After a few minutes it was clear that no one pursued them. A strong sign that Blackwater had been in the bombed vehicle, otherwise he’d probably have every spare man hunting them down.
“Do you think he was expecting something like that?” she asked when they slowed their pace. “He looked a little panicked when I lied about a European buying the weapon from me.”
“Something had him rattled. It also could have been a competitor who decided it was easier to take him out than lose more business opportunities to him.” He stopped then, his gaze sliding down to where her neck stung like a bitch.
A look that was almost savage hardened his features. “I wanted to tear him apart.”
She didn’t have to ask to know he meant Snake. “I felt the same about Edward actually.” God, when he had his gun to Lucas’s head, the same sense of helplessness as the night Cara died had nearly suffocated her.
“You were great in there, you know.”
Feeling a delayed sob rise in her throat, she pressed her lips together. She stared at the ground that blurred as she blinked back the tears she’d viciously struggled to hold onto in Blackwater’s office.
Lucas pulled her into his arms, and his fierce hold only made it that much harder to keep a grip on the last thread holding her together.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my life,” she choked out, swallowing hard to get past the fear that still hovered so close to the surface.
“I don’t know, I think me wearing that pink sweater was pretty scary.”
Since it was the last thing she expected to hear, she burst out laughing, but didn’t let go of him.
He kissed her temple. “I know it’s wrong, but I’m glad you were there with her.”
It only took a second to realize he was talking about Cara, and she immediately squeezed her eyes shut.
“It got her through it—your strength, how brave you are. She would have needed that.”
Max would have laughed at the idea of her being strong and brave if it didn’t feel like her insides would shatter if she so much as breathed too deep.
Lucas cupped her cheek and guided her head back. “Open your eyes, Max.”
“Can’t.”
His mouth closed over hers, soft and warm. With the first sweep of his lips across hers she knew this kiss was different. Too many times to count he’d left her weak in the knees or set her entire body on fire with just his mouth, but never had a kiss…strengthened her.
So used to having her senses overwhelmed by his tenderness, his frustration, his hunger, she didn’t have a clue what to do with this, but take in. The heat, the determination, the quiet strength that radiated from him, the love.
She took it all in—every last breath.
His palm trembled ever so slightly against her cheek, and she knew she wasn’t the only one who had barely held it together.
“Open your eyes,” he whispered against her lips.
She felt a tear escape as she met his gaze, but she felt no weakness it in, no warning that she would fall apart.
“We’re okay.”
“We’re okay,” she repeated, pushing up to catch his mouth one more time. “And we’ll be even better when we’re far away from this place.”
He grinned and released her, then dug his cell phone from his pocket and punched in a number.
When someone picked up on the other end, Lucas said, “I need a ride. Max and I are not far from Blackwater’s place in Jersey. There’s a good chance he might be dead, so we need to move up the timetable on retrieving the weapon.” He frowned, listening a minute. “He’s that close?”
Max moved a little closer, but couldn’t overhear the conversation.
“We’ll circle back to the main road and wait two miles west of Blackwater’s. What’s he driving? Thanks, Tess.” He hung up and surveyed their surroundings. “Eli will meet us.”
“At least we won’t have to steal a car or hitchhike this time.” She tucked her gun at the small of her back, then fell into step beside Lucas. “Eli is close, is that what you said?”
“Yeah.”
“Did he just happen to be in the area or something?” If Lucas’s team was getting ready to move on the warehouse in lower Manhattan, it seemed odd that any of them would venture too far from the area.
Lucas frowned at her. “When we weren’t waiting at your cousin’s for him, they used my cell signal to track us.”
“That quickly? Wouldn’t they have needed to figure out where you were headed almost instantly for him to be nearby so soon?”
Lucas stopped, his expression guarded. “What are you getting at, Max?”
“Just thinking out loud.” She followed him through the woods as they travelled parallel to the route they’d taken away from Blackwater’s.
“And implying I should question my team.”
“I didn’t realize you were the only one allowed to be suspicious of others. You had no problem suggesting that Glen, Wade, my Captain and probably three quarters of the people I’ve worked with could be on Blackwater’s payroll.”
“This is different, Max. Eli, Caleb and I, we put our asses on the line for each other every time we’re in the field. We’ve bled for one another.”
“So because Glen has never taken a bullet for me, I should assume the worst?”
He stopped. “That’s not what I’m saying.”
“That’s exactly how you’re acting, though. When we realized we’d been tracked to the B&B, the first thing you did was ask who I had called, and you had used the phone too.”
“Joe Lassiter did not tip Blackwater off about our location.”
She understood he wouldn’t want to believe that someone he trusted would betray him that way, but they both needed to be realistic. “How do you know?”
“Because I do. Because he knew I was bringing you to headquarters. Why would he interfere with that?” He sounded so convinced she wanted to believe there was another explanation altogether.
He continued walking, then glanced back a few minutes later. “You’re thinking awfully hard back there.”
“What about the credit card you used to rent the room at Miss Maddy’s? Was it the same one you used to rent the vehicle that got you to Riverbend?”
“Yeah. Tess has been trying to figure all that out, but as far as she’s been able to tell, even the RCMP hit a dead-end on that front.”
They lapsed into silence after that, both of them seeming to concentrate on moving as quickly as they could considering they were both hurting and sporting at least a dozen lacerations between them from the explosion.
Whoever wanted Blackwater dead had certainly made sure the blast had packed one hell of a punch.
When they reached the edge of the woods, Max could see a mid-sized car parked on the side of the road.
“That’s him.”
Eli had climbed out of the car by the time they reached it. His eyes narrowed a fraction when his gaze landed on her, then his attention switched to Lucas. “You guys keep having all the fun without me.”
“Not really your scene. No cards, strippers or alcohol.” Lucas opened the backdoor and motioned for her to slide in.
Eli grinned. “Now do you see why I prefer assignments in Europe?” He got behind the wheel as Lucas settled into the backseat with Max.
Tires spun on gravel and the car tore back onto the road like the hounds of hell were snapping at the rear bumper. Max waited, her breath lodged somewhere between her tonsils and her trachea, for him to ease up on the gas, but they continued to fly down the road.
For the next thirty seconds she was sure she preferred driving around with Snake than being a passenger with Eli at the wheel.
“Does he always drive like this?”
Lucas cocked his head. “Like what?”
The driver in question zipped around three transport trucks, completely disregarding any printed warnings for cars to keep back the specified distance. “Like he’s driving a stock car.”
&n
bsp; Eli snorted, and Lucas laughed before adding, “He’s more into Formula One.”
“He does know he won’t be able to make this car drive two hundred miles an hour, right?”
“Don’t tempt him.” He dug his phone out of his pocket again. “Is Caleb ready to move?”
“Just waiting on us,” Eli answered. “Is she coming along?”
She waited for him to say no, but he just looked at his friend. “Where’s Tess?”
“Already mobile, probably so Caleb can’t insist she run her end of the show from the hotel.” Eli took a corner at speeds that had to pull close to the same g-force as cars running in the Grand Prix. “What about dropping her at the hotel?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to insist on being there, but she found herself hesitating this time. “If I’m not there, it’ll be easier for you to do your job, won’t it?”
“Yeah, it will. But you’re in this too, so it’s your call.”
Relief spread through her chest, and she grinned. Not because she was determined to be there, but because he trusted her enough to go along with whatever she decided.
Ignoring their audience, she pulled him down for a quick kiss. “I think you’ve got it covered.”
The phone in Lucas’s hand rang, and he answered. After a moment, he handed her the phone. “It’s Glen.”
“He doesn’t live too far from here, does he?”
Of course Lucas knew where Glen lived. He probably knew his food allergies and favorite brand of underwear too. “Not too far, no.”
“Hey,” she said into the phone. “Where are you?”
“I was tailing Burton after he got a call fifteen minutes ago and left the precinct in a damn hurry. I lost track of him though.”
“I think Blackwater is dead. His car blew up. Lucas and I didn’t hang around for any confirmation that he was in there, but it seems likely he was.”
“Wait, you were there when it happened? Where was this? When?”
She switched the phone to her palm that didn’t hurt as bad. “About twenty minutes ago at his home in Jersey.”
“Son of a bitch. That must have been what Burton’s call was about. What about now, where are you?”
“On my way to your place,” she answered, and Lucas told Eli to make the necessary turn coming up.
“I’ve got to make a few calls and then I’ll be there, though I’d really like to know where Burton went.” Glen sighed. “If Blackwater really is dead then those witnesses are probably going to change their stories, Max.”
God, she hoped so. “See you soon.” She hung up and handed the phone to Lucas.
He pushed it back into her hand. “You hold on to it. I’ll call you as soon as we finish at the warehouse.”
Max settled back in her seat as Lucas and Eli went over some details for retrieving the case. She tried staring out the window, but everything blurred past too quickly with Eli’s maniacal driving.
By the time they pulled up in front of Glen’s house, her stomach was tight with worry about Lucas breaking in to the warehouse.
“Be careful. No bleeding for each other this time, alright?”
Lucas grinned. “Won’t get so much as a splinter.”
Eli snorted, and Max stepped onto the sidewalk. “Don’t leave me hanging for too long.”
“We’ll be quick. And don’t go anywhere else, okay? I don’t want to have to bail you out of jail.”
Smiling, she stepped back as the car pulled away, and turned up the driveway. The flowerbeds in front of the two-story house were barren, probably had been this year without Jillian to plant anything.
Heading around back, she noticed Glen’s car. Why hadn’t he said anything about being closer? He must have finished up earlier than he thought he would. The backdoor was locked, and she knocked, waiting for him to answer. She looked through the two lower windows on this side of the house but didn’t see any movement inside.
Was he in the shower?
She glanced back at the car, something about it catching her attention. She walked over to it, realizing it wasn’t Glen’s car at all. Close but not quite…
The cross hanging from the review mirror caught her eye.
Wade’s car? What the hell was it doing here? There wasn’t any sign of Wade or Glen, and her partner was still probably trying to track Burton…
Max dug into her pocket for the cell phone Lucas gave her and pulled it out, dragging something else with it that hit the driveway.
Stooping to pick up Cara’s lip gloss, she noticed the crack that ran along the cylinder. Ignoring it, she punched in the number Lucas had made her memorize.
A woman’s friendly voice answered. “Lassiter Financial Group.”
Finances? Really? “Hi. Is this Tess?”
“As long as you’re not one of Eli’s flings calling to confirm if he’s really married.”
Okay. “No, this is Max. Lucas and Eli just dropped me off and I was wondering if you could answer a question I had.”
“Shoot.”
“Lucas said something about you tracking him through his cell number. Can that be done with any cell?”
“As long as it’s turned on.”
Wincing at a sudden pain in her injured palm, she transferred the lip gloss to her other hand. “If I gave you a number, would you be able to run it through your system?”
“Who are trying to find?”
Not exactly the yes Max was hoping for. “Ralph Burton.”
“If I tell you, you’re not going to take off are you? I’ve heard that’s a talent of yours.”
“I’ll stay put, and you’ll know that since you’ll be able to track me on this phone.”
“Good point, except you could leave the phone behind.”
“True,” she agreed. “But I’m not putting this phone down until I hear from Lucas.”
Tess remained silent for a moment. “I’ve already got Burton’s number in our files. Hang on a minute and I’ll see what comes up.”
“Sure.” Okay, maybe their tracking systems really did work that fast.
Waiting for Tess, she took a closer look at her palm. At least she’d be able to do more than just wipe her bleeding hand on her pants inside Glen’s.
A glint of something caught her eye, and she thought it was just light reflecting off the metal trim on the lip gloss.
“That’s weird…” She frowned at the almost luminescent sheen of metal beneath the pink plastic coating, and pushed harder to break open the crack farther.
“Max?” Tess’s voice cut in to her thoughts. “My screen is showing me that you and Burton are at the same location.”
Max glanced at the house in front of her. What the hell was going on? Wade’s car, Burton’s phone and no Glen.
“Thanks for the help Tess. I need you to call me back in five minutes, okay?”
“Wait—”
Feeling only a little bit guilty for hanging up, she punched in Glen’s number, willing him to answer.
He didn’t.
A wave of trepidation went through her, and she withdrew her gun and returned to the back door. Assuming that if either Burton or Wade were inside they would have heard her knocking and come to arrest her by now, she used her gun to smash out the window, then reached in and unlocked the door.
She tucked the phone and lip gloss back into her pocket. The doorknob turned easily in her hand, and pushing it open, she stepped inside. Careful of the glass, she skirted the edge of the kitchen, senses attuned to any sign of movement.
Checking each room on the main level and finding nothing, she moved on to the upper floor. Her heart thumped hard in her chest and sweat slicked the back of her neck and between her breasts as she edged up the stairs.
She reached the landing and peeked around the corner. The hallway was deserted. Silently, she moved toward Glen’s home office. Taking a breath, she eased the door open, and spotted someone unconscious and bleeding on the floor.
Burton?
Closing the door q
uietly to ensure no one snuck up on her, Max moved to her captain and knelt beside him to check his pulse. It was there, barely.
She dug into her pocket for the phone to call for an ambulance.
A creak came from the other side of the door, and she leveled her weapon at whoever was about to come through it.
“Max?” Glen stood opposite her. He immediately lowered his weapon. “If I had known you were going to be here so soon, I would have—” he stopped. “Jesus, is that Burton?”
“Yeah. Any idea what he’s doing here?” Handing her phone to Glen, she sank down beside Burton once more, snagging a sweatshirt off the chair next to him. “Call an ambulance.”
While Glen made the call, she set her gun aside, well out of Burton’s reach, and pressed the folded-up shirt over his chest. She still didn’t know how or if their Captain was connected to Blackwater, but she couldn’t sit back and let him bleed out while they waited for help.
He set the phone on the corner of his desk. “Did you do a full sweep of the house?”
“Didn’t finish upstairs, no.” She lifted her head. “That is Wade’s car out front, isn’t it?” There still wasn’t any sign of her ex, though. Had Burton borrowed his car for some weird reason?
Glen nodded. “I think they must have known I was tailing them. Maybe it made them nervous.” He checked his weapon, then paused next to the office door. “Why isn’t Lucas with you?”
“He had something else he needed to take care of.”
Glen frowned. “Right after Blackwater was killed?” His expression said something didn’t add up, but he didn’t ask anything else before slipping into the hallway to finish securing the house.
On the floor, Burton stirred, his eyelids fluttering. He mumbled something she didn’t catch.
She touched his shoulder, wanting to reassure him even when she didn’t know where his loyalties lay. “You’ve been shot and an ambulance is on its way.”
He opened his eyes, his normally sharp blue gaze seeming fuzzy and unfocused. “Careful…Max.”
Not so unfocused that he couldn’t recognize her, apparently.
“He might still be here.”
Trust Me: The Lassiter Group, Book 1 Page 22