Vegas Series: Six-book Boxed Set (Hot Romance & Powerful Suspense)

by Mimi Barbour

  “The tapes reveal Rhondo arriving and leaving with Debbie and Alec.”

  “Alec? Who the hell is Alec?”

  Shit! When will I ever learn? “Sorry. A slip of the tongue. I meant to say the baby.”

  “Yet you said ‘Alec.’ Debbie finally chose a name…?” He turned his face away, but not before Aurora saw his lip quiver threateningly.

  “She signed them out at the desk as Debbie and Alec Ashton.”

  “Alec it is. My dad will be stoked. His name is Al.” The big guy turned back to her, and his sad smile forced hers in reaction.

  “Right. Let’s get busy. I want my wife and son home by the end of this hellish day.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Back at the office, Aurora couldn’t sit still. Like a wild animal caged, she shuffled papers, fidgeted with the computer, and ignored Kai’s grunts of displeasure.

  Cory finally broke the tension. “I’ve gotten a hold of Veronica Marks. She’s the best profiler in Nevada, and luckily, she just happens to be here at a convention. Coercing her to help us worked as soon as I admitted the victim was my wife.”

  Aurora’s heart lightened. The woman’s expertise for pinning down serial rapists like Rhondo was renowned. Cory moved in on Aurora, sat on the side of her desk, and grabbed the other half of her sandwich. Automatically, he took a bite and she shoved over the bottle of iced tea for him to finish.

  “Where’s Kai?” He asked.

  “My restlessness drove him away. He’s hounding the techs to get those tapes set up so we can scan them properly. We need that car number or the license plate. Meantime, I’ve been on to every precinct for a missing black and white, and so far, no one’s made a report.”

  “He had to have overpowered an officer in order to take the vehicle. Someone has to be missing.”

  “I know. Just don’t know who.”

  “Ham said to tell you Eddie’s pretty ripe now. He’s been crying uncle for some time. You going to break him loose?”

  “I’m on it.” Aurora sighed when she saw the last of her supper disappear into Cory’s mouth. Guess it’s either one of those stale donuts in the coffee room, or starvation.

  Grabbing two bottles of water from the dispenser that was usually empty, she strode over to the interrogation room that housed her new snitch. Not that he knew it yet. She decided to play nicey-nice, at least for a while. After all, there was due process to consider, but when it came to Debbie’s and Alec’s welfare, due process be damned.

  “Wake up, Eddie. I’ve brought you a cold drink. Man it’s hot in here.”

  “No shit, Einstein. You turned off the air conditioning.” His tone held a distinct sneer. In the meantime, he guzzled the cold drink and swiped at his dripping forehead.

  “Sure, after you complained you were cool. We’ve got it recorded, ace.”

  He eyed her, slits for openings.

  She returned his glare, feigning innocence.

  The man hadn’t exhibited any signs of coming down off drugs, none that she could ascertain. And by this time, he’d have been a mess if he’d been using anything other than weed. Guess Luke had been correct in thinking this dude might work out in taking over his role. Now all she needed was for him to agree.

  There were two ways to keep an informant faithful—with fear or friendship. Not sure how she could turn this around to make Eddie care. Guess there was only fear left to work with.

  “You’re a two-time loser. You must like it in the can to take the chance on going back for good.”

  “Those are old offenses. Ran with the wrong crowd as a teen. I didn’t do anything this time, and you know it.”

  Weirdly, his language skills had improved after the hours of sweating. “You’re on probation. And you know it. No doubt it says something in the rulebook about carrying an illegal weapon. Oh yeah, and how about the drugs?”

  “You had no reason to search me. I was minding my own business.”

  “Well, now I want you minding mine. I need eyes working for me. Interested?” She watched the play of relief combating rejection on the skinny, unshaven face. Clear eyes, brown intelligence lurking behind the dummied-down look, had her silently congratulating Luke on his choice.

  He leaned back in his chair, his hand rifling through the surprisingly clean, albeit sweat-dampened hair.

  “You want Rhondo, am I right?”

  Aurora sensed something coming. “He’s kidnapped my partner and her new baby, so yeah, I want him. As much as you want to breathe the free Nevada air.”

  “So there’s a deal here?”

  Astuteness sparked and took hold. Our friend Eddie had good acting skills, something else in his favor for working with her.

  “Depends.”

  “On how good I am at getting you information.”

  “That and…”

  “And…”

  “How much I can trust you. What’ll you do to stay out of prison?”

  This time the man looked her straight in the eye, no flinching, no lying. “He raped a good friend of mine, a girl by the name of Ruth Grainger. I want him almost as much as you do. When I was a kid who had no home, her mother used to let me sleep on the couch. Made me lunches for school. Made me feel like someone cared. Take it from me, Detective Morelli: I’m more than willing to be your eyes and ears. In fact I have some information you might not already know.”

  Aurora couldn’t believe her luck. “You hung out at the bar to get the skinny on Rhondo. And what were you intending on doing with him once you caught up?”

  “He raped my friend.”

  Aurora glanced at the window and then at the speaker visible on the wall. “Then you planned to call us, right.”

  Eddie followed her gaze and nodded. “Right!”

  “So what’s the info?” She felt a humming begin and knew his next words would make a difference to their investigation.

  “Rhondo’s father lives here in Vegas. Heard they don’t get along so well, but Earl visits with him from time to time. Could be he’d know where Sonny-boy would take a hostage. Or, could be, he’d bring them home to daddy.”

  “So where does daddy live?” Her pulse had quickened, and she just knew this lead was solid.

  “That I don’t know. When he showed up in town, I heard Mike ask him what shape he’d found his old man? He’d replied the old shit was still alive, and that only the good die young.”

  Aurora knew that Ham would be listening on the other side of the glass, and he would have moved on the tip already. She also knew there was a lot more juice to be squeezed from the players at the Hangout, juice that only one of their own would be privy to.

  She arched her neck and rubbed at the back, thinking, pondering her best choices in this scenario. “What say I let you go? Do you disappear, or do I hear from you again?”

  “What do you think?”

  She sized him up. The lounging whiner had been replaced with a man on a mission. “I think you need my cell number, Eddie, and new e-mail address.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Plain clothes and uniformed officers were in the meeting room, with Cory in charge at the front. He paced back and forth, only stopping to point a finger when he intended his message to be taken seriously. “We have every cop in the state following up on this kidnapping. If we don’t find Rhondo first, the FBI will be called in. Ladies and gentlemen, I want him myself—no sharing with the feds.” His finger slashed the air, leaving no one to wonder about his meaning.

  Aurora spied a few rookies wiggling in their seats, but the old-timers wore steady expressions of support.

  “As we speak, officers are picking up Big Mike. We’ll get him on an illegal gambling charge. Morelli noticed some of the men playing cards when they were there earlier, and there was money on the table. Lawson checked and his bar hasn’t got a gambling license. The county pulled it last year because of the constant fights. It’s a good enough reason to haul his ass in here and question him.” Cory’s voice, hoarse from being on the
phone for hours, grated. The man exemplified grim, with no give at all in his attitude.

  He turned to Aurora. “We have a new lead, “ thanks to Morelli. Once again he asked: “Rhondo’s father lives here? In Vegas?”

  Aurora perched on a desk, legs swinging. “That’s what Eddie said—somewhere in Vegas, though he didn’t know the exact area. I let him go so he could try and get a conversation started at the bar once we pull Mike in. We’re hoping the scumbags will open up if the big guy isn’t staring them down.”

  “Good idea. It’s worth a try.”

  She nodded at Ham, who’d appeared at the doorway and gave her a nod, then stood to leave.

  “Where are you going?” Cory demanded.

  “To see the tapes. Ham says the techs have set them up.” She got tiredly to her feet and balanced for a few seconds before moving.

  “Hold up Aurora. Hampton.” Cory’s old bellow was back.

  Ham answered from two feet away. “Yes, Boss?”

  “Order some food—pizzas or sandwiches—and lots of coffee. Get some decent stuff in here.”

  “On it.” Ham left.

  Cory slapped his hands together. “Okay, everyone our priority is to find my wife and son. So concentrate on whose vehicle Rhondo borrowed, and hope the officers are alive in order to tell us what went down. And we need to find the poor sucker who fathered this loser. Everyone works this case, and no one leaves except to use the bathroom till I say so. That clear?”

  ***

  The crowd thinned rapidly, not one face looking pissed at having to work overtime. When it came to a cop needing support, there were none better than the people behind those badges.

  Cory moved to take Aurora’s arm. “I’ll go with you. I saw the tapes before the IT geeks got a chance to work their magic, but you have better instincts and good eyes. Who knows, maybe something will pop.”

  They hurried down the various hallways, then up the short flight of stairs to where the computer techs hung out in their land of flickering monitors and virtual reality. Never satisfied, they always wanted newer and better toys, but the budget only stretched so far. Hopefully what they did have was enough to edit the videos to where they’d get a break.

  “Where’s Kai?” Aurora had missed him as soon as she’d stepped from the interrogation cell.

  “He’s gone to pick up Veronica Marks. They should be here soon.”

  “BTW, you know we never got to check out Debbie’s room at the hospital after she’d left? The staff had started cleaning it for the next patient before we could stop them.”

  “I heard.” His fingers tightened on her arm.

  “I meant to ask. Has the hospital sent over the rest of her belongings, her purse for instance?”

  “Yes, got it a while ago. Thanks for arranging it.”

  “Did you get a chance to see if her charger was in her purse?” Aurora asked.

  “Never thought of it.” His stance stiffened, and he yanked her to a stop. “Why?”

  “‘Cause the last time I visited, she had the phone plugged in and it sat near her pillow. What if she took it? I thought to call but I hesitated in case her ringer was on and he found the phone.”

  “You’re right. God, how could I have forgotten something so basic? She always kept it near her on the bed. I’ll go now and see if it’s in her purse.” He hurried away in the direction of his office—his long stride missing the old bounce.

  IT had every surface littered with older computers, monitors, and equipment that spilled over in the corners and onto the floor. They’d set up a screen on a large desk littered with hard-drives, headphones, and various types of cables. Maybe not be the best-of-the-best stuff available on the market, nevertheless they’d done wonders with the video’s picture quality.

  “Run that tape again, Ray.” Her frizzy-haired friend had seemed relieved to be able to do something for her. “But this time slow it down, and zero in on her hand holding the baby blanket. There’s something going on that I couldn’t see clearly on the other monitor. There, hold it.”

  The hospital’s video system, obviously not state of the art, had a grainy sequence of shots that showed a uniformed officer whose hat hid his face. He moved in on room 505 and then reappeared, seemingly helping a woman who carried a tightly wrapped baby.

  “See her hand by the blanket? Get closer. There! Her fingers. It’s the phone sign.” Debbie’s thumb and little finger fleetingly formed the signal that Aurora and Debbie used all the time for ‘call me.’ Excitement lit up Aurora’s face just as Cory burst into the room.

  “Cory, she’s got her cell! Does it have GPS?”

  “No. The brat wouldn’t let me change her phone to update it. Said it took her long enough to learn everything about the one she had now. By God, that’ll change as soon as she gets home if I have to buy it for her birthday.”

  “Look here.” They rewound the tape and Aurora pointed out Debbie’s symbol. Gladness filled her at the thought that Debbie might be able to contact them. They certainly couldn’t take the chance to text her. Her old partner loved knowing every time an e-mail came through and had set her ring-tone with an annoying set of bells. Drove Aurora crazy most of the time. If Debbie hadn’t had the opportunity to shut that option off, Rhondo would find the phone. Nope, they couldn’t take the chance. Just had to pray she’d get a message through to them.

  The image of his young wife and baby son being led away by a rapist had Cory visibly shuddering. “Can’t believe he wouldn’t have checked and taken it away from her.”

  “Yeah. Seems kind of sloppy to me also. But then again, there was a lot going on. Who knows, maybe she lied and said she didn’t have one. That wife of yours is a pretty good actress. She can fake anyone when necessary.”

  Cory huffed loudly, and the tension that had gripped him seemed to loosen slightly.

  “That she is!” Pride rang in his voice.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  It was early in the evening, and the light had begun to wane. What seemed to Debbie like ages after they’d left the hospital, but wasn’t that long by the police car’s clock, a call came over their radio. Rhondo stared Debbie down, and showed her his gun. “Not a word.”

  He angled his mouth to the left and spoke into the microphone attached on the shoulder of his uniform. “LVPD, 2Queen4… go ahead.”

  The radio operator gave the message about the hostage situation, and Earl replied with the correct affirmative. Debbie knew he had to have gotten instructions from the vehicle’s officer. She only hoped the poor soul was still alive.

  Satisfied that he’d slid under the radar, he clicked off, then turned to her. “The game is on. Give me your phone.”

  “What phone?” Debbie played dumb. Meanwhile, hidden inside the baby’s blanket, her fingers were wrapped around the device in a death grip.

  “Don’t mess with me. Hand it over. I won’t ask again. If I have to take it from you, someone might get hurt.” How could a voice be so cold—no inflection, no warmth, just a deadly promise?

  He pulled to the curb and held out his hand. She glanced out the passenger window and saw no one. The rundown neighborhood looked to be full of depressing buildings that housed the poor and uncaring.

  Slowly, she pulled her hand out, all the while her thumb caressing her girlie pink companion. This phone had become her best friend over the last while, her connection to everyone she loved. Giving it up equalled passing over the link to her life, her world, her and Alec’s safety.

  Scorn filled his voice. “Thought you could pull a fast one, hey? Don’t underestimate me, Deb.”

  Skilful acting kicked in and stopped her tears. She threw it to him, then watched as he leaned out of the window and dumped it into a garbage can. The knowledge that Aurora would have made her call-me clue on the video had kept Debbie sane. It would have given them hope that she could get them a message. Now there was nothing. She was on her own. Oh God!

  On the highway heading out of town, Rhondo drove like one p
ossessed. She became lost once they left the city limits and took the first few turns to nowhere. He’d used roads that could only be called tracks, and even that would have been a compliment.

  Jostled and sore, Debbie clamped her lips shut and prayed the baby wouldn’t cry—that he’d stay sleeping.

  During this whole time, only once had the man’s face softened, the meanness faded. Looking at the sleeping child, he’d almost seemed human. Then he said the first thing that gave Debbie any indication of why the crazy bastard had broken into her hospital room and kidnapped her and Alec.

  “He has my chin.”

  Thoughts and images flooded her. Debbie hated reliving those moments when he’d beaten her, broken her spirit, and possessed her body. Worst of all, she detested having to spend even a split second letting him have room in her head. For months she’d worked so hard to obliterate the animal from her mind.

  Except now the animal had forced his way into her life again. This time she’d be damned if he’d win whatever battle he intended. Not when the life of her son was at stake. This time, she’d kill him or be killed.

  With that promise fixed securely in her head, she relaxed the muscles in her back and stomach, and then arched her neck to release the painful stiffness. She couldn’t let her emotions rule. Now she needed her smarts to work for her. Being a savvy cop gave her an advantage, one she’d use to the last breath in her body. He wanted to play it this way? She’d go along.

  “You think so?” She cleared the acid eating at her throat.

  Rhondo glanced at her quickly, then turned back to the road.

  She watched the play of expressions on his face and knew her answer had unnerved him. Liking the power, she added. “I named him Alec.”

  “Why Alec?” Tentative interest had flared, and the words burst from him as if he had tried but couldn’t contain them.

  “The first reason is my father’s name was Alexander. The second is I figure the kid will probably grow up to be a smart aleck anyway, and I like that the word ‘smart’ will be connected, a kind of mind transference thing. You know. If people call him smart, he’ll have to live up to it.”