Protected by a Dangerous Man

by Cleo Peitsche

  From the way he sat back in his seat, it was clear that Neil wasn’t happy, but at least he was smart enough to realize it wasn’t a negotiable point.

  Corbin blindfolded Neil and helped him into the back seat. He didn’t, however, blindfold me. Because I didn’t want Neil to know I was getting special treatment, I didn’t ask why.

  Corbin smiled and leaned close. In the afternoon light, his electric blue-green eyes were mesmerizing. His lips brushed mine, and a rush of heated desire poured through my veins, circling hot and heavy in my center.

  “Later,” he whispered. I wasn’t sure if he was saying he’d blindfold me later or that he had something to tell me, news about the rescue mission, for example.

  My stomach flip-flopped, and I tried not to stare at him, tried not to pull meaning from the way he breathed, way he blinked, way he drove. Probably there hadn’t been any progress, and if there had been, an hour of ignorance wouldn’t kill me. I needed to focus.

  It soon became clear why Corbin hadn’t bothered covering my eyes. The safe house where Massimo was being kept—I’d stayed there.

  It was a converted hotel that had been transformed into a fortress of sorts. Earlier in the year, Corbin had basically forced me to stay there for safety reasons. Being held hostage had made our relationship tense, but then I’d quit Stroop Finders; hating Corbin had fallen to the bottom of my list of priorities.

  Fun memories. I wondered if Massimo was in the same suite I’d been in.

  To access the underground parking lots, Corbin went through several levels of computerized security, with codes and fingerprints. I knew there were ways to trigger some kind of massive security response by giving the wrong code.

  “You can take off the blindfold,” he said when we were in the bowels of the earth.

  Neil practically ripped it off his head. “Where are we?”

  Instead of answering, Corbin parked, unlocked the doors, and headed for the elevators.

  Following him, I pushed my hands into my back pockets and tried to tamp down my nervousness, a combination of déjà vu and worry.

  The parking garage hadn’t changed much. It was still deserted, still spooky, and there were still too many cameras for me to feel comfortable. Corbin had once admitted that some of the security measures were in place to contain a threat. Meaning that it was possible to be locked in without any possibility of getting out.

  What would happen in the event of a computer glitch? Or if some madman got control of the building? A slow shudder tiptoed down my spine, and I wished Corbin weren’t so preoccupied, that he would put an arm around me and pull me close.

  It wasn’t going to happen. The best I got was a probing look in the elevator. I shrugged it off; he didn’t need to know how much this place weirded me out.

  We went up to a higher floor than the one I’d been on.

  “Excellent security,” Neil said.

  “Do me a favor and don’t,” Corbin said.

  Puzzled, I looked at him, then at Neil, who was blushing. “Don’t what?” Neil asked.

  Corbin swiveled to stare Neil in the eyes. “Don’t try to figure out where you are. That won’t end well for you.” The threat in Corbin’s expression had me swallowing nervously.

  Neil blushed even deeper. “Can’t fault a man for being curious,” he said weakly.

  “I’m not,” Corbin said. “I’m faulting you for lacking subtlety.”

  The elevator came to a stop, but the tension followed us into the austere hallway. The overhead lights were recessed behind thick glass that I guessed was unbreakable.

  As we walked under a metal nozzle the size and shape of a spur, I wondered what kind of chemicals the sprinkler system sprayed.

  “Witness protection?” I mused aloud. “I’d always thought it was about dropping people into a new, safer community, not… this.”

  A muscle twitched in Corbin’s jaw, and I decided to hold off on the rest of my questions; he could avoid answering them at home.

  When we reached the door, it swung open. A tall Asian man held it for us. His hair was cropped short on the sides, and a faded tattoo of a stop sign wrapped around his muscular arm.

  “Good to see you, Lagos,” he said, a grin splitting his face. “I thought I’d missed you.” He had a slight French accent.

  “Likewise. Thank you for this, Jean-Pierre.”

  “It’s the least I can do.” The note of sincerity in the man’s voice rang out, and I studied him, wondering what his story was.

  “I’ll be right back,” Corbin told me and Neil. “Stay put.” He and Jean-Pierre strode off down a hallway and turned to the left, disappearing from view.

  The former hotel room—suite of rooms, really—was every bit as luxurious as the one I’d stayed in. The color scheme was similar, too, neutral and soothing, and I wondered if there was an assassin on the payroll who had been an interior designer in a former life.

  After all, Corbin had been a chef.

  “I’m nervous,” Neil said. When I glanced at him, I caught him rubbing his palms on his pants. His mouth was open like a fish gasping for air.

  “That’s probably normal,” I said.

  He cleared his throat, then did it again. “At first, I thought maybe Massimo did it,” he said. “He doesn’t know that, but I do… I feel guilty.”

  Why did Neil have to go and humanize himself right when I was gearing up to treat him like a hostile suspect? “You were stabbed and left for dead, Neil. Cut yourself some slack.”

  “I never should have doubted him.”

  “You’ve both been through a lot lately.” It was trite, but Neil nodded and seemed to draw some comfort from it.

  Rob strolled into the room, a tight grin on his face. “I just finished with Massimo,” he said. He turned a cool stare toward Neil. “He told me some interesting stories.”

  Neil’s face went white. I felt mine going red. Rob wasn’t supposed to have pumped Massimo for information, but clearly he had. The plan was for me to question Massimo, then send texts to Rob, who would question Neil. If it was drawn out properly, I was sure Neil would at least tell us what their damned secret was.

  Big picture, I told myself. It shouldn’t matter who got the information out of Massimo or Neil so long as we had it.

  Change of plans. “Maybe we should talk,” I said to Neil.

  He closed his eyes.

  Before I could continue, a woman I’d never met came down the hallway. Her brown hair was trimmed in an almost military crew cut. “Audrey?” she asked. “Massimo would like to speak with you.”

  “Does he know I’m here?” Neil’s blanched face had turned red, and perspiration dotted his brow. I was starting to feel sorry for him.

  “This way,” the woman said, ignoring Neil’s question.

  I followed her down the hall. We made a left and an almost immediate right. This place went on forever.

  The woman tossed a curious glance over her shoulder, and I wondered if everyone in Corbin’s former network had been wondering who I was, what I looked like.

  Given that some of these people were assassins, it didn’t exactly put me at ease. “Um, how long have you known Corbin?” I asked.

  “About four years,” she said, slowing down. Even though she was also a tall, toned brunette, she wasn’t nearly as attractive as Jennifer. However, she had the same confident aura, the same habit of studying my face in a nakedly curious way that bordered on rude. It would have been disarming if I weren’t used to it. “Corbin’s a catch,” she said, her voice tinged with curiosity.

  “Lucky me.” The words tumbled out along with a small dose of sarcasm. She frowned slightly. “I could do without all the intrigue,” I explained.

  The woman nodded once, but there was a coldness, a flatness in her eyes. So this was what a remorseless killer looked like. I was suddenly grateful that Corbin didn’t spend time with his former coworkers.

  I jerked my gaze away from hers and turned to study my surroundings.

&n
bsp; Apparently, before the hotel had been taken over by whichever secret government agency currently owned it, this unit must have been a super-deluxe suite. It reminded me of an apartment more than a hotel.

  The woman indicated a door. “He’s in there.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “Nice to meet you.”

  She didn’t bother returning the nicety, but I couldn’t be offended. In fact I was a little embarrassed that I’d said anything; it hadn’t been at all nice to meet her.

  And that was my frame of mind as I pushed open the door.

  For some reason, I’d expected Massimo to be in a bedroom, lounging, looking gorgeous in designer clothes.

  I hadn’t expected to find him inside a room stripped bare of everything except a folding metal chair. His hands were cuffed in front of him, as were his ankles, and he was wearing gray sweats.

  “Oh, shit,” I said.

  Massimo looked up at me. His thick hair was messy, unstyled, and his normally defined jaw was hidden behind at least two weeks’ worth of dark growth. Despite the dishevelment, Massimo was still one of the most attractive people I’d ever seen.

  His soulful eyes met mine, and to my surprise, the smile that lit his face seemed genuine. “It’s good to see you,” he said. “I’d offer you my chair, but…” He raised his wrists, and the chain clanked against the metal.

  “I’m so sorry,” I said. I hadn’t planned on apologizing to him—after all, getting him captured had saved his life—but I also hadn’t expected to see him in this state.

  Massimo shook his head. “Don’t be. I owe you.” His accent seemed more pronounced than usual.

  I leaned against the wall. “I wish I could tell you that we’re close to finding the killer, but it’s been rough going.”

  He nodded. “Your brother explained that.”

  “So what happened, Massimo?” I asked. “What’s the rest of the story?”

  He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I know I haven’t been much help, but—”

  “We know Neil is hiding something. You realize that he’s not the one facing certain jail time. You are.”

  “It’s not related,” Massimo insisted. He looked nervously at the door, like he thought Neil might just walk in at any moment.

  “Massimo!” I slapped my hand against the wall.

  His eyes jerked toward me, and I forced myself to rein in my frustration. “Listen carefully,” I said. “Every piece of evidence points to you as the murderer.”

  “I know,” he said miserably. “But I promised Neil.”

  A man who would rather rot in prison than go back on his word? Neil really didn’t deserve him. “At least tell me as much as you told Rob.”

  Massimo’s brow creased in confusion. “Millie’s overdue to have her nails clipped.”

  I stared. They’d talked about the dog? I wanted to strangle Rob. “I don’t care about Millie. What did Neil tell you?”

  He looked shocked. “You should care. Millie is a living, breathing canine person, Audrey. She has feelings like the rest of us.” His gaze dipped to my nails, and he frowned. “Maybe you should take her for a ‘pooch and me’ special.”

  Repressing a sigh, I pushed away from the wall. What the hell was I doing, putting pressure on Massimo? Whatever had happened, it was Neil’s story, and Neil was the one trying to cover it up.

  I wanted to hug Massimo and tell him everything would be fine, but that would have been inappropriate. And possibly a lie. “I need to check on something,” I said gently.

  As I closed the door behind me, I wondered when I’d gotten so soft.

  It had taken me a full minute to reach the room, but returning to the entrance of the unit was accomplished in half the time.

  “We’re leaving,” I informed Neil.

  Chapter 9

  “What?” Neil stuttered. “What about Massimo?”

  Rob held up a hand. “Massimo is fine.” He shot me a confused look.

  I didn’t care. I’d had enough. “We are leaving.” I punctuated each word. “You’re holding out on me, and I had to beg for favors to get Massimo here, but since he won’t tell me the truth, and you won’t tell me, I don’t see why I’m driving myself crazy trying to help either of you. Obviously you don’t need or want help, so take your chances with the cops.”

  “Audrey,” Rob said. “You should let him see Massimo.”

  I smiled. “Didn’t you tell me just last week that I’m a bitch?”

  “You know I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “You should have because right now I’m pissed.” And I was. “So we’re going as soon as Corbin returns.”

  “There’s nothing I’m not telling you,” Neil insisted.

  If I hadn’t known he was full of shit, I probably would have believed him. Neil was a consummate liar. I propped my hands on my hips. “I’m so out of patience with this crap. My entire life went to hell because of you, yet no one has the decency to be straight with me. What were you doing in LA?”

  “Massimo and I were broken up—”

  “You weren’t getting back together with JD, so don’t even try that.” My voice climbed in volume. “Tell me the truth. Now. If you don’t, you’re on your own. Both of you.”

  When Neil didn’t immediately start talking, I pivoted away; it was either walk the opposite direction or punch him in the face. “I’m going to find Corbin.”

  “Wait,” Neil said. “Hold up a second.”

  I turned halfway and fixed him with a lethal stare. “No bullshit, Neil. The truth.”

  “You can’t tell the cops,” he said. “It’s just for your own investigation, right? I’ll deny it otherwise.”

  Stalking toward him, my hands deliberately planted on my hips so I wouldn’t reach out and strangle him, I held Neil’s gaze. “Talk. Be concise,” I added, well aware of how he liked to convolute things.

  “Money laundering,” Neil said. His tongue darted out to swipe across his bottom lip, and he blinked a few times like he was trying to bring me into focus. “JD had gotten a large sum of money and he needed help.”

  “You were helping a drug dealer launder money?” Rob asked, sounding incredulous. If I hadn’t been so furious, I probably would have had the same reaction.

  “It wasn’t drug money,” Neil said. Leaning against a table, he sighed and tilted his head back, revealing a thick, raised scar underneath his chin.

  But I couldn’t think about everything he’d been through. “Then where did it come from?” I demanded.

  Neil shook his head. “I don’t know, but JD didn’t make that much money from selling. Most drug dealers aren’t rolling in dough.”

  “How much did he—wait,” I said, realizing that Neil had, yet again, distracted me from my main goal. If Rob hadn’t distracted me using the same technique in the office, I might not have even noticed. I was being pulled in too many directions lately, and it was making me sloppy. I forced myself to focus. “Stop jerking me around. I’m losing patience.”

  Neil didn’t slump so much as… deflate. “One of my cousins was going to meet us there,” he said. “But he canceled. You can’t drag him into this because he’s got nothing to do with it.”

  “Keep talking,” Rob said.

  “Look, I didn’t want to get my cousin into trouble. He didn’t want anything to do with it. JD offered to increase my cousin’s cut, and he finally relented. I admit I wasn’t completely surprised when he backed out that morning. The last thing he needs is the cops banging down his door. He’s got three kids, and his wife is disabled. That’s everything. I swear.”

  Rob and I exchanged a glance. I wondered if he was buying this. “I’ll be back,” I said. I hurried down the hall and flung open the door. Massimo’s entire body jerked in surprise.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, his eyes wide with astonishment.

  “Why was Neil in LA?” I asked. “The truth.”

  Massimo opened and closed his mouth soundlessly.

  “I can’t help you if you won
’t tell me what’s going on,” I said. “Neil claims he doesn’t remember anything about the attack, but I know that’s not true.”

  Massimo looked confused. “He does?”

  I nodded. “And if you tell me why he was there, maybe I can figure out who he’s trying to protect.”

  “I… don’t know the details.” Massimo’s voice was soft.

  I crouched in front of his chair. “This stays between us,” I said. “Promise. I already know about Neil’s cousin, but I need you to verify it.”

  Massimo raised his hand like he’d planned to run his fingers through his hair but remembered at the last moment that he was cuffed. “The cousin was going to help JD with his money,” he said. “To make it…” He seemed to search for the right word. “Legitimate.”

  “Did JD have the money with him?”

  Massimo blinked. “I don’t know.”

  “Would Neil know?”

  Slowly, Massimo nodded. Fucking Neil, I thought. Always hiding something.

  “What’s the cousin’s name? And keep in mind that I’ll be able to find it, so why not save me some time?”

  “I don’t know, but he changed his mind,” Massimo said. He laughed a little. “Oh, man. Neil really screwed him.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He yelled at him. He screwed him. Put the screws on him? To him?”

  I nodded but I wasn’t about to give Massimo an English lesson. “And the cousin backed out?”

  “Yes. I guess it’s possible he showed up anyway, when I was gone.” Massimo shrugged, and the handcuffs jangled. “I don’t want to accuse someone who’s innocent of murder, but maybe it was him. That’s all I know, I swear. Neil really remembers what happened that morning?”

  I ignored the twinge of guilt. “He might not remember the attack, but every scrap of information helps,” I said. I didn’t mind throwing Neil under the bus, but I didn’t want to get Massimo’s hopes up unnecessarily. “Can you think of anyone else who might have come by the room?”

  “No one.”