She took the photograph and magnifying glass, held the picture under the lamp to catch the maximum amount of light and looked through the magnifying glass. She studied the faces of two of the men in the photograph. The third man had his back to the camera. “Isn’t that Frank James?”
Reece took the picture and magnifying glass from her. “That’s exactly who it is.”
“I don’t understand. What would be so critical about a police lieutenant being photographed in a mountain setting?”
“That in itself is unimportant, as you said. It’s the other man who makes the difference.”
“Who is he? I don’t recognize him.”
“His name is Mitch Mantee. He’s one of the top organized crime figures on the West Coast.”
Her eyes grew wide as the full implication registered in her mind. She took another close look at the photograph. It was clear that the crime boss was handing an envelope to Frank James.
“It looks like a payoff.” She locked eye contact with Reece. Her heart pounded in her chest, and a hint of panic tried to work its way into her voice. “I took a photograph of an organized crime figure making a payoff to a police lieutenant?”
“That’s sure the way it looks. Retrieving these pictures, both negative and prints, was vital to them. They also needed to know whether you were aware of them being in the shot, if you recognized who they were, had you made other copies of the pictures that you sent to anyone or had you told anyone about what you caught on film. Not having the answers to those questions is probably the only thing that kept you alive.”
Reece inspected the second picture. After the shock of the first grouping of people in the background, the next one was the icing on the cake. “I’ll be damned!”
“What’s wrong?” Brandi stared over his shoulder at the photograph. “What do you see?”
“It’s your fourth person, the woman. This picture is Frank James, Mitch Mantee and Cindy Thatcher. The other man must have been blocked from the camera’s view by the tree.”
“Who’s Cindy Thatcher?”
He took in a steadying breath. His past seemed to have come full circle to confront him. “She’s a woman who hired me to find her missing brother. I found him, but it turned out that he wasn’t her brother at all. He was a man who had gone into hiding in fear of his life because of his dealing with some shady characters. I never did know those details. He ended up dead. It all turned out to be a setup that resulted in my arrest and two years in prison.”
“Who was the man?”
“Now that I’m seeing these pictures, I’d say that he was someone the mob wanted to find and hadn’t been able to. Not even Frank, with the facilities of the police department at his beck and call, had been able to locate him since he had gone into hiding on his own rather than being in police protective custody. So, they had Cindy hire me and they used me as their bird dog. It served two purposes—they found the man they had been looking for, and Frank James was able to finally get me out of the way. He had tried without success on a couple of occasions to get my P.I. license revoked. By framing me and lying on the witness stand so that I ended up convicted and in prison, he finally got it done.”
Reece looked at the picture again. “So here it is, all wrapped up in a neat and tidy package. The woman who set me up, with the cop who arrested me and perjured himself on the witness stand, in a secluded setting taking a payoff from a high level organized crime figure. Brandi, you have more here than merely a couple of photographs of beautiful scenery with some unidentified people in the background.”
He made eye contact with her. “You’ve captured dynamite on film, incriminating evidence that could put all the participants in prison. I only wish we could see the face of the third man.”
But it was even more than that. It also told Reece that Frank was desperate and would stop at nothing to make sure his secret dealing remained just that—a secret.
Brandi was in even more danger than he originally realized. And now so was he.
Every move they made, every decision about what path to follow, had to be carefully thought out. They couldn’t afford any mistakes. One little misstep could spell disaster.
He knew he needed to talk to Joe Hodges again. There was no way of getting around it. But now he needed to rethink what he would say to the FBI agent and exactly how much of the truth he would reveal.
Should he casually drop Mitch Mantee’s name in conversation and wait for a reaction from Joe? And then there was the cartridge and casing from Frank’s pistol. He felt sure that there would probably be at least one unsolved crime connected to the ballistics, possibly more.
The question was whether Joe could be trusted with all the details. Lives were at stake, both Brandi’s and his. Where would Joe’s priorities lead him? To protect the innocent or get Mitch Mantee regardless of the consequences? It could even be possible that if Joe knew exactly what was going on he might try to use Brandi as bait to lure Mitch into the open. It was not the type of behavior he would have associated with Joe in the past, but Reece had a personal stake in this…a very personal stake. He couldn’t afford to overlook any possibilities. It was a troubling situation.
Chapter Eight
What had been a confusing problem had now become a major disaster for both Brandi and Reece. There were two unanswered questions that still nagged at him, questions that needed answers.
Who was the third man in the picture with his back to the camera? Was it one of Mitch Mantee’s men, possibly his bodyguard? Or was it someone who worked with Frank James? The person Frank James reported to? Maybe even someone in a trusted position of authority with either the police department or possibly some other governmental office.
And of even more concern was the other unanswered question. Did Mitch Mantee know what had happened, or was Frank trying to contain the situation on his own? Hopefully Frank had the good sense to keep the problem to himself and to try to handle it without any outside help from organized crime. But good sense wasn’t always one of Frank James’s long suits. He was smart, but sometimes he acted impulsively without giving it rational thought.
The anxiety churned inside Reece. Having a known person after them was one thing, but at least he knew who he was up against. If they had an unknown professional hit man on their trail it would be quite another problem. He glanced toward Brandi. Did she fully understand the implications? The expression on her face told him that she understood exactly what it meant and what was at stake.
Brandi wrapped her arms around his waist. “You don’t need to say it. What was originally a stalker now turns out to be a larger problem—a much larger and even more deadly problem.” She looked up at him. “And now I’ve put you in a position where you’re in just as much danger as I am. I’m so sorry. If I’d had any idea…well, I could have gone to the FBI with the pictures and you wouldn’t be in this danger and I could have gotten protection from them. Now…well, I just don’t know…”
The words died in her throat. All she could think of was that she had been responsible for the danger that now threatened Reece, too. If anything happened to him, it would be her fault.
He tangled his fingers in the silky strands of her hair as he cradled her head against his shoulder. “That’s not the way it is. First, you’ve given me the opportunity to confront the details of what happened to me. Now I have the opportunity to put that right. And second—” he brushed a tender kiss across her forehead “—if this hadn’t happened I would never have met you. Something very special would have been missing from my life. I would always have had an empty place inside me that I would have been trying to fill without ever knowing exactly what I was looking for.” The words had come from his heart even though it was more than he had anticipated saying.
More than he had wanted to admit.
He had a bad track record with relationships, starting several years ago when he had been left at the altar by his fiancée, who had decided to return to a former lover. And, of course, there was
the disaster with Cindy Thatcher. For him to make yet another attempt at having a relationship, of making another commitment, had not been part of his agenda.
He continued to hold Brandi. He reveled in the closeness, yet his mind remained in turmoil over what to do about his relationship with her. The word relationship had become a little easier for him to acknowledge, but the overall meaning and the implied commitment still frightened him. As she’d said, everything had happened so quickly. Perhaps much too quickly. And then there was the fact that he didn’t have any idea how she felt or what she wanted beyond the obvious of stopping the menace that haunted them.
Another thought put a stop to the direction his mind had wandered. Yes, things had come about very quickly. However, with the uncertainty that continued to surround them—the danger that seemed to be turning more perilous with each new discovery—time had become a precious commodity. If their time together could end up being much too short, then they should make the most of it.
Brandi looked up at Reece, a quizzical expression on her face. “Since you’ve identified an organized crime figure as being involved in this, doesn’t that mean that federal authorities can do something? Wouldn’t that fall under the FBI’s jurisdiction?”
He pulled in a steadying breath, not sure of how to respond to her question. “Yes, technically that makes it federal jurisdiction.”
“Can you call your friend, Joe Hodges, again? If you tell him about the pictures and the crime boss, won’t he step in and take care of things? Bring in other agents and put an end to Frank James and his network?”
An uneasy feeling continued to ripple through his body. His last conversation with Joe had left him uncomfortable, even though he still didn’t know exactly why. He would call, but he also had every intention of proceeding cautiously, and no intention of mentioning Brandi’s name even if Joe demanded to know all the facts.
He paused for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts in some sort of logical order. “Yes, I’m going to call Joe again, but first I need to figure out exactly what to say to him. I’m not sure how to approach the subject of the pictures, or the spent cartridge and shell casing from Frank’s pistol. I don’t want to just blithely hand everything over to Joe and find out that we’ve been lost in the shuffle, that we’ve been hung out to dry and left to fend for ourselves. On the other hand, this has become big enough that it’s not realistic to think that we can handle it alone to the point where we can turn over everything in a neat package with all the loose ends tied up.”
She closed her eyes and rested her head against his shoulder. A little shudder of despair rippled through her body. “I’m so sorry. I never should have involved you in my problems.”
“It’s as much my problem because it involves my past as it is your problem in the present. That makes it our problem. We’ll handle this together. We just need to figure out the best way of handling it.”
He flashed a confident smile. “Everything is going to be okay.”
Something about Reece Covington made her feel as if his words were more than merely empty rhetoric, that everything truly would work out just as he had said. Everything about him exuded confidence and security, the type of strength that told her he could handle whatever type of situation came his way. As long as he was in her life, nothing bad could happen to her. But how long would he be there?
Reece’s voice interrupted her troubled thoughts. “I think it would be a good idea if I e-mailed a copy of the pictures to my P.I. friend, and then mailed him a hard copy of the blown-up prints along with the second spent cartridge and shell casing from Frank’s pistol. I’ll tell him to keep them in a secure place as an added precaution in case someone manages to track the pictures as far as his computer. That will prevent anyone from hacking into his computer and destroying the pictures with a virus in hopes of eliminating our evidence. It’s like having a double backup system. We have our evidence locked in the floor safe, Joe will have the pictures and ballistics evidence, and my friend will have both the pictures in his computer and the pictures and ballistics evidence in a secure location in another state.”
His desire, his need for the closeness finally won out over his attempt to keep the conversation going. He rested his cheek against the top of her head and took a steadying breath.
“Brandi…I don’t want to assume more than I have a right to, but I’ve got to be honest with you.” He felt her body stiffen. Did he dare continue? He forced out the words, knowing that he had to finish what he had started to say.
“I don’t know about you, but I’ve been experiencing a growing closeness between us…something that started out as a physical attraction that has become something more. I know these circumstances are a long way from ideal, and it’s true that we haven’t known each other very long, but I want to make love to you. What I don’t want is for you to feel like you’re being pressured into something you don’t want, that the circumstances make you feel that you can’t say no.”
He took a step back from her. “I don’t like playing games. I don’t like it when a woman pretends that she needs to be seduced rather than simply being honest. And I don’t want to have to second-guess what your words really mean. Don’t say no if you really mean yes because I’ll accept your no to mean just that—no. And that will be the end of it.”
She reached her mouth to his, brushing a tender kiss across his lips. He wrapped his arms around her again. A bit of hesitation rippled through his body. “Is that a yes?” He held his breath as he waited for her response.
“That’s a yes.” Had she totally lost all reason and sanity or was she being as honest with herself about what she wanted as he had been with her? An honesty she had never faced before—with a man she couldn’t have resisted even if she’d wanted to.
She made eye contact with him. She saw the same honesty she had seen when she’d first encountered him. She wanted—no, she needed—the feeling of a shared closeness and intimacy, something that had been missing from her life for a long time. Something that would tell her she was not alone even if it was only for one night. She was fully aware that he had made no promises about the future, had not mentioned any type of a commitment.
Reece held her close to him. They had all night to share their passion. Hours in which to relish the closeness and intimacy he had not known in years and with a woman who was far more than just a ship passing in the night. A woman in trouble who sincerely needed his help. An enticing woman he wanted as part of his life, more than just a casual bed partner.
He brought his mouth down on hers, taking possession of her addictive taste. His tongue darted into the recesses of her mouth—exploring, tasting, teasing, demanding…and possessing.
Brandi welcomed his kiss, his touch—and the delicious ecstasy they promised. She didn’t know how, but she knew everything would turn out all right. With his help, she would be able to put a stop to the nightmare that had invaded her life and see to it that her abductor was brought to justice. She closed her eyes and totally gave herself over to the primal need coursing through her body.
Reece swept her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom, depositing her gently on the edge of the bed. He took a calming breath as he reached out and caressed her cheek with his fingertips. The creamy texture of her skin sent a ripple of anticipation through his body. It had been a long time since he had been with a woman, but even if it had only been yesterday he still would have been awed by her.
And he had to admit to himself that he was just a little worried about his ability to provide what she wanted and needed.
The flush of delight covering her face and the fervor in her eyes told him she was as aroused as he was. He kneeled down next to her, pulled her into his arms and captured her mouth with a demanding intensity. His tongue meshed with hers in a dance of seduction. The kiss deepened, their passions soared.
As if they had made love together before, each seemed to instinctively respond to the other’s desires. Pieces of clothing fell away. T
hey scooted up to the middle of the bed, bare skin touching bare skin as his torso stretched out next to her body. He cupped her breast in his hand. Her soft moan of delight fed his excitement. He teased her nipple with his tongue before drawing the tautly puckered bud into his mouth, then he gently suckled.
Brandi arched her back, forcing her breast tighter against his mouth. Waves of excitement flowed through her body. She skimmed her fingertips across his muscular back at the same time as she ran her foot along the edge of his calf. She wanted more of him— much more. A shiver of delight accompanied the sensation of his hand gliding up her inner thigh.
She melted under his touch when he inserted his finger between her delicate feminine folds. She had never had a man’s mere touch send so much ecstasy coursing through her body. It wasn’t just the passion of his kiss, the sensuality of his caress or the surge of sexual desire elicited by his touch. There was the man himself—his concern, his strength, his intelligence and his compassion.
He grabbed a condom from the box in the nightstand drawer. They had been an impulse buy at the time he’d bought the socks, the jeans and the computer supplies—wishful thinking on his part that had turned into reality. A moment later he nudged her legs apart with his knee. He situated his body over hers. His hard arousal slowly penetrated into the moist heat of her body. He paused as the incredible sensation swept through him. He set a slow, even pace. She met every one of his down strokes with an equally enthusiastic upward thrust of her own.
The intensity increased as they moved in harmony until the ultimate rapture claimed them. The convulsions spread through her body as the hard spasms shuddered through his. They clung to each other, savoring the euphoria of their union.
He held her tightly, placing tender kisses on her cheeks and forehead. He smoothed her hair away from her damp face. Making love to Brandi had been far more than merely the satisfaction of the physical act. It hit him with a profound emotion that he had not antici pated. His life was in turmoil, his future uncertain. He had nothing to offer her.
Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? Page 12