by Cynthia Eden
Layla jutted up her chin. “I hate this Ghost prick.” Her shoulders squared. “But, yeah, you’re saying what I’ve been thinking. He’s a hacker. Eric reached the same conclusion when we talked. If Ghost could get into Wilde’s secure systems, then it would be super easy for him to unlock the FBI’s secrets and as far as the Atlanta PD’s intel…” A laugh. “Well, I’m guessing he had access to that on day one.”
Kendrick crossed the room to stand beside Layla. He lifted his hand, as if he’d touch her, but hesitated. His fingers fisted and fell back to his side. “How can I help?”
Her head turned toward him. “Use your criminal contacts. If anyone sees this guy, I want to know. An APB is already out, but wherever he’s hiding, we need to drag him out. I don’t think we’ve got a lot of time. He will be going straight for Kat.”
“Rick is with her,” Cole assured Layla. “He’s not going to leave her unprotected.”
But her expression just became even tenser. “I don’t think Ghost would hesitate to kill anyone in his way. When he was in the hospital and he found out that someone had put a bomb in the Fed’s car, he was frantic to find out if Kat was dead or alive. We all know there is a lot of money at play when it comes to her, and I got the idea that Ghost didn’t intend to let anyone else take credit for her death.”
Jesus. “I need to get to Rick.” He wanted to be there for his friend.
“Agent Brisk is already heading to meet with him now. The Feds have tried and tried to change some of the court dates for Kat, but they were stonewalled at every turn.”
The Feds were stonewalled? Weren’t they usually the ones who did the stonewalling?
“I know she’s given depositions,” Kendrick remarked as he rubbed his chin. “Even if Kat is taken out—”
Damn but that sounded cold.
“The depositions she gave will still come into play,” Kendrick finished. His lips tightened. “Unless the defense attorneys in those cases are very good.” A pause. A cough. “I always can cast doubt on depositions. One of my best tactics.”
“The prosecutors want Kat in the courthouse. They don’t want depositions. They want her.” Layla was definite. “And the word I’ve gotten is…if she’s not present, they think several of their cases will crumble. Other witnesses will back out. It will be like a line of dominoes falling down.”
“She’s so close,” Cole said as he turned away. “We just have to keep her safe for a few more days.” He needed to get to Rick. He’d feel better when he was there with his friend.
“The Feds have a new strategy, you know.”
Layla’s words froze Cole.
“They aren’t going to try and hide Kat any longer. They’re going to put her location out there. They’re going to see who comes after her. Their own men were hurt, so the Feds are out for blood.”
Stunned, he glanced over his shoulder and gaped at her. “They’re dangling Kat like some kind of juicy steak?”
“You could say that. The Feds think they are big and bad enough to stop the threats coming at her. Only I’m not so sure they are.”
“You and me both,” he mumbled.
“Ghost could be anywhere by now. I did my research on him. He’s rumored to be tied to over thirty kills. Thirty.”
“The Feds might not be able to stop him,” Cole threw back. “But Wilde Securities will. I’m personally not scared of a fucking Ghost.” He grabbed for the door. His partner needed him.
“Maybe you should be…” Layla’s soft voice followed him out. “One other thing…”
He glared back at her. “I’m kind of in a hurry here.”
“It could be unrelated, but…too much of a coincidence for me.”
Spit it out, Layla!
“The admin at the hospital reported a robbery. While we were all searching for Ghost, someone made off with a ton of drugs, including some sedatives that would be strong enough to take out a bear.”
Just freaking dandy. “Any other bad news you want to deliver?”
“Not yet.” A pause. “But give me some more time and I’ll see what I can drag up.”
He yanked open the door.
***
“You look like hell,” Rick said as he opened the penthouse door to let Bryan Brisk inside.
The Fed grunted. “Yeah, you try sitting at your partner’s hospital bed for a few hours and we’ll see how you look.” He raked a hand over the stubble on his jaw. His stare jumped around. “Where’s Kat?” He lifted his hand to reveal a white, paper bag. “Brought her a little present.”
Rick frowned. “She’s getting dressed.” He’d dragged on jeans, a t-shirt, and boots right before the Fed had arrived.
Bryan’s hold tightened on the bag. “How is she?”
How the hell do you think she is? “Strong. Kat’s a survivor. She’s going to be just fine.” He pointed to the bag. “What in the hell kind of surprise is that?”
Bryan blinked. “Brownies. They had them at the hospital. Went to the cafeteria. Saw them and…” His voice trailed off. “You have to find something good when everything goes to shit, you know? That’s what my mom taught me.” He ambled into the den. “I didn’t grow up with much, but I promised myself I’d have more one day. My mom…she was always trying to get me to see the good in things. In people. You look for pain, you’ll find pain. You look for good…shit, and I guess you find brownies.” He dropped the bag onto an end table. His shoulders hunched.
Rick had followed him in the den. Now, he tilted his head and stared at the other man.
“I don’t know if we can keep her alive,” Bryan said softly, sadly. “My boss…the FBI Brass…you get why they allowed you to come and stay in this penthouse with her, don’t you? You get what this whole set-up is about? No more running, but hunkering down…” He looked back over his shoulder at Rick. “You have to see it. You’ve worked enough cases that you know…” A twisted smile. “This isn’t about keeping her safe any longer. It’s about using her.”
Rick’s teeth ground together. “Yeah, I figured out the fucking scenario.” But he hadn’t said a word about it to Kat. What was the point?
“Assistant Director Silas Evans’s body was found a few hours ago.” Bryan blew out a long, hard breath. “We’re keeping it quiet right now because that’s the way Brass wants it, but the head honchos are losing their shit.” A shake of his head. “An Assistant Director is taken out, a car bomb is planted in a vehicle belonging to Feds…several of our agents are hospitalized, hell, yes, the FBI Brass is out for blood now. So even if they want Kat to testify, they want her more so—”
“So they can use her to catch the people who’ve hurt the Feds,” Rick finished, choking back his fury.
A glum nod. “They think it was Ghost. That he killed Assistant Director Evans. And maybe he did. Hell, he probably did. Cops think he’s linked to thirty kills, but you want the truth? They should up that number. It’s more like one hundred.”
Holy hell.
“That’s why the game is changing so much right now. Yeah, the Brass still wants Kat to take down the others with the evidence she has, but if we can bag Ghost, that shit will be a game changer.”
“You had Ghost. He was in custody—”
Bryan flinched. “Don’t freaking remind me. When this crap is over, I see a demotion in my future. And poor Detective Lopez, she’ll probably be writing traffic tickets somewhere.”
The hell she would. The guy didn’t know Layla well. She wouldn’t rest until she got her perp. “There’s no way Ghost planted the car bomb. He was in custody when it went off. Whoever set that bomb had to be close to Wilde Securities—close enough to detonate it.”
“Could’ve been on a timer.” Bryan swiped a hand over his forehead. “Maybe Ghost planted it before he was caught and—”
“No timer. The guy wouldn’t have known exactly when Kat was in the vehicle. If she would ever get in the vehicle. Too many variables.” No, Rick had analyzed that set-up in his head over and over again. “The bo
mb had to be set by someone else. And that someone was close by, waiting for Kat to get in the car. When she got in, he detonated, only there was a few seconds of a delay. That happens with some bombs. You hit the trigger and you’ve got just a couple of seconds before the world turns to fire.”
“You seem to know a lot about fire.”
“Once, that shit was my life.” Kat’s my life now. “If she hadn’t jumped out of that car, she’d be dead.”
“She got out because of you. You saved her.”
And I’ll keep fighting to save her.
Bryan took a step back. Sadness filled his gaze. “You saved her that time, but Kat is screwed to hell and back. We both know it. From day one, I expected to be burying her. I never thought we’d even make it this far. So close to the finish line, but Kat is never going to cross it. One way or another, she’ll die.”
Chapter Nineteen
“So close to the finish line, but Kat is never going to cross it. One way or another, she’ll die.”
Kat pasted a smile on her face even as Bryan’s words echoed in her ears and pierced straight into her heart. Her spine was straight as she walked into the den. “Agent Brisk, you are always my own personal Hallmark greeting card.”
He winced and whirled to face her. “Kat, I didn’t realize you were close enough to hear—”
“That I’m going to die? No worries. You weren’t saying anything that I haven’t suspected for a long time.”
Rick hurried to her side and took her hand. “It’s not happening. To get to you, any bastard coming will have to go through me first.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better? It doesn’t. Not even a little bit. I don’t want you dying for me.” She stared into his eyes. Those deep, dark eyes. “I want you living an amazing life. Being happy. Laughing and loving and…and doing everything you want to do. I was born into this nightmare. You weren’t.” It was tearing out her heart to think of him being hurt.
Rick lifted their joined hands to his mouth. His lips brushed over her knuckles, the same way that she’d kissed his hand back in the bedroom. He stared into her eyes and told her, “You’re worth any risk. Sweetheart, I’d fight anyone or anything for you.”
Her breath caught. He meant it. She could see the truth in his eyes, and Kat didn’t know what to say.
“This is all really freaking romantic,” Bryan snapped. “But how about we all avoid dying, hmm? I think that’s the best option. And looking toward that option, guess who your new roommate is?”
Both Kat and Rick swung their heads to look at him.
His smile was grim. “How about the FBI and Wilde team up together? Well, there’s no ‘how about’ actually. We are teaming up. It’s a direct order from above. I’m staying here with you. Agents outside, agents inside…you will be safe, Kat. And when Ghost comes for you…”
He’d said when, not if.
“We’ll take the bastard out,” Bryan said with deadly certainty.
She’d been listening to Bryan and Rick for a few moments, and she had to ask, “Has he really killed one hundred people?”
“That’s what we suspect, yes. Having suspicions and proof, though, those are two different things.”
She eased closer to Rick. “He wasn’t always like that. When we were younger, I swear, he was kind. I-I couldn’t have been that wrong about him.”
Bryan rushed toward her. “Wait, back up. You knew the guy? Back when you were kids?” His eyes were suddenly hard and intent on her.
“I—yes.” Had that info not been given to Bryan? She was having a hard time keeping track of everything. That happens when you find out your ex is a crazy killer. “When I was seventeen, we dated.”
“Fucking fits.” He spun away. “Fits and it makes sense…should have realized it all before.”
Rick still held Kat’s hand. “Realized what?”
Bryan looked back. “Kat was also involved with Gage Hollow. We believe he’s the man who has one of the biggest prices on her head. Apparently, Kat, you leave one hell of an impression on a guy. First Gage, now Ghost.” His gaze slid to Rick. “Wonder what you’ll be like in the aftermath of Kat?”
She pulled away from Rick. “I’m going to bed.” She needed to get away for a few minutes. To escape.
Both my exes want me dead. Great. Wonderful. What kind of track record was that? She was basically batting a hundred percent kill rate with her exes. You date me, then you want to kill me. Lovely.
“Wait!” Bryan curled his hand around her shoulder. “Hey, I brought you something.” He pointed to the bag. “Brownies.” A faint smile lifted his lips. “Your favorites.”
“I can’t eat anything right now, but thanks, Bryan. That was really sweet.” She turned away. “Good night.”
No. Stop. Kat pulled in a deep breath. She forced herself to slowly turn so that she could look at both men. “Thank you.”
Bryan frowned.
“I appreciate the FBI’s help, and I appreciate the help from Wilde Securities. More than that, I appreciate you two.” Her gaze darted between them. “So thank you.”
Bryan didn’t speak. His frown deepened.
Rick took a step toward her. “You don’t have to thank me for anything. I want to be with you.”
She wanted to be with him. That night and every night to come.
“I’ll be joining you in just a minute, baby,” Rick promised her. “Let me talk a little more to Bryan, and I’ll come back there with you.”
Kat nodded and hurried away from him. The thick carpeting swallowed her footsteps as she headed down the hallway. She turned toward the second door—the bedroom she’d used earlier. Kat stepped inside. Shut the door behind her.
The light was off.
No, that wasn’t right. She’d left the light on when she’d slipped out before. Oh, God. Kat whirled for the door even as she opened her mouth to scream.
But a hard hand clamped down over her lips and muffled the sound.
***
“Pick up the damn phone!” Cole snarled as he rushed through the city. He’d been trying to get Rick, but the guy wasn’t answering. Did Rick get how alarming that shit was? Did he understand that he was about to give Cole a freaking heart attack?
“Cole…” Rick’s voice filled the interior of the car. Bluetooth was such a fabulous invention.
“We need to talk, man, I’m on my way to you.”
“Bryan Brisk is here now. An army of agents are close by. I’m good. Why don’t you go get some rest for the night? I know you’ve been working your ass off on this case, too.”
Get some rest? He’d sleep when he was in the grave. “I’m coming to you. That’s what partners are for.” He took a hard right turn. Was he being followed? Those headlights behind him…
Turned right, too.
His hands fisted around the steering wheel. “You know the Feds want to use your lady to draw out Ghost? Do you know that shit? The authorities lost him, and now the Bureau guys want to use Kat to lure him back in.”
“Yeah.” Rick’s voice was thick. “Heard that story. Can’t say I’m a fan.”
Cole figured that was the understatement of the century.
He took a fast left turn.
The headlights behind him…went left. “Sonofabitch.”
“Cole?”
“I got company, man. Freaking on my tail.”
“Shit, I’ll call in backup for you—”
Crash.
Another car erupted from the darkness and slammed right into the front of Cole’s car.
***
“Cole? Cole!” Rick roared his friend’s name, but there was no response. Then the line died. He tried calling Cole back, but the phone just rang and rang.
“Problem?” Bryan asked as he edged closer.
Rick turned his back on the agent and hunched his shoulders. “Hell, yes, there is.” He called Eric. His buddy answered on the second ring. “Trace Cole’s location.” All Wilde vehicles had trackers installed on them. “H
e was being tailed, and I lost contact with him. Ghost could be after him. We need to make sure Cole is okay.”
“On it,” Eric fired back immediately. “You stay with Kat. I’ve got him.”
Rick shoved the phone into his pocket. He needed to go see Kat. Right the hell then. She was just down the hallway, but he was suddenly terrified for her. “Be right back,” he told Bryan without glancing over at the other man. “I need—”
Something sharp jabbed into the side of Rick’s neck. His hand flew up and he grabbed—a syringe?
Yes…a syringe. He stared at it, blinkingly slowly. An empty syringe.
He turned. Staggered.
“What you need…” Bryan told him, but the agent’s voice was distorted, seeming to come from very far away. “Is to get the fuck out of my way.”
Rick’s knees gave way. He slammed into the carpet.
“Because I have a job to do,” Bryan added as he walked over Rick. “And a very large payment to collect.”
***
“I’m going to need you to calm down,” he whispered into her ear. Darkness surrounded them, but she knew exactly who held her. Ghost. “I’m not here to hurt you. I get that you probably don’t buy that line, but it’s true.”
No, she didn’t buy the line. She didn’t believe anything he had to say.
“If I move my hand and you scream, we’re both going to be screwed, and I don’t mean that in a good way.”
She kicked back with her foot, aiming for his shins.
He grunted, but didn’t let her go. “I got in too easily, Kat. I figured the Feds would be setting a trap to lure me to you, but it was too easy. No one was even on this floor. Do you hear me? There were no agents out there. No one waiting beyond the penthouse’s door. They’ve been cleared out.”
He was lying. She knew the agents were out there. They’d been with her and Rick the whole time.
“We need to leave, you and me. I need you to come with me and to stay dead quiet.”
If she went with him, she was dead. He’d probably take her to Gage. Or he’d try to torture her for the location of that missing twenty million dollars. That missing money was just making everything worse.