The Perfect Murder--A Novel

by Kat Martin

  From Kenzie’s, the limo took them to the office.

  “We’ve got plenty of security,” Reese assured Jax as they walked into the multistory lobby. “The executive floor isn’t even accessible without signing in at the desk, so there’s no need for you to stay. Why don’t you come back at closing, make sure we get home safely?”

  Amusement touched Jax’s lips. “I don’t think that’s what Chase had in mind, but I promise to be discreet. You won’t even know I’m here.”

  Reese felt a trickle of irritation. He’d been taking care of himself since he was fifteen. He studied Jax’s determined features and a sigh of resignation whispered out. As Kenzie had said, his brother just wanted him safe.

  “Okay, fine, whatever. We’re headed upstairs. I’ll be in my office.”

  Jax nodded, rode up with them to the executive floor, then disappeared, presumably to check out building security.

  Looking forward to getting out of the clothes Kenzie had scrounged from his Houston apartment that morning and brought to the hospital, Reese showered in his private bath and changed into a white shirt and navy blue suit.

  While Kenzie worked on his schedule for the coming week, Reese spent the afternoon digging into Troy Graves, his lifestyle, groups he belonged to, articles written about him or Black Sand Oil and Gas, everything he could find on the internet.

  He learned the basics, but nothing that could help him. Reese phoned Tabitha Love. “Tab, it’s Reese. I need a little more help.”

  “Sure, chief. What can I do for you?”

  Reese filled her in on his suspicions about Graves, and half an hour later, Tabby called back.

  “What have you got?” Reese asked.

  “Just some small stuff so far, but you never know what might help.”

  “I’m listening.”

  She ran through his biography, born and raised in Dallas, went to Texas University, where Reese had originally met him. “Never married,” Tabby said. “No kids. Inherited half ownership of Black Sand Oil and Gas from his father.”

  Nothing new there. “What else?”

  “After his dad died, Troy moved into his father’s house, a palatial residence in Bluffview. Two days after his partner, Arthur Haines, was killed, he turned in his old Porsche and leased a new one. Oh, and he’s seeing a woman named Delia Parr, the late Lee Haines’s fiancée.”

  Delia Parr. Reese remembered her. Didn’t take her long to get back in the game, he thought. From his impression at the funeral, he wasn’t surprised.

  “What about Graves’s finances?”

  “Troy’s not the best credit risk. In the last six months, he’s developed a habit of being late on his bills. His mortgage is a couple of months behind. For a while, his spending slowed down, but recently there’s been an uptick. He must think he’s going to have money coming in from somewhere.”

  “Yeah, and I think I know where. Anything else?”

  “I can dig deeper if you want.”

  “That’s enough for now. Thanks, Tabby.” Reese hung up the phone. It was almost closing time. He hadn’t made much progress but tomorrow he’d start again. He was tired, his headache returning, but he was looking forward to his evening with Kenzie.

  He was thinking about the things he wanted to say when his intercom buzzed.

  “Troy Graves is here to see you, Reese.” He could hear the tension in Kenzie’s voice, felt the same tension settle between his shoulders.

  He’d tossed his Nighthawk after the shooting in Shreveport. The Beretta he’d used as backup was in his right-hand top desk drawer.

  He reached over and unlocked it. “Send him in.”

  The door opened and Kenzie walked into his office, personally escorting Troy into the room. She closed the door behind her, gave him a look that dared him to send her away. She wanted to be there, wanted to hear what Graves had to say. He didn’t like it. He had no idea what Troy might do. But she had saved his life. He figured he owed her that much.

  Reese rose behind his desk. “I’m surprised to see you here. You know my assistant, McKenzie Haines. I’d like her to sit in on our meeting.”

  Troy’s dark eyes ran over her, took in her stunning figure and softly curling mahogany hair. A knowing smirk lifted the corners of his mouth. “Same old Reese.”

  Reese clamped down on a surge of temper. “Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, unfortunately for you I’m still alive.”

  Troy’s pupils flared an instant before his expression hardened. “I came to talk to you. Figure things out, you know? CEO to CEO. That’s what we do, right?”

  Wariness slipped through him. Men were dead. Graves was involved. How far was Troy willing to go to get what he wanted? “Sometimes.”

  Troy’s glance strayed to Kenzie and returned. “You always win, don’t you?”

  A sound came from Kenzie’s throat as Troy reached beneath his suit coat and pulled out a semiautomatic pistol, aimed it at Reese’s chest.

  Rage burned through him. “I thought you just wanted to talk.”

  “It’s past time for that.” Troy kept the gun leveled at Reese, then turned it toward Kenzie. “Get over by the window. You, too, Reese.”

  Neither of them moved. Reese considered the gun in his desk. If he could distract Troy long enough, he could reach it.

  “Are you sure you want to do this? I can still sign the platform over to Black Sand Oil and Gas. You’d get the rig, and we could pretend none of this ever happened.”

  Troy chuckled. “So I guess you haven’t heard. My inside man got busted. The fool kept the money I’ve been sending him under his goddamn bed. I don’t know what the idiot did to get caught, but whatever it was, he promptly spilled his guts. Coast Guard picked him up. They transported him from the Poseidon to the Galveston sheriff’s station. By now there’s a good chance the cops are looking for me.”

  “How did you find out?” Reese asked.

  “It’s always better to have one spy keeping track of another. The second guy’s job was to keep me informed.” He zeroed in on Reese. “I won’t be needing either one of them anymore.”

  Reese glanced at Kenzie. She knew the Beretta was in his desk drawer. As long as he kept Troy talking, he could probably reach it, but he had already killed one man and he was determined not to do it again. If he did, he might lose the only woman he had ever loved.

  Kenzie’s eyes questioned him as he ignored the pistol and rounded the desk, putting him closer to Troy.

  Troy’s gun hand wavered. “What are you doing?” His grip tightened. “I told you to get over by the window.”

  “There’s still time to talk,” Reese said calmly. “You’re an important man in Dallas. With a good attorney—” Reese lunged and Kenzie screamed as the two men flew through the air and landed hard on the floor. Reese gripped Troy’s wrist, fighting for control of the pistol, and Troy pulled the trigger, sending shock waves across the room.

  Reese squeezed harder, banging Troy’s wrist on the floor until the gun fell from Troy’s hand, but Troy jerked free and rolled to his feet. Reese followed, kicking the gun out of Troy’s reach.

  The door swung open as they faced each other, circling now, taking each other’s measure. Jax stood in the opening, gun drawn, but Reese just shook his head.

  Troy moved in and swung a blow Reese ducked, then straightened and hit him with a left-right combination. Reese counterpunched, hitting Troy hard in the jaw, but Troy stayed on his feet.

  “Looks like your skills have improved since college,” Reese said.

  “It’s all about motivation.” Troy flashed a feral smile. “I’ve always wanted to kick your ass.”

  Reese’s jaw clenched. “Come and get me.”

  Taking the bait, Troy stepped into the trap Reese had set. Troy swung, Reese ducked and threw a series of punches that drove Troy back against the wall. A framed photo of R
eese with his brothers hit the floor and glass shattered as he moved in to finish Troy off, knocking his head back again and again, then throwing a last hard punch that rang Troy’s bell and sent him crashing into a table, knocking it over. He landed unconscious on the plush gray carpet.

  Ryker rushed into the office and in seconds, Troy was cuffed and sitting on the floor, his back against the wood-paneled wall.

  “Cops are on the way,” Jax said.

  But Reese was already walking toward Kenzie, then pulling her into his arms. “I’m not the same man,” he said to her. “I hope you believe that.”

  Kenzie looked up at him, emotion in her face. “You’re the best man I’ve ever known, Reese Garrett, and I love you.”

  The last of the ice in his heart melted away. “I love you, too,” he said. And then he kissed her, in front of half the staff clustered at the door. And his bodyguard.

  FORTY-TWO

  Kenzie sat on the sofa in Reese’s living room. It was late. They had spent hours with the Dallas police. Troy Graves, who had only been wanted for questioning in regard to the Poseidon, was now in police custody and facing charges of attempted murder, among a long list of others.

  Two of the Poseidon crew had been arrested on an array of charges that included discharging an explosive device on a marine vessel, resulting in grave personal injury. People were going to jail. Kenzie thought the sentences they would receive were well-deserved.

  Her gaze went to Reese, who stood at the wet bar opening a bottle of vintage Cristal champagne. She wasn’t exactly sure of the occasion. Maybe just that both of them were still alive.

  He carried the champagne over, filled two crystal flutes, and set the bottle in the silver ice bucket on the coffee table.

  “What are we celebrating?” Kenzie asked as he touched his glass to hers and took a drink.

  “Actually, I’m just trying to work up the courage to say what I’ve been wanting to say for a while now.”

  Her stomach curled. After the incident with Troy in the office, Reese had said he loved her. She knew he cared for her. He had proven it again and again. But there were different kinds of love.

  From the start, she had been waiting for the time he would end things, try to return the relationship merely to friendship. As he had always done with the women he dated.

  She took a big sip of champagne. Maybe that time had come.

  “Go ahead,” she said. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  He looked nervous. Reese was never nervous. Her stomach tightened into a knot.

  He took a drink of champagne. “After the way I kissed you at the office, the gossip is going to spread like wildfire.”

  Her heart squeezed. She took a deep breath and tried to prepare herself. “You’re right, it is.”

  “There’s a way we can fix that.”

  Her eyes burned, filled with tears. She loved him. She would make it easy for him. “What do you want me to do?”

  Shock hit her as he went down on one knee in front of the sofa, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a blue velvet box.

  “I want you to marry me. I love you, Kenzie. With everything inside me.” He opened the box and a diamond solitaire sparkled in the lamplight. “I’ve never felt this way about a woman before. I never will again. Say you’ll marry me and I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy.”

  For an instant, she couldn’t breathe. Then she threw her arms around his neck, nearly knocking him over. “Reese.” She hung on tighter. “Reese, I love you so much.”

  He eased her back enough to look at her, his amazing blue eyes filled with love. “Is that a yes?”

  “Of course it’s a yes. I love you. Griff loves you. Gran loves you. If you’ll have all of us, then yes, yes, a thousand times yes.” She went back into his arms.

  “I want us to be a family,” he said, nuzzling the side of her neck. “I want us to have more kids. If...if that’s what you want, too.”

  She smiled at him through her tears. “I do, I absolutely, do. Griff wants a brother. We can give him one.”

  The last of his tension slipped away. “Or a baby sister who looks just like you.”

  Kenzie brushed away tears. “I feel like I’m dreaming.”

  “If you’re dreaming, we both are, and it’s a beautiful dream. You’re everything I ever wanted, baby. I can’t wait to start a life with you.” Reese slid the ring onto her finger and very thoroughly kissed her.

  * * *

  It was late morning now, the sun well up. Kenzie had been awake for a while watching Reese sleep. He was lying on his stomach, dozing softly beside her. Her gaze ran over the beautiful tattooed wings stretching across his wide shoulders. She traced one of the feathers with the tip of her finger, then shrieked when Reese erupted beneath her, laughing as he turned over, bringing her with him, setting her on top of him.

  “Good morning,” he said, grinning. He was aroused, she realized, and a rush of desire slipped through her.

  She smiled down at him. “After making love all night, I can’t believe you’re thinking about sex.”

  Reese cupped her breast and gently caressed her. “And you’re not?”

  She laughed, her body softening beneath his touch. “I’m thinking about it now.” She leaned forward, her long dark hair cocooning them as she lifted a little and eased him inside her.

  Reese groaned as she took control, setting up a rhythm he quickly matched. Gripping her hips to hold her in place, he drove into her, heightening the pleasure. Demanding and giving, they took from each other, took and gave until there was no holding back. Pleasure erupted, fierce and sweet, carrying her over the edge. Reese followed a few moments later.

  “I love you,” he said as he curled her against his side and settled an arm around her. “I can’t wait to marry you.” He gave her a last brief kiss. “In fact, I bought you an early wedding present.”

  “You did?”

  “If you don’t like it, we can sell it and buy something else, but I’ve been looking at the property for a while now. It’s a big two-story home, with plenty of room for all of us. Maybe I was thinking of marrying you even before I figured it out.”

  “Oh, Reese, that’s a wonderful present. I can’t wait to see it. Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. We’re just getting started.”

  Kenzie thought of the family they would make together, trusting him with her heart as she hadn’t been able to do before.

  Kenzie smiled. As Reese had said, they were just getting started.

  EPILOGUE

  Eight months later

  Reese manned the ski boat he had bought as a family Christmas present, a bright red MasterCraft ProStar. His wife and newly adopted son were both water sprites. Griff had taken to skiing as if he’d been born to it, already single skiing and jumping waves.

  A lot had happened in the last eight months. Kenzie had been cleared as a suspect in Lee Haines’s murder, thanks to evidence uncovered in Shreveport. No mention was ever made of how the evidence was found.

  The DNA samples Reese had collected at Kenzie’s town house after the kidnapping was a match to Eddie Fontaine. Fontaine was arrested, and, not knowing the evidence wouldn’t hold up in court, immediately rolled on Nolan Webb. Neither mentioned Sawyer DeMarco, but it didn’t really matter since DeMarco was dead.

  Reese had gone to Heath Ford about the shooting in Loggy Bayou. Turned out the man Reese had killed was wanted for murder. Given the circumstances—the rescue of a kidnapped child—no charges were filed.

  Troy Graves was rotting in jail. He had taken a plea deal, which had shaved a few years off his sentence, but his actions had cost people their lives and there was no way he was getting off without paying for his crimes.

  Delia Parr had skated, but she hadn’t really committed a crime. According to the tabloids, she was involved with a
real estate mogul old enough to be her grandfather.

  In early spring, Reese had agreed to coach Griff’s Little League baseball team. He couldn’t believe how much fun he was having. He was a family man now, with a son and a grandmother who lived with him in the big house he had purchased in Preston Hollow.

  He and Kenzie had talked about kids and were trying to get pregnant. They weren’t in a hurry. Reese grinned. Being goal-oriented, he was giving it his very best effort.

  And the Poseidon?

  The day before the purchase was set to close, Sea Titan had backed out of the deal. Being a superstitious lot, the crew on the rig was close to mutiny, convinced after all the accidents that Reese Garrett and his company were a jinx. No amount of explanation could convince them otherwise.

  Reese could have fought it and maybe won, but he’d backed out once himself, and in a way he was relieved. Offshore drilling could be profitable, but that profit came with a good deal of risk. Better to move forward than look back. For now, he was satisfied with the path the company was taking.

  He slowed the jet boat engine and the hull settled in the water. Griff swam over and passed his ski to Kenzie, who stowed it and helped him aboard. Time to head back to shore. Flo would have lunch waiting on one of the picnic tables, and he was getting hungry.

  “All set back there?” Reese asked.

  “Yeah, Dad.”

  “Kenzie?”

  Sitting in the co-captain’s chair, she tossed him a sexy smile. “Definitely ready.” She grinned. “I’ve got plans for you this afternoon.”

  Reese laughed. Same plans he had. Reese hit the throttle and the boat surged forward, carrying him and his family toward home.

  * * *

  ISBN-13: 9781488077906