Iron Cross (COBRA Securities Book 20)

by Velvet Vaughn

  Kayla’s lip curled. “He probably would’ve loved that moniker.”

  “His parents refused to believe me, insisting Clint was a good boy who wouldn’t harm a flea—their words.”

  “Isn’t that what the relatives of all serial killers say?”

  “Pretty much. They’re on the way here to identify his body, and they want to see Finn.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. When he recovers,” and he would, “he can decide to talk to them or not.”

  “Do you feel like giving your official account of the events?”

  She might as well get it over with while it was fresh in her mind. She relayed everything that transpired, starting with Clint’s distressing phone call. It was hard to relive the moments leading up to Finn’s shooting. Anja recorded her statements then held out a hand. “I’m sorry for what happened, but it was good to meet you.”

  Kayla shook it. “You, too, and I sincerely appreciate your willingness to work with me.” An impulse struck. “My bosses are here. Let me introduce you to them.” Anja looked panicked and glanced down at her rumpled oxford shirt. “Don’t worry. They won’t judge you on how you look.”

  She guided the skittish detective to Luke and Logan and made the introductions. She didn’t need to explain to them why she was facilitating the conversation. They’d understand she was a possible hire. As they talked, Anja visibly relaxed.

  A loud ruckus sounded, and she turned to see Arnie, Dmitry, Jacques, Barrett and several of Finn’s teammates crowding into the waiting room. Even Coach Silva was there. They all greeted her with hugs and insisted she let them know if she needed anything.

  The only thing she needed was Finn.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Dreams flittered through Finn’s head of Bruiser Briggs bearing down on him, his toothless grin a mocking warning. Bruiser had lost his two front teeth years ago when he took a stick to the face without wearing a mouthguard. He now wore one, but he blackened the front to make it look like his teeth were missing. The next image was of Finn lying prone on the ice from where Bruiser had flattened him.

  Something beeped a steady rhythm, and he wondered if it was the clock counting down the time until the end of the period. He should really get up and skate off the ice, but his body felt heavy and uncoordinated. Bruiser was probably laughing his ass off at Finn lying prone at his feet.

  Forcing his eyes open, he blinked until the room came into focus. This was no twenty-thousand seat arena with animated scoreboards and screaming fans. It was a dull, industrial white space with an assortment of monitors and a television attached to the wall across from him. Instead of Bruiser Briggs’ ugly mug, the face he spotted was the most precious sight in the world. Kayla. She was asleep in a chair. His eyes narrowed. The left side of her face was black and blue, and it looked like her arm was in a cast.

  His brows turned down. What happened to her? He had to know. “Kayla,” he croaked.

  Her blue eyes snapped open, and she was beside his bed in an instant. “Finn. Thank God you’re awake. I’ve been so worried. How do you feel?”

  “Sore, achy. Why did you wince?”

  “Oh, it’s nothing. A couple of bruised ribs that protest when I move too suddenly.” She picked up a button beside his bed and pushed it. “I need to let the nurses know you’re awake.” She smiled. “They fight each other over who gets to take care of you.”

  He wanted to ask her how she’d been hurt, but the room was suddenly overrun with nurses taking his blood pressure and temperature, fluffing his pillow and arranging the sheets over his legs. Kayla had moved back to give them room. The doctor entered with a pair of reading glasses perched on the end of his nose as he examined the chart in his hands. He was tall and slender with salt and pepper hair. He explained Finn’s injures and the steps taken to correct them. By the time they were all done with him, he couldn’t keep his eyes open.

  The next time he woke, he was relieved to discover Kayla was still by his side. He reached out a hand to brush his fingers against her damaged cheek. He would punch whoever did this to her. “Who?”

  “You don’t remember?”

  He searched his brain, but it was a fuzzy, muddled mess. He wasn’t sure what was real and what had been conjured in his unconscious. He’d suffered through disturbing dreams where friends were enemies, and Kayla was in danger. He’d tried to get to her, but his arms and legs felt anchored in concrete, and he couldn’t reach her. Thank God she was okay. “No.”

  “You were shot.”

  That would explain the excruciating pain in his chest. “Who shot me?” She didn’t answer right away, and he tried to focus on her. “Kayla?”

  She looked him in the eyes, her blue gaze full of worry and concern. “Clint.”

  Shock rolled through him. “Clint Groves shot me? Why?”

  “Because he was the serial killer.”

  “But, I thought Shawn…” Vivid images assailed him of being tied up in some kind of abandoned steel mill. Horror washed over him when he remembered Kayla anchored to a cross, her arms outstretched above her head. He’d been powerless to help her. Then there was the crushing disappointment upon discovering it’d been Clint all along. He murdered Nina and Mark and so many others. And Shawn. An ache opened in his heart. His long-time friend and agent was gone, but he hadn’t taken his own life as they thought. Clint murdered him. He felt guilty for ever believing Shawn had been the culprit.

  “Why?”

  “He was jealous of you and your success, but mostly because he was a psychopath.”

  He swallowed heavily. Judging by the lead weight sitting on his chest, he didn’t know if he’d be able to play hockey this season—or ever again. He didn’t want Clint to have taken that away from him, too. The man burned down his house with his sweet, hardworking housekeeper inside. So much loss.

  “I’m sorry about Mark.”

  Kayla picked up his hand and threaded their fingers. “Me, too. But it’s all on Clint.”

  “What happened to him?”

  “You don’t remember bashing him in the head with an iron bar?”

  “No, but damn, I wish I did.”

  “He’d shot you at that point. He was coming after me, but you rose and struck him in the head.”

  “I killed him?” He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He wanted to murder him for hurting Kayla, but actually doing so was an altogether different feeling.

  “No, it just stunned him. Kaiya came back and shot him, but if you hadn’t slowed him down, I would be dead.”

  A shudder racked him at the thought of something happening to her. She was his life. “I’m so damn sorry. He was my friend. I should’ve seen something.”

  “Stop. There was no way you could’ve known. He was very adept at acting normal.”

  He closed his eyes, the pain of betrayal too much. He should’ve noticed something was off with Clint. If he had, he might’ve been able to prevent so many lives from being lost.

  “Your parents are wonderful, Finn.”

  He opened his eyes again. “They’re here?”

  “Yes, the entire time. They left a few minutes ago to get something to eat.”

  “How long have I been out?”

  “Three days. The good news is the doctors repaired the damage, so you’ll have a full recovery. He missed your heart by millimeters. If you hadn’t jumped up at the same time he pulled the trigger, he would’ve hit you in the head.”

  It indeed was divine intervention that he was able to loosen his bonds. Otherwise, he’d be dead.

  “So many people have stepped up to assist you. Your teammates have been here daily, and that includes Trevor.”

  “Really?” Maybe the rookie would turn out to be okay after all.

  “Yes. They want you to know they have your back. Your poker crew has been driving me crazy, wanting to visit you.”

  He smiled, thinking of Arnie, Dmitry, Jacques and Barrett. His brothers. Their friendship was forged on the ice, and
they meant more to him than he could say.

  “Darcy admitted she confessed because she thought she was protecting you. She’s camped out in the waiting room. She hasn’t left.”

  It humbled him that someone was willing to risk their life for him, but scary at the same time.

  “Ricky Westfield has stopped by several times, too.”

  Thinking of Ricky reminded him that Georgiana was gone. What that meant for the team, he wasn’t sure. Kayla read his mind.

  “Georgiana was in the process of writing her will after Broderick’s passing, but it wasn’t finished or filed, so Broderick’s will should stand. If anything happened to Georgiana, Ricky inherited everything. It looks like he’ll take over ownership.”

  “That’s good,” Finn said, meaning it. Ricky knew more about hockey than anyone.

  “Also, he thinks the way his father’s will reads, he’ll inherit Georgiana’s fortune, too. He’s already making plans to return the ill-gotten money to the families she scammed.”

  That was the right thing to do, and he was glad Ricky was kind enough to make it happen. They were the rightful heirs.

  “He wanted me to let you know that he would honor the contract you signed with Georgiana and Shawn, but he’d be willing to renegotiate if it wasn’t what you wanted.”

  “It was more than I would’ve asked for,” he murmured.

  “I think he wants to make sure you stay a Punisher,” she said. “You could ask for the moon, and he’d trip over himself to give it to you.”

  He tried to inhale, but it was painful. He wasn’t sure he’d be ready in a few months to resume training. He’d never missed a game in his life, all the way back to the junior leagues.

  “You should rest.”

  “I have been for three days.”

  “If you’re up to another visitor, there’s someone else who wants to see you.” She typed into her phone. A minute later, the door burst open, and Tyler Redmond rushed through.

  “Finn! It’s about time you woke up.”

  “I’ll let you two catch up,” Kayla said as she slipped out the door. He had the desperate urge to call her back. He didn’t want her leaving him. It was irrational, but he wanted her by his side. Forever.

  “How are you feeling?”

  Tyler’s question snapped him from his thoughts. “Alive.”

  Tyler chuckled. “That’s the best feeling.”

  Finn smiled. “What are you doing here instead of spending time with your new bride?”

  “I wasn’t leaving until I knew you’d pull through. Plus, I wanted to tell you I was sorry in person.”

  Finn frowned. “Sorry for what?”

  “I knew back in high school how cruel Clint was, and I said nothing. I should’ve dug into his and Shawn’s backgrounds, but I didn’t even consider them suspects.”

  “Me, either. Was there a red flag in Clint’s background?”

  “No. Nothing. His record was clean, and he was discharged honorably from the Army.”

  “Then why are you apologizing? You wouldn’t have found anything if you looked into him.”

  “I just feel guilty that you were hurt, and so many people died.”

  “I do, too.”

  Tyler plopped on the side of the bed. Finn tried not to moan when the movement jarred his aching chest.

  “So,” Tyler said, “you and Kayla. I knew you two were perfect for each other.”

  “Then why did you try to warn me about her at your wedding?”

  “It wasn’t a warning, just friendly advice that she could take you down with one hand if you hurt her.”

  “I’d never do that.” He wanted to spend his life making sure she never hurt again.

  “I’m so happy that two of my best friends are getting married.”

  “Woah, no one talked about a wedding.” Surprisingly, the thought didn’t scare him as much as he thought it would. “Besides, we have a distance issue.”

  “So, you get together when you can. There’s always Skype. If you love each other, distance shouldn’t be an issue. You make it work.”

  After Tyler left, Finn’s parents came in and fussed over him for an hour. Then his teammates and coaches stopped by in twos. Every time the door opened, his heart stuttered, hoping to see Kayla, but she hadn’t returned all afternoon. He spoke to Ricky, who reiterated what he’d told Kayla about his contract, but Finn was more than happy with what he’d signed. Darcy came in to inform him that she would always be his fan, but she was moving on. Good. He thanked her for trying to protect him. Despite his protests, Kip Pennington took pictures to upload to the team social media accounts and post to the website to let everyone know he was alive and on the road to recovery. He waited for Kayla after Kip left, but tiredness weighed him down, and he fell asleep.

  #

  Knowing Finn would be occupied for several hours, Kayla took the time to return to the rental house to shower and change, which was challenging with a cast on her wrist. She’d offered for his parents to stay with her, but they’d already booked a hotel close to the hospital.

  It’d been a tense few days worrying about him. She hadn’t slept more than an hour or two at a time. The nurses set up a cot for her in his private room, but her ribs protested, so she ended up in the recliner beside his bed. They were gradually feeling better.

  The entire time she was away from Finn, she missed him. It’d only been a couple of hours, yet she couldn’t wait to get back to him. Was this what it would be like when she returned home? Could they make a long-distance relationship work? Would he even want to try?

  She was driving herself crazy, so she climbed into her SUV and headed back to the hospital. Now that Finn was awake, the waiting room had cleared out. Waving to the nurse on duty, she gently pushed the door open to his room. His parents were sitting with him, his mom reading and his dad watching television with the sound low. Finn was asleep.

  His mother stood and hugged her. “We’re going back to the hotel to rest, knowing he’s in excellent hands. We’ll be back in the morning.”

  After they left, Kayla took a seat beside his bed. Though his eyes were closed, he smiled. “You came back.” Then they opened, and her heart started pounding.

  “Did you think I wouldn’t?” She brushed a strand of hair from his forehead. She meant it lightheartedly, but his look was serious.

  “I know we haven’t known each other long, but I know my heart. Kayla, I love you.”

  Tears welled as she leaned over to kiss him. “I love you, too, Finn.”

  He closed his eyes and sighed. “Thank goodness.”

  “We have a minor issue of distance to figure out.”

  He threaded his fingers through hers. “I don’t care if you’re on the other end of a phone line or looking at me through a computer screen or wrapped in my arms. As long as I have you in my life, that’s all that matters.”

  Epilogue

  Finn inhaled the fresh air and gazed at the lake in front of him. Kayla insisted he recuperate at her house where she could take care of him after his release from the hospital a week ago. There was nothing he wanted more. She even generously invited his parents to stay with them. They’d spent the week together, mostly sitting on the deck while he regained his strength. He’d hugged them goodbye an hour ago, and Kayla was driving them to the airport. His mom and dad loved her, and he was sure the feeling was mutual.

  The past few days had been a much-needed rest after the trauma and stress of the prior week where Clint wreaked havoc on so many lives. He was still trying to come to terms with all that happened.

  Getting out of town had been the right move. The story of Clint’s crimes had become a media sensation. The Pittsburgh Strangler. He shook his head. It was the lead on every news program and headlined papers around the world. He’d been out of it the first few days, but once he woke up, the requests had been overwhelming. He’d given Kip a brief interview to distribute to the media outlets. Soon enough, some other scandal would break and he’d be fo
rgotten. He hoped.

  He hadn’t been able to travel for Shawn’s funeral, but his parents understood. Clint’s mom and dad reached out to him, too, begging forgiveness for their son. They were good people. He gave them the words they needed to hear, even if he didn’t feel them in his heart. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to forgive Clint for the destruction he caused. It wasn’t losing his house that upset him. It could be replaced. It was the lives of good people he ended that Finn couldn’t forget.

  He’d hired an interim director for his foundation with the help of Taylor Costa, Kendall Demarchis and Olivia Mylonas, wives of Kayla’s coworkers. They owned a production company and were business savvy. Kayla trusted their advice, so he did, too. If the woman worked out, he’d make the position permanent once he returned to Pittsburgh.

  Several sports agents had contacted him, knowing he was in the market for a new one. It felt a little ghoulish since Shawn hadn’t been dead long. His teammates had offered the names of their reps. His contract was signed, so he wasn’t in a rush. He wanted to make sure he made the right choice.

  Coach Silva reluctantly turned the Stanley Cup over to the caretaker, but not before taking pictures of it decorating every room of his house. Jaxon Hart had been released from the hospital and was recovering at home in Toronto.

  During his stay at the COBRA Securities compound, he’d become good friends with former major league baseball player Reed Steele. Now an architect, Reed drew up plans for a new house to be constructed on his lot overlooking the city. He was even working with a contractor in Pittsburgh to clear the charred remains and start the build. Finn never dreamed it could happen so quickly.

  His poker crew teammates offered to take over his summer hockey camp duties. He always made sure to include them as much as possible every year so the kids could learn different positions and techniques, but it was Finn’s name that was the draw. Their kindness and generosity was humbling.