Bulletproof Hearts

by Brenda Harlen

  “I’m not going to let him intimidate me.”

  Natalie’s words interrupted his self-recrimination. At any other time, Dylan would be proud of her fierce determination, her unflagging courage. He was terrified for her because he knew she didn’t really understand what Conroy was capable of. But he did, and these pictures renewed his commitment to take the man down and his determination to protect Natalie and her son. He would not fail them again.

  “What are you going to do?” he asked.

  “I won’t take any chances with Jack,” she told him. “My sister called last night—she’s going to Florida to visit our mother and she wants to take him. I’m going to let her.

  “He won’t like it—he’ll hate missing baseball, and he won’t want to leave Rookie—but I won’t be able to function if I’m worried about Jack. I need to focus all my attention on nailing this bastard.”

  “That isn’t your job, Nat.”

  “This doesn’t have anything to do with my job,” she agreed. “It’s personal.”

  “Leave it to the police—”

  “No. He made it personal when he dragged my son into this.”

  He sighed. “I know you think this was Conroy, but—”

  “You think it was Conroy, too.”

  “But we have no proof.”

  “Dammit, Dylan. I know it was him. Maybe he wasn’t holding the camera, but he was calling the shots.”

  He knew it, too. And as soon as Natalie left his office, he called Joel Logan.

  Natalie let Jack stay until after his baseball game Thursday night. Friday morning they met Shannon at the airport, where Jack and his aunt boarded the plane to Fort Lauderdale. She cried as she watched the plane take off, and Dylan knew she was missing her son already.

  He figured he was doing her a favor by staying with her, ensuring she wouldn’t be too lonely. Besides, he’d promised to help her with the puppy, and he couldn’t do that if he wasn’t there. And if it sounded as if he was making up excuses just to be with her, well, maybe he was. After only a few nights going to sleep in her bed and waking up beside her in the mornings, he couldn’t imagine anything else.

  He heard Rookie’s soft bark, reluctantly eased away from the warmth of Natalie’s body and pulled on his jeans. He trudged down the stairs. Even in the dead of night, the house seemed quieter somehow with Jack gone. And although he appreciated being able to spend the whole night in Natalie’s bed rather than being kicked out before the first light of dawn, he missed Jack.

  Rookie missed Jack, too. She’d been moping around since the boy left for Florida, and every time she came inside, she ran around the house searching for him. Both he and Natalie made an effort to spend more time with the puppy, but clearly they were poor substitutes for her favorite human.

  Dylan opened the back door and whistled for the dog. He listened for the familiar clang of the dog’s tags as she scampered toward the door.

  The yard was eerily silent.

  Uneasiness crept along his spine. He squinted into the darkness, but could see nothing in the pitch black of the night.

  He found a flashlight in the kitchen and slipped his shoes on his feet. He wished, briefly, for his gun, but it was locked in the firebox in Natalie’s closet.

  “Rookie.” He called softly for the dog, whistled again. When there was still no response from the pup, Dylan knew something was wrong.

  He found her not more than ten feet from the door, lying on her side, unmoving. He stroked a hand down the animal’s back. Her body was still warm, her silky fur soft to the touch. But her head was bent at an unnatural angle. Closer inspection revealed that her throat had been cut, the golden fur under her chin matted with blood.

  His stomach churned at the vicious, senseless destruction. Even more at the thought that whoever had done this had been mere steps from Natalie’s back door. It stung his pride that something like this could happen while he was inside with her; it struck terror in his heart that one of Conroy’s henchmen had been so close to Natalie—because he had no doubt that Conroy was responsible for the brutal slaying of Jack’s puppy.

  But he pushed aside the guilt and fear to focus on what needed to be done, and right now he needed to deal with Rookie. His heart broke a little as he stared at the lifeless animal. She’d been such a beautiful puppy, carefree and affectionate, loving and loved.

  Jack was going to be devastated. Natalie, too. She hadn’t wanted her son to keep the puppy, but between Dylan’s badgering and Jack’s pleading, she’d relented. He knew she loved the animal as much as her son did.

  He carefully lifted Rookie’s body into the box he’d found in the garage, then set the box in his car. He’d take her for a proper burial later. Now his concern was to spare Natalie as much unpleasantness as possible. He would have to tell her what had happened, but she didn’t have to witness this horror.

  He turned on the hose and washed the blood from the grass, silently renewing his vow to make Conroy pay for everything he’d done.

  Nothing Natalie had heard about Zane Conroy prepared her for meeting the man face-to-face. When he approached her in the courthouse lobby, she’d thought he might be one of the local lawyers she had yet to meet. In his dark suit and conservative tie, he didn’t look like a man who could do half the things he’d been accused of doing.

  Until she looked into his eyes. They were dark and cold and empty, and despite the smile on his face, she knew he was capable of anything.

  “Do you have time for a cup of coffee?” he asked, after introducing himself.

  She shook her head, repulsed that the man responsible for slaughtering her son’s puppy could be facing her now, attempting to make pleasant conversation. She hadn’t even talked to Jack yet—she hadn’t yet had a chance to tell him his puppy had died.

  Her stomach clenched at the thought, and she forced it aside. She didn’t dare show any hint of weakness or vulnerability to this man. “I’m sorry,” she lied, “but I’m already late for an appointment.”

  “Maybe we could meet for dinner, then.”

  “I don’t think so, Mr. Conroy. If there’s something you need to discuss with me, perhaps you could call the D.A.’s office and set up an appointment.”

  He smiled again. “I’m not sure your office would be the most appropriate venue to discuss other employment opportunities.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve been watching your career with some interest since you came to Fairweather. Your dedication is admirable, your success impressive.”

  “I enjoy my job,” she said uneasily.

  “It shows,” he agreed. “But you could make twice as much money if you came to work for me as in-house counsel for Conroy Enterprises.”

  Not even if hell froze over. “I won’t be bought, Mr. Conroy.”

  “Now, that isn’t exactly true, is it, Ms. Vaughn?” He smiled knowingly. “Didn’t you sell out your own son for half a million dollars?”

  Her cheeks burned with shame, with anger. She didn’t know how he knew about the deal she’d made to leave Chicago, it didn’t matter.

  “I can understand the instinct of a parent to want what’s best for a child,” he continued, “the willingness to do anything to keep him safe.”

  The implication was unmistakable. Natalie tried unsuccessfully to swallow the fear that lodged in her throat. “Are you threatening me, Mr. Conroy?”

  “Of course not.” He was quick to reassure her, but the cruel gleam in his eyes belied the words. “I’m only suggesting that you consider all your options—to make a decision in the best interests of your child.”

  He was right about one thing—she would do anything to keep her son safe. Which was why she’d sent Jack to Florida with her sister, and why she was now even more determined to bring Conroy to justice.

  “I’m not interested in working for you, Mr. Conroy. Not now, not ever.”

  Conroy merely smiled. “I’m sure we could come to an agreement that would be mutually beneficial.�
��

  She fought back the fear, the fury, forced herself to respond calmly. “I’m sure we can’t, because I have no plans to leave the D.A.’s office.”

  “Plans change,” he said simply. “Think about it.”

  There was little else she could do but think about this threat. She had no doubt now that Zane Conroy had set her up to find Roger Merrick’s body, then he’d sent photographs of the murder. His actions were bold, unapologetic. He was powerful, invincible—or so he believed.

  What he couldn’t know was that his attempts to manipulate her only made Natalie all the more determined not to be manipulated. If her career as an assistant district attorney in Fairweather accomplished nothing else, she would bring down Zane Conroy.

  Despite this resolution, she was still shaking when she got back to her office. She was furious, she was disgusted and she was terrified.

  She was also unprepared to step into her office and find Dylan waiting for her.

  “Where have you been?”

  She dropped her briefcase on the floor beside her desk and turned to the coffee machine. She picked up a mug, set it back down when she saw that her hands were trembling. “I was in court all morning,” she said, inexplicably reluctant to tell him about her encounter with Zane Conroy.

  “What happened?”

  “What do you mean?”

  He stepped closer, set his hands on her shoulders. “You’re trembling, Nat.”

  She shrugged, forced a smile. “I crossed paths with a snake.”

  “Hawkins?” he guessed.

  “Conroy,” she admitted.

  The hands on her shoulders tightened, and when he spoke, his voice was dangerously quiet. “Where?”

  “At the courthouse.”

  “What was he doing there?”

  “My guess is he was looking for me.”

  He swore. “What did he say?”

  “It doesn’t matter, Dylan.”

  “Like hell it doesn’t. Did he threaten you?”

  “Not exactly,” she said quickly, anxious to defuse the situation. And he hadn’t threatened her, at least not overtly. “He offered me a job.”

  “Conroy asked you to go to work for him?”

  She nodded.

  He slid his hands down her arms, linked their fingers together. “I want you to do me a favor, Natalie.”

  “What is it?”

  “Back off this case. Please.”

  She didn’t think there was anything she would refuse him—anything but what he was asking. She withdrew her hands from his, took a step back. “Do you think I don’t want to? I’ve been counting down the days to Ellis Todd’s trial, thinking that once it’s finally over Conroy will leave me alone. I’ve considered offering Todd a deal to avoid the whole prospect of a trial.”

  She stepped away from him and turned back to the coffee machine to pour a cup she knew she wouldn’t be able to drink. She’d considered it again today, after Conroy had hinted about the potential danger to her son. But knowing he was safe in Florida had strengthened Natalie’s resolve to put together the case against Conroy, to ensure that Jack would stay safe. “Facing Conroy today, I realized that it won’t ever be over. Not until he’s behind bars. And I need to follow through with the case against Todd if I want to put him there.”

  “It doesn’t have to be you,” he said. “Haven’t you realized yet how dangerous he is? Or is your job so important that nothing else matters?”

  The accusation hurt, because it was so completely unfounded, and because she knew where it was coming from. “I’m not your wife, Dylan. You can’t keep comparing me to her.”

  “You’re doing the same thing she did—putting your career ahead of everything else.”

  “Dammit, this isn’t a career move. It’s about justice. You’re the one who’s so hell-bent on seeing Zane Conroy behind bars you can’t focus on anything else.”

  “But I won’t risk you to do it.”

  “And I won’t let you blow the best chance we’ve got to put him away because you’re worried about me.”

  “Please, Natalie. Don’t do this.”

  “I have to.” She sat down beside him and prepared to finally say the words she’d been holding in her heart for so long. “I love you too much to walk away from this now.”

  Dylan swallowed. They were the words he’d hoped for, the feelings that were echoed inside himself. But the initial surge of joy, the sense of satisfaction, were quickly eclipsed by the fear that wouldn’t dissipate.

  “If you really love me, you’ll back away from this.”

  She shook her head sadly. “I can’t.”

  The fear expanded. He’d been only half alive before she came into his life. She’d taught him to live again, to feel again, to love again. But he knew only too well how quickly it could all be taken away.

  “I won’t let you do this, Natalie.”

  “It isn’t your decision.”

  “You’re right,” he agreed. “It’s your decision, your choice. You need to dump something. Is it going to be the Todd case—or me?”

  Her blue-green eyes widened with shock, hurt. “You can’t seriously expect me to choose between you and my job?”

  “I’m not asking you to give up your job—just this one case.”

  “It’s the same thing. John Beckett said if I backed away from this case, I could consider myself unemployed.”

  He hesitated for only half a second. “So look for another job. You’re a great lawyer, Natalie. You could easily find something else.”

  Her earlier shock was replaced by sadness, and what might have been a hint of regret. But there was no hesitation when she said, “I don’t want something else. This is what I do.”

  The steely determination in her voice effectively shattered the last of his hope.

  “Then I guess you’ve made your choice.”

  Natalie felt Dylan’s absence as if it were a tangible thing, an aching emptiness that nothing could fill. She’d started to count on him being around; she’d started to believe he was going to stay; she’d finally told him she loved him. But he’d delivered an ultimatum, then walked away.

  Her heart wept at the loss, but she forced herself to go through the motions of her days. She couldn’t abandon the Ellis Todd prosecution, because she knew that as long as Conroy was free, he would continue to be Dylan’s focus. He needed justice for his wife, closure for himself, and until he found those, there was no room for anything or anyone else in his life. The knowledge didn’t make her feel any better, but it did fortify her resolve.

  She missed Jack, too, but she knew he was safer in Florida with Shannon than he would be at home with her. And it was easier for her to concentrate on what needed to be done. Easier, too, not to have to face his barrage of questions about Dylan.

  She’d finally called and told him about Rookie. Not the details, of course—she’d said only that Rookie had got sick and died. It was a small lie, and one she hadn’t felt at all guilty telling, as it was so much more palatable than the truth. Still, it had been an excruciatingly painful conversation, her heart breaking all over again when he’d tearfully asked if it was his fault, because he hadn’t been there to take care of her.

  When Molly buzzed through to her, Natalie was grateful for the reprieve from her painful thoughts.

  “Sandra Todd is here. Do you have a minute to see her?”

  “Sure,” she agreed, ignoring the stack of files on her desk.

  Ellis Todd’s wife appeared in the doorway a few seconds later. “Thank you for seeing me, Ms. Vaughn.”

  She forced a smile. “It’s not a problem. What can I do for you?”

  “Actually, I’ve got some information I’m hoping might help you.”

  Her curiosity was definitely piqued now.

  Sandra sat on the edge of a chair. “Zane called me last night, demanding to know where Ellis put the copies he’d made of his books. I had no idea what he was talking about, so I went to the jail to see Ellis and told him a
bout the phone call.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He wouldn’t say anything. He promised that he’d explain in a couple of days, but for now he just wanted me to forget about Zane’s call.” Sandra looked at Natalie. “If Ellis has copies of Zane’s books, if he can give you evidence against Zane, can you help him?”

  “I can’t make you any promises without knowing what the evidence is,” Natalie told her.

  Sandra nodded. “Then let’s go find it.”

  “You’re a difficult man to track down, big brother.”

  Dylan sent another dart sailing through the air. Bull’s-eye. “Apparently not too difficult.”

  Kelly shrugged. “What are you doing in a bar in the middle of the afternoon?”

  Trying not to think about Natalie. “Taking a much-needed break from crime and punishment. What are you doing back in town so soon?”

  “Getting ready to move on Conroy.”

  He glanced over his shoulder at her. “That was fast.”

  “We’ve been waiting for this for four years,” she reminded him.

  “Yeah. Maybe I should have called in the FBI four years ago.”

  She frowned. “Christ, you sound bitter. I thought you’d be happy about this.”

  He twirled the dart, stared in rapt fascination at the scarlet feathers. “So did I.”

  He aimed at the target; it hit with a resounding thump. Another bull’s-eye.

  “But I’ve realized that putting Conroy behind bars won’t change a damn thing in my life.” It was a realization that had kept him awake most of the night—a night that was empty without Natalie in his arms.

  “Nothing can bring Beth back,” Kelly said softly.

  “I know. I came to terms with that a long time ago.” He picked up his Pepsi, the ice cubes clanking together as he raised the drink to his lips. He drained the glass and set it back down. “I was talking about Natalie.”

  “What happened?”

  He shrugged. “A fundamental difference of opinion.”

  “About Conroy,” she guessed.

  “Yeah.” And he’d been wrong—he knew that now. Differences of opinion aside, he loved Natalie, and he shouldn’t have let anything get in the way of that. He’d forced her to make a choice because he was terrified at the thought of losing her—and he’d lost her anyway.