by Paige Tyler
“Based on what we know, I’d say that Mulrooney went over to talk to Mercer and panicked when he found out Mercer was on to him,” Madoc said. “It wasn’t like he planned to murder Mercer, so I don’t see him as the cold-blooded killer. Besides, I don’t plan on confronting him by myself. Once I get the evidence I need, I’ll call in the local PD and let them take care of him.”
Madoc made it sound so simple, she thought. “Well, I’d still feel better if you had back-up with you,” Shayna insisted, and then added, “In case things don’t go as planned.”
Madoc reached out to gently brush her hair back from her face. “I can’t bring anyone else in on this, Shayna,” he said. “Not without them finding out about you. Besides, everything will go just fine.”
She chewed on her lower lip again. “Maybe it would be a good idea if I went with you.”
“Absolutely not,” he said firmly. “It’s too dangerous.”
She frowned up at him. “You just said that is wasn’t dangerous.”
His mouth tightened. “I didn’t say that at all,” he corrected. “What I said was that I could handle him. But if you come with me, I’ll be worrying about you when I should be focusing on Mulrooney, and that would definitely make things dangerous.”
“But what if something goes wrong, and you need back-up?” she persisted.
Madoc sighed. “I’ll be fine. If I need help, I have my cell. I’ll call for backup.”
“But...”
He gently cupped her cheek with his hand. “I’ll be fine, Shayna. Really,” he told her. “I’m trained for this kind of thing, remember?”
She swallowed hard. “You’ll be careful, right?”
The corner of his mouth edged up. “Always,” he said. Lowering his head, he kissed her gently. “I’ll be back soon.
And if everything goes as planned, we’ll have all the evidence we need to clear you by morning.”
As the door closed behind Madoc, everything suddenly became perfectly clear to her. There was no denying it anymore. This was more than just wanting to be Madoc’s girlfriend. She was completely head-over-heels in love with the man. How else could she explain the fact that she suddenly couldn’t care less about him proving her innocence? She’d gladly go on the run for the rest of her life if it meant he would be safe. She wouldn’t be willing to do that for him if she weren’t in love, she told herself.
And now that she had finally recognized her feelings for what they were, she wasn’t going to just sit back and do nothing while he risked his life for her. Regardless of how glib he was being about the whole thing, Madoc was putting himself into serious danger. And she wasn’t going to let him do that on his own! Grabbing her coat, she headed for the door. Madoc needed her help, whether he wanted to admit it or not. And she wasn’t going to let him down!
The park had already emptied out by this time of day, and in the gathering dusk, Madoc glanced at his watch.
Damn, Mulrooney was late. Madoc hoped that didn’t mean the other man had decided not to show. This was their only chance to get the evidence necessary to clear Shayna’s name. If the CEO didn’t bite, then they were screwed.
And if their plan didn’t work? How far was he prepared to go for Shayna? Madoc wondered. He had already decided on the way back from Denver that turning Shayna in was out of the question. Was it really that much more of a stretch to assume he would help her flee the country if they couldn’t clear her name? But how could he just let her go off without him? After everything he had done for her - deciding not to turn her in, hiding her in his own apartment, and now, conducting an undercover sting operation all by himself - it was obvious that he had completely lost his mind over this woman. So, why not just run off to Mexico with her?
Madoc couldn’t even believe he was thinking of doing that, but he was. Now he could see how his brother, Cade, had fallen in love so quickly. When you met the right woman, it was like a big, ol’ truck had just run you over all at once, he thought. There was nothing he could do now, but go along for the ride. His mouth quirked. After the way he’d berated his brother for getting married, Cade was really going to enjoy rubbing this in.
The headlights of an approaching car interrupted his musings, and Madoc sat up straighter as the vehicle slowed to a stop. Finally, he thought. Reaching inside his coat, Madoc checked the positioning of the wireless mic again before doing the same to the receiver. Designed to look like a wallet, the receiver was shoved in his back pocket, so it was doubtful that Mulrooney would even notice it. Opening the door, Madoc stepped out of the SUV.
Showtime, he told himself.
A tall man in a suit and tie got out of the car and slowly walked toward him. Even if he hadn’t already seen a picture of Lawrence Mulrooney on the company website, Madoc would have known he was the guy he’d been waiting for. He might look like a businessman with the glasses and the graying hair, but he moved like a criminal.
Mulrooney stopped several feet from where Madoc stood. “You Cutler?” he asked.
Madoc inclined his head. “Is that the money?” he asked, gesturing to the briefcase in the man’s hand.
Mulrooney nodded. “How do I know this isn’t some kind of trap? You could be wearing a wire or something.”
Madoc shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “Go ahead and frisk me if you want. I don’t have anything to hide.”
Putting on a bored expression, Madoc held his arms out to the side while Mulrooney patted him down. He had anticipated the man searching him, which was why he had chosen to wear a small back-up pistol stuffed inside his boot. He doubted Mulrooney was experienced enough to look for it. And since the wireless mic was just as well hidden, he wasn’t too concerned about the other man finding that, either. Even so, he was relieved when Mulrooney finally finished his search and stepped back.
“So, let’s see this evidence you have,” the CEO said.
Madoc jerked his chin toward the briefcase. If he didn’t do this right, Mulrooney was sure to suspect something.
“Let me see the color of your money first.”
Mulrooney’s mouth tightened, but he opened the case and held it up to show the money. Only when Madoc nodded did he snap the briefcase shut again.
Madoc reached into the inside pocket of his coat and took out the envelope with the fake bank paperwork. He pulled the papers out and held them up in front of Mulrooney. When the man reached for them, Madoc pulled them out of his reach.
“No, no,” he said. “You can look, but you can’t touch. Not until I get the money.”
Mulrooney swore under his breath. “You don’t expect me to pay for something that I haven’t seen?”
Madoc’s mouth quirked. “You see with your eyes, not with your hands,” he said. “Feel free to take a look, but I’ll hold onto it.”
Swearing under his breath again, the other man leaned closer to get a better look. “Turn it to the light,” he grumbled impatiently. “I can’t see it.”
After Madoc had adjusted his position so that the light from the streetlamp shone on the paper, the CEO leaned forward again to study it intently.
“Damn,” Mulrooney muttered. “These are bank transaction codes to my private accounts.” He slanted Madoc an accusing look. “Where the hell did you get these?”
“The DA had me go through Mercer’s files from his home, just to make sure we had everything against the Matthews woman,” Madoc replied. “I came across these and realized they might be of some value to you. I figured you’d be willing to pay a lot of money to keep them out of the wrong hands, and I’m always looking to pad my retirement account.”
Mulrooney gave him a contemptuous look. “Greedy bastard,” he sneered. “It’s people like you that give cops a bad name.”
“If I’m greedy, then what does that make you?” Madoc shot back. “You’re the one stealing from your own company’s retirement funds.”
“So what if I am?” Mulrooney said as he held out the briefcase. “Like you said, I’m always looking to pad m
y retirement account.”
Madoc shook his head. “Looks like you had a sweet deal going, too,” he said as he handed Mulrooney the papers in exchange for the briefcase. “So, what went wrong?”
The other man leafed furiously through the pieces of paper, reading them over again. “That idiot, Mercer, started putting his nose in where it didn’t belong. Everything was fine until he called and told me that he knew what I was up to. That’s when everything started going to crap.”
I got you now, you bastard, Madoc thought. He already had enough on Mulrooney to provide reasonable doubt to Shayna’s attorney. Now it was time to go in for the kill and get the CEO to admit that he had framed her for everything.
Damn! Shayna couldn’t hear a thing from her hiding place behind one of the trees on the edge of the clearing. She thought about moving closer, but didn’t want to be seen. Madoc would be furious if he knew she had come to the park. Besides, she was only there in case something went wrong. And she could see well enough for that. Not that she had any clue what she would do if Mulrooney tried anything. Heck, she didn’t even have a cell phone! She was starting to think that Madoc had been right. It was foolish for her to be there.
In the clearing, Madoc had just handed the papers to Mulrooney in exchange for a briefcase, and she started to let out a sigh of relief. But then immediately tensed again as the two men continued to talk. What the heck could they have to chat about for so long? she wondered. It wasn’t like they were old friends or anything. Madoc was just supposed to get the information he needed, and then leave. This was taking way too long, she thought. Maybe something had gone wrong.
As she watched, Mulrooney reached behind him to adjust his trousers. The move pushed aside his suit jacket, and in the half-light, Shayna could see a dark glint right above his belt. Oh God, Shayna thought. He had a gun!
Without thought to her own safety, Shayna burst out from behind the tree. “Madoc, he’s got a gun!” she screamed. “Watch out!”
Madoc stared in disbelief. Shayna? What the hell was that dang woman doing there?
Mulrooney jerked his head around at the shout. “What the hell’s going on?” he demanded, swinging back around to face Madoc. “This was a trap!”
Reaching behind him, Mulrooney pulled out the gun Shayna had mentioned and began to level it at Madoc.
Madoc swore under his breath. Not having time to go for the gun he had stashed in his boot, he took a quick step forward and grabbed Mulrooney’s arm before the man could get the gun pointed in his direction. Balling his free hand into a fist, Madoc threw a series of punches at the other man’s face. Of course, Mulrooney was doing his best to block them, and Madoc was so focused on the pistol in the man’s hand that he couldn’t get in a well-aimed blow. But at least it kept Mulrooney from taking a shot at him.
He and Mulrooney were still locked like that when Shayna ran up to them. To his consternation, she took up a position behind the CEO and began to pound the man on the back with her fists. The blows weren’t very effective, but they distracted Mulrooney enough so that Madoc could finally get in a solid punch to the man’s jaw.
Mulrooney went down like a sack of potatoes, releasing his hold on the pistol, and Madoc ripped it out of his hand. Automatically, Madoc reached for his cell phone so that he could call the police, but stopped when he realized that Shayna was standing there shaking and looking altogether terrified. Madoc glanced down at Mulrooney. The guy was out cold and wouldn’t be a threat. Calling the police could wait, he decided. Reaching out, he pulled Shayna into his arms.
“Shhh,” he said softly. “It’s okay, sweetheart. We got him.”
Shayna held him tightly. “He had a gun, Madoc. I had to warn you,” she said, her voice muffled against his coat.
“I know,” Madoc said. “It’s okay now.”
She lifted her head to look up at him. “Did we get what we needed?” she asked.
Madoc nodded. “Yeah, we did,” he said. “Mulrooney confessed to everything.”
Still holding onto her with one arm, Madoc pulled out his cell phone and called the police. When he was done, he put the phone away and gave Shayna a tender kiss on the lips.
“Shayna, we’re going to have to talk about what you were doing here, but right now, you need to go back to my apartment,” he said when he lifted his head. “The cops will be here any minute, and they can’t find you here. Can you get home okay?”
She nodded. “I’m okay,” she said, and then gave him a tremulous smile. “Now that I know you’re safe.”
Reaching on tiptoe, she kissed him again, and then turned to leave. But he stopped her. “Wait a minute,” he said.
“How did you get here?”
She gave him a sheepish look. “I borrowed Mrs. Murray’s car,” she said. “I told her it was important.”
Madoc shook his head. “We really do have to talk,” he muttered. “I’ll be home in a couple of hours. Now, go before the cops get here. And drive safe.”
He shook his head again as he watched her go. Shayna was completely unbelievable. The woman had no fear. She had seen the gun and come running over to whack on the guy anyway. On one hand, he couldn’t help but admire her spunk. But on the other, he couldn’t help but be furious that she had once again refused to listen to him. If anything had happened to her...
When he got home, he was definitely going to have that talk with her, Madoc promised himself. Actually, there wasn’t going to be a whole lot of talking going on, unless he counted the communicating his hand was going to be doing with her bottom!
It was well after midnight when Madoc finally got home. Though the Denver police had taken Mulrooney off his hands quickly enough, Madoc had spent the better part of the night talking with the district attorney about the case. The DA had found it difficult to believe that Madoc had just stumbled onto the information that blew the case wide open. That had led to Madoc’s boss being called in. But Madoc had played it cool and stuck to a simple story about being given some information from an anonymous source. Madoc claimed he hadn’t wanted to bother anyone with it until he had checked it out himself since it seemed like such a long shot. Though his boss had looked skeptical too, there wasn’t much either man could say, not when Madoc had Mulrooney confessing everything on tape.
Letting himself into his apartment, he closed the door, and looked around for Shayna. Though the lights were on, both the living room and kitchen were empty, but the feminine coat thrown carelessly over the arm of the couch told him that she was there. Thinking that she had probably gone to bed, he shut off the lights and headed for his bedroom.
The sight of Shayna asleep in his bed made him catch his breath. She was curled up into a ball, the blanket tucked under her chin. She looked so cute and innocent laying there that he could have stood there all night just watching her. But then he reminded himself that they did have to have that talk.
Sitting down on the edge bed, Madoc reached out and gently brushed Shayna’s hair back from her face. She immediately stirred at his touch, her eyes fluttering open. She blinked at him sleepily for a moment, but then as if suddenly remembering the night’s events, she came more fully awake. Pushing her hair back from her face, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. The blanket slipped down, and he saw that she was once again wearing his white dress shirt.
“Did you just come in?” she asked, her voice husky with sleep.
He nodded. “A couple of minutes ago.”
“Did everything go okay?” she said.
Again, he nodded. “The DA has the tape of Mulrooney confessing to everything. He’ll be formally dropping all the charges against you in the morning,” he told her. “You’re a free woman.”
For a moment, Shayna just stared at him, but then she smiled brightly. With a laugh, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “Oh God, Madoc! I don’t know how to thank you!”
Chuckling, Madoc wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sure I’ll think of something,” he said, and
then pulled away to look at her. “But first, we need to talk about what you did tonight.”
Shayna blinked up at him. “What I did?” she asked innocently.
He frowned. “I told you to stay here and wait for me, but instead, you decided to follow me to the park.”
“Oh, that,” she said softly, only to lift her chin a moment later. “It was a good thing I did, otherwise you wouldn’t have known that Mulrooney had a gun.”
Madoc’s jaw tightened. “Shayna, he would never have pulled his gun if you hadn’t jumped out from behind that tree shouting like that.”
“You don’t know that,” she said. “He could have planned on shooting you all along.”
“I doubt it,” Madoc said. “Besides, I had everything I needed at that point and was about to take the money and leave. You could have gotten both of us killed tonight.”
She flushed. “I’m sorry. I saw the gun and I got worried. I just didn’t want you to get hurt,” she said, and then added, “I was only trying to help. I won’t do anything like that again.”
Madoc’s mouth quirked at that. “Somehow, I doubt that, sweetheart,” he said. “I think it’s in your nature to act before you think.”
Shayna gasped. “That’s not true!” she protested.
“Yes, it is,” he said. “But it doesn’t mean I have to put up with it. After the spanking I have in mind for you, I think you’ll be a lot less likely to do anything so foolish for quite awhile.”
Her eyes went wide at the mention of a spanking. “You’re not serious!”
But Shayna could see from the expression on his face that Madoc was definitely serious. She would have put up more of a fuss, but she was still sort of fuzzy from sleep and before she could even attempt to put up a serious protest, she found herself being pulled over his knee. Even though past experience told her that struggling against him wouldn’t do any good, she found herself fighting to push herself off his lap anyway. But his firm hand on her lower back held her easily in place as he pushed up the dress shirt she had worn to bed.
“Ah, no panties,” he observed. “Good. That’ll make it easier.”