by Honey Jans
“What's happening, Crispin?” Harry demanded, answering the phone crisply after two rings.
“Plenty,” Crispin said grimly as he felt Haley's loss. He didn't need to look at the bed to see that she was gone. The atmosphere felt different. Nothing would ever be the same again. “I know who the Scarlet A Killer is and where we can get evidence against him.” He heard Harry's whoop of celebration on the other end, and his jaw firmed. He had to get his act together, or he'd be no help at all.
“Let me guess. Your witness was holding out on us after all.”
Crispin bristled at the sarcasm in Harry's voice. “Watch what you say about her. And remember that she was a victim, not just a witness.”
“I know; it's just so damned frustrating when they hold out on you and—”
“Yeah,” Crispin interrupted, sensing time wasn't on their side. “Look, all you need to know is that she had some good reasons for keeping quiet.”
“Someone threatening her?” Harry speculated.
“Something like that,” he said, looking plaintively at the empty spot where she'd once been. “Anyway, now that she's opened up to me about it, I won't let that information go to waste. We need to act fast.”
“So tell me who the subject is, and I'll go get him.”
“Not so fast. I want in on the takedown,” Crispin said, feeling his hunting instincts sharpen. He was going to take grim pleasure in destroying the bastard who'd dared touch his woman. Come and pick me up, and I'll ride shotgun.”
“You know that's against protocol. Don't worry. I'll give you an exclusive.”
“Fuck the exclusive.”
“Forgetting about your job isn't like you, pal. You've changed.”
“In a lot more ways than one,” Crispin said, thinking about how Haley had broadened his life.
“You want me to have one of the agents come babysit Haley while you're out?” Harry offered.
Crispin gulped as he tried to absorb the loss and man up. “There's no need for that. She's disappeared.” He winced when he heard Harry's groan. Yeah, he'd fucked up big-time. If he hadn't kept pushing, he'd still have her.
“What the fuck went wrong, pal?” Harry asked after a moment of silence. “I thought you were going to keep her.”
It was the same question he'd been asking himself since she'd left him. Now he had to face the fact that she wasn't coming back. “So did I,” he said grimly. “I'll be waiting out front for you,” he said, severing the connection.
Haley frowned back at Max. “Listen, I know that I broke your rule, but Max, I did it for the right reasons. Shouldn't that count for something?” His penetrating gaze told her that he saw through to her newly mended soul.
He inclined his head. “Maybe. But if you'll recall, I also told you there was a penalty to be paid.”
Yeah, he had when she'd encountered him at her sister's the night before. She also recalled how her sister had wanted to brain him, and smiled.
“Naughty, naughty,” he scolded with a snarky laugh.
She shook her head. Man, one of his charges couldn't get away with anything around him. He was worse that the nuns in elementary school. He didn't carry a ruler, but he could zap you into infinity. If she had to pay a price to keep Crispin safe and whole, she'd do it. Schooling her features to a serenity she didn't feel, she nodded. “Fine. As long as Crispin is safe, I can accept that.” His doubtful smile told her he saw right through her.
His probing glance raked her. “You sure about that, probie? Sure you don't want to pull one of your diva pouting episodes because I spoiled your great adventure on the outside?”
She looked at him, feeling stung. How could he even think she'd regressed to how she used to be? “No.”
“I don't believe you. Crispin will forget you and find another lover. Wouldn't you like me to throw a lightning bolt down on them?”
“Have you completely lost it, Max? If I have to leave him, I want him to be happy.”
“The best way I can help him is to wipe his memory so that he won't miss you,” he said with a shrug. He slanted a curious glance at her.
Pain went through her at his words, but she knew it was best. Crispin needed to be happy. She nodded, and a feeling of true peace came over her. “Do it.”
He smiled and chucked her on the shoulder. “I didn't think you had it in you, probie.”
His glee was almost enough to brush away the nice, peaceful, sensations floating through her. She frowned at him. “And stop calling me 'probie,' will you? You're way too hung up on old episodes of NCIS. Get another hobby, for Pete's sake.” When he smiled at her, the urge to sock him made her ball her hand into a fist.
He glanced at the gesture and grinned. “I see we haven't completely tamed your fire. Good. You're going to need it where you're going.”
“What?” she asked, completely baffled. The only place she was going was back to was purgatory, and there it was same old, same old…unless. She gave him a hopeful look.
“Calm down, probie. You just passed the last test, with flying colors, I might add. I always knew that you would.”
Tears misted her eyes as she started to realize that all wasn't lost. That she'd made it. She glanced at Max's beaming face suspiciously. “You mean it. This really was my final exam?”
He nodded solemnly. “Yes, fair maiden. You'd really give up your life for your soul mate. You know what love is. And you finally managed to get it through your thick head that all you need is love.”
“So I've made it, and Crispin is going to be okay,” she said cautiously.
He smiled. “Oh so suspicious, even now. But good. Like I said, you'll need your fighting spirit to rectify things.”
It was confirmation that things had turned from sugar to shit down below. “Okay, give me the intel, Max. What's happening down there?”
He frowned. “It's not going to be easy. Crispin and his friend from the FBI are on the way to Trevor's workplace with an arrest warrant. But Trevor has been getting more paranoid and is prepared for a siege. It could get bloody. The problem is, once I release you, I'm not allowed to intercede on your behalf. Are you sure you really want to go down there?”
That Trevor was growing more paranoid wasn't a surprise to her. Serial killers usually spiraled out of control, got careless, and got caught. But there was more going on with Trevor. He was touched by evil, as though a demon had touched him. “There's something even more toxic about Trevor, isn't there?” she asked, seeing Max's look of surprise.
“So you felt that, did you? Good. I see the powers I settled on you have stood you in good stead. Just remember that when you go back and become fully mortal again, I'm not sure how many you'll retain.”
“I'll take my chances,” she said with a smile, and in the blink of an eye she was standing in the hotel suite, still dressed in the sundress, Mary Janes, and pigtails. “Thanks, Max,” she said aloud, unsure if he heard her or not. She looked around the vacant hotel room, looking for clues to where Crispin might have gone. She could use them like Hansel and Gretel did the bread crumbs.
His mini-tape recorder sat on the dresser. He never went anywhere without this, yet he'd left it behind. Maybe he'd left her a message. Thrilled at the find, she ran up to it and flicked it on to hear dead air. Her hopes abated in a flash. Well, drat, no message. Then she glanced down at the notepad on the nightstand and saw 8th and Mandrake scrawled in his handwriting. What did that mean? Maybe Kiera would know what it referred to. She picked up the telephone and dialed Kiera's number, remembering it from the night before, then tapped her toe impatiently while it rang on and on. “Come on, Sis, pick up…pick up. I know you're there. I can feel you,” she muttered, twirling her finger around the cord. An image of her distraught sister flashed through her mind, making her gut twist. Trevor had a lot to answer for.
“Haley, is that you?” Kiera asked.
Her sister's panicked tone and instant assumption that it was her made her shiver. The harmony between them blazed dancing li
ghts around the hotel-room walls. She looked at the pink and blue vapors and smiled through her tears. She could fix this. She had to fix this. “Yes, it's me, Sis… Tell me what's wrong!”
“What's wrong?” Kiera shrieked. “Crispin's place is broken into, you both disappear, and you ask me what's wrong.”
Haley crumpled onto a bedside chair, instantly contrite, and the dancing lights in the room went out. Harry hadn't kept his word to keep the attack on Crispin's home quiet, big surprise.
“Darn it all, the Feds were supposed to keep the break-in quiet. I never wanted to worry you. And Crispin and I went to a hotel. We weren't hurt, Sis, so calm down. You know getting excited isn't good for the baby.”
“Oh thank heavens,” Kiera said with a sigh. “I was so worried.”
“I know, and you're not supposed to worry in your condition, so settle down,” Haley said with a fond smile. Now she'd actually get to hold her new niece or nephew if this ended well.
“Fine. I'm calm,” Kiera said.
“Good,” Haley said gently, knowing she needed to choose her words with care. “I need to ask you a question, Sis, and it's nothing to get excited about…okay?”
“Okay,” Kiera said with a rueful tone.
“Fine,” Haley said, relaxing. “What do the words '8th and Mandrake' mean to you? We don't have a Mandrake Road here in town, that I'm aware of.”
“Hmmm…let me think,” Kiera mused. “There's a Mandrake Street in Siler City over in the industrial park. Jaden did some business there last year. Why do you ask?”
“That's where Crispin went, I think.”
“Trevor!” Kiera said, aghast. “Oh my Lord, it's him, isn't it?”
Haley smiled as her sister guessed it. “How did you know?”
Kiera snorted. “It didn't take a rocket scientist. I told you last night Trevor left town after we took out a restraining order against him, and he moved there. I heard Jaden tell someone that the bastard is working at an advertising agency there.”
Now if I just had the slimy bastard's number, Haley thought wistfully and then heard a scribbling sound beside her. She looked over to see a phone number magically appear on the paper on the nightstand. Max! It had to be. And then the plan came together in her mind. She'd beat Trevor at his own game. “Here's what I need you to do, Sis. Call Miranda from Indiscretions for me.” She heard her sister's embarrassed gulp and smiled. “It's okay to know an erotica shop owner, Sis. You're a married woman.”
“Okay,” Kiera said with a giggle. “I admit it. Jaden and I love that store.”
“Great. Give her a call for me, and tell her to quietly clear the shop by four o'clock and have her Louisville Slugger handy. I'm arranging a little trap for Trevor. I'll get the psychotic bastard if it's the last thing I do.”
“I don't like the sound of that,” Kiera said tensely. “Are you sure you know what you're doing, Sis?”
“For once in my lives, yeah, I do,” she said with a soft smile of recognition at her newfound power. She finally felt whole thanks to Crispin, and she wasn't letting him get hurt by Trevor.
“Why don't you call Crispin or the FBI for help?” Kiera cut in. “You don't have to do this alone, Sis.”
“I'm not alone, Kiera. I've got Max power,” Haley said feeling a certainty deep inside. “And don't worry. I will call the FBI once I have Trevor where I want him.”
Kiera let out a snort. “Max power…that sarcastic jerk. From what I saw last night, he wasn't impressive.”
“Have a little faith, Sis, in both of us. And do me a favor if you run into Crispin. Don't tell him anything. I don't want him caught in the crossfire.”
Kiera sighed. “He's a big boy. Don't you think he can take care of himself?”
“He's my soul mate, and I can't lose him this soon,” Haley said firmly, adding gently, “you of all people should understand that after what you went through saving Jaden.”
“You've got me there,” Kiera admitted grudgingly. “But if I get a bad feeling about this, I'm going to tell on you, so be prepared.”
Haley smiled, glad that her sister was strong enough to tell on her now. They'd both grown so much. This just had to have a happy ending. “Okay. I'm finally going to listen to my big sister. Use your own judgment. Bye.”
“I expect hourly check-ins, or I'm calling the cops,” Kiera warned.
“Okay.” Haley hung up before her sister could argue anymore and dialed the number that had miraculously appeared on the pad. She was surprised when a special ringtone blared into her ear rather than a normal ring. “Hey there, Little Red Riding Hood, you sure are looking good…”
She wrinkled her nose. It had to be him. The sleaze thought he was the big bad wolf. Then there was a click and a heavy breath on the other end. Her skin crawled.
“Who is this? And how did you get this number?” Trevor asked suspiciously.
She smiled, picturing the trap being set. “I'm the one who got away, Truck.”
He chortled. “Haley Aims. What's the matter, babe? Did you miss me?”
His evil vibes made the hair stand up on the back of her neck, and she rubbed it. “Hardly.”
“What's the matter? Cat got your tongue…whore? I figured it all out. It came to me in a dream that was way too real after you escaped me in the hospital. You taking up with that asshole reporter will turn out to be your doom,” he said with a sharp laugh. “I showed you yesterday that I can still get to you.”
She winced. He was seriously crazy.
“Nice peep show you put on for me at the lingerie shop,” he sneered, drawing out the word lingerie.
Rage made her pull herself together as she thought of him spying on them at Indiscretions. “You creep.”
“Ooh,” he mocked. “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but a stupid slut like you can never hurt me.”
“Why did you have to destroy Crispin's work, you sicko?” she snapped back at him.
“Did I hurt the nerd's feelings?” he mocked.
She read behind his bluster. He was actually running scared. “Did he get a little too close to the truth? Did you feel the noose tightening around your neck?”
“Shut your fuckin' mouth, you whore,” he hissed into the phone. “You two think you can outsmart me. Well, think again. I have powerful allies you can't even imagine.”
Okay, time to reel this crazy in and set the trap. “Yeah, right. Ramble on all you want. I know it's all bullshit.”
“Whore,” he sputtered. “I'm not stupid enough to let you keep me on the line and triangulate my location. Nobody suspects me.”
She smiled as his voice cracked. Good, she was pushing him over the edge. It was time to up the ante. “I know where you work, Truck—or should I say, Trevor?—and where you live. If you think the Feds are trouble, just wait until you mess with me, you psycho idiot. I have the good forces on my side, and you don't.”
“Ooh I'm scared,” he mocked.
Her spine straightened. “I'm going to turn you in, Trevor. You'll be a hunted beast unless you give in to my demands,” she stated and then held her breath when he hesitated, breathing hard.
“What do you want?” he asked suspiciously.
He actually thought he could manage her. “What do you think a whore like me wants, Trevor? Money.”
“What if I don't have any?” he asked in a wheedling tone.
“I know you've had an inheritance, Trevor. You're loaded and only work at the Print Shop to harass the women.”
“Who told you that?” he hissed.
“I've got spies everywhere,” Haley said, thinking of Max and his crew. “Eyes are always on you.” She could practically feel Trevor freeze up over the phone. Finally he let out a low grumble.
“Where and when do you want to meet?”
He was going to kill her; she could hear it in his voice. “Indiscretions… I'm sure you know where it is. In an hour. And don't even think of messing with Crispin. It'd be your last mistake. Because when I try to kill someone, I
don't miss. I think an eternity alone and in a very dark place where you work your ass off should scare you.”
“Bitch,” he spat.
She clicked off the phone, her heart pounding. Well, she had him good and riled up; now she just had to set the trap.
Turning to go, she spied stationery on the desk and sat down to write a short good-bye note to Crispin, just in case Trevor was smarter than he seemed.
Chapter Ten
Crispin shadowed Harry as they burst into the Print Shop, a small-time ad agency set in an industrial park. It was Trevor's place of employment. When they burst in, secretarial staff looked up, wide-eyed, at them.
The pretty blonde receptionist let out a little peep as she gaped at the FBI task force that followed in their wake.
Crispin and Harry exchanged a glance, satisfied by their reaction. He knew that Harry had a lot riding on this. He'd called in his last favor to convince his superiors. Most of them were content with Chad behind bars and thought it would be Harry's last screwup before he did out his duty in Fargo. Crispin only hoped that it wouldn't cost his buddy his assignment, but getting Trevor was paramount.
A middle-aged woman dressed in a stiff, old-fashioned suit stepped out of a side office, her narrow-eyed gaze focused on them as she pushed past the gaping receptionist. “May I help you, gentlemen?” she snapped.
“Trevor. Where is he?” Crispin demanded gruffly.
The woman glared back at him, her lips thinning as she clamped them together.
Harry gave him a reproving look and then pulled out his badge to flash it at the frowning woman. “We're with the FBI, ma'am, and we do need to see Trevor Banks now.”
She stayed mum for a moment and then sighed. “He left,” she said, looking worried. “Did he do something wrong?”
“What makes you ask that?” Harry said.