Crash Into Me

by L. A. Fiore

  “How do you do that?” I whispered.

  “You’ve very expressive eyes.”

  “The more we learn, the uglier it gets, and with the link to Enzi—”

  “You’re wondering how deep Carmine and I are in.”

  “Yes.”

  He released me, but I enjoyed watching him. He wore only a pair of sweats that hung so low on his hips, I could see the top of the V. Would I ever stop wanting this man? I really hoped not. He caught me looking and said, “My eyes are up here.”

  My own jerked to his face, the laugh bubbling up my throat that those words came from Kade Wakefield’s mouth. He grinned, but when he had my attention, he continued, “I know there’s a lot of speculation about me and my business, but the Feds are going to be disappointed because there’s nothing worth pursuing.” He grew thoughtful. “My biggest skeleton you know, but that crime happened in Montenegro, and there’s no extradition between here and there.”

  “If I walked in on what you had, I’d have killed him, too.”

  A meaningful silence followed, before Kade whispered, “I believe that.”

  “And Carmine?”

  “Carmine is smart.”

  “But he’s in deep.”

  “Deeper than I’d like.”

  It was thinking about Enzi that had me asking, “What’s Enzi senior like?”

  “I don’t really know him. He’s in his eighties. In his day, though, he was ruthless. I’m not surprised to learn of his part in Katrina Dent’s life and death. He was old school, the kind of boss who people feared and had every right to.”

  “And his son?”

  “Enzi junior isn’t like his father. He’s tough, but he’s moved the family into other areas that are less volatile. Did he make his bones, has he worked on the wrong side of the law, sure, but who in that culture hasn’t, but he isn’t the cold-blooded monster his father is.”

  “Why don’t Carmine and Enzi senior get along?” Then I realized what I asked and quickly said, “Never mind, that’s not your place to tell me.”

  He nodded. “Thank you for understanding that.” He pushed his hands into his pockets, which only made his sweats move lower on his hips. I crossed the room because I couldn’t take another second, my hands moving over his abs, down along that V of muscle. I was going lower, but he stopped me, which had my gaze jerking to his.

  “I know you’re in the middle of a case, but I want you to come home with me.”

  I glanced around the penthouse.

  “To Montenegro.”

  “Do you still have a family there?”

  “I never had a family, but it’s part of who I am.”

  I didn’t even need to think about it. “Yes. When?”

  “Whenever you can get the time.”

  “Okay, I’ll talk to the captain.” I pressed a kiss on his chest and added, “I’d like to take you to Marlton.”

  He lowered his head to hold my gaze. “Do they know about me?”

  “Yes.” That surprised him. “Before we went to Antigua, I called my dad. Told him about you, how I was falling. He told me to make sure you were there to catch me. I knew it then that you would be.”

  His voice was whisper soft. “Always.”

  Would we have always? He touched my chin. “Are we burning too hot? Like a roman candle, hot and bright, but not something that can be sustained?”

  “There are no guarantees in life, Molly, but what I can tell you is I’ve never wanted a woman like I do you,” he said, moving forward, which had me moving back. “I’ve never needed a woman like I do you.” My back hit the window. “I’ve never craved the taste of a woman like I do you.” He pressed in close, his fingers going between my legs. My breathing turned shallow. “I don’t just want your body but your heart and your soul. I don’t see that burning out.”

  I fisted the cotton at his hips and pushed it lower, my hand curling around his cock. He lifted me, my legs wrapped around his waist. I centered him right where we both needed him. Our eyes were locked when he sank into me.

  I moan, tilted my head back.

  He pulled out, held my stare. “Every part of you,” he whispered, and sank in even deeper, “Mine.”

  I fisted his hair and kissed him, my tongue pushing past his lips, my heels digging into his ass. I ran my hands down his arms, the one going between our bodies to touch my clit. His arm was locked around my waist; his free hand caught mine and linked our fingers, before he pressed them against the glass.

  We broke the kiss, but our faces were close, our eyes on each other, and when we came, it was together.

  I didn’t want to get out of bed on Monday morning. Kade’s attempt to energize me with a morning fuck backfired because I wanted us to stay right there, all day. He dragged me from bed, got me in the shower, washed my hair, was creative with washing my body, which led to another round of magnificent morning sex, before he left me, returning with a mug of coffee that he wrapped my hand around. A hard kiss and he was gone again, getting ready for the day.

  I drank the whole mug, before I dried my hair and pulled it into a knot. Entering the bedroom, I took a second because it was a pretty spectacular room, tucked off the main floor. The walls were a soft gray; there was a wall of windows with blinds that moved up into the ceiling, so nothing hindered the view. There was a massive dressing area with a walk-in closet that was bigger than my entire bedroom at the apartment. The king-sized mahogany bed with a crisscross craftsmen headboard sat in the middle of the room, dressed simply in a navy blue comforter. A fireplace and sitting area was on one side of the room, a new makeup table on the other. My heart swelled because he’d been thinking about me moving in for a while. Walking into the closet, I couldn’t help smiling because Kade had organized it, but not into his and hers. My clothes were with his, my suits with his, my shirts. It was the little things that showed how much he wanted me there, but more, it shined a light revealing how lonely he’d been. The truth was, I’d been just as lonely.

  Instead of taking one of my shirts, I took one of his, a soft gray one that felt like heaven against my skin. I pulled on my black pants, grabbed my boots and jacket. Entering the kitchen, Kade was at the island, mug in hand, reading a newspaper. I knew now his clothes cost a small fortune, but he wore the elegant, tailored fabrics so well.

  His focus was on me, his mug stopped halfway to his mouth, as he took in my outfit. “Nice shirt.”

  “I wanted you with me.” I said, dropping down on one of the kitchen chairs to pull on my boots. “And since it’s not ‘bring your sexy boyfriend to work day,’ I had to improvise.”

  Silence followed before Kade replied smoothly, “Friday is ‘fuck your hot detective girlfriend on your desk day,’ so make sure you free up some time in your schedule.”

  My head jerked up. He wasn’t smiling, but I was getting that look that was even better than a smile. “I’ll make sure to clear the whole day.”

  “That’s probably wise.” He took a sip of his coffee. “You’re going to need another gown.”

  “For what?”

  “The CyberTech launch.”

  I’d forgotten, with everything going on. I hadn’t seen the invite from Rothschild, but I was sure it was in my mail that I hadn’t looked at in a while.

  “It’s going to be fancy, isn’t it?”

  Kade wasn’t impressed. “Likely.”

  “Star studded.”

  “Probably.” And then he caught on when his eyes found mine and warmed. “The Academy Awards.”

  “Bucket list item.”

  “So not just a gown but jewels.”

  That got my attention. “What kind of jewels?”

  “Ones worthy of that exquisite neck.”

  My hand moved to my neck. He grinned. Salem jumped up on the counter, rubbing up against Kade. I watched as he scratched behind S
alem’s ears and was jealous of my cat. “He’s made himself at home.”

  “Good,” Kade said, putting his mug down and turning for the plate of eggs and bacon. He set it on the counter next to him. “Eat.”

  “You’re spoiling me.”

  His eyes found mine. “I haven’t even begun to spoil you.”

  I took the fork, pressed up against his side. He reached for his mug. “I’ll talk to Cap,” I said, around a mouthful of egg. “How long were you thinking for the trip home?

  “A week.”

  “Okay.” I finished my breakfast; he read his paper. As we were leaving for the car, I teased, “You’re very accommodating.”

  “I’m softening you up,” he countered, and hit the button for the elevator.

  “You want something?”

  He nodded.

  “What?”

  He leaned into me, his mouth almost touching mine. “Your ass.”

  This man was going to be the end of me, and I was so okay with that. I couldn’t keep the lust from my voice. “You don’t have to soften me up for that.”

  I swear he almost pulled me to the bedroom right then and there. Possession moved through him, his kiss was a brand, his words like gravel. “Noted.”

  “Milton is in the wind,” Zac said, standing and tossing his pen on his desk.

  “What?” I said, looking up from the notes on Enzi that Vin had dropped off.

  “After our last meeting, as soon as he got home, he packed up and left.”

  “He’s gone?” I said, pushing back from my desk. I had the craziest thought. I stood, and paced, thinking through what we knew before I looked over at Zac. “No one met him when he worked for Katrina, not the producers, not her friends. Not one of them could pick him out of a lineup.”

  Zac knew where I was going. “You’re thinking…”

  I started pacing again. “Milton is brought on board as Katrina’s representative, but no one recalls working with him. They all only worked with Jason, but her actual publicist, no one knows.”

  “He was there, but he wasn’t there, because he never existed,” Zac finished.

  “Exactly. Milton Teller was Jason’s backout plan.”

  Zac was pacing now. “He didn’t disappear, he just assumed the identity he created.” Zac looked at me. “I don’t know. It’s thin.”

  “But it works,” I said. “We need to dig deeper into Milton’s past, see if he actually has one.”

  “Yeah. We got the composite from Mitch. The computer geeks are aging it. We’ll run facial recognition software on it, compare it to Milton. Send pics of Milton to LAPD for Mitch to view.”

  “He’s likely changed his appearance,” I warned.

  “Yeah, and since we don’t have DNA on Jason, it’s not like we can compare, but Milton taking off, doesn’t look good for him.”

  “I thought Chadds Ford PD was watching him?” I said.

  “Yeah, I did, too. Got a call into Jamison to find out what the fuck happened.” Zac looked at his watch. “The Dents are due any minute.”

  “Damn, you’ve been busy.”

  “Yeah, well, having a new direction to look, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”

  “How did you get the Dents to come?” I asked.

  “We didn’t give them an option. LAPD reopened Katrina’s case, tagged it as a homicide, and they’re material witnesses, as well as people of interest in our case. Their lawyer tried to get them out of it. He wasn’t successful.”

  “Good. They need to start talking. They didn’t do right by their daughter when she was alive, but they can in her death.”

  “Agreed.”

  Zac reached across his desk for his coffee. “That shirt looks a little big on you.”

  “Costs more than we make in a month, too,” I said, then grinned. “I think we should talk to Gregory Enzi, the old man.”

  “I’m trying, but his lawyers are closing rank,” Zac shared.

  “Okay, so Enzi wants in on the Hollywood scene. The Dents are into him for fifty grand, they offer up their kid, who has that magical combination of beauty and personality. He gets one of his own to be her keeper, creates a star and keeps her there. Jason gets caught up in the lifestyle, Katrina finds someone to share the loneliness with. She gets pregnant, they don’t want anyone learning about it, so they hide her away until after the pregnancy. She’s scared into staying with Jason, but she starts to withdraw, not fulfilling her end of the deal. Enzi has Jason kill her and then Jason takes off, assumes the identity of Milton Teller. Jump ahead thirty years, some unknown journalist is digging into Katrina’s death.” I tapped my finger to my lip. “Was it possible that Frank knew about Milton. That he targeted Samantha, not because of Katrina, but confirming what he believed about Milton?” I bit my thumbnail. “I still think there’s a connection between CyberTech and all of this, the timing is too coincidental. I wonder if Milton is an investor?” I walked back to my desk and jotted a note to go through the CyberTech file again. “All of this, I believe, is about keeping the past in the past.”

  “Meaning, the identity of the baby and the father of the baby?” Zac clarified.

  “Yeah. Learning of the baby, lends credence to murder. I think someone was trying to stir shit up with Samantha, who and why, I don’t know. But I think the intention of our killer isn’t altruistic, just self-preservation. If Milton is Jason, the baby is a loose end that, if found, exposes the whole ugly mess,” I offered.

  “So, who’s the baby?”

  Tony and Ellie Dent were not the same people we visited a couple months back. He was aggressive, and she was afraid.

  “Why can’t you leave it alone?” Tony demanded.

  “You pimped out your daughter to cover your gambling debt. I understand why you’d want us to leave that alone.” I didn’t hide my anger.

  “How dare—”

  “Enough. You are getting very close to obstruction, and we will absolutely charge you, so cut the shit. We know you owed a loan shark fifty thousand, a loan shark that had links to Gregory Enzi senior. We know you introduced Jason Benjamin to Katrina, that you even footed the bill for his plastic surgery. How did you meet Jason?”

  Tony’s complexion turned an alarming color, but it was Ellie Dent who said, “I can’t do this anymore.”

  Tony’s head jerked to her. “We can’t…”

  “Yes, we can. We’re not living. We haven’t been living since we traded our daughter for fifty thousand dollars.” She showed spine when she turned determined eyes on us. “We owed the money. The man we owed offered us a solution. He was the one who introduced us to Jason.”

  “How did they know about your daughter?”

  “We lived in Brooklyn, it’s a tight community. Katrina used to do the local theater. She always had a presence. It was hard not to love her. It wasn’t the first time she was approached to model, or to act, but she wanted to be a teacher.” Tears collected in her eyes. “We took that away from her.”

  “And Jason?”

  “He worked for the loan shark,” Ellie said.

  “And who was that?”

  “Terence Baker.”

  Zac’s head snapped to me, because we knew that name. He was the same man who had encouraged Samantha to interview for Kade’s company. If Terence worked for Enzi, why the hell would he stir this all up? The impact on Kade, my heart sank; he was getting pulled into this shit again.

  “Terence Baker worked for Enzi?” Zac clarified.

  It was Tony who answered. “We never knew that for sure, but Enzi was the boss. Nothing happened in the city that he didn’t know about.”

  “So Jason makes your daughter a star and you follow on her coattails. Tell us about Milton?”

  “We knew of him, but he was very behind the scenes. Katrina spoke fondly of him, though.”

  Zac
and I shared a look before I asked, “So you never met him?”

  “No, not in person. But we spoke a few times on the phone,” Ellie offered.

  Our theory was thin but definitely a possibility. “And the baby?” I asked.

  “What baby?” Ellie said, her back going rod straight.

  “Katrina had a baby when she went away in eighty-four for that mental health break.”

  They were either great actors themselves, or they really didn’t know about the baby. “We have a grandchild?” Tony demanded.

  They had, but that child wasn’t a child anymore, and they’d missed it because of their fucking greed.

  “You really didn’t know?” Zac asked.

  “We’re not complete monsters,” Ellie cried. “A boy or a girl?”

  “We don’t know. So you aren’t aware of a man, your daughter was keeping company with, who wasn’t Jason?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “Do you know where Jason is now?” Zac asked.

  “After Katrina died, we never saw him again.”

  “Yes, but do you know who he is?” I pushed.

  “Not if he walked right up to us. He’d changed his appearance before and after—” Tony caught himself.

  “After what?” Zac demanded.

  I guess they realized they were in too deep, so he confessed. “After she came back from that year off, she was different. We didn’t know there was a baby, that actually explains so much, but she started to withdraw, was late for shoots, just wasn’t the same woman. It was why they made it look like a suicide because everyone would believe it. Jason killed her, under orders, and then he disappeared.”

  “Orders by who?”

  “Gregory Enzi.”

  Holy shit. “You do realize what you’re saying, yes? You are pointing the finger at a known crime boss?” Zac said.

  “He’s been paying for our silence ever since,” Tony added. “Too coincidental if we showed up dead after our daughter, and since we weren’t talking, it was worth it to him to keep us happy.”