“I just do. And don’t hand me any BS about not being able to tell me since it will appear in tomorrow’s paper anyway.”
“Then why don’t you wait and find out yourself?”
“Because I want to know now.” Haddison wasn’t sure why he wanted to know at that moment, but he did.
“Her name is Kennedy Bennett.”
Haddison nodded. Kennedy Bennett. He liked it, and although he couldn’t rightly say that she looked like a Kennedy — not that he knew any other woman with that name — he smiled, thinking the name fit her.
“So now that you’re officially leaving the Bureau, what do you plan to do with yourself?” Gause asked him.
“I’m going to my place on the lake to rest, relax, and fish for a few months. And while I’m doing that, I’m going to consider my uncle’s offer that I come work for his company as head of security.”
“Head of security. With your background and history, I think that would be a good fit for you. Is it a big operation?”
“Not too big. Close to six-hundred employees.”
“That’s big enough. I guess I don’t have to tell you to stay out of sight for a while. I’m almost certain we got everyone involved in this case, but it’s better to be safe.”
“Yeah, I know. Don’t worry. If I get bored at the lake, I’ll fly to Paris and check into the Grand MD-Paris.”
There was no reason to tell Gause, since he was certain the man already knew, that after that sting operation in Vegas where he’d saved Lee Madaris’s future wife’s life, he’d been given special privileges at the hotel. Lee and Carly had since married and were expecting their first child.
“I don’t care where you go, as long as you stay away from here for at least six months.”
Haddison didn’t say anything as the doctor finished bandaging up his arm. And when Gause finally left, Haddison let his mind relive the moments right before the crash, when Ms. Kennedy Bennett had snatched off his mask and kissed him.
He could still taste her flavor, a blend of oh-so-hot tang and delectable mint. He forced his thoughts off her to Vince and Andy. He was glad they were behind bars, but still, he couldn’t forget Vince had been acting strange the entire day. He’d always been difficult, but today he’d been deliberately so. Haddison would make sure to include that in his final report.
“All done,” the doctor finally said.
He looked up at the man the FBI had assigned to treat him at an undisclosed location. “Thanks, Doc.”
“No problem. It could have been worse.”
He knew that to be true. All of them could have been killed. He didn’t give a royal flip about Andy and Vince, but he was glad Ms. Bennett was okay. He would love to see her, to know for himself how she was doing. Talk to her. Let her know he wasn’t what she thought he was. Not a thug, criminal, or a killer. He wished he could tell her that he worked on the right side of the law, was one of the good guys and that he would have protected her with his life, had it come down to that.
Haddison moved toward the door where two FBI agents stood. They were there to take him to the airport. The men’s presence was a reminder that he would never get the opportunity to tell Kennedy Bennett anything. Chances were their paths would never cross again.
“He died?” Kennedy asked, unable to ignore the painful pounding of her heart.
One of the FBI agents who’d come to the ER to take her statement nodded. “Unfortunately, he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the vehicle.”
She hadn’t been wearing one, either, but she remembered him using his body to shield her from the impact of the accident. He hadn’t had to do that and in essence, he’d saved her life. Another thing she remembered — with vivid clarity — was that just moments before the crash, she’d kissed him and he’d thoroughly kissed her back. She had gripped his powerful shoulders and hung on as the kiss had transported her to another place, making her forget the danger she’d been in. It hadn’t mattered that he was a bank robber and she was his hostage. She had wantonly pressed her body against his and enjoyed what she thought was the best kiss she’d ever experienced.
And now he was dead.
She could feel her throat clogging up over his senseless death. She wasn’t sure how long the kiss had lasted, because the next thing she recalled was waking up in this hospital’s emergency room. She’d been told the car had flipped several times and that she and two of the bank robbers had been knocked unconscious, and that the other one had died on the scene. She had hoped, silently prayed, he hadn’t been the one who’d lost his life.
“The other two men will be taken to jail after receiving medical treatment.”
The agent’s words intruded into her thoughts, and she was grateful for what he’d said. The thought of them walking the streets again, especially the one with the blue eyes, terrified her. She wouldn’t want anyone to go through what she’d gone through today.
Today…
Kennedy thought about her horoscope and its prediction. After all the mishaps of earlier, was this supposed to be the best day of her life, simply because she still had a life? She could just have easily died…the way he had. There had been something about him that had been different from those other two. She could tell. Although he’d talked as mean as they had, there was no ruthlessness in his eyes. Something about him had been different.
She thought about the moment she’d snatched off his mask. For just a second or two, she’d seen his features. He’d been better looking than she’d suspected. Even the scar across his cheek, which looked like the result of a knife slash, hadn’t detracted from his handsome looks. And now he was gone.
“The robber who died. What’s his name?”
If the FBI agent was curious as to why she wanted to know, he didn’t show it. “He went by Bracey and had a rap sheet a mile long. He’s been in and out of jail since he was seventeen. I hate to say it, but the world is better off without the likes of him. And as soon as we can transport the others to Texas to stand trial, we will.”
“Texas?”
“Yes, they’re wanted for a number of illegal activities in the Houston area.”
“I see.” She said the words, but she didn’t see. Not really. How could someone actually choose to live the sort of life he had. She could only wonder what sort of childhood he’d endured. Where were his parents? Did he have any? Family? Who would claim his body? Would he have a funeral?
Those questions plagued her long after the agents had left, leaving her alone with her thoughts. But on their way out, the agents warned her that she might be called to testify at the robbers’ trial. She hoped that wouldn’t be the case — she never wanted to set eyes on them again.
At that moment, the ER curtain was thrown open and her three cousins came over to her. Monica and Victoria had expressions of panic written all over their faces. Sebrina’s face showed concern. Since this was the hospital where Sebrina worked, she’d probably already spoken with one of her colleagues about Kennedy’s condition and knew it wasn’t as bad as it looked.
“We got here as soon as we could. You’re alright?” Victoria asked in a rush, while Monica checked her over.
“I’m fine now.”
“I can’t believe the bank was robbed and you were taken hostage.”
Kennedy nodded. “I know. It was crazy.”
“Tell us what happened.”
She shook her head when a wave of sorrow swept over her. She was feeling sadness for the man who’d chosen to live on the wrong side of the law and had lost his life because of it. Sadness because deep down, she felt that under different circumstances, he might have turned out to be someone — someone special.
Kennedy fought back the tears that threatened to fall. “Let’s talk about it later, okay? I promise to tell you everything. Right now, I’m just glad to see you guys.”
And she truly meant it.
Six months later
“YOUR MOTHER, GOD BLESS her soul, would have been pleased that you�
��ve decided to come work here. She never wanted you to become a cop.”
Haddison looked at the man behind the huge desk. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew his uncle was right. His father, who’d been a cop on the streets of St. Louis, had been gunned down one night. After that, Haddison’s mother had done everything she could to dissuade her twelve-year-old son from ever following in his father’s footsteps as a police officer.
She’d died four years later from ovarian cancer, so she never knew her only child had become a cop, anyway. At sixteen, Haddison had been sent to live with his bachelor uncle, his mother’s only brother, in Los Angeles. After losing his parents, those years with his uncle had been the best. Maceo Rivers was just the person Haddison had needed in his life. There was nothing like being a teen and having a die-hard, fun-loving bachelor as a guardian.
“And if I recall, you didn’t want me to become a cop either,” he reminded his uncle. Maceo had also tried talking him out of becoming a cop. Only he’d used a different approach. He’d reminded Haddison that since Maceo never planned to marry and have children, Haddison was his legal heir and would inherit the empire Maceo was intent on building.
But going into law enforcement had been a dream for Haddison, one he had no intention of giving up. At UCLA, he’d majored in criminology, graduating with honors, and then joined the Los Angeles Police Department. Years later, on his twenty-seventh birthday, he’d been sworn in as an FBI agent.
“My time in law enforcement is behind me. However, I don’t regret one day of working for the Bureau.”
Haddison truly meant that. Although he’d spent the majority of his time working undercover, just knowing he’d helped put the worst of the worst behind bars had made the separation from his uncle — who was his only living relative — tolerable.
But a lot had happened in the past eleven years. Six years ago, at the age of fifty, his bachelor uncle had met and fallen in love with Lydia, a woman who’d made Maceo rethink his anti-marriage policy. Lydia had also talked him into moving from LA — another thing he swore he’d never do — and relocate to her hometown of St. Paul. A person only needed to be around them for five minutes to see they were very much in love.
The two had eloped to Vegas after a whirlwind romance. Maceo claimed he’d known that Lydia, who was ten years younger than Maceo, was the woman for him when he’d first set eyes on her one night at a fundraiser. Haddison shook his head. The things some people did for love. Even people who seemed invulnerable to it.
By accepting the position as head of security at Rivers Marketing and Technology, both Haddison and his uncle were getting what they wanted. Maceo was thrilled to have his nephew back in his life, and Haddison was looking forward to finally settling down and living a normal life. And working at the technology marketing firm Maceo owned would help keep his mind sharp.
It wasn’t uncommon for a company like Rivers to have ruthless competitors — some who didn’t want to play fair, some who didn’t want to play at all. It wasn’t unheard of for a competitor to plant a mole inside a company to find out whatever they could. According to Maceo, he’d been the victim of such underhanded dealings a couple of years ago, and he had no reason to believe there wouldn’t be another attempt. Different company. Same motive.
Information technology was a big deal and was drastically changing how companies did business. In the last two weeks, Haddison had spent hours reading the company’s reports, which were pretty damn impressive. Maceo Rivers had successfully transformed his marketing firm into one positioned to capitalize on changing trends, such as rapidly changing technology. It was a sure-fire way to keep a competitive edge in the business. Nowadays, it meant survival.
He also knew that during the past year, his uncle had been in private negotiations to merge with a similar company in Los Angeles. The deal was in its final stages, and so far, word about it hadn’t gotten out. And that was good. If the merger went through, it would allow his uncle to open a second office in the city where Maceo had lived for over thirty years — something he’d wanted for a long time.
But right now, the company was vulnerable. So he and his uncle had decided to keep their family connection quiet, at least for a while. Maceo didn’t want his employees to be on their guard around Haddison. And Haddison agreed. One thing he’d learned from working undercover was that most people, once they got to trust you, would tell you things about themselves and the company that you didn’t know. And he needed to know everyone’s perspective. His uncle needed to know which employees were loyalists, and which were dissenters.
And there was also the chance that one of their competitors had planted someone on the inside — something they couldn’t have at this critical juncture. Time would tell if there were any of those employees working here. Theo Martin, the retiring head of security, believed there were, which meant Haddison needed to be alert at all times and question any suspicious activities. Luckily, it was something he was used to doing as a federal agent.
“So, there’s no way the FBI will be calling you back to take on special assignments?”
Haddison shook his head, knowing this was one of his uncle’s main concerns. “No, I left the Bureau for good.”
He’d heard from Director Gause yesterday. Haddison’s suspicions about Vince had been true. They’d discovered that Vince had been plotting to break away from the boss-man and work for someone else. He’d intended to take a hostage all along, kill her, then frame Bracey as the person responsible. That would cause a rift between the mafia’s top men when Bracey denied anything. Vince also planned to kill Andy, so he wouldn’t be able to validate Bracey’s claim of innocence.
Once Andy had learned of Vince’s plan to do him in, he’d started talking, telling the authorities everything they wanted to know. He’d even provided the names of businessmen and politicians Vince had been trying to impress. Arrests had been made, and Haddison could finally breathe easy.
“I hope that means you’re thinking about settling down and giving me some grand-nieces and nephews.”
Haddison raised a serious brow over at his uncle. “Let me enjoy living a normal life for a bit, first. Anything else can come later.” Much later. In fact, he kind of liked the idea of following in his uncle’s footsteps and remaining a bachelor until he was much older. It wasn’t as if there was anyone he’d ever thought twice about pursuing.
He felt a twist in his gut. No, that wasn’t true. There was one — Kennedy Bennett. He often wished he hadn’t asked Gause for her name. Over the past six months, when he’d been at the cabin, and during the time he’d spent in Paris visiting the Madarises, he had allowed her into his mind. Memories of that brief yet unforgettable kiss would consume him. If only things had been different. If only they hadn’t met when he’d been working undercover. If only…
He refused to dwell on regrets. Although she’d seen his features for a quick second when she’d removed his mask, it was unlikely she’d ever recognize him. Even his uncle had remarked how different he looked with a beard.
Another thing Haddison had in his favor, thanks to those undercover years, was his ability to change his voice. It was another level of protection, and had saved him from being found out more than once. So, if he ever saw her again — and there was that possibility, now that they were in the same city — she might not recognize him, but he would definitely recognize her.
“Haddison?”
He glanced over at his uncle and realized he was waiting for him to comment on what he’d said. “Yes?”
“I’m glad you’re here. With me doing that merger, and with Theo leaving, I’m going to need someone I can trust to handle things.
Haddison nodded. “I’m glad I’m here, as well.”
“You wanted to see me, Ms. Bennett?”
Not really, Kennedy thought. If she never saw Larry Matthews again, it would be fine with her. However, meeting with him today was unavoidable, especially with what she intended to do. The man had been her boss for almost s
ix months, and she was at the point where she hated coming to work.
She still wasn’t sure how and why he’d gotten the promotion over her, but it was obvious he didn’t know what the hell he was doing and was working her to death to make himself look good. He piled project after project on her, and she wasn’t taking it any longer.
“Yes, I need to see you, Mr. Matthews.”
That was another thing she had to get used to. He’d once been her peer, and everyone in the office had called him by his first name. As soon as he’d been promoted, he’d met with everyone individually to let them know he wanted to be called Mr. Matthews.
“Please, have a seat,” he said, checking his watch while doing so, as if the thought of her even being in his office was infringing on his precious time. To do what? Close himself in his office to practice his golf shots, like it was rumored that he did all day.
Kennedy sat down on the chair in his office. Glancing out the window, she thought the same thing she did every time she came in here — he had a nice view of downtown St. Paul.
“So, Ms. Bennett, what can I help you with?” he asked, smiling, although his expression looked more pretentious than genuine.
“I just wanted to hand you this in person,” she said, taking a single sheet of paper out of the folder she was holding.
He read the document and suddenly, one of his bushy blond eyebrows shot up. “You’re resigning?”
“Yes.”
“But, why? How?” he asked, seemingly quite flustered. “There are a number of projects you’re working on. Projects that will be due in a couple of months or so. Important projects. You can’t leave.”
She could and she would. Kennedy refused to let him work her to death and then take all the credit any longer. She hadn’t left the office at a decent hour since he’d become her boss. She dreaded coming to work every morning because she never knew what new project he would unload on her, even before she’d finished the last one. Enough was enough. This job wasn’t worth losing her peace of mind over, no matter how well she was being paid.
THE BENNETTS' WEDDING (The Bennett Family and the Masters Family Book 5) Page 4
