Deadly Deception (SCVC Taskforce)

by Evans, Misty

Bianca handed her a file on Jacob, then left to get both of them a vending machine coffee. Ronni had to force her eyes to focus as she glanced through several reports. Some from the LAPD, others from the NSA.

  Bianca returned a minute later, coffees in hand. “It’s hot but I don’t vouch for the flavor.”

  Ronni took the cup and sipped. Hospital coffee. It burned on the way down to her empty stomach.

  Bianca sat and straightened her skirt. “I just received word that ATF seized twenty-one guns and two boxes of tear gas from under the stage in the chapel.”

  The file on Ronni’s lap stated Jacob had been investigated twice on possible criminal activities while undercover, but no evidence had ever been secured. “So Jacob put them there or Melanie planted them?”

  “Jacob claims Melanie planted them, of course, but we may never know. The weapons Melanie used to kill Kristine and shoot you were stolen. Where would she get those if not from Jacob? Again, there’s nothing in her background suggesting she ever handled a gun, owned a gun, or knew how to obtain an illegal weapon. The investigation into the origin of the guns and teargas will take time, but my money’s on Jacob. LAPD has already suspended him, pending an investigation.”

  “Will Adam be cleared?”

  “Already is. Cooper and Director Dupé will give you a full report tomorrow if you’re up for it.”

  A sigh of relief escaped her lips. “Thanks for this. And the coffee.”

  The female agent’s blue eyes crinkled at the corners as she smiled. “I’m sorry about the other day. At the meeting. Thomas and Nelson are always telling me I’m too gruff. It’s tough to be the only female on the taskforce. I’d like to stay on, help with more cases, but apparently, I’m overcompensating.”

  “Easy to do,” Ronni said. “I’ve fallen into the same trap myself lately.”

  “Are you joining the taskforce permanently?”

  “Maybe.” God, she hoped so. She wanted to stay in San Diego. See her brother. Explore her relationship with Thomas. “If Dupé will have me.”

  Bianca nodded. “One more thing that wasn’t in the file…Jacob had an old army buddy inside the Bureau. I did some digging, found communications between them. The agent kept tabs on you and sent information on your cases to Jacob.”

  The inside leak. “Adam had a list of my cases in a scrapbook. I wondered how he knew about them.”

  “My guess is Jacob figured—and rightly so—that if the Bureau decided to investigate Adam, they’d send you. He was hoping he’d have a heads-up before you arrived and could hide his criminal endeavors or pull out.”

  “So why didn’t he know I was coming?”

  “Dupé’s taskforce has a special designation under Homeland Security, and the information about cases and the members working those cases requires a formal security clearance. Jacob’s buddy didn’t have that.”

  Thomas emerged from the room across the hall, spotted Ronni. He looked…on edge. “You’re up, Punto.”

  At least he hadn’t called her some stupid nickname. Ronni handed Bianca the file, took her coffee, and headed for her debriefing. As she passed Thomas, they exchanged a look.

  She could see in his eyes, he felt guilty about the fact she’d been injured.

  God, not again.

  “Stop it,” she said, dropping the coffee cup in the wastebasket. “You strapped on your Boy Scout cape and saved the day. I’m still here, and so are you, and so is Adam. I couldn’t be more grateful for what you did.”

  “You mean it?”

  “Of course, I mean it.” She punched his shoulder. “Stop beating yourself up.”

  “Ahem,” Cooper fake coughed from the doorway. “Save it for later, you two.”

  Thomas grinned. “Are we on for later, buttercup?”

  She kicked him in the shin. He grunted, releasing her and grabbing his injured leg. “Hey! What was that for?”

  She marched into the room and Cooper shut the door.

  He walked her through what had happened, start to finish, recording her statement. When she was done, he turned off the recorder. “Agent Mann tells me you had a soft spot for your brother that could have interfered with the resolution of this case. Is that true?”

  Ronni’s shoulder blades twitched. “I’m sorry. What did he say?”

  “It’s understandable, Punto, but I need to know. Did your emotional involvement jeopardize the case?”

  How could Thomas say that? Cooper and Dupé would never give her a permanent position on the taskforce if they didn’t think she could handle her emotions.

  She needed to say something, defend her actions. But all she could think about was Adam and his quest for the truth. How much her gut instincts had given him the benefit of the doubt over and over again. Taskforce or not, she had to face the facts. “It’s true, sir.”

  “Mann also said that your belief in your brother’s innocence was right on target. That you have what it takes to work undercover in special cases like this.”

  Ronni straightened. “Sir?”

  “Our taskforce normally deals with drug cartels, gangs, terrorists—the usual violent criminals threatening national security.” Cooper watched her closely. “But we also have more unique cases like the one with your brother. The taskforce could use someone with your profiling skills and a fresh face the narco-terrorists haven’t seen.”

  Narco-terrorism was Thomas’s territory, not hers. Still, Ronni held her breath. Was Cooper offering her a job?

  “In fact.” he shifted in the hospital chair, which was much too small for his bulk. “Dupé handed me the bones for Project Bliss yesterday. Thomas says you’re perfect for it.”

  The desire to kill her partner morphed into the desire to hug him. “What exactly is Project Bliss?”

  “A crackdown against manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers of synthetic designer drugs. There’s a manufacturer here in San Diego, but the operation spans at least twenty states. We’ve got tobacco shops and convenience stores selling the stuff over the counter right in our backyard. We need someone who can get inside, figure out where this stuff is originating from. You interested?”

  She almost fell on her knees and begged. “Absolutely.”

  “Good.” He jetted out of the chair, leaned on the door handle. “One more thing. As you know, I don’t look favorably on agents inside my taskforce forming…intimate relationships.”

  Oh, God. Tell me we’re not going there. She stood, meeting his direct gaze without flinching. “Yes, sir. Thomas and I…well, it wasn’t planned. We were undercover, and things sort of…”

  Cooper lifted a hand to stop her. “Mann already offered to turn in his resignation. You’re more important to him than the job, I guess. And that’s saying a lot for him.”

  Oh, no. She couldn’t let him do that. “Agent Harris…I can’t accept the position on the taskforce if it costs Thomas his job.”

  “Thomas is a seasoned agent, and a friend. I don’t want to lose him.”

  So much for her future in San Diego. “I understand.”

  He exhaled sharply. “Exceptions are occasionally made. In this case, after speaking to you, I’ve decided to keep you both on the taskforce. As partners. For now.”

  Her heart lifted.

  “However, at any time, if I feel your relationship is jeopardizing, or may jeopardize a case, I’ll reassign you. Clear?”

  “Yes, sir.” She tried to keep the grin off her face. Failed. “Completely clear.”

  Outside in the waiting room, Celina had arrived with a bag of clean clothes for Ronni and a giant hug. “My God, you have to stop scaring me like this.”

  Ronni returned the hug. “It’s my job.”

  “Is it?” Thomas asked. He was slouched, arms crossed, by the window. “You staying on?”

  “Did you think you’d get rid of me that easily?”

  “Looks like congratulations are in order. I’m glad it worked out.”

  He’d given up his job for her…or so he thought. Was it wrong t
hat she wanted to needle him a bit? “It hasn’t quite worked out for you yet. You owe me a traditional date—dinner, a movie, the whole works. And then we have to get to work on Project Bliss.”

  His brows creased in confusion. Celina glanced back and forth, the realization Ronni and Thomas had something going lifting the corners of her mouth. “You two are a couple?” She squealed and grabbed Ronni in another bear hug.

  Bianca rolled her eyes but laughed. “I knew there was something going on between you two at that first meeting.”

  Cooper, stealing Ronni’s fun, filled him in. “Agent Mann, meet your new, permanent partner, Agent Roanna Punto.”

  Celina smiled at Cooper, but spoke to Ronni. “The spare room at our house is yours until you find your own place.”

  “Wait…” Thomas straightened, attention darting from Cooper to Ronni and back to his boss. “You said no office romances.”

  Cooper cut his eyes to Celina. “I’m making an exception.”

  Celina patted his arm. “Of course, he is. What could be better than our two best friends being partners on and off the field? You’ll be fine. I know you will.”

  Ronni meandered toward Thomas. “So what do you say, partner? Do I need Cooper and Celina’s spare room?”

  “I don’t know. Are you going to poke fun at my Blu-Ray collection and leave your girly hair products all over the bathroom?”

  “Probably.”

  He grinned. “Then I’d say we have a deal, my sweet buttercup.”

  His quick reflexes kept her from connecting her foot to his shin again, but everyone laughed as he danced out of range.

  “Agent Punto?” A nurse stuck her head into the waiting room.

  “Yes?”

  “Your brother’s out of surgery and doing fine in recovery. He’s groggy but you can see him now.”

  “Thank you.”

  Everyone but Thomas said their goodbyes, and Ronni followed the nurse to the recovery room, Thomas by her side.

  Adam opened his eyes as they entered and he smiled up at Ronni. “I had a dream about us.”

  A dream, not a nightmare. She took his hand. “Oh, yeah? Was it a good one?”

  “We were in the orchard. We were happy.”

  Thomas pulled up a chair for her. She sat next to the bed, keeping her hold on Adam’s hand. Would he go back to the farm? Would his believers accept him? She didn’t know why not, once they learned the truth about Melanie. “I love the farm and the orchard.”

  “Me, too.” His eyes drifted closed. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “Thank you for protecting me when Melanie pulled the gun.”

  His smile was loopy from the drugs. “We have to take care of each other.”

  Yes, we do. “No leaving the hospital on your own this time, okay? When the doctors give you the all-clear, Thomas and I will take you home. For now, just rest.”

  “Okay, Sis. Will you stay until I fall asleep?”

  He was nearly asleep now. “Of course.”

  Even after he was snoring, Ronni sat and held his hand. Thomas didn’t say a word.

  Finally, when her chin was hitting her chest and she couldn’t keep her own eyes open, he took her home to his place.

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Thomas was happy.

  Ronni was asleep with her head in his lap. A stack of movies sat on the coffee table, along with half a dozen now-empty take-out containers. The Replacements was in the Blu-ray player.

  He’d helped wash the blood out of her hair and scrubbed her back in the shower, careful to avoid her bandaged arm. She’d laughed as he’d teased her about her sissy wound, and she’d criticized his skills with the soap and washcloth until he’d used them on her perfect breasts.

  Now she smelled like his soap and she was wearing an old Army T-shirt of his as the trauma of the day drained away.

  She woke and stretched, tantalizing him with her curves under the shirt. “What are you watching?”

  “Something far beneath your brilliant intellect.”

  “Good. I can’t handle anything too cerebral tonight.” On screen, Keanu Reeves’s character got tackled by one of his own guys. “Hey, did you dig this out just for me?”

  Of course he did. “Nah, it was on the top of the pile.”

  She gingerly touched her arm. “Think I’ll have a scar?”

  “Yep.”

  “At least I’ll be able to see this one without looking in a mirror. And this one I can hold over your head.”

  He turned down the volume. “Wait, I thought you were grateful to me for saving your life.”

  She looked up, eyes dancing with mischief. “I am, but I still plan to use this scar as a weapon to get my way whenever necessary.”

  As if he could resist her with or without the scar. “Is that so?”

  “Absolutely. Like right now, I’m thinking a massage would be nice.”

  This angle had advantages. “A pain killer might do you more good.”

  “I’d like you to be my pain killer. Got any honey?”

  He laughed. “I’m think I’m going to enjoy being your emo boyfriend, Miss Fabulous But Irritating.”

  “Fabulous but irritating?”

  “F-B-I. Get it?”

  “Good thing you didn’t call me that earlier.” She climbed into his lap, pressed her breasts against his chest. “I like the Boy Scout side of you, but the alpha bad boy ain’t bad either.”

  “I’ll tell you a secret I’ve never told anyone else.”

  “What?”

  “I was a total momma’s boy growing up. I had it all over Keanu Reeves in the emo department. Dad enrolled me in football, basketball, soccer, you name it. Before the drugs got to him, he took me camping and fishing and taught me to swim. I didn’t hate it, but what I really loved was going to the movies with my mom. Being someone else for an hour or two. Living crazy lives through the characters. That’s what I enjoyed the most.”

  “And you’re good at your job because of it. Working undercover comes naturally to you. Like an actor taking on a role in a film.”

  “Guess I hadn’t thought about it that way.”

  “My turn.” She did a hip grind, making his cock harden. “I’ll tell you something I’ve never told anyone.”

  This should be good. “Lay it on me, pork chop.”

  She took a deep breath, let it out slowly. “I’m totally, completely, one-hundred percent in love with you.”

  “You’ve never told someone you love them before?”

  “Never.”

  He brushed hair from her forehead where it was stuck to her bandage. “I love you, too. Like I told you, I’ve been in love with you since Des Moines.”

  “You were in lust, and before we got to pursue that lust, Valquis interfered. Your feelings got tangled up with your guilt, and that was never going to work. For either of us.”

  “I see that now.” He laid a gentle kiss on her lips. “I see you now. Not the old Ronni. Not the FBI agent you were projecting when you came here. I see you. Just you. An incredible woman not weighed down by the past. A woman who’s found her brother, remade her career, and has a very bright future.”

  “I feel like I belong here. I think I’ve finally found a home.”

  Home. With him. “I like the sound of that.”

  “Good. Now how about that massage, Boy Scout?”

  He pinched her ass. “Are you ever going to stop calling me that?”

  “Sure, as soon as you quit calling me pork chop, buttercup, snowflake, little momma…did I leave anything out?”

  “Honey-covered jalapeno?”

  “Actually, I kinda like that one.”

  He barked a laugh. “Me, too. Fits you to a tee.”

  Four days later

  Ronni helped Adam out of the car. The afternoon was cool and bright, a light fall breeze tickling her nose. The colors of the farm were as vibrant as ever.

  People were working as if nothing had happened. Women were in the lavender field. The tracto
r putted along in the veggie patch. Belinda was watering flowers, Paige helping her, and Ralph and Lance were giving the tool shed a fresh coat of blue paint.

  Someone had used the same blue to write “Welcome Home Adam!!!” on a white bed sheet that hung from two of the porch columns.

  Adam’s face lit up when he saw it. “They’re happy I’m back?”

  Thomas patted him on the shoulder. “Place wasn’t the same without you.”

  Ronni and Thomas had hired a service to clean the crime scenes inside the house once the investigators gave the okay. Ronni had worked with Lance and Paige to arrange for Kristine’s funeral.

  Kristine’s autopsy had revealed she wasn’t pregnant. They would never know if she believed she was or if she was making it up. Adam continued to insist he’d never slept with her or had ever enforced the New Light restriction on sex Anita had claimed to Ronni.

  Belinda had taken over the organic products business, and one of the other women, a former hairstylist, was going to run the salon until a buyer could be found. Dr. Elgin had been charged with aiding and abetting Melanie and for buying illegal prescription drugs. Adam’s attending physician at the hospital had put Ronni in touch with a clinic that would provide healthcare and prescriptions for Adam and the farm’s employees, and she’d set up an appointment for Adam to speak to a small business guru about forming an LLC.

  But for now, her brother had to finish recovering from his injury and make peace with what had happened. The farm was looking at big changes. The iChurch as well.

  The coonhound bayed a greeting from the porch and scrambled toward them. People turned to look, and their faces lit up like Adam’s, seeing his return. Ronni took his arm and helped him to the yard, where those in the vicinity grouped around him. They offered hugs, slaps on the back, and asked a lot of questions.

  Adam reveled in the attention, and like always, word spread rapidly. Soon dozens of people were standing in the yard, trying to get close and welcome him home.

  “To the chapel,” he finally yelled above the din. His face was flushed with happiness. “I need to say a few words.”

  Thomas gave Ronni an oh, no, not a sermon look. With one hand assisting Adam, she raised a chastising brow at Thomas. He took Adam’s other arm, and together they guided her brother across the grounds to the chapel.