by Taylor Lee
Nicki couldn’t hide her excitement. She was dying to tell Rafe what she’d learned about Freeman. She knew he’d be amazed. She hoped he wouldn’t focus on her tactics, instead that he’d be proud of her.
She pulled him closer to her and motioned for him to bend down. Her excitement was palpable.
“Rafe, we’ve got Michaels, but I think—no make that I know—we’ve also got Freeman. Today I finally got someone to talk to me and you won’t believe what I’ve got. I promise you, there is no way that Freeman can get out of this. Within a couple days, the two frontrunners for the presidency will be no more.”
Rafe frowned.
“Nicki, I told you to back off. At least until we could talk through the implications—”
Nicki jerked her arm away. Her latent anger flared. “Why, Rafe? Because you don’t want to jeopardize your fee?”
Rafe’s frown deepened. “That’s not worthy of you, Nicki, or me.”
Nicki squeezed her eyes shut to close out the hurt she saw underlying his stern expression. She wished she could take back her insulting insinuation. Rafe was right. It wasn’t worthy of either of them. Rafe was cavalier about his motivation, insisting that money was his goal, but Nicki knew differently. She knew that that the primary reason he formed his company was to take down the bad guys and even the playing field for the good guys. Charging, and getting, extravagant fees was his way of meeting powerful men on their own turf.
“I’m sorry, Rafe.”
His troubled sigh made her feel worse. She was grateful when he pulled her close.
“We need some time away, Nicki. Just the two of us. I need about a week of holding you in my arms….”
Grayson interrupted, his expression serious.
“Sorry, Rafe, Nicki. I apologize. I promise I’ll get the two of you out of here in the next twenty minutes. But Tom Cody asked if he could have a few words with you, Rafe. Privately. I think he may have additional info about Senator Michaels. Apparently we’re not the only ones who smell the stench of graft surrounding the good Senator. Cody is waiting for you in Stew Wourst’s office.”
Grayson threw Nicki an apologetic gaze.
“I promise, hotstuff. I’ll have him back to you soon.”
Nicki nodded. Watching them walk away, their heads together, engaged in a somber conversation, Nicki knew how unlikely it was that Gray could keep his promise. One of the prices they paid for the work she and Rafe did was that they had to fight for every private moment together. She hoped that Gray was right. She needed time tonight with Rafe. To apologize again for her hurtful remark. And to fill him in on what she’d learned about Congressman Freeman. She had to believe that once he understood the incendiary nature of her evidence, that he would forgive her ‘lone ranger’ tactics. She sighed, remembering how many times Rafe had warned her not to go off on her own.
As if the universe wanted to rub her nose in the reason for Rafe’s concern, she heard someone call out to her. Turning, she saw Congressman Freeman approaching. Her stomach did a wild California Screamer-worthy pitch and roll. For once, Freeman’s smarmy smile was gone. Seeing his grim expression, Nicki decided his plastic grin wasn’t so bad. At least, that was phony. His apparent anger was real.
“May I speak with you, Nicki?”
“Of course. How can I help you, Stephen?”
The tic beside his eye fluttered dangerously.
“I want to talk to you, Nicki. Privately. Please come with me.”
Nicki eased her hand along her thigh. The hard steel was comforting. It would have been better if her dress had allowed another knife or even a gun. She had a feeling she might need backup. The kind of backup that Rafe insisted every good agent shouldn’t work without. She sighed. Damn. Okay, God. I get the message. This is the last time I’ll go it alone.
Freeman stopped in front of a private office. He rapped twice, then opened the door and gave her a little shove. Nicki couldn’t hold back a groan. The opulent office was empty except that sitting behind the desk was a very pissed off looking Cherise Freeman.
Nicki forced herself to appear calm.
“Good evening, Mrs. Freeman. You’re looking well. That is a lovely dress. I didn’t have an opportunity earlier to tell you how much I like it. You never can go wrong with Fendi.”
Nicki’s attempt at collegiality fell flat. The scorn in Cherise’s eyes deepened. The self-important woman didn’t bother to answer.
Nicki didn’t have time to dwell on Cherise’s anger. The Congressman got right to the point, making it clear he was as angry as his wife looked.
“My wife told me that you engineered a luncheon meeting with her today. That you asked her very personal questions and made a number of ugly insinuations. If I didn’t know better, Nicki, I might think that you misunderstood why we are paying your company over a million dollars. We asked you to find evidence of Senator Michaels’ wrongdoing. We did not ask you to stick your meddlesome nose into our personal lives.”
Nicki heard the anger in his voice but also saw a glimmer of anxiety hovering behind his stern expression. She braced herself for what she knew was coming. The congressman didn’t keep her waiting. And he didn’t pull any punches.
“The conversation you had with my wife is off limits. Your boss signed an ironclad confidentiality agreement with us when we acquired your services. Everything you discuss with me and by extension with my wife is private. You are forbidden to reveal any information about our personal business.”
Once again Nicki kicked herself for not finding Caleb or waiting for Rafe and Grayson before she agreed to meet privately with their client. Stephen’s expression, and more importantly, Cherise’s tangible anger said it all. She didn’t have a choice. They would not let her go until they had wrung a promise out of her that she wouldn’t use the information she’d gathered against them.
Tossing caution to the sidelines, she shrugged and aimed for the money shot.
“I agree. But I don’t intend to release the information I’ve gathered.” She paused for emphasis. “You will, Congressman; when you step aside and end your campaign for the presidency.
Freeman’s face flushed an angry red verging on purple. The fury in Cherise’s eyes could have sparked a forest fire. Freeman’s voice shook with indignant rage.
“What the fuck are you thinking? Yes, goddammit, I’ve had a few extramarital ‘encounters.’ I told you before, the public will accept philandering. They don’t give a flying fuck what I do in my personal life as long as I keep feeding their gravy train. Plus the outcry will be so intense when the evidence of Michaels’ bribes is made public that nothing else will be important.”
Nicki took a deep breath, forcing herself to speak calmly. Coming as close as she could to nonchalance, she nodded in agreement.
“That’s likely true—if it were merely call girls and government interns we are discussing. I agree. The public has been there, done that. It’s old news.”
Wishing that she could conjure up a little spit to get rid of the dust in her mouth that was about to choke her, Nicki pressed her advantage.
“I thought it strange, that you don’t have any one of color on your staff. For a limousine liberal like yourself, your core team is uncharacteristically white—and male.”
Freeman’s frown deepened. Out of the corner of her eye, Nicki saw that Cherise also looked puzzled. Not waiting for either of them to question what the hell was the significance, she persisted.
“But you do like black women, don’t you, Congressman?”
Gratified to see a crack in Freeman’s façade, Nicki continued.
“Enough to father their children.”
Freeman jerked back, his face paling dramatically. Nicki didn’t have to look at Cherise. Her startled gasp echoed through the room. Nicki went for the jugular.
“Yes, Congressman Freeman, you are a baby daddy. Not once, but three times. You have what might be called a passel of little ones whose mothers—bolstered by positive paternity tests—have bee
n blackmailing you for some time.”
Turning to Cherise, Nicki didn’t hide her scorn.
“Just one more monthly payment, right Cherise? Well, make that three more payments. I’m impressed. That must be some ledger you keep, given your cleanup role in this ugly mess.”
Nicki was surprised at Cherise’s expression. If she didn’t know what a calculating witch she was, Nicki would almost think that the bombshell was news to Cherise.
Stephen’s next words were more shocking. He was staring white-faced at this wife. His hands were shaking.
“Cherise, don’t… don’t listen to her… she… can’t prove it. I’m telling you, she has no proof. Everyone will think it’s Michaels’ dirty work. Trying to take the spotlight off his crimes. I’m telling you. We… Phil and I’ve got it handled.”
Somehow Nicki managed to absorb the shocking possibility that Cherise really did not know about the illegitimate children or the blackmail. She glanced from the stone cold woman to her husband who had gone from white to gray. Needing to keep control of this wildly vacillating conversation, she jerked out her cell phone.
The melodic voice of one of the ‘baby mamas’ floated through the air.
“Yes, ma’am, this is the record of the monthly payments Mr. Reeves deposits in my account. My cousin is an accountant. He traced the account to Steve’s office. Frankie said it was the best evidence we have in addition to the paternity reports.”
Nicki’s voice was heard over the recording. “Maggie, do you ever talk to the Congressman, does he have any contact with the children?”
Maggie answered, “Oh no, ma’am. He don’t ever acknowledge us in any way. I decided as long as he keeps sending the money, I’ll be quiet. Besides, I don’t want my children to know what a scumbag their daddy is.”
Nicki clicked off the phone and faced the trembling Congressman.
“I have two other similar recordings, Stephen. All of the women describe their monthly payments and the paternity reports.”
The bright red blotches on Freeman’s ashen cheeks and the damp circles staining the underarms of his tuxedo jacket spoke louder than words. He grabbed the edge of the desk to support himself and swallowed. His throat constricted visibly at the effort. Freeman opened his mouth as if to speak but he stopped upon hearing his wife’s voice.
Nicki had almost forgotten Cherise, she was so entranced by the sight of the Congressman falling to pieces in front of her. At the sound of Cherise’s harsh voice, Nicki whirled to see the stone-faced woman glaring at her husband.
“You. God. Damned. Fucking. Son of a bitch.”
Cherise’s fury stopped Freeman’s incoherent denials mid-sentence. Her voice even scared Nicki.
“You sick degenerate asshole. You… you filthy animal. You couldn’t wear a condom? No? Why, Stephen? Why? Did it make you feel less invincible or are you truly no different than a bull in the field rutting into their whorish black holes?”
Freeman stepped back as if burned by the scathing rage of her ugly words.
“Do you think I stood by you all these years because I wanted to? I despise you, Stephen. You disgust me. Why do you think I allowed you to fuck all those sluts? Because I couldn’t bear the idea of you touching me! No, Stephen, you would have lost me and my family’s money if you didn’t win the presidency. I used you. From the beginning. And now you repulsive excuse for a man, you have ruined everything. “
Freeman held up hands, his voice was shaking with fear.
“No Cherise. No. Don’t. Don’t say that. We can stop her, get rid of the evidence.” He motioned to Nicki. “We can get rid of her, the women, the… the children. We can buy them off. The accountants…”
His face was the most ghastly gray Nicki had ever seen. His voice trailed off, and a cry of terror split the air.
“No, Cherise. God, NO!”
Nicki turned too late.
Cherise gripped her Sig between both hands; before Nicki could reach her, she pumped three shots into Freeman’s head.
Nicki leapt toward the crumpling man, stunned at the ghastly mash of blood and gray matter where his face had been. She whirled on Cherise and froze.
Cherise was the color of alabaster. It wasn’t just the demented woman pointing her gun at Nicki that stopped her. No; it was the demonic gleam in Cherise’s eyes that froze Nicki in place.
Nicki went into warrior mode praying to God someone heard the shots. She judged she had thirty seconds at most to convince the deranged woman to put down her gun.
“It’s okay, Cherise. It’s all done. He’s gone now. He can’t do any more damage.”
Cherise cackled, a terrifying sound.
“I planned to kill you. I told him we had too. He thought he could convince you to keep quiet. He is, was, so stupid.” She shook her head in disgust as if remembering her husband. She added, “A stupid pig of a man.”
Nicki took a tiny step forward, inching her hand to her thigh. Hearing footsteps and shouts from the hallway, Cherise flinched then raised the gun and jammed it under her chin. Nicki’s blade flew through the air, landing in Cherise’s chest at the same time the gun blast shattered the lower half of Cherise’s pale face. Nicki’s scream was lost in the sound of the shattering door. She rushed to the woman’s side, helplessly trying to piece together the pieces of blood and flesh. Looking up she saw Rafe, his face white with horror.
~~~
Rafe heard the unmistakable sound of gunshots. Running for the door, he shouted over his shoulder.
“Nicki!”
Caleb, Grayson and Agent Cody were on his heels as they tore down the hallway to where the sound of gunshots had come from. The other agents who’d been protecting Senator Michaels met them in front of the door. Trying the door and finding it locked, Rafe and Caleb threw their weight against it just as the gun blasted again. The horrifying sound was amplified by Nicki’s scream.
Rafe was at her side in seconds. In all the times he had seen the bloody gore of devastated bodies, he had never seen a more frightening sight than Nicki, blood and sinew covering her body. It took him ten seconds and Grayson’s voice to confirm that she was alive. That the blood was from Mrs. Freeman. Or the Congressman’s.
Nicki clung to the dead woman’s hand, tugging on it as though she could pull it back. Go back in time.
“I tried to stop her, Rafe. I tried… my knife… too late. I aimed for her hand… too late.
Rafe crouched in front of her. Nicki’s face was a ghastly shade of gray. Her eyes were wide with horror.
He saw her shock and gently unwound her fingers from Cherise’s limp hand. Easing her into his arms, he held her against his chest. A massive shudder shook her.
Rafe shouted, “Medic here. Now!”
One of the agents who was working over the Congressman dropped to his knees beside Rafe and Nicki.
“I’m a medic, Sir.”
The young agent reached for the pulse in Nicki’s neck and shoved the bloody mess off her chest.
“She’s in shock, Sir. She wasn’t hit. You know that, right?”
Rafe heard him through the roar in his ears.
Grayson and Caleb knelt beside them.
“You know she’s not hit, man. She’s in shock, Rafe. Best not to give her anything. We just need to keep her warm.” Caleb’s firm voice shook Rafe out of his own shock.
Rafe nodded, confirming that he understood.
“Help me get her out of here, Caleb. Tell Stew to get me blankets and water. Meet me in his office.”
Rafe picked her up in his arms and was at the door when Tom Cody stopped him.
“Rafe, I can’t let you go. Nicki is a witness. Christ, man, the only witness. Fuck, Rafe. Her knife is in the dead woman’s chest.”
~~~
Rafe pulled in a few hundred favors and convinced the agents and the homicide detectives who swarmed the scene to let him sequester Nicki in Stew’s office.
The fact that the lead detective had been one of Rafe’s Delta Force squad allowed
him to keep her away from the police station. Stew rustled up a uniform from one of the waiters and guarded the door to the bathroom while Rafe got her out of her bloody clothes. Caleb held her while Rafe scrubbed at the human remains clinging to her skin. Between the two of them they washed her hair in the sink. Rafe watched the clumps of flesh swirling down the drain in horror. When he got Nicki dry and in clean clothes, he wrapped her in a blanket and sunk down in an oversized chair that Grayson commandeered from the Director’s office. He didn’t know who was clinging hardest to whom, him or Nicki.
After a cup of coffee laced with Irish whisky, Nicki managed to stop shaking. When he was convinced that she was rational, Rafe allowed Lt. Corrigan and his captain to question her.
Nicki went over the tragedy starting with the facts she uncovered about Representative Freeman. Rafe and Caleb and Grayson managed to keep from interrupting. None of them could hide their shock at the magnitude of the scandal. Rafe understood now why Nicki was so fierce about chasing down her leads. And why she was so excited about finding proof. He closed his eyes at the irony of the situation. Nicki was right. The Freemans could never have survived the scandal. He was astonished at her persistence and her stunning instincts. But overshadowing his pride and respect for what she’d accomplished was the realization that she could have been killed. All things considered, it was a miracle she wasn’t.
At that moment, Nicki lifted her head and met Rafe’s gaze.
“It’s my fault. It is, isn’t it? If I hadn’t kept looking, hadn’t run down the evidence… this… wouldn’t have happened. They wouldn’t be dead.”
Rafe put his finger against her lips.
“Stop, Nicki, now. Your work, your insights and your persistence were all extraordinary, breathtaking. You saved this country from a despicable man, a hideous scandal. The only people who are responsible for the deaths of Stephen and Cherise Freeman are the two of them. Period. End of discussion.”
He hesitated for a long moment. Exchanging a glance with Caleb and Grayson, Rafe cleared his throat and he sat Nicki up so that he could hold her gaze.
“However, my darling, you are responsible for nearly getting yourself killed. Caleb, Grayson and I were forty feet away. If you had reached out to any one of us before you went in that room, we would have been there with you.”
