Deadly Rumors

by Cheris Hodges

“Hey, Zoe! You plan on leaving me any hot water to shower with?” Carver called from behind the door.

  She walked into the bedroom. “Carver, something’s wrong,” she said. “I can’t explain it, but there’s something going on with my brother and I need to talk to him.”

  Carver shut off the shower. “What do you mean?”

  “He always answers my calls, but he didn’t. Then I had the dream.”

  Rubbing his hand across his face, Carver knew that he had to come clean with Zoe. Especially since he knew Singletary and Martinez were in Charlotte. “Zoe, your life is in danger. I asked you to take this case because Joe Singletary put a hit out on you. The information you gave the FBI about Natalie put a sizeable dent in his organization and cost him a lot of money.”

  Zoe’s mouth dropped open and her knees went weak momentarily. Regaining her composure, she hauled off and slapped Carver with all her might. “You son of a bitch! I had the right to know this. And you had the gall to keep this away from me while taking me on this damned wild-goose chase? Is there a missing girl out there, or is that a lie, too?”

  Rubbing his jaw, Carver shook his head. “We’re not going to find Jessica Dolan’s body here. This case hasn’t been reopened. But, Zoe, if I walked into your office and told you the truth, you would’ve gone off half-cocked and tried to find Singletary yourself.”

  “And?”

  He palmed his face. “And you might be dead! He sent someone after you in Santa Fe, the bombing at your office was probably his handiwork as well.”

  “I can take care of myself, and if I knew there was a threat, then I could’ve prepared myself. You robbed me of that, and from what I can tell, you haven’t done shit to protect me.”

  “You’re breathing, aren’t you?”

  “I’m out of here,” Zoe snapped. She started for the door and Carver grabbed her arm.

  “You can’t go, because we don’t know where Singletary is, and I’m not going to let you put yourself in danger. For all I know, Singletary still has other moles in the FBI who are watching your moves. What do you think is going to happen if you hop on a commercial flight right now?”

  “I don’t give a shit, but I know if I spend another minute in this room with you, I’m not going to be responsible for what I do to you.” She slammed out the room and returned to her own.

  Zoe paced back and forth, wondering what she should do next. Carver was right about getting on a commercial flight. She had two firearms that she couldn’t get through security, and obviously they had been under someone’s watchful eye.

  How could Carver do this to her? If someone was trying to kill her, she needed to know that. What if Singletary was behind the bombing? She knew how to stop him and she was going to do just that. Pulling out her phone, she opened her cloud drive and pulled up the active file she’d kept on Singletary. The last time she’d checked on the pimp, he’d been in Virginia.

  “Close to the interstate,” she muttered as she read over her notes. She’d planned to share her files with Delvin Smallwood after Natalie had been sentenced, but Zoe had gotten so busy with her own cases and checking into Chante’s background, that she’d forgotten about it. And Zoe hadn’t been convinced that stopping Singletary was a priority of the FBI. He was only harming young girls of color, and Zoe knew how things like that went in law enforcement circles. There had been no media coverage of the sex trafficking ring after Natalie’s conviction. And the only reason Natalie had made headlines was because of being Zach’s wife, her client list, and the judge who’d worked her case and tried to get her off.

  Had not sharing her information with the FBI helped to put her life in danger? No! Carver put my life in danger with this fake case. I’m going back to New York and I’m going to find this bastard myself.

  * * *

  Carver knew Zoe was about to make a hotheaded decision that was going to put her life in danger. How was he going to stop her? She could be mad, but he was going to make her understand why he’d done things in this manner. Stalking over to her room, he banged on the door.

  “Zoe, please open up.”

  “Go. Away.”

  “Either open the door or I’ll get a key from the front desk. Remember, I paid for the rooms. We have to talk about this.”

  She snatched the door open. “Listen to me and listen good. I don’t have to talk to your lying ass.”

  “You do, because I’m not about to allow you to put yourself at risk because you’re mad at me.”

  “I’m not mad at you. I’m disappointed, and I’m hurt, but mad? No, I’m not mad. You have two choices right now: get me back to New York on that private jet or pay for my flight to New York. But I’m not spending another day in Las Vegas with you.”

  “Fine, we can go back to New York.”

  Zoe slammed her hand on the dresser. “There is no we! Once the plane lands, you need to go ahead and file a plan to take your black ass back to Washington.”

  “That’s not going to happen. I know you’re going to try and hunt him down on your own.”

  “You’re damned right. I’m not going to live my life in fear because you withheld information I needed.”

  “I’ve done all of this to protect you, and it’s not going to stop now. If you want to track him down, then I’m going to help.”

  “Well, the FBI has done such a great job of finding this man, so yes, I’m going to welcome your help,” Zoe snapped.

  “You don’t have a choice in the matter.”

  “Bullshit!” She pushed him away from her. “Carver, was any of this real?”

  “Any of what?”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “Forget it.”

  “Zoe, I—”

  “Shut up. You’re still everything I’ve always thought you were. A lying bastard. You used me, and how I felt about you, to manipulate me into this cross-country trip. But you really don’t give a damn about me. If you did, you would’ve been honest. Now, get out of my room and get the jet ready.”

  He closed the space between them and grabbed her shoulders. “I do love you, Zoe, and that’s why I did all of this. I don’t want anyone to hurt you.”

  “Then why do you keep doing it? Get. Out.”

  “I’m not leaving until you hear me out. I have a team working on finding Singletary, and we’re close. You have to let us do our job.”

  “For the last time, I don’t have to . . .”

  Carver took her chin in his hand and forced her to look in his eyes. “Damn it, Zoe, listen to yourself right now. You want to walk around here and pretend you don’t need anyone, that you’re fucking Cleopatra Jones. There are people out there who want you dead, and I’m not going to let anyone hurt the woman I love. I lied to protect you. I took you out of the reach of killers, and I’m not sorry for it. You can stand here and question what I did, but I’d do the same thing again.”

  She blinked twice, and Carver’s heart broke as tears welled up in her eyes. “I hate you.”

  “No, you don’t. I understand how you feel right now. But if we’re going to capture Singletary, you got to let me and the Shadow Team help you.”

  She dropped her head. “Fine. But once this is over, I never want to see your face again.”

  “We’re flying to DC. I’m going to file the flight plan and we should be ready to go within the hour.”

  Rolling her eyes, Zoe walked over to the bathroom and slammed the door. Carver shook his head. He knew things were going to end like this. But he wasn’t sorry at all. Heading back to his room, he called Sarah.

  “What’s up, Banks?”

  “Zoe knows the truth.”

  “Wow, how did she take it?”

  “How do you think? We’re going to fly to DC. She’s going to work with us to find Singletary.”

  “Carver, that might not be such a good idea. She’s his target and she’s a civilian.”

  “And if I don’t keep her in the loop as to what’s going on, she’s going to be a loose cannon in New York. I’m
not going to find her dead . . .”

  “Is this about how you feel about Zoe, or are you trying to make up for what happened to Monica?”

  “Seriously, you want to go there?” Carver gritted his teeth.

  “Yeah, I do. Because I was there that night. I watched my sister die as well. You loved her and wanted to protect her—even though she had the same damn training as you. Just because you love a woman, it doesn’t mean you have to be her knight in shining armor. If you and Zoe are coming here to help take this monster down, then you better make sure you two have this personal shit worked out. I don’t want to see you turn into that person again.”

  “Sarah, it’s not like that. Zoe doesn’t—”

  “Zoe is a former cop, and from what I’ve heard, pretty good with a gun. She might need help staying away from a hit man, but she can take care of herself. You know what, you never questioned my skill on the battlefield. Do you think that once you fall in love with a woman and stick your dick in her that she loses the ability to kick ass?”

  “I’ll call you when we land.”

  “Truth hurts, doesn’t it. See you soon.”

  Carver looked down at his phone and shook his head. He mulled over what Sarah said. He hated that she was right, and had him pegged.

  He knew Zoe could take care of herself, just as Monica could. But growing up, he’d watched his mother work herself to death while his father did nothing. She’d been the breadwinner, the housekeeper, and the head of the household. His father tried to play the disciplinarian, but at the end of the day he’d only been a leech who’d sucked the life out of his mother.

  Carver knew that wasn’t how love was supposed to be, so when he fell for a woman, he was overbearing. He wanted to protect his woman at all costs.

  But why do I keep losing them? he thought as he started packing.

  Chapter 25

  Charlotte, North Carolina

  “Gabby,” Chante said into her intercom, “I’m not feeling very well. Can you clear my calendar for the rest of the day? Make sure Diane is available to meet with Katy Turner, please.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Gabby said. “Do you need another ginger ale?”

  “No. I think Baby Harrington is trying to tell me something and I should listen.”

  Gabby laughed. “That’s a good idea. Zach will appreciate that.”

  “Has he still been calling you, asking for updates?”

  “Well,” she said, “at least it’s not on the hour anymore.”

  Chante sighed. “He’s such a dork. He better be glad we love him around here.”

  “You get out of here and get some rest.”

  Chante placed her hand on her belly as the baby kicked like David Beckham. “You’re busy in there today. I hope you’re in there alone, but Daddy seems to think that he might have dropped two of you in there.”

  She yawned as she rose to her feet and grabbed her purse. Chante hated to leave, being that she had a full day, but she and Zach had already decided that the baby would dictate how hard she worked until she left for maternity leave.

  Chante pulled her iPhone from her purse and Face-Timed Zach.

  “Hey, beautiful.”

  “Babe, I’m about to go home. Your child doesn’t want me to work today.”

  “Want me to meet you at the house and massage your feet?” He wiggled his eyebrows. “My meeting ended early.”

  “You don’t have to, but I won’t be mad if you do. Can you bring me two slices of barbecue chicken pizza from Fuel, and some fries?”

  “Let me guess, the baby wants that?”

  “Yes. As a matter of fact, the baby wants to share. Why not get a whole pie?”

  “Sounds like a plan. Text me when you get home.”

  She nodded and blew him a kiss. After ending the video call, she stuffed her phone in her purse and headed for her car.

  * * *

  Lewis watched Chante leave the office. She was leaving too early. There was no way he could grab her in the middle of the day. After trolling the parking lot, he’d spotted all of the cameras and decided that he needed to figure out how to disable the cameras without his face being seen. That’s why he’d been in the parking garage that afternoon. He was going to grab her after the cameras were down. Now, he had to call Singletary and tell him the plan wasn’t going to work.

  Lewis followed Chante and wasn’t surprised to see that she was going home. He remembered days like this. He’d turn off his radio, go home in the middle of the day and make love to his wife. They had been so close, so in love, and he thought they would weather any storm.

  When he and Chellie got married, their racial differences didn’t matter. They were both products of Spanish Harlem. Went to high school together and dated since they’d been freshmen.

  But once Zoe’s investigation came to light and he was linked to being a racist cop, Chellie left him. She wouldn’t even let him explain that he’d only hurt criminals; he’d been on the streets making sure he could return home to her.

  But she’d taken Zoe’s side and called him racist. Then she left. And when she left him, everything changed. He knew he’d never love again. Seeing Zach and Chante reminded him of what he used to have.

  He was going to take pleasure in ruining their love. Despite Joe’s objections, Lewis had the ransom note and he was going to leave it at the site where he grabbed Chante. He thought about taking her now, but as he was about to park the car, Lewis saw Zach pull into the driveway.

  “I knew it,” he muttered. “Afternoon delight.” Lewis drove off and dialed Singletary’s number.

  “Do you have her?”

  “No, she left the office early, and when I followed her home, her husband came behind her.”

  “Damn it, the sooner we get her the sooner we draw Zoe out from wherever she’s hiding. I’m tired of waiting.”

  “This was your plan, remember?”

  “You need to execute it, or maybe I should execute you.”

  “Motherfucker, I’m out here putting myself at risk, following a lawyer! So, don’t think your threats mean anything.”

  “I don’t make threats, I make promises. You have twenty-four hours to make this happen or you’re going to take your last breath.”

  Lewis threw his phone on the floorboards of the car after Joe hung up on him. He was getting tired of that man acting like he was a king. This wasn’t what Lewis had signed on for, and there was still no sign of Zoe. The money that Joe had lured him to North Carolina with was damned near gone, and that black bastard hadn’t given him another payment.

  That’s why the ransom was going to be important to him. Lewis circled back around the block and parked across the street from the Harringtons’ house. He wanted to peep in the window and see what the couple was doing. In his mind’s eye, he knew they were making love, just like he and Chellie used to do in the middle of the day. Having his wife for lunch had been one of the most delightful things of his day. It made his patrols a lot easier.

  Sighing, Lewis knew the best thing for him to do was to return to the roach-infested hotel where he’d been staying and tweak the plan to kidnap Chante.

  * * *

  Meanwhile, Zoe and Carver boarded the jet in silence. She turned her back to him as she took her seat. He wanted to reach out to her, remembering their flight to Las Vegas and how they’d made love to each other.

  However, the cold look in her eyes silenced him. When Zoe buckled her seat belt and turned toward the window, Carver knew that she wasn’t going to talk to him at all. He actually said a silent prayer for turbulence.

  An hour of smooth flying passed before Zoe turned and looked at Carver. “What is this Shadow Team?”

  “It’s three of the Marines I served with in the war. We went into intelligence agencies after leaving the Corps and we help each other out when things get tough. We’re like family.”

  Zoe sucked her teeth. “Did the president really reach out to the FBI to find Jessica Dolan, or was she randomly chosen so
you could keep this farce going?”

  “The case is real, but it isn’t a priority.”

  Zoe turned back to the window. Carver wanted to hold her, kiss her anger away and go back to the carefree days they’d shared before everything imploded. But he knew better.

  “So,” he began, “you want a drink or something?”

  “Silence. That’s all I need.”

  “Zoe, you have to understand this was the only way I thought I could help you.”

  She whirled around and glared at him. “Through all of your service, you somehow have become this wannabe superhero. Captain Save the World. But guess what, I’ve never needed to be saved.”

  “Did you know you were being targeted?”

  “No! Because you didn’t tell me! How could I know? Why does Singletary want me dead anyway?” Zoe folded her arms across her chest. “How do you know this is a credible threat?”

  “You and Delvin Smallwood were about to bring him down. You had information that you were going to give Smallwood, right?”

  “Was he in on this, too?”

  Carver nodded. “But he’s dead now.”

  Zoe gasped. “What happened?”

  “We’ve discovered that an agent was working with Singletary. She was feeding him the information about our whereabouts, and I think that she’s the reason why that hit man came after you in Santa Fe.”

  She nodded. “So, we ended up on this private jet because you didn’t want our names to show up on watch lists or flight plans. Makes sense.”

  Carver nodded, then waited to see if she was going to continue talking to him. Silence filled the cabin for a beat.

  “Carver, why did you take it upon yourself to be the one to find me and protect me?”

  “That’s the easiest question you’ve ever asked me. It’s because I love you.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. You’ve proven that you’ll do anything for a case. I don’t believe you.”

  “You can question a lot of things about me, but don’t ever question how I feel about you, Zoe.”

  “You can save all of that,” she said, “because I’m not buying it, Carver. I’m guessing capturing Singletary is going to be a nice feather in your cap. Probably get you a regional director job, put you on the fast track for a promotion or something like that. Again, just like two years ago, I was a means to an end for you.”