Relentless

by Leigh, Jo

“I get that, you know,” Vince said. “Captain chewing my ass out. Yeah. Funny.”

  “I thought so. Are you ready to buy me lunch yet?”

  “Give me two minutes. I have to hit the john.”

  “No sweat.”

  Vince headed down the hall, his doubts growing with each step. Jeff had covered for him too many times to count. He’d walked into situations that should have gotten him killed, just on Vince’s say-so.

  He made sure there was no one in the bathroom and called Kate on his cell.

  “Yes?”

  “Kate. Tell me I’m wrong, okay? Tell me you haven’t found anything, and I’m just being paranoid.”

  He waited for her response. But there was only silence. “Kate?”

  “Vince…”

  “What? What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

  “I’m sorry, but we found something.”

  His stomach clenched, and for a minute he thought he might throw up. After a few deep breaths, he said, “What did you find?”

  “There’s a bank account. In the Cayman Islands.”

  He leaned against the wall as he closed his phone. Jeff. His fucking partner. The one man he was supposed to count on. Closer than a brother. How? Jeff knew Tim Purchase. He’d been to dinner with the man, had barbecued in Tim’s backyard.

  It was everything he could do not to go right to the bullpen and shoot the bastard between the eyes.

  No matter what, Jeff was going down.

  Chapter 16

  Seth couldn’t believe how sore he was. Not just his hand—that made sense—but the rest of him. Everything hurt, and he got tired walking the eight steps back from the bathroom.

  He looked at his bandaged hand and cursed. Even with the thick gauze, he could see it wasn’t his hand anymore. Where there should have been a thumb, there wasn’t. No control, either. He could barely move his whole arm, and when he did there was pain as fierce as any he could remember. Everything felt too heavy and stiff.

  Someone opened the upstairs door, and from the footsteps he knew it was Harper. She’d been up with him most of the night, and he figured she’d still be sleeping. When she came around to his bed, the exhaustion was clear on her face.

  She looked at the cup by his right hand that she’d left two hours ago. “You didn’t drink your soup.”

  “I wasn’t hungry.”

  “I don’t care. Consider it medicine, and just get it down. You need the protein.”

  He nodded, which made his headache worse.

  “It’s almost time for more meds. And sleep.”

  “Are you going to sleep, too?”

  “Sure.”

  “You don’t lie well.”

  “I know. It’s a curse.”

  Something else was going on here. Her posture, the way she looked at him. It wasn’t about soup. “Well, then I guess you’d better just tell me the truth.” He already didn’t like it. Fear, like a giant fist, squeezed his chest. “Go on.”

  “I can’t save your hand. The nerve damage is too extensive.”

  He closed his eyes as the pronouncement hit him, first in the gut, then in the heart. “You want to cut off my hand.”

  “It’ll save your life.”

  “And what life will that be?”

  “Yours. It will take some adjusting, but you’ll be able to function quite well.”

  “Quite well for who? A soldier needs both hands, Harper. Both hands.”

  “There’s nothing that says you have to—”

  “That’s all I am. That’s all I’ve ever been.”

  “And you’ll still be exactly who you want to be. You’re right-handed. You can still use a gun. You have your strength, your experience, your judgment. The prosthetics they make now are incredible. In time, you’ll master the use of it, just like you’ve mastered so many other difficult things.”

  She didn’t get it. Not at all. He’d felt as if he’d been a soldier his entire life, and it was his body, all of it, that made him who he was. Rage swallowed him whole, and he cursed his aching body because he could hardly get out of bed, let alone throw the chair through the wall. “No. You’re not chopping my hand off. You hear me?”

  “Just think about it, okay? The nerves are mostly gone, and there’s already necrosis. It has to be done, Seth.”

  “Fuck you, Harper. I said no.”

  “All right,” she said, as if she were talking to a child. “Calm down. We’ll talk about it later.”

  “No, we won’t. You’d better get out of here.” Even his legs were shaking. No goddamn way he was letting her cut off any part of his body, but especially not his hand. He had work to do, and he couldn’t do it as a cripple.

  “I’ll go in a minute,” Harper said from the counter. She came back to his bed with a syringe. She got his IV and pushed the needle in, taking her time with the pain meds as his hand, his one hand, trembled on the white sheet.

  He wouldn’t be awake much longer. With any luck, he would just stay asleep forever.

  * * * * *

  Baker’s house was in Toluca Lake, off Barham, and when Vince pulled up in front, he saw a kid’s bike leaning against the garage door and a folded mitt lying on the driveway. He didn’t know Baker had a kid. Too bad for the kid.

  He got out of the car without his weapon, his badge in the glove box. He ran a hand through his hair as he walked up to the front door. It was just past six-thirty, and he didn’t want to be here, but there were steps to be taken, and he was the only one who could take them.

  He rang the bell and a boy answered. Vince guessed he was about eleven. He seemed surprised, as if he were expecting someone else.

  “Who are you?”

  “I need to speak to your father.”

  “Yeah, but who are you?”

  “I’m a cop.”

  “Where’s your badge.”

  “Look, just tell your father that Vince Yarrow is here.”

  The boy shut the door. Vince wondered if he should ring the doorbell again, but before too long the door swung open. Baker, looking at him as if he was the last person on earth he wanted to see, stood barring Vince’s entrance. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “I have some things to discuss with you.”

  “If you think I’m going to drop the case—”

  “I don’t give a damn about the lawsuit. This is a lot more important.”

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t particularly want to do this standing on your front porch.”

  “Tell me what it’s about, and then I’ll decide where we talk.”

  “I know who’s responsible for Tim Purchase’s death.”

  Baker continued to eye him skeptically, but, after a bit, he stepped back and let Vince inside.

  The house was nice, and Vince figured he’d been way off on what reporters earned. There was a grand piano in the living room and a lot of art on the walls. There was no sign of a kid—or wife, for that matter, as he was ushered into a home office.

  Books lined two full walls, and there were pictures of Baker all over what was left. With the mayor, with celebrities, with the governor of California.

  Baker nodded toward a wooden chair as he sat in a swivel chair in front of his computer.

  Vince opened his mouth, but the reporter held up a hand. He got a small tape recorder off the desk.

  “Hold it,” Vince said. “This is off the record. If you don’t agree to keep my name completely out of anything that should arise out of this conversation, I leave.”

  “I can’t agree to that until I know what you’re going to say.”

  Vince stood and headed for the door.

  “Wait. All right. Whatever we say for now is off the record. If you’re trying to jerk me around…”

  “That’s the last thing I’d want to do, trust me.”

  “Sit down, already, and tell me what the hell you want.”

  Vince took his seat. “The allegations about Tim Purchase are fabricated.”

  “W
hat makes you think so?”

  “First, I knew the man. Well. There isn’t a chance in hell he’d have anything to do with drug dealers. It was totally outside his character.”

  “Haven’t you learned yet that we don’t know shit about anyone? Even our closest friends?”

  Vince winced. “I’ve learned something about that, yes, but it’s not true about Tim.”

  “I can’t just drop it because you think Purchase was a swell guy.”

  “No. You can investigate the real reason for his death.”

  “Which was?”

  “I believe he discovered that a detective out of South Central was skimming off at least five meth labs. And that he threatened to go public. I also believe that this detective hired members of the Wu Chang to go to the hotel and kill him. And that framing Tim is simply a device to keep all eyes off the true perpetrator.”

  Baker stared at him for a while, then shook his head. “Why haven’t you busted this guy?”

  “It’s not time yet. I learned of the evidence in a somewhat dubious manner. I can’t use it to arrest him. In fact, I can’t even use it to get a warrant.”

  “So you want me to do the dirty work.”

  “You’re good at it.”

  Baker smiled. “I probably should be insulted.”

  “Yeah, you probably should.”

  “All right.” Baker put away the tape recorder but got out a notepad. “No one will see this. Ever. So tell me what you’ve got.”

  This was the really hard part. Telling this man, of all men, that his partner had gone south. It hurt, deeply, but the course was set. “It’s my partner. Jeff Stoller.”

  Baker blinked a few times, but he didn’t interrupt. Not even to ask how Vince knew about the bank account in the Cayman Islands. He wrote in shorthand, and he took down everything. By the time Vince had laid it all out for him, he felt as the world he’d known had vanished forever. Nothing would ever be the same again.

  “What about that witness of yours?” Baker asked.

  “She didn’t see anything.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  Vince shrugged.

  “I can’t just drop what I have on Purchase. Not until I verify that everything you said is true. Even then, I’ll have to have proof that the evidence was planted.”

  “What do you have?”

  “An envelope ready to be mailed to Tim Purchase. With ten thousand dollars in it.”

  “That’s nothing. That’s bullshit. It wouldn’t stand up in court.”

  “There’s a confession by one of your Wu Chang boys to go along with it.”

  Vince bit back his curse. “Just follow up on what I’m telling you. You don’t need the witness. The evidence you want is in Stoller’s computer.”

  “Your partner, huh? That must be a blow.”

  Vince stood. “I’ve given you everything I can. The rest is up to you.”

  “I’ll see where it leads. But don’t for a minute think I’m going to just take your word for any of this.”

  “Just do your job.”

  Baker got up and took him back through the living room to the front door. Vince was halfway back to his car when Baker shouted.

  He turned.

  “This also doesn’t mean I’m going to drop the assault charges.”

  “Get Stoller,” Vince said. “That’s all that matters.”

  * * * * *

  Kate wiped her eyes as she went to Harper’s back door. As a precaution she had her gun in her hand, but she knew it was Vince, so she opened the door as quickly as she could and slammed into his arms. His hard body felt so strong and good and safe.

  “Hey, hey, what’s the matter? Kate?”

  She hugged him a little longer, then she pulled back. “It’s Seth.”

  “Oh, shit.”

  “Harper can’t save his hand. She has to amputate.”

  “Oh, man. I thought you were going to tell me he was dead.”

  “I think he’d prefer that. It’s bad, Vince. He’s refusing to let her operate, but he’ll die if she doesn’t.”

  “Let’s get inside.”

  She hadn’t even realized they were standing in the open door. Vince walked into the kitchen, bringing her with him. He went to the coffeepot and poured a mug, which he handed to her. Then he got one for himself.

  When they sat down across from each other at the table, she felt a little better. “The thing is, he’s a soldier. He was one of the toughest men in all of Delta Force. He doesn’t know anything else.”

  “It’s gotta be a hard blow. But I’ve seen him. He’ll still be a soldier. He’ll just have to accommodate the new circumstances.”

  “But will he?”

  “I can’t answer that. I guess he’ll have to see what he’s really made of.”

  “I just feel so horrible for him. If I hadn’t left that night—”

  “Hey. Stop that right there. You’re not to blame. The men from Omicron shot him, not you. They wanted to do you all harm. It’s not your fault.”

  Kate shook her head. It didn’t matter what anyone said, she knew that Seth had been shot protecting her. That would never change.

  “Are the three of them downstairs?”

  “No. Just Nate. Harper’s asleep. She’s exhausted.”

  “I’ll bet.”

  “What about you? I’ve been thinking about you all afternoon. I’m so sorry about your partner.”

  “Yeah, me too. I can’t let him get away with it. I went to the press. To Baker. I told him everything.”

  She inhaled sharply, but he shook his head. “Not about you. Not about Omicron. He doesn’t know how I got the information about Jeff. And everything I did tell him was off the record.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Good, but not enough. I’ve still got to figure out what to do about the Wu Chang. They killed Tim, they gave Baker false evidence, and they have to pay.”

  “Won’t Baker’s investigation put them in prison?”

  “I don’t know. Without a witness, there’s nothing to put them in that hotel.”

  A new stab of guilt shot through her. “I’m sorry—”

  “I didn’t say it to make you feel worse. I said it because it’s the reality now, and I’ve got to do what needs to be done without getting you involved.”

  “You can’t go after them, Vince. You’re still suspended.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “Well, I’ve been thinking about all of this,” she said. “I have an idea, but I want Nate to hear it, too. Drink your coffee. I’ll be right back.”

  She kissed him quickly, then went to the basement. Nate was leaning on the counter, his arms folded over his chest, watching Seth sleep. His eyes were red, his hair a godawful mess and he looked five years older.

  “Hey,” she said, keeping her voice low.

  “Who was at the door?”

  “Vince.”

  Nate nodded. He still hadn’t looked at her.

  “I want to bring him down. I have some ideas on what to do about his problem, and ours. But I need to talk to you both about the feasibility.”

  “Fine,” he said. “Seth’s not gonna wake up for a while.”

  She went over to where Nate was standing. “Can I get you something? A drink? Coffee?”

  He finally looked at her. “I’m not hungry or thirsty. I’m just pissed. I want those Omicron bastards so badly I can taste it.”

  She smiled. “Maybe we can get them. Not all of them, but enough to make a dent.”

  “Bring it on, superspy.”

  “I’ll be right back.”

  “Hey, Kate?” he said, just as she hit the stairs.

  “Yeah?”

  “Coffee would be good.”

  “I’m on it.”

  * * * * *

  It was just shy of midnight when Vince finally got Kate alone in the guest bedroom. His head was still reeling after hearing her plan. “You know,” he said as he unbuttoned his shirt. “When I first
met you, I thought you were gorgeous.”

  “Really? How bizarre.”

  “Don’t even try and pretend you don’t know.”

  She was taking off her clothes, and for a moment, as her shirt came over her head leaving her in her plain white bra, he forgot what he was saying. Those fools who thought fancy lingerie made a woman sexy. They’d clearly never seen Kate.

  “Well, thank you for the compliment.”

  “That wasn’t the compliment.”

  “No?”

  “No. What I was trying to say was that while I do think you’re gorgeous, I also thought you were smart. Sweetie, I had no idea.”

  Kate grinned. “It’s okay. I’m a sure thing.”

  He laughed. “You’re anything but. I can’t predict you, I stand in awe of the way your mind works. You’re a surprise every time I see you.”

  Now she was in her bra and panties, which were also white, and looked so pure and sweet on her body he could have dropped to his knees in thanks. Especially when he thought of how the innocence of her underwear hid the fire that burned underneath.

  “No more,” she said, running her nails down his bare chest. “Make me forget everything. There’s no tomorrow. There’s nothing else out there. No pain. No death. No lies.”

  He grabbed her hands by the wrists and held her still. She struggled, but not much. Her eyes, even more than her words, made him hard, and to show her what she’d done he pushed his cock against her belly.

  Her lips parted as her eyes fluttered closed. He wrapped her hands behind her back and he kissed her brutally. Her moan told him it was just what she wanted.

  His tongue, as hard as his cock, thrust into her willing mouth and she struggled there, too. The scrape of her teeth, and then a bite, just hard enough to make him crazy, forcing him to move her backward until she hit the edge of the bed. Lifting her hands, he made her tumble, him on top of her. Now his weight held her down. She squirmed underneath him as he nipped and licked the soft skin just under her ear.

  “Let me go.”

  “No.”

  “Vince,” she said, shaking the bed as she tried to bump him off. “Let me go.”

  “No. I’m not ready.”

  “I am.”

  “Too bad.” He grinned, then took her lobe between his teeth.

  She understood the meaning of the gesture and she quieted down, except for her breathing, which, despite his weight, moved his chest along with hers.