by Cynthia Eden
She’d done what?
“I am not Luther Bates. I get punished for his sins all the time, but I’m not him.” Her eyes gleamed at him. “So I can’t walk away when someone’s life is in danger. I can’t just turn my back on Michelle, no matter what she’s done. I will find a way to help her. And either I’ll do it with you at my side…” Her lips twisted as she shrugged. “Or I’ll do it on my own.”
She stepped back, pulling away from him. “Now, I’m going to take a shower because I’ve been in a fire, I’ve been kidnapped, and I’ve been held hostage in some really smelly motel room. I want to get clean, and I want to figure out what move I’ll be making next. Be sure of one thing though, I’m not just going to relax. So don’t say that crap to me again.”
Then she turned on her heel, kept her head up, and very gracefully walked out of the room. No storming. No stomping.
Pure fucking class.
The bathroom door shut behind her a few moments later. Victor was still standing there, staring after her, feeling as if he’d just been punched about a dozen times in the stomach—and by one fine fighter.
“That’s…one hell of a woman.” Drake’s admiration was more than obvious.
“Screw off.” He tossed a glare at the guy.
“I can see where she’d have you all tangled up. I mean…who doesn’t like a smart, sexy, strong woman? Only a dumbass, obviously.”
Victor narrowed his eyes on Drake.
Drake shrugged. “What? You know that’s my type. How else would I have ended up so addicted to Jasmine?”
Victor’s back teeth ground together.
“And I can see the signs,” Drake added with a knowing nod. “You are a sinking ship, buddy. Might as well admit you’re hooked on her.”
“Drake…” A warning edge had entered his voice.
“I am curious…” Now Drake cocked his head as he studied Victor. “When did she stop being a case for you? Or have you been lying to yourself all this time? Thinking that you were working her when really…” His words trailed away.
“Really—what? By all means, don’t stop there.”
Drake’s smile stretched. “When really, every second you were with her…that woman in there was stealing more and more of your heart.”
She wasn’t stealing it. I gave it to her. And now he was totally fucked.
“What matters more?” Drake asked as he stalked closer to Victor. “Her or the case?”
“It’s not that easy,” Victor gritted out. “There are things that you don’t know.”
“Make it that easy. Because you don’t want to wind up like me, waking up one day and finding out that the woman you want most is gone.”
Guilt twisted in Victor’s stomach. He’d been responsible for that happening to Drake. I was only trying to keep Jasmine safe. “I’m not letting Zoe offer herself up in exchange for Michelle. I’m getting her out of Vegas. As soon as possible, I’m putting her on that jet of yours. I’ll find a safe place for her.”
That was all there was to it. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, risk her any longer.
***
Victor wasn’t going to help her find Michelle. Not anymore.
Zoe knew it, with utter certainty. She’d seen the look on his face. Victor was probably already making plans to pack up and fly them out of Vegas. No doubt, he was already picking out some small little town to put her in. A new hiding spot.
She was tired of hiding.
She slipped out of the shower, the steam rising all around her. Her body ached, her head throbbed, but Zoe was alive, so she figured…what’s the point in complaining?
She’d survived, again. Cheated death once more.
But she wasn’t sure Michelle would be so lucky.
Zoe grabbed the big, fluffy, white robe that hung on a gleaming, silver hook in the bathroom. She slipped it on, pausing for just a moment because the thing was ridiculously soft.
Very, very nice.
Then Zoe took a deep breath. She squared her shoulders. Time to face Victor. Time to tell him that, hell, no, she wasn’t running. It was her life, and if she wanted to help Michelle, she would. The last thing she needed was a cop’s death on her conscience. Zoe opened the bathroom door and marched down the hallway, though her march didn’t make much noise because of the thick carpeting.
When she left the hallway, she saw the man standing in front of the big window, gazing down at the city below. A tall man, with broad shoulders and…
Blond hair.
She staggered to a quick stop. “Where’s Victor?”
Drake turned toward her. “He said he needed to talk with a cop.”
“Without me?” Her voice rose. Anger did that, made her voice rise, made her feel all twitchy. “The jerk.”
“Actually…” Drake walked toward her. “I’m supposed to keep watch over you while he’s gone.”
A hotel owner was her bodyguard? “Yes, well, thanks, but no thanks.”
A hint of a smile curved his lips. “Don’t be so dismissive. I promise, I’ve got some skill sets that would surprise you.”
She wasn’t touching that one.
“Victor Monroe is an interesting man,” Drake mused.
“I think he can be a bit of an ass.” Why not be honest? “Considering he just dumped me here right after my abduction.”
“Definite ass.” Drake appeared all too happy to agree with her. “But…you know why he left you here.”
“Because he has an insane protection complex?”
“Because you matter to him.”
She tightened the belt on her robe. “You sound as if you understand him.”
“I’m probably as close to a…friend…as the guy has. But, believe me, we certainly didn’t start things out that way. When I first met him, I pretty much hated the guy on sight. Victor and his secrets…they can do so much damage.”
Zoe found herself inching closer to him. “Tell me…”
He lifted a brow.
“Tell me what he’s really like. Tell me just how much he’s jerking me around.” Because she was a mess and when it came to Victor, she couldn’t see clearly enough.
“He’s not jerking you around, that I know for certain.”
Her heart drummed faster.
“He’s gone to the police station for you. Because Victor wants to get you on a jet and fly you out of this town.”
She’d known that.
“But he also wants you happy. And finding out more about Michelle Lane, talking to some cop named Roy Duncan, well, Victor said he had to do it. For you.”
Her breath heaved out. “He should have taken me with him!”
“Vic said there was already one bad cop in the mix. With that two million dollar bounty on your head, he couldn’t risk others taking aim at you.” Drake rocked back on his heels. “I’ve been ordered to stay with you until he gets back. And he will be back. Hopefully with some answers for you.”
And she got to play the waiting game. Lovely. “That security team you sent out last night…did they discover anything?”
“Only that Michelle Lane disappeared from sight about a month after she started working at the Vine Casino.”
“The Vine? I don’t know that place.”
“It’s new. Started up by some corporation from back East. My men are digging up dirt on the place now.”
Everyone seemed to be doing something. Everyone but her.
“I’ve got new clothes coming up for you,” Drake said. “The delivery should be here any moment.”
New clothes would be better than just hanging around in the robe all day. “Thanks.” Zoe turned away from Drake.
“Don’t trust him.”
She stilled.
“I’m not supposed to say that, but I do know Victor. And even though the guy wants you, even though he seems to fucking need you, I’ve seen what he can do. The shit that happened to him when he was a kid messed him up. That need for justice that he has? I’d call it fanatical. And with your past…”
>
She looked back at him. “You mean my father.”
Drake nodded. “Victor has been working on your father’s case for a very long time. I know how much it means to him.”
It means more to him than I do. She understood exactly what Drake was saying. And what he wasn’t.
“Watch yourself with him,” Drake added. “What you see…it’s just not always what he really feels.”
“Thanks for the warning.” She made sure to keep any sadness or pain out of her voice. “But I already knew that if it came down to a choice…me or the case…” Zoe laughed. “Well, I knew there wouldn’t be a choice, not for Victor.”
***
“Tell me what’s happening.” Victor slapped his hands down on Cain Blair’s desk and glowered at the guy. “I just got some bullshit story from your captain about no one having access to Roy Duncan. He said Internal Affairs was coming in to talk with the guy, and that no one else would have access until they were done.”
Cain looked up from his computer. A line of stubble coated the guy’s jaw. Hell, I bet I have the same shit on mine. He was running on pure adrenaline and rage, and Victor got that he was long past the point of any kind of control.
“I don’t think the FBI has jurisdiction here,” Cain murmured carefully. “Though I am glad you hauled your butt in here. I need statements from you. And Zoe.” He rose, looking over Victor’s shoulder. “Where is she?”
“Like I’d tell you—or any cop in this place.”
Cain’s jaw hardened. “I didn’t know I was working with a traitor. Get that shit straight.”
“I want to talk to him.”
“The captain is calling the shots, not me. I wish I could help you, but I can’t.”
Not what Victor wanted to hear. “Roy told Zoe that he was going to trade her for Michelle.”
Cain’s eyelids flickered.
“You said she went dark. Roy was willing to kidnap and kill because he thought Michelle’s life was on the line. If you’ve got a cop out there—one who is in mortal danger—why the hell isn’t your captain acting?”
“Because he’s afraid everything is about to blow up in his face!” Cain glanced angrily toward the captain’s closed office door. “The guy knows that he should have pulled Michelle at the first sign of trouble. He didn’t. And now he’s trying to cover his ass.”
“I can get you FBI assistance.” Victor kept his voice calm with a supreme effort. “I can help you, but first you have to help me.”
Cain yanked a hand through his hair. “Why are you still in town? I figured you’d vanish as soon as you had your lady back.”
He did want to vanish. But… “Zoe came here to find her friend. She’s even more convinced now that Michelle is in danger.”
Surprise widened Cain’s eyes. “But she knows Michelle is a cop.”
“Doesn’t matter. Zoe wants to find her.”
Cain’s hand lowered to rest near his holster. “And let me guess…you want to make Zoe happy, right? If she gets what she wants, then she’s more likely to trust you. To cooperate with you. To turn on her father and do whatever the hell you—”
“I don’t want her crying because her friend is dead.” Cold, brutal. “I don’t want her hurting because she blames herself for something happening to Michelle.”
Cain seemed to absorb that.
“So you going to work with me?” Victor waved his hand around the precinct. “Or should I just go over your captain’s head, too? Maybe the FBI does need to take jurisdiction. I’m sure I can. After all, it was my case that was jeopardized. My witness that was taken and nearly killed.”
“Dammit…” Cain’s frustration was obvious.
Victor smiled at him. “Get me face-to-face with Roy. Do it now or I will use every bit of pull I have to take total control here.” Yeah, he was a bastard, and, right then, he didn’t care.
Zoe. I’m doing this for Zoe.
This…and so much more.
***
“Five minutes,” Cain muttered as he directed Victor toward an isolated cell in the back of the holding area. “We have five minutes back here, and then our asses are toast.”
Victor looked through those bars and saw Roy rising to his feet. He gave the bastard a grim smile. “I guess we meet again.”
“No!” Roy held up his hands. “I’m not talking to you. I’m not talking to anyone but my lawyer.” His face was bruised, one eye nearly shut. His nose swollen. His upper lip busted.
“Do you really care about Michelle?” Victor asked him. “Or was that some bullshit line you fed Zoe?”
Roy jumped toward the bars. “I love her!”
So much for talking only to his lawyer. With guys like Roy, it was all about knowing which buttons to push. “You love her and the two million you were going to get for Zoe?”
“Michelle was going to die!” Spittle flew from Roy’s mouth. “What was I supposed to do? Zoe was made when she headed into Dice. The wrong person saw her. Why do you think that other hitter was already in the alley? She was made. In this town, danger is always two fucking steps behind you, so you have to learn how to walk real fast.”
Victor had wondered about that man in the alley. Had the hitman been in the shadows of Dice? Just outside, watching? But Victor would question that would-be shooter, soon enough. For now, his focus was on Roy.
Roy’s cheeks flushed. “I got a call from some guy, okay? Right after you two made the mistake of going into Dice. Fellow said he was at the Vine. Guy promised me that if I brought Zoe to him, then Michelle could live and I’d get the pay.”
Cain was silent. Did he buy the guy’s story? Victor didn’t. “The Vine…” Victor repeated the name even as he made the connection. He’d seen the sign for the place when he and Zoe first arrived in town.
“That’s where Michelle went to work,” Roy said quickly. “That casino—it’s a front, I know it. And when I got the call, telling me to bring Zoe if I ever wanted to see Michelle again, I-I just stopped thinking clearly. Panic took over.”
“When did you get the call?”
“Like I already told you—right after you walked into Dice.” He licked his lips. “Someone saw Zoe. Someone made the connection. I was told to get her, and I did.”
“When was the exchange supposed to take place?”
Roy’s stare jerked between him and Cain. “What will happen to me?” Roy asked. “I was a good cop…”
“When was the exchange supposed to take place?”
“I don’t know! I was told I’d get another call. That’s what I was waiting for at that motel! But then you assholes took me into custody!” His voice rose as he yanked on the bars. “So I didn’t get the second call! I didn’t make the trade! And Michelle is going to die!”
Was the guy telling the truth? Or just making a desperate attempt to dig himself out of the serious shit-hole he’d already dug? Victor gave a grim nod. “Okay, let’s go back and take this story from—”
“You’re not taking anything.” The voice was smooth, smug, and coming from right behind him. “My client is done talking with you.”
Hell. He should have known that a lawyer would show up to spoil his fun. Victor threw a glance over his shoulder. “If your client wants to keep talking, that’s his choice.”
The brown-haired male in the suit that reeked of money smiled a bit, a faint curving of his lips. That smile didn’t reach his cold eyes. “My client isn’t talking because I don’t want him spending the rest of his life in a prison surrounded by inmates who want nothing more than to get payback on the cop in their midst.”
“Oh, Jesus,” Roy mumbled. “Jesus.”
“You’re done here,” the lawyer said to Victor. “I need to confer with my client.”
Victor turned to fully face the attorney. His gaze swept over the man, head to toe, taking his stock, not liking the guy at all with his stiff posture and cold eyes. “Didn’t catch your name,” Victor murmured.
“And I didn’t catch yours.” But
the lawyer stepped forward, offering his hand.
Victor took that hand. “FBI Special Agent Victor Monroe.”
Once again, that faint smile appeared. Only this time, the lawyer’s eyes hardened. “I’m Xavier Winters. But my friends call me Tom.”
Sonofabitch.
***
He was so screwed.
Roy Duncan hunched over against the cell bars. He’d thought that he could get away clean. Get the money. Get his girl. And ride away into the sunset.
Now his ass was locked in a jail cell.
Cops couldn’t go to prison. Everyone knew that. Everyone knew the shit that waited for them in those hellholes. He couldn’t go down like that. There had to be a way out.
Footsteps padded on the concrete floor. His eyes locked on the dark-haired guy heading his way—the guy who’d identified himself as Roy’s attorney. Only the problem was that Roy had never seen that man in his life. The fellow sure as shit wasn’t his lawyer.
“Now that the FBI agent is gone, how about we talk privately?” The attorney smiled at him. Some dude in a fancy suit, with perfect features and an old money vibe rolling off him. As Roy stared at the fellow, the lawyer’s head inclined toward the uniformed cop who watched from a nearby corner. “Total privacy would be best.”
Roy got the message, loud and clear. The attorney wanted the uniform gone. Fine. Roy nodded. “Leave us alone,” he told the cop.
The uniform hesitated.
“I’m locked up! What the hell do you think I’ll do? Give us privacy!” Because Roy wanted to know who this fellow was…
And how he could use him.
The uniform glared at Roy, but backed away.
The lawyer smirked at Roy.
“Xavier Winters,” Roy murmured, trying to place the name but coming up blank. “Funny, I don’t remember hiring you.”
Xavier laughed. “That’s probably a good thing because, you see, my normal rates are very, very high.”
What was going on?
“But don’t worry. I have a special deal for you, Officer Duncan.” Xavier sidled closer to the bars. “I think you and I can help each other.”
“How the hell are you supposed to help me?” Try bribing a judge. Maybe that would work.