Extreme Measures

by Rachel Carrington

  “And you’d be willing to risk not only your life but the lives of your customers just to put another nickel in the bank?” He didn’t even realize how harshly that sounded until the words left his mouth. Amazingly, Erin didn’t react.

  He watched her breasts rise as she took in a deep breath. Thumping her mug of coffee on the table next to his, she straightened and walked to the window. The silky white robe she wore swished with every movement. The slight sound drove Matt crazy.

  "If you expect me to believe I’m next on my brother’s kill list, I need some proof.” The look she gave him carried more venom than a rattler’s bite. It stung that she didn’t believe him, but he wouldn’t give her what she asked for.

  "And I need a pay raise. It’s not happening, either.” Showing her the photo would be a last resort. No one deserved that type of slap in the face.

  Her lips thinned. "Is that supposed to be funny?"

  The spark in her eyes intrigued him. He had this insane urge to make it intensify, to see how far he could push the envelope. "Do you see me laughing?" he finally responded.

  The sash of her robe slipped, the silky material dropping enough to give him a peek of sexy black lace. His gaze followed the line of skin from her neck to her cleavage. Damn. The woman always did have skills. "As much as I appreciate the view, it's not going to change my mind."

  Her gaze dropped, and she tightened the sash with an exasperated sound. “It’s nothing you haven’t seen before, Matt, and it certainly didn’t prevent you from doing your job then, either.”

  Pure silk swept out behind as she departed the kitchen. "Just so you know. I fully intend to ignore your dictate. I'll be leaving in a few minutes so you might want to think about taking a shower. If you're going to shadow me, that's the least you can do."

  Matt watched her leave, a foolish grin curving his lips. Damn. He needed to get a grip, but he’d forgotten how much he’d enjoyed sparring with Erin. Actually, it was the making up that he’d enjoyed the most.

  Only this time, there would be no making up, no soft body to drape over his in the aftermath. Just as his brain came up with a list of creative invectives, his phone rang.

  “Giles.”

  “Erin’s aunt was found dead this morning by her next door neighbor.” Jacob’s opening words pushed a curse from Matt’s mouth.

  Erin only had one aunt she wasn’t very close to, and there wasn’t any love lost between her and Stuart, either. So his arrival on Felicia’s door step told the tale of his desperation.

  Matt bit out another curse before asking, “How?”

  “Blunt force trauma to the head.”

  Two fingers pinching the bridge of his nose, Matt looked over his shoulder to make sure he was still alone. “Any idea how long she’s been dead?”

  “Medical examiner says around twenty-four hours, give or take a few. The house was too warm for an accurate timeline. There’s some jewelry missing and the woman’s car. We’ve already got an APB out on the station wagon.”

  Listening to his supervisor with half an ear, Matt mentally calculated the time it would take to drive from New York to South Carolina if Stuart obeyed the traffic laws. Knowing his ex-brother-in-law, Matt didn’t doubt the guy would play it smart. Even so, if Stuart had discovered Erin’s whereabouts through Felicia, he should have arrived in Charleston eight to ten hours ago. Maybe he had.

  A vice clenched down on Matt’s nerves. Even if Stuart had decided to lay low after stealing Felicia’s car, if he had Erin’s address, the bastard wouldn’t have waited long. He’d have been too anxious to get on the road.

  A tight fist squeezed his heart, and his focus slipped. “Was there any indication that Stuart has Erin’s location?”

  “Negative. The place was tossed a bit, mostly paperwork. Were Erin and her aunt close?”

  “Not unless things changed a lot in four years.”

  The old woman had been a bit of a pill, alienating most of her family before she even retired from teaching. Her judgments and negativity ran off the rest shortly after she took her pension. He couldn’t imagine Erin had become close with Felicia since their divorce.

  “You should find out. If Erin had any contact with her, O’Malley could have all the information he needs.”

  Matt gripped his cell so tight the case creaked in protest. “I need to get her out of here.”

  Jacob cleared his throat. “You’re not there just to protect her, Matt.”

  “I’m aware of that, but she’s a target right now. If I take her out of the equation, I’ll be able to track Stuart quicker once he gets to Charleston.”

  “If O’Malley knows where his sister is, you can bet your sweet ass he’s inbound. Which means you don’t have time to make a getaway. The best you can do is put Erin in a hotel.”

  Matt dismissed the idea as quickly as his boss suggested it. No way was he leaving Erin unprotected.

  “You could notify the locals to keep a watch out,” Jacob continued before Matt could voice the thought.

  “If I can’t get her out of Charleston, I’d rather keep her with me.” He heard the bedroom door open. “I’ve gotta go.” A finger punch disconnected the call, and he returned his cell to the front pocket of his shirt just as Erin came down the hallway.

  “Who was that on the phone, or is that something I’m not supposed to know?” She’d changed into a blue summer dress, pairing it with a lightweight white sweater, and the look gave her an air of innocence, of hope Matt wasn’t ready to crush.

  “We can talk about it on the way.”

  Suspicion crept into her eyes. “Are we going to my shop?” She assessed him for a long moment when he remained silent. Then she gave a short, jerky nod and captured her purse from the entrance table. “Fine. Ready when you are, Agent.”

  “Give me a few minutes.” He needed more time to come up with a plan, a way to protect Erin without putting her in harm’s way any longer. Halfway to the bathroom, he paused and added, “In case you were thinking about going anywhere without me, I kept your keys.”

  She sat on the arm of the sofa and crossed her legs. “You don’t think I already knew that? We haven’t been divorced long enough for me to forget your determination.”

  “Good to know.” He gave her a wink then headed into the bathroom. Once behind closed doors, he turned the water on full blast to drown out his return call to Jacob.

  The station wagon sputtered, drawing Stuart’s attention to the gas gauge. “We need gas.”

  “Again?” Arlin straightened in his seat and leaned forward to peer at the gauge himself. “Damn. What does this thing get, like two miles to the gallon?"

  "It beats walking," Stuart responded. He patted the pocket of the checkered shirt he’d looted from the trunk of the car, probably a remnant from Uncle Bill before he kicked the bucket. Damn. Down to two cigarettes. He needed the nicotine. “We gotta get cigarettes anyway."

  "Yeah, whatever. I'm ready for some action." Arlin scratched his nose and burped. "Maybe we could take some time for a little extracurricular activity."

  The thought appealed to Stuart. He could use something to take the edge off, give him some control before he found his sister. "Yeah, maybe."

  "Gas station two miles ahead," Arlin read the passing green sign aloud.

  "I can read."

  "I get first dibs on the best looking gal we see."

  Not as long as I have the gun, you don't. Stuart took the exit, whipping the car around the curve. Arlin hit the passenger door hard with his shoulder and cursed.

  The station sat off the main road a few feet, and except for a two-toned van with a missing bumper, the parking lot was empty, giving Stuart a measure of relief. The less people, the easier things would be. And he couldn’t depend on Arlin not to do something stupid.

  As he brought the car to a stop, he killed the engine and looked toward Arlin. "I'll go inside and pay. You stay out here." Long strides carried him toward the glass doors.

  "Hey!" Arlin called out.
"Let me know if the cashier's a looker."

  Stuart’s legs jerked as he stepped over the metal threshold and into the air-conditioned interior of the store. He kept his head low to avoid the security cameras. The clerk behind the counter gave him the once over then went back to reading her book. He considered her for a moment then dismissed her. Too young. He needed a woman. How long had it been?

  Stuffing his hands into the pockets of the worn jeans that were too loose, he moseyed up to the counter, a slight smile on his face. “I need to fill up on pump three.”

  The girl snapped her gum, punched a few keys, and gave him the nod. “You gotta prepay.”

  Stuart dug a twenty out of his pocket. “Here you go.”

  She snorted, the ring in her nose bobbing. “Yeah, right. Like that’s gonna fill up that tank you got out there.” Her polished black fingernails returned to the keys. “You got twenty on pump three.”

  The edginess returned full force. He didn’t like the girl’s attitude or the way she looked at him like he was stupid for even handing her the twenty dollar bill. Blood rushed to his face as he mentally counted to ten. It hadn’t ever worked for him in prison.

  “You gonna go pump your gas or what?” The snap of the girl’s gum made him jump.

  “You should be nicer to your customers.” Stuart’s hand curled around the butt of the gun tucked into the waistband of his pants.

  She didn’t bother to look at him. “And you should go whine to someone else.”

  His temper spiked, and he didn’t even realize he’d killed her until the blood splattered across the neat row of cigarettes behind her head.

  Chapter Six

  "Are you going to tell me about my aunt now?” Erin waited until Matt locked her apartment door before broaching the subject. She’d debated asking him, but hearing Felicia’s name had left such a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach she had to know.

  Matt jangled the keys in one hand, his jaw clenching then relaxing. “Are you sure you want to do this now?"

  Erin turned her attention to the busy streets of downtown Charleston. During this time of the morning, the city was coming to life with businesses opening for the day and horse-drawn carriages standing at the ready to ferry visitors to historical sites. Ordinarily, a walk to work was her favorite part of the day, but today, not even the beauty of the city could erase the ugly stain on her life.

  Her brows drew together. Matt wasn’t pushing her for a response, and honestly, she wasn’t so sure how to respond. Did she really want to find out her aunt had been brutally murdered or that Stuart had been the one to kill her?

  Whatever answer Matt gave her wouldn’t change what already was. Stuart was a murderer. What was one more body to him? The thought made her knees weak. She closed her eyes briefly, drew in a deep breath, and managed a mumbled affirmative response.

  "Felicia was found dead in her house yesterday morning from a blow to the head."

  Erin winced. Knowing the truth and hearing it spoken out loud were two vastly different things. "You never did mince words, did you?"

  "I’ve never sugarcoated things. You know that.” His gaze shifted to her face. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

  She summoned up the strength to nod. "Aunt Felicia and I weren't close. We shared the perfunctory holiday cards every year, but that's about it. Ever since that big family rift several years back, Stuart and I rarely saw her. Just occasionally over summer holidays, but Mom really hated her."

  Tears pricked the backs of her eyelids. Her mother had never spoken ill of anyone, but she’d made her dislike of her sister-in-law blatantly obvious, and over the years, the family had stopped asking questions. Erin had always meant to ask Felicia what had happened. Now, she’d never get that chance.

  She mentally chastised herself. She'd had plenty of time to ask, years to attempt to forge a relationship with her last aunt. She just hadn't made the effort. The thought stung.

  "And right now, you're feeling guilty that you didn't see her more often." Matt words filtered into her consciousness, and as much as she wanted to vehemently deny the veracity, she couldn't.

  "Felicia didn’t want the door open any more than I did. The road runs both ways.” The second the words left her mouth, she grimaced. She couldn’t blame her aunt, not now. Before Matt could say anything, she held up one hand. “Just forget I said that.”

  “I can arrange for you to see her if you’d like.”

  Erin swung a look at him, narrowing her gaze. “You really want me out of South Carolina, don’t you?”

  “That’s beside the point. I thought you might like to see her once more. Obviously, you’re going to see read something into everything I say, but I'm not the enemy, Erin. I didn’t kill your aunt nor did I make Stuart a murderer."

  The verbal slap almost made her recoil, but she held her ground. "No, but you will do whatever it takes to bring him in dead or alive." While she wanted to know Stuart couldn’t hurt anyone else, the idea of Matt taking her brother’s life was a bit hard to swallow.

  "You know me I'll do everything within my power to take him in alive.”

  She did know that. It didn’t change anything. Stuart would resist, giving Matt no choice but to do what he had to do. And the last remaining family member she had would die.

  It didn’t make sense because she’d closed Stuart out of her life years ago, but the thought of being alone, totally alone in the world, unnerved her. She’d had no close connection with Stuart or Felicia, but to think that her last familial tie would be severed with her brother’s death was a little soul-shattering. An entire family line extinguished in four years.

  She realized Matt had slowed his steps to keep pace with her. “I’m sorry. I do know that, and I shouldn’t be so angry with you. It’s not just about your presence here even though it does remind me every second that my brother wants me dead.”

  Any moment now, she expected to round a corner and see Stuart standing there because she didn’t doubt he would find her if that was his intention. Stuart had never lacked intelligence...just a moral compass. And the last longer Matt stayed, the greater the chance of a confrontation between him and her brother. One would die, and she didn’t want to hope it was Stuart.

  She shouldn’t worry about Matt. He was very good at his job, and he would do it then return to Quantico without looking back. And she’d be left to rebuild her life once more. She’d have to start over again, in another city where no one knew anything about Stuart O’Malley or his sister. Tears filled her eyes. Maybe this time she’d move out of the country, somewhere outside the reach of the FBI.

  "I won’t harm Stuart without provocation, Erin. If he cooperates, he'll be returned to prison peaceably."

  "You and I both know that’s not going to happen. He will fight you.” She’d bet her next year’s rent that would be the case.

  "And he’ll lose.” Matt stated the fact without cockiness.

  “I’ve never doubted that,” she whispered. “You and I both know in a battle of one on one, Stuart will be the loser.” Her fingers played with the strap of her purse. "But he’s been out long enough to have access to drugs if he’s still in to them. Having some in his system…” She broke off, shaking her head. “Whatever the reason Stuart broke out of prison, now that he’s out, he doesn’t have any intention of returning. I may not have seen him in four years, but I know about his determination all too well. When he wants something, he won’t stop until he gets it.” And she was the something he wanted. He’d have had no other reason to kill their aunt. Or even to go to her house.

  “Then I’ll do what I have to do.”

  Her lungs ached from lack of oxygen, compelling her to draw in a deep breath. “I know that, too, but regardless of my relationship with him, Stuart is still my brother. And I don’t want him to die. Enough people in my family have died.”

  Matt stopped and took hold of her shoulders, his touch igniting her skin. “Erin, look at me.” She didn’t have a choice but to tip her h
ead back to see his face. “I didn’t come here to execute your brother. I promise you I will do everything I can to take him back to prison alive.”

  She closed her eyes and nodded. “Thank you.” But she knew it wouldn’t be enough. There was nothing Matt could do to stop Stuart’s suicide mission. By now, her brother had to know the FBI was looking for him. And he would walk straight into the line of fire regardless of the consequences.

  The shrill ring of Matt’s phone prevented further conversation. He kept one hand on her while he answered. His clipped responses to the caller created a ball of anxiety in the pit of her stomach.

  When Matt ended the call, he steered her toward a black sedan with federal plates parked next to a meter.

  “What are you doing?”

  He opened the passenger door. “A store clerk was shot about twenty miles outside of Summerville. The guy on the security camera fits Stuart’s build. Local police is on the way for positive identification, but I’m not waiting around for them to confirm what I already know.”

  This was really happening. Stuart was in Charleston. To find her. But she still didn’t understand why he wanted her so desperately. Was his intention to wipe out his last remaining blood relative? Did he blame her for his incarceration, too?

  She tried to stop walking, but Matt was much too strong. “Matt, damnit, what do you know that you aren’t telling me? There has to be more to this story than Stuart’s prison break.”

  Matt barely glanced at her as he towed her along. “What are you talking about?”

  “You were so adamant that he would come after me. Why? You had no way of knowing that unless you had proof. The FBI wouldn’t have sent you here on a lark.”

  “Let’s have this conversation when we’re outside of Charleston, preferably hundreds of miles away.”

  Heart and head pounding, Erin finally managed to come to a stop by digging in her heels. She yanked her arm free from Matt’s grasp and massaged the area where he’d gripped her. “What do you mean we? You’re not leaving Charleston. Your job is to capture my brother.”