RunningScaredBN

by Christy Reece

  The less-than-smooth effort to change the subject made Nick even more suspicious. Letting him off the hook for the time being, he said, “Louisa something or other.”

  “Where’d you meet this one?”

  “Belden’s party last week.”

  “Where’re you taking her before you take her to bed?”

  Nick snorted his disgust. His reputation of being a lady’s man was mostly fictional. Yeah, he dated a lot of different women, because he enjoyed their company. Somehow, even Thomas was under the impression that it also meant he had a lot of sex.

  “I don’t sleep with all of them.”

  Thomas gave his own snort, this one of disbelief. “Yeah. Right.”

  Knowing whatever protests he made would only be construed as modest, Nick decided to go back to their original discussion. “Seriously, let’s talk about the Slaters tomorrow. If you’ve got something on your mind, I want to hear about it. Want to meet for lunch at Barney’s?”

  “Um…yeah…sure, lunch sounds good. But I promise there’s nothing to talk about. Gotta go. Catch you later.”

  Nick cursed softly at the abrupt end to the call. Thomas was definitely keeping something from him. Tomorrow he’d get in his face and make him talk. Screwing around with the Slaters wasn’t a good career move. With their kind of influence, they could end a career with a phone call. On the other hand, if Thomas did have something significant on the family, then Nick wanted to know about it.

  Mathias Slater and his clan were Texas royalty. Few people in America, much less Texas, hadn’t heard of the Slaters. They were one of the oldest and wealthiest families in the country with descendants dating back to the first American settlers. Nothing seemed to tarnish their good image. Even the arrest and conviction of the youngest Slater, Jonah, on a major drug-smuggling charge had done nothing more than elicit sympathy. Shit bounced off of them like they had some kind of protective shield.

  Nick knew almost nothing personally about the family—just what he’d seen on the news or read in the paper. One thing he did know was they had major connections. Hell, last week he’d seen a photo of Mathias Slater shaking hands with the president. The family had the kind of influence that most people could only dream of having.

  A few months back, Thomas had handled the investigation of Jonah Slater and had given Nick the lowdown. Slater had been caught red-handed with a boatload of illegal drugs. In fact, he’d looked so stinking guilty that Thomas had said he would have suspected the guy had been framed if he hadn’t been a Slater. According to Thomas, it’d taken almost no investigation or effort to put Jonah away. He was now serving a hefty sentence in Brownsville.

  Mathias Slater had made the most of the publicity. He’d held a press conference, stating that he still loved his son and offered his full support. He’d even donated millions to a drug-rehab facility. Nick had caught the press conference on television and had seen more than a few people wipe away tears.

  Thomas had described an incident the day Jonah Slater was sentenced. Said it had given him several sleepless nights. Jonah had been about to walk from the courtroom, his hands and ankles shackled, but he’d stopped in front of Thomas and said, “Hell of an investigation, O’Connell. Hope you didn’t break a nail.”

  Nick agreed it was strange but had encouraged Thomas to let it go. Cryptic remarks from convicted criminals weren’t exactly unusual. And prisons were filled with criminals who swore they were innocent. Few freely admitted their guilt.

  As Nick pulled in front of Louisa’s apartment complex, he glanced at the dashboard clock. Yeah, seven minutes late. Jerking the car door open, Nick strode up the sidewalk. Before he got to Louisa’s front door, she had it open for him. Long-legged, honey blond hair, full pouty lips, and exotic eyes. She looked exactly like her magazine photo that had been splashed all over the country last month. Many men would have given their eyeteeth to talk with a cover model much less date one. So why did he want to turn around and walk the other way? Since he already knew the answer to that, he kept moving forward.

  Giving her one of his stock smiles in greeting, Nick listened to her chatter with half an ear as he led her to the car. Had she been this talkative last week?

  Thankfully, the restaurant wasn’t far away. Within minutes of leaving her apartment, they were seated and had ordered their meal.

  They were almost through with their appetizer when Nick had to stifle a giant yawn. For the past ten minutes, Louisa had droned on about her weekend in St. Moritz with some Hollywood celebrity. Taking a large bite of his ravioli so he wouldn’t have to respond verbally, he chewed, nodded, and did his best to put on an interested expression, wishing like hell he’d never made this date.

  “And then Maurice said the funniest thing. He—”

  The abrupt ringing of his cellphone was a welcome distraction. Holding his hand up to stop her chatter, Nick answered, “Gallagher.”

  “Nick, it’s Lewis Grimes.”

  Before he could wonder why the captain of the Narcotics Division was calling, the man continued, “There’s been a shooting.”

  The fine hairs on the back of his neck rose. The instant he heard the victim’s name, he went to his feet. “I’ll be right there.”

  He threw a wad of cash on the table. “I gotta go. That should pay for dinner and a cab home.”

  Before she could open her mouth to answer, Nick was already running toward the door, his date forgotten. His mind screamed a denial, but Grimes’s stark words reverberated in his head, refusing to allow him to deny the truth. “Thomas O’Connell has been shot.”

  Get Nothing to Lose here!

  WHATEVER IT TAKES

  A GREY JUSTICE NOVEL

  To Save His Family, She May Be His Only Hope

  A Strong-willed Woman

  Working for the shadowy division of the Grey Justice Group is the perfect job for Kathleen Callahan. Compartmentalizing and staying detached is her specialty. Get in, do the job, get out, her motto. Wealthy businessman Eli Slater is the only man to penetrate her implacable defenses and she fights to resist him at every turn.

  A Tenacious Man

  Eli Slater has worked hard to overcome his family’s past and repair the damage they caused. A new light comes into his life in the form of security specialist Kathleen Callahan. Even though she rejects him and everything he makes her feel, Eli is relentless in his pursuit, determined to make her his own.

  An Evil No One Saw Coming

  Darkness has a way of finding and destroying light and Eli learns his family’s troubles are far from over. Dealing with threats and attempts on his own life is one thing but when those he loves are threatened, it’s a whole new game. And he’ll stop at nothing to win.

  But evil has a familiar face, along with an unimaginable goal of destruction, putting both Eli and Kathleen in the crosshairs and threatening the happiness they never believed they’d find.

  Chapter One

  Slater House Hotel

  Chicago

  “Did you sleep well last night, Sophia?”

  “Yes, Daddy,” Sophia said with an emphatic nod. “I went to sleep right after story time. Slept all night long.”

  Not to be outdone, four-year-old Violet chimed in, “Me, too, Daddy. I slept-ed all night long, too.”

  “Good for you both. I know Miss Teresa appreciates what good girls you’re being while Daddy’s away.”

  “What are you eating for breakfast, Daddy?” Sophia moved closer to the screen to see what was on Eli’s table. “We’re eating strawberry pancakes.”

  “I wish I could have something that yummy. I’m just eating plain old boring cereal.”

  “When are you coming home?”

  “Soon, I promise, Violet.”

  “Miss you, Daddy.”

  Eli’s heart clutched, as it always did at the sheer sweetness of his daughters. There was no artifice, no hiding. Talking to them after a day of negotiating, dealing with fake smiles and hidden agendas was as refreshing as diving into a pool o
f cool water on a hot Texas day. This was the reason he continued despite all the worries and problems he had taken on. If not for Violet and Sophia, he wasn’t sure he would have retained his sanity.

  “It’s time to get ready for school, girls,” Teresa said. “Say good-bye to your daddy.”

  In between smooching sounds and “I love you’s,” he watched his daughters leave the kitchen table.

  As soon as they’d left the room, Teresa Longview, nanny, housekeeper, cook, and all-around lifesaver, came on the screen. “They miss you, Mr. Eli, but they’re doing just fine.”

  “Thank you for taking such good care of them.”

  “They’re a pleasure, sir. You know that.”

  “Anything I need to know about?”

  “No, sir. It’s been amazingly quiet. Seems like everything is settling into place…finally getting back to normal.”

  Eli hoped that was true but didn’t count on anything these days. “No odd incidents? Phone calls?”

  “No, sir. I’ve been very careful with everything, just like you warned me.”

  That was a relief. It’d taken almost a year, but the Slaters were finally back on the right track. But just because he’d worked his ass off to clean up the mess didn’t mean everyone was happy. No doubt there were still plenty of people who would love to see the Slaters completely decimated.

  “Thanks for being vigilant, Teresa. I don’t expect any problems but can’t let my guard down.”

  “I understand, Mr. Eli.”

  “I’ll call back tonight at bedtime.”

  “We’ll look forward to it. Have a good day.”

  “You, too, Teresa.”

  Eli closed his laptop, now ready to start his day. A few minutes spent with his daughters were better than any vitamin ever created.

  So far, having Slater as a last name hadn’t impacted his children. The girls were just babies, much too young to comprehend. They still believed they lived in a safe, sane world. His daughters had no idea that it was all a lie—a lie he would willingly tell for as long as he could get away with it. He would do whatever he had to do to protect them from the family they’d had the misfortune to be born into and the world they would eventually have to face.

  He had learned that hell the hard way. In one seemingly endless nightmare, his life had imploded. It had begun with the murder of his wife, Shelley—although he hadn’t known it was a murder at the time. Eli had believed, as he was meant to, that she had taken her own life. Unintentionally, yes. Mixing booze and drugs was always a bad idea. And for Shelley, who’d been both an alcoholic and a drug addict, it had been a lethal combination.

  After Shelley’s death, he’d been hanging on, barely, but he’d been surviving. Then the clouds had gathered above them, the storm had settled in, and the shit had come down in torrents.

  All of that was behind them now, but not without loss…not without major consequences.

  Mathias, his father, was dead. And after an excruciatingly long and painful trial, his brother Adam was in prison, where the bastard would spend the rest of his miserable life.

  Eli had worked like a demon to repair the damage the two had created. He had bartered, badgered, apologized, and pleaded, then scrubbed and scoured, doing everything he could to erase what Mathias had spent a lifetime creating. Businesses had been sold, stocks and bonds liquidated and contracts demolished. All the records found, in both Adam’s and Mathias’s offices, had been examined with a fine-tooth comb with one intent—to remove the scourge his father and brother had perpetrated.

  Eli had succeeded. And while the Slater name still had a black cloud hanging over it, and the family’s wealth had been cut in half, at least they could all sleep at night. Perhaps by the time his daughters were grown, being a Slater would be something to be proud of again.

  His mother and sister were in France, as far away from this mess as he could get them. And Jonah, his youngest brother, understandably bitter, was on a personal mission of vengeance. Eli worried for him but understood. Jonah had yet to come to terms with everything that had happened…everything he had lost.

  He and Jonah were like two survivors of the same catastrophe. So far neither of them had been able to discuss that night, or the events that had led up to it.

  Eli leaned back in his chair, wishing once again that he hadn’t had to come to Chicago. He didn’t like being away from home, but traveling was sometimes an unavoidable burden. Whenever he did travel, he had breakfast via webcam with the girls each morning, and each night at bedtime, he called and read them a story. It wasn’t as good as being there in person, but the girls seemed to enjoy the uniqueness of talking to their daddy via video.

  Standing, Eli went to the bedroom and started dressing for the day. He clicked on the television, more for noise than to listen to the news. His mind on the myriad items he needed to accomplish, he didn’t catch the beginning of the news story that was now on. It wasn’t until he heard a husky, feminine voice thick with emotion that he paid attention. He turned to see the owner of that voice and froze in place, mesmerized.

  “I have nothing to say to you people. You’ve gotten all you’re getting from my family.”

  “Miss Callahan, do you feel shame for your sister? Not only for being a prostitute but for being accused of so cold-bloodedly killing Frank Braden?”

  Fire burned in extraordinary eyes of aqua blue. “Do you feel shame for your stupid questions?” she sneered.

  Undeterred, the reporter continued, “You’re testifying today. What will you tell the court?”

  Shoulders straight, expression resolute, she said fiercely, “That my sister was taken advantage of. She was not a prostitute. And that she most definitely did not kill Frank Braden.”

  She turned her back to the camera and strode rapidly away.

  A smug smile tugged at the reporter’s mouth. “To recap, the trial of Alice Callahan, who is accused of murdering local businessman Frank Braden, will resume this morning at ten o’clock. And as we just heard, today’s testimony will include Kathleen Callahan, the accused’s sister. Considering what we’ve learned so far, one can only speculate what today’s revelations will be. Reporting from Cook County Courthouse, this is April Majune.”

  Eli clicked off the television, but it didn’t matter. The image of Kathleen Callahan’s captivating face stayed etched in his mind. The husky, musical tone of her voice was a sound he knew he’d never forget.

  Returning to the kitchen table where he’d left his laptop, Eli opened it and entered the names Callahan and Braden into a search engine. He had heard nothing about the trial. Dallas and Chicago were hundreds of miles from each other. And having no love for the media and their shenanigans, he usually avoided the news, local and national, as much as possible.

  A lengthy list of hits appeared. Eli clicked on one and skimmed the information. The more he read, the more intrigued he became. Exiting out of one site, he scrolled down until he came to the name Kathleen Callahan. Clicking on that one, Eli stared hard at the photograph of one of the most striking women he’d ever seen. This shot had been taken at a happier time in Kathleen’s life. Though still not smiling, there were no tension lines around her mouth, no shadows beneath her eyes.

  His gaze moved to the text, and once again he became immersed, unaccountably fascinated, so deeply engrossed that when his cellphone rang, it took him several seconds to identify the sound.

  He headed back to the bedroom and grabbed his phone. When he saw the caller’s name on the screen, and then the time, he winced. Dammit, he was never late.

  “Hugh?”

  “Eli, everything okay?”

  “Yes. Sorry. I know we were supposed to meet downstairs. I—” Making a split decision, Eli said, “Listen, there’s been a change of plans. Come up to my room and let’s talk. I need to move some appointments around.”

  Thankful that his assistant wasn’t one to ask needless questions, Eli ended the call and then immediately pressed a speed-dial number to one of hi
s most trusted friends.

  “Justice. Eli. You have any information on a case in Chicago involving the murder of a Frank Braden?”

  Grey Justice wasn’t often taken by surprise, but Eli could hear it in the man’s voice—his British accent always became a little crisper. “Frank Braden? Chicago? Not that I recall. Is it something I should check out?”

  “Yes. I’d—” He’d what? What was he going to say? That he’d seen a beautiful woman on television, looked her up on the Internet, and was now obsessed with knowing more? Hell.

  “The case sounds like something you’d be interested in.” Eli winced at the lameness of his answer.

  “Is that right?” The slight amusement in Justice’s tone told Eli that he hadn’t fooled his friend in the least.

  Eli relayed the basic facts. Grey Justice and his people could find out everything about the case within a matter of a few clicks. And even though Eli’s interest in Kathleen was definitely personal, what he’d told Justice was true. This case sounded perfect for the Grey Justice Group.

  “Let me look into it,” Justice said. “I’ll get back to you.”

  Eli returned the phone to the desk and stared out at the Chicago skyline. He had no explanation for what he was about to do. Impulsiveness had been beaten out of him long ago, and damned if he could begin to formulate a reason for his actions. Never in his life had he had such a visceral reaction to a woman. Something about Kathleen Callahan called to him, compelled him to know more. Despite all the scheduling problems, the headaches he was about to cause, Eli refused to not see this out.

  Get Whatever it Takes here!

  Can’t get enough romantic suspense? Turn the page for a sneak peek of Cold Evidence, the sixth book in Romantic Suspense Author Rachel Grant’s exciting Evidence series.

  COLD EVIDENCE