Iron Cross (COBRA Securities Book 20)

by Velvet Vaughn

  “Yeah,” Barrett chimed in. “A team.”

  “You’re just jealous because I’m a rising young star and you’re a washed-up has-been.”

  “He really is a dumbass,” Jacques rumbled in his accented voice.

  Arnie lunged forward, but Finn released Short and stopped him.

  Trevor touched a finger to the blood at the corner of his mouth. “Think I might press charges.”

  Dmitry growled, but before he could take another go at Trevor, Finn was in his face again. “Shut up and listen. You will not play another game with this team unless you adjust your attitude and show respect to your teammates.”

  “You’re not the coach.”

  “No, but I am.” Coach Sammy Silva strode forward. Sammy slapped a hand on Finn’s shoulder. “You’ve got more restraint than I have. If a rookie blindsided me and then talked smack, he’d be in the hospital in a body cast.”

  “The night’s young,” Arnie pointed out.

  Sammy stopped directly in front of Trevor, who, Finn was amused to note, lost his cocky sneer. “I echo everything your captain said. Your attitude won’t cut it here. If you can’t follow the rules and respect your teammates, don’t bother lacing up. I’ll never put you in a game again. Your anger is misplaced. I’m the one who decides who plays and who doesn’t. You want to pick a fight, kid, you start right here.” Sammy held out his arms.

  Trevor turned his head away.

  “That’s what I thought.” He faced the team. “Boys, let’s get this show on the road. I don’t know about you, but there’s a recliner and a bottle or six of beer calling my name.” He eyed Trevor again. “You utter so much as a whimper, and I’m sending your ass home.”

  Trevor looked like he wanted to argue but wisely held his tongue.

  Though his blood was still boiling at the unprovoked attack, Finn made sure everyone entered the meeting room calmly. He didn’t want one of his hotheaded mates taking another shot at Short, even if the guy deserved it.

  The room was designed as a small auditorium and looked like one of the lecture halls from college. Finn took a seat in the front row next to Arnie. Before he sat, he turned to make sure Short wasn’t causing trouble. He was seated in the top row by himself. Good.

  Once everyone settled, Sammy rounded the desk in the front to face the seats. The assistant coaches and support personnel were there as well. Sammy went over the schedule for tomorrow’s fan appreciation event. As he expected, Finn would have to make a speech. The appearance of the Stanley Cup would be the main event.

  Coach moved to the next item on his agenda. The players were required to attend Georgiana’s reception on Saturday to mingle with dignitaries and sponsors. It was a formal event, which meant clean suits and dress shoes were mandatory. Sammy ignored the grumbling from the team.

  He ticked off several more points from his list. Once he gave the start date of the training camp and other details, he called an end to the meeting and sent everyone on their way.

  #

  Finn had set Kayla up in a small but nicely furnished room down the hall from where the team was gathering. There was a television, an array of magazines, a small kitchenette with snacks and a fridge full of cold drinks. While she waited, she checked in with Mark and Kaiya. She’d appointed them the task of contacting Finn’s former girlfriends and warning them to be careful. They’d been able to reach all but two.

  She also checked in with Detective Johansen. As she suspected, there were no prints to be found in Darcy’s vehicle. Whoever stole it—assuming it was stolen—wiped it clean, so it was a dead end. Darcy could’ve ditched her car after the failed attempt to run Kayla over. Plus, her knowledge of working with metals was a red flag. Still, Kayla didn’t believe she was the culprit.

  Both Shawn and Clint stopped in the room to say hello. Shawn had been meeting with Georgiana to go over the final details on Finn’s contract. Clint was leaving work to head home. She filled them both in on what they discovered about Sally Sue Nolan. They were both shocked to learn she lived so close.

  Finn texted her to say the meeting was over. She slid her computer in her bag and left the room to meet him in the hallway. She recognized Trevor Short as he sauntered down the hallway towards her with the brashest swagger she’d ever witnessed. He was around six-one with longish brown hair and eyes. He did a double-take when he spotted her. He backtracked to stop in front of her, his gaze raking her up and down. He leered, which was even creepier with blood-stained teeth and one side of his face bruised and swollen.

  “I haven’t seen you here before, gorgeous. You’re in a whole other class than most of the puck bunnies. What do you say you and I get out of here and grab a drink? Say, at my place? We can get to know each other better.” He waggled his brows.

  She turned away. “No thanks.”

  He bristled and stepped into her line of sight. “Maybe you don’t know who I am. I’m the starting right winger, one of the top players in the league. You can’t do better than me, baby.”

  “I know who you are, Trevor. Still not interested.”

  “Aw, don’t be that way, sweetheart. I can show you a real good time.” He tossed an arm over her shoulder and tugged her against him. Kayla didn’t think, she just reacted, jamming her hip into him while grabbing his arm and flipping him over her shoulder until he landed on the concrete with a solid thud, knocking the breath from his lungs in a whoosh.

  As he lay dazed on the ground, a roar of applause sounded. Her head snapped up to see Finn watching with an amused grin and several of his teammates behind him clapping and catcalling. She hadn’t meant to cause a scene, but Trevor gave her no choice. He had no right to touch her, so she called him on it.

  Most of her self-defense skills were ingrained, thanks to years of studying martial arts and Dante Costa’s training. She’d even managed to flip him once, and he was the most skilled person she’d ever met. She’d gone easy on Trevor. He should be thanking her.

  Trevor pushed unsteadily to his feet and glared at his teammates. Then he turned eyes shooting fire at her. “You’ll pay for that, bitch,” he muttered as he stumbled around her and out the door.

  #

  Finn couldn’t quit smiling. The move Kayla leveled on Short was so damn impressive, he couldn’t help but gloat. The rookie had no idea what hit him. His teammates were cheering and slapping him on the back like he had anything to do with her abilities. Still, his chest puffed out with pride.

  His feet moved forward of their own volition. Wrapping her in his arms, he dipped her back to kiss her. His teammates roared again, and he smiled against her lips. “You’re incredible.” He tilted her upright.

  “He’s an asshat.” She leaned back, her brows narrowed in concern. Her fingers gently brushed his cheek. “What happened?”

  He’d forgotten about the punch. “The asshat you just schooled sucker punched me.”

  “Bastard. I should’ve flipped him harder. That’s why his face was swollen.”

  “I’d like to take credit, but it was Dmitry. He went all Dirty Harry on him.”

  “Go ahead, make my day,” Dmitry rumbled, attempting to imitate Dirty Harry Callahan from Sudden Impact. He flexed his muscles and kissed first one bicep, then the other.

  “Good for you, Dmitry. Thank you.”

  Kayla hugged him. He wiggled his brows at Finn and clutched her tighter.

  It warmed him that she was looking out for him, but he was going to slug his teammate. He pried them apart, much to Dmitry’s delight. “That’s enough.” Then he tucked her under his shoulder. He knew he overreacted by the way they both smiled at him, but he didn’t care.

  “How did you manage to flip Short,” Jacques asked her in awe. “He’s easily three times your size and outweighs you by a good hundred and twenty pounds.”

  They weren’t telling anyone that she worked for a security firm, so she had to improvise. “My older brother taught me. He was in the Army.”

  “I wish I’d recorded it,” Arnie gr
oused. “I’d love to watch it over and over. I’d make it my screensaver.”

  “Got it right here,” Barrett announced, and they all gaped at him. “What? I always keep my finger on the record button. You never know what might happen, and aren’t you all glad now? I even caught Short blindsiding Finn and Dmitry’s beat-down.”

  “Yes,” Arnie shouted with a fist pump. “Replay them.”

  They crowded around to watch the videos on his phone. Kayla growled when Trevor’s fist slammed into his jaw. When she flipped Trevor, it was just as impressive the second time around. Finn clutched her tighter.

  “Send those to me,” Arnie insisted.

  “Me, too,” Jacques and Dmitry echoed.

  “Us, too,” Finn chimed in.

  “Wait a sec…” Barrett’s fingers flew over the keypad. “I combined them into one file now and…done.” He looked up with a grin. “Did you see the look on Trevor’s face when he realized we’d all witnessed what happened?”

  “Priceless,” Dmitry agreed with a huge smile.

  #

  Finn was still riding a happy high as he drove them home. Reality slapped him in the face when he spotted the unmarked car pulling up to his property. It couldn’t be good that the detective decided to pay a visit in person instead of calling. He activated the gate and followed her up the driveway. Instead of continuing into the garage, he stopped beside her car. Kayla was out the door before he shifted into park. He jumped out and joined her.

  “What’s happened?” Kayla asked, reading the unease on Anja’s face.

  “Tammy Ladd is missing.”

  Finn stumbled until his back slammed against the SUV. Not another one. He didn’t know how much more he could take.

  Kayla glanced from Anja to Finn. “Who’s Tammy Ladd?”

  Finn closed his eyes. “She runs my charitable foundation.”

  “I was in my car when the call came in,” Anja said. “Hearing where she worked caught my attention, so I headed over here. When’s the last time you talked to her?”

  Finn searched his memory. “I’m not sure. Last week sometime.”

  Kayla looked at him. “Did you two…”

  His head whipped up and he shook it, cutting off the question. “No, we never dated. I hired her based on recommendations and her graduate school grades. It’s a strictly professional relationship.”

  “If you didn’t date her, that changes the profile,” Kayla remarked.

  “Assuming it has anything to do with the other murders,” Anja interjected.

  Kayla nodded. “You’re right. But we need to be thorough. We’ve been working on the theory that the unsub is targeting women previously involved with Finn. If he’s widening his net, it could be anyone associated with you.”

  Nausea swept over him. The thought that people were being hunted, possibly even murdered because of him was unimaginable.

  What had he done to enrage someone enough to kill?

  #

  After Anja left to gather more information on Tammy’s disappearance, Kayla and Finn retreated inside the house where Kaiya and Mark worked on their laptops. She filled them in on the latest developments.

  “Maybe us warning Finn’s former girlfriends made it harder for him to hunt,” Mark surmised. “With his pool of candidates reduced, he had to modify his game.”

  “Or,” Kaiya speculated, “if he’s new to killing, he might still be honing his craft, so to speak.”

  “Tell us about Tammy,” Kayla urged Finn.

  He looked pained. “She’s a nice woman. She does a fantastic job. I never had to worry that things wouldn’t get done with Tammy in charge. She was a force of nature. She tripled my contributions, raising money with a magic touch while distributing funds where needed. We focused mostly on children’s issues, along with battered women and cancer research.”

  “Was there ever an issue about where the money would be allocated?” Kaiya asked.

  “If there was, I wasn’t aware of it. As I said, she did such an outstanding job, I gave her free rein. She sent me weekly reports, and everything was in order. She worked with the board of directors and accountants, so there are checks and balances in place.”

  Kayla stepped away to call her bosses. With the killer deviating from his original pattern of targeting Finn’s girlfriends, no one close to him was safe. She asked for agents to be sent to guard Finn’s parents. They immediately agreed, and a few minutes later, BeBe called her back to let her know Colt Fontaine and Ryan Marx were on their way now. She found Finn in the kitchen and told him.

  “You think they’re in danger?”

  “I don’t want to take chances.”

  He tugged her against him for a quick hug. “Thank you.” He took out his phone and dialed his mom and dad to let them know to expect the agents.

  They ordered dinner while waiting for Anja to check in. When it arrived, Mark met the delivery man at the gate and then carried the food back inside. When Anja called, she didn’t have any information other than Tammy didn’t show up for work. When her assistant Mona went to check on her, she found her car in the parking lot, but she didn’t answer the door. Mona used her key to check the apartment, but she wasn’t there.

  Kayla speared a piece of shrimp with chopsticks. “Did Tammy have a boyfriend who might know where she would go?”

  Finn shoved his plate away. He’d barely touched his food. “I honestly don’t know. Our relationship was strictly professional. I know nothing about her personal life.”

  After dinner, they tried to watch television to relax, but the mood was somber. Finally, they retreated to their bedrooms. Kayla took a shower and brushed her teeth. She was the one who insisted she and Finn keep their distance with her coworkers beneath the same roof, but she’d seen the look of utter desolation on his face when Anja told him Tammy was missing. He felt responsible, and he was beating himself up.

  She couldn’t stand the thought of him hurting, so she turned off her light, checked the hallway and then tiptoed up the steps. He’d left the door open, so she entered and then closed it behind her, locking it for good measure. She found him in his bed, sitting against the headboard with the city lights spread out in front of him. His glorious chest was naked.

  “I was hoping you’d come,” he murmured, reaching out a hand.

  She took it, and he yanked her into his arms and made love to her all night long.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The last thing Finn wanted to do was celebrate their Stanley Cup championship when Nina, Fred, Megan and Sally Sue had been murdered, and Tammy was missing and possibly in the hands of a killer. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the option of backing out. Tickets had been sold weeks in advance, and as the captain, he was required to attend. Though he’d rather be at home, he didn’t want to let the fans down.

  Shawn stopped by in the morning, and they went over the final draft of his contract. The offer was exorbitantly generous and much more than he expected or frankly, deserved. Hockey was a team sport. He’d be nothing without his teammates, and he certainly didn’t want them resenting him for making so much money. It wasn’t like the information would be kept secret, either. Soon the entire hockey community would know he was the highest-paid player in history.

  Though they were scheduled to finalize the negotiations on Monday morning, Georgiana wanted the contract signed before the event tonight, so they headed to the arena early. Kayla, Mark and Kaiya waited in the VIP room while he met with Shawn, Georgiana, the team lawyers, accountants and other front office personnel. No one objected to the terms, so the process went quickly. He inked his name on the dotted line and committed to remain with the Punishers for another five years.

  Bittersweet emotions enveloped him. A week ago, he’d have said it was precisely what he wanted. But then Kayla appeared in his life, and his priorities shifted without him even realizing it. He wanted to be with her, wherever that led them. Knowing how important it was to her, he’d never ask her to leave her job. Judging by the stor
ies Tyler told him, she was one of the best. If he stayed in Pennsylvania and she returned to Indiana, he’d settle for a long-distance relationship, assuming that’s what she wanted, too. He’d do anything to keep her in his life.

  Georgiana hugged him, and Shawn patted him on the back. Camera bulbs flashed as he held a fake check and posed for pictures. Maybe he should be more excited that the negotiations were over, but he couldn’t shake the feelings of despair. How could he celebrate a multi-million-dollar contract when people were losing their lives because of him? He felt detached from his body. It was as if he was watching the scene unfold in slow motion. The air thickened, and his collar squeezed his neck. He needed air…scratch that. What he needed was Kayla.

  After extracting himself from the meeting, he searched for her before heading to the locker room to change for the night’s festivities. He found her in the VIP room with her coworkers, which unfortunately meant he couldn’t hold her. She looked up when he entered. She must’ve read the emotion in his eyes because she said, “Excuse me for a minute,” to Mark and Kaiya, and then she was leading him out the door.

  He guided her to the training room and tugged her inside before pinning her against the door and kissing her with everything he had. She surely felt all the emotions he poured into the kiss. She met his intensity and matched it. Before he realized it, he was unzipping his jeans, lifting the hem of her dress, tugging her panties down and slamming into her. They both gasped at the sensations, and he gritted his teeth. He was a hair’s breadth away from losing it. Her inner muscles gripping him was exquisite torture. He couldn’t hold back as he pounded into her. All too soon, they were both hurtling off the cliff. He covered her mouth to mute her scream—or maybe it was his. When he finally came back to earth, he rested against her, his breath sawing in and out.

  “Finn?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I don’t think Clint would appreciate what just happened against the door.”

  He chuckled. “Probably not.” He eased out of her and tucked himself back in his pants.

  “What brought this on? Not that I’m complaining.”