Accused

by Sharon C. Cooper

  “Well, will one of you tell me what’s going on? What or who did you see on the video? Who was in the house?”

  “Franklin.”

  “Franklin? I don’t know any… Wait. The FBI agent? He was in my house?” she shrieked. “Oh no. What if he found som—”

  “Don’t,” Kenton started, his finger under her chin forcing her to look at him. “Just listen—”

  “No!” She jerked her hand away and pounded on the seat between them. “I will not listen. That man was in my house…going through my things. He can’t just get away with breaking and entering. He invaded my private space.” Even as she spoke the words, doubt raced through her mind. Jay Franklin was the FBI. Who was she going to tell? Who would do anything to him?

  “I’m gonna find that asshole and make sure he thinks twice before contacting you again.” Kenton’s calm from earlier was gone. In its place was the same ferocity he had exuded when he came to her defense with Ross.

  “And that’s where we disagree,” Laz piped in as he maneuvered seamlessly through the streets of Atlanta with ease. “We should sit on this incident and not show our hand just yet. Franklin might lead us to a bigger fish. But if yo ass goes half-cocked and beat the shit out of him, we won’t get anything.”

  Kenton closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn’t challenge Laz’s assessment.

  “Kenton, maybe Laz is right. Don’t do anything that’ll get yourself in trouble. It’s just not worth it.”

  “Anything involving you is worth it,” he said with conviction, and for the first time that night, she saw worry in his eyes. Then something else dawned on her.

  “Did the video show him taking my mug or anything else from the house?”

  Kenton nodded. “He took what looked like an ink pen from the coffee table.”

  “But why? What could he possibly want with those items?”

  “My guess would be for fingerprints. We just have to figure out why,” Laz said from the front seat.

  Egypt’s heart slammed against her chest. One look at Kenton and she knew they were thinking the same thing.

  Agent Franklin might be working for Pisano.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “Kenton!”

  He could barely hear the sirens in the distance over the ringing in his ears and Egypt’s screams. She ran toward him.

  “Get down!” he yelled and fired off another round. “Stay down!”

  Her body jerked. Her eyes grew large, and she grabbed the top of her bulletproof vest.

  Blood.

  No. No. No.

  Kenton lunged, hoping to catch her, but she staggered then dropped hard to the grass. “Hang on, baby! Hang on!” Before he could get closer, he felt a pinch near his ear. Unbearable heat coursed through his neck, his shoulder, and his knees went weak sending him crashing to the ground. Pain gripped his body, clawing through him like a scalpel scraping across his bones.

  Hang on. He couldn’t lose her. He had to hang on.

  Egypt stretched out her arm, reaching for him as tears flowed down her face, and her chest heaved. Kenton crawled toward her, his vision blurring as he fought to keep moving. He had to keep moving.

  “K-Ken…” Her body shook. Once. Twice. And then…nothing.

  No! No! No!

  “Egypt!” he yelled, barely recognizing his gravelly voice as heavy darkness descended over him.

  Hang on. I have to hang on. I have to save her.

  Egypt! Egypt! Egypt!

  “Kenton? Kenton, wake up.”

  “Egypt! Egypt!” Kenton shot up in bed, gasping. Blindly reaching for her, his heart hammering inside his chest. “Egypt.”

  “I’m right here, honey. I’m right here.” She straddled him. “See, I’m right here.”

  Kenton’s hands were all over her face, her neck, working their way down her body. “Are you hurt? Are you okay?” he rasped, his throat rough as sandpaper. He struggled to get air into his lungs as fear continued flowing through his veins.

  “I’m fine.” Egypt cupped his face, placing her forehead against his. “You had a bad dream.” She littered his face with feathery kisses.

  “Shit. I thought…I thought I had lost you.” Kenton crushed her to him. He might’ve been holding on too tight, but he couldn’t let her go. He squeezed his eyes closed, fighting to control the overwhelming emotion consuming him. God, if he ever lost her…

  “I’m right here,” Egypt crooned in his ear over and over, her arms secured around his neck as she rocked him. Kenton rested his head on her shoulder, the motion lulling his heartbeat slowly back to a normal rate. They stayed that way for the longest before Egypt lifted her head.

  “Lay down. I’ll be right back.”

  Kenton did as he was told. Exhausted, but still riled, he risked closing his eyes again while listening to her move around the room. Minutes later, she climbed onto the bed next to him. She placed a wet cloth on his forehead, and he released a long, steadying breath.

  When he finally reopened his eyes, the bedside lamp was on, and he was staring into Egypt’s worried face.

  “That must have been some nightmare. Are you okay?” She kissed him, and dabbed the damp cloth across his forehead and then down the side of his face.

  “Yeah, I’m all right,” he said, really not wanting to talk, but knowing he had probably freaked her out. “What time is it?”

  “Almost four.”

  Good. They still had a couple of hours before they needed to get up for work.

  Egypt wiped at the perspiration on his face a little more before dropping the small towel on the floor. “Do you want to talk about the dream?”

  “Not really.”

  When he didn’t continue, Egypt stretched out beside him and pulled the sheet over their naked bodies. She curled against him, her head resting in the crook of his arm, and her hand on his chest. A calm settled over Kenton as he thought about the nightmare. That dream haunted him more times than he could count, but this one was a thousand times worse. Scarier. Instead of the dream including Santana…it was Egypt in her place. He could see her so vividly, laying there, blood painting the ground around her.

  Kenton closed his eyes again to block out the visual. His head was pounding, and his chest felt like someone had ripped out his heart and ran it through a shredder. Losing Santana and Quaid had rocked him, but he already knew if he lost Egypt, it would kill him. She had become such an important part of him, and he wouldn’t be able to handle another loss.

  “Talk to me, Kenton. You’ve been a rock for me during my situation over the last few days. Let me be that for you. Tell me about the dream. It might make you feel better.”

  He doubted that. If he could, he would wipe his mind free and never have the nightmare again. And right now, all he wanted to do was get some sleep. They had stayed up late, discussing whether or not to report Franklin to his superiors for breaking into Egypt’s home. In the end, they decided to handle the situation Laz’s way.

  “Kenton, what are you afraid of?”

  “Losing you.” He couldn’t think of anything at the moment that scared him more than that. What if he couldn’t protect her? What if she suffered the same fate as Santana and Quaid?

  Egypt lifted up on her elbow to look at him. “You’re not going to lose me. I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me whether you like it or not.”

  Kenton’s hand slid into her mass of locks, and he sifted his fingers through the strands. “I love being stuck with you, and you already know you can’t get rid of me, but I’m concerned about keeping you safe.”

  She scooted up higher and traced the tip of her finger over his mustache and then his lips. “I trust you with my life. We will keep me safe. I’m not totally helpless. Yes, I wigged out when I saw Marco’s photo that day at the office, but only because it caught me off guard. It had been a long time. Now, mentally and emotionally I’m in a better place, mainly because of you. Am I scared to come face to face with that monster? Yes, but I feel
stronger knowing that you and the guys have my back.”

  He marveled at her internal and external beauty, and her resilience was second to none. She’d been through hell, yet she never gave up, only growing stronger with time.

  “The nightmare is of the day Santana, Quaid, and I were attacked. The dream came frequently during the year after their deaths, but not as often after that, at least not until recently.”

  “Do you have a trigger? Did something happen to make it return?”

  “The anniversary of their deaths is coming up, but this dream was different. Instead of Santana in the nightmare this time…it was you.”

  “Ah, honey, it was just a dream.”

  “A dream that felt way too real. I could even smell death. Feel the pain from the bullet to my neck, my shoulder. Every aspect of that dream was so vivid. It was as if I was right there.”

  Kenton met her gaze, surprised that it wasn’t concern or fear he saw in her dark eyes, but love. He placed a kiss on the inside of her wrist. Her scented skin smelled like lavender and vanilla, stirring his desire and pushing out the melancholy.

  “That’s what I meant when I said I can’t lose you. I want you to know I will give my life to protect you.”

  She shook her head and pulled her hand free. “Don’t say that, because that would mean me losing you and that’s not acceptable. You’ve already promised to marry me and give me three kids.”

  Kenton smiled at the conviction in her voice. He had seen her sense of humor often enough over the years, but he liked that she could make a stressful time feel a little lighter.

  “That’s right. I did tell you that, and I always keep my promises.”

  Except with Santana. His mind taunted, but he shook the thought free. He wouldn’t let Egypt down.

  “There’s something I omitted yesterday about Santana and Quaid’s death.”

  “And what’s that?”

  Kenton had debated all night on whether to tell her, especially knowing how she felt about law enforcement. But he didn’t want there to be any secrets between them. This wouldn’t affect their relationship, but he wanted her to know that some of her beliefs weren’t off track.

  Kenton sat up and put his feet on the floor.

  “Where are you going?” she asked, holding the sheet up over her breasts.

  “Nowhere.”

  He picked up the T-shirt he had discarded before they climbed into bed. “Here put this on.” Her alluring, naked body was too much of a distraction for a serious conversation. While she put on his shirt, Kenton slipped into a pair of basketball shorts before climbing into bed and resting his back against the headboard. Egypt cozied up next to him.

  “I didn’t tell you the main reason I left the FBI. I wasn’t originally responsible for Santana’s protection, but one of her stipulations for testifying was that I be the one to guard her. While we were protecting Santana, our location had been compromised twice. After the second time, we figured either Santana had told someone where we were located, which she denied. Or there was someone in our circle of agents disclosing whereabouts.”

  “You guys had a mole.” She pursed her lips and folded her arms across her chest. “And you wonder why I don’t trust law enforcement.”

  “There are bad people in every walk of life, Egypt. Not all law enforcement is bad.”

  Kenton could say that now, although, after the death of his friends, he didn’t trust anyone outside of his family.

  “And yes, someone was leaking information. We just didn’t know. Any information about the witness and her whereabouts was kept between our supervisor, and there was a backup team that assisted with the protection detail. The day of our detour to the cemetery, our backup team should have been in position before we arrived. It wasn’t until we got there that we found out they got held up.”

  “And you guys stayed anyway. That’s why you’ve been blaming yourself.”

  He nodded. “During the investigation, there was one excuse after another for why that team hadn’t been in place. Ultimately, the decision not to abort was on me.”

  “Are you saying the feds blamed you?”

  “No, but it was made clear that I didn’t follow protocol. At the agency, they encourage us to use our best judgment in situations, but in that instance, they faulted me for putting the witness at risk. I should’ve aborted the detour or should’ve waited for backup.”

  “Is that why you resigned?”

  “Partly. I was in a bad place up here.” He pointed at his head, remembering how he had mentally shut down. Besides Caleb’s help, it wasn’t until Kenton’s father had shown up at his front door that he started getting himself together. “I also didn’t like the way the FBI was handling the investigation into what happened at the cemetery. They weren’t working fast enough as far as I was concerned, and for a while, I lost faith in the agency.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ll admit when I screw up, but there were some other misfires that no one took ownership of. They didn’t support me the way that they should have, and where I come from, you always take care of your people, especially your witnesses. On top of that, the investigation was a joke. They didn’t close that case until months after I left.

  “It had taken months for them to find the traitor. It turned out that it was one of the logistics guys. His son had gotten in bad with the DeLevese gang, and they somehow found out his father was a fed. They snatched the son. They blackmailed the agent.”

  “Oh no.”

  “He gave them the information they wanted, and they still murdered his son. Two days later, the body was dumped in a junkyard. It took the feds months to get to the bottom of this. I question whether or not they would’ve figured it out at all if they hadn’t gotten a tip from an anonymous source.”

  “Hearing stories like that…it’s just awful all the way around.”

  “Even if there are some crooked agents, not everyone in law enforcement is bad. Sometimes there are individuals who end up in bad situations.”

  “Are you telling me all of this because you think that Agent Franklin might be in a bad situation?”

  “I don’t know, and I don’t care what the hell type of situation he may be in. All I know is if he and I cross paths, or he comes anywhere near you again, he’ll regret the day we ever met.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Kenton woke with a start. He glanced around trying to determine what had awakened him but didn’t see or hear anything. Egypt was fast asleep. Sprawled across him, her head rested on his chest and one of her legs entwined with his. The T-shirt he’d given her earlier to wear was bunched around her hips, giving him a good view of her perfectly round ass.

  But unease swept through his body. Something was off.

  As the sleep fog dissipated, Kenton heard a faint beeping. Several seconds later his house alarm blared.

  He jumped. “Egypt.” Kenton shook her several times as he reached into the top drawer of his nightstand for his Glock.

  “Huh?” She bolted up, her head slamming into his chin.

  “Ow, shit,” he grunted, but didn’t have time to dwell on the pain. “In the closet. Now.”

  He practically lifted her off the bed and hurried her across the room until she was walking on her own. They had discussed safety protocols the other morning, one being that the master closet would be her safe place. Though still a little dazed, she went in without question, closing the door behind her.

  Barefoot, Kenton crept silently into the hallway. A sliver of illumination from the small nightlight plugged into a wall socket, guided his path. His pulse pounded erratically, and adrenaline rushed through his body. He moved quickly down the hall and didn’t stop until he reached the top of the stairs where he stood silently, listening.

  Not hearing anything, Kenton eased down the stairs, skipping the step in the middle of the staircase that squeaked. Then he heard movement. Someone cursed just as he got to the bottom of the landing.

  “Chelse
y! What the hell?”

  His youngest sister let out a scream, her hand grabbing her chest. “God, Kenton. You scared me to death! What’s wrong with this stupid thing?” She pointed at the alarm console. “I put in the code twice, and it didn’t work.”

  The intense energy flooding Kenton’s body moments ago slowed, but his heart was still beating faster than usual. He shut off the alarm and ran a hand over his low-cut hair.

  “I changed the code last night.”

  “What’s going on? You don’t usually sleep this late, and what’s with the gun?” she asked, worry marring her face. “Did something happen?”

  “I thought you were someone breaking in. Sit tight, and I’ll be back.” He started for the stairs but stopped suddenly. “It’s Monday morning. Why aren’t you at school?”

  He took in his sister’s appearance. Her long, dark braids with a few blond strands, were pulled back from her face and gathered in a ponytail that went down her back. Dressed in a gray jogging suit that had UGA stamped across the front, and Nikes covering her feet, she looked every bit the track star. She was attending the University of Georgia-Athens on a full athletic scholarship.

  “A friend of mine is in town and wanted to meet for breakfast before she flies out. I figured I’d beat the traffic and come early. But I’m only here for a couple of hours since my first class starts at twelve. Now, let’s get back to you.” She leaned a hip against the kitchen counter and folded her arms. “There are only two reasons you’d still be in bed. Either you’re sick or—”

  “I’ll be back,” Kenton said again, ignoring anything else she had to say. His pulse still wasn’t back to normal, but he needed to get Egypt. He took the stairs two at a time and returned to his bedroom, glad the door was still closed. If there had been an actual threat, he liked knowing that she took the possible danger seriously.

  Kenton swung open the closet door, and his stomach flipped. Egypt stood on the other side of the island, a small pistol pointed at his chest.

  “It’s just me,” he said slowly, his arms out to the side. Her intense gaze, nailing him in place, remained while she slowly lowered the gun.