Dangerous Witness

by Katie Reus

  It took about thirty seconds to pick the lock on the back door. Child’s play. Gloved hand on the doorknob, he turned it slowly. They knew for a fact he was at work, but they hadn’t been able to garner if he was dating anyone. It didn’t seem so, going on his phone records or email messages, but if the guy was working with Markov, it was likely he had burner phones. So they didn’t know everything about him.

  There was a soft beep beep beep as he opened the door, and an electronic message that said “back door open.” Shit. Gage had disabled the actual alarm but if someone was here, they’d heard the electronic message. “Did you hear that?”

  “Yeah.”

  Heart rate slightly accelerated, he stepped farther inside and shut the door behind him. Turner had left a few lights on so he didn’t even need to turn on his flashlight. “It’s quiet.” But he would do a full sweep to check for any signs of life. He wouldn’t make a rookie mistake now.

  Moving quickly, he scanned the living room, kitchen, dining room, half bathroom and hurried upstairs. Two bedrooms and one bathroom. All empty of life.

  The second bedroom had been turned into an office. Bingo. “I’m at his desk.” Brooks quickly turned on the man’s laptop. “It’s password-protected.” They’d figured it would be. He quickly plugged in the device that Gage had given him. Seven minutes later, he’d cracked the password. Next he downloaded all of the files to the flash drive he’d brought. “You ready to take over?” he asked Gage. Gage could have already taken over remotely, but they’d wanted someone in the house to do an actual search.

  “Yes. Go do what you have to do.” Gage’s voice was clipped, as it normally was when he was working.

  The most obvious place to search for anything would be the detective’s bedroom. So he started there. Brooks had no idea what he was looking for, but if there was anything incriminating, he was going to find it. He looked in the vents and any potential hiding spots. There were two safes, one a small one for handguns. Unlocked and empty, because the detective would have his firearm with him. The other one was a wall safe in his closet. Not super high-tech, but he also couldn’t open it himself. Not without tools and he would most certainly damage it. “There’s a safe.”

  “We’ll come back for it,” Gage said.

  Meaning they’d bring Olivia into this since she was a professional safecracker. Of course, that was if Savage was okay with it. Brooks wasn’t certain how his best friend would feel about it. “Okay.” He snapped a couple pictures of it so they could look up the type later.

  After searching the bedroom, he found a roll of cash in the false bottom of a cheap-looking vase. He also found a burner phone and downloaded the contents of it in case they could use it. Returning to the office, he started rummaging through the file cabinet but didn’t find anything interesting. Mostly just bills and records of personal purchases or warranties. “I’m going to start planting the bugs now,” he murmured, already moving into action.

  They had to be careful where they placed everything in case the detective periodically swept his house. So he planted one in the living room—in a small clock on the fireplace mantel—one on top of a dusty cabinet in the kitchen and of course he placed them in Turner’s office and bedroom.

  “Someone’s pulling into the driveway. Can’t tell if it’s him. It’s not a black and white.” Gage’s voice was calm.

  “Shit. I’ve got to close the laptop.” Everything had to be exactly as it had been when Turner had left. There was no room for error.

  “All right. I’m done anyway. Hurry up and get the hell out of there. Someone’s getting out of—yep, it’s him.” Gage was in an SUV across the street and would need to leave soon anyway. “Looks like he’s leaving his vehicle running. Maybe he’s just stopping home for a second,” Gage added. “I’m going to turn the alarm system back on. There aren’t any motion sensors, so you can move freely.”

  “Got it.” Brooks would meet Gage a couple streets over and use the backyard as an escape route. At least that was the plan. He was silent as he raced back up the stairs. After turning the laptop off and easing it shut, he heard the front door open, and this time instead of the three beeps, there was a message telling whoever had opened the door to disengage the alarm.

  Brooks didn’t love this situation, but right now the smartest move was to find a place to hide. Since his options were limited, he ducked into the adjoining bathroom and stepped into the master bedroom even as he heard footsteps hurrying up the stairs.

  Just as the bedroom door opened, Brooks slid underneath the bed. Forcing his heart rate and breathing to remain steady—something he’d learned in scout sniper school—he listened as Turner moved around the bedroom. The closet door opened. There was a slight shuffling sound. Then five beeps. The safe opened. Moments later, the door shut and Turner retreated from the room. Not long after that, footsteps descended down the stairs.

  Easing out from his hiding place, Brooks stood, brushing the remnants of dust off him. On silent feet, he moved toward the door.

  Footsteps pounded back up the stairs.

  Shit.

  No time to dive under the bed.

  He stepped into the bathroom and moved behind the navy blue shower curtain without making a sound. He might be able to control his heart rate, but all his muscles tensed as he prepared to attack. They might not want Turner to know anyone had been in his home, but it might be unavoidable.

  Brooks didn’t move for his weapon—his hands were as deadly as any pistol. And he didn’t want to kill the man anyway. If necessary, he would just incapacitate him.

  The light flipped on and—he heard a zipper. Then…oh hell. The guy was peeing.

  Remaining still, this time Brooks waited until Turner left and he heard the sound of the alarm being set. Once the front door closed, he shoved out a breath.

  “You okay?” Gage asked in his ear.

  “Yeah. I’m going to do one more sweep of his place though. Where are you?”

  “A children’s park across the street. He’s leaving. And I’m turning the alarm off again.”

  Brooks was glad he did another sweep of the house, because he found a tablet on the kitchen counter that hadn’t been there when he’d done his first sweep. Turner must’ve brought it in with him.

  “I ran the information on that girl,” Gage said as Brooks turned the tablet on.

  “Who?”

  “The girl from the diner.”

  Oh, right. “Anything interesting?” Mercer had ended up giving him her name—which he’d taken from her credit card when she’d paid. It appeared to be her real name, as it matched up with the name linked to the license plate on her car.

  “Not really. She’s in college. Twenty-two, no boyfriend that I can tell, about to graduate. Attended on a full scholarship. Really smart. She’s about to start veterinary school this summer here in Redemption Harbor. And she’s originally from Florida.”

  He paused at that. “Where?”

  “Jupiter.”

  Huh. He filed the information away to deal with later. “I can’t get into this tablet.”

  “Give me a sec.” Gage was silent, but Brooks could hear the faint click of his keyboard. “I’m in. Go ahead and get out of there. I can shut the tablet off remotely.”

  “Done.” Brooks exited the back door and used the cover of darkness as he hurried across the backyard. When he jumped the fence, a sensor light went off and a nearby dog started barking.

  Picking up his pace, he raced across the lawn and into the front yard of the neighbor behind Turner. Instead of running, because that would draw attention to himself, he simply shoved his hands in his jacket pocket and strolled down the sidewalk as if he was just out for an evening walk.

  No one bothered him—or even looked outside because of the barking dog. It was too damn cold to be outside anyway. Most people would be inside with their families and wouldn’t even register the sound of a dog barking, especially if it was common.

  When he reached the end of
the street, a dark SUV pulled up next to him. Gage opened the driver’s side door and then jumped into the passenger seat. “You drive, I’m going to work.”

  Brooks hopped in. “Any news from Leighton?” Leighton was doing recon of Oleg Polzin’s home—in a much ritzier neighborhood.

  “Yeah. Says Polzin’s place will be a lot harder to break into. The guy’s got security cameras and an upgraded system. I can hack the actual system but the thing is, he’ll know someone messed with it. Markov has a similar system.”

  And the whole point of breaking into these places was to remain undetected so they wouldn’t give themselves away.

  “Plus,” Gage said, “Leighton thinks Polzin might be under surveillance. He’s not sure if it’s government or someone else.”

  They couldn’t afford to be seen by the FBI, DEA or whoever. “I’m going to see Darcy tonight,” Brooks said abruptly.

  “I’m not your fucking guardian,” Gage said without looking up from his laptop, no rancor in his voice.

  Some of the tenseness in Brooks’s shoulders eased as he headed back to their warehouse. He didn’t answer to anyone. And going to see Darcy wouldn’t put her in danger. He was her ex-boyfriend. Him visiting was easily explainable to anyone who might be watching her. And he simply couldn’t stay away any longer. He’d apologized once but he needed to make this right.

  He just wasn’t certain he knew how.

  Chapter 9

  —I’m not giving up on us.—

  Brooks parked his truck in Darcy’s driveway, glad to see her lights on inside. He definitely should have called first, but it would have given her an excuse to tell him not to come over.

  He wasn’t putting off scanning her place for listening devices any longer. Savage had warned her to be careful about what she said at home, and Brooks knew she was smart. She wouldn’t be telling anyone else what she’d overheard. But he still wanted to check.

  More than that, he simply wanted to see her, to show her how much he’d missed her, how important she was to him. He’d come prepared, at least. Grabbing the takeout boxes from the passenger seat, he slid out of his truck. There was a light dusting of snow over everything, including the little gnomes on the three steps leading up to her porch. He’d given her one of them, and was surprised she’d kept it.

  After knocking on the door, he stood back and waited until the porch light came on. There was a long pause, and for a moment he thought she might ignore him entirely. Then he heard the soft snick of the door being unlocked.

  Darcy opened the door, giving him a wary look. Wearing black leggings and a black and white formfitting sweater, as always she looked good enough to eat. God, he’d been such a fool.

  “What are you doing here?” She wrapped her arms around herself.

  “I figured you hadn’t eaten, so I brought you food.” He lifted up the boxes with the distinctive logo from Mercer’s pizza place.

  She lifted an eyebrow, but some of the tension seemed to ease from her shoulders. “Ham and pineapple?”

  “Of course.” It was her favorite.

  Surprising him, she stepped back and motioned for him to come in. So he did. For some reason he was surprised that everything looked the same. It seemed as if they’d been separated for an eternity. To his left, her living room was warm and inviting. Her laptop was open on the buttercream couch and a shimmery blue blanket was pooled on the left end, no doubt where she’d been stretched out, computer in her lap.

  As she shut the door behind him, he held up a note card that read, Need to scan your place for listening devices. I’ll start in the kitchen. Keep conversation normal and make sure all the blinds are shut. She had a security system, so he felt it was unlikely her place was bugged, but this was a necessary precaution.

  She nodded, as if she’d expected this. He knew that Savage had told her this would happen eventually—which was likely the only reason she let Brooks inside her house so easily.

  “You look great,” he said as they stepped into her kitchen.

  She made a noncommittal sound as she went to her refrigerator. She opened the stainless steel door and he wasn’t surprised to see only water, yogurt, and a takeout container of likely old food in there. “I can offer you water or water,” she said, laughing slightly. “Oh, I actually have some red wine in the pantry.”

  “Water is fine.” He set the bag down, and while she started getting plates out he hooked his jacket behind one of the high-backed chairs at the island and pulled out the scanning wand. “Business seems to have taken off.” That was banal enough conversation for anyone potentially listening.

  “I’m working crazy hours, but it’s worth it.”

  He stepped into her laundry room, which was right off the kitchen, and grabbed a small ladder she kept there. He was going to start at the top and work down. “I heard about your sister getting married. That’s great.” God, he hated making conversation like this. Especially when all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms, kiss her senseless, and remind her how good they’d been together.

  She made another noncommittal sound as she poured herself a glass of wine. Then she pulled out a bottle of water and set it in front of the plate for him. He would eat later, however.

  “When you’re done with your pizza, I made sure they tossed in extra of the tiramisu you like.” He nodded at the lone white bag next to the pizza boxes.

  Darcy glared at him as she sat down at the center island. “Wasn’t that thoughtful of you.”

  Oh yeah, she was annoyed with him, likely because he was in her personal space—and she hadn’t forgiven him.

  “Have you dated anyone since we broke up?” he asked abruptly. In case someone was listening, he knew she wouldn’t argue with him.

  She paused in opening up one of the boxes, her eyes widening as she looked at him. He continued his scan, but met her gaze dead-on.

  “I’m not sure how that’s any of your business.” She gave a haughty little sniff before pulling out a piece of pizza. She let out a moan as she inhaled the rich scent and he felt that sound go straight to his cock.

  “It’s not. But for the record, I haven’t been with anyone since you.”

  She snorted before taking a bite—and letting out another moan he was certain she did just to drive him crazy. Probably not, but that was what he was telling himself. When she made little sounds like that all he could think about was the many, many times she’d come apart in his arms—or against his face.

  Hell. He needed to stop thinking about that. Uncomfortably, he shifted on his feet. “You don’t believe me?”

  “Doesn’t matter what I believe. I thought I knew you and then it turned out you’re just another jackass.” She paused, set her pizza down. “Did you know your dad came to see me again?”

  “I just found that out today.”

  “It’s weird. I want to not like him, but I know why he offered me that money. He was doing it to protect you from gold diggers. He was worried about you. Of course, he went about it in the completely wrong way, but that I can understand. Your assumption about me is what I honestly don’t understand.” Now there was no anger. Just…confusion and pain.

  Brooks was silent for a few minutes as he continued his scan, digesting her words. “I have no excuse for what I did. I was wrong.”

  Without responding, she turned on the CD player/iPod docking station on her counter. No surprise, Frank Sinatra started singing a moment later.

  When he was almost completely finished with the room, and she’d polished off a couple pieces of pizza, he said, “After I got out of the Marine Corps, I was pretty serious with someone.”

  If she was surprised by his sudden statement, she didn’t show it. Setting her food down, she nodded. “I remember.”

  He’d told her a little about his previous relationship, but had left out one very big detail. Darcy’s expression was hard to read as she watched him. “I thought I was in love. Looking back, I know it wasn’t remotely that.” The only reason he underst
ood that now was because of Darcy. “My dad offered her a couple million to walk away from me.”

  Darcy blinked, understanding immediately. “She took the money.”

  He nodded and set the wand down on the island. He wasn’t hungry, but he opened the water bottle and downed half of it. Just being in her kitchen, being around Darcy, it brought back so many memories. They’d made love right here on the island—and on the damn floor. Pretty much every surface of her house. He’d had her pinned up against her refrigerator once, completely naked, her dark hair wild around her face as he’d thrust into her over and over. Until they’d both come so hard they’d collapsed on the floor in a heap of tangled limbs—and gone another round once they’d caught their breath.

  “I’m sorry,” she said softly.

  The sound of her voice pulled him back to reality. Sighing, he pulled out the seat next to her. “I’m not. I dodged a bullet with her. I would have realized sooner or later the type of person she was, but I was blinded and…” He cleared his throat, not wanting to open up that can of emotional worms. Looking back, he’d just been searching for someone to drown out his pain. He’d lost too many friends overseas, and transitioning back to civilian life had been hard. That being the understatement of the century. He’d found the wrong someone and latched onto her, trying to fill the void. Like a fool.

  “And…what?” Darcy pushed.

  He was done talking about his ex. Brooks didn’t want to talk about that anyway. “Nothing.”

  Darcy tightened her jaw and slid her plate forward on the granite countertop. Brooks had absolutely blindsided her by showing up. Then he’d finally started opening up to her, telling her about what happened with his ex. Only to stop. Just like always. Back when they’d been together, she’d never pushed him, even though getting him to open up emotionally had been like pulling teeth. She’d chalked it up to that just being his personality, and everything he’d been through in the Marines. But he wasn’t getting a pass now. “No way. You don’t get off that easily.”