by Cynthia Eden
“No, I’m the defense attorney. As in, I’m the one you want. The only one you’ll ever need.” He pulled back his hand and straightened his already straight suit. “In the future, how about we don’t just throw out statements like, ‘It was me. I shot him,’ when you’re questioned? We don’t just need to confess to every little thing.”
“But…I shot him. Jimmy was going to stab Rick, and I knew that if I didn’t shoot, Rick would have to fire his gun. I didn’t want Rick to kill Jimmy. I didn’t want that crime on him.” Her shoulders squared. “So I did it. I shot Jimmy.”
Kendrick’s expression showed puzzlement. “You are not like your father.”
“I hope not. But some days, I’m not so certain.” Her hands twisted in her lap.
Kendrick turned his attention to Rick. “And who killed the guy at the motel?”
“Not me,” Rick retorted. “I swear, he was breathing when I left him.” Breathing but probably well on his way to bruising.
Kendrick’s intent stare returned to Kat.
“I didn’t shoot him,” she said, frowning. “He really was breathing when we left him. And hey—we even have a witness to that.”
Rick nodded. “Damn straight. Someone else saw that Joey was alive when we left him.”
Excitement lit Kendrick’s face. “Excellent. Then we can clear this all up fast. Who’s the witness?”
“Yeah…about that…” Rick coughed. “The hit man.”
Kendrick’s neck and head jutted forward a little. “Excuse me?”
“Ghost. Jimmy. Whatever the hell you want to call him. He saw that the motel desk clerk was alive when we left the scene. He saw us leave before Joey was shot. He can tell you that.”
Kendrick very, very slowly…nodded. “Right.” He drew the word out so that it seemed to possess about ten syllables. “You think that a hit man who is after Ms. O’Shaughnessy…you think he is going to vouch for you? That he’s going to alibi you?” His lips twisted. Not a smile. Not a frown. “I don’t think so. Especially since Kat just confessed to shooting him. Something tells me that the fellow isn’t going to feel the urge to cooperate with you.”
True. The sonofabitch probably wanted his pound of flesh from Rick and Kat. And he will never get near her again.
“At the very least,” Kendrick continued as he began to pace, “we’ll need to sit you both down with Detective Lopez so that you can answer her questions.” Kendrick always paced when he plotted.
Rick saw Kat glance over her shoulder, as if she was looking for someone. Her gaze lingered on the closed door to Eric’s office.
He touched her hand. “What is it?”
Her head turned toward him, and Kat’s lips curled down. “I was expecting the FBI to come bursting in. Seemed to be their cue.” A sad shake of her head. “I’ll go ahead and say it…they are not going to be down with me chatting with local cops about a murder.”
Eric’s fingers drummed on his desk. “She’s right. Hell, they are not down with anything right now.”
Rick narrowed his gaze on his friend. “What’s the status with them?”
“The status?” The faint lines near Eric’s mouth deepened. “I’ve lost contact with my closest ally there. The man who originally hired me for the job? Assistant Director Silas Evans? He’s vanished. None of the higher ups are talking about him, and the staff below him is now taking orders from someone new. Silas was someone I trusted. A man who told it to you straight. But from what I’m gathering, he’s gone dark, totally dark on everyone, and that’s not good.”
No, that shit wasn’t good.
“What do you think happened to him?” Rick pushed.
Eric’s gaze flickered to Kat. His mouth tightened.
“He thinks that Silas Evans is dead,” Kat said into the silence that lingered a little too long in the office. “And he thinks Silas died because of me.”
“Because he had information on you,” Eric corrected.
Shit. Eric had corrected the reason why Silas might be dead, but he hadn’t argued that the other man was, in fact, gone. Hell.
“I met Silas many times.” Kat’s voice was low. “He seemed like a good man. If he is dead, then I’m very sorry for your loss.”
Eric’s head inclined toward her. “Thank you.”
Ben gaped at them. “Are you all serious right now? An FBI Assistant Director has been killed by the mob? And it’s being covered up…by the FBI?”
“I doubt they are covering it up,” Kat said, rolling one shoulder. “They probably can’t find his body. Not unusual in a mob hit. And they don’t know specifically who killed him. They won’t go public until they have more. Especially not with me set to head into a courthouse in a few days.”
Poor Ben. He was used to handling divorce cases, not mob hits. But he recovered fast. Squared his shoulders. Lifted his chin. And Ben asked, “What can I do?”
Kat pushed out of her chair and stood. “Don’t die.”
Ben’s gaze darted to Rick.
“My apologies,” Kat added quickly as she kept her focus on Ben. “But I didn’t get your name. You kind of look like the other one…” A motion of her hand toward Eric. “You’re another Wilde?”
“Ben.” He approached her. Offered his hand. “I’m Ben Wilde.”
She shook his hand. “Ben, please don’t take this the wrong way, but I think you need to get the hell out of here.” She let him go. “You, too, Kendrick. I appreciate you coming in. I know my father probably had you on retainer or something before he died, but you don’t need to be involved in this mess.”
Ben seemed to take her measure. “I’m not going anywhere. My brother called me because he knew he could trust me. Don’t let the pretty face fool you…” He flashed her a charming grin. “I can get shit done.”
“I have no doubt.” Kat backed away from him. “But don’t you all see what’s happening here? The people who are getting pulled into my world—those people are dying. And if an FBI Assistant Director can be taken out, then you can all be taken out.” Her gaze slid to Rick. He could see tears pooling in her gorgeous eyes. Tears, dammit.
“Kat,” Rick rasped her name.
She blinked the tears away. “The fewer people involved, the better. There are only a few days before I go into the courthouse. Just a few more, and then I vanish. You don’t all need to put yourselves on the line for me.”
Rick stood. He stalked to her. Reached for her hands. Held them carefully in his.
“You don’t need to keep risking yourself for me.” She licked her lower lip. “I know you promised to stay with me, but Rick…that was before I heard that an Assistant Director with the FBI had been taken down. Don’t you see? They can get to anyone. They can hurt everyone.”
His hold tightened. “I think I told you before, I’m not afraid.”
Her gaze searched his. “Maybe you should be.”
Eric cleared his throat. “Ahem, yeah, I think we need to take a moment and circle back to the FBI…”
Rick glanced over his shoulder at Eric.
Eric gave a little wince. “Because they are going to be here in about five minutes.”
“What?” Rick snarled.
Looking glum and very uncomfortable, Eric nodded. “I’m sorry, man. I tried. Believe me, I did. But they have the power of the federal government behind them. Without my contact in the game any longer, my hands are tied. I’ve been ordered to turn Kathleen O’Shaughnessy back over to the Feds. They say that we’re a greater threat to her than anyone else. The new boss in charge thinks she never should have been turned over to civilians, and his agents are going to be showing up to claim her.” His gaze slid to Kat. “They’ll be taking you to an undisclosed location, and you won’t be seeing any Wilde agents again.”
Rick couldn’t breathe. His chest ached. His lungs burned. A red haze swam before his eyes. The Feds were coming to take Kat away from him? No, oh, hell, no.
***
James let out a ragged groan as he twisted his body on
the stretcher. He was in the back of an ambulance, and two EMTs were fluttering around him. Okay, not fluttering. Hooking him up to shit. Checking out his wound. Since he was acting as if he was dying, he figured they were probably pretty panicked.
The female detective—he’d heard her name, Lopez—hadn’t come along for the ride. She’d sent a uniform with him. He was sure a patrol car was tailing him while the ambulance hauled ass. The uniform watched the scene from the corner of the vehicle, and the guy’s eyes were narrowed on James.
Detective Layla Lopez. He’d actually known who she was even before hearing her name. After all, he was a professional. It made sense to research all the players before you got involved in the game. Layla was tight with Eric Wilde, one of the members of his inner circle, so to speak. James had figured she’d be involved in Kat’s world at some point.
That point was now.
James tugged his left wrist. It had been cuffed to a bar along the side of the stretcher. An annoyance, but one he could handle.
“How much longer until we reach the nearest hospital?” One of the EMTs checked James’s pulse as she fired the question at the driver. “His pulse is thready and his blood pressure is dropping.”
Was it? Hmmm…he wasn’t that good of an actor. The last thing he needed was to require actual medical attention. That would slow down his escape goal.
“About ten more minutes,” the driver shouted back.
Ten more minutes.
James closed his eyes. When he arrived at the hospital, he had to make his move. He needed to get the hell out of there.
Or else everything was going to be screwed.
Chapter Fifteen
The door opened and her two FBI suits walked in the office with slow and steady steps.
Kat sucked in a quick breath when she saw them. Suit Number One…he didn’t look like his usual polished self. Bryan Brisk’s black suit appeared wrinkled, his blond hair was mussed, and dark shadows lined his eyes. As for Tom Wayne—he was even paler than normal. There was what appeared to be some sort of red stain on his shirt, and she was really hoping that stain wasn’t blood.
Neither man looked particularly thrilled to see her. The feeling was mutual. But Kat still pasted a smile on her face. “You missed me.” She nodded. “I know you did. You couldn’t wait to get back in my company again.” She was going to keep her cocky persona in place until she was out of that office. No way would she let Rick see how much it was hurting her to leave him.
An Assistant Director at the FBI was dead? Or, rather, presumed dead? Hell, yes, this mess was a nightmare, and she wanted Rick out of it.
Because…I care too much for him.
He’d gotten to her. Gotten right past her guard. She cared so much for the man that she’d shot Jimmy. Sure, Jimmy was a lying douche so she didn’t feel overly bad about that blast, but…
I would have killed him. To keep Rick safe, I would have shot Jimmy again and aimed straight for his heart. A staggering realization. One that made her sick to her stomach. Her father had warned her, long ago, that she’d be like this.
One day, my darling, you’ll see. There will be something or someone that pushes you over the edge, too, and you’ll realize that crossing the line between right and wrong is far easier than you might expect. His eyes—the same shade of her own—had held no emotion as he added, And once you cross that line, you don’t ever go back.
She’d been ready to cross that line for Rick. He was her weakness, and she had to get away from him.
So Kat tossed her hair over her shoulder and kept her coy smile in place. She looked vaguely at the others in the room, never letting her gaze linger on anyone, but darting over Eric, his brother, Kendrick, and Rick as she said, “It’s been real, everyone. But time to hitch out of here with my new ride. The FBI can’t wait to get their hands on me again.”
She took a few confident steps toward Bryan—
Rick stepped into her path. “No.”
She faltered. He was blocking her view of Bryan. “I’m sorry.” She didn’t make eye contact. “I’m not good at good-byes. Let’s make this short and sweet and—”
“No.”
Again with the ‘no’ from him?
Kat sidestepped.
He moved with her. “Look at me. Look me in the eyes.”
She did. Grudgingly.
“I told you that I wouldn’t leave you. I promised.”
Swallow. Breathe. Ignore the racing of your heart. “You’re not leaving me. I’m leaving you. I didn’t want to come to Wilde Securities in the first place.”
His dark and dangerous eyes narrowed on her. “I can tell now.”
“You can tell what?”
His hand lifted and curved under her chin. “When you’re trying to protect someone.”
“I’m protecting myself.” His touch was scorching her. “Good-bye, Rick.”
“No.”
“No?” Okay, her voice had gotten too high. She cleared her throat. “Uh, FBI agents, how about a little help here?”
Bryan and Tom moved to surround Rick. Bryan to the right. Tom to the left of him. “We’re taking over custody,” Bryan said.
She rolled her eyes at his words. Taking over custody? What was she? A child?
“Your agents can’t be trusted,” Tom added with a glare that he tossed at Eric. “So it’s good that we’re back to take over the job.”
Oh, right. Never mind the fact that they’d been only too eager to ditch her at Wilde a few days before. Now they were acting all big and bad. Like that didn’t flash RED ALERT in her mind.
“And we’re going to be taking over custody of James Smith, as well,” Tom told them all. “He’s been wanted by the FBI for a long time, and while we appreciate the cooperation that Wilde Securities and the local authorities have shown us, he’s our perp, and he’ll be held by our agents.”
They were taking Jimmy, too, huh? Though Kat wasn’t so sure that “cooperation” was the right word to use. She could practically feel the hostility vibrating in the room.
Bryan smiled at her. “You ready to go, Kat?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
Of course, that denial came from Rick. Why was he doing this? Didn’t he get that things were hard enough for her?
Bryan lost his smile. “Back up, buddy.” He put his hand on Rick’s shoulder. And pushed.
Rick didn’t budge an inch. He did look down at the FBI agent’s hand. “You’ll want to move that, before I move it for you.”
Bryan swallowed. “Assaulting a federal officer is a crime. I think you’re already in enough trouble with the authorities, don’t you? There’s the little matter of the dead body you left back at that motel.”
“I’m not in any trouble. Kat can back me up as far as the dead man is concerned. She saw me leave that guy—alive—in the motel. Your big, bad hit man knows the truth, too. So I’m not worried about that shit.”
Tom laughed. “You think a hit man will back up your story? Hate to break it to you, but he’s not the good guy.”
“Never said he was. At this point, I think it’s getting real hard to tell the good guys from the bad ones.” Once more, Rick looked down at the hand on his shoulder. “Move it.”
Bryan dropped his hand.
“Good. Now, Kat isn’t going with you.”
Kat opened her mouth—
“She’s not leaving this office,” Rick continued in his lethal growl. “Not unless I’m at her side. I signed up to be her bodyguard. My contract said that I was to stay with her until she walked through the doors of the courthouse, and that’s exactly what I plan to do.”
His contract? Had he actually signed a contract agreeing to those stipulations?
“We can do this the easy way…” Rick smiled. It was a rather chilling, but very sexy sight. “I walk out of here holding Kat’s hand and place myself between her and any danger that comes her way…”
Bryan’s face flushed red.
“Or we do it th
e hard way.”
Tom’s brow wrinkled. “What’s the hard way?”
“I knock both of your asses out. I do it in about five seconds. Then I take Kat and I—”
Kendrick coughed. Or choked. Kat couldn’t exactly tell what happened. He hurried across the room, waving his hands. “No, no, that is not what my client meant to say. He definitely didn’t say he was going to knock anyone out.”
“Yeah, I did.” Rick nodded. He took Kat’s hand in his. Held tight.
And maybe she inched a little closer to him. Why did she do that?
“We do have a contract, though,” Kendrick continued, smooth as silk now, as if he’d never had his coughing/choking fit. “And that contract can only be voided by the man who signed it. Since the Assistant Director is currently on sabbatical—”
“The man is fucking missing,” Bryan blasted. “Probably stone cold dead because he got caught in the hunt for her.” He pointed at Kat.
Kendrick didn’t even pause. “Since his whereabouts are unknown, technically, Rick does still have a job to do.”
“Bullshit!” Tom’s face flashed with anger. “The FBI trumps any contract. We trump—”
Kendrick shook his head. “Kathleen O’Shaughnessy is a free woman.”
“No, she’s a material witness,” Bryan glared at Kendrick. “And you—of all people, Mr. Shaw—should know that means she goes where the government wants her to go.”
“Ah, you know my name.” Kendrick offered the agent a cold smile. “Then that means you know my reputation. You know you don’t want to tangle with me because I will take any fight straight to the public. And the public loves me.” He leaned forward. “Because I am fucking loveable.”
He was?
“Save us all some time and effort,” Kendrick urged. “Take Rick Williams with you. He has Kathleen’s best interests at heart. He’s willing to fight in order to keep her safe. He goes where she goes. Easy enough.”
A flicker of hope stirred inside of Kat—
“No,” Bryan snapped. “The FBI is taking over. Kat is a material witness, and we are done here. No Wilde agents can come with us because that will just put her at risk. It’s not happening.”
The hope died.