Dawn of Evil_FBI Flashback

by Morgan Kelley

  He laughed.

  “Michael O’Banion owns it. That’s where you’ll find him if he’s around. I picture him swimming in gold coins in that big bank vault of his.”

  Yeah, all those blood covered gold coins.

  “Okay, then, Detective, I’ll lay low tonight. Tomorrow… well, that is going to be another story.”

  He figured as much.

  “It’s for your own safety. I’ve been trying to build a case against O’Banion for years. While he knows it, he won’t take a shot at me. That would make me try harder. You’ll be safe with me. I’ll watch your ass.”

  Chris didn’t like the sound of that. He already saw the man checking her out.

  What the hell?

  Single cop.

  Single Fed.

  Yeah, he was beginning to panic again. There were definitely sharks in the water, and Elizabeth was the sexy bait they all wanted.

  NOT.

  ON.

  HIS.

  WATCH.

  “Thank you, Detective,” she said, taking the file that he handed to her.

  “Be safe out there, Agent LaRue. Boston is a mob haven of crazy, jacked-up shit. You do not want to find yourself on the wrong side of the crazy,” Max offered. “Trust me on that. It’s dangerous.”

  Oh, she didn’t doubt it.

  Well, while she was there, maybe she’d have to do something about that.

  If the mob thought they had an immanent domain, maybe it was time for the FBI to end his reign.

  She was the woman for the job.

  Elizabeth LaRue was sure of it.

  * * * E l i z a b e t h L a R u e * * *

  Outside in his car, he made the call. He’d promised to handle it, and he would.

  “I need to speak to the boss.”

  “He’s busy,” stated the man on the phone. “What do you want?”

  “We have Feds in the city. He’s going to want to talk to me.”

  There was a pause of silence, and then the familiar voice came over the line.

  “What is going on, Detective? Why are you calling me?” he asked.

  “Well, it seems that the FBI has arrived,” Patty O’Brien stated. “She’s pretty, she’s bossy, and she’s in your town. You have trouble.”

  He laughed.

  Did he now?

  “I do love a pretty girl. I’ll buy her like the last two who came here. I’ll use her up, and then when I’m done…”

  He said nothing else.

  No one needed to know what happened to those two sluts. That was his business and his business alone.

  “I have her under control already. I’m that damn good,” Michael O’Banion stated.

  Patty O’Brien was getting the impression that this man was in for a surprise. Even only meeting her for those few seconds, he could tell.

  She was going to be a pain in the ass.

  A HUGE one.

  That had him scared shitless. There was a lot riding on all of this.

  “Boss, I know you have the skills with the ladies, but this one is different. She’s going to be tough.”

  “I’ve cracked a lot of tough nuts.”

  He may be right.

  “Well, what do you want me to do? Just give me the word, and I’ll take care of it.”

  Again, there was silence as Michael O’Banion worked it out. He had to be smart.

  Feds were tricky.

  “What case is she working on? Are we talking about the same one that I said hands off of earlier?”

  “Yeah, the ‘Boston Strangler’ wannabe.”

  Michael O’Banion contemplated it. This was a touchy situation. He was between a rock and a hard place.

  While he had a few options, none of them were the least bit legal.

  That’s what made his life so damn interesting. Since his two children wanted nothing to do with his life and the choices he’d made, he had to keep himself busy somehow.

  Jagger and Jaxon were huge disappointments to him. Michael did what he had to do, and that was it.

  Screw everyone else.

  “I’ll handle her. You just let me know where she’s going to be, and what she’s going to do, and I’ll make the introductions to her. Is she really pretty?”

  The man laughed.

  “She’s got long legs and tits you want to squeeze. She’s right up your alley, boss. It’s like you picked out all your favorite things and put them in one woman.”

  That was perfect.

  He loved coincidences like that.

  Truth be told, he needed to get a Fed on the inside. Gabriel Rothschild had been fucking with his town, trying to get it cleaned up. One Fed inside…

  Plus, if she gave good head, he could really enjoy their ‘working’ arrangement.

  For the right girl, he’d spend the money and make her life perfect.

  “Good. The last one didn’t really work out. She had a big mouth, and she ran it,” Michael stated. “Now, she’s not so eager to speak.”

  Patty didn’t ask more.

  It was best he didn’t know. This was one of those cases where asking questions could get you killed.

  Patty O’Brien wanted to live.

  A long.

  Long.

  Time.

  “So, about getting that captain’s job that I really want, boss...”

  The man laughed.

  Oh, he knew this call was going to be expensive. He could always tell. In Boston, nothing came for free.

  You had to play the game.

  You had to pay the price.

  Owning cops was pricey.

  “Let me check out the Fed, and go from there. If I can get her to help me out, then you definitely get those bars. I need more Feds. I don’t have many.”

  O’Brien didn’t push it.

  With Michael O’Banion, you didn’t.

  There was a fine line.

  “Thank you for the information, Patty, now follow that broad, and let me know what you find. I want to make sure I get eyes on her soon.”

  He bet.

  He knew Michael O’Banion. He was all about two things.

  Crime.

  Pussy.

  “On it, boss.”

  With that, he hung up and began earning his captain bars. One betrayed Fed at a time.

  Chapter Five

  Thursday Afternoon

  McCory’s Pub

  T he entire ride to the pub, Chris was silent. He was thinking about everything the detective had said, and he was a little more than just worried. He was borderline panicked. The thought of what could happen?

  It freaked him out. Being crazy about a badass woman with a tough job was not easy. All the what-ifs plagued his every waking moment.

  The mere thought of Elizabeth being in the mob boss’s scope was horrifying.

  Men like him…

  They either got what they wanted or they destroyed what they couldn’t have. It was a scary proposition, and he was worried about what could happen.

  To her.

  To them.

  “Spill it,” Elizabeth said, reading over the papers in the file. They were essentially the same ones that they’d received. This detective didn’t appear to be holding out—now his partner…that was anyone’s guess.

  Tomorrow would be a better indicator.

  “I’m just worried about you,” he said, pulling into the parking lot of the pub. “This assignment has me really nervous,” he admitted.

  The whole ‘someone cared about her’ thing was new to her. It wasn’t the norm.

  Yes, Charlie worried, but other than him, she didn’t have a long list of people who were concerned with her well-being.

  Chris was likely the only other one.

  “I’ll be okay, Christopher. I need you to have faith in me, and believe that I can do my job.”

  He turned in the seat of their rental and faced her.

  “I do have faith in you. I know you can do the job probably better than most people, but that doesn’t mean I�
�m not going to be worried. I support you no matter what, but I still have to be honest about my feelings.”

  Yeah, and boy…did he have feelings.

  Elizabeth listened to him, and his words really touched her. She appreciated them.

  She appreciated him.

  Gently, Elizabeth touched his cheek to show him how much that meant to her.

  “I appreciate that you always have faith in me and my ability—and that you have from day one. That’s huge for me.”

  Well, it seemed like the right time for him to go there. If they were going to be talking about feelings, and emotions, why not toss in needs.

  “I want to talk about us.”

  Elizabeth wasn’t surprised. She’d held back this monster long enough. It was time to face it down, keep her fingers crossed, and pray for a miracle.

  “Why do I feel like I’m going to need a drink to do this?” she asked.

  Yeah, that was a good idea.

  He needed one too.

  “Your wish is my command, madam. If it is a libation you require, then I can make that happen.”

  She snorted as he bowed his head with a flourish.

  “You’re a dork.” And she adored that about him. Chris was funny, silly, and he was himself. There was nothing worse than a man who pretended to be real and wasn’t.

  He was genuine.

  “I’ve heard that before,” he teased.

  Chris figured there was no time like the present to have their little talk. He was going to try and convince her to date him—as in date-date.

  Rushing around the vehicle, he opened her door and offered her his arm.

  She lifted a brow at the gesture.

  “This is a learning curve for me. Work with me on this,” he teased.

  She held onto his arm.

  Chris helped her out of the vehicle, but then, he tossed her folder inside. “I know you. You get distracted easily. We can work later.”

  He was probably right.

  Only, she had planned to use work if the conversation went south.

  Well, so much for that plan.

  Elizabeth let him lead her into the pub, and when they took a seat, a waitress headed their way.

  She was young.

  Pretty.

  And looked bored.

  “I’m Molly. Welcome to ‘McCory’s’. What can I get for you?” she asked.

  “Two beers,” Chris stated. “Make them Guinness, if you don’t mind.”

  She stared at him.

  “It’s kinda my job, so why would I mind?”

  He laughed as she headed away.

  “Oh, we’re drinking the big boy stuff,” she teased. “This must be a serious discussion,” she said, trying to settle the jangle of nerves in her gut.

  While there was a smile on her face, that knot in her chest was growing by the second.

  “It is,” Chris admitted, trying to build up the nerve to just do it. Tony said to ask her and that it was the best way.

  Right?

  What could happen?

  She could say no.

  She could laugh.

  She could end the little they had together.

  Well, shit!

  This was so damn hard!

  When Molly returned, Chris ordered them both burgers. If anything, he knew Elizabeth. She was going to want to eat something substantial since all she’d eaten all day was a cupcake and a gallon of coffee.

  Besides, he wanted to feed her. Chris never wanted to take care of a woman before—even in college. When he dated, it was mostly a couple of parties and sex back in his dorm room.

  That was it.

  There was never that need to dote on anyone until her. Elizabeth was sweet, and he wanted to give her that back.

  She sipped her beer and waited for him to do the deed.

  “It’s about us,” Chris stated.

  One of them had to be brave. He was going to go for it. What choice did he have? There were girl-stealing buzzards circling, and Chris knew he couldn’t compete. He was just an ME and her friend.

  “Okay, what about us?” she asked.

  “I don’t want to do this anymore,” he blurted. “I don’t want to have sex with you.”

  The beer paused halfway to her mouth, and she wanted to be sick.

  This was her fear.

  Here it came.

  “I see. So, the deal is off?”

  “Yes, I don’t want to sleep with you as a friend anymore,” Chris began.

  She put the beer down.

  “Did I do something?” she asked, leaning back in the booth. It was to steady herself.

  “Yes, you did.”

  Elizabeth tried to think about the million things she could have possibly done. Yes, she was hell on wheels, but with Chris, she tried to be softer, gentler, and more feminine. He brought that out in her.

  She wanted to try with him.

  Desperately.

  “I think that what I offered before was a horrible idea,” Chris stated, sipping his beer, “and I wish I never brought it up. This has been a mistake.”

  She felt like she’d been punched in the chest. All the air left her body, and she wanted to throw up.

  Here was the story of her life.

  It was why she slept with a guy a few times and moved on. She wasn’t dating material, girlfriend material, or wife material. She was a travesty.

  Here was her proof.

  The sweetest guy she knew was dumping her ass, and she likely deserved it.

  Here.

  In a public place.

  Great.

  She had the worst luck when it came to relationships, and here was the proof.

  “When I brought it up,” Chris said, continuing, “I didn’t think it through. I regret it, and we need to stop the stupid, lame agreement.”

  “I see.”

  “I don’t like sleeping with you, and…”

  His phone rang.

  Elizabeth wanted to cry.

  She just might.

  She never saw this coming, and it hurt. It damaged a part of her. The man she was crazy about had called their sex lives a mistake.

  That little scrap of connection he’d offered her was now being taken away. Elizabeth had never felt more alone in all of her life.

  This was why she was glad she never asked for more. This was exactly why she didn’t tell him that she’d fallen for him and wanted more than ‘friends with benefits’.

  “It’s Tony, and likely about work. Should I take it?” he asked, irritated that the call came in at this moment. He was just about to tell her he was crazy about her.

  “Yes, work comes first,” she said, trying not to let any emotion out.

  It was so hard.

  Chris answered his phone.

  “Tony! I can’t hear you. Hold on. I’ll go outside,” he said, glancing over at her. “I’ll be right back.”

  She only nodded.

  Chris headed out, leaving her behind.

  It was pretty symbolic of how she felt.

  This stop at a pub was a pretty shitty end to a day. What could have been a decent day was going down in flames, and it was all her fault.

  She let herself hope.

  She let herself dream.

  Some people were meant to be alone, and Elizabeth had to take the signs from the universe and go with them.

  He called it a mistake, and she would learn from it. She wouldn’t let anyone in anymore.

  It hurt too much.

  Elizabeth watched as he walked out the front door. She grabbed the passing waitress and stopped her. “Is there a back door?” she asked.

  “Yeah, are you ditching the nerd?” she asked.

  “He’s not a nerd, but yeah, I need to get out of here.”

  “Are you paying?” the woman asked.

  Elizabeth handed her cash. “How do I get out? And where is this hotel?” she asked, showing her the name on the paper in her pocket.

  The waitress took the cash and pointed at the
door in the back. “Go through the kitchen and out the back door. I’ll tell him you left. The hotel is a few blocks away—go through the park and when you see the hospital, you’re almost there.”

  “Thank you.”

  Elizabeth headed out, passing her waitress who stopped to talk to the other one. There was no doubt they’d be gossiping about her for hours to come.

  The tears in her eyes probably didn’t help.

  Outside, Elizabeth started walking. The city was busy, and she needed a few minutes to think. Elizabeth wanted to be alone until she regained her composure.

  Then it hit her.

  She was alone.

  Always.

  As she headed past the dumpsters, into the alley, and down the street, she needed to get as far away from Christopher Leonard as possible.

  Now she had another huge problem.

  They were stuck there working that case.

  Together.

  Talk about awkward.

  Wiping her eyes, Elizabeth refused to let a man make her cry. There had been too many in her past that broke her heart. They wouldn’t win.

  She was going to keep it in until she got to her room.

  Then, when she was locked away, all bets were off.

  When she walked through the kitchen, he saw her from where he was leaning against the wall. It took about three seconds for him to become fascinated with her. She was pretty, and she looked upset.

  Then he saw the badge and gun.

  Alarms went off.

  He almost followed her.

  Instead, he did what he knew was the right thing to do. He picked up the phone and made a call.

  “Yes?”

  “Boss, it’ s Joey.”

  “What’s going on, Joey? Did you handle that ‘situation’?” he asked.

  “Yes, Mr. O’Banion. It’s done, but that’s not why I’m calling you.”

  “Why are you?”

  “The FBI was just in my pub.”

  He laughed.

  My, my, it was a small world. It looked like he knew where the Fed turned up after the visit to the precinct. Well, at least he could track her.

  “Was she pretty?”

  He laughed that sick and twisted chuckle of his. That said it all.

  “She was very fuckable. Can I have her?” he asked. “I’ve been so good.”

  Michael O’Banion wouldn’t give the man a dead cat. He was insane and borderline depraved.