by KyAnn Waters
“As far as we know, Detective Pearce is in good health. We operate as if everything is fine, and we focus on getting Ms. Porter.” Captain Baird paced across the room. “I should’ve known better than to let Dustin traipse around Los Angeles. Roslyn Meadows may not have any bearing on Dr. Porter’s homicide investigation. But the Marinos think the Porter woman does.”
“Captain, our team will be ready to go within the hour.” Special agent Peters slid his palms into his dress slacks. “That is…if you want us to go in? Officially, we haven’t assigned this as a kidnapping. Until I’m told otherwise, we’re your support.”
“Tyson, you’ve got one hour to find your partner.”
* * * * *
McKenna sat in the chair across from Robert Marino at the little table in the hotel room. His eyes continued to scan the documents she placed before him. Everything she and Dustin had discovered thus far was in the folder. It wasn’t clear by his facial expression if he was discovering anything he didn’t already know. If it wasn’t what he wanted, McKenna wondered what his plans were for her.
She thought about telling him about the discs in the car. Her chances of getting away were better out in the open than they were sitting in the hotel room. But Joe paced by the door and Robert Marino had a dangerous glint in his eye. Time had come to make a stand. Without a doubt, if Dustin hadn’t already been dealt with by one of the Marino thugs, he would be making a plan to rescue her. If he came barging into the room, he’d be shot.
The man who had taken her from the lounge stood next to Robert Marion and read over his shoulder. “Roslyn obviously deceived a number of her clients. Who knows how much money she shuffled into off-shore accounts?”
“Who the hell cares? Do I look like someone who gives a damn about anyone else’s money? No one fucks with Robert Marino!” He abruptly stood, causing his chair to fall backwards.
“She went to Mexico.” McKenna shrank back from Robert and clenched her fists. She’d fight if she had to, even though there wasn’t a chance of winning a physical confrontation with these brutes. “Why don’t you hop on a plane and deal with her?”
“Because I’m dealing with you first,” he quietly stated.
“Like you dealt with my dad.”
Someone wrapped on the door. Robert took a long barreled gun from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. The knock sounded again. He nodded to his brother to get the door.
Joe peeked out the peephole. “It’s the detective.” He waited for Robert to nod again.
Breath caught in her throat. Her heart pounded painfully against her ribs. This might be her only opportunity. “Wait!”
Robert and Joe turned to her. “No, Ms. Porter. It’s time your detective friend joined our little party.”
Joe opened the door. Tears burned behind her eyes and her skin heated. Dustin stood in the corridor. Their eyes met. As happy as she was to know he was still alive, coming to the room was foolish. Did he expect to waltz into a room full of killers and politely ask the Marino’s to let them go? They murdered her father. They’d tried to take her out. Disposing of Dustin would be all in a day’s work.
As soon as Dustin crossed the threshold into the room, they threw him against the wall and patted him down.
“Have a seat,” Robert said lighting a cigar. “Glad you could join us.”
“Are you okay?” he asked McKenna, his eyes drinking in every detail of her face.
“You can see for yourself, Detective. She’s fine.” Robert resumed his seat across from McKenna. “Where’s my money?”
“Mickey,” Dustin said, looking directly at McKenna.
“Talk to me!” Robert’s slammed his palm to the table, at the same time producing the gun and aiming it at Dustin.
McKenna screamed. “No!”
“Wait.” Dustin put his hands in the air. “You aren’t going to learn shit about your money unless you put the fucking gun away, pull your head out of your ass, and listen.” He turned his attention to McKenna. “I haven’t shared everything with you. I didn’t want to upset you if I was wrong, and I’m not sure I’ve got it right, but I think I’m close.”
“Just tell me.” McKenna wrung her hands in her lap.
“Shut up!” Robert kept his hand on the gun, but the barrel no longer aimed at Dustin. McKenna’s purse rang again. “Turn that damn cell phone off,” he hollered to his brother.
“It’s my phone,” Dustin interrupted. “I’m expected to answer it.”
Robert nodded, and his brother handed the ringing cell phone to Dustin. Caller ID displayed Tyson’s number.
“It’s my partner.” Dustin touched the screen to take the call. “Pearce.”
“What the fuck is going on?” Tyson hollered. “The precinct is in chaos. The feds want the Marinos. An informant said you and the princess are being held hostage in your hotel room.”
“That about sums up the situation. Your information is correct.” Dustin spoke while watching Robert Marino point his gun at McKenna. “But tell the captain to hold back. I’m with McKenna.” Dustin met Robert’s stare. “Wait for my instructions.” He ended the call.
* * * * *
“Hold everything!” Tyson hollered. “Dustin is with McKenna.” A few cheers erupted in the room. “Don’t celebrate too quickly. He just confirmed our information. The Marinos have them both. I got the distinct impression that he has the situation under control.”
Captain Baird came storming out of his office. “Explain how my detective has control. This is a goddamn mess! Next time you speak to him, you tell him to get his ass on the line and talk to me.” He shoved his hands into the front pockets of his slacks. “If you’re sure he’s not in trouble, I’ll get the feds to call off their agents.”
Tyson rubbed beads of sweat from his baldhead. “Can’t be sure, Captain, but I trust Dustin would’ve found a way to let me know if he needed backup.”
“Then you trust him more than I do. Sit tight. I’ll see what I can do.” He went back into his office, slamming the door behind him.
Tyson picked up the phone on the desk and called his house. Although he asked Dawn not to answer, he knew she would. The girl had no limits. She also didn’t have a job, and over the last two days had made herself quite comfortable in his house. Truthfully, he should be scared to death. He’d driven down the relationship road enough times to know that he wasn’t licensed for long term. Dawn’s girlie things on his bathroom counter were a bad omen. He never claimed to be a prudent man. He looked forward to going home because he knew she’d be waiting there with a spark of fire in her eye. Like a moth, the flame drew him in.
“Hello,” she sang. “If you’re looking for Tyson, call him on his cell.”
“Is that any way to answer my phone?”
Dawn giggled. “If I’d known it was you, I’d just breathe heavy and ask what you’re wearing. So what’s up? And please tell me it’s you and that you’re on your way home to use your weapon on me.”
He could hear her fumbling with pans in the kitchen. “Dustin and McKenna have run into some trouble. I don’t want you to worry, but I know you will.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“There’s only one kind. The Marinos.”
“I don’t understand. Why aren’t you calling in the cavalry to help?”
Tyson sighed. That was precisely what he wanted to do, but he had to give Dustin an opportunity to remedy the situation on his own. “I might not be home tonight.”
“I want to be there with you. I can bring a late dinner down to the station?”
“Don’t,” he sharply stated.
“Tyson, I’m afraid.”
“Awe, baby, don’t worry. Dustin won’t let anything happen to the princess. Just sit tight. It’s madness around here. The captain is pissed as hell. I don’t need him breathing down my neck because my girlfriend is underfoot.”
“Watch your tongue. I’m no one’s girlfriend.”
Tyson couldn’t help but smile. Of all the crazines
s, hers felt good. “You’re still a distraction. I’ll pass on any information I can. I really don’t think we have to worry, yet. Dustin thinks on his feet. He’ll figure a way out of this mess. And while he does I’m going to revisit the crime scene. We’re missing something.”
“Come home and get me, Tyson. We’ll search together.” She paused. “Please, I’ll go crazy waiting here. Let me help.”
“I doubt I’m going to be out of here anytime soon. This place is a zoo. I’ll call back as soon as I know something.”
The line was silent for a moment. “Come home to bed where I know I can change your mind.”
“Damn Dawn.” He growled. “I would, but you don’t let me sleep. I’m about ready to start crashing here at the station.”
“Yeah, it’s easy for you to sound tough when you’re not in bed with me. I don’t hear you complaining then.”
Tyson laughed. “You’re too nasty to kick out of bed. I have to be tough on the phone. You cast wicked spells on me. Gotta go, here comes the captain.” He hung up hearing Dawn’s soft chuckle echoing through the line. He was glad she could still keep a sense of humor.
* * * * *
Dustin didn’t like the direction of the conversation. Robert fed on power and intimidation. And at the moment, the intimidation aspect was working. Robert held the weapon that meant he had the power. Dustin’s only advantage was information…information on Roslyn Meadow’s.
Robert Marino rolled the tip of his cigar in one of the glass tumblers from the hotel vanity. He narrowed his gaze on McKenna. His eyes were black, threatening pools of danger. “Maybe you can explain to me why I shouldn’t believe Ms. Porter helped her father.” He glanced over to Dustin from beneath hooded brows. The visible pulsing of his heart in his thick neck was a steady rhythm. The cocky bastard knew he finally had the upper hand.
“I’m not explaining anything until you put the guns away.”
“And after you do that, talk to me since it’s my father, my life, my future. Consider this Mr. Marino, my dad could’ve been just as gullible as you were. You were a victim of Roslyn’s. Maybe he was, too. If you kill me just like you killed him, you’ll feel as I do—lots of questions but no answers.”
The chair creaked as Robert leaned back and puffed on his cigar. “I didn’t rub out Porter.” He blew a stream of smoke toward the ceiling. “Not that I wouldn’t have if I’d gotten to him first.”
“I need something to drink.” McKenna dropped her head between her knees. “I’m dizzy, and I think I’m going to be sick.”
Dustin jumped from the bed and rushed to McKenna’s side grateful he didn’t feel the bite of a bullet drawn from his quick movement. “Mickey.” He knew she could pass out. When they were upstairs a few days after the murder, she had come close to unconsciousness.
“He lies!” she screeched. “I can’t do this anymore. I’m sick of it.”
Dustin squatted down in front of her and put his hands on her thighs. “I don’t think the Marinos killed Elliot.” His voice softened. “I haven’t put it all together yet, but I don’t think we’ve looked at all the possibilities. I think we were wrong.”
Mascara streaked across her cheeks as she wiped tears away from her face with her fingers. Dustin turned to Robert. “Don’t shoot me. I need to get a paper out of my pocket.” Then he brought his attention back to McKenna. “We may never know what happened to your father.” He unfolded the snapshot.
She took the picture. Dustin watched her tormented expression turn to one of confusion. “What am I looking at?” The question was a hypothetical one. Her father had his arm wrapped around the shoulders of Roslyn Meadows. “We already know they were involved.” She handed the picture back to Dustin.
He flipped the picture around. “Look at the back.”
“Grand Caymans, Mr. and Mrs. Meadows. It’s dated three months ago.” She handed the picture to Dustin. “I don’t understand.”
“I’ll be damned,” Robert said shaking his head. “The son of a bitch married her.”
“Married?” McKenna gripped the picture tighter.
“He was sly, all right.” Robert pried the photo from her fingers. “Up until someone double crossed him.”
“Roslyn’s probably on the run,” Dustin said. “She knows something went down with Elliot. Maybe the Marinos had something to do with it, maybe someone else.”
“I had nothing to do with his death. We were both wrong.” Robert put away his gun and met McKenna’s stare. “At this point, I want my money.”
“Well, are you finally convinced that I wasn’t involved with stealing your money? Obviously, my father didn’t tell me anything.” She pressed fingers to her temples and massages small circles. “When are the lies going to end?”
Dustin stood and paced across the room. “I keep thinking of the crime scene. So much didn’t make sense, which is why we easily believed it was a professional hit. The more I roll over the facts, the less I’m convinced we know what happened.” He turned to Robert. “Find Roslyn, and you’ll have your money. We found records of offshore accounts, including the account numbers. We also know where she is in Mexico. Take the information and walk out of here. If you don’t, know that I have backup on a hairpin trigger. They know we’re here, and they know you have guns. If you try to take either of us with you, you’ll be dropped before you clear the lobby.”
Robert leaned back in the chair and crossed an ankle over his opposite knee. “You can drop the formalities, Detective. I’ve been chasing you for days. I think we can come to an understanding.” He puffed on his cigar then spoke to McKenna. “If I find out you’re lying—”
“McKenna is out of this. You’re dealing with me now. She hasn’t lied to you,” Dustin glanced at her, “or to me. Since the beginning, she’s the only one who’s been completely honest.”
“I lied about having an alibi.”
“You’re not helping.” Dustin winked then positioned himself between her and Robert. “So I give you the information I have on Roslyn, and you walk out of here. I want your word that your dealings with McKenna are over.”
“My word is good as long as your lead holds up.” Robert buttoned his suit coat. “We’ll take our leave as soon as you give me her location.”
“I have a request.” McKenna stood, stepped around Dustin, and faced Robert.
Dustin put a hand on her back. She trembled beneath his fingers. He understood her fear. Robert Marino was still a threat and making demands from the man could place them in further jeopardy.
“Before you do whatever you’re going to do to Roslyn, would you ask her about my father? And if you find out what really happened, will you find a way to let me know?”
Robert nodded to his brother. The men gathered the information on Roslyn and left. Dustin picked up his cell phone and called Tyson. If the FBI wanted Robert Marino, they might want to wait until he hunted down Mrs. Meadows. Let Robert flush her out, and then the proper authorities could pick up Roslyn and the Marinos.
After he disconnected with Tyson, he sat on the edge of the bed.
“Tyson wants to take a fresh look at the crime scene.” He didn’t want to mislead McKenna, but until he was sure which direction to take the investigation, ignorance seemed somehow more empathetic. Now that she’d been exposed to the Marinos, he knew her original fears would be compounded. Her father had unscrupulous associates. Who else had he defrauded? Moreover, would they be looking at her for answers?
“Do you think it’ll help?” She sat beside him and leaned her head on his shoulder. “What could he possibly find that wouldn’t now be considered contaminated? I’ve been all over the house.”
Dustin wrapped his hands around the nape of her neck, letting her silky hair rest against his rough hands. He stroked her delicate skin. “I don’t know that he’ll find anything. We all want to feel like we’re doing something. Let’s be optimistic, we’re due for a break.”
McKenna pulled a pillow close to her chest. “Elliot must’ve t
aken her last name so they could escape together. After all the planning, why do you suppose he’s dead? What went wrong? And if the Marino’s didn’t kill him, who did?” Now that their only lead was on his way to Mexico to extract his own type of justice, where did it leave the investigation? Should she start watching over her shoulder once again?
“I don’t want to stay here.” She turned her head and stared into his eyes. Their lips were close. Breath mingled. “I want to go home.” Suddenly she was tired. All the adrenaline she’d been running on washed from her body and left her weak. Tension coiled in her muscles.
Many times throughout the ordeal, she wondered if she’d seen her last sunrise. Now that the Marinos were gone, reflecting on the night’s events made her stomach churn. Her life was a wreck.
“Where do we go from here?” she asked. Dustin had said once the investigation was over they could think about a future—maybe work toward one together. Now it appeared the investigation would have to start all over again. Butterflies swarmed in her stomach when she thought of a future with Dustin.
“We go home.”
“Then let’s leave right now.” She stood and gathered a few items then crossed the room to her duffel bag. “I’ll be ready in fifteen minutes. Why don’t you go down to the front desk and check us out. By the time you come back, I’ll have our belongings packed and waiting by the door.”
Dustin nodded and left the room. Less than an hour later, they were at LAX, they’d returned the rental car and their bags were checked, including the small lock box for his gun.
“We’ll have to wait a couple of hours,” he said. “We’re on the seven forty-five flight.” He looked at his watch. “Do you want to get an early breakfast?”
“I can’t eat, but I’d love some coffee.” They walked through the terminal to a grouping of eateries.
Two coffees in hand, he led her to a table in the cafeteria. They were the only patrons at the unnatural hour of four a.m.
“Maybe we should’ve booked a room at one of the airport hotels and taken a later flight after we’ve had some sleep.”