“No. Security services and private investigators don’t have to follow the same rules as the police. Once we involved them, then all our hands would be tied. This way, we can turn over to them what we want.” LD answered as files were carried out the door.
She watched as Victor’s computer was carted out the door. “I’m guessing they are never going to hear about this.”
Even though she tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice, she failed miserably. Rob turned and looked her in the eyes and still she saw no flicker of emotion.
“I’m tired of waiting for the police to handle this. It’s past time for this to be over with.” Rob’s voice was as void of feeling as his eyes.
There was a distance between them that hadn’t been there before he went to deal with Victor. “So now you’re going to take matters into your own hands.”
Rob’s name was called from across the room and he glanced in that direction then back at her. “I’m doing what needs to be done.”
“No matter how badly I want this person caught, I’m not willing to stoop to their level and possibly screw up a conviction. I want to make sure they are punished for their crimes.”
“Don’t worry, they will pay.” Rob ended the conversation by crossing the room to talk with the forensics team lead.
Eris took a deep breath and felt the tightening in her chest. It was painfully obvious to her Rob was reconstructing the barrier he kept around himself. The only reason she could think of was that he’d killed Castillo and didn’t want her involved in that mess in any way. Killing the man hadn’t been part of the plan when the men left the condo, but it didn’t mean it hadn’t become a part of the plan once they were out the door. Or maybe Rob had simply intended to kill Victor all along but hadn’t wanted to say it in front of her. Her stomach rolled and her chest grew even tighter at the thought.
Looking across the room, she wondered if she really knew the man who’d captured her heart. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that Rob was capable of killing Victor and the yin-yang card killer to protect her. The problem was, she wasn’t sure how it made her feel. The reality of the situation was nothing like the stories she read in her romance novels. She needed fresh air to clear her mind and hopefully calm her nerves. She turned toward the front door only to have her passage blocked by a very large man whose name she didn’t know. With a sigh, she went to the sofa in the waiting area and sat down.
She was lost in not-so-good thoughts when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She checked the caller ID before answering. “Hey, Mom.”
She listened while her mother expressed concern about her safety. “I’m safe. Really, Mom, Rob has at least a dozen men watching me day and night. Honestly, I can’t breathe without someone knowing it. There is no way a stranger is going to get to me.”
“Not all threats come from strangers, Eris DuBose. I taught you better than that.”
Eris ran a hand through her short hair. “I know and I promise to be extra careful. Bye, and I love you.”
She closed the phone and it rang immediately. She opened it without checking the caller ID. “Hello?”
“Hey, where are you? I stopped by Rob’s place and you weren’t there,” Tarrington snapped.
Eris cut her eyes toward the man watching her and whispered, “We’re following up on some stuff about the store.”
“How much longer?”
She answered, “We should be done here soon. Then we’re headed back to his place. You going to wait on us?”
“Don’t have time. Sorry.”
“Okay, talk to you later.” Eris ended the call as Rob walked toward her with his phone to his ear. She listened as he closed the distance between them.
“She’s right here in front of me, Mrs. DuBose. I assure you she’s safe. Call again if you have any questions.” Rob ended the call and studied her for a minute.
“I’m sorry, she’s worried about me.”
Rob rubbed his eyes. “She’s not the only one. Why don’t we head back to my place, they can wrap up here without me. I’m starting to need some sleep.”
“Can we go back to my place?” she asked as she stood.
Rob motioned for the men by the front door to check outside before they went out. “Sorry, my place is easier to secure, so until this is resolved that’s where we’re staying.”
“I need some more things from there.” Rob held the door open for her and she was surprised to see the sun was starting to go down.
“Make a list. I’ll have someone pick the items up for you.” Rob walked beside her and opened the car door for her.
She waited for him to get in the car before continuing the conversation. “Is this how it’s going to be, you give the orders and I simply agree?”
Rob gave her a quick sideways look. “Actually, I’m not worried if you agree with me or not. You’ll do what I say, when I say it, princess, or I’ll put you under lock and key so fast you won’t know what hit you.”
* * * * *
It was after midnight and she was still staring blindly at the television across the living area. Rob had showered and fell into bed immediately after returning. That left her with nothing but time to think and that was leading her down a dark and lonely path.
Ninety-nine-point-seven percent of her mind believed he did not kill Victor Castillo, but the uncertain point-three percent wouldn’t shut up. Every time she convinced herself there was no way Rob would kill in cold blood, the evil part of her brain would remind her that she didn’t really know the man, and there was so much of his past he wasn’t willing to talk about. It shouldn’t bother her. Even if Rob did kill him, Victor was nothing but bad and the information they’d found in his office today proved that without a doubt. She needed to push those thoughts to the back of her mind and remember that, despite his badass attitude, deep down Rob Jackson was a man of character and good deeds.
Eris rubbed her eyes as she stood and then crossed the living room toward the bedroom. She stepped into the room and closed the door quietly behind her. Rob was spread across the bed, sleeping like an angel. She was certain his halo was tarnished and there were many times he didn’t wear it at all, but his heart was made of gold. Tears slipped from her eyes and she wiped them away. He wasn’t perfect, but he was perfect for her.
Slipping out of her clothes, she slid under the covers and snuggled next to him. He groaned as she ran her hand over his cheek and placed a kiss to his whisker-rough jaw. His strong arms snaked around her and pulled her flush with his already-hard body. Oh yeah, she thought as he rolled her over and pinned her with his weight. He was more than ideal for her.
* * * * *
Eris woke to sunshine and voices coming from the living area. Dragging herself out of bed, she made her way to the shower. It took her longer than planned to get ready for the day, but when she was finished, she looked good.
Opening the door to the living area, she was surprised to see how many people were actually at the condo. Several heads turned in her direction as the room fell silent and she knew something was up. Rob finally turned to look at her from the other side of the room, but she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. It wasn’t until LD spoke that she realized he stood beside her.
“They might have found the yin-yang-card murderer.”
She turned and looked at LD. It took several seconds for his words to sink in. “Might?”
LD continued, “Early this morning, dispatch received a call about reported gunfire. When they arrived, they found one deceased male along with a suicide note saying he was responsible for several of the local deaths.”
“No, this isn’t right.” Eris watched Rob approach out of the corner of her eye. He stopped beside her but didn’t touch her in any way. “The killer is a woman. It was a woman who called me and put a contract out on me.”
LD’s eyes connected with hers before he spoke. “He took responsibility for Orbit’s death. There were things in the note that only the killer would know.”
Sh
e turned to look at Rob. “Do you believe this?”
He gave her a half-smile. “I would love for this to end so neatly, but I’m not buying it.”
“So, what are we going to do now?”
“We’re going to play the waiting game,” LD answered.
“And how does one play this game?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
LD continued the explanation. “We wait for our killer to make a mistake or a lead to pop, but at this point it’s only a matter of time until something happens.”
“How can you be sure?”
Rob answered with a hint of pleasure. “Because we’ve made someone nervous enough to pull a stunt like this, which means we’re close—very close.”
* * * * *
Rob stared at his computer screen and wondered if he was about to be the one to snap. It’d been three days since the supposed suicide and still nothing. He looked over to where Eris sat on the couch reading and smiled. If nothing else, the last couple of days had been peaceful and enjoyable. He hadn’t lived with another person since his mother and honestly hadn’t thought he ever would. Now though, he understood how pleasant it could be. Even though he didn’t want his time with her to end, he knew this momentary peace wouldn’t last forever.
Whoever they were after had either found a hole to crawl into or had left town, and he hoped it wasn’t the latter. His phone rang and as he checked caller ID, a small spark of hope flamed to life when he saw it was Titan’s forensics lead. “Whatcha got for me, Norm?”
“I’ve been running the hundreds of prints from Victor’s office for the last three days and came up mostly with the expected group of thugs.”
“Then give me the unexpected.”
“Understand this match is off a partial.” Norm paused.
“I’m waiting.”
“The print came back belonging to Tarrington.”
Cold fear washed over Rob. “Shit.”
“It gets better. I called in a few favors and learned there was no official reason for him to have been in Victor’s office. He’s not working any case involving Victor nor was he prior to this one.”
Rob’s stomach nose-dived as he thought about the implications this evidence brought forward. “Do you have Tarrington’s address?”
Rob jotted down the address and was surprised to learn Tarrington lived on the outskirts of the Quarter. He disconnected as he looked over at Eris to find her studying him. She appeared as relaxed as he was, but he knew leaving her here was going to be near impossible. “How would you like to go do a little surveillance work?”
Her eyes lit up. “Really?”
“There’s one catch though.”
“What’s that?”
“You have to do what I say.”
Eris laughed. “Don’t I always?”
“No, but I’m starting to get used to it. Now, listen up, here’s what we’re going to do.”
* * * * *
Darkness had settled over the town by the time they circled the block and parked down the street from Tarrington’s apartment. Eris fidgeted in the seat next to him. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t like this place.” Her voice was tense.
“Could you be a little more specific?”
“No. I wish I could, but I’ve never felt anything like this before. It scares me.”
He started to ask for more details when his phone vibrated. “Hello?”
“Is my sister okay? She’s not answering her phone.” Zane’s voice was filled with worry.
“She’s right here beside me and she’s fine.” Rob looked over at Eris. “What’s wrong?”
“I was getting ready for work when suddenly I felt her fear. Where are you?”
“We’re in the car watching Tarrington’s house.” Rob didn’t see any reason not to tell Zane, especially if it helped calm the man.
“Let me talk to her.”
Rob held out his phone. “Zane wants to talk to you.”
He sat there and watched Tarrington’s place as he listened to Eris soothe her brother’s nerves and apologize for leaving her phone back at Rob’s place.
Finally she ended the call and handed the phone back. “Zane wants us to leave.”
“If you truly want, we’ll leave.” He would because nothing was worth having her scared.
“We stay, I want this over.” He heard the determination in her voice.
“Then we stay and watch.” Rob turned his attention back to the job.
The neighborhood was nice. It was one of the areas making a comeback. The house Tarrington lived in appeared to be divided into apartments. If the number scheme followed normal standards, Tarrington lived on the second floor. Currently lights only appeared from windows on the left side of the second floor. He didn’t think apartment 2B would be to the left, but he wasn’t sure so he decided they would wait a while and see what was happening.
He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and turned to Eris. “I’m going to call an old friend, Vicky Wilson. She’s a riot and has the mouth of a sailor if you make her mad, but she’s a genius at information gathering. I’ll put the call on speaker so you can hear.”
He punched in a number he hadn’t used in a long time and waited.
“Obviously I’ve been at work too many hours again because I swear the name Rob Jackson appeared on my phone.” Vicky’s voice was sultry and filled with warmth, as it always was.
Rob laughed. “Point taken, I should have called much sooner but I’ve been busy.”
“And I hear she’s very cute.”
Rob looked at Eris. “You’ve been talking to LD again. I’ll have to have a word with him.”
“I’ll never reveal my sources and you damn well know it.”
Rob laughed. “Well, the cutie’s name is Eris and she’s here with me listening to us.”
“She is? How interesting. I’d love to spend some time talking to her and picking her brain about you, Jackson, but I doubt you called this late for a chit-chat session. What’s up?”
“I need information on a Charles Tarrington.” He passed on Tarrington’s address.
“What kind of information?”
He could hear the tapping of a keyboard and knew Vicky was already at work. “Everything you can find, but focus on employment history and also run a report of unsolved murders in the areas where he’s lived.” The typing sound stopped and for a few seconds he heard nothing.
“Oh hell, he’s a cop.”
“I know.”
“It would have been nice for you to have shared that tidbit of information up front. Look, we have two options here. I can get the information fast but warning bells will sound and the shit will fly. Or give me an hour to backdoor the information and we should be safe.”
“Sixty minutes and I expect to hear from you.”
“You will.” Vicky disconnected the call.
Eris finally spoke. “More waiting?”
“Yes, in this line of work you do a lot of that.”
“I’m starting to realize that.”
He reached out and took her hand in his. He desperately needed the information, but he didn’t dare do anything that could tip Tarrington off. If Tarrington got wind of this, he very well might flee the area or, feeling as if there were nothing to lose, make another attempt at killing Eris. He dialed Tarrington’s home number and there was no answer.
The mere thought of Eris coming to physical harm was mind-numbing and paralyzing. Rob forced himself to dismiss those ideas and focus on something he could accomplish.
The light went out on the second floor and a minute later the front door opened and a woman dressed to the nines stepped out.
“Look, someone’s coming out.” There was excitement in Eris’ voice.
An uneasy feeling formed in the pit of his stomach as the woman walked down the street away from him. When she reached the next block, she got into a car and drove away. The car was too far away to get a detailed description or a plate number. But it wasn�
��t so far away he couldn’t tell it was a sleek black sports car.
“That’s the same car that passed us just before we went into the water,” Eris stated as the car continued down the street.
“It is.” Rob started the engine and pulled out. “Let’s see where it’s headed.”
“Where do you think she’s going?”
They traveled through town at an easy pace. “Haven’t a clue, but take my phone and text the license plate number to LD. Tell him to run it and get back ASAP.”
“Well, I hope she hurries up and gets there so we can head back to Tarrington’s place,” Eris stated as she typed out the message.
He followed the car onto the freeway and watched as it suddenly pulled away. “It looks as if she’s in a hurry to get wherever she’s going.”
Eris waved her hand. “She’s getting away. Aren’t you going to follow?”
“This truck will never keep up and if I try, she’ll only spot us.” Rob took the next exit ramp.
She leaned back and knew he was right, even though she didn’t like it. “So what do we do now?”
“We’re going back to Tarrington’s place to do a little B&E.”
Eris sat there silently and wondered if she could talk him out of it. They’d been careful not to be seen leaving Rob’s place. He’d left the two men guarding his home so no one would notice anything different. Then he’d gone so far as to borrow the really big guy’s truck, still she was uneasy. “I don’t feel good about this. Isn’t there someone you could call for backup? Nate? LD? Someone?”
He turned to her. “I’m going to call Tarrington’s cell phone and if he answers I’m going to try to figure out where he is. If he’s not here or headed this way then I’m going to go take a look around. We haven’t a clue when we might get another chance like this. You can either stay here or go with me, but I’m not passing up the opportunity.”
She prayed hard for Tarrington not to answer, but she knew he had by the smile on Rob’s face. She listened to Rob and if she hadn’t known better would have thought Rob truly liked the other man. She learned that Tarrington was at his bowling league tonight and didn’t know what time he’d be done, but would give Rob a call first thing in the morning. As Rob returned his phone to his pocket, she made her decision. “I’ll go with you.”
Bayou Heat Page 23
