“When? After he targets Mom again, or maybe Nora next time?”
My brother’s jaw clenched. “We’ll get him,” he clipped.
“Fuck, I’m sorry. This is just one more stressor I didn’t need.”
“Tell me what’s going on with the Russians.”
I filled Spence in on where the case was headed, the meeting tonight and the bust that would hopefully put an end to it all. I shouldn’t have been surprised to find out how much he already seemed to know about the Russians’ operation.
He’d told me he was going to check into things as part of their investigation into the shooting, and in just a couple of days, he’d managed to come back with intel it had taken our guys months to dig up. He even had locations and businesses and records we didn’t.
“You need to watch your back with Lenkov. He’s unstable and psychotic at best.”
“Believe me, brother, you’re not telling me anything I don’t already know. The guy has it out for me. I’m not certain, but I think I saw the asshole outside my apartment earlier. I had to stop by and get something off my computer. He disappeared before I could confirm it was him.”
“Could all of this be him?”
“I wouldn’t put it past him to come after me, or even shoot up your wedding, but poisoning an old lady’s tea, snooping through houses, just doesn’t seem his style. But you looked into him, what’s your gut say?”
“It says he’s bad news, but you’re right. This all feels like something else. Still, you watch your back. We’re watching Yuri and Kuznetsov, keeping an eye on the situation as much as we can, but we’re stretched thin at the moment. There’s just too many sides to cover.”
I scraped a hand through my hair and cast a quick glance inside at the room. “Mom and Dad can’t stay at home.”
“I know. Dad agrees.”
“And Mom?”
“She’s still in shock. They sedated her to keep her calm when Dad broke the news so she wouldn’t have another attack. Dad wants to take her to stay with Aunt Sara and Uncle Rick.”
I liked the idea of them getting the hell out of town for a while, we just had to hope whatever this was didn’t follow them to Portland.
“And the girls?”
“Nora still refuses to go back home.”
“Which means Emily won’t either. If it was Lenkov outside my apartment, he got eyes on her and I don’t fucking like that. Take them to my place. I don’t know how much I’ll be around this week with the bust going down any day now, but you can keep the girls out there. Set up your command center there, I don’t give a shit, but it’s the safest bet right now.”
His computer guy, Ray, had used his skills to help hide the records of the house when I bought it almost two years ago. I had asked the favor of my brother to make sure my ass was covered.
“We still need to have a talk about you and Emily, but I agree that your place is our best option at this point. I know Nora won’t do well cooped up in a hotel for much longer.”
Ignoring his remark about me and Emily, I kept us on the subject that was more pressing.
“Your guys turn up anything at the house? Neighbors see anything?”
“Nothing besides the tea cup we’ll test, not that it will tell us too much, since we already know what drug was used. Whoever did this, is a ghost. The guys are scrambling, checking all angles, but so far can’t find anything that leads back to anyone I’ve pissed off.”
I nodded my head as I processed. “They need to start combing through my old case files as well.” It was looking more and more likely that this had to do with me.
“They’re already digging. We’ll keep going with all possibilities. Just because we haven’t found anything yet, doesn’t mean this isn’t still linked to my past. That’s a lot of skeletons to try and track down.”
“Yeah, but make sure they look closely at the biker gang. I haven’t made a lot of friends doing what I do, but there was more bad blood there than on any of my other cases, and even though we wiped them out of Spokane, they’re still going strong in other parts of the country. If they’re looking to make a move back to the pacific northwest, they could start first by sending a message.”
“We’ll look at the Angels, but back when that all went down, I asked Teller to make sure your tracks were covered. I didn’t want to leave it in the hands of the department.”
Undercover work was a risk. It wasn’t like in the movies. Having an alias and fake apartment to go with it wasn’t a guarantee scumbags wouldn’t be able to follow the trail back to Camden Shaw. It helped when big brother worked with a team of hackers and security experts, and didn’t know the meaning of the words stay out of it. I guess it was just one more way we were alike.
“I get this shit with the Russians and the Mexicans wrapped up, I’m going to have some time off coming. I’m going to want in until we find this guy.” I was pretty sure it didn’t need to be said, but I said it anyway.
Spencer nodded. “You could always just give up the cop gig and come help me start up the new office outside of Seattle.”
He caught me more than a little off guard with that one, and it was hard to tell how serious he was. “I don’t know if I’m ready to trade in the blue for the all black, Teller uniform. I look so good in blue.”
“Think on it. You can do the same job, go after the same dirtbags, just with more resources and less limitations.” He was apparently very serious.
“Thought you guys were private sector, hired out. You going vigilante now?”
“Teller’s looking to branch out the operation a bit. Our clients pay well enough that we can take on a few jobs of our own choosing. Maybe do a little extra good. You’d be the perfect man to head that up.”
“I’ll consider it.” There was a lot of appeal in my brother’s offer, but I wasn’t sure I could give up the badge. As much as it held me back in some ways, it represented everything I stood for. Honor. Justice. Upholding the Law. Serve and Protect. Those meant something to me. I knew they meant something to Spencer too. Essentially, we were on the same side, had the same goal, but I was aware that Teller Corp had no qualms about occasionally stepping outside the bounds of the law to get it done.
“We can talk more when this is all over.”
“Praying it is soon,” I muttered.
Spencer gave a grim nod and then we slipped inside the room. Mom was more than a little shaken. Even so, she was a strong, stubborn woman. It took convincing, but eventually she agreed the best thing she and my dad could do was head out of town for a while.
Emily looked relieved to find out she would be going with Spencer and Nora, but she wasn’t getting off the hook that easy. We weren’t done, but I’d give her space for now.
While Mom and Dad were dealing with her discharge, Spencer and I stopped by the front desk to ask about Billy Jacobs. At first, they were tight-lipped about any updates on his condition. I didn’t have my badge to flash, so it took some persuading on my dad’s and Spencer’s parts, only to have them tell us there hadn’t been much change. He was still in a coma and whether he would wake up, and when that might be, remained unknown.
“They still haven’t caught the guy who did it?” Spencer asked on our way out of the hospital.
“No. As far as I know, they don’t have anything on whoever did it. The case just keeps getting colder and colder.”
We’d both grown up with Billy, so it was hard to accept that this guy might get away with it.
“Before you go, I have one more thing for you to take a look at.”
We were parked at opposite ends of the lot so I followed them to Spencer’s truck, where he pulled a file from his glove box and handed it to me. “It’s everything we could dig up on the Sinaloa Cartel and their entire operation.”
I only scanned the contents, but I could tell they’d managed to find information our guys hadn’t.
“Thought you might be able to use it.”
I snorted. “Yeah, I think we can maybe do
something with this.”
“Just remember to watch your back. These guys are no joke. Make sure you get out clean before the bust goes down or you’ll have pissed off Russians and pissed off Mexicans gunning for you.”
I nodded. “You just worry about our other problem.” Like keeping the people we cared about safe.
Emily was watching me out the back window of the truck when they pulled away. I held her gaze until the truck turned the corner.
First order of business was taking down the Russians and getting the cartel out of this city, but then she and I had some unfinished business that I was sure as hell going to finish.
***
How easy it would have been to put the car into drive and run them down right there, outside the hospital. Four birds, one car. But not here. Not yet. I had to be smart.
That was why I’d placed the trackers under their vehicles. I would get to them when the time was right.
The two girls left with Spencer, and Camden crossed the lot to his car. I didn’t have to follow them to see where they were going. Spencer headed north with the girls. Camden headed east. I returned to the room I was renting and started working on the next step of this plan. I had to get it just right if I wanted to get all of them.
When I saw the senior Shaw’s car headed out of town later that evening I realized my mistake. I’d spooked him by going after his wife. Bitch shouldn’t have lived. Her heart should have stopped beating permanently.
Their car continued West and didn’t stop. That wouldn’t do. I would have to think of something to draw them back. They all had to pay.
They all had to suffer for his actions.
Not one of them would walk away from this.
And in the end he would know they had all died because of him.
Sixteen
Emily
“Okay, time to spill. What aren’t you telling me?” Nora cornered me the second we made it back to Camden’s house and Spencer disappeared to make phone calls.
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t give me that. You know what I’m talking about. There was some serious tension between you and Cam. And you were weird in your text messages. Did you sleep with him?”
I could feel my cheeks heat and that was answer enough for her.
She couldn’t hold back her smirk. “I knew you wanted him. Now I need some details. Just not too many; he is my brother-in-law now.”
“Do we have to talk about this?” I’d thought I wanted her advice. I was rethinking that now.
The look she gave me said I was dumb for even asking. I sighed and plopped down on a stool at the kitchen counter.
“So how did it happen? In my head, I sort of just imagine he threw you over his shoulder, dragged you in the house and then . . . well ravished you.” She was cringing slightly and it was almost enough to make me chuckle. “Am I right? He seems the type.”
“No. That’s not what happened. We got back here last night and he actually had to leave again.”
“Wait, what? He left you here? Alone? The whole reason you came with him was so that you wouldn’t be anywhere alone. Now I want to smack him. And not just because something obviously went wrong between the ravishing and when you showed up at the hospital.”
“Would you stop with the ravishing.”
She cocked her brow. “Are you going to try and tell me he didn’t?”
My easily distracted brain couldn’t help but wander back to last night and earlier this morning. “Okay,” I admitted quietly as if someone else might hear, “he definitely did, but–”
“I knew it.” She looked way too pleased.
“Stop that.”
“Stop what?”
“That! The smirking.”
“What, I can’t be happy that you’re finally getting back on the horse, so to speak? Oh, did you know Camden has horses? Maybe we can go for a ride later. That is, if you’re not too busy riding something else.”
“Stop it. I’m not getting back on the horse, or whatever. That’s not what this is, or was.”
“Then what exactly was it?” Her expression and tone were serious this time. Teasing time was over, and now she was getting real.
“I don’t know exactly,” I confessed.
“Do you think it was a mistake?”
“Do you think it wasn’t?”
“I’m not sure that what I think matters right now. Was he . . . did he . . . ugh,” she groaned. “I don’t even know how to ask this without it being TMI, but did he treat you okay, or was he a dick? Is that why things seemed weird between you two?”
I let out a heavy breath. “No. He wasn’t a dick. He was kinda perfect about it all. And, I mean I definitely wanted it to happen. It wasn’t all him if you’re thinking he pushed or something.”
“I didn’t think he would be like that, but I saw the way he was looking at you. Let’s just say I’ve seen a very similar look. I know how sometimes it can turn your brain to mush. At least I have a hard time thinking straight when Spencer looks at me that way. So, yeah, I want to make sure you’re okay after . . . God this really is weird. We never had this problem talking about guys before. You just had to pick my husband’s brother.”
I knew she was teasing, but still I looked away. “You don’t have to worry about it being weird for long. It won’t happen again.”
“So then, it was just a one-time thing?” When I risked meeting her gaze again, she looked doubtful.
“Yes. It’s not like it can go anywhere, even if I wanted it to.”
She latched on to that last part. “But you do want it to. I can tell. That’s why it’s bothering you so much.”
She knew me too well to try and lie to her. “Nobody has ever made me feel like this before, Nora, and I don’t know what it is. I thought maybe I could use him to escape for a night, you know, just forget all the shit for a little while and be who I used to be, but . . . but last night, and then again this morning,” I had to duck my eyes as the blush crept back up my cheeks. I’d never been shy about sharing before. I wasn’t a prude and Nora knew that, but Camden did funny things to me. And incredible, amazing things that thinking about made my cheeks burn even hotter.
“Still, I tried to tell myself it didn’t have to mean anything, because, how could it? But then Camden had to go and be all sweet this morning and tell me it was more than just casual for him. Ugh, why did he have to do that?”
“Yeah. How awful.” Her sarcasm was not appreciated.
“Nora, I’m serious. He screwed everything up.”
“Wow, I really have never seen you like this.”
“I know,” I blew out a defeated breath. “He’s not what I expected. I thought it would be easy to keep it impersonal, because he didn’t strike me as the kind of guy looking for some deep, emotional connection – and I know you don’t really want to hear this so I’m sorry – but what I felt was definitely a connection. Like somehow us being together was just right even though we barely know each other and I keep telling myself that’s crazy because you can’t connect with someone that quickly, but . . .”
“But sometimes it is like that.”
“Maybe I’m just imagining it. Maybe it wasn’t really that special. I just thought it was because I’m all screwed up and it’s been so long since I’ve even let a guy kiss me let alone do the things Camden did.”
“Okay, that bordered on TMI right there, but you’re not screwed up, not the way you think you are. You’ve been through something and you’re still carrying it with you. That doesn’t mean you’re broken, or somehow defective.”
“But I’m not ready for all this. I was supposed to be easing myself back into guys and dating. This is not easing.”
“Okay, or maybe, you were just waiting for the right guy to come along to take a chance on.”
“How is Camden the right guy? We live six hours apart. He has a dangerous job that keeps him away from his house, sometimes for weeks. He’s very bossy and controlling, and doesn’t seem l
ike the type to settle down even if he said this was more than a hook-up. Also, he listens to country music and you know I hate country music. Except, you know, for when I danced with him to it at your wedding, and oh God,” I groaned, “I’m hopeless.” I dropped my head to the counter, letting out another pitiful groan.
“But oh my gosh,” I lifted my head back up, “the sex was off the charts incredible.”
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t just hear you two talking about sex with my brother.”
I jerked around and Spencer was standing in the opening of the kitchen, an unreadable look on his face. Then again, I could never read him. Nora was the only one who had him figured out.
Me on the other hand, I was an open book. I was sure the red cheeks and overall mortified look on my face were fairly obvious. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard him sneak up on us. Those damn stealthy, ninja skills of his.
He took a few strides toward the fridge. “Just going to grab a beer and then I’ll disappear and pretend I never heard a word.” He winked and I wanted to bang my head against the counter. True to his word he grabbed a beer and then left the kitchen, but I doubted he would seriously forget he’d heard our conversation.
Nora wore an amused expression.
“It’s not funny.”
“It is a little bit, and come on, you wouldn’t even care or be so embarrassed if there weren’t real feelings involved here.”
“Like I was saying before your husband intruded, these stupid feelings are a lie, because it will never work. I don’t even know if I like the guy apart from the number of orgasms he gave me for crying out loud.”
“Ew, that was mean,” she scrunched up her nose. “I don’t want to hear about your orgasms, and I don’t want to hear any more reasons why he’s all wrong for you. Just shut your head up for two minutes and tell me what you want. Not what you think you should want, but what you really want.”
What did I want?
A lot of things.
More than just lots and lots of sex with Camden.
But did it really matter?
I tried, I really did try to shut my brain up, but I couldn’t. I was scared of what that other thing inside my chest might say if my head gave it a chance.
Tears of Blue (Shades of Death Book 2) Page 14
