ENTANGLED PURSUITS (MEN OF ACTION Book 1)

by Brenda Jackson

  He loved it when her nipples pressed against his chest, and her feminine mound rested against his erection. Increasing the pressure of his tongue, he deepened the kiss, almost certain he could feel the heat arcing between them.

  Finally, he widened her legs and surged into her, loving the feel of her heated flesh clamping down on him. On impact, her inner muscles began squeezing him tight while her breasts moved in a jiggle in front of his face. He latched onto a nipple and sucked it into his mouth as his body began moving, thrusting back and forth inside of her.

  After giving the other nipple the same irresistible treatment, he leaned in and began licking the side of her face, all while the lower part of his body pounded non-stop into hers. He lifted his head to catch the various expressions of emotion defining her features, ranging from pleasure, awe, and wonder.

  She looked at him through glazed eyes, as if she knew he was about to push her over the edge. When she whispered the words, “I love you,” he was the one to tumble over first.

  He would never tire of her saying those words. They did something to him, making his heart catch whenever he heard them. His body exploded, and through clenched teeth, he said, “I love you, too, baby.” Throwing his head back, he sucked in a deep breath, pulling in her scent and pushing his shaft deeper inside her. This was heaven on earth.

  “Drew!”

  “Oh, baby,” he said, coming again, right along with her. He gathered her close, overcome with this orgasm that was even more powerful than the last. This much sexual fulfillment should be illegal. He felt weak, but held on to what strength he had so that he could hold her when she slumped against him, resting her face in his chest.

  Gripping her hips when she tightened her legs around his waist, he finally moved toward the bedroom.

  WHEN DREW AND TONI arrived for work the next morning, they were told that Valerie wanted to meet with them immediately. When they walked into the technology center and saw her huge smile, it was obvious that she had exciting news to share with them.

  “What do you have for us?” Drew asked, looking at the screens Valerie had running. She offered them coffee and donuts before starting. “I checked out several traffic cameras to see if we had footage of the same car going through any of the intersections within a three-mile radius of both the Tindal and Nettles’s crime scenes. That proved negative, so I decided to use another search indicator.”

  “Which was?” Toni asked.

  “Rental vehicles. I then checked out all the rental vehicles that passed through any of those same intersections. There were several. I then dug even further and discovered on two different occasions that rental vehicles leased by the same person were in the area around the time of both Maria Tindal and Byron Nettles’s deaths.”

  “That’s interesting,” Drew said.

  “I thought you would think so.” She stood. “Let me show you what I have,” she said, going to one of the screens.

  “A current year Chevrolet Malibu went through the intersection of Market and Pearl at nine twenty-three, the same night Maria Tindal was killed, and didn’t come back through that same intersection until five minutes after eleven. That is less than two hours.”

  Andrew and Toni looked at the screen, seeing the car in question drive through both times. “Then on the day Byron Nettles was killed, look what we have here,” Valerie said, using the remote to switch the video to show a split screen.

  “At eleven-fourteen a.m., a car identified as belonging to Byron Nettles passed through these two intersections. They are three miles apart. Look closely and tell me what you see.”

  “A car is tailing him,” Toni said, not taking her eyes off the screen. “The same car is behind him, keeping a safe distance and cruising through both intersections.”

  “Yes,” Valerie agreed. “And this particular intersection here is two minutes before the turn to where Byron Nettles’s fatal accident took place. Unfortunately, there aren’t any more cameras from here. But look at this,” she said, switching to a third screen. “Less than thirty minutes later, that brown rental car is passing back through the intersection. See anything different about the vehicle?”

  “It’s damaged,” Toni said, when Valerie did a close-up of the vehicle’s left side. “The front fender is bent pretty badly, as if it has been in an accident.”

  “Exactly,” Valerie said.

  “What’s the name of the person who leased both vehicles?” Drew asked.

  “Ervin Headley. He is twenty-eight years old, with no prior arrests or convictions.”

  “What does he do now?” Toni asked, still studying the screen. A photograph of Headley came up, taken from his Facebook page. He wasn’t a bad-looking man, although the tattoo of a rooster on his arm diminished him, somehow. She could see a tiger or a snake or something. But a rooster?

  “Up until six months ago, he worked as a loan officer at a bank. He was fired when he went off on one of the bank’s most valuable customers. I guess you can say he had a bad day. Since then, he’s been freelancing from home as a loan officer for one of those online loan outfits.”

  “Does he not have his own car?”

  “Yes. Motor vehicle registration records show he owns a Toyota SUV.”

  “Yet he rented other vehicles on both those days,” Drew said as if thinking aloud.

  “I guess he didn’t want his own car spotted on a traffic cam,” Toni said.

  Andrew nodded. “We need to find this guy and bring him in for questioning.”

  “I checked Nettles’s computer,” Valerie continued. “There were no hidden sites, and nothing has been added since we checked it last. However, one thing that is concerning is that his video security app was connected to ten video cameras in his home. We only confiscated nine the day of the search warrant.”

  “Then, one is missing,” Toni said, thoughtfully. “I recall him bragging that he had a hidden camera in every room in the house.”

  “I’ll send the search team back out to recheck,” Drew said.

  “And to make things easier, I’ll make sure they take my security cam-finder with them. If there’s a hidden camera in an inconspicuous spot, it will locate it.”

  “Good. Toni and I are on our way to that rental car agency.”

  • • •

  Toni and Andrew returned to police headquarters three hours later. Based on the damage, including the paint stains still on the rental vehicle, they felt they had enough evidence to talk to Ervin Headley. The paint would be analyzed to confirm it matched that of Nettles’s vehicle. Headley had purchased rental insurance, and the rental agency was about to send the car out for repairs tomorrow, but would hold back for now.

  “The suspect is in Interrogation Room Five,” one of the arresting officers told them when they stepped off the elevator.

  “Thanks.” They had gotten word from Valerie that she had sent them additional information to review, including the footage they’d discovered on the tenth formerly hidden camera.

  “Let’s see what we have,” Andrew said, sliding into the chair at his desk to boot up his computer. Toni was peering over his shoulder and he thought she smelled good.

  “Now isn’t that interesting,” Toni said when the information that Valerie forwarded appeared on their screen. “She was able to connect Maria Tindal and Ervin Headley to a meeting at the gun range two weeks before she died.”

  They read Headley’s bio. Toni, who had finally gotten tired of standing, pulled up a chair. Andrew sucked in a deep breath when their legs brushed. “And look at this,” she said.

  “What?” he asked, forcing his attention back on the screen.

  She pointed to the screen. “Look where he attended college.”

  Andrew nodded. “Think there’s a connection?”

  “Might be just a hunch, but I think it’s worth checking out, Drew.”

  Then, they examined the footage from the additional security camera the search team had found at Nettles’s place. According to Valerie, it had been
located in the kitchen. Andrew recalled the house was not exactly an open-room concept. The kitchen was an L-shape off the living room.

  They watched the video for the longest time and saw nothing. Suddenly, a male figure entered the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, glanced around at the contents inside before taking out a soda can. Then, he was gone. Although, only the area below the neck could be seen, the tattoo on the man’s upper arm—that of a rooster—was clearly visible.

  The date and time on the camera footage revealed it was the same day Nettles was killed, less than thirty minutes after he was seen passing through that intersection after leaving the scene of the crime. Evidently, he’d figured it would take authorities a while to pull Nettles out of the wreckage and identify him. He could have used that time to plant Maria’s bracelet in one of the drawers in Nettles’s bedroom.

  “If that’s our guy, I’d like to know his connection to Maria Tindal,” Andrew said. “How did he get her bracelet?”

  “I guess it’s time we ask him.”

  • • •

  Two hours later, Andrew and Toni entered the interrogation room where Ervin Headley was being held. They had gotten a call verifying the paint on Nettles’s wrecked car matched that of the rental vehicle that Headley had been driving that day.

  They had also been told that a second set of fingerprints had been found in the rental car, including fibers of clothing. That confirmed Toni’s suspicion that there had been a second person in the car with Headley. She’d placed a call to Valerie for her to gather all the information she could on a certain person of interest.

  They had watched Headley through the one-way glass for about twenty minutes before going in. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and there it was—the tattoo of a rooster on his upper arm. Bingo.

  He’d nervously paced the floor a good thirty minutes before finally sitting down. Toni figured he had a lot on his mind right now. He was probably wondering what they knew and what they didn’t. He was also probably wondering if he’d covered his tracks as well as he’d thought he had.

  He would soon discover that even using rental vehicles wouldn’t be enough to keep him out of jail. The man didn’t have a clue he’d been captured on camera in Byron Nettles’s kitchen right after the accident. But what Toni and Andrew really needed to find out was why he had killed both Maria and Nettles. Because all the evidence was pointing in that direction.

  Ervin Headley looked up when they walked in, his expression furious as Toni and Andrew took their seats at the head of the table. “I’m Detective Logan and this is my partner, Detective Oliver.”

  “Why am I being held here?” Headley growled.

  “We want to ask you some questions about the murders of Byron Nettles and Maria Tindal,” Toni said without preamble.

  “I don’t know what in the hell you’re talking about. I don’t know a Byron Nettles or a Maria Tindal.”

  “Then, maybe you can tell us why you ran Byron Nettles off the road? Or why, less than an hour later, you were inside his home? Your presence was picked up on a hidden camera.”

  Seeing the surprise that flashed in the man’s eyes, Andrew continued, “Is that when you planted Maria Tindal’s bracelet for us to find? A bracelet that was taken when Maria Tindal was killed.”

  Headley narrowed his gaze. “I want my attorney.”

  “You will get your attorney. But if you think your guy can get you out of here, forget it. The rental cars you were driving were seen in the vicinity at the time of both murders, and you were caught on camera in the home of the dead man you ran off the road.” He paused to let his words sink in.

  “So, tell us... Why did you kill them?” Toni asked, picking up where Drew had left off. “And who was with you in the car when you ran Byron Nettles off the road? We know there was someone else. Your accomplice. We found two set of prints in the rental vehicle you wrecked.”

  “I didn’t kill anyone,” the man snapped.

  “If you didn’t kill Maria Tindal, how did you get her bracelet?” Toni asked curtly. “And what about the necklace?”

  The man tightened his lips, refusing to talk. “I’m not telling you anything because I don’t know anything.”

  Andrew was losing patience. “Well, unfortunately for you, we know a lot. And just so you know, a double homicide comes with a life sentence. On the other hand, the way Maria Tindal, a young woman with her whole life ahead of her, was murdered with her wrists slit, well, a judge might decide not to waste any more of the taxpayers’ money and just put you to death.”

  Fear flashed in the man’s eyes. “I didn’t kill her,” he said in a trembling voice.

  Andrew casually stood, and Toni followed suit. “Our evidence leads us to believe otherwise, Headley. And nothing you’ve said here today has convinced us you’re an innocent man.”

  “I want my attorney.”

  “You’ll get your attorney. But if you think you’ve seen the last of us, you are wrong. We’ll be back.”

  On their way back to their desk, Andrew got a call from Valerie. “Tell Toni her hunch was right. I’ve identified the second set of fingerprints.”

  • • •

  Andrew and Toni didn’t make it back to Andrew’s home until nine that night. After showering together, they made love and then fell asleep in each other’s arms. Now that the identity of the second person was confirmed, they started building their case.

  After leaving headquarters, they had gotten a call from Ervin Headley’s attorney. The man wanted to talk, so they arranged to meet at four the next day. The attorney had tried pushing for an earlier time, but Andrew and Toni refused to change their schedules. They had other important things to verify.

  As soon as they arrived at the office the next morning, they had immediately gone over the records for a person of interest that dated back ten years. Valerie had been able to retrieve most of the information off her advance research engines. The others were reports that had been expedited because of Valerie’s contacts within various agencies.

  At four o’clock Friday, they walked into the room where Headley and his attorney were impatiently waiting. Both men were going to be surprised by what they’d managed to discover in so short a time. They would listen to what Headley had to say before revealing anything, just to see how truthful he would be. That would determine if a plea deal was plausible. Search warrants had been issued. The only thing missing was the necklace, and they were hoping Headley would be able to at least provide its location.

  An hour and a half later, Andrew and Toni had walked out of the meeting feeling like they’d really accomplished something. A tentative plea deal had been reached. Once they’d told Headley what they had on him, his attorney had advised the guy that it would be in his best interest to cooperate. Andrew figured the thought of a double homicide charge would definitely open a pair of locked jaws.

  It was after eight Friday night when Andrew and Toni finally left work. Their investigation was complete, and they were ready to file charges. The District Attorney in charge of their case, would make a special trip into the office on Saturday morning to sign off on everything.

  They decided to spend the night at Andrew’s house again. It had been a very busy week, but they were experiencing that inner excitement a detective felt whenever they’d solved a case. This week, while working together, they’d done more than connect the dots.

  Like the night before, they showered together, and when they got into bed, Drew held her in his arms. There was nothing more to talk about, as far as the case was concerned. Today had been draining, and they knew tomorrow would be even more tiring. But solving this case—and finding justice for Maria—was worth everything they were putting into it. This was why they’d joined the force in the first place.

  So instead, they talked about Sheppard Granger’s upcoming party and how happy Drew was that Toni would go with him. He had been telling her more, bits and pieces about his parents and the reasons he’d fallen in with the wrong crowd w
hen he was younger.

  “Did you ever find closure with your parents, Drew?”

  He did not say anything for a moment, but continued to lovingly stroke the side of her face. Finally, he said, “I didn’t need closure with my mom. I know how hard she worked putting food on the table. My only disappointment, which I’ve now gotten over, was that she’d loved that useless man so much that she’d put up with his crap.”

  Toni saw Drew’s jaw tighten. “My father wasn’t worthy of Mom’s love, Toni. I know you might think the same thing about your father, but at least he put a roof over your head, kept food on the table, and made your mother satisfied with the way things were, even if she wasn’t totally happy with them. At least your father provided for his family.”

  Toni didn’t say anything because what he’d said was true. She and her mother never went without. They had a roof over their head, lived in a nice community, and her mother always drove a nice car. Sure, those things were only material, but there had been other instances. When she’d wanted to be a dancer, she’d been signed up for classes. And when she needed extra help in certain classes, private tutors had been made available. And her father had spent a lot of time with her and her mother, even though he was married.

  Toni could clearly remember her mother’s reaction every time Antonio Oliver would walk through the door. She’d been happy...at least her father was around. However, finding out he was willing to choose his other family over her and Toni had been more than her mother could handle.

  Like she’d told Drew, she had gone to visit her father in Philadelphia before moving here. Seeing him after all those years made her realize the hell he’d been going through since her mother’s death. Guilt had beaten him down. He looked worn, tired. He was still handsome, but she could see the pain in his eyes. She’d also seen the tears.