“Upgraded to critical but stable.”
“Good,” she said, withdrawing her hand so she wasn’t distracted by the feel of his touch. “I want him to get perfectly healthy so he can live a long life behind bars. Kasey was an amazing person.”
“I’m sure she was.”
“Speaking of which, Mr. Becker has been leaving messages for me. Can I call him from the burner phone?”
Declan’s brow furrowed. “What does he want with you?”
Her head tilted slightly and she gave him a mildly stern look. “He’s been a part of my life since I was a kid. Maybe he just wants to talk to me because he misses Kasey. I am his only real link to her now.”
She retrieved the phone from her purse and dialed the number by rote. She walked back into the kitchen area while the line rang. It eventually went to voicemail, so she left a message and promised to call him later in the afternoon. After ending the call, she continued to pace.
“You’re wound up,” Declan said.
“I want to go for a run,” she told him. “Preferably on the beach.”
He sighed heavily. “Sorry, but you’ll have to settle for laps around the gun range.”
“What about spontaneity?” she challenged. “If you didn’t even know I wanted to run on the beach how could Müller?”
“No.”
“Anyone ever tell you you’re no fun?”
He reached out and got her around the waist and pulled her close. Since he was seated, they didn’t have that awkwardness of having to adjust for their height difference. For a change, he had to tilt his head back in order to maintain eye contact. “Want me to show you how much fun I can be?”
She meant to push him away. Keeping up the pretext that she was okay with their arrangement just wasn’t working. But his fluttery kisses along her collarbone were. Instead of pushing him away, she cradled the back of his head as she bent down to kiss his lips. It was instant pleasure as his tongue sparred with hers. A taut coil of need formed in her belly as his hand closed over her breast. With his thumb teasing the bud erect, she moaned against his mouth. Her mind was spinning as the warmth of desire washed over her entire body.
She needed to tell him to stop. She wanted to tell him she loved him. Just lay it all out there. But she didn’t have the nerve. Realizing that made it possible for her to step away from his embrace.
“Point made,” she said as soon as she was sure her voice would be steady.
He gave her a sexy grin. “We can go into the bedroom and I can continue to make my point.”
“Or we could go to the beach and run off this…”
“Desire?” he prompted with a satisfied smile.
Chasyn was afraid she’d blush, but luckily, she was spared the outbreak of red blotches on her neck and face. “I really need some exercise”
His grin was positively smug.
“Not that kind of exercise,” she corrected.
“Then we’ll hit the range after I make a few more calls.”
“I’ll get my stuff,” she said. Again she rushed from the room. Mainly because she was too tempted to take him up on his offer. His outrageous flirting was making a mockery of her resolve. Chasyn still hadn’t figured out how to handle the situation; she just knew that jumping into his bed was probably not the best way to retain her perspective.
* * *
It was a cool day, even for March, with a strong onshore wind that had the palm fronds swaying in all directions. The sky was mostly cloudy, and a few sprinkles fell from quickly passing gray storm clouds.
While Declan and his team huddled together, Chasyn took the opportunity to call Mr. Becker again. This time he answered.
“It’s Chasyn,” she said. “I’m sorry I’ve been a bit hard to reach.”
“Where are you, my dear? You sound like you’re calling from a tunnel.”
“I’m with a…friend. How are things in Atlanta?”
“Lonely,” he said with sadness. “I miss Kasey’s daily calls.”
“I miss her, too.” Chasyn said. “The man who shot her was killed last night.”
“I know. Detective Burrows called me earlier today and filled me in on the investigation. Or rather the probable lack thereof if that Lansing fellow doesn’t recover.”
Hoping to lift his spirits, she told him, “They upgraded his condition. I mean, Lansing is still in critical condition but he’s stable.”
“Burrows said you were there when Martinez and Lansing were shot. Honey, what are you doing?”
“I’m trying to make sure Lansing is held accountable for Kasey’s death.”
“As am I,” Mr. Becker said. “But putting yourself in dangerous situations isn’t a good idea.”
“I’m being careful,” she promised him.
“I have a few things I thought you might want.”
“Things?”
“I’ve been going through pictures and some of Kasey’s little trinkets and I thought you might like some of them.”
“That’s very sweet of you, but—”
“No ‘but’ about it,” Mr. Becker cut in. “Just tell me where to send them and I’ll have my secretary overnight them to you.”
“Um,” she hesitated as she walked over to Declan and cupped her hand over the microphone. “Can Mr. Becker, Kasey’s dad, send me something here?”
Declan shrugged. “Sure.” He reached out and scribbled the address on a slip of paper.
Chasyn read off the address and spoke with Mr. Becker for a few more minutes before hanging up and rejoining the group.
“So we’re nowhere?” Declan asked, clearly frustrated.
“If Martha Lansing paid money to hire a hit man, she did it with petty cash out of her house,” Ziggy explained. “I’ve gone over her records going back five years and I can’t find so much as a decimal point out of place.”
“What about all the corporations and non-profits she’s associated with?” Chasyn asked. “Could she have somehow funneled money out of one of those to pay Müller?”
“It will take me a bit to get all those records,” Ziggy said.
“And Chuck,” Declan said in an uncharacteristically stern tone. “You’ve always been able to find people. Find Müller before he comes after Chasyn again.”
With that he pivoted and went back to his office with Chasyn close behind. He practically slammed the door on her. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked.
“I’m tired of chasing a ghost,” he growled.
“So you take it out on everyone around you?”
She watched as his shoulders relaxed a bit. Declan sat behind his desk and raked his hands through his hair. “You’re right. I was an ass. I’m just irritated as hell.”
“After you apologize to your staff, let’s run off some of that frustration.”
“God knows I have to do something,” he said, his tone not as biting as before.
“I always feel better when I burn off some stress. As soon as you apologize to everyone, come run with me.”
He looked up at her with a devilish look in his eyes. “Or we could just lock the door and—”
She cut him off by shaking her head. “Anyone ever tell you you have a one-track mind?”
“Perhaps. But when it comes to you, I can’t help myself.”
Chasyn laughed. “You’re one of the most controlled men I’ve ever met.”
“I seem to cave whenever I smell your shampoo.”
“I’ll change shampoos,” she said. “Get a move on.”
* * *
Declan knew this wasn’t run-of-the-mill frustration. He’d had difficult cases before. The only difference was, he wasn’t involved with those clients. Involved. It seemed like the wrong word to describe the jumble of feelings he couldn’t seem to reconcile. He thought about Chasyn night and day. He knew and cherished every inch of her glorious body. Every little sound she uttered when they made love.
Made love?
Where the hell did that come from? He wasn’t a make l
ove kinda guy. For him sex had always been a pleasant diversion. A period of no-strings enjoyment. He genuinely liked women. But he’d never liked one woman the way he fixated on Chasyn. This was getting complicated and he didn’t do complicated. Right?
The few seconds of inner dialogue chased him back into the main area of the hangar. He quietly and sincerely apologized for taking his bad mood out on all of them. As expected, everyone shrugged it off. Everyone except Gavin, who took him aside.
“You are in trouble,” he said in a near whisper since Chasyn, already changed into her running gear, was just a mere twenty feet away in Ziggy’s area.
“I said I was sorry,” Declan repeated.
Gavin waved his hand. “Not that, my friend. I’m talking about the girl.”
“Chasyn?”
Gavin put his arm around Declan’s shoulders. “How long have we been friends?”
“Forever.”
“Then I’m going to give you some sage advice. Chasyn isn’t like your typical playthings. Either cut her loose or admit you’re in love with her.”
Declan stiffened. “Who said I was in love with her?”
“You.”
“Me?”
“It’s evident to every one of us. Your eyes track that woman wherever she goes. You can barely keep your hands off her. I saw you kiss her the other day and it wasn’t any peck on the cheek, either.”
He shook off Gavin’s arm. “Thanks for the advice.”
Gavin smiled. “I’m only speaking the truth.”
“No, your imagination is playing tricks on you.”
“Are you trying to tell me you aren’t having sex with her?”
“I’m not telling you one way or another,” Declan replied. “Chasyn and I are going to run the range. Spread the word so no one shoots us.”
“Think about what I said.” Gavin got in the parting shot before walking away.
Declan dressed and joined Chasyn in the garage part of the hangar for some warm-up. She was very flexible, but then he knew that from having her in his bed. He berated himself for going there. He had to stop focusing on her or he’d start thinking Gavin’s warning had merit.
After ten minutes of bending and stretching, they walked back through the building and out the back door. The sun peeked out of the clouds on occasion and they’d be running into the wind.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yep,” she said as she took off without warning.
It was an easy job to catch her. Chasyn’s strides were nothing to compare with his. Still, he was impressed by her pace. He got beside her, then turned and ran backward. “Nice day,” he teased.
“I hope you trip,” she replied sweetly. “Show off.”
“I’m not showing off. I’m adjusting the workout to meet my needs.”
“How about I blindfold you, too?”
“That would be fun, but—”
He heard the whiz of the shot just as he felt the stinging burn at his shoulder. Reflexively, he dove on Chasyn and smashed her into the berm of dirt behind the paper targets flapping in the breeze. He covered her head with his arm and held on as round after round pinged through the air.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
After several moments, Declan rolled off of her and asked, “Are you hit?”
Chasyn tried to speak, but all she could manage was to suck in air.
“Are you hit!” he asked again, then ran his hands and eyes along her body for any signs of injury.
She shook her head, then her gaze fell to his shoulder. There was a growing stain of blood on his upper arm. “You’ve been shot.”
“Just a graze,” he insisted as he rolled over onto his back.
She watched the steady rise and fall of his chest with amazement. Not only did she have ringing in her ears from the sounds of the shots, but her pulse was banging in her ears.
“Everyone okay?” Gavin called as he raced from the building, gun drawn.
“We’re fine,” Declan answered.
“He’s not fine,” Chasyn corrected. “He’s been shot.”
Gavin and Chuck appeared and assessed the wound. “Just a scratch,” Gavin concluded. “A Band-Aid is all he needs.”
Chasyn looked over at the now barechested Declan and checked the injury for herself. There was a red line on his upper arm that looked more like a rope burn than a gun shot, save for the blood. She guessed the heat of the projectile had both injured him and cauterized the wound all at the same time.
“Take her inside,” he told Chuck.
“You need to have that cleaned and bandaged,” she argued.
“No, I need to study the targets and the berm,” he countered. “I want a trajectory so we can track where the shots came from.”
“You can do that?” Chasyn asked, surprised.
“Yes. We’ll use lasers and a 3-D program Ziggy has on her computer. It shouldn’t take too long but I want you safely back inside while we figure this out.”
Reluctantly, she allowed Chuck to escort her back. He wasn’t leading so much as he was bobbing and weaving. That did little to calm her nerves. Obviously they thought the shooter—in all likelihood Müller—was still in the vicinity.
While Declan and his team compiled measurements, Chasyn took a shower. Thanks to Declan’s tackle, all she had was dirt in her hair and smudges on her cheek. It could’ve been worse. Much worse. She stepped under the flow of the water and allowed her emotions to come to the surface. Hearing the shots, diving to the ground…all of it was enough to unravel her. As the spray of hot water hit her face, she allowed herself to cry. They were tears for Kasey, her parents, herself and the general situation, and she cried until she had no more tears left. She was tired of being afraid. It felt like there was no place on earth she’d be safe from Müller. No place where he couldn’t track her down. Odds were that sooner or later his bullet would hit its mark.
A shiver danced along her spine. She didn’t want to die.
Once she was clean and cried out, she wrapped her wet hair in a towel and redressed in her jeans and an aqua T-shirt. It took some doing, but she applied makeup until her eyes no longer looked puffy and her lips were freshly glossed. Sucking in a fortifying breath, she stepped from the locker room and nearly ran into Declan.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know you were waiting.”
“Not a problem. We have an idea where Müller was firing from.”
“Really?” she asked with renewed excitement.
Declan tossed his towel over his shoulder. “There’s an abandoned aluminum warehouse about a half mile from here. That would have given him the range and the angle needed to shoot at us on the range.”
“So what now? Do we call the police?”
“No. Chuck, Gavin, Sam, and Tom are all on it.”
“Not you?” she asked, surprised since he normally liked to be in on the action.
“I sent Adam and Joey over to my place to pack our stuff.”
“Why? Your house is a fortress.”
“But it isn’t bulletproof. Somehow Müller’s found out about me and he knows we’re together.”
“Should we split up?” she asked. “I could go to a hotel and—”
“I’ve already made alternate plans.”
“Which are?”
Declan reached out and brushed her cheek. “My family has a cabin in Purdue. It’s pretty isolated and has surveillance cameras set up all along the only road in. It’s a little rustic, but I already spoke to my brother Conner and he’s getting the place ready for us.”
“What about tonight?” she asked.
“We’ll bunk here. I don’t want to risk having you out in the open. Then in the morning, we’ll head for Purdue.”
“What about Müller?”
“We’re going to use decoy cars as we leave and that’s only if my people don’t track him down tonight.”
“This is getting crazy,” Chasyn said on a rush of breath.
Declan pulled her to him, off to one
side to avoid contact with his wound. Luckily he’d been hit in his left arm, so his dominant side wasn’t affected. “Try not to worry, sweetheart,” he said as he stroked her back.
She rested her cheek against his chest and felt soothed by the even rhythm of his heartbeat. She was still a mishmash of raw emotion and he was cool and level-headed. It took her a second, but her brain suddenly processed the fact that he had called her ‘Sweetheart.’ Chasyn knew better than to read anything into it. He was just trying to be kind. She stepped away from him and plastered a bright smile on her face. “I trust you.”
“Go hang out with Ziggy while I grab a shower.”
Chasyn towel dried her hair as best she could, then ran a brush through it before going downstairs. Ziggy was drinking some sort of designer iced coffee and manning her keyboard.
“You okay?” she asked when Chasyn announced herself.
“Yeah,” Chasyn answered without much enthusiasm. “Declan is the one who got shot.” She rubbed her upper arms just remembering the incident.
Ziggy flipped her wrist. “He’s hurt himself much worse.”
“Where is everyone?” she asked.
“Hunting,” Ziggy replied. “They went to the aluminum storage facility to see what they could find. Who knows? Maybe they’ll get lucky.”
“You think Müller would shoot at us, then hang around?”
“No,” Declan said as he appeared in the office.
Like her, his hair was still damp. He was dressed in his signature black attire—jeans and a tight T-shirt. Despite the situation, she found herself attracted to his raw masculinity. Especially when he was looking at her with those piercing blue eyes rimmed in inky lashes. God, but this man could melt her legs with one look.
“Have you heard from the guys?” he asked Ziggy.
As if on cue the phone rang. Ziggy pressed the speaker button with the eraser end of her pencil. “Go ahead.”
“We got lucky and I mean lucky,” Gavin said.
“What did you find?” Declan asked.
“Casings in the gutters and a hotel key card. Must have fallen out of his pocket when he was making his getaway. Oh,” Gavin paused for a second. “And the guy who owns the convenience shop across the street spotted a black Escalade racing away right after the shots were fired.”
Trapped Page 22
