by Virna DePaul
“We’ll talk it about it when I see you. Just wait for me.”
Mattie hung up the phone and stared at the receiver. Dom’s voice haunted her. “If he contacts you, call me first. I’m his best protection.” He hadn’t said those words lightly, or just to scare her. But although she trusted him, Tony didn’t. So she’d pick up Tony first and together they’d discuss their options.
She owed her brother that chance.
Before she could change her mind, she opened the door. She froze when she saw the man standing there.
“We found Frank Manelli.”
Dom’s head snapped up at the lieutenant’s voice. He’d been out on the street, driving around searching for Tony—at his apartment, at the restaurant he worked at, even going door to door to see if any of his neighbors had seen him—and had only come into the station to see if Cam was back. Upon hearing Frank’s name, a rush of hope filled him. Frank Manelli was the one person who might be able to provide the information Dom needed to help Mattie’s brother. When his gaze found the lieutenant, however, hope dissolved. From the look on the other man’s face, Dom knew there was no chance Frank was going to be providing anything to anyone.
“Was there evidence that Guapo’s killed him?”
“No.” The lieutenant’s face was pale, his eyes bloodshot. “Of course that’s possible, hell, it’s the most likely explanation, but not even Guapo’s men have done anything quite like this. He was tortured, Dom.”
“Where was he found?”
“In an old meth lab near Franklin Blvd. By the looks of things, he was there for a long time. The coroner placed time of death sometime yesterday. Grace is beside herself.”
“My God.” Despite his resolve, Dom’s control slipped. The fact that Frank had been tortured, and that they hadn’t been able to find him for so long, meant they were dealing with someone smart. Powerful. Without conscience.
“This was personal, Dom. A cop signing a warrant doesn’t generate that kind of violence. Who could have hated Manelli that much?”
“I don’t—” The words stalled in Dom’s throat.
Frank’s wife, Grace, beside herself with grief.
Frank taken by someone smart and powerful.
Why not the man that loved Frank’s wife?
The man he’d sent after Mattie’s brother.
Cam.
“No,” Dom breathed.
After the fight with Mattie, he’d just wanted to cover twice as much ground. Wanted to get Tony someplace safe so he could prove to her that he had everyone’s interests in mind, not just his own. While he’d checked out the most likely places, Cam was supposed to have been working the streets.
What if Cam hoped to find Tony through Mattie?
“Can I help you?” Mattie asked the tall man standing on her porch and blocking the path to her car.
“My name is Cam. I work with Dominic Jeffries.”
He pulled out a wallet and showed her his ID. Visions of uniformed men bringing bad news to family and friends made her knees wobble. “Is Dom hurt?”
Shaking his head, Cam took her hand in both of his. “Mattie, I’m here because Dominic is frantic. He’s told me everything. We’ve doubled up, trying to find your brother. He’s on his way to Tony’s apartment right now.”
Assured that Dom was okay, she scrambled to think straight. To remember where she was headed and why she hadn’t called Dom to meet her there. “I’ve already told Dom that I’m not—”
“Guapo knows Tony snitched him out,” Cam interrupted. “He’s put out a bounty. $100,000. Do you understand what men will do for that kind of money? If Tony’s seen by any of his old buddies, he’s not going to last long.” Cam gripped her arms, squeezing her so tightly she gasped. “I need you to tell me where he is. Now.”
“I—I—” Wrenching out of Cam’s grip, Mattie raised a hand to her forehead. “Tony’s at the hospital,” she cried. “He went to visit—”
“The D.A. who was attacked.”
“He wanted to see her—”
Cam shook his head. “We need to get Tony into protective custody as soon as possible.”
Protective custody. Oh God. “Okay, okay. Let’s go.”
Mattie followed Cam down the walkway to a four-door sedan, clearly police issued. As soon as she was seated, she took her cell phone out of her purse.
Cam pulled onto the road. “What are you doing?”
“I want to call Dom. There may be men waiting for Tony at the apartment and he should get out of there.”
“Here, let me do it.”
Mattie stared at the hand he held out. “Why?”
Cam’s gaze was unflinching. “Because Dom told me about the fight you had, Mattie,” he said softly. “It’s why he didn’t come here himself. He—I’m sorry, but he doesn’t want to talk to you.”
Hurt ratcheted up her guilt. Of course he didn’t want to see her. She’d been nothing but trouble for him. “He thinks this is my fault, doesn’t he? Because I didn’t help him bring in Tony sooner.”
Cam said nothing. Slowly, Mattie handed him the phone and turned to stare out the window. Had she endangered Tony when she’d just been trying to protect him?
“I have to call my daughter when you’re done. If I’m going to be with Tony, I need to arrange for someone to pick her up.”
Cam held up a finger. “Hey, Dom,” he said into the phone. “We’ve got him. He’s at the hospital, and Mattie and I are on our way right now. We’ll meet you at the station. Oh, and Mattie’s worried about picking up her daughter. Can you do that and bring her to the station with you?” He nodded at Mattie and held the phone away from his ear. “He wants to know where she is?”
Confusion came first. Then unease. Then fear.
Dom knew where Jordan was. She was with her grandparents, exactly where Dom had arranged for her to be.
When she failed to answer, Cam jiggled the phone impatiently but shifted his gaze to the road in order to pass a slow-moving car. “I assume she’s at a friend’s house?”
Staring at his profile, Mattie slowly said, “Yes—she’s at a friend’s. The Malcolm family. 482 West Harbor Boulevard,” Mattie fabricated. Digging her fingers into the edge of her seat, she forced herself not to lean away from him as she wanted to.
Continuing with his act, Cam nodded. “The Malcolm family,” Cam said into the phone, then repeated the address. “You got that? Good.”
Mattie didn’t take her eyes off him. She was acutely aware of the fear that had grown inside her, but she was also aware of a strong sense of calm. Keeping her expression closed, she finally understood what made Dom so reluctant to wear his emotions on his sleeve. Sometimes the more you cared, the more you had to pretend you didn’t.
Cam snapped the phone closed and tucked it into his shirt pocket. “He’s got it covered. He’ll meet us there.” He reached out and placed his hand on her knee, patting it. “Don’t look so worried, Mattie. Tony should be fine at the hospital until we get to him.”
She stared at his hand, wanting to throw it off her. Instead, she said, “May I have my phone? I should call Tony and tell him where to meet me.”
Annoyance flashed across Cam’s face, but he retrieved the cell phone and handed it to her. “Tell him to meet us at the administration desk.”
Fumbling slightly, Mattie opened the phone and dialed Tony’s cell phone.
“Mattie.”
Mattie closed her eyes in relief when she heard Tony’s voice. “Tony. I need you to meet me at the administration desk. I’m going to meet you with a friend of mine.”
“Your friend the cop? Dominic? No way, Mattie. You know he—”
“No, not Dominic. A man named Cam. I trust him, Tony. He says your life is in danger. That Sabon knows. After you see Linda, come to the administration desk.”
There was momentary pause on the line. “But Mattie, you know I can’t see—”
“That’s right, after. Okay. I’ll see you then.” Mattie hung up the phone and tuc
ked it into her purse. Turning her head back toward the passenger window, she stared at the blurring scenery and prayed that Tony would understand her warning and leave for someplace safe. “He’s going to meet us there.”
She sensed Cam’s touch before she felt it on her hair. “Oh, Mattie. I wish you hadn’t done that. I know Dom’s got Linda on guard. No way would Tony be able to see her on his own.”
She closed her eyes briefly before turning toward him. With almost casual ease, he pointed a gun at her while he deftly navigated the car with his other hand. The gun even looked malevolent and she felt her fear spike. She shrugged. “I’ve never been very good under pressure.”
“Well, I can safely assume your brother is going to call Dom, who’s then going to come after us. He’s going to have to find us first, of course, and that may or may not take some time. In any event, we’re passing Go and going directly to Jail. You’re going to tell Sabon that your brother was the informant. He can take care of your brother from there.”
Refusing to rub the sharp ache at her temple, she tilted her chin up. “And what makes you think I’ll say anything to help you?”
Cam slid the gun barrel down her cheek and throat, then wound a lazy circle around her breast. “I have ways of making people talk, Mattie. Frank Manelli knows that better than anyone.”
Dom was speeding toward Mattie’s house, sirens blaring, when his cell phone rang.
It was the station dispatcher. “Detective Jeffries, we have a caller trying to reach you who says it’s an emergency. His name is Tony—”
“Put him on,” Dom urged, not slowing down.
“Transferring.”
“Hello? Hello?” The panic in the man’s voice was unmistakable.
Terror unlike he’d ever known tightened Dom’s chest until he could barely breathe. He forced himself to picture Mattie, then Jordan. Since losing them was not an option, neither was giving in to his fear. When he spoke, his voice was controlled. “Tony, this is Dominic Jeffries.”
“He has Mattie,” Tony shouted. “She just called me. Talked to me about seeing Linda. I—I—she knows I couldn’t go in to see her because of the guard but—”
“Whoa, whoa. Just calm down, Tony. Who has Mattie? Where did she call you from?”
“She was on her cell phone. I think she was in a car. She said she was on her way to the hospital—Sutter Memorial Hospital—with a guy named Cam. Do you know who that is?”
His fingers tightened on the steering wheel. Damn Cam to hell and back. He would pay for touching Mattie. For even daring to frighten her. “Yes, I know who it is. Are you still at the hospital, Tony?”
“Yes! I waited, just in case they showed up. But she hasn’t. She was warning me that they were coming, but she didn’t show up!”
With a quick look in his rearview mirror, Dom braked hard, wheels skidding as he maneuvered his vehicle into a sharp U-turn and sped toward the hospital. “You were the CI who gave us the information on Guapo.”
“Yes. But—”
“Cam is a fellow officer.” Dom passed several cars and switched lanes. He pressed down harder on the accelerator. “He’s likely responsible for the death of another police officer, as well as Judge Butler, Grant Falcon, Guapo’s defense attorney, and the assault on Linda. Given the parties involved, he has to be working for Guapo. If Cam was bringing Mattie to you, it was so he could take you somewhere. Do you know where that would be?”
“To Sabon. He’d bring us to Sabon.”
“Since the raid, Guapo’s compound has been shut down. I have no idea where—”
“There’s a warehouse Sabon uses now for large deliveries. Cam would meet him there. Where are you?”
“I’m almost at the hospital, but tell me where the warehouse is. I’ll send a car for you.”
“I’m going with you.”
“No,” Dom snapped. “Just tell me where it is.”
“This is all my fault. Mattie being in danger. Linda. Judge Butler. Pick me up. You may be able to use me as a negotiating tool. Trade me for Mattie.”
“I’m not going to do that. Mattie wouldn’t want that. And I sure can’t have backup officers with me and bring you to the scene. They’ll never let you in.”
“Then we’ll go alone. I’m not telling you where the warehouse is. Pick me up.”
“Tony—” Dom cursed when he got a dial tone. Dom threw his cell phone on the passenger seat and took a hard right. The hospital was two blocks away.
Chapter 17
With Tony directing him, Dominic made it to the warehouse in less than ten minutes. He drove his truck in slowly, sirens quiet. He didn’t want to spook Cam, but he almost panicked when he saw Sabon’s red Camaro parked next to Cam’s car.
“Backup is on its way,” he told Tony. “Wait here and tell them that there are two suspects inside, armed and dangerous.”
“No! I know Sabon. I can help—”
Barely hearing him, Dominic exited the car and moved toward a rusting, blue metal door at the south end of the building. Drawing his weapon, he paused outside the door, his back to the wall and took in several deep breaths.
He whirled at the sound of footsteps behind him, cursing when he saw Tony. The younger man froze momentarily, then took position next to the other side of the door. He was sweating, his face reflecting his fear, but there was courage there, too, as well as resolve.
“Get back in the car,” Dom snapped, already knowing the man wouldn’t listen to him.
“No.”
You were right to give him your loyalty, Mattie. Assessing his options, he cursed one more time, but with little heat. “Here.”
When Tony looked at him, Dom handed him his gun. “You know how to use it?”
Tony undid the safety and nodded. “Point and shoot. Even I can do that. But what about you?”
Dom reached for the smaller gun he carried in his leg holster, hoping that giving Tony the larger and more reliable of the two would keep him safe. Besides, Dom’s backup had saved his life on more than one occasion; he was banking on it doing so again. “Why bother having one when two are so much better? Now listen to me. Cam is an expert shot. There’s no way we can both get in there without him taking one of us out. We need to keep them guessing. Go around back and see if you can find a way in.”
“The red Camaro—”
Dom nodded. “I know. It’s Sabon’s. It’s two against two, so you go around back, do you understand?”
Tony swiped at his forehead, unintentionally pointing the wavering gun at Dom. “Okay, okay.” He moved past Dom, but Dom grabbed his arm.
“Get Mattie out of here. No matter what you hear. Whether you know where I am or not. Got it?”
“She won’t leave knowing you’re here.”
“Then don’t tell her I’m here.”
Tony swallowed then nodded. “Just get your ass out alive. Because Mattie’ll hate me if anything happens to you.”
Unbelievably, Dom felt the smile spread across his face. “Mattie couldn’t hate you. Get her out, and if I can’t do it myself, give my daughter a kiss for me.”
They stared at one another, respect and understanding passing between them. With a final nod, Tony took off toward the back of the building.
Dom took a deep breath, got into position, then swung the door open. “Police,” he shouted. “Get your hands up.”
There was no answer. No sound or sign of movement. Carefully, he entered the warehouse only to find a vast room filled with boxes. He ducked behind a crate to establish cover. The ache in his side flashed intense and quick, a sharp stab underneath his ribs that made him cringe.
Not now.
Someone began to whistle “God Save The Queen.”
The bastard was playing with him. “Where’s Mattie, Cam?”
Cam stepped into view, keeping one arm extended, his gun pointed toward the back of the crate he’d been hiding behind. “What do you think, Dom? You think you can shoot me before I put a bullet through her brain?”
>
“Why, Cam?” Dom breathed, unable to disguise his confusion. “You’re one of us.”
“Poor Dom. You really are out of the loop on this one, aren’t you? Badass undercover cop didn’t even know that the men he’s worked with for years aren’t any better than the scum he’s trying to lock up.”
Not abandoning his cover, Dom snorted. “Men? Who are you talking about, Cam? Frank? Joel? Because I don’t buy that about Joel. I never will.”
Cam shrugged. “He said your name as he died, you know. Right before he said Tawny’s.”
A red haze momentarily blinded him. “I’m going to kill you, Cam,” Dom said. “And what you did to Frank is going to look like child’s play in comparison.”
Cam smiled. “Ah, so you found old Frank? He wasn’t so pretty, was he? He sure was a tough dude, though. It took him a few hours before he started begging. I’m betting Mattie’ll beg a lot sooner.”
“Where is she?”
“Why don’t you come and find out?” Quick as a rattlesnake, Cam ducked behind the crate. At that very moment, Tony darted from behind his own crate and moved closer to Cam. Dom hissed in a breath, knowing that Cam would hear him coming from a mile away. Sure enough, Dom heard the sound of Cam’s gun being cocked and saw the extension of his arms taking aim just as Tony moved into range.
“Tony, run,” Dom shouted. Eyes wide, Tony dove out of sight. Leaping out from behind the crate, Dom rushed Cam just as his insides exploded. Pain knifed through him, causing him to curl over and land on the cement floor with so much force that he grunted. His gun skidded out of his hand and he tried to crawl for it, but the nausea was so bad he almost threw up. Insides still heaving, he saw Cam’s legs out of his periphery.
“No,” Dom gasped out, trying to hold on to consciousness. “Where’s… Mattie…”
Cam kicked Dom’s gun out of his reach and crouched down next to him. Grabbing Dom’s hair, he pulled his head back until his neck muscles screamed in protest. He grinned. “Your ulcer acting up again, L.B.?” Quick as lightning, Cam punched Dom in the side. Dom screamed out in pain and fury, trying to grab hold of Cam with numb fingers. “Looks like I fooled you again. Mattie’s entertaining Sabon, Dom. But I don’t think she’s having a very good time.”
