Fatal Dreams (COBRA Securities Book 17)

by Velvet Vaughn

  “I’d like to check him out anyway. I’m also going to make sure he understands not to contact you anymore.”

  Another snort. “Good luck with that. I’ve tried for years.”

  He rolled her to her back again and kissed her thoroughly before levering himself out of bed and flowing to his feet with a natural athleticism. “My ways of persuasion will be much more effective.”

  She shot up and reached for him, but he was out of range. “Ethan, as much as Bernie annoys me, I don’t want you to hurt him. Mostly because you might get arrested. Also, he looks like he’d bruise like a peach.”

  Ethan’s smile was a slash of white teeth. “I’m not going to hit the man—unless he provokes me.”

  He headed to the bathroom. She took a moment to appreciate the sheer beauty of the perfect globes of his buttocks as he sauntered away. He really was a work of art. Then she tossed the cover aside and scampered after him. No sense in wasting perfectly good hot water.

  #

  Noah arrived looking as relaxed as Ethan felt. It was amazing what good sex did for the psyche. Scratch that—great sex. Incredible sex. Off-the-charts sex.

  He stopped himself from brushing a kiss across Esme’s lips. Not only was it unprofessional since he was working, but he didn’t want his brother getting ideas—or more than were already in his head. He was sure Noah had already conjured up a few of his own.

  He placed a hand on Esme’s shoulder. If he couldn’t kiss her, he could at least touch her. “Make sure the alarm’s set. We’ll be back soon.”

  She knocked his hand away. “Uh, excuse me. You really think you’re going without me?”

  She looked so adorable with the mutinous glare, pursed lips and her hands planted on her hips. “No, I don’t think that,” Ethan said easily. She started forward. “I know it. Stay here.”

  She frowned. “I’m not a dog. I don’t follow your orders. I’m going with you.”

  Ethan slugged Noah in the gut, turning his amused chuckle into a grunt. “Esme,” he warned. “Set the alarm as soon as we’re gone.” He turned to leave but her words stopped him in his tracks.

  “Either I go with you, or I follow you in my car.” She crossed her arms. “Your choice.”

  Ethan glanced at his brother for help, but Noah just shrugged. “She is safer with us.”

  He gaped at Noah. So much for brotherly love. “Damn,” he mumbled, knowing they were both right. She was safer with them. “Fine. Gear up. But you stay in the vehicle with the doors locked when we get there.” The fact that she didn’t argue with that demand was a little disconcerting. What the hell did she have up her sleeve?

  He helped her secure the Kevlar vest before they departed. “I want it on the record that I think this is a bad idea,” he grumbled, but no one paid him any attention. Great.

  He and Noah exited the house first, checking the surroundings. He gave Esme the all clear and she scurried after them. Noah popped the locks on his SUV. “I’ll drive.”

  After making sure Esme was buckled in, he closed her door and climbed into the passenger seat.

  Noah started the engine. “Give me the rundown on this Bernie guy.”

  “Esme, you wanted to be part of this op, so I’ll give you the floor.”

  “Thank you, Ethan. I’ll gladly accept.”

  Sarcasm noted.

  “Bernice Gorman owns a business similar to my aunt’s. She’s always been jealous of Lumi. I’m pretty sure she has no psychic abilities whatsoever. She uses Tarot cards almost exclusively and interprets them to benefit her customers, not as they are meant to be used. She’s the type of woman who acts like your best friend to your face and then stabs you the moment you turn your back. Her son Bernie has the IQ of a toadstool. His mother controls everything he does. He’s not mean, and that’s why I don’t want Ethan to hit him or anything.”

  Ethan jerked around in his seat and glared at her. “Esme, I’m not violent.” Sheesh. Did she think he was a brute?

  She made a disbelieving sound. “Anyway, he’s been asking me out for years. It’s almost a ritual. He asks, I turn him down, repeat. He never gets the message. He never acts like I’ve crushed his heart or anything and I’ve never felt physically threatened by him. I think maybe his mother told him to ask me and he just does her bidding.”

  Noah glanced in the rear-view mirror. “When was the last time you spoke with him?”

  “At a funeral last week.”

  “If you don’t think he’s capable, what about his mother?” Ethan asked, setting aside his hurt that she could think him capable of violence. He was, but only when absolutely necessary.

  Esme tapped a finger against her cheek. “Bernice I’m not so sure about. I’ve always thought she was concealing a streak of evil inside her, but I don’t think she’d resort to murder. Maybe Bernie would commit the crimes for her if she asked him.”

  As they turned down the street leading to the Gorman’s house, Ethan noticed a thick cloud of black smoke rising in the air. It was coming from the house with a tacky sign in the front yard in the shape of a crystal ball proclaiming Crystal Ball Fortunes.

  Esme’s arm shot between the seats. “Their house is on fire!” she cried.

  Noah wheeled into the short driveway beside the flaming structure and screeched to a stop. Ethan jumped out but stuck his head back inside. “Stay here and call the fire department. I mean it, Esme. I won’t be able to help if I’m worried about you. We’ll clear the house.”

  The home wasn’t fully engulfed yet, but flames danced along one side and licked up to the roof. Noah tried the door, but it was locked. Taking a step back, he used a booted foot to kick it in and it splintered on impact.

  “Hello, is anyone home?” Ethan called out. “The house is on fire.”

  The interior was a gaudy display of candelabras, crystal balls and red and gold velvet curtains they had to literally fight through to reach the other rooms. “Hello?”

  “Back here,” a weak voice cried.

  The smoke was thickening, making it hard to see where they were going. The heat intensified as the fire raged. Inside the kitchen they found a woman face-down on the floor and a man slumped in a chair beside her, hardly able to lift his head. Noah scooped up the woman and headed back the way they came through the maze of curtains. Ethan helped the man he assumed was Bernie to his feet. When he realized Bernie wouldn’t be able to hold his weight, Ethan picked him up and threw him over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. He couldn’t weigh more than a hundred pounds.

  In the time it took to hoist the man, he lost sight of his brother. His lungs burned as he fought for a way outside, becoming disorientated in the haze.

  “Wait,” Bernie croaked. “We have to find Salem.”

  If help didn’t arrive soon, they might not be able to rescue another person. Hell, if Ethan couldn’t figure out which way to the exit, he might not be able to rescue himself. A rumbling groan preceded the back wall of the house collapsing.

  “I’ve got Salem.”

  Ethan blinked his eyes to clear the hallucination, but no, it wasn’t a figment of his imagination. It was Esme emerging from a cloud of smoke, a yellow eyed feline in her arms. Salem was, apparently, a cat.

  “I told you to stay outside,” he growled and then coughed, ruining the menacing tone of his voice.

  “This way.” Esme reached out grabbed his hand, guiding him through the labyrinth of swirling curtains and garish displays. He reluctantly admitted it was a good thing she’d disobeyed him, otherwise, he’d have made the wrong turn and might not have made it outside in time.

  She kept tugging his arm until sunlight hit his face and he inhaled blessed fresh air. Bernie had fallen unconscious, his limp body bouncing against Ethan’s shoulder.

  Noah placed the woman on the grass away from the house. Sirens were sounding as the first cop car arrived on the scene, followed by a fire truck. Ethan laid the man beside her and then gave into a fit of coughing to match Noah’s.

  Two
paramedics rushed over with their gear and started working on the patients. One of them glanced up. “You two sound like you inhaled quite a bit of smoke. You might need breathing treatments.”

  Ethan waved her away. “We’re good,” he replied gruffly. He wasn’t going to the hospital and he knew Noah felt the same. He turned to view the house. It was fully engulfed now. Red and orange flames shot from the windows and covered the roof. He noticed officers rushing to the adjoining houses, no doubt clearing them in case the worst happened, and they caught fire as well. There was very little space between dwellings in the neighborhood.

  Dave Black, the fire chief, walked over and handed them bottles of water. Ethan thanked him as he unscrewed the cap and drank deeply. Chatter from Dave’s walkie-talkie had him raising his voice to be heard. “Any idea what happened?”

  Ethan shook his head. “We drove by and saw the flames. We called out to evacuate the house and heard someone yelling for help.”

  “You two know better than to run into a burning building,” Dave chastised. They’d both known him and most of the firemen for years. They’d battled against each other in a friendly rivalry on the baseball field and basketball court. COBRA Securities always fielded teams for local sports leagues, as did several of the fire departments around town. Not to brag or anything, but COBRA Securities dominated every sport in which they participated. Okay, he was totally bragging.

  “Didn’t have time to think it over,” Noah argued. “It was life or death.”

  Dave slapped Ethan and then Noah on the back. “Good job, boys.” Then he moved forward to direct his crew.

  Ethan felt Esme’s presence at his side, so throwing his arm around her was a natural move. “You disobeyed my orders.”

  “Get used to it.”

  He narrowed his eyes, but she wasn’t looking at him. Her attention was focused on the black ball of fur in her arms. Ethan liked cats okay, but he was a bona fide dog person. Dogs were friendly and loyal. Cats tended to be aloof and arrogant. “A black cat named Salem. Pretty cliché.”

  “No kidding,” she remarked. “But who’s a good kitty?” She scratched Salem’s ears, much to the feline’s purring delight.

  Emergency vehicles crowded the street behind them as the firemen battled the flames. The paramedics loaded Bernie and Bernice on stretchers and carted them off to the hospital with sirens wailing.

  “Esme! Oh my God! I saw what happened.” A black-haired woman dressed in a multi-colored kaftan threw her arms awkwardly around Esme, trying not to crush the cat. “I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it.”

  “Well, well, well, look who we have here.”

  Ethan swiveled his head to see a man in a white oxford with a yellow and blue striped tie sauntering their way. He had the urge to knock the condescending smirk off Detective Brinks’ face. Much like the fire department, they had a great relationship with the police. It helped that one of their bosses, Luke Colton, was a former detective on the force. Usually they worked with the local cops easily. But something about Brinks irritated him.

  “Can I ask what you three are doing here?” His tone was accusatory.

  The woman who’d hugged Esme turned to face the detective. “These people just saved Bernice, Bernie and Salem’s lives.

  “Salem?”

  Esme held up the cat.

  “Who are you?” Brinks asked the woman.

  “Marge Earnshaw.”

  Ethan’s head snapped to the woman. This was Marge Earnshaw? She was on his suspect list. What were the odds she’d just show up when the house was on fire?

  Brinks waved a hand to encompass everyone in the vicinity. “What’s your relationship with these folks.”

  “Esme and I are old friends.”

  Ethan bit back a smile. Esme looked as if she’d sucked on a lemon.

  “I don’t know these…oh, well, hello gentlemen.” It was the first time the woman had looked in his and Noah’s direction. He did not like the gleam in her brown eyes.

  “Ma’am,” Brinks prompted. “Why are you here?”

  Marge winked at him or Noah, he wasn’t sure which one. Then she faced the detective. “I had a final interview with Mrs. Gorman. She’s going to hire me to work for her. I drove up and saw the house blazing away like the fires of hell.” She flapped her hands in a weird flailing gesture Ethan took to mean flames. “The next thing I knew, these two strapping men were carrying Mrs. Gorman and her son out of the inferno. Esme was on their heels with Salem in her arms.”

  “Thank you. You can go.”

  “But I—”

  “Now,” Brinks ordered.

  Marge narrowed her eyes at the detective and then turned to Esme. “I have two cats, so I can keep Salem until Bernice is better.”

  “That’d be great.” Esme handed over the black feline, who hissed and struggled to leap from Marge’s grip. Marge dodged the cat’s swiping paws. “I’ll call later and check on you, Esme.”

  “Great.”

  The cat was a good judge of character. Maybe they weren’t so aloof after all.

  #

  All Esme wanted was to step into Ethan’s arms and stay there for the next ten years or so. She’d been terrified watching him and his brother race into a burning building. She knew he wanted her to stay put but there was no way she could while they risked their lives. If something happened to him, she didn’t think she’d be able to go on without him. Plus, she knew the Gormans owned a cat from the dozens of pictures on their website. Ethan and Noah would be focused on saving human lives. She couldn’t let the cat die in the flames. He’d been hiding under the living room sofa but came easily when she coaxed him out.

  Bernice and Bernie had both been unconscious when Ethan and Noah carried them outside. She hoped they’d both be okay. She wasn’t a fan of Bernice and Bernie annoyed the hell out of her, but like Merle, she didn’t wish them dead.

  The firemen were succeeding in battling back the blaze, but from the looks of the remaining structure, it was a complete loss. At least the surrounding homes had been saved.

  “Ms. Jovanovich?”

  “What was that?” Detective Brinks had been talking but she tuned him out. She didn’t like the aggressive way he spoke to them. He already thought she killed Merle. He was probably tacking on a serial killer tag to her file.

  “I asked what you were doing in this neighborhood. Your shop isn’t around here.”

  What, like there were parts of town she wasn’t allowed to visit? Instead of spouting off her snide remark, which she was sure the detective would not appreciate, she said, “We were coming to talk to Bernie Gorman.”

  “Why?”

  “How is that any of your business?” She inwardly winced. Sometimes her temper got the best of her. But really, he had no reason to question her. She knew she probably shouldn’t be argumentative with a cop, but he was annoying.

  His mouth firmed, obviously not happy with her.

  “Noah, Ethan, how the hell are you?”

  A man in a gray sport jacket approached them with an outstretched hand. He walked with a slight limp. He shook Noah’s hand and then Ethan’s. “I see you’ve met the rookie.”

  Brinks’ jaw tightened. “I’m not a rookie.”

  “You are with us.” He nodded to her. “Ma’am. I’m Detective Frank Hurley.”

  She shook his hand, liking him instantly. “Esme Jovanovich.”

  Hurley glanced at the notepad in Brinks’ hand. “What are you doing?”

  “Asking them questions. They seem to show up at my crime scenes on a regular basis.”

  “Maybe that’s because these two men work for the top security firm in the country. Put your notes away, Rookie. They didn’t have anything to do with this.”

  Esme could practically hear Brinks grind his teeth. “I’m not a rookie. And I believe they did have something to do with this. The last time I saw them, they were standing over a dead body.”

  Esme’s mouth dropped open. “That’s not true.” />
  He shrugged. “Close enough.”

  “Go interview the neighbors. See if anyone noticed anything before the fire started. I’ll finish up here.”

  Brinks’ nostrils flared with annoyance, but he stalked off to talk to the group of people gathered on the sidewalk.

  “Sorry about him,” Hurley apologized. “He’s a hard-ass, but he’s a good cop. I’ve been away for two weeks, so fill me in on the crime scenes Brinks was talking about.”

  Ethan gave him a quick rundown on Femi’s abduction and murder, then Merle’s death in her shop. He explained how they planned to talk to Bernie and how they’d happened upon the fire.

  “I remember reading something about both murders. The second one was a pastor, right?” At Ethan’s nod, Hurley looked at her. “I haven’t read any of the files to know if they’re linked, but is there anyone that you think might be involved?”

  “Honestly, I thought Merle killed Femi until he ended up dead, too.”

  “What brought you here?”

  When this nice man asked, Esme didn’t mind telling him, as opposed to the snarly Brinks.

  “Bernie has been pestering me for years. I’m not sure he’s capable of murder, though.”

  “I wanted to get a feel for him,” Ethan admitted.

  “Look, I know you had nothing to do with this, but I need for all three of you to come down to the station to give official statements. I’ll handle it so you won’t have to deal with Brinks.”

  Esme spared one last look at what remained of the house as they headed to the SUV. They were blocked in by several emergency vehicles. The fire trucks had parked in the yard to access the structure. Hurley instructed cars to move until they were able to back out and head to the station. Brinks glanced at them with a look of frustration. She knew he wanted to pin this one on them, too but they’d had nothing to do with any of it. The sooner he realized that, the faster he could look for the real perpetrator.

  Hours later they left the station tired and hungry. They were all covered in black soot and smelled like smoke. She wanted to shower and fall into bed.