Serena grinned. “Ah, wouldn’t that be nice? But, no. Your friend used a different code for each page. Now that I understand this one, I’ll be able to extrapolate and crack the others, but it’ll take me a little time. She was impressive—I wish I could’ve met her.”
Nausea swirled in Dana’s stomach. “Yeah, she was pretty amazing. You would’ve liked her.”
Wolfe shook his head. “I’m so fed up with the drug trade. It’s everywhere, even in your business stories. Enough is enough.”
Dana nodded. “Yeah.” But they were getting closer. “Let’s have Brigid track down Theresa Rhodes. I don’t care if she’s on sabbatical. She’s the only one, so far, listed in Candy’s notes.”
Wolfe grasped her arm. “It’s time to go.”
“No. We don’t have the autopsy results yet.” Dana couldn’t leave without them, although she’d decided it’d be nice to have Wolfe on the trip home. They needed to talk.
“I read them. You don’t need to.” He turned for the door.
“The heck I don’t.” She set her feet. “Tell me, or I’m not moving an inch.”
He sighed. “Fine. I’ll tell you on the way.”
Now she had to go.
Force came into view, irritation darkening his face. “I tried to buy you time, but the police need to talk to you about Candy again, Dana. They’re here, and I sent them to interrogation room one. I promised you’d talk to them right now.”
Dana sighed. “Might as well get this over with.”
Wolfe’s brows drew down. “If it goes late, we’ll stay at my house tonight and head to Tennessee early tomorrow morning.”
“It shouldn’t go late,” Dana said, sweeping by him. “Hopefully.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Dana’s interview the night before had gone way too late, and Wolfe was still fighting irritation the next morning that he hadn’t been allowed to go in with her.
The last thing he needed right now was to sit in a truck for hours when he should be hunting down Rock. The dream from the other night, a flashback really, stuck in him like a rusty blade he couldn’t dislodge, so he’d had trouble sleeping again.
The interview had taken so long that they’d decided to stay at his house and head to Tennessee in the morning. They’d both gone to bed and pretty much passed out, and now they had to drive straight through to get to the wedding in time.
He controlled his emotions and drove away from his house at the crack of dawn, acutely aware of Roscoe staring at him from the back seat and Dana from his side. He’d left Kat with Pippa, and the kitten had meowed out of pleasure. There was no doubt Pippa snuck him treats.
“Well?” Dana asked, dressed in cutoff shorts and a plain heather-green T-shirt for the long drive. Her legs were long and tan, and his mouth kept watering, even though her eyes were exhausted and her face pale. “I let you be quiet last night after my interview. Now it’s time you gave me the autopsy report.”
“I left it at the office,” he said, peering through the hazy day. It felt like another storm was coming.
“Wolfe,” she snapped.
He had promised. “Didn’t the police tell you anything during your interview?”
Her cute face scrunched up in pure irritation. “No. They seemed to think giving a journalist information was a bad idea.” She slipped her flip-flops off and stretched her toes, her toenails painted a pretty pink. “Although they did give me a copy of Candy’s will, which names me as Executor.”
He should’ve forced his way into the room with her. “Did Candy have an estate?”
“Some money she wanted donated to a couple of charities, and she wants to be cremated and have her ashes scattered on Dogwood Creek, where we used to go fishing. I’m pretty sure that’s illegal, but I’ll take care of it next week after the wedding.” Her voiced thickened.
There was nothing he could do to ease her pain, and his body tensed. He’d given her space the night before, when maybe he should’ve pushed her to talk, but he hadn’t wanted to tell her about the autopsy. “What all did the detective ask?”
She rocked back and forth, still wearing her seat belt. “They asked the same questions as before, and I told them everything I knew.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Even about Captive and Frank Spanek?”
“Yeah, but I left your name out of it all. They need a complete picture, and I want them to find out who killed her. Even if we find the killer, you and me, we’re going to call the police, right?” She leaned down and reached into her bag, retrieving a band to secure her thick hair in a ponytail. “It’s so muggy. When will fall be here?”
Not soon enough. He didn’t answer her question, because he wasn’t turning Rock into the police.
“The police wouldn’t give me any details last night, but it all had to be in the autopsy report, right? So tell me everything. Where did they find Candy?” Dana asked, persistent as ever.
He normally liked that quality in her. Not so much right now. “Two hikers in a wooded area in rural Virginia found the body. She was probably killed at home and then dumped elsewhere.”
Dana paled and pulled her knees up, wrapping her arms around them. “She’d been dead the whole two months?”
“Yes.” The ME had done a good job with makeup and putty, putting her face back together for the picture. “She died from blunt-force trauma.” There wasn’t any need to go into more detail.
“Somebody beat her to death?” Dana’s voice shook. “Was she raped?”
“No.” He told the lie without flinching. In addition, she had been stabbed several times, which could have a sexual component. “A blow to the head, fast and hard, killed her quick.” It was a blatant lie, so he had to make sure Dana never saw the entire report. Candy had slowly bled to death, and she had to have been in torturous pain.
Wolfe glanced at the defenseless woman in his passenger seat, one being hunted from too many directions.
The burner phone buzzed from the back seat.
Every muscle in Wolfe’s body tensed as Dana dropped her feet and partially turned. “Pull the black phone out of my pack, but do not answer it.”
She released her seat belt, gave him a look at the order, and then leaned over to unzip his pack. “Is this a burner phone? Why do you have a burner phone?” She grunted as she turned and settled back down, handing over the innocuous-looking phone.
Wolfe took it. “Don’t say a word. Don’t even breathe.” He reached over and turned up the music, which was a combination of country and rock. He pressed the phone hard against his ear so she couldn’t hear anything. “What?” he answered, the knuckles on his left hand turning white on the steering wheel.
“Hey, buddy. I didn’t want you to think I was ignoring you.” Rock came over the line clearly, anticipation bubbling through his voice. “Had a couple of things to take care of but am narrowing your location down.”
“Are you, now?” Wolfe couldn’t hear anything in the background on the other end of the line. Perfect silence. Not even the hum of an air-conditioning unit. “Somehow, I don’t think you’re very close. I’m getting kinda bored waiting for you.”
“Then maybe you should learn to track and find me. You never were as good.”
Not exactly true. They just had different styles, and Wolfe’s style of patience usually won out. “I’ve found your contact and know exactly how you got the heroin here,” he taunted, hoping Rock would bite and not catch that he was bluffing.
“Maybe you do know, but it’s too late for me to worry about it. I got my hands on your military file, and boy, it looked like you had some trouble in that German hospital. Pain and outbursts and a whole lotta PTSD. Feeling any better?” Rock chuckled.
“Much,” Wolfe said, hiding his instant irritation. “Guess that file didn’t reveal where I’d gone upon discharge.” He’d made sure the records showed him being discharged and not sent to the Deep Ops Unit.
“Nope. Just makes the game more fun. For now, get ready. I’ll see you soo
n.” Rock clicked off.
Wolfe drew in several breaths to calm his temper and then slipped the phone into the pocket by the door.
Dana crossed her arms. “Well? Who was that?”
“Doesn’t matter.” He had to get her to safety, because the clock was counting down. His hand twitched for his knife.
* * *
Dana stared at the veggie burger in her lap as Wolfe continued driving through the rapidly heating day. Why wouldn’t he tell her more? She’d learned a long time ago that one way to get answers was to start guessing and see if she was close. “You do know that nothing is going to happen to you, right? You are not going to die in some final battle.”
“We’ll see.” He lifted a massive shoulder. “Maybe not, and I’m certainly going to try to remain breathing, but it’s nice to be prepared.” His voice was calm and reasonable—even thoughtful.
So the person on the phone had been Rock. “Why won’t you let me help against this Rock person?” Her temper detonated. Sometimes she wanted to smack him on his hard head and just see if she could knock some sense into him. “You absolutely drive me crazy sometimes. You want to live, right? I mean, you see you have people and things and life to live for?”
He pursed his lips, taking a right turn. “Lately, yeah. At first, after I was blown up, I didn’t care if I lived or died. Then I found out about my teammate betraying us, and I wanted to live long enough to rip off his head. Now, I don’t know. It’d be nice to live.”
Nice to live? “That’s all?” Her voice rose.
“I don’t want to get your hopes up,” he said reasonably.
Yep. She might just smack him in the head for the fun of it. “At least tell me that your obvious plan of mutual destruction and personal sacrifice with this asshat has changed since you’ve made connections with the team and, well, me.” Yeah, she was beating her own head against a brick wall here, but the guy had gotten under her skin, and it wasn’t just because of multiple orgasms. There was a lot more to Clarence Wolfe than muscle, and she wanted to know more of him. Wanted him to know more of her. That was enough for now.
He pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant with a stone facade and bright lights. “My plan has changed, and now I do care if I live or die.”
Well, that was something. But apparently Wolfe wasn’t done.
“I like you, and if I’m able to kill Rock, then I’d like to ask you out.”
Ask her out? Somehow, it felt like they’d moved past that moment, but his honesty was sweet. “I don’t believe in waiting for life to happen—I’m more of a make-it-happen type of gal.” She cocked her head, studying him in the too warm morning.
“Yeah, no kidding.” He released his seat belt and partially turned his bulk to face her. “I know you don’t understand this, but I can’t be thinking of you or Nari or Force when I go after Rock. It has to be just me, with no thought of the consequences to my relationship with any of you.”
She swallowed. “You think what you’re about to do will change you in our eyes?”
“Maybe. You’ve never seen that side of me, and I hope you never do.” His eyes were stark, but his voice strong. “Some things in life change us, Dana. Whether we like it or not.”
What would it be like to be on the other side of that wall he’d erected around himself? “Do you ever let anybody in?”
His chin lifted. “Be careful what you wish for. You might not like being in.” He opened his door and jumped out, letting the dog bound into the parking lot and hustle over to a wide grass field.
She stepped down and grabbed her pack, shutting the door. “Please tell me you’re not keeping distant for my own good? You’re not that much of a dumb ass, are you?”
“I don’t think so,” Wolfe said thoughtfully, visibly scouting the entire area. “I’m just trying to keep everything locked down until I finish this op. It’s how we were trained to conduct missions.” He rubbed his whiskered jaw. “Complications are to be ignored until they need to be dealt with.”
Oh really? Against all logic, she stepped right up to him, body to body. “Am I someone who needs to be dealt with?” Her voice dropped low. Husky.
He reached up, his thumb caressing across her cheekbone and down her face, his chest rising with a deep breath. “Definitely.”
Well, at least that was something. “What now?” Her body tingled with warmth, ready for action, primed after just one touch from him.
“Now?” He dropped his hand. “Now we grab an early lunch, try to keep Roscoe out of trouble, and then head to a family wedding where I’ll stick out like a serial killer who’s chasing you.”
She snorted. “You’re not that big.” In fact, he’d fit right in.
“If you say so,” he agreed.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Wolfe drove through the Tennessee countryside, feeling like he was going into battle. He’d never been to a family wedding. There were norms he had no clue about. Dana watched the trees fly by outside, in a cheerful mood, anticipation turning her eyes a sparkling emerald.
His normal phone buzzed, and he lifted it to his ear after glancing at the caller ID. “Hi, Brigid. What’s up?”
“Hallo. Force says you’re on the road, and I wanted to update you.” Her soft Irish brogue came through the line like a sound from home. Papers shuffled, and she continued. “I’ve done a deep dive on that fella Frank Spanek, and he owns several properties across the Northeast. I’m emailing you a list of properties as well as other police reports on him—most inconclusive. Several state agencies have looked at the guy.”
“Did you find connections to Albert Nelson?” Wolfe asked.
“Yes. They’re co-owners of properties and businesses. Just the two of them so far, but I’m looking for other associates or partners,” Brigid said.
Wolfe slowed down to drive around a sharp curve. “Thanks. I’ll get on it tomorrow night when we’re back in Cottage Grove. Dana says hi.”
“Aye, no problem. Speaking of Dana, what’s going—”
“Bye, Brigid. Thanks.” He disengaged the call before she could get too nosy. “Brigid says hi,” he told Dana.
“Turn left here,” Dana said, pointing at the entrance to a golf course in Dogcreek Village. “The country club is up the lane, and supposedly the bridesmaids have a suite to get ready. Hopefully, the gods have interfered, and the bridesmaids’ dresses were caught in a fire last night.”
“They can’t be that bad,” Wolfe said, allowing himself some amusement.
Dana shook her head. “You’ll just have to see for yourself, but believe me, it’s bad. Try not to wince, okay?”
“No problem.” The blonde would look pretty in anything. “Are you sure the gray suit we brought will be fine? I have a black one.” They’d gone through his wardrobe, and she’d appeared pleasantly surprised that he had not only two suits but dress shirts and a few ties.
She scoffed. “No. Sure, it’s at the country club, but we’re in the country, and you’ll see everything from jeans to maybe a full suit. That pinstriped gray suit with the lighter green shirt and darker tie are perfect. It’ll be casual, Wolfe. Trust me—you’ll see everything. My sisters and I even play wedding bingo at these type of things.”
“Wedding bingo?” He drove past a row of cars and up to the wood-sided building with heavy oak doors.
“Long story.” She pointed to the east. “Drive that way beyond the entrance to the second cabana. That’s where Mom said I should go to get ready.”
He followed her directions, noting possible sniper positions out of habit. He parked near a stone pathway that angled off a golf-cart path to a small bungalow surrounded by red flowers. “You think this is it?”
“Maybe?”
The door to the cabana opened, and three women ran out, all different versions of Dana.
Dana gave a happy squeal and opened the door, jumping out and colliding with another blonde and two curly-haired brunettes.
Good Lord. There were four of her. Wolfe’
s stomach flipped over, and it took him a moment to realize it was nervousness. Interesting. He hadn’t realized he could get nervous. He slid out of the truck and opened the back door for Roscoe before walking around the front toward the rapidly chattering women.
The noise halted abruptly, and four pairs of identical green eyes turned his way.
“Holy moly,” the nearest brunette said, her chin dropping.
Dana’s blond sister nodded. “Wow. Hunkalicious.”
Heat ticked his face. Was he blushing?
Dana, a wide smile brightening her already stunning face, grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the group. “Clarence Wolfe, meet my older sister, Katie.” She pointed him toward the blonde, who was about an inch shorter than Dana and a little slenderer, with a scar across her right hand.
“Hi. I’m older by less than a year.” Katie smiled, her teeth straight, and held out a hand.
“Call me Wolfe.” He was über gentle with the shake. She seemed even more fragile than Dana, but he couldn’t put his finger on why.
Dana partially turned him. “These are the twins, Lissa and Charlotte.”
Lissa had long curly hair, three piercings in her left ear, and a smile that screamed trouble. She had to be around five-foot-four, no taller. Wolfe liked her immediately. “How long have you been dating Dana?” she asked, a protective challenge curving her lips.
“Just friends.” He shook her hand.
Charlotte then held out a hand, a serious light in her eyes. Her curly hair was in a bob, and she looked almost identical to Lissa, except for a small and faded scar beneath her jaw. “It was very nice of you to drive your friend all the way to Tennessee for a wedding.”
Cute. He liked sarcasm. “I’m a very nice guy.”
Lissa geared up, her shoulders going back, her mouth starting to move to ask him a bunch of questions—he could just tell. Before she could start, a woman appeared in the doorway and clapped her hands. “Girls! For goodness sake, you have to get ready.”
Wolfe partially turned to see an older version of Dana, short and pretty with blond hair, standing in the doorway wearing jeans and a white blouse. Her gaze caught his, and she summed him up in a second with shrewd blue eyes. Then she walked forward, all grace, a pretty smile curving her mouth. “Well, hello. I hadn’t realized Dana was bringing a date.” Delight made her eyes dance.
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