Callie knew her brother well. “I know what this place is missing,” she offered, setting him up.
“What?”
“A woman.”
Quinn started laughing. “You walked right into that one. You’ve known Callie her entire life. You should have seen that one coming a mile away.”
“I don’t have time for the messiness of a relationship.”
She shook her head. “You have plenty of time for a life. We’re hectic but manage. You could too. I think there’s something else there.”
Nate wasn’t going there with his sister. Yes, there were women in his life, but mostly just hook ups. He’d yet to meet one who fit with him. She’d have to be patient, understanding, and let him put work first. Where he never wanted to marry an FBI agent because he knew of the pitfalls, he wouldn’t mind starting something with someone who got it.
There weren’t many women out there like that.
“How about we work?” he suggested, pulling open a file. “What do we have first?”
It was obvious that the conversation was over.
Callie would have to bide her time, especially since Nate wasn’t willing to talk to them about it. Maybe she could get Quinn to work on it for her.
Yeah, it might be time to call in her backup cowboy.
“That’s weird. I have an extra file here,” stated Nate, holding it up.
She found that curious. There was no way in hell that ‘Sergeant Stick Up His Ass’ would give them something accidentally. He disliked them too much.
Taking it from him, Callie flipped it open. When she looked up, both men knew immediately that she found something.
“What?” her husband asked.
“You might find this interesting,” she began, “It seems that Bravo Ghost had one more member.”
They found that curious since no one told them about him. Could another Marine have just slipped their minds? Was that possible?
“Who was it?” Nate asked.
Callie read the information from inside. “It seems that Sergeant Leroy Walker was kicked off the team.”
Oh, that gave them one hell of a trail to follow.
“Why?” Quinn asked.
“It seems that he was busted by Maura for inappropriate behavior. She wrote him up and pushed for his dismissal from Bravo Ghost.”
They’d just hit pay dirt.
“That gives us a suspect.”
“It sure does,” Callie said. “We have a possibly disgruntled Marine with an ax to grind against his commanding officer. That’s a big flag right there!”
Tomorrow, they were going to interview Bethany Harris, and then track down the man in question. This could be one of the pieces to the puzzle.
Nate was getting hopeful. “At this rate, we might be able to close this and get Luke and Maura back home soon.”
They hoped so.
Before anyone could say anything else, Nate’s phone began sending off random beeps. He looked concerned as he stared down at it.
“What the hell is that?” Quinn asked.
Nate got up. “Luke has me as his backup contact for his alarm company.”
“What?” Callie said. “Do you mean for his condo?”
“Yeah, they’re alerting me that someone has broken in. The alarm is going off.”
Quinn was up and out of his seat super-fast. “Yeah, this isn't a coincidence,” he stated, and then pointed at Callie. “You stay here. Lock the door and get a gun. You’re not coming to the scene.”
She started to protest, but the men were already moving from the room. Heading into the spare bedroom, she pulled out her Glock and went back to the papers. While they went there, she’d work on the files.
If she didn't, she’d go crazy.
Her husband and brother were going to face down a potential crazy person, at night, in the dark.
Callie’s heart pounded, as she prayed they’d be all right. With her hand protectively over her belly, she fought to focus on the task at hand.
Anything else would make her edgy.
Losing her husband would destroy her heart.
Chapter Twelve
T he killer found the place easy enough. It was in the nice section of town, but still obscure from any curious eyes. The Fed was hiding in plain sight, oblivious to all around him.
Very clever.
Unfortunately, not tricky enough.
In the parking lot, the numbered spaces, which matched Lucas Mars’s home address, were vacant. Granted, there was a garage, but with the blackness clearly seen from the windows, it appeared no one was home.
Peeking in the garage, it was empty.
This was working out perfectly.
There was a surefire way to get his attention. Walking up to the door, the bell was rung. When no one answered, the next step would need to be taken.
Booting in the door, the alarm screamed to life, alerting everyone nearby that the home had been breached. As soon as its vicious wails filled the air, off the killer went. Now, it was time to slip into the shadows of the night.
What would happen next would prove or disprove his suspicions.
It was time to hide and see what would happen.
There was no doubt that this would work.
All it would take was patience.
* * * C a r t e r C h r o n i c l e s * * *
Pulling into the parking lot, Nate and Quinn were met with two uniformed cops already waiting to fill out a report. When the men approached, they glanced up suspiciously. Who wouldn’t when two strangers were racing toward you?
Sensing their alarm, Nate and Quinn pulled their badges as they headed toward the condo.
“What happened?” Quinn asked, pointing at the condo.
“It appears someone kicked in the door and was scared off by the alarm. No one’s home and there doesn’t seem to be any destruction.”
Nate was glad. “This is my partner’s place. I’m watching it while he’s away on vacation.”
“I suggest you go in and walk around, checking for missing stuff. Then, you can probably bolt the door and head out through the back. Tomorrow get that bottom lock fixed,” the cop offered.
“Yeah, we will. Thank you, Officers.”
With a nod, they went back to their report.
Once inside, Nate keyed in the code, shutting down the rest of the sensors.
“I think they were right. The person who did this didn't get any further inside. The alarm must have freaked them out,” Quinn offered. “Most people have silent alarms. This thing would scare the devil away,” he admitted.
“Luke didn't want someone coming in and having time to sneak up on him. He wanted to be able to alert the neighbors and God himself, if need be.”
“Well, that worked,” Quinn admitted, looking around.
“Let’s clear it. This may not even be related to what we’re working on,” Nate offered.
“Do you really believe that?” Quinn asked, holding his Ruger.
“Hell no. I was trying to keep you from panicking,” he joked, attempting to lighten the mood. They needed to keep a cool head because now the killer was likely focused on them.
Dividing up, the men each took a floor. Quinn headed up the stairs to check the bathroom and two bedrooms. In the guest room, he found everything to be perfectly placed. He was pretty sure that no one ever slept in there.
There was one thing he did notice. Luke was a neat freak. Who would have guessed it? That had to be driving his sister insane in that little cabin. By now, they would be sniping and fighting.
It amused him, despite the situation.
Moving more into the room, Quinn headed toward a wall. The bookshelves had some awards on them, but nothing appeared to have been moved. At the small desk, Quinn checked the laptop bag, and Luke’s work tablet was in there safe and sound.
Okay, so this definitely wasn’t a burglary.
That eliminated that option.
In the bathroom, Quinn moved toward the black showe
r curtain. Of all the parts of his job, he really hated this the most. He couldn’t count the times that he’d pulled back a shower curtain only to find a victim or nutjob lying in wait.
Now, he needed to hope for the best.
Using the nose of his weapon, Quinn pulled the curtain back. When he found nothing but men’s shower toiletries, he was relieved.
Okay, he was almost in the clear.
Now, it was all about the master bedroom. Once inside, he checked under the bed. He didn't want anyone to be able to ambush him, or even shoot him in the leg.
He’d never live it down. There was no question that if he survived, Nate would ride his ass, telling him how the FBI was superior.
When that task was done, he moved quietly toward the walk-in closet. Pulling the door open, it creaked.
The noise shattered the quiet, practically exploding in the silence of the room.
Shit!
Quinn prayed no one was in there or he’d just warned them. Hell! He wished he was wearing some Kevlar at that moment. If he got shot, Callie was going to kick his ass.
Peeking around the corner, he saw no one in there. Fortunately, it was more shelves and drawers than hanging clothes. No one was hiding in there.
Now, that he was finished, he could get back downstairs and find Nate.
The first room to search was Luke’s kitchen. When Nate entered into the chrome filled space, he didn't see anything out of place. He was well aware that his partner barely used this room. He couldn’t cook, and that meant it was basically used to house his takeout meals.
Peeking in the pantry, it was also free of any uninvited guests.
Heading to the office, Nate stayed on alert. He could see Quinn finishing up his search and heading to the top of the stairs. Since he didn't say anything, it was a safe bet that the upstairs was clear.
Once in the office, he saw the big screen TV on the wall. The other various electronics and pricey items were left untouched.
Yeah, this hadn’t been a robbery, and if it was, then the person who tried was scared away.
Nate didn't like any of this.
In fact, he was scared shitless.
Granted, some of it was for himself, Luke, Maura, and Quinn, but mostly his sister. They’d risked her life countless times by slapping a bull’s-eye on her back. Once more, it appeared that the same thing would be true. As a profiler, she was going to be in the forefront of the mess.
There had to be a solution.
Yeah, something had to be done.
Heading out of the room, Nate knew what he needed to do. While Callie wouldn’t go willingly, her husband may have some say in the matter.
“Hey, Quinn,” called Nate, getting the man’s attention. “I need a favor.”
“What?” he asked.
“Send my sister home. Get her as far from here as possible. I don’t want her on this case.”
While he agreed, doing that would be like shoving an elephant into a phone booth. It wasn’t logistically possible. “It’s not like I don’t want to do that,” Quinn offered. “In fact, I already thought about it.”
“But?”
“Callie will never go for it, and at this point, we need her brain. If someone’s going to find something, it’ll be her.”
“Force her.”
Quinn found that funny. “I love how all my single buddies think that there’s a snowball’s chance in hell that a husband can force his wife into doing anything. Have you met my woman? She’s stubborn and tough as hell. She’ll eat me up and spit me out. The day I said ‘I do’, I handed her my balls on a silver platter. Wait. One day, you’ll do it too.”
Nate wouldn’t bet on that. He had his priorities, and the opposite sex wasn’t it. He was the job.
“I really hate that you’re probably right,” Nate admitted. “Damn it.”
“Yeah, tell me about it. I’ll hint around and maybe suggest it later, but I can’t make her do it. She’ll do something insane like try to solve this on her own. Do I need to remind you of the last time we all worked together? We went to the office and she was abducted by three nuts who loved God more than the sanctity of life.”
No, he absolutely didn't need to bring it up.
This whole thing sucked because Nate felt helpless.
Now, he needed to find a way to save some Marines, get justice for the dead, and protect his family.
Simple enough?
Yeah, he only wished.
* * * C a r t e r C h r o n i c l e s * * *
Watching from across the street, everything that the killer suspected was true. They came running, but without the other man. There was only one reason that would happen.
He was definitely hiding.
There was no doubt that Maura Gaines was with him too. That meant keeping the hunt going until there was a way to ferret her out of her hidey-hole.
Until she turned up, there was more work to do, and already there was a backup plan coming to mind. She wasn’t the only one who could strategize...
“Time to get to work. Evil waits for no man or woman.”
* * * C a r t e r C h r o n i c l e s * * *
Luke crept out of their bed to give himself some privacy. He was going to check in with his team, making sure everything was fine. When he turned on his phone, he saw the message from the alarm company.
Someone had broken into his house.
It made him nervous.
That was his sanctuary and someone had entered it. Anger filled him that the killer was one step closer to finding them. If the person who was responsible for this was at his place, then the truth was out.
Now, Luke had to pray he’d managed to keep his trail hidden. Not many people knew about this hideaway, but it wasn’t exactly a secret.
Shit!
He knew the cold hard facts.
He was going to start carrying his sidearm. Once he did, Maura was smart enough to know something was up.
He was torn. If he told her, Luke couldn’t be sure what her response would be. Everything in him told him to lie, keeping her safe.
Then, he was worried about what he was trying to build between them.
How would he feel if their situations were reversed?
Thinking about the woman lying in bed in the other room, his mind was immediately made up. Luke wouldn’t risk her.
He couldn’t stomach the possibilities.
No matter how angry she got with him, it wasn’t happening. In the end, he’d deal with the fallout.
Her life meant more than her staying with him.
The choice was made.
Rattling off a text, he headed back into the bedroom to try and get some sleep. Dropping his boxers, he climbed into bed with the naked woman.
“Are you okay?” she asked sleepily, rolling over to stare up into his blue eyes.
Luke made the snap decision and did what he had to.
He lied.
“Yeah, I needed some water.”
When she curled into his body, wrapping herself around him, Luke was fine with his choice. This meant everything to him, and it wasn’t going to be risked.
Cuddling down into the bedding, he left kisses across the crown of her head. This killer made one hell of a mistake.
Luke wouldn’t let her go easily.
He was prepared to fight for her life.
* * * C a r t e r C h r o n i c l e s * * *
Thursday Morning
Dawn had just broken over the tree line. From their bed, Quinn was admiring the beautiful colors streaking across the sky. Now, he was tucked into bed with his wife.
Morning was his favorite time of day. At home, they’d both get up early to spend some time with each other. They had busy lives, and that hour in each other’s arms was special.
It reconnected them on all levels.
Last night, when they arrived back at Nate’s condo, the men found her doing work. When they came in, all three of them were too tired to do much more. The files would have to wait unt
il morning when they had fresh eyes.
There was no point pushing if it would mean missing something.
Now, Quinn was looking forward to waking his wife. He couldn’t believe it had been two years since the last time they worked on something together. Then they found justice, and he nearly lost her.
Now, he was scared shitless that he’d be too late. While he loved his sister and Luke like a brother, he wasn’t willing to chance Callie’s life.
Been there and done that rollercoaster ride once before, and it sucked.
If he lost her, his fate was sealed.
How could he go on being a father?
He couldn’t.
Leaning over her, Quinn left feather light kisses across her shoulders. When she stirred, turning into his body, Quinton smiled down at her. “Hey, gorgeous. Good morning.”
Callie hugged her husband, returning the kisses. The scent of his cologne wafted up, heating her body. “Good morning, big guy. Did you get any sleep?” she asked, running her fingers across his stomach.
“Yeah, a little.”
She could hear the tone in his voice. Knowing him as well as she did, Callie knew what he was going to say. “I’m not leaving, so you can stop right there.”
Quinn should know better, but instead he went with it. “I really want you to get on a flight and head to wherever the Blackhawks have Susie and your parents.”
“No, Quinn. They’re safe, and I’m sticking with you. We’re in this together for a reason.” Yeah, Callie knew the second he found out that she was pregnant, there was going to be one hell of a battle of wills.
Luckily for her, she was too stubborn to give in.
“Callie, you need to think about Susie and yourself. If anything were to happen to us, who will raise our daughter?”
“Nothing is going to happen to us, Quinton. I’ve got your back, and you have mine. Besides, Nate is here too. We’ll all be fine.” Callie peppered the moment with positive energy, hoping her husband wouldn’t lose it when he found out her secret.
Sinner Realized Page 19
