"It probably helps that it's three in the afternoon, A."
"Yeah."
We climbed out of the car and made our way to towards the entrance. The area was quiet and I could hear traffic from the expressway half a mile away.
The door was as I remembered, faded red with paint peeling to reveal gray and blue underneath. Nothing made it stand out from the half dozen others like it on the same block. I peered into a window but couldn't see much of anything. Dusty hallways and lots of boxes in precarious piles.
"Well, what next?"
I shrugged at Anna. "I have no idea. I thought I'd know what to look for when we got here, but I don't."
"Great. You're giving me gas money, dummy."
I grinned. "Whatever."
"You said a woman answered the door when you rang the bell?"
"Yeah."
"Well let's see if she's here now."
My eyes widened. "A, we can't. If she knows what's going on she'll remember me."
"Oh, good point. Well then you go hide by the car and I'll ring the bell. See what she says."
"I don't know about this."
"Hey, coming here was your idea. If we're going to get evidence or information or whatever, we can't just stand outside and stare at the building."
I sighed. "You're right. Okay, go ahead. But be careful."
"Always."
I ducked on the other side of the car so I could peek around and see her.
Anna rang the bell and stood casually, as if she did this sort of thing all the time. Always so unflappable, my friend.
One minute went by and she rang again. No answer and she still waited. Two minutes, then five. So much for that brilliant plan.
As I was about to stand and tell her we should leave, I saw her hand close around the doorknob. She turned it and pushed. The door swung open slowly in front of her.
I jumped up and bounded over awkwardly, my sore limbs screaming. "What the hell?"
"Just call me Bess," she said.
"What? Who?"
"Nancy Drew's sidekick. Bess, right?"
"I have no fucking idea, A."
She shrugged. "We'll go with Bess until I can ask Wikipedia."
"Fine, Bess, what the hell are you doing?"
"Investigating." With that she stepped inside and I had no choice but to follow her.
Once we were in the warehouse I was more confused than ever. It was dimly lit and dusty, with cobwebs in almost every corner. And the boxes I'd spied from outside were barely hanging together, the cardboard sagging and splitting as if no one had been there in a very long time.
"Not exactly a hotbed of activity," Anna groused.
"No kidding. Maybe it's abandoned. That woman could have just come here for the pickup."
"Possible. But we're here. Let's check it out."
I'd planned to, but it was nice to see she was of the same mind about it. "Lead the way, Bess."
She giggled and started off down a hallway. We wound our way through the first floor, finding more of the same nothing the front space held.
Anna took a turn and as I rounded it behind her she stopped and I almost plowed right into her.
"Hey," I hissed.
She held a finger up to her mouth to silence me and then pointed.
At the end of the hall there was a door. We'd passed a dozen others, but this one was different. Where the rest of the warehouse was old and tired looking, this door was new and shiny. The steel reflected the overhead lights and there was a brand new looking keypad on the wall.
"Bingo," I said.
"Hot damn, I can't believe we actually found something."
"You say 'hot damn' now?"
Anna shrugged. "Maybe."
I stifled a giggle. "So now what?"
"Knock? Enter random numbers on the keypad?"
"Both terrible ideas, Bess. I see why you're the sidekick."
"Shut up."
She flipped me off and was about to say something when the door in front of us started to swing open. As if we did this every weekend, Anna and I fled back around the corner and crouched behind a pile of boxes without pause. The dust we disturbed floated on the air as a man's voice echoed in the hallway.
"Nah, it don't matter. Reception is shit everywhere. Just tell me." He paused for a moment, listening, I assumed. "Fuck that. I get paid to do nothing. Ain't no job better than that." Another pause, this one longer.
Anna and I exchanged looks. Could we escape while he was talking? I shook my head. It would be better to wait for him to go back in the room.
"Hang on, got another call," he said. "Hello?…Oh, yeah, boss. Nah, quiet like always… It's just me here today but I can come give you a hand…"
He strode back to the room and I heard the door opening and closing quickly. Too quickly for him to have unlocked it with a key or a code.
The smart thing to do was leave. Get the hell out of there while we could. But curiosity won out for me, and I could see interest and excitement on Anna's face too.
The debate was moot anyway, as the man returned quickly. The door slammed and he hurried past out hiding place without a glance. In the quiet warehouse we could hear every heavy step as he wound through the corridors to the front. Another door slammed and we were alone in the building.
"We're taking a peek, right?"
"We sure as hell are," I replied, standing up slowly and carefully.
We crept quietly around the corner again and approached the door. I put my hand on the knob and it turned easily. I pushed and it opened. I looked at Anna with wide eyes. "This is crazy. One of us should stay out here, just to be safe."
She snorted. "We left safe behind in the car, C."
I shrugged. "You're right. I'm checking this out. Two minutes and we're gone, okay?"
She nodded. "I'll be in our hiding spot. You hurry. Try to leave the door open."
"Got it."
I watched her retreat and then turned to face the room. What I saw shocked me. I'd expected an office or something. But what I found was a sophisticated surveillance setup. A bank of monitors attached to what looked like computer towers. There was what looked like a log book, three cell phones and two laptops. The monitors themselves were all on and playing. There were eight screens, all displaying a different area. Some looked like street views, others were of unidentifiable rooms.
Intrigued, I approached the screens and looked some more. On one screen a van pulled backwards into a loading dock. As it disappeared I noticed the screen next to it must be a view from inside that building. A group of men with hand trucks were organizing themselves and began to unload boxes from the back of the vehicle.
Another screen flipped from a view of an empty office to a large workroom space with long tables. There were three people sitting at them, weighing bags of something I couldn't quite make out. I strained my eyes and realized it was bags of pills. Just like the ones I'd delivered to this very building.
"Oh my god." My hunch about the place was right. I could be looking at the whole operation on these screens.
I was still standing there, mouth agape, when I heard the noise. Loud stomping and it was headed my way. Shit. The guy was back.
Chapter Four
I looked frantically around the room but there was nowhere to hide. My mind blanked and I froze, terrified. If I'd seen what I thought, I was in big trouble.
The steps got closer and closer. I managed to make my legs move and rushed over to the door. Maybe I could lock myself in, buy some time for Anna to get out of there.
But just as I saw a man's lower leg and foot at the bend in the hall, another sound startled both of us. His leg disappeared and I heard him call out, "Who is that? Somebody here?"
I gulped.
There was a loud crash somewhere in the warehouse and the man went running. I heard his steps retreat and slipped out of the room, shutting the door behind me. I had to find my friend and get out of there.
I struggled to listen for the sound of
the man's footsteps over the pounding of my heart. Creeping quietly, I headed back towards the entrance, making sure there was always something to hide behind or a dark room to duck into. It took forever to make any progress, but I comforted myself with the fact that he was pretty far away and not getting any closer.
As I passed a huge pallet of boxes, a soft hiss stopped me in my tracks. "Anna?" I whispered.
"Yeah."
I breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Come out and let's go."
She appeared, hair mussed, clothes covered in dust, and trembling. "I tried to buy you enough time to get out of there, but I didn't expect him to chase me."
"You're the best, A. Now come on." I took her hand and pulled her down the corridor to the front door. When the bright sunlight hit our faces we ran, rushing to the car and climbing inside as fast as possible.
I thought I heard a shout behind us as we pulled away, but it might have just been my mind screaming.
Focused on driving back to Sam's house, Anna was silent, but I could see she was still shaking. A smudge of dirt on her cheek somehow brought the truth of what we'd done to the forefront of my thoughts. She could have been killed by that man. Tiny and delicate she'd have been no match for him. But she hadn't even hesitated. As always, she'd tried to protect me at any cost.
Tears of gratitude and shame stung my eyes. I wouldn't ever put her in this position again. Never. Between her and Sam, the closest people to me were putting their lives and careers on the line to help me and it had to stop. No matter what it took I was going to keep them safe for a change.
"A, are you okay?"
She nodded.
"I'm sorry I dragged you into this."
"Hey, except for the heart-stopping terror, it's been fun."
We both laughed. Neither of us meant it.
"Well, I appreciate it but I need to ask you for something else."
"Anything. You know that."
I smiled. "Yeah, I do. Which is why I want you to drive to your place and let me take your car back to Sam's."
"But, why? Operation Warehouse Storm might have been a bust, but we can think of something else."
I felt a little guilty for not telling her what I'd seen in that control room, but it passed. The less she knew the better. "I just need to talk to Sam. He's going to be pissed I left and it'll be better if we can be alone."
She glanced over at me. "Ah, going to use some sexy soothing tactics?"
"Yup."
"Good thinking. Okay, but you call me later."
"Of course."
We drove to her apartment building and I watched her go inside before I circled the car and climbed into the driver's seat. In the fifteen minutes it took to get back to Sam's house I formulated a plan. Well, not really a plan. More like a half-assed idea, but it's all I had.
I parked around the corner from his house and slipped in the back door using the key I'd found hanging on a hook in the kitchen. The living room was empty and I figured I'd lucked out. But as I walked down the hall to Sam's bedroom I saw him standing in the doorway, arms crossed.
"What the hell, Carly."
"Hi. You're home."
"Yes. Got here about ten minutes ago." He glared at me as I slipped past him.
I sat down at the foot of the bed and slid my shoes off. "Everything okay at work?"
Sam turned around and kept on glaring. "You're shitting me, right?"
I glanced up, feigning casualness. "No."
He gritted his teeth and a muscle in his jaw jumped. "Have something to tell me?"
"Not really."
At that, he exploded. "Where the fuck did you go? Why are you being so goddamned stupid?"
I jumped up. "Don't you scream at me."
With eyes blazing with anger that matched mine, he stared me down for a long moment, and then with a sigh he disengaged, shoulders slumping. "Christ. I was so scared when I came in and saw you were gone."
"I…I'm sorry. I didn't think about that. I just, I mean Anna and I just wanted to get out for a little bit, you know?"
"Yeah, I get it." He dragged a hand through his hair. "You're not a prisoner here. But next time, leave a note or call, okay? Don't just split. I assume you were careful? Didn't go anywhere you shouldn't."
"Of course not." A knot tightened in my gut as I lied. "Just restless. We went for a drive."
"Where?"
I frowned. "Around. Why does it matter?"
"Because you've got dirt or something on your butt."
"Oh." Damn, I'd forgotten, and trust his cop eyes to catch it. "Her car's dirty."
He peered at me for a second as if trying to gauge my honesty.
"Besides," I said, trying to sound light, "Why are you staring at my butt?"
A wicked grin spread across his chiseled face and his dark eyes sparkled. "I will always find the time to check out your ass, Carly."
Some of the tension in the air faded and I walked over to wrap my arms around his waist. "Oh yeah? What else did you check out."
His hands up my back and over my shoulders. "Every bit of you. Every last inch."
I tilted my face up and smiled. "And what conclusions have you made, Detective Rollins?"
He kissed the tip of my nose. "Absolute perfection from head-to-toe."
"Don't you have to pass a vision test to be a cop?"
Sam chuckled and slid his hands down my sides, grazing the outer swells of my breasts and then my waist before settling on my wide hips. "Yes. My eyes, hands and lips all agree, your body is fucking fantastic."
I blushed and put my head on his shoulder. "Prove it."
He pulled me close with one hand, letting me feel the thick heat straining the front of his pants, and lifted my face up. He kissed me hard and deep, tongue driving into my mouth, claiming every bit for his own.
I fisted one hand in his hair, clinging tightly to him. "Mmm." My other hand drifted down over his chest and massive arm. "It's a start, but I might need more proof than that."
Sam groaned and licked my bottom lip before pulling back. "Consider it done. But not tonight, baby."
"Why, got a headache?"
He smiled. "No, but you need to eat and we both need some rest."
Now it was my turn to groan. "I'm not sure I care for this nurturing side to your personality, Sam."
"Too bad. It's the only side you're getting today."
"Fine," I grumped, but secretly enjoyed it.
"Why don't you get in bed and I'll fix us something to eat."
That was an offer I couldn't refuse, so after giving him a quick peck on the lips I went into the bathroom to wash my face and change into the pajamas in my overnight bag.
I climbed up into the big bed and flipped on the television as I heard Sam messing around in the kitchen. Some of the fear from earlier slipped away and I felt content for the moment. No matter what happened in the future, I'd have these wonderful memories of being with Sam. From the laughter, to the intensely erotic attraction, to sweet caring, in a few short days we'd shared a lot.
Scanning through channels I was jolted back to attention when I saw a picture of the front of my old office, Courier Express, complete with boarded up glass where Sam had broken in to rescue me. Oh my god. The news story mentioned my boss, Mitchell's arrest and quoted a source from the police department confirming that it was drug-related. The reporter said the investigation was ongoing and that the police had a witness who was cooperating with them. Me? Was she talking about me?
I watched, mouth hanging open, as she continued, speculating about the details. I felt sick to my stomach.
Sam walked in with two plates piled high. "What's wrong?"
I pointed to the screen, but it had changed to a weather report. Tomorrow would be sunny and humid, apparently. "There was a story. About me. I mean, about my office. And Mitchell."
He put the plates down on the dresser and came to sit by me. "Shit. I should have warned you that might happen."
"But they mentioned a witness.
Is that me? Does the whole city know what I did?"
He pulled me into his lap and cradled me like a tall, chubby child. "Baby, no. Don't worry. The media doesn't know about you. They just get general info. It's all controlled by our press office."
"What about the kidnapping and the scene at the café? I'm sure someone took a picture of me – the crazy girl running around in a robe. What if someone makes the connection?" My breath came in short, shallow pants.
"Shush. They won't. The only people who can connect the two are the police and the people who took you, and they already know, right?"
"I guess," I said in a weak voice.
"Good. Now, let's turn the TV off and eat something."
"Okay."
He smoothed down my hair and then stood up to grab the food. I picked at mine for a little while, but couldn't choke much down. Eventually I gave up and looked at Sam.
"Can we talk about the case a little?"
"Sure."
"Do you have any news? Anything from Mitchell or the office yet?"
He shrugged and looked away.
"Sam, what is it? What's going on?"
"Nothing from your boss yet. His lawyer is convincing him to hold out for a good deal. WE did pull some stuff out of your office, but I can't tell you any details."
"Okay. That sounds promising, why do you look like there's bad news?"
He sighed, piled our discarded plates on the side table and turned to face me. "There is some bad news."
The knot in my belly rose up and closed off my throat. "Tell me."
"What we found supports the report you gave and what I told my colleagues. But there are holes in our stories, as you know. They suspect you're not telling everything you know, which is bad. Right now Mitchell's attack on you is our best leverage against him, but if you're lying about something it makes that a lot harder."
"But you were there. You heard the whole thing over the phone. I know it wasn't recorded, but the phone log should show the call."
"It should. And it would, if we had the phone."
"What?"
He crossed his arms and furrowed his brow. "The phone's gone. Clerical error in the evidence room. They'll find it, but could be a while."
"Oh. But they have you. You can testify as to what happened, right?"
One Night More (BBW Romantic Suspense) (One Night of Danger) Page 3
