by V. R. Marks
"What the hell is that?"
"Proof you executed Mr. Chan."
"Old news." He knocked the envelope to the floor. "No one cares about that whiny old man."
"I cared." She did. If she only had moments left to live, she wanted the truth. She wanted some valid reason her life had been wrecked. "Tell me why you killed him."
Clifton's hand trembled, his face white with fury. "Where is the Fu dog?"
Afraid for Rick's life, Nicole didn't answer. She held the jar by the lip and swung it like a kettle bell toward Clifton's jaw. It collided with a sickening thud, knocking him back.
Rick threw himself into Clifton's knees and prayed the gun fell clear without hurting Nicole. He heard heavy boots storming through the door, but he ignored the shouting as he rolled on top of Clifton and slammed his head into the floor repeatedly.
Heavy hands hauled him up and away from his assault, holding him back when he tried to get back to Clifton.
"Settle down," Bart ordered.
"Where's Nicole?" He couldn't see her anywhere.
"They've got her outside already. She's safe. Where's the dog thing he's talking about?"
"Kitchen cupboard." Resigned, he turned the figurine over to Bart. "Did Clifton have the female?"
"Yup. They seized it along with the rest of his possessions at his apartment in Los Angeles. Once they match the pair, that'll tie him to the deaths of Nicole's sister and mom. The bastard sure likes nice things."
The Fu dog was dwarfed in Bart's massive palm. "They've got him cold on three murders thanks to your girl, her pictures, and this little trophy. Eva added her research to the mounting evidence, putting him in the vicinity of the arson events sporting that signature." He glanced at the stovetop. "You'd think being a DEA agent would be enough adrenaline for one man. He's got serious issues."
"Did the bugs work?"
Bart cleared his throat, color creeping into his face. "Like a charm. Alone, it's not enough, but added to the rest… "
The intimate moments could hardly be tuned out in a place this small, but a chance to catch Clifton bragging had been worth the risk. "Wish we'd pulled a real confession." Rick pushed his hand through his hair. It was over. Clifton was in custody now, that's what mattered. "Has anyone figured out why he murdered Chan?"
"Not yet," Bart said, shaking his head. "Eva's still digging into it."
If there were answers after all these years, Eva would find them for Nicole. "What about the bikers and the drugs from the Virginia gang house?"
"The dead leader of the stupid triplets had a phone that only called one number, but Clifton must have dumped that along the way. The drugs, however, are tucked in cozy with the spare tire in his government issued vehicle." Bart smiled, clearly pleased. "Not an evidence bag in sight."
One more felony to tack onto a long prison sentence. It was a solid resolution, but it wouldn't bring back Nicole's family or her stolen childhood. He wanted to give her more, but he suddenly wasn't sure she'd trust him after he kept Bart, the bugs, and the backup plan a secret from her.
"Is anyone else pursuing her?" He figured the gangs had bigger worries, but he needed to know.
"No one but you." Bart said with a wink, clapping him on the back. "Go on. You should be the one to tell her justice is finally served."
Both men jerked as gunfire erupted outside. Rick was through the door first and his heart stopped when he spotted Nicole crumpled on the ground behind a black SUV. Once more Bart tried to hold him back, but Rick threw him off and rushed to her side.
He gathered her close, relieved beyond measure when she responded immediately, clinging to him. "Are you hurt?"
"No. For the first time, I'm fine." She made a noise somewhere between a sob and a laugh. "Just don't let go."
"Not a chance." Rick blocked her view as a team of marshals checked a body for a pulse. He recognized the eel skin shoes, having had the misfortune of staring at them for the past twenty minutes. "Clifton's dead."
"Good."
A cold chill gripped him. "Did you –"
"No." She burst out with another sobbing hiccup. "Not me." She burrowed closer to him. "He raised a gun at me and they mowed him down."
"He opted for suicide by cop," he muttered. Clifton wasn't the sort to do the hard time coming his way. "At least it's over."
"It is. It really is." She peered up at him. "Thank you."
Chapter 14
Nicole raised her camera, eager to catch the clouds whispering across the horizon. The sunrise was glorious this morning and not just because Rick was by her side, two mugs of coffee on the blanket between them.
His new cell phone chimed with an incoming text. "Eva says your Fu dogs should be back to you by the New Year."
"America's or China's?"
"Good question. Want me to ask?"
"No." She zoomed in on what might be dolphins playing in the distant surf. "It doesn't really matter."
A few minutes later his phone chimed again. "Eva says the Fu dogs have been in Chan's family for generations, handed down from grandfather to the eldest grandson, but in Chan's case that kid was tied up with the Dragons. He'd been stirring up trouble, trying to get him out of the gang when Clifton shot him."
"I never saw any family come to his house." Her heart ached with sympathy for her old neighbor. "Is the grandson still alive?"
"Don't know." Rick shrugged. "Eva believes Chan's execution sealed a deal between Clifton and the gang leader."
"Does the woman ever quit?"
"Not that I've seen," he muttered. "Kind of like someone else I know."
She snapped a quick candid of his profile. Before he launched a complaint, she lowered her camera and planted a kiss on him that took them both under for a long, delicious moment. She really should tell him how she felt, what she wanted.
"They want us in Haleswood for Thanksgiving."
"Mmm." Nicole pretended to consider as she watched the waves drift into the beach.
"Allie's aunt has some big dinner deal every year," he said. "Sounds like she feeds half the town."
"Allie always said the woman was amazing." Nicole bit her lip, holding back a smile and wondering what else he might say to convince her. The wind blew cold against her cheeks, but with Rick holding her hand she had plenty of warmth. She didn't want to be anywhere he wasn't ever again. But how to present that in a way that wouldn't scare him off?
He'd been so cautious, so respectful of her and her 'restored life'. It was starting to annoy her that he wouldn't just say what he wanted.
"We don't have to go, ah, together. It's just that everyone at the office thinks we're a couple."
What a bonus, so did she.
"I know it's not what you'd planned," he continued.
"That was when I was planning for me." She squeezed his hand. "How could I have planned for you? For a miracle like us?" Facing him, she tucked her windblown hair behind her ears. She didn't want anything marring the view of his reaction to what she was about to say. "I love you, Rick Dreyer." She traced his jaw with her finger, her heart expanding as his lips curved up in a slow smile.
"You are loved, Nicole Livingston." He laid her back on the blanket and kissed her until there was no doubt.
"Haleswood for Thanksgiving sounds like heaven," she said when he let her up for air.
"Truly?"
She nodded. "Think we can find a way to stay for Christmas too?"
The End
The Hostage
Dedication
For all the brave men and women in the armed services and law enforcement who serve
at home and abroad, protecting America with courage, dignity, and honor.
Prologue
"We have solid intelligence Eva Battaglia is being targeted by the Morcos family," Ross Carpenter said, as soon as the sheriff's office door closed.
Deputy Carson Morris glanced from Carpenter to the sheriff, wondering why he'd been invited to this private meeting.
"Morcos?"
Sheriff Cochran's chair squeaked as he leaned back.
"They're international developers with sidelines in black market weapons and money laundering."
"What's their concern with Eva?"
Ross rubbed his forehead. "Years ago she worked a hostage rescue mission involving the owner's son and it didn't go as planned. We're tracking down those details. I'm hoping there's some place here in the court house where I can set up a temporary office for RC Investigations. That's safer than having her working alone in Columbia. It's not permanent. Just until we get this settled."
"There's office space up on the third floor," Sheriff Cochran said. "Let's go take a look."
Ross examined the area and paced the entire hallway, noting the elevator, main stairs, other offices, and fire stairs. "This can work."
Deputy Morris listened while Ross and the sheriff discussed Eva's schedule and responsibilities and managed to keep a straight face when Ross volunteered Eva's IT expertise to seal the deal.
"One last thing," Carpenter said. "I'd like someone assigned to Eva full time."
The sheriff groaned. "You know I don't have the manpower for that."
"Preferably Deputy Morris."
"Me?"
"She likes you," Carpenter said. "That's not easy to discern with Eva, I'll grant you that."
Carson held his peace, baffled by the statement. The woman was as prickly as a porcupine. From what he'd seen, getting shot last month had wounded her pride more than anything else.
"What do you expect out of him?"
"I expect you to treat this like undercover work, but you just have to be yourself. I need you to make sure she gets to and from work safely by either direct or indirect observation. If Rick or I hover, she'll bust us for it. And I expect you to inform me of any threats or suspicious contact."
He understood what might qualify as a threat, but suspicious contact? "Like what?"
"Morris, you were born and raised here in Haleswood," Carpenter said. "You'll recognize any strangers snooping around here, or at her room at the motel."
"True," the sheriff admitted. "But undercover is a tough thing to pull off in this town."
Ross grinned and clapped Carson on the shoulder. "You'll come up with something. It's not long term, I promise."
Carson glanced from one man to the other. He'd gone to high school with Ross. The sheriff had lived in the area all his life. All three of them knew there were no secrets in Haleswood. Undercover would be a unique challenge.
"It's not a typical assignment, that's for sure, deputy," Sheriff Cochran said. "But seeing as you're single, you're probably the person best suited to keep an eye on her without causing more problems."
"Stay close, be friendly," Carpenter said. "I'll let you know the minute we have the threat contained."
Chapter 1
BANG
Eva Battaglia jerked in her chair, her computer search forgotten as she reached for her sidearm and braced for an attack. Her heart lurched out of rhythm when her fingers felt soft denim instead of the pebbled grip of a pistol in the smooth leather of a holster.
Another moment, another ragged breath and she recognized her error. Not gunfire, just the stupid stairwell door at the end of the hallway. Why maintenance could oil the hinges and not fix the timing on the self-closing mechanism was beyond her.
She made a mental note to get back to the firing range as soon as possible. The scared rabbit reactions had to stop.
Gently rubbing away the persistent ache in her shoulder, she flexed her fingers over her keyboard and resumed her background check on a potential client.
She needed a case she could sink her teeth into. Her boss, Ross Carpenter, was borderline paranoid since getting duped by a client and nearly getting a few people killed last month. She fully supported his vigilance, considering the dup-er had gotten the drop on her, used her as bait, and eventually put a hole in her shoulder while trying to make his escape.
She did not, however, support her boss' decision to tuck her away in this little corner of nowhere running background searches and looking pretty.
Looking pretty damn annoyed.
Haleswood, South Carolina was a fine town. If you liked a friendly place that didn't push the needle much beyond sedate on the excitement scale. She even understood the basic logic of having an RC Investigations satellite office here, since Ross was finally living in the gorgeous home he'd built just outside of town a few years back.
The only consolation was being tucked away in an office inside the court house. It was small, and she knew her perspective was warped, but staying close to even the minimal activity of the sheriff's office took some of the sting out of being stuck here on the sidelines.
She wanted a real case. Her own case. Something more involved than the typical adultery and divorce nonsense. She knew she was ready, but her boss – in another fit of paranoia and overprotectiveness – disagreed.
Her arm had healed just fine. Mostly. True, she still couldn't quite hold her weapon steady enough to fire accurately. She glanced at the calendar. A month already. Hadn't she carried her own plate at the Haleswood Thanksgiving feast? Yet, that stunning physical performance wasn't enough to convince Ross. She'd given him a note from the doctor in Columbia, but he'd only spouted nonsense about how the team needed her superior IT and tech support skills.
As if she didn't know her capabilities.
They both knew she could run the RC Investigations office from her laptop in any location sporting a decent Internet connection. But the guys had been having all the fun lately. In more ways than one.
Both Ross and Rick, men she'd served with in the Army, had not only solved recent RCI cases, they'd found their soul mates in the process. The thought made her antsy. She was genuinely happy for them both and already considered the women they'd chosen as friends, but it seemed so…
Out of reach, she decided on a heavy sigh.
Love was everywhere in Haleswood these past weeks. So much so, she was sure there was something in the water, except Rick had been in Virginia when he'd fallen for Nicole.
Something in the jet stream? She clicked away to another window before she could do a search on weather patterns. High pressure systems didn't carry love viruses and the last thing she needed was one more man in her life.
Aggravated and restless, she pushed back from the desk and turned up the volume on the ever-quiet emergency scanner. Staring out the wide window onto Main Street, she watched people going about their day. Even from here, she could recognize a few of them.
"Any minute now we'll have ourselves a full blown jay-walking epidemic."
"That would be chaos."
She whirled around; irritated all over again that someone could sneak up on her. Maybe Ross was right about her not being ready for something more intense. "Deputy Morris."
He dipped his chin. "Eva." Was he laughing at her?
Of all the people in the building, why did Sheriff Cochran always send this man to beg favors? "What do you need?" she managed to close her mouth before adding 'now'.
"Mrs. Jackson's computer is locked up."
"Can't have that." She rolled her eyes as she crossed back to her desk to secure her computer. This kind of thing happened often enough she suspected Ross had negotiated her tech skills for a discount on the rent for the office space.
"It would delay our response to a jay-walking emergency."
Eva laughed. She couldn't help it. Which only emphasized why she didn't care for Deputy Morris. His friendliness was sneakier than most in this town. At first glance he was a quiet, normal guy full of manners she was learning were an expected sort of local chivalry. The thoughtful details like holding a door she considered outdated, but Haleswood residents classified that kind of thing as required. And every so often he'd toss out a zinger or self-deprecating comment that made her smile or laugh. She reminded herself it was nice. He was nice.
"Do you do that with everyone?"
He shrugged a shoulder, but as a train
ed observer, she already knew the answer was no – at least as far as everyone at work. She hadn't found a good reason to investigate his home life yet.
Yet?
That kind of thinking only proved her overwhelming boredom. Unhappy with herself and her thoughts, she motioned him out of the office and locked up behind them.
"You take security pretty seriously."
"Habit. It's been my job for a long time." And just because she was learning to be friendly within the context of Haleswood and the personnel around the court house didn't mean she was going stupid. RCI clients expected – and received – the utmost discretion.
This could be a diversion, a ruse to allow someone else to break into the office and snoop around. The scenario was extremely unlikely. But unlikely didn't equal impossible.
Shaking off her random conspiracy theories, she stepped through the stairwell door he'd opened for her. "Any reason for strangers to be in town?"
"Besides you?"
He smiled when he said it and she felt her lips curve in reply. "Yeah, besides me." Whether he meant she was the only stranger in Haleswood or she was something to draw strangers in was a question she didn't want answered.
BANG
She was ready for the loud door this time and minimized her reaction to a small twitch.
Deputy Morris didn't seem to notice the slamming door or her reaction to it. "We'll have more visitors come through town to visit family for Christmas." They rounded the landing. "But we rarely have any trouble out of them."
"Family." She'd intended to see her own family for the holidays. Then she'd been shot and traveling to New York just so her mother could fuss over her in person didn't sound like fun for anyone. "Wouldn't that mean they aren't really strangers?"
"Suppose you're right," Deputy Morris said with a half-smile that caused a strange flutter in her belly.
It had to be the charming southern accent getting to her. She should be immune by now, surrounded by it day in and day out.