Run to You

by Lynne King

  “My father ended up addicted to cough candies when he quit.”

  The small smile she displayed completely disarmed him. He was meant to be conducting an interview, not getting hot and turned on by a witness or even a potential suspect. Leaning back in the chair, arms folded across his chest, he stepped back in his thoughts and returned to being a detective.

  “The reason I called you in here is because we have quite a few loose ends. One of them happens to be who entered this office and turned off the override switch to the security backup cameras.”

  “Don’t look at me! I don’t know anything about a switch.”

  Her voice was shaky and she avoided looking at him, but Jack was having trouble making her out. He wanted to mention Shaun O’Riley, but to do so would enlighten her to the fact that she had been under surveillance. At the moment the investigation was still unsanctioned and he wanted it to stay that way for a while. O’Riley could be linked to this and if so it meant she was involved, but until he had some hard evidence, he had to play ignorant.

  “Isn’t the office locked when the bank’s president is away from it?”

  “No. I mean, well, sometimes.” She seemed to be struggling with an answer. “Michael, I mean Mister Anderson, wasn’t going to be absent for long and Julie was due back from lunch at one-thirty. He never locks it during lunch periods because, well, there is always staff coming and going. It was never felt necessary.”

  “For a bank, I find that hard to believe.”

  “There’s no safe in here, nothing of value and as for that switch you mentioned—none of the staff have knowledge of what security measures are in place.”

  He leaned forward, his face within inches of hers. The aroma of her perfume was as intoxicating as the shimmering moistness in her emerald eyes. “Believe me, Miss Saunders, someone from this bank flicked that switch and I aim to find out whom. I would hate to think you had any part in this, especially seeing a man, your work colleague, has lost his life as a result of this robbery.” He paused, noticing the alarm and horror revealed in her face.

  “What do you mean? Mark’s okay, isn’t he?”

  “I’m afraid he never even made it to the hospital.”

  “No,” she cried out. Burying her face in her hands, her whole body shook.

  It was an automatic reaction he told himself afterward. She was distraught at learning a work colleague was dead and the intense questioning beforehand had made it worse. He felt responsible, and came round from his side of the desk and leaned down before her, cushioning her tear-stained face in his hands.

  “Elizabeth, I’m sorry.” In that moment of her glistening eyes meeting his and feeling her smooth skin beneath his fingers, her lips so full and quivering, he could have kissed her. As if stung, he released her face abruptly and stepped back. Loosening his tie, he rubbed his chin and tried to regain his composure.

  “Look, if anything comes to mind or you simply need someone to talk to, here’s my card. I mean anything. Sometimes we get dragged into situations that pull us further and further into their clutches, making it much harder for that opening to offer a hand. I’m doing that now, but it won’t always remain that way.” He placed the card in her hand. “My private line is just that.”

  She looked at the card in her hand and then raised her gaze to him. He knew fear when he saw it and she had it written all over her beautiful features.

  ”Detective Jack Willis, are you the one in charge of this case?”

  “No, not exactly. Another detective and I will be handling the murder investigations, but the Feds will be brought in on this, seeing it’s a bank raid. If you need to talk, we can keep it strictly between us because I’m sure if you are involved, it wasn’t through choice.” He caught her gaze. The hesitation in her face told him she wanted to say something. It was on the tip of her lips, the words forming.

  Suddenly the door burst open and Detective Reid stepped in. “There’s been a development.”

  “Not now,” he barked. He glanced back at her, but it was too late. The shield had come down, her eyes downcast. The interruption at a crucial moment had given her time to think and fear had obviously won.

  “What is it?” He aimed at Reid who was now looking pensively at Elizabeth Saunders and didn’t seem in too much of a hurry to reply. Jack prompted him again.

  “The getaway car has been found burnt out by the docks and also…” He paused.

  Jack took the hint. “Miss Saunders, that will be all for now. You can wait with your colleagues. It shouldn’t be for much longer.” He watched her walk out the door, his card, he noticed, held tightly in her hand.

  “Do you think she’s involved?”

  “You said there was something else besides the burnt-out car.” Reid’s gaze endorsed Jack’s dislike of the guy—there was something about him he didn’t trust.

  “Three bodies have been discovered in a warehouse nearby. No identities as yet, but two match the descriptions of the phony telephone engineer and the one who introduced himself as Mister Costanzo. The other we think was the driver.”

  “Someone is certainly making sure he doesn’t have to share or have any loose ends to worry about.”

  “Looks that way,” Reid stated back.

  Jack leaned back in the chair feeling deeply troubled. He brought out his cell phone. Unofficially he had taken a few shots of the deceased Mark Hunter. He was going to show the photos to Linda, see if his hunch was right. Secretly he was hoping he had it wrong because if Elizabeth Saunders was involved, she was another loose end that needed taking care of.

  Three hours later and most of the police had departed. The vault was taped off as a crime scene. Customers lining up to check on their boxes were told to come back Monday. No one was allowed in there. Liz felt so sorry for Michael as he tried to calm customers’ fears and console staff at the same time. It felt as if she was on the precipice of hell and she had so wanted to confess her guilt. She had been on the verge. Liz couldn’t stop remembering Jack’s words and reliving that feeling when he had cupped her face. At that moment, the coldness in his tone and manner toward her had vanished, his intense blue eyes so disarming. His breath was upon her face and at one point she actually thought he was going to kiss her. Yes, she had wanted him to. If only that other officer hadn’t walked in at that moment, she might have taken that helping hand and pleaded for his aid. She fingered the card in her pocket.

  “We can go home now, at last.” Julie rushed up.

  She couldn’t even remember the journey home—it was as if she was in a trance. Once in her apartment, she placed a call to her sister in England. It was nearly midnight in British time, but her sister had a phone by the bed. It kept ringing. Connecting up her laptop, Liz typed out an e-mail asking her sister to ring ASAP.

  For the rest of the evening and well into the night, she lay on her bed staring up at the ceiling. She tried having something to eat, but only managed a piece of toast. The hours seemed to drag by and the TV in the corner went from one program to another without her even noticing. Liz felt so drained and exhausted, but whenever she closed her eyes images of Mark and remembered snippets of conversation kept playing over. He wasn’t married, but he did have a girlfriend, and if she remembered rightly, they were recently engaged. How must she be feeling now, her fiancé gunned down while at work, murdered. Liz buried her face into the pillow and tried to free her mind, but the images wouldn’t leave her. Sometime during the night she must have finally dropped off to sleep because when she opened her eyes again, daylight was spilling into the room.

  Checking her e-mail and finding the inbox empty, Liz made a cup of coffee and then picked up the phone. That continuous ringing tone without the answering machine kicking in had Liz pacing the apartment. All she wanted was that one confirmation from her sister and then she could do the decent thing and turn herself in. It was no longer important worrying what would happen to her. Shaun O’Riley had to be caught. He was a murderer.

  An hour la
ter, Liz was showered, dressed, and back to pacing the room. Finally she could stand it no longer and grabbed up her handbag and left the apartment. Facing the door and turning the key, footsteps sounded from behind her. She recognized the sound, his breathing and felt the closeness. The key dropped from her fingers as she pushed past him and ran toward the stairs. The jolt and force of her head snapping back, her hair roots feeling as if being torn from her scalp caused her piercing scream. A strong hand clamped over her mouth, her body dragged backward into her apartment. The door kicked shut and then she found herself slammed up against the wall.

  “Liz, Liz, Liz, that was a foolish thing to do. I’m not going to hurt you, my green-eyed beauty.” His smooth Irish tone which at one time had attracted her, now filled her with dread. She stared into his menacing face and saw that dangerous glint in his eyes.

  “Now, the same drill, darling. I remove my hand and you don’t scream. Understand.”

  Liz nodded. She felt ready to throw up. He released her mouth and stepped back from her.

  “Do you plan to kill me now?”

  He gave a brief smile. “I should, but somehow I can’t bring myself to do it.” He took out a cigarette and lit it, his eyes remaining fixed on her. “We should have screwed, then it might have been easier, but now you are like a kind of obsession.”

  “You killed Mark Hunter and yet you promised no one would get hurt,” she threw at him.

  “You know what promises are, just another form of manipulation. Still, if it makes it easier, he was our man on the inside. Gave us all the security info including the pass for the phony telephone engineer and what work had been carried out.”

  “Why did you kill him?” He made her sick and if she was going to die after him raping her then there was no point holding back.

  “He was a liability. Now pack a few things. We’re going over to my place. Once there, my sweet, I will prove to you I’m not all bad.” His hand came forward, the fingers reaching out to touch her face.

  Liz recoiled, her body shrinking back against the wall. This served to make him angry, his fingers gripping hold of her forearm and ramming her up against his chest. With his other hand, he grabbed a chunk of her hair forcing her head back as his mouth crashed down on hers. Hard and bruising, he forced her lips apart with his to the point that she felt he was trying to suffocate her.

  The buzzer on the intercom was her savior. He broke off and stepped back. “Answer it and get rid of whoever it is.”

  With shaking fingers, Liz pressed the receiver. “Yes, who is it?”

  “It’s Detective Willis, Miss Saunders. I need to have another word with you. Can I come up, please?”

  Shaun shook his head vigorously and whispered, “Get rid of him.”

  “I’m sorry, it’s not really convenient. I’ve just run a bath.” It was the first thing that came into her head. Shaun pulled out a handgun from his jacket and cocked it, the muzzle pointing at her.

  “I’m sorry, Miss Saunders, this can’t wait. Now please, can you release the entrance door?”

  Liz looked at Shaun and then at the muzzle pointing at her temple.

  “Shit. You let him up, hear what he has to say, and then send him on his way. Don’t try anything and both of you live. If I get the slightest bit suspicious, I won’t hesitate in taking you both down and your sister’s whole family gets it as well. Now buzz him up and get undressed fast.”

  She stared back in confusion.

  “You’re meant to be ready for a bath, so get a robe on.”

  Liz stripped off to her underwear and placed a red silk kimono on as the knock on the door sounded. Shaun raised his eyebrows at her attire as she walked out the bedroom. Gripping her face again, his lips brushed against hers, his voice a whisper. “I’m listening, remember.” Then he slipped into the bathroom, the door remaining slightly ajar.

  Opening the door, Liz looked into that attractive face. She so wanted him to protect her like she knew he would. Instead she fiddled with the tie on her kimono and averted her gaze.

  “Can I at least come in?” he asked.

  She stepped aside and allowed him into her apartment. He closed the door behind him.

  “I’m sorry, but yesterday I felt you were about to tell me something before we were interrupted.”

  She shook her head. “No, you thought wrong. There’s no more to tell.” For a mad moment she thought about motioning with her eyes or scribbling something down. Sanity reined her in. Shaun wouldn’t hesitate in pulling the trigger and Jack Willis would be dead.

  “Well, I thought I’d let you know, three more bodies have turned up. Someone is making sure to eliminate all potential liabilities.”

  Her hand automatically covered her mouth. She could feel the bile rising and couldn’t trust herself not to be sick there and then. It was the same word Shaun had used, a liability. That’s what she was now.

  “Miss Saunders, I’m offering that hand now, but this is your last chance. Have you anything to tell me.” He went to touch her arm, but she backed away from the contact.

  “I told you no.” Her voice was raised and she found herself marching to the door and opening it up wide. “I think you should leave, Detective.” His silence was more unnerving, making her want to drag him out the door.

  Finally he spoke. “Okay. One last thing—Shaun O’Riley, I believe he is a friend of yours. You don’t need to answer, but information has come my way that he was blackmailing Mark Hunter.”

  “I don’t know what you are talking about, please leave.” She glanced toward the bathroom door. It had opened wider. She even thought she could see the barrel of the gun against the door frame.

  Reluctantly he walked out the door, the familiar warm intensity of his gaze now replaced by suspicion and disappointment. Liz felt he now viewed her differently and not as a victim.

  As soon as the door shut, Shaun came out. “Well done, but how the hell did he find out about the blackmail? Fuck it. I should have taken care of that tart.” He took another cigarette out and lit it. He approached her, his forefinger lightly running down her neck and on down between the folds of her kimono. “I think the detective has the hots for you.” The rest of his fingers slid under the silk material and clasped her breast hard. “We’ve got to get out of New York. Move it, pack a case.” He pushed her toward the bedroom.

  Throwing on a pair of jeans and a loose-fitting checked shirt, Liz then pulled a weekend case from under her bed. She gave no thought as to what was going in it, seeing she felt her days were numbered in any case. Either Shaun would kill her or Jack Willis would be throwing her behind bars.

  “Right, let’s go.” Shaun took her case and ushered her forward in front of him. “I’ve got to check back at my place and collect a few things.”

  Approaching his car, she gave one last glance around her. A group of local kids were standing on one corner, hoods covering their heads and loud rap music playing on their ghetto blaster. Old Mrs. McGregor was coming up the street from the other direction with a bag of groceries. What was she hoping for, Jack Willis waiting in the shadows ready to rescue her? It was a stupid wish. No one could rescue her now. She was in too deep.

  Jack stood on the opposite corner from the group of youths and watched as the two came out of the building. He had sensed she wasn’t alone and now his suspicions had been confirmed. The smell of tobacco smoke had hit him straight away when he entered her apartment and she had already told him she wasn’t a smoker. She still had that scared look about her, and now he didn’t know whether she was protecting O’Riley because he had a gun pointed in her direction or because she and O’Riley were lovers and had planned it together. He had always made bad judgement calls when it came to women. Hell, that was why he was still single at thirty-two. It wasn’t down to a shortage. It was because either they didn’t trust him or he didn’t trust them. As for commitment, forget it. Not one woman had made him want to settle down and cohabit with her long-term. He always insisted they kept their pad a
nd he had his. Several nights shared at either place was enough and then he wanted his own space.

  He waited till the car pulled away and then jumped in his unmarked one. If he had passed on what he knew to his captain, then arresting O’Riley would be easy. Instead he had promised to keep Linda out of it. Besides, picking up O’Riley now would mean they would never find out who was really behind this. It was better to keep him under surveillance and find out whether it was what he suspected, mob related.

  Jack kept a safe distance back but wasn’t surprised when O’Riley entered the underground residents’ parking bay. O’Riley was counting on the police not knowing his location, little realizing that Jack had followed him from Linda’s one night. He parked up the street and waited. Now was the time he needed backup. He couldn’t keep a tail by going it alone. Reaching for his radio, he was about to call it in when a black sedan, the windows blacked out, entered the parking lot. Noting the license plate, he decided to sit this one out for a little longer.

  Chapter Nine

  Shaun’s cell phone sounded when they stepped out of the elevator. Waiting until they were in the apartment, Shaun answered, listened, and then replied, “No worries, only it’s not in the box we agreed upon. No, you listen. You’ll get the key when I’m long gone from here and not before.”

  Liz stood there and watched his actions. He was listening to the caller and then let out a short cutting laugh.

  “You tell him, anything happens to me and it will be like looking for a needle in a haystack. There’s got to be at least a thousand boxes left untouched. It could be in any one of those. As I said, you’ll get the key in a week or so.” He laughed again. “It’s not like it isn’t in a safe place.”

  Liz noticed his expression change, his attention now directly on her. The caller had obviously said something to do with her. His answer confirmed her fears. “She’s my problem and she doesn’t know enough to be a threat to you. As for whom you take orders from, hell, I don’t even know that. I’ll be in touch.”