The implications of ‘unless’ seeped in and paralyzed Elle’s brain for several seconds. She struggled to articulate a coherent response. “I…I have…uh…a few investigations…in various stages…um…at any given time.”
“Tell us about them. Starting with the most serious, if you can prioritize them.”
Unless. Unless… Words refused to form as an alarming epiphany overwhelmed her: Someone could be so upset about one of her investigations that he would kill her. She shivered as icy fear crept down her spine. How could it be true? In her world, in her reality, people got angry; sometimes, they sued. Physical violence? Never. As impossible as it seemed, had her work created an enemy capable of kidnapping…or worse?
Before she even noticed him approaching, Luke sat down beside her on the couch. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” he said solemnly.
“I know.” She closed her eyes, letting herself savor his warmth and strength.
“Stone’s right, though. Remember, I raised the idea of enemies the very first time we discussed suspects. Everyone who has suffered or may suffer as a result of one of your investigations is a potential suspect. I know it’s scary, but beat down the fear by focusing on who it might be.” He brushed her hair away from her face and pressed his warm lips to her temple, but then seemed to recall they weren’t alone and pulled back. “We’ll catch him, Elle, but we can’t do it without you.”
* * *
Jake watched the couple on the couch for only a moment before arching his eyebrows at Burke, who responded with a what-do-I-know shrug and roll of the eyes. So much for Johnson hating reporters. He definitely didn’t hate this one. In fact, he was downright protective and possessive.
“Anyone care for a Bloody Mary? I mix a mean one,” Jake said to bring the group back into focus.
“Make mine a double,” Burke said, raising his hand.
Elle and Johnson looked up, embarrassment reddening her cheeks again and annoyance sparking in his eyes.
“Yeah, sounds good,” Johnson said and glanced down at her. “Make that two.”
“Give me a hand, Burke.” Jake headed for the wet bar in the formal living room to mix the drinks and to give the couple a little privacy. He also wanted to discuss his decision with Burke.
“I know, I know. I was wrong,” Burke admitted once they reached the other room. “I’m happily married, but I’m not blind. So yeah, Elle is smokin’ hot; but hell, Luke has hated reporters since…forever.”
“Well, his hating streak is over. It’s also not the problem.” He nodded at the minifridge under the bar. “Grab the celery and olives. Also the plastic pitcher.”
Burke retrieved the items, set the vegetables on the bar, and then held up the unlabeled container of red liquid. “What’s this?”
“My secret Bloody Mary mix.”
“What’s in it?”
Jake gave him a cold stare. “If I told you, then I’d—”
“Have to kill you. That’s old, Stone. You need a new line.”
He snatched the pitcher from Burke’s hands. “Who said it was only a ‘line’?”
Burke narrowed his eyes as if he wasn’t sure his boss was kidding.
Jake smiled slyly. Good. Always best to keep ‘em guessing. “Now, where was I?”
“You were going to tell me about ‘the problem,’ but I figure it’s whether to share the info you got from your FBI contact.”
“Well, damn, you might actually be good at this one of these days,” Jake teased.
“Detective work or making Bloody Marys?”
“Both. Now grab the bowl of ice cubes from the tiny-ass freezer and watch a master at work.” Jake mixed the cocktails while he talked. “I only want to share the data from Elle’s own hard drive to jog her memory about potential enemies.”
“How are you going to explain having it?”
“Tell her the truth: I got it from an FBI contact.”
“She’s an investigative reporter. She won’t settle for such a simplistic answer,” Burke said.
“She’ll have to, if she wants to see her files.”
“I don’t know, man. Elle strikes me as a pit bull. Once she gets ahold of something, she’s not gonna let go.”
“Relax. I can handle her,” Jake said.
But why was he even thinking about putting himself and his business at risk for this case? He didn’t have any skin in the game, so why did he feel compelled to help Elle Bradley?
Since falling in love with Angela, he hadn’t felt the slightest attraction to another woman, so lust wasn’t his motivation. However, the similarities between Angela and Elle might be part of the explanation. Not only were both women strong, independent, and intelligent, but they also had significant disdain for the ostentatious, high-society lifestyle. He harbored the same contempt because he’d seen too many of those assholes abuse their power and position. Definitely a good reason for him to help Elle bring down a powerful enemy trying to hurt her.
Jake finished arranging the garnish in the last Bloody Mary. “It’s Johnson who worries me.”
“Because he’s a cop or something else?”
“A little of both. Can you handle him if he starts asking too many questions?” Jake trusted his new employee, but Burke and Johnson went way back. It wasn’t hard to figure out whose side Burke would take if he had to choose between his boss and his longtime friend.
Burke stroked his chin as he pondered. “I probably can, but Luke’s usually a straight arrow. No way could I tell him all the shit that went down with Jessie’s case. However, he might be more flexible if he sees something as the best way to help Elle, even if it means bending the rules.”
Jake handed Burke two tall glasses and then picked up the rest. “I guess we’ll just have to find out.”
Chapter 22
Luke pulled his cell phone from his pocket and turned it on. Relieved to see a text from his boss, he read it immediately: bad news call me.
Relief quickly changed to frustration.
After switching off his cell, he grabbed the sat phone Jake had left on the coffee table and dialed Lieutenant Tanner. “What happened, boss?”
“Nothing good. The FBI is flatly refusing to share any of their intel. I swear there’s something weird going on. I haven’t dealt with the feds a lot, but they seem unreasonably closed to cooperation, especially considering this involves the attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.”
“You got nothing,” Luke confirmed, disappointment weighing heavy on his shoulders.
“Yeah. Sorry.”
“They won’t even turn over Ms. Bradley’s own computer files?”
“Nothing, zilch, nada,” Tanner said, adding a few expletives under his breath.
“Can we try anything else, sir?”
“I’ve already run it up the chain, but it’ll take a while for the Sheriff to make the right calls. And there’s still no guarantee of cooperation. The FBI jerk was giving me all the right buzzwords: national security, need-to-know basis, proper jurisdiction, blah, blah, blah.”
Luke glanced at Elle and shook his head. “Thanks for trying, boss.”
“This wasn’t just for you, deputy. We need their intel so we’re not starting from scratch on trying to find the asshole who shot you.”
“Right.”
“One bit of good news. I just had our docs e-mailed to you. Do I need to remind you of the proper protocol for handling department reports?”
“No, sir. I got it covered.”
“Good.” Tanner hesitated. “I know you want to help the Bradley woman, but don’t go getting your ass in a crack…or worse.”
“Thanks for your concern, boss.” He disconnected and turned to Elle. “No go with the FBI. They’re buttoned up tight. They won’t even release their info to the Sheriff’s Department.”
“Damn. This is like flying blind. What are we going to do?” Elle asked.
“I have a
possibility,” Stone said as he and Sean appeared with the Bloody Marys.
Luke’s instincts tingled with wariness. He tried to catch Sean’s eye, but his friend kept his gaze averted.
“I’m all ears,” Elle said.
Stone handed her a glass and took a sip of his own drink. “I have a friend with the FBI in Washington. He…owes me a favor.”
Luke snorted. “Right. The head of the Ramona Sheriff’s station can’t get shit out of them, but you can.” He found himself in the crosshairs of Stone’s steely gaze.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying, Johnson,” Stone responded tightly. “It might be just Elle’s files, but those would be better than nothing, right?”
“Definitely better than nothing,” Elle said, tugging on Luke’s arm. “What have we got to lose?”
Something didn’t smell right to Luke. And his nose for trouble and lying was damn reliable. But he didn’t want to disappoint Elle. “Sure. What the hell. Do it.”
“On it,” Stone said and left the room.
Luke’s suspicions simmered for a minute before he turned to Sean. “Is this room bugged?”
“Absolutely,” Sean said with a nonchalant shrug. “But I doubt if Stone’s listening…or recording.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. Even though this place has more security than Fort Knox, much of it is rarely used.”
Luke frowned. “Why not?”
“It’s designed for the worst-case scenario.”
“Which is?”
“I don’t know, but this sure as hell isn’t it,” Sean said with an impatient shake of his head. “Lighten up, bro. Stone’s just trying to help.”
“I don’t trust him,” Luke stated with conviction while watching the doorway for their host’s reappearance.
“You don’t?” Elle asked.
“Isn’t your Spidey sense tingling, O Mighty Reporter?” A flicker of indignation in her eyes made him instantly regret his words.
“A good reporter keeps an open mind until all the facts are known. Something you obviously have a hard time doing,” she said.
“Damn right,” Sean concurred.
“Fine. I believe in healthy skepticism. But you two just go ahead and swallow his act hook, line, and sinker. A person has to earn my trust; it doesn’t happen automatically.”
“Good to know. I thought maybe I was the only person you didn’t trust right away,” Elle said snidely. “At least your lack of trust in me is more because of what I am than who I am.” She stood up and walked to the patio door overlooking the pool.
Sean’s eyes widened. “I think I hear Stone calling me.” The coward almost ran from the room.
Well, shit. I screwed this up good. Luke joined Elle and laid his hand on her shoulder. “I trust you, Elle.”
“You didn’t at first.”
“Now you know it’s just the way I am.” When she didn’t respond, his frustration boiled over. “We’ve already discussed this. Do we have to go through it again?”
“No. I just need to do a better job of remembering.” She moved away so his hand slid off her shoulder. “Let’s look at the documents your boss sent.” She sat down at the table in front of the laptop.
Luke sighed. He wanted to resolve this issue once and for all, but discussing it in the privacy of the guesthouse would be better.
“Good idea.” He sat down beside her, signed into his e-mail account, and opened the attached file.
After ten minutes of silent study, Elle released a discouraged sigh. “There’s not much here.”
“Yeah, hardly anything. It’s a wonder we found the two bullets from the other night, but the FBI confiscated them to run the ballistics test. At least the Sheriff’s Department still has the one they dug out of my truck. Test results should determine if all three came from the same gun.”
“Your guys turned over the blood sample from the Hummer.”
“We also kept one, but usually the FBI can get the DNA results faster than we can.”
“And they didn’t get anything else useful from the Hummer,” Elle said.
“No. It looks like all the recovered hair and fibers belonged to the Palmers.” He slouched back in the chair. “Of course, we already knew his gloves would limit the possibility of any fingerprints. The guy’s good at hiding his identity.”
“This is so disappointing. It makes me want access to those damn FBI files or my own even more.”
“Then I have good news for you,” Stone said from the doorway with Sean fidgeting behind him.
Elle jumped up. “You got the files? Oh, my God, you’re a miracle worker.”
Luke cringed inwardly but kept his face expressionless.
Chuckling, Stone strolled into the room and held out a flash drive to Elle. “Before you get too excited, it’s only the files from your computer.”
Luke shot a suspicious glance at Sean, but his friend refused to meet his gaze again. Something definitely didn’t smell right. “How’d you talk the FBI into giving them up?” he asked, zeroing in on their host.
The mysterious man peered at him with those cold, gray eyes that looked like they could turn a person to stone. “I told you…my friend owes me.”
“Why does it matter, Luke? Those files belong to me,” Elle said.
Her eyes glistened with confusion. She obviously didn’t understand why he wasn’t supporting this, supporting her. But he wasn’t about to admit he was jealous of Stone’s ability to accomplish what he couldn’t. Well damn. He reined in his male pride for her sake.
“You’re right; it doesn’t matter. Let’s get to work.”
Relief and appreciation flashed across her face, easing his inner conflict. His tension melted away, replaced by warm satisfaction. When Luke realized he was smiling, a spark of panic ignited. Shit. What’s this woman doing to me?
* * *
With Jake and Sean standing behind them, Elle and Luke sat down at the laptop on the kitchen table. She inserted and opened the flash drive. A long list of folders appeared. She clicked on one labeled “Senators and Their Zippers,” which revealed dozens of documents including Word, Excel, and picture files.
Beside her, Luke snorted. “Let me guess. Guys who can’t keep it in their pants.”
She sent him an annoyed sideways glance. “There’s more to it. A lot more.”
“Go on,” Jake said.
“My investigation was finding everything from sexual assault and harassment in the workplace to regular visits with pricey hookers. Most of these senators are married. Extramarital sex is great ammunition for blackmailers.”
“Disgusting bastards,” Luke said. “If word got out about your investigation, you’d have some powerful enemies.”
“But I don’t think it did.” She paused. “Yes, the night I was kidnapped I was meeting with my confidential informant on this investigation, but Zippergate wasn’t the only issue I was researching.”
“What else did you have in the works?” Luke asked, scanning through the folders.
“I was looking into the personal misuse of charitable funds by some high-profile private foundations. One is owned and run by…a well-known political couple.”
“Again, plenty of enemy potential,” Sean said.
“Yes, but I wasn’t the only person investigating them. The feds were snooping around, too.”
“Okay, but you would be far easier to derail than the feds,” Jake said.
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Sure, but why bother with me when the big dogs were snapping at their heels?”
“Maybe they thought you’d found something the feds hadn’t, and it made you more dangerous,” Luke suggested.
She smiled at the comforting warmth of Luke’s arm when he draped it possessively across her shoulders, forcing the other two men to take a step back.
“Your work is important, but it’s also risky,” he continued, looking directly into her eyes.
And lonely. She blinked back an unexpected surge of emotio
ns and pushed them aside, afraid to identify them. A strange emptiness filled her chest. “It…it’s what I do.”
They stared at each other until Sean cleared his throat. “Anything else?”
She pulled her gaze away from Luke and focused on the list of folders, which seemed much less disorienting than he was. “Yes, I had one more open investigation.” Her eyes skimmed the list again. “It…it should be right…” Her voice trailed off. Moving the cursor from folder to folder, she leaned forward to get a closer look. “Where the hell is it?” she muttered.
“Lose something?” Jake asked.
“Apparently.” She sat back and glared at the screen in disbelief. “But I don’t understand how it could possibly be gone. I distinctly recall reviewing the folder on the day I was abducted. I remember because I got very worried when I reread my notes about the disturbing news.” Frowning, she turned to Jake. “You don’t think the FBI would’ve deleted it, do you?”
He hesitated. “Not…intentionally. What was the subject?”
She sighed. “The folder was labeled simply ‘BLM.’ I was investigating some mining deals the Bureau of Land Management had negotiated, deals that seemed…abnormal.”
Luke shifted in his chair to catch her eye. “Abnormal? In what way?”
“The standard process wasn’t followed. The public notices were full of erroneous information. And the money paid to the government was well below market.”
“How’d you get wind of this?”
“A whistleblower inside BLM contacted me.”
“Name?” Jake asked.
“I don’t divulge my sources, Mr. Stone,” she said sternly. “I didn’t get very far with the investigation anyway. When I was first contacted, I did some basic research, but later, the whistleblower quit cooperating.”
“Why?”
“He suspected someone from one of the unions was nosing around, and frankly, he was scared.”
“And you weren’t?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t think I’d done enough investigating to worry anyone. What the whistleblower had given me was info on past signed contracts with the promise of more on current open deals to come. Since my source wanted to back off for a while, I decided to put it all on the back burner.”
Only Obsession (Rogue Security Book 3) Page 19
