“You look beat,” Nate said, taking a long sip from his cold beer.
“You think? I want a shower, someone to make me dinner, and a two-week nap.”
Nate found that funny as hell. “Well, your boss can give you a couple days off, but you’ll have to grab takeout. I don’t cook.”
Luke laughed. “Yeah, I’m not above taking your mercy and making a call for Chinese at this point.”
Nathaniel Carter leaned back in his chair. Lately, his partner wasn’t on his game. It was the subtle things that caught his attention. If anything, Luke was predictable. From his California blonde hair, to his baby blue eyes, the man hadn’t changed that much over the last eight years.
But lately, he was missing that spark. Gone was the quick wit, the charming grin, and the fast smile that offered reassurance. It was like he was weighed down under something, and couldn’t ask for help.
No, wouldn’t.
“What’s going on with you?” Nate asked. “Usually, after a case, you’re so amped that I have to threaten to tranquilize you. Now, you’re ready to pack it in and call it a day.”
He shrugged while he took a drink.
Nate knew this man inside and out. On a whim, he decided to test his theory. “Hey, there’s a brunette at the bar checking you out. Why don’t you pick her up, head back to your place, and forget for a while? You know you love a feisty brunette.”
“No, I’m good.”
The beer bottle stopped halfway to Nate’s mouth. Holy shit! What the hell was going on?
That one sentence said it all.
When Luke Mars wasn’t interested in the opposite sex, the apocalypse was coming. After his sister got married, there was this same lag in the man’s mood. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Lucas Mars had once been in love with his sister.
“Is this about Callie?” Nate asked.
The question got his attention, making him look up. “Is she okay?” he asked, worried about her. “Did something happen?”
Nate lifted a brow at the worry on his buddy’s face.
“Seriously. Is she okay?” Doctor Callista Gaines was like his sister, and he loved her to death. For a while, Luke had wanted to marry her and be part of their family. Now, he saw that was the sole reason he was pining away after her. Callie was great, but he wanted that family connection more than anything. Since she married Quinton Gaines, she was nothing but happy.
That’s all he wanted for her.
“She’s good. I talked to her two days ago.”
“Is Susie okay?” he asked next, thinking about his godchild. He absolutely loved her to death.
“Right as rain, but…” he began, letting his words hang in the air.
“But?”
“You aren’t, so spill it.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” he stated, lying his ass off. Lately, he was thinking about someone he had let slip away. She was in his dreams and making his life hell.
Luke was getting more and more agitated just thinking about her. He couldn’t get her out of his mind.
“I know this has to be babe related. When you don’t want to jump a brunette, you’re all screwed up in the head. Normally, you get back from one of our testosterone-laden cases and you’re wild and horny as hell. Now, you’re more pathetic than crazed.”
“Gee. Thanks.”
“So, that means you need to see a shrink over work, or a woman to work it out. Do I need to call Callie in to have you evaluated? She’ll dig deeper than any other FBI shrink.”
That’s the last thing he wanted. “It is over a woman,” he admitted. “I’m good with work. No nightmares, no losing sleep, and I’m not stressed about chasing killers.” Yeah, because that was all he had in his life.
It sucked.
Okay, this was the first step. At least his friend was opening up to him. “Who is it?” asked Nate, leaning forward. They were like brothers, and this wasn’t exactly the first time they’d had a conversation like this. Being bachelors, they often talked about their conquests and missteps when it came to the ladies. They’d have a few beers, laugh, and let it go.
It was what they did.
“I can’t say.” And there were good reasons for that.
“Why the hell not?” he asked.
Luke wasn’t ready to admit that he let the ‘ONE’ go, and that she wasn’t exactly into him. Once more, love had eluded him. It was getting embarrassing. Luke was beginning to believe that there was something wrong with him.
Maybe he was flawed.
Unlovable.
After all, one kiss with Callie and she had practically laughed in his face. Then this woman had also walked away, and like a fool, he had let her. Luke had been too scared to chase and fail once more.
He was screwed up in the head.
That had to be the only reason women who mattered ran from him.
“Love ‘em and leave ‘em Lucas strikes again. Are you feeling guilty?” Nate teased.
“She’s not like that.” He’d never gotten to progress it that far. It wasn’t that he didn't want to or try, but he knew the truth. There were some women you hopped into the sack with, and some you romanced.
This woman was definitely the latter.
From the second he met her, he knew.
She mattered.
Nate could see the frustration in his friend’s eyes. “Hey! It’ll all work out, Luke. Hang in there, man.”
Yeah, that was total bullshit, and Luke knew it. He wasn’t the marrying or dating type, and it wasn’t ever going to make a difference. As hard as he tried, that happiness would be just out of his reach.
Finishing his beer, he went to stand.
“Wait,” said Nate. “Let’s grab dinner, and then you can head home. I’m hungry. I’ll even buy you Chinese for a job well done.”
It beat eating alone in his condo any day. “Sure.”
Nate tossed some cash down and dropped his arm over his partner’s shoulders. Together, they’d head out and work on what was eating his friend alive.
He’d get to the bottom of it.
And if he couldn’t, he knew who would. While he didn't like siccing Callie on the man, he would do it in a heartbeat.
Family stuck together, and they were thicker than thieves.
* * * C a r t e r C h r o n i c l e s * * *
Marine Base
Headquarters
At her desk, she began downloading all the files that she could get her hands on. Why she felt so nervous, she’d never understand.
It wasn’t like she was doing anything wrong.
Right?
Then why the hell did she feel like some whistleblower trying to sneak all the military’s secrets off the base and into her private dwelling?
Oh, yeah. It was because the death of her friends and team members was making her paranoid as hell. After all the things she’d seen, it was astounding that this was freaking her out.
There’d been death.
Blood.
Spooky shit that made her question everything.
Yet, the more she thought about what was going on, the more she wanted to get to the safety of her house where she could begin pulling it apart.
All Maura could do now was pray she was overreacting.
She was a good soldier. When it came down to it, she’d always believed in what she did. While she wasn’t on a front line, taking down the enemy and saving other soldiers, she was waging her own war at home. Secrecy was her job and it meant doing it flawlessly. If the American people were privy to the truth, they’d be scared shitless.
While she wasn’t the great and powerful Oz, Maura had pulled a few strings to manipulate when it was needed. Now, she was hoping that one of their missions wasn’t the reason her friends were dying.
Someone had to keep the last three team members safe. It had to be her. After all, this was her duty, and being married to the corps, she had an obligation to protect the Marines in her charge.
Just as the last
file downloaded, there was a knock on her door. Maura pocketed the zip drive and tried to steady the beating of her heart.
“Come in.”
When the door opened, there stood another woman, smiling brightly. “Hey, Maura! I didn't know you’d be in today. I assumed you were taking the next two weeks off, especially after today.”
She tried to sound calm, but the zip drive in her pocket was making that very hard to do. “I am. I just had to come in and do a few things to clean up before my leave.”
Captain Bethany Harris took a seat. “I’m sorry about your team,” she offered.
Maura leaned back in her chair to examine the woman in front of her. If she had one professional rival in the place, this was her. They had competed from the day they began basic training. While Bethany was smart, she wasn’t nearly as athletic, and that worked against her in the long run. When you did what Maura did for a living, you needed to be fast and able to fight. Bethany relied too heavily on being a woman. While her men wouldn’t take a swing at her because she was a girl, Maura’s would. Then they’d be flat on their backs, laughing.
“Thanks. Tommy will be missed.”
“Are you going to be replacing him?” she asked, crossing her legs. “If you need some recruits, I can make a few suggestions.”
In all honesty, Maura was going to be pursuing that avenue, and soon. She’d have no choice but to expand her team, especially after what was coming up for assignments. While some of the missions were able to be completed with half a team, this one wasn’t going to be feasible.
The upcoming one was special and top-secret.
“Thanks, but I think the colonel has already decided on who he is sending me. I made my suggestions, and now I’m waiting on him to sign off.”
“No problem,” Bethany said, standing. “If you need anything, just give me a call. If you can’t take the next assignment, I’ll be more than happy to go out for you.”
There was so much Maura would love to say at that moment. There was no doubt this woman would love to run her squad.
Yeah, that wasn’t ever happening.
Bethany helping would be like letting the fox into the hen house. Maura would rather walk barefoot over hot coals in hell.
“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.” How she managed to say it civilly was astounding.
As the door closed, Maura dropped her cover back on her head. Now that the coast was clear, she’d head home, get changed, and begin the tedious process of digging through the tons of paperwork. If anything, the military liked leaving a trail.
Heading out of her office, she said goodnight to the people who were working there. As she fought to keep her face perfectly neutral, it was hard to ignore the feeling brewing in her gut.
Outside, it intensified.
There was no doubt in her mind, as she climbed behind the wheel of her vehicle.
Someone was watching her.
Maura could feel it.
Suddenly, the paranoia was warranted. Now, she just needed to get home and safe. Then, she’d figure it all out.
Lives depended on it.
Including hers.
* * * C a r t e r C h r o n i c l e s * * *
Oh, she was clever.
Major Maura Gaines was going to be a handful. By watching her every move, it was blatantly obvious.
When she left the funeral, she had a well-hidden tail, all the way back to the office. It wasn’t easy, since she was really good at hiding in plain sight.
In fact, all of her team was.
Until now.
See, it was judgment day.
While they believed that they were above the law, moving around stealthily, they still had to answer for their crimes. One’s power would get out of control if there wasn’t some sort of authority to keep them in line.
Well, they had someone new to answer to.
For months, the team had been watched, studied, and handled. While they may not know it, they were the specimen under the microscope. They may be accustomed to doing whatever it took to get the job done, but now they didn't have that luxury.
They were being watched and for one good reason.
Soon, they wouldn’t be so high and mighty.
When this mission was over, the powerful would see what it was like to be outted from the shadows, and the truth would be set free.
Sometimes the judge, jury, and executioner had to be put in their place too.
While Maura Gaines had looked the other way for her team, it was about to end. She’d sinned by giving them all too long a leash to do whatever they pleased, and now it was time to reel them back in.
Or better yet, wipe the slate clean.
There was no way this could go unnoticed any longer. The team was hiding so many secrets and sins. Someone had to shine the light of truth on them.
It was time.
The end was coming for the team, one member at a time. Now, it was all going to come down to picking them off when the moment was right.
It shouldn’t be hard.
Every sinner deserved punishment.
Their time was now…
Chapter One
O nce at home, pulling into the garage, Maura released the pent-up breath caught in her chest. It had taken a long time to finally get there. The entire ride home, she was forced to take the long way, throwing off anyone who might be following her.
Training instincts had kicked in.
Yeah, she was definitely paranoid.
Then again, in her line of work, once you got sloppy, you died. She’d been trained to outthink the enemy, and that would come in handy. Having four dead Marines on her hands meant that she had to be very careful. All Maura could hope for was the remaining three men would lay low and stay safe.
Maura sent out a silent prayer that they would listen to her. If she was focused on them, she wouldn’t be able to do her job. Now, she needed to rely on her brain and ability as a leader. It would get her through if she could just stay calm.
Funny.
That seemed so hard to do at that moment.
What Maura wanted more than anything was to run for her life, finding someone to help her carry this burden. Then, she thought about her brothers and sister. The last thing that Maura wanted was to put them in the line of fire on this.
No, she was alone.
For now, this was her own private mission.
As she entered the house, Maura immediately locked the door to the garage. Glancing around, nothing looked out of place. Immediately, some of the tension drained from her body.
She was home.
Safe.
Secure.
Pulling off her cover, she laid the hat reverently on the counter. It had taken years to earn her rank in the Marines, and the uniform meant a great deal to her.
Listening, Maura waited to see if there was any sound in her house. When she heard none, she headed toward the stairs. She would get changed, pour a glass of wine, and get to work. Why not be comfortable when you tried to figure out what was happening to your team?
Yeah, or get tipsy to forget that she’d buried another friend that day-one who she couldn’t save.
Pulling off her dress blues, she hung them in the closet. As she stood there, Maura pulled down a pair of jeans and a soft blue sweater.
Out of nowhere, it reminded her of him.
The color matched his eyes. The baby blue made her think of him. It was so hard to swallow the need and pain in her chest. Thoughts of him would rise up at the oddest moments.
Maura’s heart ached.
After two dates with the man, including her brother’s wedding, he was still on her mind. How could he not be? He was funny, silly, and a really decent guy. What wouldn’t she give to run her fingers through his beach blonde hair at that moment? Maura was dying to know if it felt the same as it did in her dreams and fantasies.
She forced herself to focus.
Unfortunately for her, she was married to her job, and he was fully entrenched in
his.
It wouldn’t work.
They both knew it too.
Pushing him from her mind, she focused on getting dressed. There was no time to worry about the past. Right now, Maura had one hell of a mess on her hands. It needed all her attention.
Heading down to the kitchen, she turned on some music as she began pulling food from the refrigerator. While she worked, some food might also help calm her down. Making a sandwich, she stared at the zip drive on the counter.
The daunting task overwhelmed her. Yet, she knew it had to be done. After Maura finished making her sandwich, she palmed the zip drive and headed for the couch. Once there, she booted up her laptop and began to eat.
As the files opened, she thought about the men who had died. All she could hope was to find the truth, to maybe get them justice.
They deserved it.
The fallen always did.
As she finished eating, Maura began making notes on a notepad beside her laptop. She scribbled down the dates that each man had perished, and what mission they were just coming off.
As she was lost in the details, she heard it.
It was barely noticeable, but it was still there.
There was a creak.
Her hand paused over the pad of paper, trying to listen for it again. When she heard nothing, Maura continued on with her work.
Then, it happened again.
And again.
It sounded like it was right above her.
Quietly, she closed the laptop and yanked the zip drive out of the port. Standing from the couch, Maura moved back to the kitchen to hit the lights beside the back door. When the room was swathed in darkness, she crouched down to slip on her running shoes. If she had to make a break for it, there was no way she would be able to do it barefoot.
Once more, she heard the creak, and this time she recognized it. The familiar sound happened every time she would reach the top of her stairs. For years, she had meant to get it repaired, but now she was grateful she hadn’t. It was giving her eyes in the darkness as it gave the intruder away.
Someone was right there, preparing to descend to her living room.
Sinner Realized Page 2
