Savage Peril: Military Romantic Suspense (Stealth Security Book 6)

by Emily Jane Trent

  During a break, Adam called her into his office. “I wanted to speak with you privately.”

  “About what?”

  “I’ve noticed that Matt comes and goes at odd times, which has aroused my suspicions.”

  Lori bit her tongue. She wanted to tell Adam that Matt was under surveillance, but she couldn’t divulge that information.

  “Not only that,” Adam said, “his mood fluctuates. He’s edgy and seems preoccupied.”

  “I appreciate you telling me.”

  “Something is amiss,” Adam said. “I’m guessing it’s related to the supply discrepancies you’ve discovered.”

  Lori thanked Adam, then went straight to see Sarah. “Anything new?”

  Sarah motioned for Lori to step away, so that Katherine wouldn’t hear. The other clerk was tapping away on the computer and didn’t look up. Lori had noticed before how conscientious Katherine was regarding her duties. If she was aware of anything inappropriate going on in medical supplies, she didn’t show it.

  “I finished organizing the documents,” Sarah said. “You had all the information, I just had to put it together.”

  “Great, I’ll turn it over to the authorities,” Lori said. “I’ll let them take over.”

  Matt appeared in the doorway. “What’s going on in here?”

  His angry yell startled Katherine, and she looked up from her work.

  Lori was at the breaking point, so nearly blurted out her suspicions about Matt dealing drugs on the side. But she gritted her teeth. “You have no right to speak to us like that.”

  “Don’t I?” Matt stepped closer, his expression menacing. “Don’t tell me that something isn’t going on. I see you whispering to each other.”

  Sarah stepped in front of Matt. “I was updating her on a patient’s progress. And you better chill out. I’m sick of your harassment.”

  Matt hesitated, then turned and left. Lori let out a breath, then noticed that Katherine appeared distressed.

  “I didn’t do anything wrong,” Katherine said.

  Lori calmed her down and assured her that Matt had been out of line. “It’s fine. You can go back to work.” But Lori didn’t know what to expect. It was unbearable to work under these conditions. How much longer would she have to endure it?

  *****

  Gunner walked down the hall to see Hunter. He’d had a text from the team that Lori was back from lunch. Her uncle had left, and Matt was still on duty at the clinic. There was a report from the surveillance team, and Gunner was anxious to see the latest videos.

  Hunter had the projector set up. “I’ve got some stuff you should see.”

  “I read the report,” Gunner said. “I find Matt’s lifestyle very interesting.”

  “Yes, I’d like to see him explain the large bank deposits,” Hunter said. “And how a clinic administrator can afford the toys he’s been acquiring.”

  “Exactly. I couldn’t afford even one of those cars.”

  “But before we get into that,” Hunter said, “there are a couple of other things that you’ll want to see.” He ran the video without comment.

  “Shit,” Gunner said. “How can he be so stupid?” The team had Nick on video buying drugs from Flavio Zucco. “Of all the dealers, he has to pick the mob’s second-in-command. But how did the team happen to catch this?”

  “Wait for it…”

  The video shifted away from Nick, and Gunner got a view of Matt standing in the background. Gunner shook his head. “Lori told me her brother hung around with Matt, but I didn’t expect him to get pulled into this mess.”

  “You’ll need to tell Lori.”

  “No doubt Nick sees Matt as a way to get all the drugs he needs. This is bad, though.”

  “Can Lori talk some sense into him?” Hunter said.

  “Not so far,” Gunner said. “But she’ll have to. He has no idea what he’s playing around with.”

  “You haven’t seen the best part yet.” Hunter began a different video.

  Gunner watched Matt interact with two others. One was Flavio and the other was the boss, Lorenzo Cambio. It was a public location, and they could have been three friends talking. But Gunner knew what to look for. It was a drug deal, and whatever Matt had arranged, it had to mean big money.

  The boss rarely did business directly. His next in line could handle transactions. But he had met with Matt, which indicated the business was important to Lorenzo. It was a sign of respect to show up in person.

  “That was taken last night,” Hunter said. “And today a sizable deposit showed up in Matt’s account—or one of his accounts, anyway.”

  “I noticed that Matt spreads the wealth,” Gunner said. “He doesn’t limit it to local banks, either. But if I had that much cash flowing through my accounts, I’d probably feel the need for an offshore setup.”

  “There are a couple of other videos that establish Matt’s connection to the mob. But that last one puts the nail in his coffin.”

  “It’s time for the FBI to get involved,” Gunner said.

  Chapter 21

  Travis contacted the FBI and made arrangements to turn over the evidence. Gunner still had work to do. Things were about to heat up, yet an important issue hadn’t been resolved.

  “The FBI task force will be all over this,” Travis said. “The Times has been covering their OxyContin investigation, with a tally of people who have died from overdoses of opioids.”

  “It’s big business,” Gunner said.

  “OxyContin is popular,” Travis said. “Matt waded into deep water when he hooked up with that operation.”

  “He turned to a life of crime,” Gunner said. “But he needed access to the Waters Clinic to get the drugs.”

  “I’m guessing that Matt was discreet, and Robert Waters hadn’t a clue what he was up to.”

  “If Robert had, then he would have put a stop to it,” Gunner said. “But that brings me to the question that we have yet to answer.”

  “Did Matt have a motive for murder?”

  “Exactly, and I think he did,” Gunner said. “To avoid getting busted, Matt needed control of the clinic—which should have been easy.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “Matt had planned to marry Lori,” Gunner said. “That would have given him control, or so he assumed. All he had to do was remove her father from the equation.”

  “That didn’t go well.”

  “No, but Matt had no idea that Lori would break off the engagement after her father died.”

  “He probably thought the loss of her father would make her more dependent on him,” Travis said.

  “Matt didn’t know Lori very well if he thought that,” Gunner said. “So, what happens now?”

  “We handed over a solid case,” Travis said. “Once the bureau concludes that a crime was committed, agents can make an arrest. A grand jury doesn’t need to be convened.”

  “That will speed things up,” Gunner said.

  “They could delay until they gain more evidence,” Travis said. “But it’s more likely they will proceed with an indictment based on what we’ve given them.”

  “Also, Matt had a motive for murder,” Gunner said. “I can talk to the police, but that conversation would be premature. I need to give them proof that he committed the crime.”

  At his desk, Gunner thought it over. He needed to warn Lori that the FBI was now involved. Plus, he wanted to share his theory about Matt. Maybe she would have an idea how to get proof. Before Gunner left his desk, Daniel texted. He wanted to get together for dinner.

  Gunner groaned; he would have to put that off. With all that was going on, he wouldn’t be able to get away. Once again, he was forced to disappoint his son. He wanted to be different, to show his son that he was a good father. Yet circumstances worked against him.

  *****

  Lori cooperated with the FBI by providing a copy of the medical supplies documentation that she’d given to the police. She hadn’t been contacted directly; Gunner had
turned the package over to Travis, and he’d handled the delivery.

  Whatever transpired, Lori didn’t want to be implicated in drug dealing. Yet the distribution line from her clinic could put her under scrutiny. On Gunner’s recommendation, she had retained a criminal attorney, in case any charges were brought against her.

  Tensions ran high. Lori tried to behave normally, while Matt become more irascible. One morning, as she spoke to the receptionist about patient appointments, government agents entered the lobby. They wore dark jackets with FBI in yellow letters.

  Lori’s heart pounded when the agents fanned out. The lobby was empty, so she was relieved that no patients were on site. Two agents stood at the front entrance and others swarmed into the clinic. In hushed tones, a couple of agents told the staff to stay behind the reception desk.

  Sarah stared at the FBI team, and Katherine cowered behind her. Adam stood next to Lori, keeping his composure. Lori hadn’t been able to warn them, so the appearance of the agents came as quite a shock.

  Two agents went down the hall, and Lori watched from her vantage point. The commotion attracted Matt’s attention and he stepped out of his office, then froze.

  “Are you Matthew Carter?” an agent said gruffly.

  “Yes, I am.”

  Before Matt could ask questions, the agent barked, “You are under arrest. Turn around and put your hands behind your back.”

  The agent handcuffed Matt and he was taken into custody. As he walked down the hall, the silence was deafening. Then he spotted Lori and his face contorted into a grimace of rage. “You betrayed me!”

  Matt was escorted out of the building, but it wasn’t over yet. The FBI had a search warrant, so a team stayed behind. For another hour, they searched the clinic, but Lori didn’t expect them to find anything. She doubted that Matt kept drugs in his office. She assumed that they would search his penthouse, if they hadn’t already.

  When the agents finally left, Lori collapsed into a chair. The others started asking questions. She tried to explain what she could. It had been overwhelming to witness the arrest, and it wasn’t easy to settle down. Lori’s relief that Matt had been removed from the clinic—and wouldn’t return—got lost in the excitement.

  Lori closed the clinic for the remainder of the day, then texted Gunner. He showed up to take her home, and on the way, she described Matt’s arrest in detail. Lori felt immense satisfaction. Matt had bullied and manipulated her for far too long. It had finally come to an end.

  When Lori got home, she kicked off her shoes and put on comfortable clothes. Then she opened a bottle of wine to share. “I can’t believe it’s over.”

  Lori leaned against Gunner’s strong shoulder and sipped wine, trying to relax. Yet something nagged at her. “I’ve been thinking about your theory.”

  “About Matt’s motive?”

  “If my father had any suspicions about Matt, he didn’t share them with me.”

  “I’m sure he wanted to protect you.”

  “It’s difficult to picture Matt being a killer,” Lori said. “He was dishonest and greedy, but…”

  “If not Matt, then who?”

  “The mob wanted to do business with me,” Lori said. “Lorenzo even mentioned that he knew my father. What if he had made the same offer to my father, but he had refused?”

  “I’ve thought of that,” Gunner said. “The mob could have ordered a hit, but poisoning? They would have needed to get close enough, and I doubt your father accepted a dinner invitation from them.”

  “Matt is more likely,” Lori said. “If I had married him, his plan might have worked.”

  “The news of Matt’s arrest will spread fast,” Gunner said. “You can bet the mob will fade into the background.”

  “Will Matt tell the government who he worked with?”

  “A plea bargain would be dangerous,” Gunner said. “The FBI knows it was the mob from the surveillance video, but Lorenzo has good attorneys. I’m sure he will deny any involvement.”

  “But there were others,” Lori said. “Matt could agree to be a witness.”

  “He’s too smart for that,” Gunner said. “The mob would kill him…and he knows it.”

  Chapter 22

  Halfway through the bottle of wine, Lori had started to relax. She had been under a lot of pressure, but she was free of Matt’s influence. The rest of the evening with Gunner had been loving and intimate, and he had kept her up until the early hours of the morning with his affections.

  Life looked even better the next morning. When Lori arrived at the clinic, the mood was lighter than it had been in months. The staff seemed to have recovered from yesterday’s events and were back to work.

  It was a joy to treat patients. With Matt in prison, Lori felt safe. Her attorney had told her that, due to the nature of the charges, the court might deny bail. In that case, Matt would have to post a cash bond.

  That could get tricky, because in a case of federal drug charges, the government could ask for a funding hearing. Matt would be required to prove that the money wasn’t drug money, and that it hadn’t been obtained from other illegal sources. The judge would require a paper trail to verify where the bond money came from.

  The story of Matt’s arrest made the morning headlines, and a couple of the news channels broadcast the details. Lori wasn’t surprised to hear from Uncle Sheldon. He wanted to make sure that she hadn’t been hurt, and then he invited her to lunch at his home.

  Lori texted that she would be at her uncle’s house in Brentwood for a couple of hours. Gunner was at Stealth, digging for evidence, determined to give the police what they needed to add a murder charge to Matt’s list of crimes.

  Sarah was staying in for lunch, so Lori left her in charge and drove to Sheldon’s home. She had been there a few times, but he preferred taking her to nice restaurants. He was making spaghetti with homemade sauce, and Lori hoped he made extra sauce, so she could take some home.

  The Brentwood mansion wasn’t as large as the safe house where Lori had stayed, but it would certainly do. The Spanish architecture accommodated indoor/outdoor living, making the interior space very airy. Lori remembered the high ceilings with the enormous kitchen.

  Sheldon enjoyed cooking and made use of the marble islands and gourmet appliances. Lori’s father had talked about his visits and helping to prepare gourmet meals. Before he died, the visits had been more frequent, and her father had dined with his brother about once a week.

  Thoughts of her father distracted Lori. She missed him, but she had to put that aside. When she rang the bell, Sheldon greeted her. He didn’t have a staff of servants, despite his wealth. Lori hugged her uncle then stepped inside.

  “It’s gorgeous in here,” Lori said. “A bit different than I remember. Have you redecorated?” She noted that the paintings, rugs, and furnishings were more luxurious than she recalled.

  “It’s just like you to notice,” Sheldon said. “I hired an interior decorator.”

  Sheldon had done well in his investment business, and his lifestyle reflected that. Lori couldn’t complain; her uncle had certainly been good to her.

  “You can select a bottle of wine for the meal,” Sheldon said, then guided her to the walk-in wine closet.

  “I shouldn’t,” Lori said. “I have patients scheduled this afternoon.”

  “Just one glass,” Sheldon said. “After what you’ve been through, you deserve it.”

  Lori chose the wine then followed Sheldon to the living room and sat on a plush white sofa.

  “The spaghetti is nearly ready,” Sheldon said. “Enjoy your wine for a few minutes.”

  While her uncle checked on the pasta, Lori admired the view. The windows looked out onto lush green lawns with rows of manicured shrubs in the distance. She remembered that there was an ocean view from the upstairs windows. Maybe she could check that out before she left.

  When Sheldon returned, he made a toast to Lori. “I was stunned to hear the news about Matt. I’ve known him for year
s, but I didn’t suspect anything like that.”

  “I’m just glad it’s over.”

  “You’ll need a replacement, a qualified manager to handle the clinic’s administration.”

  “Honestly, I haven’t had a chance to think about that,” Lori said.

  “I know a couple of qualified prospects,” Sheldon said. “I’ll give you their names. It’s the least I can do.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “Bring your wine in,” Sheldon said. “Lunch should be ready.”

  They ate at a long glass table in front of a picture window, with a view of the backyard. Lori sipped her wine, then put her napkin on her lap. “This looks delicious.”

  Sheldon twisted a bite around his fork and ate it. “Ah, it turned out well. I used more garlic, but it worked.”

  “Excuse me a moment,” Lori said. “I need to use the ladies’ room.”

  “Sure, you know where it is.”

  Lori walked through the kitchen then down the hall. The closest bathroom was down the hallway, close to the terrace. On the way back to the table, she remembered the cheese. Sheldon usually served Parmesan with pasta; he had probably forgotten that she liked it.

  In the kitchen, Lori rummaged through the spice cupboard but didn’t find the cheese shaker. Maybe Sheldon had rearranged things. She opened two more cupboards with no luck. “Uncle Sheldon, where’s the Parmesan?”

  Then Lori spotted the cheese on the second shelf of a long, narrow cupboard. Right behind it was a bottle that looked like medicine. She reached for it, concerned that her uncle might be ill. She turned the small bottle to look at the label: potassium ferric hexacyanoferrate.

  Lori stared at the bottle. That was the medicinal name for Prussian blue, the antidote for thallium poisoning. She turned to find Sheldon standing in the doorway. He looked at her and Lori stared, as though he was a stranger.

  “You?”

  “You shouldn’t have been snooping.” He reached for the bottle, and Lori handed it over. “You had better come and sit down.”