Tough Justice Box Set
Page 28
She’d missed him today, missed their easy exchange, but maybe Nick had it right. After their discussion about Moretti, there’d been a definite chill from Nick. She’d been the one who wanted to keep that emotional distance between them, and he’d been the one who’d delivered.
He didn’t trust her because he didn’t think she trusted him. A man like Nick didn’t give his trust freely, didn’t bestow it on just anyone. He’d felt comfortable enough with her to open up, but when she didn’t reciprocate, he’d pulled back.
What had she expected? She trusted no one either.
Placing a fingertip on the corner of the picture, she dragged it toward her. She wanted to tell Nick everything. He had a strong shoulder, and she wanted more than anything to lean on it.
But she couldn’t. One of the many downsides of her job, of their job, was that sometimes you just had to tough it out and go it alone.
She had to go it alone.
Her phone vibrated on the counter, and she snatched at it. “Victoria? Everything okay?”
“More than okay. The ransom call came in. I’m going to get my baby back.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
“All right, team.” Victoria waved a piece of paper in the air. “This is what we’ve got. One million wired to an overseas account. I already had the finance team look into it—untraceable destination.”
“Like the phone call you received with the demand?” Nick crossed his arms over a wrinkled T-shirt, which looked as if he’d slept in it. He’d pulled the shirt over a pair of faded jeans, which meant he’d been off the clock.
They could’ve been off the clock together, but then she would’ve had to concoct more lies about the picture. Emotional distance. But she could still admire, from a distance, the way his jeans hugged...everything.
Lara cleared her throat. “Why a million? They have us over a barrel. Why not more?”
“Are you complaining?” Xander ran a hand across his blond stubble. He’d been off the clock, too.
Although none of them was ever off the clock, especially during a crisis like this.
“Not complaining, but you have to admit it’s a curious amount, almost a tease.”
“I get you.” Ty hopped up on the desk. “Like, we could ask for the world, but we’ll take a cool mil.”
Ty, dressed like a boss, had been on a date, according to Mei, one of the few since his divorce. Mei was sure that he’d never remarry. And maybe that’s what they all faced.
As far as Lara knew, Cass never dated. Mei dated—plenty—but she went through men liked used tissues and didn’t seem to have any interest in settling down. This, all coming from Ty. And even though Xander had a young daughter, which had surprised the hell out of Lara, he couldn’t make it work with Maddy’s mother. His vague interest in Cass seemed almost forced.
Only Victoria had been happily married, but she never discussed her husband’s death. Ever.
So, here they all were, gathered at the office at ten o’clock at night with only each other for company. Lara scanned the room. She could do a lot worse.
“I don’t care what they’re asking. We’ll analyze it later.” Victoria shrugged. “Once we wire the money and it’s removed on the other end, the kidnappers are going to text Lara with a pick-up location for Anna.”
“Focal point—” Mei pointed two fingers at Lara “—back on Lara. How’d you get so damned lucky?”
“Speaking of my luck, did Latanya Price get resettled?”
Nick nodded. “She did, and she’s safe. Sorry I wasn’t there for you, Lara.”
“You were on that conference call.” She rapped her knuckles on the table next to Cass’s laptop. “Cass and I had it covered.”
“You had it covered. I was sitting safely behind my computer, and when I found out what happened to Latanya in that park, I was almost glad nothing else came up on any of the other women.” She shook her head, and the lights in the office reflected off her glasses. “What more do these women have to go through?”
Cass’s computer beeped and she jumped. “Okay, I’m in.”
As they all hovered around Cass’s computer, she entered some codes and lined up six zeros behind the one. When she clicked Send, Lara held her breath as she watched the status bar climb.
The computer beeped again, and a green message flashed on the screen.
Transfer Successful.
Victoria patted Cass’s shoulder. “Now, we wait.”
“Anyone up for pizza?” Ty waved his phone in the air. “I interrupted a perfectly good dinner with a perfectly hot date at a new steak house.”
Xander held up his hand. “I’m pizza’d out. I had Maddy tonight, and I already filled up on the stuff, plus half a bowl of popcorn while watching one of those princess movies.”
“You’re a good dad, Xander,” Victoria informed him. “I know how tough it is, and I appreciate your dedication.”
“Boss, if anything happened to Maddy, if anyone ever snatched her—” his hands bunched into fists “—I don’t know what I’d do.”
Lara gulped back the lump in her throat. “I’m up for that pizza.”
Ty noted everyone’s preferences and dialed in a delivery.
The team members paced, worked on their computers, studied Moretti’s organization on the whiteboard and jumped every time someone’s phone buzzed.
When the pizza came, Lara plopped a slice of pepperoni on her paper plate, but nerves prevented her from doing more than nibbling off the tip.
Nick joined her, holding out a bottle of water. “You want one?”
“Sure.” She took it from him, and their fingers brushed. She experienced a jolt to her already heightened senses.
He took a bite of pizza and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “I thought you’d brought your own dinner, like Cass did.”
Lara glanced at Cass, eating tofu from a plastic container she’d brought with her. “Nope. That was...something else.”
She’d placed the pink box and ribbon in a bag and had brought it in for Victoria. Eagle-eyed Nick didn’t miss a trick.
“Something from this afternoon at Tompkins Square?” He took another bite of pizza, but his eyes narrowed.
“Some evidence.” Was that vague enough for him?
“You’ve got a lot going on...partner.”
“Don’t we all right now?” She brushed some pizza crumbs from her jeans. “Anything from the meeting this afternoon? Does the warden know who killed Olivia?”
“They are still going through what little evidence there is.” He lifted a shoulder and dropped his crust onto his plate. “Eat up. We could be in for a long night.”
Another hour passed, and the phone Lara had been clutching like a lifeline buzzed in her hand. “It’s here.”
Ty clicked his tongue. “Stroke of midnight. You gotta love their sense of the dramatic.”
“What’s it say, Lara? Where’s Anna?” Victoria’s voice cracked.
Lara read aloud from her phone. “Anna is waiting for you in Central Park at the base of the Alice in Wonderland statue. Curiouser and curiouser.”
“Let’s go!” Nick grabbed his jacket. “Ride with us, Victoria.”
“Can I see it?” Victoria, her face pale, held out her hand for Lara’s phone. “What does that mean?”
Xander opened his big trap. “It might mean you might not find what you expect to find.”
Ty jabbed his elbow into Xander’s side. “They’re just messing with us. That’s all.”
Lara gave Victoria a firm smile. “That’s it.”
They raced over to Central Park in three cars, lights revolving on the roofs. They’d called in NYPD for backup, and the patrol cars were coming in hot, lights blazing and sirens wailing.
As Lara held Victoria’s hand, one prayer ran through her head over and over. Please, God, let Anna be safe.
The caravan roared into the park from Fifth Avenue onto a road that wound through the park. They left the vehicles and surged onto the path that led past
the Hans Christian Andersen statue, the area silent and devoid of children at the midnight hour.
Lara’s heart pounded as the Alice and Wonderland sculpture loomed in the distance. Curiouser and curiouser.
Victoria called out. “Anna? Anna, are you here?”
A muffled noise floated eerily through the night air, and Victoria shouted. “The statue! Light up the statue!”
The police illuminated the bronze statue, the white lights creating a spotlight on the scene. Anna, like a real-life Alice with her blond hair in a braid over one shoulder, staggered to her feet from one of the smaller mushrooms where she’d been seated, her hands secured in front of her, her feet bound, and duct-tape sealing her mouth.
Victoria raced to her daughter and wrapped her in a mom-sized hug, pulling her to safety behind the statue. “Get this stuff off of her.”
A police officer gingerly removed the tape from Anna’s mouth. “Are you okay, miss?”
Victoria gasped as she took in Anna’s bruised arms and black eye. Then Victoria cupped one side of Anna’s face. “Oh, my God. Look what they’ve done to her.”
Lara lurched forward and covered her mouth with both hands as she stared at the black double-M logo on Anna’s face.
“It’s not permanent, Mom.” Anna, with tears rolling down her face, reached up with her bound hands and grabbed her mother’s wrist with a sob in her throat. “It’s just pen...but I’m not sure what it means.”
Lara steadied herself with a hand against the statue, her knees still wobbly. If those SOB’s had tattooed Anna, she’d have made sure that million bucks never got into their hands.
Victoria snapped her fingers at the cop. “Free her and then give us a minute.”
The officer sliced through the restraints on Anna’s wrists and ankles and backed up as Victoria waved off the approaching detective and EMTs. The detective turned and joined the other cops scouring the area.
Lara hovered on the fringes of the mother-daughter reunion.
Victoria brushed her knuckle across the mark on her daughter’s face. “I’m so sorry they hurt you.”
Anna held on to her mom. “When they dropped me off, they warned me not to move, not to make my way home, nothing. Just to stay put on the mushroom.”
“Thank God you’re safe.” She smoothed the errant strands of Anna’s braid back from her face.
“They gave me this.” Anna held out her hand, cupping her palm. “It’s for Lara.”
“Me?” Lara recoiled. Whatever it was, she didn’t want it. Lara exchanged a quick glance with Victoria and then stretched out her hand. “What is it?”
“I don’t know. They told me not to unwrap it.” Anna burst into tears again as she dumped the quarter-sized knot of paper into Lara’s palm.
Another gift? No pink box with a silver ribbon?
With trembling fingers, Lara pulled apart the paper and pulled a silver charm from the folds. She held it up where it glinted in the NYPD’s spotlights.
Victoria sucked in a breath. “It’s a baby rattle.”
Anna leaned her head on her mom’s shoulder. “I’m supposed to ask Lara a question. Are you rattled yet?”
Lara curled her shaking hand around the charm and gritted her teeth. Hell, yeah.
* * * * *
Justice is worth every sacrifice.
A brand-new 8-part reading experience starting January 12, 2016!
FBI agent Lara Grant has finally put her life as an undercover operative behind her and started a new assignment in New York City. But her past and present collide and become ever more twisted as a spate of murders sends a message that is cruelly, chillingly personal...
Tough Justice: Exposed (Part 1 of 8) by New York Times bestselling author Carla Cassidy
Tough Justice: Watched (Part 2 of 8) by Tyler Anne Snell
Tough Justice: Burned (Part 3 of 8) by Carol Ericson
Tough Justice: Trapped (Part 4 of 8) by Gail Barrett
Tough Justice: Twisted (Part 5 of 8) by Gail Barrett
Tough Justice: Ambushed (Part 6 of 8) by Carol Ericson
Tough Justice: Betrayed (Part 7 of 8) by Tyler Anne Snell
Tough Justice: Hunted (Part 8 of 8) by New York Times bestselling author Carla Cassidy
Available January 12, 2016
www.ToughJusticeSeries.com
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Collect all 8!
Tough Justice: Exposed (Part 1 of 8) by New York Times bestselling author Carla Cassidy
Tough Justice: Watched (Part 2 of 8) by Tyler Anne Snell
Tough Justice: Burned (Part 3 of 8) by Carol Ericson
Tough Justice: Trapped (Part 4 of 8) by Gail Barrett
Tough Justice: Twisted (Part 5 of 8) by Gail Barrett
Tough Justice: Ambushed (Part 6 of 8) by Carol Ericson
Tough Justice: Betrayed (Part 7 of 8) by Tyler Anne Snell
Tough Justice: Hunted (Part 8 of 8) by New York Times bestselling author Carla Cassidy
ISBN-13: 9781460393642
Tough Justice: Burned (Part 3 of 8)
Copyright © 2016 by Harlequin Books S.A.
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Carol Ericson for her contribution to the Tough Justice series.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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www.Harlequin.com
Can they get out of this investigation alive?
Special Agent Lara Grant’s team is racing against the clock to prove infamous crime boss Moretti is behind a recent series of murders. With each lead ending up in a body bag, Lara’s trapped by the weight of her own guilt. How many would still be alive if it weren’t for her troubled history with the villain?
But he won’t quit, so neither can Lara. A sniper is the key to finding the link between Moretti and the current cases. But before they can reach him, Moretti hits closer to home than Lara could have imagined...
Part 4 of 8 in the chilling, high-octane FBI thriller TOUGH JUSTICE from New York Times bestselling author Carla Cassidy and authors Tyler Anne Snell, Carol Ericson and Gail Barrett.
On Gail Barrett:
“Intriguing and suspenseful, with a complex and well-crafted plot...Barrett delivers one exciting read.”
—RT Book Reviews on Seduced by His Target
TRAPPED
Gail Barrett
RITA® Award finalist Gail Barrett always knew she wanted to be a writer. After living everywhere from Spain to the Bahamas, earning a graduate degree in linguistics, and teaching high school Spanish for years, she finally fulfilled that goal. Her books have won numerous awards, including a National Readers’ Choice award, a Book Buyers’ Best, and RWA’s Golden Heart® Award. Visit her website: www.gailbarrett.com.
Books by Gail Barrett
Harlequin Romantic Suspen
se
Fatal Exposure
A Kiss to Die For
Seduced by His Target
To my husband, John.
CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
EPISODE FOUR
Trapped
The body count is rising fast, and there seems to be no end in sight. Luckily they got Anna back—but the killer is playing with lives, choosing who survives and who dies. Is the baby on the list? Is that why Lara was sent the rattle? The task force is getting closer to shutting down Moretti for good. If only they could find and stop the sniper...
CHAPTER ONE
It was one of life’s ironies that the most stunning man she’d ever met had the vilest heart.
Lara Grant sat behind the glass partition at the federal maximum security prison in Selden, Long Island, everything inside her tensing as Moretti sauntered into the room. The man was insanely good looking with his hard, chiseled face, the desperado beard stubble shadowing his jaw, that wickedly carnal mouth. He was tall and lean, all masculine angles and energy, his broad shoulders padded with extra muscle now that he’d spent months pumping iron behind bars. And even handcuffed, even dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit with armed guards on either side, he exuded an aura of power.
He was every woman’s fantasy. And nightmare. His raw beauty masked an evil heart. Devoid of any conscience, he threatened every principle Lara stood for—and was murdering everyone around her in his quest for revenge.
Are you rattled yet? His ominous message still reverberated through her memory as she waited for him to take his seat behind the protective glass. Hell, yes, she was rattled, because the threat behind that tiny silver charm he’d sent was clear. The baby’s family was now in this killer’s crosshairs.