Tempting Target

by Addison Fox

  He dragged her close and wrapped his arms tight around her shoulders. Her response was immediate, her arms banding around his waist with a tight squeeze. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “This time. What about the next time? The next wedding you do where the bride or groom isn’t heir to a political dynasty. What then?”

  “Then we handle it. I’m not hiding.” She shifted from his arms and took a few steps toward the pizza cooling on the stove. “Not anymore.”

  “This isn’t like before. You knew your opponent. You knew how to avoid him.”

  Lilah stilled before the stove, then turned to face him. Head cocked, he saw the light of awareness finally click to bright. “How close do you think Tripp’s going to get?”

  “Close.” Deadly close.

  The thought was on the tip of his tongue when Lilah arrived at the answer all on her own. “He wants the rubies he still doesn’t have. And now that we know who he is, he wants us, too.”

  “Yes. Men like my stepfather don’t get this far without having an exit strategy.”

  “Then we need to cut him off. You said it yourself he has eyes and ears in on the force.”

  “Which means I can’t trust a damn person.”

  “It also means he has help.”

  “That’s the whole point.”

  “Exactly.” The lighthearted pixie with the quick smile was back, an aura of excitement seeming to fill the air around her. “He might have power, but he can’t use it by himself. He needs other people. Arms and legs on the ground.”

  “Which his unlimited reach gives him.”

  “It’s only unlimited if we don’t find them first.” She transferred the pizza onto a large serving dish, then nodded her head toward the entryway into the front room. “Come on. We need to put our heads together and dig into his background. Let’s cut off those extra arms and legs of his.”

  * * *

  As ideas went, Lilah knew she had a good one in theory. In practice, however, it was an entirely different matter.

  “The Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex has nearly seven million people in it. How do you propose we find the handful that act as Lange’s eyes and ears?” Violet had set up her laptop in the main area and had commandeered Cassidy’s as a second workstation.

  “Keep searching for any stories on Tripp.” Lilah tapped away at Cassidy’s computer. “Look for anyone who seems to pop a few times in search results, too.”

  Reed took the seat next to her, his gaze roaming over the screen. “Wait. Right there. Scroll back.”

  “What?” Lilah stilled and turned the screen closer to Reed.

  “Right there. That photo link.” He tapped on the track pad, an image of Tripp and Diana in full formalwear filling the screen.

  Reed stiffened next to her and Lilah laid a hand on his knee. “It’s okay. You talked to her a little while ago. She’s all right.”

  “I know. Damn it,” he muttered under his breath. “She’s fine. I know she’s fine and I need to keep that in the forefront of my mind every time I start to panic he got to her.”

  Lilah refocused him on the computer screen. She knew his mother was as safe as she could be under the circumstances and they had the added assurances from Max. He’d been keeping tabs on his grandfather and Mrs. B. and had gotten several updates from the town sheriff he trusted to keep an eye on things. The three of them had stayed at the house as directed and hadn’t left since their arrival.

  “What stood out about this article?”

  “It’s the scroll bar of photos. This is a function my mother and Tripp attend every year for one of the mayor’s major charities. All the top department brass attend, too.”

  “Do you attend?”

  “I’ve gone before but found it uncomfortable. It’s—”

  When he hesitated, Lilah finally pieced together the challenges he must have had in his position. “It’s a difficult place to be. You’re the stepson of a wealthy man, yet you want to fit with your peers.”

  “Exactly.”

  Lilah reached for the computer when another thought bumped up against his comment. “Have you always felt like that?”

  “Pretty much. It’s a strange thing, you know. I don’t come from wealth yet he’s my family. It’s been important to me to carve my own path.”

  “Does Tripp know that?”

  “I suppose.” Reed hesitated and she saw the moment he arrived at the exact same place she had. “He does know, as a matter of fact. We’ve discussed it. And that would have worked well to his advantage.”

  “Extremely to his advantage, I’d say. Not having you there while he worked his contacts.”

  She flipped through the other photos, the captions highlighting the movers and shakers of the city. She flipped through several current and former professional football players, a senator and three congress members before Reed reached out and stilled her hand. “There. That’s the captain. Joshua Finney.”

  “Your captain?”

  “Out of my precinct, yes.”

  Lilah leaned closer, the image pulling her in. Tripp had his arm around Diana’s shoulders, a convivial smile playing about his lips. Despite the fact that he was dwarfed by the large bear of a man Reed had pinpointed as his captain, there was no mistaking Tripp was the alpha dog in the photo. She couldn’t explain how she knew that, but something in Tripp’s eyes—the clear green almost reptilian—had her pulling away from the screen.

  As she took in the other participants, she could only assume she was correct. Finney’s wife was on his other side and her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. Even Finney himself had small lines of strain hovering around his mouth.

  “Would it be strange for a captain to be at a function like this? Such an obvious photograph of the two couples?”

  “I wouldn’t say it’s strange. But it is interesting. Although I’ve avoided attending functions like this, Tripp and my mother entertain extensively. I’ve yet to mix and mingle with any department brass at one of those events.”

  “Yet here’s a photo of two couples looking awfully chummy for the press.”

  She left the observation hang, waiting for his response, when Violet interrupted, “I pulled up Finney’s wife’s Facebook page.”

  “How’d you find that?” Lilah held up a hand. “Ignore me. You’re Violet Richardson and you have more mad skills than the CIA.”

  Violet flashed her a quick grin. “And I’m connected to two of her friends. I found a loop and back-doored in through one of their profiles. You’d think she’d be a bit more careful about keeping her page locked down, actually.”

  Reed got up to peek over Violet’s shoulder and Lilah followed, taking the other shoulder. “Anything interesting?”

  “When was that photo taken? The one you were both looking at.”

  “May,” Reed answered, his gaze on Violet’s screen.

  Lilah watched as Vi scrolled through the catalog of a life. Baby showers, grandchildren, a few birthday photos before she’d gotten to the same time period as the event. “There. That’s the dress she wore.”

  Violet clicked into a photo, scrolling through image after image of the Finneys getting ready to depart for the event, followed by a few images from the evening.

  “What’s that she wrote there?” Reed pointed toward the computer and Violet paged back one photo. “In the comments.”

  “‘Looks like a fun night.ʼ” Violet read off various posts one by one. “‘You and Josh are going to have a blast. You look gorgeous.ʼ”

  Violet unpinned the comments so all were visible and it was the last few that had them all leaning forward in unison. “Here. It looks like she answered some of the comments the next day. ‘It was Josh’s big night. A cop’s wife’s work is never done.’”

  “And look at that last
one,” Reed said. “‘Doing my wifely duty.ʼ”

  Although it was hardly conclusive evidence, it was odd that Reed’s captain would be so well acquainted with one of the city’s wealthiest entrepreneurs. It was even stranger his wife had publicly proclaimed she was “doing her duty.”

  Lilah knew about duty—she’d had her fair share of nights out with Steven during their marriage—and she vividly remembered when they had shifted from being fun evenings out on the town to a requirement. “In spite of the pretty dress and fancy night out with her husband, it sounds like she didn’t want to go.”

  Max reappeared from Violet’s office, where he’d taken another call, and joined their huddle. “You find something?”

  “It’s inconclusive, but it is a possible link.” Reed quickly walked Max through their theory.

  “It works. Do you think your LT’s involved?”

  “Tom? I haven’t taken him off my list, but it might be worth reconsidering him. The captain would have a considerably better shot at flying under the radar than Tom if he was the one changing paperwork and pushing down orders.”

  “They could be working together.” Although she hated to point it out, Lilah knew it was only fair to consider it.

  “Before this I never would have doubted Tom’s integrity. Maybe it’s time I started trusting my gut.” Reed’s phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket. “It’s Jessie’s Dave.”

  Lilah straightened from leaning over Violet’s shoulder. “Does he call you often?”

  “No.” Reed swiped the phone with a frown. “What’s up, man?”

  Lilah sensed the panic before Dave’s voice registered through the handset.

  “Jessie. It’s Jessie. Someone’s got her.”

  Chapter 18

  Reed had begun to think himself numb to the realities of his stepfather’s depravity and was only too shocked to realize just how wrong he had been. A cold, greasy panic filled him as he tried to stay calm for Dave’s sake. “What did they tell you?”

  “Fair Park. They’ve got her somewhere over in Fair Park. I was told to call you and confirm you’ll be there by midnight. He’s going to give further instructions after confirming you’re coming or he’ll kill her.”

  A hard sob echoed through the phone and Reed pushed every ounce of training he’d had at the academy into his voice. “Dave. I need you to calm down. We need to work it through and I need you to stay calm, buddy.”

  “I need to go there. I need to get to her. I’ll tear every building apart until I find her.”

  Reed thought about the sheer area to cover at the city’s fairgrounds and knew the vow was heartfelt, if not a fool’s errand. “We’ll come to you and then we’ll figure out how to handle this. Stay there. You hear me?”

  “Y-yes.”

  “Fifteen minutes. I’ll be there. I’m calling Gannon in the meantime. I’m sending him over.”

  “Okay.”

  “Dave. We’re going to get her back.”

  Even as the promise hovered in the air, Reed prayed he was right. Images of Steven DeWinter lying on the floor of Lilah’s kitchen, bleeding out from his injuries, had been proof enough Tripp Lange meant business.

  He knew Lilah, Violet and Max waited for answers, but he flipped through his contacts and dialed Gannon, using his side of the conversation to update everyone at once. “I need your help.”

  Reed caught his friend up on Jessie’s disappearance and before he’d even finished, he heard the crank of a car engine rumbling through the phone. “I’m on my way.”

  Cassidy and Tucker walked back into the shop, their somber gazes no lighter than when they’d left to feed the dog, but Cassidy must have sensed the problem immediately. “What is it?”

  “Tripp made his move.”

  Lilah and Violet filled Cassidy in and Reed took Max and Tucker.

  “The mention of Fair Park. That’s where Barrington was discovered.” Tucker made the connection with his fiancée’s ex immediately.

  “It doesn’t make sense.” Reed knew the area was dodgy to the extreme, but there had been concerted development efforts. “There’re several bars over there and some renovated lofts. It’s too crowded and Tripp’s going to want to go for something more private. Even the homeless population is a risk if someone sees him.”

  “They haven’t developed it all.” Max snapped his fingers, then sat down at Violet’s computer. “What was that development project, Buck? The one we considered then ended up passing on.”

  “The Exposition Expansion.”

  “Yep.” Max’s fingers flew over the keyboard, a triumphant grunt filling the air when he found the property. “There it is. DGL is the title holder on the property.”

  Awareness tickled the back of his neck with icy fingers. Even with the discomfort, Reed took solace that they finally had a solid lead. “DGL. It’s got to be one of Tripp’s corporations.”

  “DGL?” Max glanced up from the computer.

  “They’re my mother’s initials.”

  * * *

  Tripp kicked the pile of beer cans that filled the corner of the warehouse, proof that he hadn’t fully driven out the riffraff that squatted inside the loft for shelter. What the hell were they doing? The damn building was a million degrees. The homeless would be better off sleeping out under the stars this time of year instead of baking in the oppressive August heat.

  “It is you.” Jessie stared up from where Alex had bound her on the floor, her arms fastened behind her back with duct tape and a bright, shiny bruise rapidly discoloring her right eye socket.

  “Who were you expecting?”

  “I couldn’t believe it was you. Even with the evidence Reed had, I didn’t believe you could do it. Don’t you love them?”

  He’d always liked Jessie. She was a bright, eager girl and she’d made Reed’s transition to his new school easier to bear. He knew Diana had spent years hoping they’d marry, only to be shocked when the depth of their friendship hadn’t manifested into something more.

  “What makes you think this has anything to do with love?”

  “What makes you think you can separate the two? They’re your family. Your wife and your son.”

  “He was never my son.”

  The lie tripped out and he waited for Jessie to call him on it. Instead, all he got was a sneer, her argumentative attitude at odds with her vulnerable position. “He was in all the ways that counted.”

  The barb sank deep and his hand was already out, his palm flat against her cheek before he could even think to check the response. “You’re awfully vocal for someone in your position.”

  “And you’re nuts if you think Reed’s going to make this easy on you.”

  “You’d do well to remember my family is my business.”

  Her dark gaze never left his, even as she spat a wad of blood on the floor. “You don’t have a family. You never did.”

  * * *

  Gannon had already arrived, his soothing voice filling the living room of Jessie and Dave’s town house when the rest of them got there. “We’re going to get her back, Dave.”

  The moment Reed walked in, he had known Gannon was the right call. His large, soothing presence and deep baritone went a long way toward keeping everyone calm, even as distress swirled like a tornado in his dark gaze.

  Lilah relieved Gannon, taking a seat beside Jessie’s distraught husband and drawing his hand into her own. The bright, happy pink streak in her hair was at odds with the horror that had fallen into the center of their lives, but he couldn’t argue with her methods. She maintained a short, reassuring monotone every time Dave’s voice rose on a sob.

  “What are we up against?”

  Reed trusted Gannon implicitly, but he was curious to see if their theory about the captain had legs. He’d avoide
d sharing those details on the phone in favor of watching his friend’s face when he told him. “I need you to walk me through the papers again.”

  When Gannon only stared at him, Reed added, “The paperwork earlier this week on Robert Barrington. I know you dug into it. Do you remember who signed off on it?”

  “Yeah, sure. I did end up finding it. The captain had signed off on it. It just ended up being a case of misplaced paperwork, nothing more.”

  “Captain Finney?” Reed asked.

  “Sure, Finney. Who else?”

  “We believe he’s in this. With Tripp.”

  “Finney kidnapped Jessie?” Gannon shook his head and Reed felt for the guy. They’d had a few hours to process every twist and turn and he’d been thrown into the deep end. “There’s no way.”

  “No, my stepfather kidnapped Jessie. But we think Finney’s been his inside connection at the precinct.”

  “The captain’s straight, Reed. There’s no way.”

  Reed knew Gannon had faced a world of disillusionment during his time in active duty and he hated being the one to add another layer to the man’s struggles to overcome the fear of things outside his control.

  “I haven’t fully proven Finney, but I don’t think I’m wrong. And I’m not willing to gamble Jessie’s life waiting to find out.”

  * * *

  Lilah caught the concern in Violet’s and Cassidy’s eyes and motioned toward Dave with her gaze. Cassidy caught the signal and came over, relieving her of her seat and quickly adding her reassurances.

  “I’ve got an idea.”

  Violet followed her into Jessie and Dave’s dining room, where the men already stood huddled, deep in conversation.

  “We’ve pinpointed the location. We need to build out the op to get in there,” Tucker said.

  “We have no eyes on the man, inside or outside the warehouse. No idea who he’s got in his pocket or how much firepower he’s got.” Max shook his head. “It’s a risk. And not one that calculates in our favor.”

  “I know that area.” Lilah interjected herself into the conversation. “Down there at the fairgrounds. I know a way in.”