Iron Cross (COBRA Securities Book 20)

by Velvet Vaughn

  “I widened the net and dug into the background of people associated with the Punishers. Two stood out. The first is one of the arena managers, Ira Becker.”

  She’d never met nor heard of Ira. “Why did he stand out?”

  “He was arrested for road rage twice, but the charges were dropped when the victims refused to testify. He was also booked for assault on his first wife, but she too refused to press charges, so his record is clean.”

  He clearly had anger issues, but what was his connection to Finn?

  She placed her hand over the phone. “Do you know Ira Becker?”

  “Sure. He’s one of the arena managers. Why?”

  “He’s been arrested for road rage twice and domestic violence, but not charged.”

  She removed her hand and spoke to Tyler. “Who’s the other one?”

  “The public relations director, Kip Pennington.”

  She glanced at Finn. “Kip Pennington?” His eyes widened in surprise. “What did he do?”

  “He used to work for the baseball team in San Diego. He was fired for making up a story about one of the players that garnered national attention. The publicity was overwhelming, but when it was proved he lied, he was discredited. It took five years before he scored a job in major sports again.”

  “He might be looking to redeem himself.”

  “Exactly. What better way than to have a sensational story around the star player.”

  “Good work, Tyler. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  She filled Finn in on the information about Kip as he inched along the road to his house.

  “They’re gone.”

  She peered out the windshield to see that the trucks and reporters were indeed absent. Then she spotted the police car parked down the street. Anja must’ve cleared them out and added extra protection. Punching the button to open the gates, he motored up the driveway and hit the brakes. She noted the red Ford Focus parked near the garage.

  “Finn?”

  “That’s Della Rodgers, the woman who cleans my house. She was on vacation last week.”

  Finn parked Kaiya’s SUV next to Della’s car, and they got out. “I need to remember to thank Anja for clearing out the press.”

  “No, kidding. It was getting—”

  A loud explosion detonated, the concussion sending Finn and Kayla hurtling through the air. Kayla smashed into the ground, the force rattling her teeth and bones. She fought to regain her breath as bits of wood, glass and debris rained down from the inferno that was Finn’s house.

  Dazed, she rolled over and frantically searched for him. She was having a hard time focusing, and her ears were ringing, but she spotted him sprawled a few feet away, blood dripping from a cut on his forehead. “Finn?” She crawled to him, wincing when her palm landed on a chunk of glass. She didn’t have time for pain. Finn needed her. The heat from the fire was intense when she finally reached him. “Finn? Can you hear me?” No answer.

  A siren kicked on. The cops stationed outside must’ve heard the explosion. She dug Finn’s phone from his pocket to open the gate, but his screen was fractured. Pushing unsteadily to her feet, she looked for Kaiya’s SUV. The blast had tumbled both vehicles several feet, with Della’s car upside down next to the Escalade. It’d rolled a couple of times, denting the exterior, but it was still standing. She wobbled over and fell against it, using it to prop herself up as she reached inside for the remote.

  Once the gate opened, she tossed the button back inside and made her way to Finn. Her entire body ached, and she had numerous cuts from the debris, but nothing felt broken. Sliding her arms beneath his shoulders, she used her quads to drag him away from the heat. Her achy body protested, and he moaned, but she didn’t stop until they were out of the danger zone.

  She dropped beside him, trying to catch her breath. His eyes blinked open, and he groaned. She hovered over him. “Are you okay? Where does it hurt?”

  “All over. What happened?”

  There was no easy way to say this. “Your house exploded.”

  “My house?” His brows scrunched and then shot to his hairline. “Della.” He tried to get up, but she put a restraining hand on his shoulder and shook her head. The blast had been extreme, and she glanced at the house. It was fully engulfed.

  He closed his eyes. “When will it end?”

  Kayla didn’t have an answer. How much more could he take? The blast could’ve been a ruptured gas line, or something not connected to the murders, but what were the odds?

  It physically pained her to watch Finn’s beautiful cliffside home overlooking the city ravished by flames. The police car screeched to a stop, and fire trucks were pulling in now, but they wouldn’t be able to save the structure. Thankfully, his trophies were at his parents’ house. Furniture and clothes could be replaced.

  One of the firemen strode their way while the others went to work with the hoses and ladders, sending ropes of water to battle the flames.

  “Is everyone out of the house?”

  “No. A woman was inside.”

  He turned to assess the blaze. “Any idea where?”

  “No.”

  He spoke into his walkie talkie and jogged back to the truck. She didn’t think Della could’ve survived the blast, but she would never forgive herself if she was still alive but hurt.

  The two police officers approached them. “Are you the owners?”

  “I am,” Finn acknowledged.

  “We saw you drive through the gates and then heard the explosion. An ambulance is on the way. Do you have any idea what happened?”

  “No, none.”

  A siren cut off as an ambulance rolled to a stop. One of the officers motioned them over. When the paramedics insisted they needed to be transported to the hospital for evaluation, Kayla didn’t protest. She didn’t want to go, but Finn lost consciousness and might have a concussion. He would refuse if she didn’t go as well.

  She called Detective Johansen from the back of the ambulance to fill her in and asked her to let Kaiya know. They’d have to find a place to stay now that Finn’s house was gone.

  #

  Finn kept thinking he’d wake up, and the past week would be nothing but a nightmare. People wouldn’t have died, and his house would still be standing. But then he’d never have gotten to know Kayla. She was the only bright light in a dark world.

  His body ached. His head ached. His heart ached. Along with bumps and bruises, the cut along his hairline required seven stitches. Thank God Kayla wasn’t injured. She had some scratches and contusions, but no broken bones.

  They’d kept them longer than he would’ve liked at the hospital to check for concussions. Detective Johansen and Kaiya arrived, and now they waited for the doctor to clear them to go home—only, he didn’t have a home to go back to anymore.

  Anja disconnected from a call. “They found the remains of Mrs. Gorman. I’m sorry, Finn. If it’s any consolation, she died instantly. It was a bomb. They think the device was rigged to the door of a room holding cleaning supplies. It was triggered when she opened it.”

  “It was off the mudroom. No one’s been inside since Della’s last visit.”

  “It’s someone who’s been to your house recently,” Kayla said. “Sometime between Della’s last visit and now.”

  Anja tapped into her phone. “Can you give me a list? We’ll check them out.”

  “My teammates, Dmitry, Arnie, Jacques and Barrett, were there for the poker game, along with Shawn, Clint and Georgiana.”

  “Kip Pennington stopped by,” Kayla remembered. “So did Trevor Short.”

  “And Ricky Westfield,” Anja added. “I’m still not sure he’s innocent.” She looked up from her screen. “What about Darcy?”

  Finn shook his head but halted abruptly when the movement made him dizzy. “She hasn’t been to the house recently.”

  “We cleared her anyway. She’s not the suspect. Her alibis are rock solid. I’ll get cops interviewing the others. I’d like to wait to see if they c
an pinpoint what the bomb was made of so we can get warrants to search their homes for supplies.”

  Finn closed his eyes. He didn’t want his friends and teammates thinking he considered they might be guilty, but he didn’t want anyone else to die, either.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  While Kayla and Finn were getting patched up in the hospital, Kaiya worked with BeBe Davis to secure new accommodations. BeBe found a house in the same neighborhood with decent security. Kaiya also arranged for clothes to be delivered since everything had been destroyed in the fire. A nurse provided scrubs for them to wear home instead of their singed garments.

  The firemen had been able to save Kayla’s SUV and Finn’s Land Rover from the garage. Kaiya’s vehicle suffered damage and was towed to a shop for repairs.

  Kaiya drove them to the rental house. It was a recently remodeled Victorian-style home. It also featured views of the city from Mt. Washington, but it wasn’t Finn’s house. Kayla had loved it the moment she stepped inside.

  A large box was waiting for them on the porch. Kaiya muscled it inside. While Kayla wanted to help her, she might’ve downplayed her injuries. Her head still pounded, her body ached all over, and her hearing hadn’t fully returned, but she was not spending the night in the hospital. Thankfully, Finn’s injuries hadn’t been severe enough to require hospitalization, either, but she had the feeling he’d downplayed his, too.

  Kaiya scouted out the house and found two suites upstairs and one down. She claimed the downstairs bedroom, leaving the other two for Finn and Kayla.

  After opening the box, Kaiya stacked piles of clothes for each of them. She’d done an excellent job with sizes, and the clothes looked functional and comfortable.

  Kayla and Finn both smelled like smoke, so they trudged upstairs and split up to shower. The hot water felt good on her aching muscles. After washing her hair and brushing her teeth, she slowly made her way downstairs to find Finn resting in a recliner with Kaiya on a couch. A travel show about Hawaii played on the giant television. Kayla would pay just about any price to be on a sandy beach right now with a tropical drink in her hand and Finn in a lounge chair by her side.

  No one felt like cooking, so they ordered pizzas. She couldn’t eat more than one piece and noticed that Finn and Kaiya didn’t have much of an appetite, either.

  Kayla’s laptop had been inside Kaiya’s SUV, and even though the vehicle took a hit, her computer survived unscathed. She tried to catch up on her email, but she couldn’t concentrate, so she closed the lid and placed it on a table. Finn arranged for a cell to be delivered to him at the hospital to replace his fractured one. He spent an hour on the phone with his parents, convincing them not to come to Pittsburgh. She was glad he talked them into staying home. They would’ve been in danger, and they were safe where they were with Colt and Ryan protecting them. As it was, Luke and Logan were planning on sending another agent tomorrow to assist her and Kaiya.

  When it was time to go to bed, they said goodnight to Kaiya and headed upstairs. Even though there were two suites, she had no intention of being away from Finn. She could’ve lost him today—and her life, too. If they’d arrived home a few minutes earlier, they’d have been inside the house when the bomb detonated.

  Neither one of them felt up to sex of any kind, so they climbed beneath the silky sheets and held each other all night long.

  #

  A chime on Finn’s phone woke him up. He’d been dreaming of Kayla, only to find her in his arms. It was the best way to start the day.

  He was disoriented when he opened his eyes. The room was unfamiliar, but the woman against his side wasn’t. Then the events of yesterday came crashing back to him. If today was anything like the last week, he wasn’t sure he wanted to get out of bed.

  The phone beeped again. Reaching over, he bit back a groan as he swiped it from the bedside table. His entire body was sore, and his head still ached, but the ringing in his ears was gone. He checked the text. It was from Shawn.

  Forgive me.

  “Finn? What’s wrong?”

  He glanced at Kayla and her sleepy eyes. Tangled hair framed her face, and creases from the pillows cut into her cheeks. She was the most gorgeous woman he’d ever seen, but his attention was divided. “I just got the strangest text from Shawn.” He turned the phone around for her to read the screen.

  “Forgive what?”

  He shook his head. “I’ve no idea.” Punching the speed dial number for Shawn, he waited for him to pick up. It rang until kicking to voice mail. He disconnected without leaving a message. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

  “He’s not answering?”

  “No. I need to go see him.”

  She tossed the covers off. “I’ll get dressed.”

  He gingerly climbed out of bed. No workout for him today, that was for sure. He donned a pair of jeans and a t-shirt Kaiya had delivered before stepping into a pair of running shoes—the only clothing of his own he had left.

  He tried Shawn again, but still no answer. That wasn’t like him. He felt guilty for not checking in with his friend after he discovered Georgiana’s body. He’d meant to, but then the shooting at his foundation offices happened, Darcy had been arrested, and his house blew up. Still, he should’ve found the time. Shawn had been wrecked. At least he had Clint to help him through.

  Kayla dressed quickly, though he could tell she was feeling the effects of yesterday’s explosion, too. Her movements were careful and stiff. After he spoke to Shawn, he’d suggest time in the hot tub to soothe the aches and pains—only, he didn’t have one anymore. They gingerly descended the steps and found Kaiya already dressed and ready to go. Kayla must’ve texted her. Judging from the bags beneath her eyes, she’d had another long night.

  He drove Kayla’s SUV since he knew the route. Shawn’s place was less than ten minutes away. He turned into the driveway, noting Shawn’s BMW parked close to the house.

  Kayla and Kaiya stood on either side of him as he pressed the doorbell. When no one answered, he tried knocking to no avail. Reaching in his pocket, he found the key Shawn gave him and unlocked the door.

  Pushing it open, he called out, “Shawn? It’s Finn.” No answer.

  “Stay there, Finn. Kaiya and I will clear this level before we head upstairs.”

  Though he wanted to protest, he did as she ordered and waited until they both returned, shaking their heads. Kayla led the way up the steps with her gun ready while Kaiya took up the rear.

  The door to Shawn’s bedroom was cracked. He pointed to it, and Kayla eased it open. The first thing Finn noticed was the empty pill bottle on the floor. The second was Shawn sprawled on the bed, unmoving. “No,” Finn tried to rush to him, but Kayla stopped him with two hands to his chest.

  “No, Finn. We don’t want to disturb anything. I’ll check for a pulse.”

  She skirted the pill bottle and placed her fingers along his neck. She looked up at him and shook her head.

  Finn slumped against the wall.

  “There’s a note on his computer,” Kaiya announced.

  “Read it out loud,” Kayla instructed.

  Kaiya’s voice penetrated, but he had a hard time believing his best friend could have done the things he confessed to in the letter. Shawn wasn’t a killer.

  “Shawn? You home?”

  That roused him from his slouch against the wall. “That’s Clint. I’ll get him before he comes inside.”

  Finn stepped into the hallway as Clint jogged up the steps. He stopped when he spotted him.

  “Finn? What are you doing here?”

  “I came to see Shawn. What about you?”

  He lifted his phone. “I got a strange text. I couldn’t get him on the phone, so I came over.”

  “What did your text say?”

  “I’m sorry. That’s it.”

  It was close to the message he sent to Finn.

  “Clint, Shawn’s dead.”

  Clint staggered back a step. “What?” Shaking his head, he s
aid, “No, that’s not possible.” He started around him, but Finn stopped him. “We don’t want to contaminate the scene.”

  Clint blanched. “He was murdered?”

  “I don’t know for sure, but it looks like he overdosed.”

  “No. No way. Shawn wouldn’t take his own life. We need to check on him. He might still be alive.”

  Finn stopped him again and held him against the wall. “We checked for a pulse. He’s gone. He left a note.”

  Clint’s eyes closed, and he crumpled to the floor like a balloon losing air. “How could he do this?” He looked up at Finn. “He was in trouble. Did you know that? He got in over his head gambling. I had no idea.”

  Finn didn’t either, having just found out from Shawn’s confession in the suicide note about his deep debt. He wished his friend had come to him. He’d have helped him out.

  “He was so upset after finding Georgiana dead. I stayed with him that night, but he seemed better in the morning. I should’ve checked in on him again.”

  Sirens wailed in the distance, and emergency personnel started arriving. Finn and Clint stood back as people rushed in and out, including Detective Johansen. Kayla and Kaiya spoke with her as technicians processed the scene. Kayla explained that the police would treat it as suspicious until the coroner concluded it was a suicide, so crime scene technicians would take pictures and collect evidence.

  “Your girlfriend seems to be in charge in there, even over the police.”

  “She’s not really my girlfriend.”

  Clint sat forward. “What do you mean? I’ve seen the way you look at each other.”

  “She works for the same company as Tyler, Kaiya and Mark.”

  Clint’s mouth gaped. “No way. She looks like a supermodel.” A frown tugged down his lips. “Why did you lie? I thought we were best friends.” There was genuine hurt in his voice.

  “We are.” Or rather, Shawn had been his best friend, but he’d known Clint as long. “We thought it would be best if we kept it from everyone. All of it wasn’t a lie. We did meet a month ago, and there was a connection.”

  Clint stared into the room again. “That’s how she took down Trevor Short.”