Sabrina had destroyed the cassettes of her crime though.
“Knock yourself out,” she said. “I’ll head to my conference room and work there.”
“We need all of your personal computers,” Jansen told her.
She smiled. “Luckily this is a company one.” She laughed. “Mine is in its case.” And had nothing but her latest stories on it. “Enjoy.” She exited the office with Agent Jensen hard on her heels.
“Why is Charles so certain you killed your sister?” he asked her.
“Ask him. I’m sure they were closer than she and I was. She must have given him some reason. Though could be that she didn’t like me and never did. I was the intruder in their family, the unwanted stepsister. The kind of animosity they had against me never dies.”
Blood was thicker than water. She’d had to scrub Williams off her hands for hours it seemed and seemed he was trying to reach out from the grave to make good on his promises.
“I own you, Sabrina,” Billy had whispered to her the night she’d killed him. “I’ll kill you before I let you escape me.”
A chill rippled down her arms making her flesh pimple.
She’d looked him in the eye as she’d said, “Then, you’ll have to kill me because I know what they did to my mother. I won’t stop talking until someone investigates and if they don’t, I’ll tell them what you’ve been doing to me.”
He grabbed her by her hair and jerked so hard her head veered to one side and started to ache. He kissed her hard, his kiss tasting of her essence and turning her stomach.
“It’ll be over my dead body,” he whispered in her ear. “I never lose.”
The chill receded, but inside she shook. The Cains had nearly destroyed her with their systematic dual layer attack, but it was time their legacy of evil died.
She exhaled softly, fingers clenching into tight fists. Charles could very well have grown up to be as sick as his father. His sister had and it was a shame, but the evil that had been Billy had seduced the dark side of them all.
There was possibly no redemption for any of them.
Chapter Twenty
She led Agent Jansen past the elevators, down a long champagne corridor. “Why’ve you fixated on me? The tape you say you have can’t exist since I never left any messages for Pamela.”
“You admit you spoke to her the night she died?”
“Yes. She wanted me to give her money to pay some drug dealer back with.”
“What was his name?”
“She called him Trigger but when I pressed for more information, she clammed up,” Sabrina told him and pushed the door of the conference room open. “She said she was selling for him and she’d skimmed five thousand and he was going to kill her.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” he demanded when she faced him inside the spacious cream and chocolate room.
Sabrina shrugged. “I thought you’d do your job and you’d realize I wasn’t involved—” The muffled ring of her cell phone from its case attached to her belt cut her off. She sighed. “I guess I was wrong. You want justice for the dead agents. I understand.” She frowned at the number on the display. The same one from last night. “What do you want?” she demanded.
“I told you what I wanted last night. Give me the information you took, and I’ll leave you and your girlfriend alone.”
Fear was an icy hand around her heart, squeezing so tight her breath died in her chest. Her hand shook and she headed to the window where the shades were pulled down against the early rays of golden light.
“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” she said.
“Why the fat Miss Price of course. You don’t seem like the type to go in for a fatty. You look like you take such good care of yourself. Hard body a man could fuck for days and never get tired of.”
“Try putting a finger on me, you worthless prick,” she snarled. “If you were a real man you’d be hear making your petty little demands in person.”
He laughed in that mechanical voice. “You’re in no position to talk. Someone saw you go into Pamela’s apartment. That witness will come forward and if that doesn’t sway you, your woman will suffer a broken leg and then a broken arm. After that, I’ll just kill her.”
Her grip tightened on the phone and Sabrina knew it was more than simple anger sending the heat of rage burning down her back. She was enraged at the very idea of anyone harming Veda.
Damn it!
She was already falling for her.
This was one of the reasons she didn’t get involved. She didn’t like having a weakness an enemy could exploit.
“What no witty comeback?” he asked mockingly and then laughed manically.
“You are aware that the FBI is involved?” she asked. “They’re searching my office even now and they will find the evidence. I won’t have it all if any to give.”
“You didn’t make copies?”
“Why would I?” she asked. “I’ve been more deliciously engaged. I don’t even have a clue what’s on the card.”
“There’s only one?”
“Two and one will be falling into Agents Jansen and Crow’s hands any minute now because you’ve got me on the phone playing kid’s games.”
“Damn it!”
Sabrina shook her head. “Say goodbye, Sabrina. I’ll call you later,” she commanded.
“I will be in touch.”
She exhaled roughly and quickly typed in a message to Ace. Veda needed protection now.
“What are they blackmailing you for?” Agent Jansen asked.
She faced him. “Pamela and Westmore had something on someone. I don’t know who. I haven’t had a chance to look at the SD card yet.”
“How’d you get it?” he asked, his tone soft, almost lulling her into a false sense of security.
“I went to see her the day she was killed to take her money. I told her she had to go to her brother for the rest, but she didn’t want to get him involved I guess because we argued.”
“You really did kill her father didn’t you?” he asked softly, his tone incredulous. “She had proof and she was blackmailing you for the money she needed.”
“Find the body, get a witness, get some proof, and then ask me,” she told him coldly. “In the meantime, I’m sticking with what I’ve already told you.”
“So you were there, and she turned the card over to you, why?”
“She asked me to keep the card until tomorrow when I gave her the money. I left, but she was alive and preparing to meet someone. I guess she told her killer she gave me the cards.”
“I want them,” he said.
“I don’t have them on me,” Sabrina told him. She looked at her phone when it chirped in her hand and Sabrina glanced at the screen and read the message. “I’m engaging a professional to protect Miss Price.”
“They’re going to kill her. The Hatter never takes any prisoners.”
“Somebody should have told Pamela and Westmore that,” she said.
“We’ll protect her and you,” he promised.
She snorted. “You couldn’t keep an apple pie in a steel pie cover safe. I’ve engaged the best, and Veda will walk away from this even if I don’t.”
A gasp drew her attention to the door. Veda stood there hand on the barely open door.
She gave him a look and his brown eyes held a hint of smugness. She shook her head.
“I wanted her to know what she’d gotten herself into,” he murmured. “What kind of woman she was dealing with.”
Veda’s growing affections for her would wither as soon as she knew how much blood stained her hands. She’d been an innocent girl, turned into a sex toy by a killer, a woman who’s heart wasn’t easily touched by romantic love.
“I could deal with you wanting to destroy me,” she whispered. “But trying to taint her life with the danger from mine is unforgiveable, Agent Jansen.”
“Just give me the cards,” he told her. “We’ll handle the rest.”
She walke
d away. Veda was still standing outside the door looking in like a lurking shadow. Sabrina pulled the door open. “Hi.”
“I needed to see you,” Veda whispered. Her gaze was soft, and her bottom lip trembled.
“Did I catch you at a bad time?”
Chapter Twenty-One
Sabrina laughed. “The worst, but right now, your face is the only one I want to see,” she murmured and the smile that played on Veda’s lips tugged at her heart. It would be so nice to have someone care about her just because she was her. “Let’s get out of here. Agent Jansen, don’t take my computers. As you can see they aren’t my personal instruments, but company property.”
“You’re leaving?” he demanded.
She laughed. “Miss me already?” she mocked. “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” She rolled her eyes and turned back to Veda. Sabrina took her hand and led her to her office where Miss Lacey was perched on her desk chair in the reception area.
“Boss,” she said with a nod.
“I’ll be out of the office, but you can contact me as need be,” she informed the secretary.
Miss Lacey nodded. She was a loyal employee as was the security team that watched the monitors in the building. She’d know what the feds took and how much of it as soon as they took it.
“Miss Price,” Miss Lacey gave her a nod.
“Hi.”
“Come on, sweetheart,” Sabrina said. “Let the feds do their work.”
****
Veda was still surprised as they came to a stop at her car. The wolf was right next to her on diligent guard. She felt as if someone was watching her from two directions and it gave her the creeps.
“What’s going on, Sabrina? The FBI came to my office and told me you’d killed people.”
“I need your keys,” Sabrina said by way of answer.
Veda fished them out of her shoulder bag and handed them over. “Sabrina, talk to me,” she pleaded urgently.
Sabrina led her around to the passenger side of the car and unlocked it. “We’ll talk soon.”
Veda climbed in and closed her door as Sabrina made her way around to the other side of the car and climbed in.
“Seatbelt,” Sabrina reminded gently.
“Right.” She pulled it on while Sabrina got busy typing on her phone.
The message was answered quickly and Sabrina set the phone aside and started the car.
“I didn’t kill Pamela, but she got herself involved with a drug cartel that’s dragged me into the fray.”
Veda studied her profile as Sabrina maneuvered them out into traffic. Sabrina’s jaw was set in a tight line and the muscle worked furiously. Her aura was a jumble of dark shifting colors.
“I believe you.” She put a hand on Sabrina’s thigh.
“Do you or are you just afraid?” Sabrina asked coolly.
“Should I be afraid of you? I’m more worried about the cartel. You could have killed me already.”
Sabrina grunted. “I’d say it’s time we stopped seeing each other.”
“But I think that time has come and gone,” Veda replied evenly. “You can’t toss me to the mercy of the feds. They’ll hound me and the cartel will kill me over something I don’t know.”
“I know.”
Veda let out a startled scream when Sabrina took a curb too sharp. “What do they want? I mean what’s on the cards?”
“The less you know the better,” Sabrina told her.
“Sabrina, I’m not a fragile child,” Veda snapped.
Sabrina threw her a bland look and said, “But you could be a liability.”
“Right,” she murmured and anger bit her hard. Veda lifted her hand intending to sit back and keep her mouth shut. Instead, she slammed it down on Sabrina’s thigh. “It seems like someone’s following me, so I’m already a liability, damn it. Just say you don’t trust me.”
“If they get you, they’ll probably torture you, Veda,” Sabrina retorted.
“And you’re afraid I won’t be able to stand the pain,” she retorted. She had a few tricks up her sleeve to protect her against mere mortals. “Keep your stinking secrets then.”
She sat back lips tightening into a line as they continued the drive.
Sabrina drove them to a nearby park, the drive lasting only a few minutes. She pulled into a space in the empty lot and cut the engine.
“I never wanted you to get involved in anything like this,” Sabrina murmured, resting her hands on the steering wheel. “I wasn’t sure how far this would go when Pamela showed up demanding money to pay off some drug trafficker she’d been selling drugs for. She was stealing from him and he wanted his money back.”
“The feds had been watching her or him?”
“I guess,” Sabrina told her keeping her gaze focused on the park of lush trees swaying in the light breeze. “They thought she was involved in other things too including murder.”
“Sabrina, I’m—I don’t know what to say.” Her heart twisted for Sabrina. Her sister had dragged her into a nightmare without a single thought for Sabrina’s safety. “But her death must—”
“She was never my sister, Veda,” she said coldly. “Pamela and her brother aren’t my family. Her death is a relief to me because I don’t have to kill her.”
“You wouldn’t—”
“Of course I would.”
“Don’t say that,” Veda cut her off. “You wouldn’t have hurt her.”
Sabrina looked at her then. “I was going to kill her, and when I say I was going to, Veda, I mean that. I am a killer.”
Veda studied her. “You’re just saying that to scare me, but I’m not going to turn my back on you because you’re a mess. I think something real is developing between us whether you want to admit it or not.”
Sabrina released her seatbelt and shifted to face Veda. “That’s why you need to understand that what you see isn’t what you get with me. I’m dangerous. I have been since I made my first kill.”
“Stop it,” Veda snapped.
“You doubt me?” she asked softly. “Let me take you back to the first time we met.”
“I remember it well, and you weren’t killing anyone.”
“It was a cold day and you were cutting through the park on your way back to your apartment,” Sabrina said softly. “You ran into me and fell. I bent to help you up. You looked so innocent yet so afraid I was going to hurt you. It was almost as if you’d already seen the body.”
Her lips parted as the image of the dead dean rushed back to her. His death had been such a shocker to the entire community because he’d been such a good man.
“He had kids,” she whispered.
“A fourteen year old daughter and a nine year old son,” Sabrina told her. “A daughter he was raping and a wife who knew it and turned a blind eye it to avoid losing the respect of the community, the privilege she enjoyed from his money.”
Veda shook her head. “He wasn’t—he was a—” Her trembling fingers went to her lips, disbelief coating her, but she knew Sabrina wasn’t lying. The dean’s daughter had been pregnant despite being a solitary girl with sad eyes.
Looking back she could see that the girl was like her in a respect. She’d done everything to keep her eating disorder a secret—lied, told people what they wanted to hear. The dean’s daughter had been the same except it had been obvious the girl had been in terrible emotional pain.
“He never wanted her to date or be alone with boys,” Veda murmured. “I was tutoring her in math. He was so possessive, but I never saw it that way. I just thought he was being protective like my father.”
“Not all fathers are like yours, Veda.”
“Why—who hired you to kill him?”
“Client-assassin confidentiality,” she said. “I’ll take the knowledge to my grave.”
“I knew I’d seen you before. I couldn’t place when we’d met. Do you still kill people?”
“No but I will if I have to, and I don’t mind doing it.” Sabrina shrugged. “I don’t regre
t. I’ve taken lives that needed taking. I still sleep easy.”
“Did you like it?”
“It was a living,” she said. “And I’ll use those skills to protect you if it comes to that, but I’ve hired someone to watch your back when I can’t. She needs access to you at all times.”
“Okay.” Veda would be lying if she said she wasn’t surprised, but she supposed she was crazy because she didn’t care that Sabrina was a killer. She thought child molesters should die.
And there were plenty of people out there like cartel assassins who killed people like her just because she might know something she had no clue about. Who would protect them?
Sabrina had said she’d killed people who needed killing. She could live with that. After all, the police couldn’t get everyone thanks to due process and necessity for evidence which sometimes included a dead body. What good was police help if you had to die to get it?
“Just tell me you aren’t lying when you say you didn’t kill Pamela.”
“I really didn’t, but I might damn well kill her brother,” Sabrina told her as a car pulled into the slot next to theirs. “Stay put.”
Veda watched Sabrina climb out contemplating the situation she’d fallen into. This was why her totem had begun making itself so visible. If there had been a chance she was going to be able to walk away—well she could have, but she’d chosen not to. Then, the wolf would have faded.
The woman who climbed out of the other car was tall too, short hair. She’d seen her before. She’d been with that reporter, Chloe. Veda would have made a move on Darice, but Chloe had cut that short letting her know, Darice was taken.
Darice was beautiful, but she’d sensed a danger about her too. She’d thought what she was picking up from Sabrina was that bad girl vibe. Now, she knew she was bad in more ways than one.
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