they were in business together, I highly doubt he would’ve bothered to inquire about their disappearances.”

  As Samantha spoke, Gregory realized he was more focused on her lips than the words coming through them.

  Get your head in the game, man, he told himself. He grabbed the drug ledger and thumbed through the pages in hopes of finding specific instructions on exactly how Collin cooked up his product.

  “You know what?” Samantha continued, hopping up from the couch before bending down and grabbing her injured leg. “Ouch!”

  “Are you okay?” the detective asked. “Do you think we need to add a couple more bandages to your wound?”

  “No, I’m fine. I just need to take it easy and avoid making any abrupt moves. But anyway, I was going to say that I think Collin was using those poor Westman’s employees as guinea pigs. He was probably testing the drugs out on them in an effort to try and find the perfect combo before selling them on the street.”

  Gregory nodded his head in agreement. “I could definitely see him doing something like that. And because he isn’t that bright, I’m sure his measurements were way off.”

  “I have got to talk to Kenzie. I just need to figure out a way to get her to speak with me again. I have to convince her that I’d never reveal her identity.”

  “Yeah, that would be great if you could get a conversation going with her again. I have a feeling she knows a hell of a lot more than what she’s shared so far. If we could get some concrete evidence from her, I coul
d definitely build a more solid case against Collin and Chief Wentworth and present it to the district attorney.”

  Samantha pointed at the detective. “And,” she began slowly, “maybe Kenzie could somehow find a way to get me inside Westman’s after hours so that I can see what’s really going on inside that elusive concrete jungle. Because I’m thinking that if he does have some sort of underground drug lab set up in there—”

  “Samantha,” Gregory interrupted, “you are not, I repeat, not going to break into Westman’s Automotive Factory under any circumstances. And I mean that. Not only is it against the law, but it’s beyond dangerous. Look at what happened to you today when you broke into Collin’s house. He could have killed you!”

  “But he didn’t.”

  “But he could have. And because you unlawfully entered his home, he would’ve gotten away with murder after pleading self-defense. I don’t know what I’d do with myself if something happened to you. So moving forward, let’s go about this the right way. The legal way. Are we clear on that?”

  Gregory braced himself, expecting Samantha to snap back with some sort of snarky comment. He was pleasantly surprised when she looked directly at him with a softened expression.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “We’re clear.”

  He watched as her eyes searched his face, as if there was something more she wanted to say. He held his breath, waiting for her to speak. But she remained silent.

  “Okay, then,” Gregory said. “So we’re good.”

  “Yes, we are. I’ll give Kenzie a call first thing tomorrow morning. Hopefully she won’t ignore me.” Samantha stretched her arms over her head, then rubbed the back of her neck. “I am so exhausted...”

  Detective Harris opened his mouth to speak. But nothing came out as he watched her cropped sweater rise above her stomach, revealing her smooth, taut midsection. When she threw her head back and ran her perfectly manicured hands through her wavy hair, he stared down at the floor and rubbed his temples rigorously.

  “So while you try and get ahold of Kenzie, I’ll start digging around in some of the files down at the station,” he told her, determined to focus on the mission at hand rather than his feelings of sexual excitement. “See if I can find information on drug busts that have occurred in the past year or so. There might be a statement buried in a report made by a drug dealer or addict that could provide us with some clues. You never know.”