Joe’s friendship humbled him. “I owe you.”
“Like I said. It’s just your turn. I’ve had more than one occasion to owe you.” Joe shrugged. “As to the cabin, I wish I had better news. No bodies. We searched the woods, the fields, we were out there all night. The rain washed away most of the forensic evidence, but we found plenty of brass, plenty of slugs in trees and your cabin’s siding. What the hell happened out there?” He slouched on the chair, sipping his soda like it was a lifeline. “Shit. I’m exhausted.”
“No bodies?” Dane wasn’t sure why he was surprised. Disappearing evidence was par for the course when it came to Whitman Enterprises. Maybe Marnie was right. Maybe there’d been a driver in the woods, someone who waited for them to leave, someone tasked for cleanup. “Shit.”
“Sorry, pal,” Joe said. “Someone wants you dead. You need to take this seriously and come in and give a statement. Get the lieutenant on board. You said six shooters, right?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re lucky you’re alive.”
Dane smiled, arching a brow. “Luck?”
“Yes. Luck. You’re the luckiest bastard I know.” Joe smiled back. “And though you’re also the best shot I know, next time you might not see them coming. Whoever is behind this isn’t fooling around.”
“You know who’s behind this.” They both did, and now that the bodies were gone, he’d never be able to prove what happened. Guns with fingerprints, with a suspect chain of evidence? It was as good as nothing.
Joe leaned forward, but not before glancing left and right to see if anyone was listening. “Without evidence, I don’t know, and neither do you. Not officially, anyway, and no one in the department will risk backing you. Not after what you did last time.”
“He still hasn’t forgiven me, huh?” The lieutenant had his jaw wired shut for three months after their last altercation. Dane was lucky they didn’t take his pension.
Joe leaned back, making a face to indicate no, the lieutenant wasn’t a forgiving sort. “When did you buy a cabin? The area is amazing. I’m a little pissed. It would have been nice to spend a few weekends there away from the wife. Might have saved my marriage.”
“How is Doris?”
“Happy to be single again.” Joe’s marriage dissolved right about the time Dane’s wife was murdered. It had been a black time for both of them. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Between the two of them, they were zero for two in the love department. Thoughts of Marnie popped into his head, which made him think about the flash drive again. He wasn’t sure what he should do with either of them. “I bought the cabin a year ago.” And the only person that visited was a cybergeek who was comfortable breaking the law. Strangely enough, he had no urge to share that information. He suspected he was getting a bit of a crush on Marnie Somerville. Stupid, but true.
Joe nodded, pursing his lips. “After Alice.”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “My life is a series of before and after Alice.”
“I hear you.” They brooded, mourning, though what they mourned was as complicated as their circumstances. “Tell me something good, will you?” Joe shook off his malaise. “You’re depressing the hell out of me, and after last night, I deserve good.”
“Elizabeth spoke at breakfast.” He smiled when Joe couldn’t hide his shock. “Didn’t see that coming, did you?”
Joe leaned his forearms on the table, giving Dane his full attention. “No. But I’d hoped. What did she say?”
“She said she wanted eggs.” He laughed, trying to decipher exactly what he was seeing on his best friend’s face. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. No.” Joe ran his fingers through his cropped hair. “I haven’t been okay for a while.”
He and Dane had spent the last fifteen years in each other’s pockets, celebrating life’s big moments together, graduating high school, ranger school, MPs in Afghanistan, then college and then working their way to detective in the MPD. They were a team. Now Joe was risking his career, and Dane knew he’d never be able to pay him back. There was no reciprocal for what Joe was doing for Dane.
The waitress put their food in front of them, and neither spoke until they were almost done. Joe was like that. Easy to be with. But time wasn’t on Dane’s side. “I have a lead and I’m looking for some corroboration.” Even a hint that he wasn’t being played by a sexy, hundred-pound cybergeek, just one hint, and he’d jump in with both feet.
“Lead? What?” Joe stopped eating and was noticeably frustrated when Dane took another bite from his burger. “Dane. I’m here. I’m involved. Just tell me.”
“The less you know the better. Plausible deniability, pal.” Dane sipped his soda. “I have a question I need you to follow up for me, though. Have you ever heard of a video of Alice and Elizabeth while they were kidnapped? Specifically, a video of Alice’s murder.”
“Video.” Joe cringed. “Shit. Why would you think there’s video? Is this your lead?”
“Can you see if someone hid it away in some evidence locker, maybe holding it back for prosecutory reasons?”
“A wild goose chase. Terrific,” Joe said. “You know there are security cameras in the evidence locker, officers everywhere. If I get caught stealing a video, you lose your ear in the department, but I lose my job and go to jail.”
“No stealing. Just a heads-up if MPD ever had the video.”
Joe narrowed his eyes. “You think it came in recently?”
“I don’t think anything. Just look for me, will you?”
“Who’s your informant?” He had a French fry poised at his lips. “Will they hold up in court?”
“Too soon to tell.” He thought Marnie was more likely to disappear than walk up the steps of any courthouse. “Call me on this number.” He pushed a piece of paper toward Joe. “The number will only be good tonight.”
Joe put the number in his phone’s contacts. “This is a waste of time. No way the DA could keep that from you.”
“Someone is leaking intel and stealing evidence for Whitman Enterprises. Just check. If the video isn’t there, maybe the evidentiary paperwork still exists.”
“If it ever existed.” Joe wasn’t happy. “Guess I’m not getting to bed any time soon.”
Dane threw two twenties on the table to cover the cost of the meal. “Time enough to sleep when we die.”
Joe nodded, no less disgruntled. “I hear you.” He waved Dane off. “Go. I want to finish my fries.”
“I owe you.”
“Yeah. I owe you back.” It was true, and the basis of their long friendship. They had each other’s backs.
That night, Dane saw Marnie hurrying to his truck even before it came to a stop. It was near nine p.m., and the porch light was on. Her face was in shadow, but her body language telegraphed pissed. He didn’t blame her. He’d been gone all day, making calls, following up on a few things. Joe had called him a few hours ago, reporting no record of any videos. It troubled Dane, because it meant the video Marnie found was only in Whitman Enterprises’ files, and stealing those files were now unavoidable. He couldn’t make this go away with a trip to the Cayman Islands. Stealing the files had to be his endgame. Anything less ran the risk of not revealing the entirety of Whitman Enterprises’ offenses against his family.
She strode across the driveway and slapped the door to his truck as he parked. Bristling with energy, she was the sexiest thing he’d seen in a good long while. He opened the truck’s door with anticipation and waited to see what she’d do. She didn’t disappoint. She crowded him as he stepped to the ground, forcing him to lean against the driver’s seat or press against her body. As much as he would have enjoyed pressing against her, he bowed to convention. They barely knew each other. Why did he have to keep reminding himself of that? Dane kept a foot distance between their bodies.
“We need to talk,” she said.
He folded his arms across his chest, forcing her to step back a bit. “I agree.”
Today he’d pl
ayed with the idea of having Joe do a background check on her, but he was afraid it might tip off the turncoats in the department and put a target on Joe’s back. So he’d instead contented himself with contacting some of his snitches in Manchester, trying to suss out any dirt he might find on her. They had nothing for him, but the internet came through. He discovered Marnie Somerville didn’t exist beyond a hit at a high school in Manchester. The online yearbook stated her interests were pottery, boys, and the periodic table. Her senior year quote was an obscure Latin phrase, Ire cupis te, which loosely translated meant go screw yourself. That sounded like Marnie.
“Are you driving me out of here or what?” She glanced over her shoulder. Elizabeth had followed her out of the house, and the screen door slammed behind her. “She’s been following me like a puppy. I can’t figure out what she wants from me. She keeps asking questions. What’s my favorite color, favorite food, my favorite band? It’s like fending off the Spanish Inquisition. And then she wanted to paint my nails, for shit’s sake. And Harper keeps feeding me, asking if she can do anything for me. Too much pressure, MacLain! You’d think the world was going to explode if I stayed in my room. I don’t belong here. You have to get me out. One wrong move and I might screw up Elizabeth’s recovery or frighten Harper. It’s too much responsibility.”
Elizabeth was upset, too. She was staring at them from across the yard. For some reason, his daughter had latched onto Marnie in a big way, which was weird, because Marnie was as maternal as a rock. “Elizabeth won’t talk to me.” His envy was hard to disguise.
“Well, I can’t get her to shut up.” Her words contradicted her expression. Marnie, keeper of secrets, disposer of bodies, was terrified of upsetting his daughter. Elizabeth approached them. Marnie backed away, looking between him and his daughter. He held his hand out to Elizabeth, but she shied away, like she always did. It hurt, like it always did.
“What’s wrong, Elizabeth?” She wasn’t wearing a coat, and with the sun down, it was even colder than it had been earlier.
Harper raced out of the house, her breath fogging before her. “Oh, Dane! Good! You’re back! Elizabeth ran out and I didn’t know why. June shouldn’t be this cold. Are you hungry?” Marnie backed away even farther, looking ready to bolt into the darkness. “Elizabeth. You need a coat if you’re going to stay outside.” Harper shivered, hugging herself, as if she suddenly realized she, too, needed a coat.
Elizabeth only had eyes for Marnie. “You have to stay.” Marnie acted as if Elizabeth hadn’t spoken.
Dane felt as if he were missing something. “Marnie is staying. Isn’t that right, Marnie?” She glared at him and then walked down the private drive toward the road. He definitely was missing something.
Harper jumped from one foot to the other, trying to ward off the cold. “What’s going on?”
“Give me a second, Harper.” He chased Marnie down, saw her stuff her hands into her borrowed yellow jacket. Alice’s jacket. “I will break into that facility,” he called out after her, “and I will steal those files. You don’t need to be there. Just give me the information I need to make this happen, and I’ll get it done. You’ll stay safe. I’ll get what I want. I don’t see a problem here.” Now that he knew the files existed, she had to know nothing would stop him from getting them.
“Your way is too dangerous.” She looked over her shoulder, saw Elizabeth following, listening in. “We have responsibilities. You more than me.”
“Those files will end this. I need them to protect my family. I’ll protect you, too. We can do this without risking your life. We’ll find a way.” Elizabeth increased her gait to stay close to Marnie.
“Elizabeth! Aren’t you cold? I’m cold.” Harper hurried to her niece, not touching her but staying within reach. “Dane?”
Marnie stopped, confronting him. “What about your life? They’ll have walls up, cyber and otherwise. Those files might as well not exist they’re so buried right now. Without me working the server, you don’t have a chance in hell of retrieving the files. And you don’t have me!”
Harper cleared her throat to get their attention. “Someone tell me what’s going on, please.” She glanced at Elizabeth and then lowered her voice. “Are we safe?”
Dane nodded. “We’re safe.”
Harper’s relief was obvious. “When we get the files, we’ll give them to the police, right? Make this their problem.”
Marnie threw her hands up in frustration and turned away, walking faster now. “Do whatever you want.”
Harper cringed. “Sorry. Did I say something wrong?” She took two steps backward. “Dane, it looks like you and Marnie have some things to work out.” Harper took Elizabeth’s hand and tugged her backward. “I’m freezing. So Elizabeth must be freezing.” Elizabeth tugged her hand away from Harper and followed Marnie. “All righty, then. I’m getting a coat. Okay, Elizabeth? I’ll get her a coat, Dane. Keep an eye on her and I’ll be right back.” She hustled to the house.
Marnie kept walking. Dane caught up with her and his daughter. The road was within sight. He saw headlights come and go and gauged how traumatized Elizabeth would be if he threw Marnie over his shoulder, kicking and screaming, and carried her back to the house. She had just as big a target on her back as he did. The woman had risked everything to help him and lost everything but her life last night. He couldn’t repay that by allowing her to wander in the night, cold and vulnerable.
Marnie stopped so abruptly he bumped into her. She grabbed his shirt and tugged, surprising him. “I want to kill the company in a different way. Drain their funds. Make it impossible for them to continue.”
It was a great idea, but… “That won’t bring me Alice’s killer.”
His words upset her. “You have something to lose, MacLain. Something precious. You don’t have the right to die when people rely on you, when they love you.” She was shivering, whether from the cold or her emotions. “Let me do it my way,” she said. “It’s time for me to go.”
He couldn’t think when she was pressed against him like that, so he stepped back. “Your way means Alice’s killer won’t pay for his crime, and Whitman will only lose money. I lost my wife. I’ve lost my life to this case.”
“Not your life. Not yet.”
Dane felt Elizabeth’s arms reach around both of them, grabbing, hugging, and tugging them together again. It was so unlike her, he froze, needing a moment to process. Marnie tried to lean away, also surprised, but Elizabeth was insistent, and to Dane’s mind, that meant Elizabeth won. He grabbed Marnie to him and hugged his daughter close. He couldn’t remember the last time he was the recipient of one of these, and he wasn’t about to allow Marnie’s reticence to cheat him of this hug. Elizabeth smiled at him, and Dane smiled back.
Harper arrived, out of breath, wearing a coat and holding one for Elizabeth. “What? What did I miss?”
“Marnie is going to help Dad.” Elizabeth pressed her cheek to Marnie’s shoulder. “And then it will be over.” Dane was rendered speechless. Marnie couldn’t have looked more horrified.
“That’s right, Elizabeth. It will be over,” he said. Marnie looked pissed again. “We can do this.” He would. With or without her help.
“Family is more important,” Marnie hissed.
He wondered how someone so smart could be so dumb. “If we don’t get Alice’s killer, my family will never be safe.”
Marnie closed her eyes, and then her shoulders sagged. She rested her forehead on his chest, groaning. “We’re going to regret this.”
“Regret what?” Harper exchanged glances with Dane.
There it was again. Hope. It burst in his chest and made him feel unbeatable. “I’m breaking into Whitman Enterprises and stealing files that will prove who killed Alice.”
Marnie groaned against his chest. “We’re breaking in.”
“Are you sure?” He didn’t feel right about bringing more trouble to Marnie’s door.
“It will be dangerous.” She peeked at Elizabeth, and Da
ne saw her worry. It was nice to see someone other than him and Harper caring about his daughter.
When Dane tried to catch Marnie’s gaze, she looked away quickly, blushing. They were so close it was impossible to miss the signs. She was attracted to him. He smiled, liking the heat of her against his chest.
Because the feeling was mutual.
Chapter Eight
Marnie could see Harper hovering over them as if she were the fifth wheel, and it made her feel bad for MacLain’s sister. The longer the hug continued, the more uncomfortable Marnie became, until she was squirming. Touchy, touchy, feely, feely wasn’t Marnie’s bailiwick. No, sir. She lifted her hands awkwardly and waved Harper over, hoping she’d peel Elizabeth off.
Harper misunderstood and joined the group hug. “So we’re happy?” she said. “I can do happy.” Marnie wanted to die. Just as she found herself getting weepy, Dane chuckled.
“Okay, okay, you guys.” Dane kissed his daughter’s forehead and peeled her off Marnie. “It’s cold out here. Elizabeth, put your coat on.”
Harper was laughing as she untangled herself from the group hug. She gave a shivering Elizabeth her coat and hustled the girl back toward the house, though Elizabeth kept peeking back, eyeing Marnie, as if afraid she’d leave despite assurances. Marnie could have set her mind to rest. Until Whitman was stopped, the damage done to his victims was on Marnie. She’d help the MacLains, and then she’d move on and finish what she’d started, because not only did she need to expose what had happened to the MacLains and hundreds, maybe thousands before them, she had to make sure it couldn’t happen again. But her plan could wait. MacLain wouldn’t.
It was so dark the stars seemed to hover overhead, and though the cold was biting, she felt overheated. She and Dane watched Elizabeth and Harper disappear into the house before either acknowledged the other’s presence. A small breeze nudged his scent toward her, and before she could stop herself, she inhaled sharply, relishing it like an alcoholic sniffing an emptied shot glass. The sound caught his attention, and he didn’t seem to know what to say to her. She could see it in his eyes.
Betrayed by a Kiss Page 8
