by Dale Mayer
On that note she got up and locked the front door. She didn’t think anybody could break in through the third-floor windows, but it wouldn’t be hard to find her name on the panel on the main floor. If somebody was determined to get in her apartment, she knew they would get in. She wasn’t a fool. She might have lived with more sunshine and roses than a lot of people, but that didn’t make her naive.
At the thought of somebody breaking into her apartment, she examined the lock she had. She didn’t have much. One dead bolt and, as far as she knew, that was pretty easy to bypass. Trouble was, she really didn’t know if it was or it wasn’t.
What she needed was an expert. She sent a text to Cade. When you get a moment, you want to come by and check out my security? If I’m involved, I want to know I’m safe.
Frowning, her stomach squeezing uncomfortably, she wandered her small apartment, wondering what she had gotten herself into. Her phone buzzed with a text. It was from Cade.
I’m downstairs. Let me up.
She frowned. He hadn’t buzzed the intercom. As she walked over to the intercom button, it rang. She clicked on it and said, “Cade?”
“Yes, let me up.”
“How did you find out where I lived?” she asked quietly.
There was a moment of startled silence, and then he chuckled. “Good for you. Suspect everybody. Remember we shared a cab on that first meet? We saw the apartment building then. But also Laszlo saw you dash into this building today, remember? After that it was pretty darn easy to find your name.”
She frowned. What he said was plausible. She sighed. “You better not be an ax murderer.” She hit the button, cutting off any response to her comment, but she was definitely feeling uneasy. She stood at the open front door as she waited for the elevator door to open. But when the door to the stairs opened instead, she gave a start to see Cade walking toward her.
She frowned at him. “Why’d you take the stairs?” She motioned at his leg. “Isn’t it better to take the elevator?”
He gave her a good frown back. “All exercise is good. And stairs are especially good for the heart.”
She shrugged. “Most of the time I’m too damn tired.” She pointed him inside the apartment behind her.
“Am I allowed in? Or are you still wondering if I’m an ax murderer?” He grinned.
Her frowned deepened. “It just occurred to me—maybe it’s silly—but I really don’t know who you are.”
His hand went to his back pocket, pulled out his wallet and held it out to her.
She glanced at the driver’s license to see the same name she already knew. “But that doesn’t tell me anything. It doesn’t let me know if you’re a good guy or bad guy.”
“What brought this on?” he asked curiously.
“I don’t know. I’m a little unnerved after that vehicle almost ran me down.”
He stepped forward and automatically she stepped back into her apartment. He followed her. She closed and locked the door behind her.
He studied the locks. “You should get a better system.”
“I was wondering about that,” she admitted, studying the lock on the door. “It never was an issue before.”
“It’s always been an issue. It’s just not one you’ve been aware of,” he corrected. He walked around the small apartment, checking the windows, looking out to see how far a drop it was and if there were any balconies. He turned back to her. “Is there any reason why this guy would know where you live?”
Bewildered, she shook her head. “I have no idea. Unless he wrote down my license plate number from our first encounter—when he almost ran into me on my way to the bank—and followed up that way. I don’t even know who he is. Any more than I know who you are.”
“That’s not quite true,” he said calmly. “You know I’ve only ever been here to help you and to be a friend. I have no reason to hurt you in any way.”
Giving in because he was right—he’d been nothing but friendly and helpful so far—she muttered, “That’s what any serial killer would say.”
At that, a bark of laughter escaped. He grinned and sat down in the living room. “Are you really scared of me?”
She thought the question was flippant, but the look in his eyes was serious, pure, and she realized he was offended. She sat down beside him and sighed. “No, I’m not. I just don’t like the sudden turn in my life.”
“Anything other than the man who just tried to run you down in the parking lot? And, yes, that was enough to make anybody upset. But did Mary do anything else? Or anybody else do something to you?”
She shook her head. “No, nothing else has happened. Other than the pleasant back-and-forth email exchange with Mary earlier today. She explained to me how she doesn’t want her sister tortured any longer. But other than that, no.”
“Have you contacted the hospital again?”
She shook her head and slid lower on the couch, stretching out her legs to put her feet on the coffee table. “No, I haven’t bothered. It’s a terrible state of affairs as I just wait and see which way Elizabeth will go.”
He reached over and covered her hand with his. His fingers gently slid in between hers, the gesture almost intimate. “I’ve been at a lot of hospital beds in the last couple years, and it’s never a nice experience. It doesn’t matter which side of that railing you’re on.”
She glanced up at him and thought about all the surgeries he’d had and the pain and loss he’d experienced. She squeezed his fingers. “I’m sorry.”
He slanted a sideways grin at her. “It’s okay. At least I’m alive.”
The sincerity in his voice reassured her. Although he’d been through a lot, he at least was grateful for having the life he did have.
“Did you need to chase him?”
“Well, if I didn’t, he’d probably realize we put a tracker on his vehicle. He had to know we were there at the coffee shop, and he’d know there was a good chance we’d stop him and put an end to this right away. The tracker is just a backup, so we have some idea of where he’s going.” Cade shrugged. “Then Talon took over tracking the Lexus, which freed up Laszlo to track the BMW, so I could come here. Laszlo followed the BMW to a hotel at the airport, where Laszlo’s now in the parking lot, working his laptop, checking on the hotel’s guest list.”
“No photo?”
“Not yet. We need a reason to get law enforcement to give us one off the city cameras. And there really isn’t any reason we can give them that’s viable,” he admitted. “Being connected to a suspected serial killer is not enough. We don’t know anything about this guy. He could be a friend or an innocent business associate.”
“Do you believe that?”
He gave her a shake of his head. “Hell no.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be helping them?”
He nodded. “I needed to check on you first, to see if you knew anything. And I do have to leave again now.”
She sighed. “Of course you do.”
“Do you not want me to?”
Determinedly she straightened her shoulders and sat up. “No. I know you need to catch these two guys and to figure out what the hell is going on. I’ll be fine here.”
“When do you fly out again?”
“Not for three days.”
He frowned. “Have you got any plans for the rest of today?”
“I would normally do some shopping,” she muttered. “But I’m not so sure now.”
“I know you probably don’t want to do this, but it would be a good idea if you kept me aware of where you go.”
“Meaning, if I go to the mall, I’m to send you a text saying that’s where I am?”
He nodded. “Just be safe.”
She didn’t even know what to say to that. “How does that keep me safe? It’ll be the one time I don’t check in that you won’t have any idea what’s happened to me.”
“Exactly.”
Just hearing him speak like that had her mind freeze up in fear. “Is that likely to be a
n issue? I’m not sure how to feel about that.”
“Otherwise stay here. I’ll pick up something for dinner and come back.” He jumped to his feet, checking his watch. “You don’t have to decide now. Just let me know what you’re up to.” He headed to the front door, opening the bolt. “Lock up behind me. I’ll be back tonight. And maybe you can check on upgrading your security. At least adding another dead bolt.”
Again she was torn. She wanted him to return, but, at the same time, she was worried. Was she getting too close to him? And would that be a problem? He seemed like a nice man, but, with the things that had happened today… “I’ll let you know what I decide,” she hedged.
He grinned and nodded. “Good enough. Just remember to stay safe.” And, with that, he stepped out into the hall, checked both directions and turned back to her. “Have you ever had a problem with any of your neighbors?”
Surprised, she automatically glanced down the hall. “No. I hardly even know any of them. Not sure I can place a name to anybody here.”
“How long have you lived here?”
“Two years. But I come and go without regular hours, so it’s kind of hard to strike up a relationship.”
He nodded. “Understood.” He lifted a hand in a wave, turned and headed the opposite way he came.
“Wait. How come you’re not going down the stairs this time?”
He continued to walk but turned so he was walking backward. “I want to check out the other stairwell.” He flashed her a bright smile, turned and kept on walking.
She stayed in the doorway until he disappeared into the opposite stairwell. The only reason to check out the other stairwell was to check out the other exit.
And that meant he was still in protector mode, looking to see if anybody else could get in or get out of this building. She should be happy, but, at the same time, he made her incredibly nervous.
She stepped back inside, closed the door and locked it. The single dead bolt would not be much of a deterrent for anybody. He was right; she needed to get another bolt, and, even so, it wasn’t enough. But it was something.
She sat down on the couch, not a clue as to what she wanted to do now. When she got up this morning, she’d been delighted to have the time off. But now she felt lost and alone. Particularly after Cade had left.
There was something about him that was just so much more than most men she knew. That self-confidence, determination, sense of power around him was really attractive. And then there was that soft core. How could she possibly have thought he’d have been a bad guy? There was no way. It wasn’t part of his makeup. And now that she finally reconciled her earlier uncertainty, she realized she really did want to have dinner with him.
She picked up her phone and sent him a quick text. Bring Chinese.
Cade raced down the second stairwell, putting his artificial lower leg to the test. There were still some pressure spots as he landed each and every time, but it was doing much better than he expected. He’d been looking forward to trying out this leg in a real-life situation, where he needed to trust it to be there for him.
As he went down the stairs, he automatically checked for exits and access points, keeping an eye out for any cameras. But there didn’t appear to be any. How was that even possible in today’s day and age?
Outside in the parking lot, he walked to his truck and hopped in. As he turned on the engine, his phone rang. It was Laszlo.
“Can you join me at the airport hotel? The second guy has gone to his room and has stayed there so far.”
“On my way,” he said. As an afterthought, he added, “Any follow-up on the Lexus?”
“Talon is still behind him,” Laszlo said. “Erick is running point. The thing about the Lexus, if it’s still our bearded guy, John Smith, he appears to be heading straight for Texas.”
“Why Texas?” Cade’s mind raced to fill in the answers. The only ones he came up with were not good. It sounded like Levi might be getting company. “Anybody have any connection with Levi and his group? A lot of men work and live there at the compound. Some we know. Some we don’t. You know there’ll be at least some connections between our team and theirs. There always is. Tell Erick to send a warning to Levi and Ice. And maybe give Levi the coordinates so they can keep track of them too via their satellite link. It never hurts to have a welcome party on the other side.”
“Will do. Just get your ass in gear and get over here.”
Cade pulled out into traffic, and his phone went off again. Thinking it was Laszlo, he reached for it, only to find a message from Faith. He chuckled at the Chinese order. He didn’t have time to respond but kept driving toward the airport. He’d answer her later.
The traffic was brutal, but he made it in about twenty minutes. He pulled up beside Laszlo’s Jeep.
The two of them exited their vehicles and stood in the parking lot for a few moments before Laszlo said, “The BMW driver returned just ahead of me, went to reception and took the elevator up to his room. Hasn’t come back down. Yet.”
“Do you know what floor?”
“Eighth.”
“Should we pay him a visit?”
Laszlo grinned. “Absolutely.” The two men went into the front reception area and took a step to the right where the bank of elevators were.
“So, considering this place is so damn crazy, full of people, do you think the timing was intentional?” Cade asked Laszlo.
Laszlo chuckled. “Maybe. It’s a busy place most times, being so close to the airport. Plus an airport shuttle came in about ten minutes ago. I was hoping you’d get here in time that we’d be able to sneak in through the confusion.”
“There will still be cameras.”
“Of course. But some things are instinctive. Including turning our faces against the cameras. As are things like this.” Laszlo pulled out a hotel room key.
“Wow. Glad the military trained you for something.”
“Not only did they train me for something, but they trained me well,” Laszlo said in a hard voice. “The trouble is, after all our training in the navy, what are we to do with those special skills now that we’re private? And I certainly don’t want to lose my abilities, so I have to stay in practice somehow.”
They started up the stairs. Eight floors would be hard on Cade’s leg, but he was damned if he would say anything.
“Do you want to take the elevator?” Laszlo asked.
He shook his head. “No, I’ll be fine.”
The two men continued up the stairs. Laszlo’s steps slowed naturally, with Cade holding back.
Laszlo opened the stairwell entryway to the eighth floor. “It’s clear,” Laszlo said quietly.
Cade walked through the hall. It was empty besides Laszlo, a good ten feet ahead of him. Cade followed at a slower pace as Laszlo made it to the room number they were looking for. Cade didn’t ask questions about how Laszlo knew that information or what kind of a hotel card he had. Cade wouldn’t put it past Laszlo to swipe a master. Other than that, it was pretty damn easy to get in anyway, but Laszlo had skills like nobody else Cade knew.
It was an odd thing, but everybody had certain definitive gifts they had picked up and not necessarily while in the navy. Some had learned them growing up. They were all gifted. And this was definitely one of the ones Laszlo was gifted at.
As soon as Cade reached him, Laszlo had opened the door and entered. Cade slipped in behind, turned and locked the door. The man was on the phone, talking, and didn’t even hear them come in. He turned, caught sight of them, tossed his phone down and roared, “What the hell?”
Laszlo took up a spot by the glass doors and smiled. “Not to worry. We just want to have a talk.”
The well-dressed man warily looked from one to the other.
Cade smiled. “Particularly want to talk about your bearded companion from the coffee house an hour ago. We know him as John Smith”
The man held back any expression, but a flicker of awareness crossed his face.
C
ade nodded. “Oh, yeah, that one. The guy with the cold, dead eyes. But then you already knew he was bad news.”
“Hey, I didn’t have anything to do with anything.”
“How did you happen to have breakfast with him?”
“He sent me a text. He’s a friend of a friend of mine. Had a business proposition. I met him for breakfast. That was it.”
“Yet you decided not to stay for breakfast?”
“I didn’t like the offer,” he said bluntly. “And this is partly why.” He motioned at the two of them. “Who needs this shit?”
“What kind of shit?” Cade snapped.
“Jail time shit. I’ve done a lot of jobs for a lot of people, but I know how to hedge my bets on which ones will land me in jail. And I didn’t get the right vibes off this guy.”
“What kind of vibes did you get?”
“Bad ones. My mama didn’t raise no fool.”
Cade nodded. “So tell us what the job was?”
But the man shut up at that point, as if realizing anything else would get him in trouble.
Laszlo smirked. “In case you think that silence will help you, you need to rethink. This guy is suspected of at least seven deaths, potentially more.”
The man stared at them, his jaw opening wide. “Holy shit. I’ve definitely got nothing to do with any of that.”
Cade waited. He wanted the man’s name and some ID information and was looking for an opportunity to tackle him and take his wallet if need be. He wouldn’t do it if they didn’t have to. Often honey got more information than poison. However, he wasn’t going to give him too much more time.
Fear warred with anger on the man’s face.
Cade waited. When the stranger still didn’t say anything, Cade asked, “What’s your name?”
The man shrugged. “None of your business. You’re the ones who broke into my room. I don’t have to tell you anything.”
“We already know the name you registered under with the hotel obviously,” Laszlo said quietly. “But if I find out it’s not your real name, then I’ll be really pissed.”