Whatever It Takes 2

by Christy Reece

  “Hit man?” Nick asked.

  “Yes.”

  “He took to the job like he was born for it. He had several kill methods, but his favorite was two at a time.”

  “Two?” Kennedy asked. “How do you mean?”

  “He took contracts that often involved killing a couple—a man and a woman was his preference. He’d study them, learn their weaknesses, then lure them with whatever story he had to. He’d rape and torture the woman—usually for hours—in front of the tied-up and helpless man. He would make promises that he’d let them go if she cooperated.

  “When he’d gotten his fill, had his fun, he would shoot the woman first, then the man.”

  Nick gave a low growl of disgust. “And do you want us to find the person who killed this sadistic son of a bitch and give him a medal? Because that’s my first inclination.”

  “I just want a name.”

  “Grey?” The hesitancy in Kennedy’s soft voice told him what was coming. “Do you think Irelyn killed this man?”

  Kennedy’s instincts, as always, were excellent. However, that wasn’t something he could share. “Why would you say that?”

  “She’s from Ireland, too.” Her brow wrinkled. “Isn’t she?”

  He didn’t blame her for her confusion. One of Irelyn’s many talents was the ability to perfectly mimic every accent she’d ever heard.

  “She’s spent a lot of time in Ireland, yes.”

  Nick’s eyes narrowed. “You know, it’d be a helluva lot easier if you’d tell us as much as you know.”

  “I’ve told you what I can.”

  “Once we find out who it is. What then?”

  “Get me a name. I’ll take it from there.”

  And he hoped to hell the name was different from the one he feared.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Maybe we should have waited until they got home from school.”

  Eli glanced over at the woman in the passenger seat beside him. Something about him put her on edge. He didn’t get the idea that she disliked him. It was more as if he disturbed her composure, unsettled her. And that didn’t bother him in the least.

  “It’ll be better this way. It’ll be fine. I promise.”

  Even though he was no longer looking at her, he knew her eyes were throwing daggers at him. It wasn’t as if he’d forced her to come with him. She’d left after lunch, assuring him she’d be back by three o’clock to go with him to the school. He’d been a little surprised that she’d actually come back, but shouldn’t have been. One of the many things he had learned about Kathleen was her need to keep her commitments. When she made a promise, she kept it. Since he didn’t have a lot of faith in mankind these days, that character trait was damn refreshing.

  The dress she was wearing couldn’t be more perfect for this meeting. He had chosen well, though she didn’t yet know that the dress had come from him.

  And her hair. Nothing had prepared him for how lovely she would look with her hair unbound and flowing over her shoulders like a river of red gold. She was both spellbinding and enchanting. A fairy sprite come to life. His daughters were going to love her.

  She didn’t believe they would take to her, but Eli knew better. Plus, he had a secret weapon. One that he didn’t feel the least bit guilty in using.

  The first part would be the hardest, for both of them.

  Steeling himself, he glanced over at her and said casually, “I like the dress. Very fetching.”

  Her eyes dropped to take in the multicolored confection. Every hue of the rainbow mingled together to create a mesmerizing, eye-catching mélange of fabric and design. With every move she made, the material shimmered in rhythm with her body.

  “I’m attending a cocktail party at the art center this evening. I won’t have time to go home and change, so…” She shrugged as if self-conscious and shifted her attention out the window. The soft rosy flush on her face added additional enchantment to her beauty.

  “And your hair is lovely, too. You don’t wear it down often.”

  “No. Kind of gets in the way.” Her smile was tight. “Breaking into houses and all.”

  “Ah, makes sense. So, tell me a little more about your childhood. I know that you raised your sister. You were what…nine when your mother died in childbirth? Raising a child is tough enough. Being responsible for one at the age of nine is remarkable.”

  She didn’t respond, clearly uncomfortable with discussing herself. Too bad. She needed to realize that not only did he know almost everything about her, he admired and trusted her.

  “I didn’t raise Alice by myself. My father was there, too.”

  Eli didn’t comment about that, knowing she wouldn’t appreciate Eli’s opinion of a man who was not only irresponsible enough to depend upon his nine-year-old daughter to raise her sister, but to make his living as a thief.

  “When your father went to prison, you and your sister went to separate foster homes. I can only imagine how hard that was for you.”

  No response again, but her lovely mouth had become a mutinous line. Being a stubborn, tenacious man, he didn’t let that stop him.

  “That was what…for three years? Then you were reunited?”

  “My father agreed to work for the government. He paid his debt to society. He got the family back together as soon as he could. It worked out fine.”

  “And you lost him two years later.”

  “Mr. Slater, you’ve proven you’ve done your homework. I don’t need my life history verbalized. I’ve lived it.”

  He had become Mr. Slater again. While he regretted her need to put distance between them, he intended to have his say. He had the odd feeling that Kathleen wasn’t as big a fan of herself as he was.

  “At eighteen, you were in charge of a nine-year-old. How’d you do that? Go to college and work, too?”

  “Very poorly, I assure you. You are apparently aiming to prove that I’m some sort of marvel or saint. I can assure you I’m not. If I were, Alice wouldn’t have found herself on trial for murder. And she wouldn’t be dead.”

  “So you blame yourself for all the things that happened to your sister?”

  “Who else can I blame?”

  “Umm. The scumbag Frank Braden, for one. And how about your sister? She holds no responsibility for what happened?”

  Her eyes flashed with both anger and grief. “My sister is dead.”

  “Yes, and I’m very sorry for that. But you did everything you could for her. The choices she made led her to Braden. Not you.”

  Fire gleamed in her eyes as a defiant expression came over her face. “So tell me, Mr. Slater. Do you feel any regret or remorse for the fact that your wife died of a drug overdose?”

  He was glad she had gone on the offensive, greatly preferring that to her sadness and guilt. And she had made an excellent jab, because he did indeed feel a great responsibility for what had happened to Shelley. How could he not?

  “As a matter of fact, I do. More than most people realize or could understand.”

  Ashamed, Kathleen looked away from him, awash in regret. Yes, his questions and comments had been out of line, but using his own tragedy against him had been deplorable on her part. She rarely lost her cool, but when she did, she had a tendency to lash out in the most hurtful way possible.

  “I’m sorry, Eli. I was out of line. If you were at Alice’s trial, you had no choice but to hear about my past. And it only makes sense that you’ve had me investigated.” A brief smile cracked her face. “I’m sure you don’t allow just anyone to break into your home. However, knowing about my past and talking about it are two different things. I had quite enough of that during the trial.

  “Dwelling on bad memories gets you nowhere. I prefer to focus on the here and now.”

  As if she hadn’t spoken, he went on, “The hit-and-run accident in Denver. They never caught the guy who did it?”

  Her head jerked around, and she couldn’t help herself…she gawked at him. Why would he continue to bring up s
ome of the most painful moments in her life?

  “I recovered.” Her voice was curt, bordering on rude.

  “Your fiancé broke off your engagement not long after your accident. You dodged a bullet there. Guy must’ve been a giant prick.”

  Before she could tell him to stop again, or agree with him because Stan had indeed been a giant prick, he continued, speaking at a rapid clip now, as if to dump out all the garbage of her life in one fell swoop.

  “And then you had to sell your house to pay for Alice’s defense. That had to be painful.”

  Losing her house had been more painful than losing her fiancé. For the first time in her life, she’d had security, a home of her own. She had no regrets in doing that—Alice had been more important than a stack of brick and mortar. But still, when she thought about her quaint little house with its wrap-around porch and sunny kitchen, the little vegetable garden she’d started in her backyard, her heart bled a little. It had been tiny, not in the best neighborhood, but it had been hers. All hers.

  “And still it wasn’t enough. You had to take loans out, go into debt. Live in a seedy part of Chicago.”

  She shot him a silent, resentful glare. He wasn’t going to stop. She could see that he was trying to make a point, but damned if she could figure out what it was. He would go on and on, metaphorically shredding her life, bleeding her dry. If they hadn’t been moving down the road at a good clip, she’d have opened the door and gotten out. A few bruises and scrapes would be preferable.

  “Then you lost Alice.”

  “Stop it, damn you. Just stop.”

  He pulled to a halt at a red light and shot her a strange, knowing look. “Close your eyes, Kathleen.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? I’m not going to—”

  “You agreed to cooperate, so I’m asking you to close your eyes.”

  Though more furious than she’d been in a long while, she closed her eyes and snapped, “Now what?”

  “Give me a perimeter check.”

  Setting the fury aside, she described the scene around them. “Three vehicles directly behind us. In the third one back, the black SUV, are your bodyguards.”

  “And you know this how?”

  “I saw a photograph online.”

  “Continue.”

  “In the vehicle directly behind us, the white F-150, is your chauffeur, Gunter. The cream-colored Taurus in the middle is a freelance reporter.”

  “How do you know he’s a reporter?”

  “Because he’s got the look of a predator without the toughness or attitude to go with it.”

  “And why do you peg him as freelance?”

  “He’s got a cheap video camera attached to his rearview mirror and one of the worst comb-overs I’ve ever seen.”

  She heard the amusement in his voice when he said, “Okay. Continue.”

  “Two cars to our right, green Subaru and white Volvo. Both appear to be occupied by innocent civilians.”

  “Where are we?”

  “Forty-second and Seventh.”

  “If those innocent civilians are not so innocent, or the creep in the Taurus comes for us, what’s our exit strategy?”

  “One block to the right, two blocks left is a residential area. Lead them there. It’s like a maze. We could easily lose them.”

  “And?”

  “A police station is on the other side of the community. Head there.”

  The car started forward, and she opened her eyes to see triumph on his face. “And that, Kathleen, is the reason I want you to guard my children.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Eli knew he was an ass for trapping her like that. Throwing the most painful moments in her life at her, as if they were amusing trivia, had been tasteless to the point of cruelty. But it had proven his point. This woman with her mesmerizing eyes and fairy-tale looks was a highly trained professional. Even while he’d hammered at her about all the trauma in her life, she was still focused enough to know exactly what was happening around them and have an exit strategy if needed. He had no doubts that she could take care of his daughters.

  He knew the training she’d had. He’d talked to her former employer as well as several of her former clients. All of them had given her their highest recommendations, praising her as both professional and kind. She didn’t just protect the people she guarded, she cared about them.

  Under her protection, Violet and Sophia would be safe. And they would trust her. He had ensured that as well.

  Eli pulled up in front of the school, but before they got out, he had something else he needed to say. “I’m sorry that I upset and hurt you. You asked me why I wanted you to guard my children. You didn’t take me at my word, so I felt the need to show you. I have a tendency to be ruthless when it comes to those I care about. Bringing up your most painful memories was in poor taste.”

  She stared at him for several seconds. He could only imagine what was going through her mind. She had her guard up again. His fault this time. He’d put her in a position of vulnerability and felt vaguely sick to his stomach.

  She finally nodded. “Fine. Let’s go meet your children.”

  Her tone said she didn’t expect the meeting to go well. He chose not to explain why he disagreed. She would learn soon enough.

  As they got out of the car, he asked, “You’re armed?”

  “Of course.”

  He’d already gone too far with her today but couldn’t resist asking, “And your weapon is where?”

  The withering look should have singed him but made him want to smile. “I have a bra holster holding my SIG P238, and a knife in a sheath attached to my right thigh.”

  Now he wished he hadn’t asked, because the image that came to his mind wasn’t something that would leave him any time soon. Forcing himself to focus on the here and now, Eli explained, “I’ll go get Violet and Sophia. You can wait at one of the tables in the side yard.”

  With a nod of agreement, she headed to the large iron gate to the side. He waved at the camera attached to it and waited until the gate opened then closed behind her before he went into the school. His children were in for quite a surprise. As was Kathleen.

  Taking in her surroundings in a flash, Kathleen was surprised and pleased to find that though this was obviously an exclusive private school for the most elite of Dallas, with its gated entrance and security cameras, the playground still had the regular playground equipment of monkey bars, slides, and merry-go-rounds. She was also pleased that it was well maintained and cleaner than the inside of most houses. Not a speck of dirt was on the stone bench she seated herself on to wait for Eli and his children.

  She was still furious with him. He had used some of the most horrendous moments in her life to prove a point. In spite of her anger, she also secretly admired the man’s ingenuity. The fact that she had fallen for it was a bit of a shocker, but she consoled herself that at least she had passed the damned test. Despite the fact that he knew more about her than she was comfortable for anyone to know, she was also pleased that he had done his homework. He didn’t want just anyone protecting his children. He wanted the best.

  She knew her strengths and weaknesses. She was confident in her training, abilities, and talents. She had focused her energies on becoming the best.

  Navigating the dangerous and choppy waters of personal or intimate relationships was another matter. Kathleen believed in playing to her strengths.

  She glanced down at her dress and grimaced. One of the many perks of working for Grey Justice was having her very own stylist and hairdresser for certain events. The phenomenon was still quite new to her, and she loved it. Who wouldn’t?

  She had planned to wear the simple but elegant Donna Karan dress the stylist had sent her last week. It fit perfectly and was appropriate for the elegant and exclusive gathering she was attending tonight. Her wardrobe plans had abruptly changed a few hours ago.

  She’d been getting out of the shower when the stylist had shown up at her apartme
nt with a different dress and a request from Grey to wear it instead. Yes, it was beautiful, but nothing like what she would normally wear. First, it was quite frivolous looking, almost playful.

  Secondly, though the dress was multicolored, the main color was almost the exact shade of her eyes. She rarely wore that shade of blue because she’d always felt it was just too much. She’d inherited her mother’s eyes, their color a cross between ocean blue and smoky silver. They were pretty, but when she wore anything the same color, the results could be astonishing, almost overwhelming.

  The material of the dress was another thing she would never have picked out. It was a delicate, almost flimsy fabric, with several layers that seemed to swish and swirl with her movements.

  Grey’s request for her hairstyle had been the biggest surprise. When she was on the job, she almost never wore it loose. She either wore it in a long braid or ponytail, or if she was dressing up, she wore it in a loose chignon. The stylist had insisted that the dress called for her hair to be loose and flowing around her. And since the woman had more knowledge of fashion than Kathleen would ever have in a lifetime, she had agreed.

  So here she sat in the play area of one of the most exclusive schools in Dallas, wearing one of the most frivolous outfits she’d ever worn in her life. Odd how she felt both silly and ultrafeminine.

  At the sound of a door opening and closing, Kathleen stood, waiting for the two little girls to notice her. She had no idea why she was suddenly nervous. She most certainly didn’t care if Violet and Sophia Slater liked her or not. It wasn’t as if she’d see them again after today.

  The salary Eli had offered was off-the-charts generous, the time commitment of four hours a day insignificant. And with the additional security Eli had surrounding his children, the job should be minimal risk. But protecting children again? After what had happened to Emily? She seriously didn’t think she had it in her.

  They were beautiful children, both bearing a strong resemblance to the tall, devastatingly handsome man following them. The youngest one, Violet, had medium-length, curly, white-blond hair, a button nose, and the softest, sweetest brown eyes Kathleen had ever seen. Sophia’s hair was a darker gold, very similar to Eli’s hair, and it was long, almost to the middle of her back. She had creamy skin that reminded Kathleen of a gardenia, and her eyes were brown with golden flecks.