In the Shadow of Vengeance

by Nancy C. Weeks

  “Elizabeth?”

  She yanked herself out of her head and faced him. “What?”

  “Where did you just go?”

  “Nowhere. Look, Detective McNeil, I’m—”

  “Noah! The name is Noah.”

  Damn stubborn man. She let out a breath she hadn’t known she held. “Fine, Noah, I’m sorry for my tone. This,” she said, nodding to the coffee table, “is just so hard to take in.”

  He moved over to the table and picked up the latex glove. Taking care not to leave a fingerprint, he gently placed all the pieces into the bag. “I can’t leave this here.”

  “No, of course not. I don’t want it in my home.” She paused as she tried to come up with the courage to ask the next question. Noah beat her to it.

  “I need to turn the handgun over to our forensic department. I’ll keep Danny’s name out of it entirely.”

  She couldn’t help the noisy sigh of relief that escaped her. “Thank you.”

  “I’m going to need the man’s name who sold Danny the gun.”

  “He’ll tell me,” she murmured. Right after he explains the man in his room. That, of course, had to be a dream. What terrified her most was the conviction on her son’s face. Danny believed someone wanted to hurt her.

  There had been only one man who ever threatened Elizabeth: Marco De Rousse. His eldest son, Victor, was the man who tried to shoot her in the parking lot of the outpatient center. He died in the tornado and Spencer’s body was never found, but he, too, was presumed dead. When the FBI arrested the woman with Spencer and the others involved in the international organ trafficking ring, the De Rousse name was part of the indictment.

  There was a contract hit out on the person who had testified against the De Rousse family. Derek said the hit was a show of force: you come after mine, we go after yours. Each year, the price increased. Now it was in the millions. If anyone ever discovered it was Elizabeth who gave testimony, her children, parents, and siblings would become targets for retaliation.

  Noah cleared his throat. “About Danny’s warning—”

  “Do you believe there was a man in Danny’s room?” Elizabeth’s lungs drained of air.

  “I don’t know. Danny’s convinced. Have you ever seen the guy who attacked you before?”

  “No.”

  “Do you mind telling me what happened?”

  “The guy seemed strung halfway out of his mind.” Memories of the attack were the last thing her nerves needed. She had to move, but pacing in the tight place was not an option. “Maybe the attack just frightened Danny. I was a little unsettled when I got home. I should have calmed down first.”

  “Did this guy attack any other passenger, or did he single you out?”

  “I got on the train, and right before the doors shut, he stumbled in, knocking this woman into the first bench. There wasn’t a free seat so I moved down the aisle to put some distance between us, but I think it pissed him off because he came at me.”

  “How?”

  “He went a little crazy and grabbed me, shoving me up against the two doors. He held me in place with his arm at my throat while he tried to yank my purse off my shoulder. I gave him a good kick between his legs, shoved him, and he fell back. One of the passengers held him down until we got to my stop.”

  “What other man hurt you?”

  This time she was the one who stepped back. Shit. Of course he would pick up on that. Her life was a lie, and she hated how it turned her into a quick-thinking liar.

  “There isn’t another man. I don’t know what Danny is talking about. Unless it’s Mendoza—”

  “Elías Mendoza will die in the hole we put him in.” Noah’s voice went deep as every muscle in his body tensed.

  Elizabeth swallowed. Everything about the man’s demeanor changed in that instant. And her instincts might have been defective when it came to relationships, but they were spot on in other areas. Detective Noah McNeil could be charming; fun-loving, even; but underneath all that charisma was a dangerous man. She needed to remember this moment.

  She walked toward the door, almost surprised her knees didn’t tremble out from under her, and pulled it open. “I’ll get you that name.”

  Noah moved into the small foyer, clutching the paper bag. His dark blue irises bored into hers with a mixture of irritation, confusion, and something she almost didn’t recognize: desire.

  He took a step into her personal space. She held herself perfectly still. When he finally spoke, his deep baritone voice oozed sex and a slight hint of malice.

  “I get you don’t like me. I can even understand why you don’t want any McNeil near Danny.”

  “I don’t blame you for what happened to Danny.”

  He slowly moved his hand up to her face and brushed a strand of hair back behind her ear. The simple touch sent an electric jolt through her, but she held her stance. Damn. She needed to stop staring at his mouth and wondering what those full lips felt like—tasted like.

  “Yeah, you do. Don’t lie to me, Elizabeth. I don’t deserve that.”

  “I’m not lying—”

  Noah’s fingers pressed gently over her lips. “My superpower is I’m a human lie detector. I don’t care if you don’t like me or trust me. Don’t lie to me.”

  She knocked his hand from her face. She had to pin her arms to her side to keep from shoving the damn stubborn man down her steps. “You’re right. I don’t trust you and I don’t want you near my son. And that has nothing to do with what happened. I just don’t like you.”

  Noah let out a forced laugh and then reached for his wallet. Pulling out a card, he pressed it in her hand. “That was honest, and for the record, the feeling is mutual. But I do like your kids.”

  He eased past her. On the first step, he turned and placed his hand flat on the door, keeping it from closing. “This isn’t going away. If you don’t want my help, then reach out to someone.”

  “I don’t need—”

  “It’s not a dream, Elizabeth. It’s a warning. Listen to Danny.”

  Chapter Four

  It took Noah several minutes before he could relax enough to pull out of the parking spot across from Danny’s home. The sun had gone down and dense cloud cover blocked any light from the full moon. He was acting like a damn stalker and needed to get the hell out of there before Raúl spotted him and laughed himself sick.

  Shit, stalking Elizabeth Merlot would be so much easier to explain. Instead, his reality took a flying leap into something distorted and fucking unbelievable. The kid bought a handgun off a ganger to protect his family because Evan Nash told him to. Son of a bitch. This couldn’t be happening again.

  Noah had a hard time accepting the supernatural events surrounding Jared and Jennie. It made his skin crawl three years ago and nothing had changed. But as much as he wanted to discount what Danny said, the message was clear.

  His name is Evan and he used to be a cop.

  Elías Mendoza had killed Evan Nash, Jennie’s father, when Jennie was just ten years old. Evan haunted Jared’s dreams for years until Mendoza was finally arrested. The damn ghost, spirit, whatever the hell he was, couldn’t be back. If so, there was only one reason. Mendoza was also back and that was impossible.

  Mendoza spent his days in one of the most secure prisons in the country. Noah and his twin kept a close eye that he stayed there. Taking a trip out to Colorado every few months had become a morbid but necessary pilgrimage.

  Noah pressed his foot down on the accelerator as his heart pounded against his ribs. Once on the highway, the speedometer climbed past eighty, but the speed did nothing to ease the tension cramping his shoulder and neck muscles. He took an exit into a quiet community due west of Baltimore. Making his way through the winding streets, he pulled up and parked on the street in front of a two-story colonial. Instead of using the doorbell, he shoved his key in the lock and let himself into his brother’s home.

  Jared popped his head up over the sofa. “What the hell, Noah? We could have been
naked.”

  Jennie lay next to him on the wide sofa, watching the Orioles game.

  “Then I would have closed my eyes. We need to talk. Now.”

  “Did you see Danny?” Jennie asked, moving off Jared.

  Noah tucked his fists in his pockets. “I’m not talking to you. Jared, kitchen.”

  She charged across the room and poked him in the chest. “You have news about Danny, then damn it, say it.”

  He gave her his meanest expression, brows raised, teeth clenched, but she didn’t back down. A chuckle rose up and he swallowed it. Damn, she was something. At five foot four, she was a good foot shorter than he and Jared, and they had a good hundred pounds on her. Yet if he didn’t spill his guts, she would poke him until he did.

  There was a time when he had hated Jennie. Real bone-chilling, want-to-hurt kind of hate. He had never misjudged someone so badly in his life. That stupid would live with him for a long time. She loved his brother to distraction, which made her number one in Noah’s book. He had come to love her as much as he loved his sister Emma, even though Jennie was the biggest pain in his butt. She had him wrapped around her little finger and she knew it. Somehow, he was going to have to get rid of her so he could talk to Jared about Danny.

  He placed both hands on her shoulders. “Danny is fine and home having dinner with his mom and sister.” He kissed her cheek. “Now bug off. I need a word with Jared. It’s police business.”

  She studied him for a moment, then moved out of his path. “But you talked to Danny and he’s okay?”

  “I talked, he grunted. Not much of a conversation. Erin gave me a hug, though. At least she still likes me.”

  The tension eased from around her eyes. She placed a hand on Jared’s arm. “Make it quick. You’re on my time. You get him from six a.m. to six p.m. I get him the rest of the time. I’ll be upstairs,” she added to her husband.

  Noah waited until she was gone before addressing his twin. “I need a drink, something stronger than beer.”

  “Is this police business?”

  “Not even close,” Noah said as he headed into the kitchen. He went to the cabinet above the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of bourbon. Reaching for a glass, he poured a shot and gulped it back. “Jennie will stay upstairs, right?”

  Jared removed the bottle from his hand. “We don’t keep secrets from each other. You know that.”

  “You may want to rethink that.”

  Jared’s expression turned stormy. Noah wasn’t trying to piss his brother off. He just couldn’t work the words out of his mouth. He grabbed the bottle, poured himself another drink, and saddled one of the kitchen chairs. “Evan is back and talking to Danny Merlot.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me.”

  “That’s crazy. Are you sure? Son of a bitch! Why?”

  “Hell, Jared, I stopped asking those questions three years ago,” he whispered. There was no explanation.

  “Tell me what you know,” Jared forced out.

  Noah spent the next few minutes going over the joy of his evening while Jared helped himself to his second glass, then he had an unusual third. “This is Jennie’s fault,” Noah added.

  “How do you figure?”

  “She sent me there, the little brat. I broke a date for this shit.” Noah yanked his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. “Had I been lucky, that sweet new recruit Doria’s training would be in my bed right now. Instead, I’m stuck with whatever the hell this fucked-up thing is.” He studied his brother for a moment before asking, “Are you going to tell Jennie?”

  His twin glanced at the doorway. “You might as well come sit down,” he said to his wife.

  Noah shot his brother a glare. Jared shrugged as Jennie dropped into his lap. “I told you, I don’t keep secrets from my wife.” He hugged her close.

  “Noah, are you sure Danny is talking to my father? Maybe someone broke in the Merlots’ home.”

  Noah hated the look of fear that edged into Jennie’s eyes. Her mind was probably where his has been the last couple of hours. And he hated opening wounds that hadn’t had time yet to heal closed.

  “You’re right. Though either scenario is a nightmare.” Noah raked a hand over his neck muscles. “I didn’t get a chance to talk with Danny. Elizabeth wasn’t in a very friendly state of mind. She thinks he was dreaming.” He reached for Jennie’s hand and covered it with both of his. “Danny could have heard about Evan and somehow got it into his head—”

  “I never talk about my father to anyone outside the family.”

  “Kids have elephant ears, right? Anita and Raúl could have talked about your dad. TJ could have heard and told Danny.”

  A lone tear slipped down Jennie’s cheek. She wiped it clean, shaking her head. “I need to talk to Danny.”

  “It could have nothing to do with Mendoza,” Jared whispered, bringing her into him.

  “And it could have everything to do with him.”

  “Jennie, can you still feel Mendoza’s presence?” Noah asked, swallowing the sour lump that threatened to choke him.

  “No, I haven’t felt Mendoza since the wedding. I’m not connected to him anymore.”

  “I don’t want you worrying about this,” Noah said. “You and Jared have wasted enough of your life on that bastard. I’m going to look into this guy who attacked Elizabeth and see where that leads me. Then I’ll talk to Danny, maybe show him a photo of Evan, and see if he recognizes him.”

  “Don’t keep me out of this, Noah McNeil.” She rose and moved to a row of framed photos on the wall, selecting one. She opened the back and took out a photo, handing it to him. He placed it in his inside pocket.

  “I’ll get out of your hair and let you get on with your evening.” He set his glass on the counter by the sink and headed for the front door. Jared and Jennie followed. “Don’t worry until there is something to worry about.” He met his brother’s glare. “I’m on the Merlots. You—”

  “I’ll check into Mendoza,” Jared said, following him to his truck.

  Noah unlocked the glove compartment and handed his brother the brown paper bag. Jared took a look inside and scowled.

  “Damn. What was the kid thinking?”

  “He’s scared, Jared. We placed him in this mess. We have to get him out.”

  “No, Mendoza placed him in this situation. I spend too much time trying to convince Jennie of that fact. Don’t make me have to do the same with you.”

  Noah let out a heavy groan. “My head knows that, bro, but when I saw Danny this afternoon in that alley, I wanted to kill the guy for placing a gun in the hands of a messed-up kid.”

  “You’re going after the ganger, too?”

  “Yeah, I promised Elizabeth I’ll keep Danny’s name out of it,” he said, nodding at the bag, “as long as he gives me a name.”

  “So how do you plan to handle Elizabeth Merlot? I assume you are going to be sticking close to Danny.”

  Noah didn’t miss the sarcastic undertones. “Don’t even go there. There is nothing between us. She hates me, and I wouldn’t try to tap that with a ten-foot pole. I’m not stupid.”

  Jared shifted his position and seemed to struggle not to laugh in Noah’s face. “Ms. Merlot is one fine-looking woman. God, she has legs that go—”

  Noah shoved his brother in the shoulder. “Keep your eyes where they belong.”

  Jared stumbled off the curve onto the street and laughed out loud. Noah crossed behind his truck and opened the driver’s door.

  “Noah.”

  This time, there wasn’t a hint of laughter in his twin’s voice. “What?”

  “You have a knot in your stomach the size of Cleveland, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, you, too?”

  Jared nodded. “This isn’t good.”

  “My thoughts exactly. And I didn’t see it coming.”

  Jared started to turn back toward his home then met Noah’s gaze. “Jennie’s pregnant.”

  He took several steps
toward his brother. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “We just found out and we wanted the news to be ours for a little while. God, bro, nothing can touch her now.”

  Noah placed a hand on Jared’s shoulder. “You two have this weird-ass connection. She feels what you feel. You can’t keep it from her, but if you focus on your family, stay calm, positive, she’ll feed off of that.”

  “You’re going to need Adam’s help with this, Noah. I know you have a problem with him because he kept his relationship to us a secret, but he’s our half-brother and will be there for you.”

  “Okay, problem solved.” He pulled Jared into a hug. “And there is Raúl, too, so chill. I can always call in Mac and Jason.” Noah had already decided he would need his younger brothers’ FBI connections to get to the bottom of this mess. “Austin is only a plane ride away.” He stepped back and stared at his twin, a warm feeling spreading through him. “Wow, you’re going to be a great dad.”

  “If things get bad and you don’t let me know, I’ll kick your ass. Got it?”

  Noah let out a hard laugh. “You have never been able to before. What makes you think you can take me now?” He nudged him in the shoulder. “Stop being such a mother hen. We’re freaking out over a teenager’s dream. We’ve been to the super-max prison holding Mendoza. It takes us thirty minutes to clear the first level of security. The only way he’s leaving that place is in a black bag.” He paused before adding, “Your real problem is Jennie. You’re going to have your hands full keeping her out of this. Good luck with that.”

  “If this develops into something, I’m taking her on a long-overdue vacation. No one’s ever going to hurt her again.”

  “Damn straight. Keep a bag packed.”

  Noah got into his truck and drove out of the cul de sac. His house was close enough to his brother’s to borrow milk for his coffee when he ran out but far enough to have his own space. Just as he reached his driveway, his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. He dug it out and checked the number. Johns Hopkins Hospital. His sister Emma worked as an emergency doctor at Hopkins.