by Debra Webb
His wife had no idea the pressure of carrying the weight of his office. He’d protected her from the ugliness all these years. What had he gotten in return? She’d run away when he needed her most.
He could rely on no one, could trust no one.
He was in this alone.
At thirty he had risen to the position of state representative. By forty he was governor. He’d spent the past twenty years as a senator. That climb had been the cumulative result of complete dedication and unyielding determination.
This tragedy was not going to put a black mark on his record. The only mark to be left would be the one he accomplished with this history-making bill.
He glared at the newspaper lying on the console. Yoni Sayar’s name was splashed across the front page headlines. An anonymous source had provided confirmed evidence that Sayar cavorted with terrorists. The accusation was ludicrous. Worse, Judd’s enemies would attempt to tie this nasty business to him.
This had to end.
He pulled the cell phone from his interior jacket pocket that he used for making calls he wanted kept off the record. The phone was quite handy and utterly disposable. Most important, it could not be traced to him.
He entered the number. Waited for the voice on the other end. “This is unraveling at warp speed. I don’t want to hear any more about the problems you’re encountering. I want to hear the solutions you’ve already put into place.”
More excuses! Judd’s face tightened with the fury roaring in his chest. “You do whatever necessary to stop this now…today. Are we clear?”
“Yes, sir,” resounded hollowly.
Judd closed the phone.
It was true. He could depend on no one!
Except himself.
He surveyed his reflection in the mirror once more. There was one aspect he could handle himself.
Today.
Chapter Eleven
7:50 a.m.
“I can’t ask Wayne to run her prints.” Kendra considered the sunglasses she had carefully plucked from her battered purse. At the time she’d improvised and gotten Delilah to hold the sunglasses, Kendra had been grasping at straws. Once the woman walked away the chances of locating her again, without a last name, phone number or address, were slim to none.
Latent fingerprints would help identify her—if she had a criminal record. Bearing in mind her profession, that was a logical conclusion.
“Seems he’s on the other side,” Rocky noted.
Kendra wanted to believe Wayne was the same dedicated professional he’d been when they first met, but last night had indicated otherwise. Castille likely owned him as he did so many others in positions of power.
“I can lift any prints on the glasses,” Kendra said, more to herself than to her partner. “But scanning what I find and getting it into the system for a comparison is the problem.”
“That’s one of the things that impressed me about the Colby Agency.” Rocky chuckled. “You carry your own little CSI kits.”
She smiled at the man seated next to her in front of the hotel desk. “That’s new this year.” She bit her bottom lip, considered the difference between the Colby staff and the Equalizers team. “How did the Equalizers take care of a situation like this?” Didn’t really matter. They were all on the same team now. If she were completely honest with herself, she just wanted to hear him talk. She liked the sound of his voice. Liked the way he kissed even more. Heat shimmered through her as the memories from the wee hours of the morning whispered in her mind.
A grin lifted his lips, creating enduring little creases at the corners of his eyes. Something else she liked. “Excessive force. What else?”
“Ha-ha.”
“You do your CSI thing,” he offered. “I’ll take care of scanning the prints and getting them into IAFIS. Don’t sweat it.”
“How the hell can you do that?” The Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System belonged to the feds. Breaking into that system, assuming anyone could do it with nothing more than a laptop and a hotel Internet server, was a serious crime.
He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “If I told you that would make you an accessory.”
Kendra shivered at the feel of his breath against her ear. That morning had been a little awkward, but waking up in his arms had been more than worth the discomfort. He made her feel like a woman on every level. Something no one else had been able to do.
Not even Wayne.
While she’d slept, Rocky had gone through her bag of damaged clothes and dug out the only pair of jeans she’d packed. One of only two pairs that she owned. The jeans only had one slash, low enough on the leg not to be a problem. He’d laid out another pair of her lacy panties that had survived. Her cheeks warmed at the thought. Sexy lingerie was her one secret vanity.
She liked the way it felt against her skin even if no one but her ever saw it. The T-shirt sporting her alma mater had only a small rip on one shoulder. The getup looked a little odd with the only other pair of shoes she’d packed, high-heeled sandals. But it was better than a shoe with a broken heel and a bloody suit.
The shimmy of her cell phone against the wood desktop reminded her that she was supposed to be focused on the case, not on Rocky’s ability to make her want things she’d thought she might never again want. She picked up the phone, read the display. Her gaze connected with Rocky’s. “It’s Castille.”
Rocky’s eyebrows lifted at the news. “I guess the wife ratted us out.”
No doubt. Kendra opened the phone. “Kendra Todd.”
“Have you seen the paper?”
Kendra turned the phone away from her face and whispered to Rocky. “Check to see if there’s a newspaper outside the door.”
He nodded and headed that way.
“You do realize,” Kendra said to her former boss, “that the press conference related to Yoni’s death was rubbish.”
“I have complete faith in our law enforcement system, Kendra. Perhaps if you listened to their advice you wouldn’t be finding your way into so much trouble. You’ve lost that professional edge that landed you the position on my staff. I don’t understand what happened.”
She touched the bandage on her cheek. Last night had been a close call—closer than she wanted to admit even now. “What do you want, Senator?”
Rocky returned to the desk with newspaper in hand.
Respected Lobbyist’s Murder Reveals Ties to Terrorism
Yoni’s family would be devastated all over again. This was so unfair.
“We need to talk, Kendra. Now.”
Frustration and anger twisted painfully in her stomach. “Isn’t that what we’re doing?” She wanted to shake this fool. What in God’s name was he covering up? What had he gotten Yoni into? This was the threat Yoni had feared…smeared across the headlines.
“Meet me at the C & O Park, Fletcher’s Boat House. Quarter of nine.”
“Senator, we—”
Dead air echoed in her ear. He’d ended the call. She stared at the screen, furious all over again. Pompous fool. He had issued his order and fully expected her to obey.
“Looks like whoever was blackmailing Sayar went through with his threat.” Rocky tapped the headline. “If this story has no merit, it’s a damned shame to do this to a man no longer here to defend himself.”
“It’s lies,” Kendra snapped before she could regain her cool. “All of it.” Yoni was dead, what was the blackmailer’s point in this? There was nothing more to gain from Yoni Sayar.
She pushed back her chair and stood. “The senator wants to talk.” So did she, she just didn’t like him making all the terms. Kendra had a lot of questions. Questions the senator wasn’t going to like in the least. Somehow she had to get him cornered and responding on her terms.
“I guess we have his full attention.”
“That’s the thing about politicians, Rocky,” she explained as she grabbed her purse. “Even when you have their full attention, you never know how they’re going to sp
in what you believe you have.”
Fletcher’s Boat House,
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Park, 8:43 a.m.
FLETCHER’S, WHICH OFFERED boat rentals and concession services for this area of the park, was closed at this hour of the morning. The parking lot was empty. Rocky had scoped out a slot on the far side of the building to avoid being spotted right away.
He wasn’t too keen on meeting Castille in an out-of-the-way location like this. He and Kendra had every reason to believe Castille was behind the drive-by shooting last night, if not the termination of Sayar’s life. Who else had anything to gain by forcing Kendra off the search for the truth? So far, Castille was the top name on that too-short list.
This could be a trap. With that in mind, Kendra had notified the Colby Agency as to their planned movements. Unsatisfied with the openness of the location, Rocky had insisted on taking a position in the trees that flanked the parking lot. Once Castille arrived, depending upon where he parked and whether or not he approached Kendra or she approached him, Rocky would adjust his position for the best possible backup scenario.
He tightened his grip on his weapon. This time he intended to make sure Kendra stayed safe.
A black luxury sedan rolled into the parking lot. Rocky scanned the interior of the vehicle. A driver up front and Castille in the back. No other occupants were readily visible.
He’d warned Kendra not to get out of the car. To force Castille to come to her. Rocky hoped she would heed his advice.
The car circled the lot, then parked beside the rental where Kendra waited. Castille got out before the driver could come around and open his door. Looked like the man was in a huff this morning.
“Hold your position until the driver is back in the car,” Rocky ordered his partner via the communications link.
“Copy that.” Kendra held her position until the driver had gotten back behind the wheel and closed the door.
Rocky watched her movements as she emerged from the rental, while monitoring Castille’s, as well. As Kendra approached the man, Rocky braced for trouble.
“Whatever you think you’re doing,” Castille said as soon as she’d come to a stop in front of him, “you are making a monumental mistake. One that will only detract from the truth you claim to be seeking.”
“What truth is that?” Kendra demanded. “Your version of the truth or the actual truth?”
“My wife has nothing to do with any of this,” he roared, his tone literally vibrating with fury. “Stay away from her.”
“Were you aware that last month she sustained damage to that very nice white car you bought her for Christmas three years ago?”
“What’re you talking about?” he demanded, the fury evolving into a low growl.
Rocky watched the senator’s body language very carefully. The man kept his arms at his sides. If he made a move toward the interior of his jacket, Rocky was going to make a move of his own…one that would likely land him in prison for the rest of his natural life.
“June 2,” Kendra explained. “There was a hit-and-run on L Street. The victim died at the scene. I have an eyewitness who says it was your wife driving that car.”
Castille’s arm came up.
Rocky braced.
The senator shook his finger at Kendra. “Do not include my wife’s name in your ridiculous theories! She spent a week with her sister in Alexandria the first part of last month. She wasn’t even here!”
“Perhaps she was jealous of your involvement with Aleesha Ferguson,” Kendra suggested, ignoring the alibi he’d tossed out. “Or maybe she just enjoys spending time with her sister rather than you.”
Castille took a threatening step toward her.
Rocky leveled his weapon. Cleared his brain of all else save for a clean head shot.
“I will see that you’re held responsible for spreading such lies!”
Kendra didn’t flinch. “You sound almost as if you really believe that.”
Rocky held his breath. She was pushing hard.
Castille suddenly executed a three-sixty, scanning the woods. “Where’s your friend? I’m certain you didn’t come without him.”
“This is between you and me, Senator,” she hedged. “A private conversation about the truth.”
“Is he filming this meeting?” Castille glanced around again. “Is that your game?”
Kendra fully recognized that Castille wasn’t going to let the idea of Rocky’s hidden presence go. “He’s here for my protection,” she admitted. “There’s no camera or other documentary source.”
“Tell him to come out,” Castille demanded. “I want him here where I can see him or I’m not saying another word.”
That the senator appeared prepared to continue their conversation suggested that he in fact had something else to say. That was more than she’d hoped for. “All right.” Kendra motioned for Rocky to join them. Though he’d heard the senator’s demand, the goal was for Castille to believe the conversation thus far had only been between the two of them. Rocky wouldn’t give his presence away without Kendra’s approval.
Her partner stepped from the dense tree line and strode toward the parking lot where she and Castille faced off.
When he stopped next to her, she said to Castille, “See, no electronic devices.”
Castille wasn’t entirely convinced. “Put your hands up high so that I can see for myself that there are no recording devices.” He glanced at Kendra, his gaze openly accusatory. “Both of you.”
Kendra indulged him by raising her hands. Rocky followed suit. She hoped the senator didn’t over-react when he found Rocky’s weapon. That could complicate matters considerably.
Castille patted down Rocky first, then Kendra. She schooled her surprise that he didn’t find the handgun she knew for a certainty Rocky was carrying.
“Put your purse,” Castille said to her, then to Rocky he added, “and your cell phones in the car.”
Kendra dropped her cell into her purse and turned to do as the senator had requested.
“He can do it,” Castille qualified.
She handed the purse to Rocky who did as the senator insisted.
“Are you satisfied now?” she asked the man she’d once respected and admired.
Castille held his tongue until Rocky returned to her side. “What I’m about to tell you is of an extremely sensitive nature. If you dare to leak a word of this to anyone, I will staunchly deny all of it.”
“What about your driver?” Rocky countered with a nod toward the senator’s car. “Is he armed? Or using any monitoring devices?”
Castille’s gaze narrowed with irritation. He opened his jacket so that they could see when he removed his cell phone. He entered a speed-dial number, then said, “Take a walk.” He closed the phone and slid it back into his pocket, once again ensuring his movements were fully visible.
The driver’s door of the senator’s car opened and his employee emerged. He closed the door and started walking toward the parking lot entrance.
Whatever Castille had to say, it was clearly startling news. Truth or not. He’d taken the cooperation thing way beyond Kendra’s expectations.
“Yoni and I,” he began, “have worked long and hard developing the Transparency Bill. You may have heard rumors in the media,” he said to Kendra.
“I’ve heard some rumblings.” She elected not to reveal the information Yoni had passed along to her before his death.
“As you can well imagine,” Castille continued, “this is not a popular piece of proposed legislation. However, Yoni and I had orchestrated a careful plan for revealing it to the public. We both knew that once the American people were aware of what we were proposing, none of those opposed would be able to actually vote against it and save face with their constituents.”
“Or salvage the next election,” Kendra offered.
Castille gave an acknowledging nod of her assessment. “Strongly worded advice began around one month ago. Then the threats came.”
“
What sort of threats?” Rocky asked.
Castille considered Kendra’s partner at length. “The ruthless kind that ends careers and damages personal relationships.”
“Did you report this activity to the proper authorities?” As she had known with Yoni, she knew full well the senator’s answer would be no. A long-established game of merciless tug of war.
“No.” The senator’s face cleared of emotion.
Renewed fury detonated deep in Kendra’s chest. “With all due respect, Senator,” she challenged, “how could you be so irresponsible? Your lack of action may very well have cost Yoni his life?”
“May yet,” Rocky tagged on, “cost yours.”
“I have my reasons.”
Kendra felt confident she knew at least two of those reasons. “The story in the paper this morning about Yoni is completely false.”
“Indeed.”
“What do you plan to do about that?” If he said nothing she might not be able to maintain any sense of professional decorum.
“I have someone working on it as we speak.”
“Wayne Burton?”
Surprise flared for the briefest of seconds before Castille banished it. “Are you referring to the homicide detective investigating Yoni’s murder?”
Like he didn’t know. “You know exactly who I’m talking about. He showed up at the café last night after I was shot at. I can only assume since there were no homicides involved, that he’s watching me. On your orders.”
Castille’s guard visibly fell into place. “I wasn’t aware you’d been in an altercation? What in God’s name are you talking about?”
“Three men tailed us,” Rocky detailed. “One of them shot at Kendra. No one was seriously injured but it wasn’t due to a lack of effort.”
The senator shook his head. “I was not aware of this. I received the call around two this morning that the article in the newspaper would run despite my efforts to stop it. There were no other calls.”
Rocky looked to Kendra. She hated to admit it, but she sensed that the man was telling the truth—at least about that part. Even though he mentioned her getting into trouble, that may have related to when she’d walked away from her work on his staff.