Wounded at Work

by Mitzi Pool Bridges

  “Where did you put the low man on the totem pole? I’ll tackle him first. Escort the detectives to the viewing room while I change.”

  “The guy we took down in the car is claiming he doesn’t do anything other than drive for the big guy, as he calls him. Says the pay is good, so he asks no questions.”

  “Then I’ll leave him to later. Who’s next?”

  “I suppose you mean Titus Parr. He’s a third cousin to Ason.”

  Five minutes later, Matt walked straight to the table where Titus was sitting in handcuffs and sat down, as if he had all the information he needed. “Before we arrest you for murder, you might want to know that your cousin, Ason and his top man, Malin, fingered you for stabbing and killing Mona Grant and Nancy Hendricks.” He watched the play of emotions on Titus’ face. Disbelief. Fear. Anger. “They also told us you stabbed and killed Rayna Vincent in Dallas.”

  “I didn’t…”

  “We have their sworn testimony.”

  “I’m not much more than Ason’s gofer. He was teaching me the ropes, and promised me big money in the future.”

  “All you’re going to get is your life in ruins.”

  He was young. Not much older than twenty-one. Titus Parr had been taken in by big promises. Did he know anything that would help Matt bring the killer to justice?

  Titus leaned across the table, his mouth clamped tight. “I’m not talking. I have protection. Nothing you say scares me.”

  Matt sat back, crossed his arms. “I’m not trying to scare you. I’m stating facts. With two of your own gang testifying against you, you’ll go down. More than likely, you will get the death penalty.”

  Titus’ face changed from belligerent to fearful. Tears ran down his face. “I didn’t kill anyone.”

  Matt shrugged as if this was a done deal. “I’m only going by what I was told.”

  “It was Malin.”

  “Not what he told me.”

  “He’d lie to his own mother. I overheard him bragging about the last victim, and how he’d taken care of her, and how the organization wouldn’t make that mistake again. I didn’t know what he meant at first. Then I figured out he meant hair color. How could we know the women dyed their hair?”

  “If what you say is true, how did it come to murder?”

  Titus nodded. “I’m not stupid. When that fat guy bought the women, we celebrated. He paid big bucks for a redhead with green eyes. When he dragged them back and demanded a refund, the boss was forced to give it to him.”

  “Why? The boss could have laughed in his face.”

  “Not so. He was trying to build a business. If rumors spread that we didn’t produce what was paid for, Ason wouldn’t stand a chance of making it. The same guy was there last night, ready to spend more money. This time we had a true redhead. Ason expected to get at least a million for her.”

  Carrie. Matt’s heart bumped in his chest. “What happened after he had to give fat man his money back?”

  “I suggested he put the girls in a brothel and recoup some of his money. Malin convinced him they couldn’t be trusted.”

  Cold-hearted bastards. “What did Ason do then?”

  “They disappeared behind closed doors and I didn’t hear anymore. But I suspect the boss listened to Malin. He’d worked for Ason’s dad, and knew the ropes. Boss was excited about the three women he had tonight. He had big plans. With the money from their sale he could expand the operation. He wanted to be as big as his dad.”

  “He’ll get his wish. They’ll both spend the rest of their lives behind bars.”

  Titus nodded. The man was defeated. His body slouched in his chair, his chin sat on his chest, and his dark eyes leaked tears. Matt had no sympathy. No one had forced him into the sex-slavery business.

  “Will you swear to this in court?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll send someone in to take your statement. Don’t leave out a single word. There are two men in here who want you to take the fall. If we can’t prove what you say is true, someone else will pay for the crime. Most likely, it will be you.”

  The two detectives met him in the hallway. Seton’s eyes gleamed as he headed toward Matt. “Almost there. One of the other two guys did the deed.”

  “I think we know which one.” Matt rubbed his hands together. “Let’s see if we can get a confession.”

  Sweeney went in to take Titus’ statement. Matt went to see Ason.

  “You can’t talk to Titus, me, or Malin, without an attorney present.

  “I didn’t have to question Titus. His statement was voluntary.” And told him what Titus had said.

  Ason cursed and screamed, but the picture didn’t change. Finally, he calmed down. “Titus is wrong. We didn’t kill those women.”

  Matt spread his arms out. “Who else would? You were the one who got screwed out of money.” Ason was doing his best to talk tough. But fear showed in his eyes. “Either you or Malin killed them. If we can’t pin down which one, we’ll put you both on trial for murder.” That was going to happen anyway, but Ason didn’t know it.

  “Malin did it. I’ve spent two years listening to him bitch about how he tried to kill Shafer’s wife, how it didn’t happen, and how he would never make that mistake again. I guess he was keeping a promise to himself and just waited for the opportunity to prove he could do it.”

  “So Malin stabbed all three women?”

  “He told me it was a sure-fire way to be certain they would never testify.”

  “I see. And you had nothing to do with it?”

  “Nothing.”

  Like hell. Ason was hip deep in the murders and would pay for it. “I’ll send someone in for your statement. Sign it, and we’ll see where things go.”

  “He said what?” Malin yelled thirty minutes later. “The man’s a freakin’ liar. I killed those women on his orders. Why would I want to hurt them? They did nothing to me. But they hurt his bottom line. Big time.”

  The tirade went on for another ten minutes. Ason was called every name in the book, plus a few more. When Matt tired of listening, he told Malin he would send someone in for his statement.

  When he walked out of the room, Malin was still ranting.

  “Good job, Agent Montgomery.” Detective Seton shook Matt’s hand.

  “Let’s celebrate after work.” Detective Candace Hopkins grinned. “There’s a bar not too far from HPD where we all hang out. Why don’t you join us?”

  The last thing Matt wanted was to sit in a loud bar sipping beer with these two. “I’m beat. I haven’t slept in far too many hours. Later, maybe.”

  “Send us the confession after it’s signed, and a rundown on how you got a lead on this sex-slavery business,” Detective Seton said.

  “You should have called us. We would have been happy to give a hand,” Detective Hopkins put in.

  Matt hadn’t needed them, but didn’t want to sound ungrateful. “It went down pretty fast. If I had had time to think, I would have made the call. I’ll send all the pertinent info to HPD so you can close the case file.”

  They shook hands and left.

  Matt was glad to see them go and more than happy to bring this case to a close. Ason and Malin were going to screech like scalded cats. They were both going down for the killings. All three would be indicted for their involvement in the sex-slavery trade.

  Evidence was being taken from the house where the auction took place. The slavers and the killer were in custody. From here on in, it would be up to the courts. The case was closed as far as the FBI was concerned.

  Special Agent In Charge, David Nelson, met Matt at his office. “Good job, Agent Montgomery.” Nelson was all smiles, as if the FBI had taken the slavers and the killer down, when it had been Carrie, with the help of Thor, who had brought it all to a close. But Matt would let Nelson take the glory.

  For several long hours, he hadn’t known whether he’d ever see the woman he loved again.

  After Nelson left, Matt took the time to print out t
he report on the Trust Sam had sent to his computer. His gaze went to his cowboy outfit. He smiled when thought of how Carrie seemed to be taken with it, and took the time to change, picked up his hat from his desk, and slammed it on his head. It was time to check on Carrie. Grabbing the sheaf of papers, he shut the door to his office and left the FBI building.

  First stop: check on Carrie. He called Doc, who told him she had taken Carrie home an hour ago. He turned his SUV in that direction.

  After he talked to Carrie, he’d get a little shuteye and continue his search to find something to counter Reed’s allegations. The papers on the seat next to him were next on his list of things to do. Carrie came first.

  He had to see for himself that she was safe—had to touch her, hold her—had to tell her he loved her and wanted her in his life, and not as just a friend.

  His insides a quiver of nerves, he headed toward Carrie’s apartment.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Don’t think about it.

  The slavers were in custody, the kidnapped girls freed, and Matt would most likely find out which one of the three slavers was the killer. What about Benjie? What part had he played in this?

  Instead of being euphoric at the outcome, Carrie was down; the adrenaline rush gone. She should call Marshall and give him the information he needed to bill Amy’s mom, but didn’t have the energy.

  Instead, she brewed a pot of coffee. Filling her favorite mug, she went to her small living area, and sat on the sofa. Images of where she could be and with whom, swept through her mind like some deranged nightmare.

  Taking a sip of coffee, she realized she couldn’t sit around the rest of the day. She should do something. Still she sat, remembering. She owed Matt. Look at what he’d done to rescue her. She laughed aloud. Of all the men she could think of, Matt was the last to enter her mind when it came to undercover work. What had his superiors been thinking? Stoic and reserved, he could have blown the FBI sting to hell and back. But he hadn’t. Her heart beat faster. Had he dressed totally out of character, gone undercover without a weapon, and risked his life, because of her? Well, he did take Thor, and Thor was lethal.

  Seeing Matt in cowboy duds had been a treat, and she wondered if he would discard them now that he had stepped out of his box.

  The doorbell rang, bringing her out of her reverie.

  “Matt…” Her mental picture of him materialized in front of her, cowboy duds and all. “What are you doing here?”

  “Checking on you. Are you all right?”

  “I was just thinking about Benjie. Did you bring him in? Did he have any part in the sex-slavery business? And did you find the killer?”

  “You get right down to business, don’t you?”

  She opened the door wider. He took off his hat and stepped inside. Her heart hammered at the sight of him. Shutting the door, she took a deep breath and followed him. The scent of expensive aftershave and coffee made her mouth water. Would she ever forget how much she wanted this man? “Well?”

  “Malin’s the one who did the actual killing, but Ason will go down as well. We brought Benjie in, but he’s innocent of everything except being a bit stupid. He knew things weren’t right, but didn’t notify the authorities. We have nothing to hold him on.”

  She let out a relieved breath. “Benjie didn’t seem like a bad guy. A little creepy maybe, but not evil.”

  “He wants to buy the bar. We’re trying to work through the red tape and make it happen.”

  “It should have been his all along.”

  He turned to her, took her arms, and brought her close in an embrace that took her breath away. Desire swept like a tidal wave through her. She held her emotions at bay, as she had as a child when she yearned for a parent’s love and was denied even that.

  In her erotic dreams, she had felt Matt’s desire. If their relationship escalated, would she at some point feel his rejection as well? She couldn’t bear it. Being rejected and abandoned by her parents hurt. With Matt it would be more so. She couldn’t risk it.

  “I was so afraid for you,” Matt muttered. “If I had lost you, I don’t know how I could carry on with my life.”

  She pushed back, looked into brown eyes that gleamed at her with what? Admiration? Love? It couldn’t be love. But her heart stuttered at the thought and she hugged him tight. “You came after me. I still don’t know how you knew where I was.”

  Breaking away, she took his hand and led him to the couch. “Tell me everything.”

  “If it weren’t for Sam, I’m not sure we would have found you.” He told her the entire story. “Coop and Dirk insisted I take Thor. Since I was there without a weapon, I’m more than glad I did. Thor has proved more than once that he’s a flesh-and-blood weapon all his own.”

  “Thank God you brought him. I wasn’t sure I could take down Malin.”

  Matt chuckled. The sound made her nerve endings sing. “You would have managed. You were amazing. But when you turned that gun toward the window, my mouth went dry. You could have shot me.”

  “I aimed high. However, I wouldn’t have been too upset if I had put a bullet into one of the buyers.”

  Matt gave her a look. She laughed. “You were the last person in the world I expected to see.” Her gaze swept over him. “I wouldn’t have recognized you, either. Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in anything but your FBI outfit. Nope. You were a complete surprise.”

  And still was. He looked good enough to kiss.

  “Thanks to Sam, we’ll put more than a few of the buyers behind bars.”

  “How? Won’t you need proof?”

  “If Sam can follow the money trail to Enatan, which is the corporation Ason Mallory hid behind, and back to the buyer, there should be enough to make arrests. Even if the men don’t end up in jail, most of them are wealthy businessmen, married with kids; their reputations will be ruined.”

  “That would be something.” He was too close. She stood. “Enatan? Isn’t that Natane spelled backwards? My God, Matt, Ason not only followed in his dad’s footsteps; he was copying the whole enchilada. Name. Sex trade. Everything.”

  “Don’t forget, he ended up just like his dad. Behind bars.”

  “Thanks to you, he made it there a lot sooner in his life than dear old dad.”

  Matt chuckled.

  “Would you like some coffee?”

  “You didn’t answer my question. Are you all right? What you went through could leave emotional scars.”

  “I promise I’m fine.”

  “Yes, you are.” He chuckled as he pulled her to him and hugged her tight. Then he tilted her head and kissed her. Carrie felt the kiss to the tips of her toes.

  The kiss deepened. She whimpered, in such need, she lost all sense of reason—but she shouldn’t let this happen. All of a sudden, she didn’t care. Dreams weren’t enough. Just once, she wanted to feel this man. Love him.

  At least for now.

  Matt lifted her. Carrie wrapped her legs around his waist as if she had been there before. And she had. In her dreams. Restraint disappeared. It was as if the last thirty or so hours had melted every last ounce of reserve.

  Without breaking the kiss, Matt walked her to the bedroom, kicked the door open, and sat her on the bed. His hands roamed her body. Fire followed his touch. She wanted more. Wanted to feel his skin next to hers, his hard body where she could touch and feel. With his lips on hers, her mind turned to mush, and the deepest part of her was swept into a physical response that rocked her soul.

  Her arms went around his neck, bringing those incredible lips closer. She would never get enough of him—his lips—his tongue—the taste—the feel.

  Trembling, she unbuttoned his shirt. He shrugged out of it, muscles flexing. She wanted those arms around her—holding her. She kissed his neck, trailed her lips down his chest. White heat swept her into a vortex of instant passion and want.

  Matt was someone she couldn’t have—shouldn’t want. But she did. And she would have him for this time�
�this moment.

  In seconds, her clothes were on the floor, his with them. She shuddered as heat built to a crescendo that drummed in her head, building until she was ready to explode.

  Matt lowered her to the bed, bent over her, kissed her breasts, her tummy, her scars. For a moment, she froze. “Beautiful,” he muttered. And kissed them again.

  Relaxing, she allowed sensations to sweep through her in waves of pure rapture. She screamed his name. He laughed aloud and took her in one swift movement that took her breath away.

  “Perfect.” He drove into her, taking her with a passion she didn’t know he had. This was calm and reserved Matt? Oh, yeah!

  Responding to his thrusts with her own, she stopped thinking.

  “I love you,” he muttered into her hair. “Now, and always.”

  Carrie barely registered the words, so caught up in the act she couldn’t see beyond the next sensation, the next explosion—couldn’t do anything except follow this man wherever he took her.

  They rose and fell in a rhythm as old as man. It was as if neither could get enough. Unable to take more, she cried his name. Encouraged, Matt moved faster, deeper, until breath left her and she tumbled over an edge she’d never been on before.

  For a moment, Matt’s muscles went rigid, then he started again, thrusting into her hard and fast. He climaxed so hard she felt the aftershocks for minutes afterward.

  He looked down at her with an expression on his face she’d never seen on another person before, then he kissed her.

  She trembled as the tremors calmed and her senses came back to earth. Ignoring her sweaty body, she moved away, lay back on the pillow, and wondered if she had lost her mind.

  “My God, Carrie.”

  She turned to look at his handsome face, his shoulders, his arms, that wonderful body that had sent hers over the edge more than once, and let her fingers idly slide from his wonderful mouth down his chest. He grabbed her hand to stop her from going farther. Her erotic dreams were nothing compared to the reality of this moment—of Matt. He kissed her fingers and want shot through her. Hadn’t she had enough? She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and realized she never would.