Ward sighed. “We’ve had another accident here.”
“What is it this time?”
“It was during the car chase scene. Something was wrong with the car and it crashed into the river. Lash damn near drowned before they got him out.”
“But he’s okay?” Hoyt asked.
“Yeah,” Ward said on a sigh. “He’s fine.”
“Shit. What do you think happened? Someone screw with the car?” Hoyt asked.
“I don’t know yet, but I think it’s a little too convenient that you were being arrested and I was tied up in meetings when it happened.”
Hoyt rubbed his forehead. “Someone doesn’t want us around to see what’s going on.”
“Yeah.”
Hoyt forced his thoughts back to his own situation. “Ward, I think it was Mark Goddard in the trunk. I didn’t get a good look, but he was in bad shape. Really fucking bad. I don’t even know if he’s still alive and no one around here will tell me shit.”
“Son of a bitch. I’m on my way.”
Ward’s mood did not improve during his entry into the Lost Springs Police Department. He’d dealt with a lot of incompetent local law enforcement over the years, but the local police chief was either in way over his head or completely corrupt. At least he’d found out Mark was alive, that was one good thing about this damned day.
“Why did your guys pull him over?”
“Anonymous tip,” Chief Devane answered.
“That’s convenient.”
“Good thing for us we got the tip or his victim would be dead.”
“He didn’t do it.”
“He was probably on his way to dispose of the body, thought the guy was dead.” Chief Devane said.
“If John Hoyt wanted a man dead, he would be dead.”
“And that’s supposed to convince me to release him?”
“The man is a highly decorated Navy Seal.”
“Plenty of former military go crazy and kill people.” The Chief paused. “Especially one who’s partner has been in jail.”
“Not this one,” Ward said sternly. “This conversation is over. And mark my words, you will regret that it happened this way.” He’d find out later what the reference to Rafe was all about.
“We’ll see about that, Special Agent.”
Ward clenched his jaw. He would get Hoyt out, but not today. He jogged out to his car and hauled ass to the hospital.
24
Lauren was nine hours away when she got the call from Ward. She’d wanted to be there to watch Lash’s climactic scene, but hadn’t been able to pass up the opportunity to interview Eric Sutton’s parents on the off chance she could uncover any connection they had missed. Unfortunately, the trip had turned out to be a bust and she was exhausted and emotionally drained from the tough conversation with grieving parents.
Her brother had given her a vague description of Lash’s accident that had done nothing to put her mind at ease. She looked at the clock. Damn, it would be 3 a.m. at the earliest before she could get back.
She dialed Lash’s number, cursed when she got voicemail.
Lash signed the papers for his discharge, and turned to Rafe. “Is John still in jail?”
Rafe nodded. “Ward will get him out, but it’s going to take some time.”
“I get it.” Lash sighed. “How’s Mark?”
“Ward’s in with him now.”
As much as he wanted to be out of the damned hospital, checking in on Mark was worth a little more discomfort. “I want to see him.”
Rafe nodded down the hall. Ward was exiting a room halfway down, on the right side. Ward shut the door, leaned against the wall, waiting for them.
“How is he?” Lash asked when they were in front of him.
Ward ran a hand over his face. “Alive. Barely.” He moved away from the wall. “Whoever did this to him really worked him over. And I mean within a fraction of an inch of his life.”
“Why keep him alive at all?” Rafe asked.
“To warn us,” Ward said, his voice flat.
“What do you mean?” Lash asked.
“I didn’t get much out of him, he never saw the face of his attacker. But he was given a message. To give us.”
Lash and Rafe looked at each other and waited.
Ward continued, “No one is safe.”
“That’s what Mark said?” Lash asked.
“That was one of the few things he said. Over and over, like some kind of mantra that was drilled into him.”
“Shit. I’m going to see him,” Lash said.
Ward grabbed his arm. “It’s not pretty.”
Lash shook off his arm, opened the door, and muttered a curse. If he didn’t know who the man lying in the bed was, there was no way in hell he would have recognized him.
He moved closer and spent a few minutes talking to the man lying motionless in bed, but he got no response.
He squeezed Mark’s shoulder on the way out. “We’ll get the son of a bitch,” he promised.
Rafe was waiting in the hall. “Back to the hotel?” he asked.
Lash nodded, unable to manage any more of a response.
Lash stood under the spray of scalding water, shivering. Despite the waves of steam rising from the shower floor, he couldn’t seem to get warm. Once again, he should have taken Calhoun’s advice. Dark thoughts filled his head, threatening to drag him under just like the freezing mountain water that had filled the car. Of course, if the water hadn’t been cold enough to slow down his vital functions, he’d be dead right now. The thought produced another shiver. His mind knew it wasn’t an accident and although this wasn’t the first attempt made on his life, it had come the closest to ending it.
He shut the water off, toweled dry, and changed into jeans and his warmest sweater. He looked in the mirror and took a deep breath. Yes, he was a bit shaken, but he was okay. They would find out who was responsible.
Can you really handle this? his mind asked. He couldn’t help but recall how he’d nearly self-destructed after being shot, turning to prescription drugs as a way of coping. But that was then. He had acknowledged his weakness and overcome it. Still looking in the mirror, he clenched his jaw. He would not run from this, he would stay here and help catch the son of a bitch.
The only bright spot of the day, was the sweet message of concern Lauren had left on his voicemail. He was glad she’d been spared seeing his latest near death experience.
He had managed to pull himself together somewhat by the time Calhoun knocked on his door later that night. When he opened the door, he found the usually impeccably dressed Calhoun still in his wrinkled dirty suit, his tie askew, hair rumpled, and bags under his eyes. Lash glanced briefly at the guards stationed at either end of the hallway then stepped back. “Jesus, you look worse than I do.”
Calhoun ran a hand through his hair and grunted. “I’m getting too old for this shit,” he said, limping into the room. “And I haven’t even had time to take a shower yet.”
“But you saw him.”
“Not his face.”
“Did he look familiar?” Lash asked, pouring them both a drink of Jameson Irish Whiskey.
“Small build, average height, dark clothes. Could have been anyone.” Calhoun took a long drink then gazed steadily at Lash. He was surprised to see how calm Lash appeared after nearly dying at the hands of an as yet unidentified perpetrator and what had happened to Mark. The only thing that betrayed his calm exterior was the barely noticeable way his hands had shaken as he poured the drinks. Ward found himself admiring the younger man’s fortitude. His voice softened. “You doing okay?”
“Yeah, just another near death experience to add to my collection.”
“Hmph,” Calhoun grunted. “Well, whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” He shrugged. “And all that fucking bullshit.”
This time Lash grunted in reply.
“I hope to get Hoyt out of jail tomorrow.”
“Think it’s all connected?”
“Hell of a coincidence if it’s not.”
Lash nodded in agreement. “He’s innocent.”
“I know that.” Ward had never for a second questioned John Hoyt’s integrity. “Still, you could have at least told me that Rafe had done time.”
“I forgot.”
“You forgot? How can you forget that one of your chief bodyguards was in jail?”
Lash gave a half-smile. “Let’s just say that I wasn’t exactly coherent when I hired him. I found out later.”
“Jesus.”
“Not my story to tell. He’s good, Ward. The kid’s good. That’s all that matters.”
Ward nodded. “The studio wants to pull the plug,” Calhoun continued.
“If we stop filming, how do we catch the guy?”
“That’s exactly what I told them, but they’re concerned about the bottom line. The cost of the delays, not to mention the number of people being injured, the publicity’s bad.” He paused, “Whoever’s leaking these stories has something to do with it.”
Lash took a long drink, then leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “This situation is so far beyond fucked up, I can’t even comprehend it. This guy’s just going to keep playing with all of us. It has to stop.”
“What the hell do you think we’ve been doing here?”
“Ward, I know you guys are doing everything you can to end this, but I’m not.”
“What do you mean?”
Lash looked steadily into the agent’s eyes. “I mean, I want to help. There has to be some way you can put me to use.”
Ward briefly closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was risky, but there would be definite benefits to having someone on the inside working with them. He opened his eyes and studied Lash’s determined face. He didn’t even need to ask. Lash knew exactly what kind of situation he’d be getting himself into and the risks involved.
“Let me think through some things,” Ward said, standing to go.
Lash poured another drink, sat back down on the couch. He thought of Lauren, her warmth and softness. As much as he wanted her, needed her, part of him was glad she wasn’t there. This was a night he needed to fight his demons alone.
25
Lauren smiled at her brother as he opened his hotel room door early the next morning and let her in. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “How’re you doing?” he asked. “Did you get any sleep?”
“I’m good.”
He led the way to the living area of his room and they both sat down on the couch.
She had to be careful around Ward. Inside, she was frantic to see for herself that Lash was okay. But outside, she couldn’t show any more concern than she would for any of the other actors or people on set. Despite her brother’s assurances that Lash was fine, Lauren needed to see him with her own eyes. “How bad was it?” she asked.
“I didn’t get on site until they had already pulled him out of the water, but it was close. Damned close.”
“Shit,” she muttered. “So Lash was targeted specifically.”
“No question. He was the only one scheduled to be in that car.” Ward laughed. “The guy has more lives than a cat.”
“And at the same time, Hoyt was arrested.” She paused. “Someone on the police force has to be dirty.”
“But definitely not the brains behind the operation. And I almost had that son of a bitch.”
“We’ll get him.”
Ward grunted. “Hopefully before someone else dies.”
A knock at the door stopped that train of thought. Ward stood and ushered Guy into the room.
Ward gave them both the latest update about Mark’s condition. It wasn’t good.
“I don’t understand. Why not just kill him?” Guy asked.
“Because it’s scarier this way,” Lauren answered. “If he’d been killed, it would have been tragic and people would be scared for their lives. But seeing one of their own tortured, physically and mentally damaged, that creates panic.”
“It shows the brutality this guy is capable of,” Ward added.
“Two supporting actors and one stunt double have walked so far. I can’t tell people they have to stay. Not after this. Bob and I agreed we’d let whomever wants to leave out of their contract.”
“We’ve got more agents and security coming in,” Ward said.
“Hoyt?” Lauren asked.
“Still in jail. Our team is close to clearing him, but we’ve gotten zero cooperation from the Lost Springs PD.”
Guy sighed and leaned back. “I saw Mark earlier today. Jesus. He may have been better off if he had been killed, as horrible as that sounds. He’s going to need extensive physical rehab and counseling. Even then, it’s too soon to know how functional he’ll be.”
Lash hadn’t left his hotel room all day. He couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened to Mark.
He of all people knew what it took to get over serious trauma. He knew it was possible, but other than muttering ‘no one is safe’, Mark had still spoken few words to anyone. It was going to be a long road back. He wanted to kill the son of a bitch who was behind all this himself.
He also didn’t want to think about the dark places locked away in his mind. And they were way too close for comfort tonight. He went to the mini bar. Downed a shot of whiskey. It helped. A little. He followed it with two more. Started to feel the tension and darkness ease and poured another.
Knowing he didn’t have an early morning call or meeting helped him convince himself that getting blind stinking drunk wasn’t a bad idea. And damn it, if today didn’t call for a good drunk, then he didn’t know what did.
He did the shot, took the bottle with him to the couch.
Lauren left the meeting with her brother and Guy, fighting down the feeling of hopelessness. The meeting had lasted all day, with no resolution in sight. There had to be a way to stop this madness. People were hanging on by a thread and she was afraid one more event would cause the whole thing to unravel.
She wondered how Lash was doing. He and Mark were close. Checking on him would be a good distraction for her. She hit the button for the penthouse floor.
Lash answered the door, unsteady on his feet. Her mouth still watered at the sight of him. He certainly didn’t look any worse for the wear.
“Looks like you started the party without me,” she said with a sad smile.
He sighed. “I know it doesn’t help. But this is so fucked up.”
“I know,” she answered. “Want to talk about it?”
His jaw tightened. “No. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
“As you can see, I’m fine.”
“Fine,” she said, moving into the room.
By the time Lash managed to shut and lock the door, she’d picked up the bottle of whiskey and poured herself a shot. She drank it. Poured another.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Getting caught up.”
She did a third shot, closed her eyes and sighed deeply.
Lash moved behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, bent his head down to breathe in her scent. “Sorry I was rude. I’m just sick of people asking me how I’m doing.”
She turned, lifted her mouth to his. He kissed her deeply, savoring her taste mixed with the whiskey.
She pulled back. “Let’s have drunk sloppy sex and forget about everything that’s happening. I just want to forget for a few hours.”
Lash picked up a remote, turned on some music, then poured them each another shot. “I can think of no better way to spend tonight.”
26
Lash looked at the caller ID on his phone early the next morning and felt his headache intensify. Andy. He considered not answering. There was no doubt his manager knew all about his accident and the last thing he felt like was a lecture. But Andy would keep calling. And he was one of the few people in this world Lash gave a shit about. No need to cause him any more worry.
/> “Brogan,” he answered.
“You stupid son of a bitch. What did I tell you about doing your own stunts?”
“I’m fine, thanks for asking.”
Andy sighed. “What happened?”
“I don’t know, but it wasn’t an accident.”
Andy was quiet. “I’m not going to tell you to leave, because I know you better than that, but dammit, Lash, this shit is out of control.”
“I know. But I’m going to see this through. I trust Ward. He’ll figure this out.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Lash grinned. “I am.”
“Did you at least talk to your parents?”
“They do not need to worry about me any more than they already do.”
“Don’t you think they should hear about what happened from you, not some newscast or tabloid article?”
“They don’t pay attention to any of that shit.”
“For your sake, I hope you’re right. I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be on their bad side.”
Lash hung up and went back to bed, snuggling against Lauren’s warm body.
Lauren smiled and turned over to face him.
Her smile faded as she ran a hand over the bruises on his chest and shoulder. “My brother didn’t give me all the details of what happened, but he said it was a close call.”
“Too damned close,” Lash admitted.
“We should have stopped the son of a bitch by now,” she said, voice rough.
“We will. But not this morning.” He ran a hand down her arm. “Let’s spend some quality time enjoying this bed, then order a huge room service breakfast and a gallon of coffee.”
Her smile returned. “God, yes.”
Ward was tired of arguing with his boss. They’d been going at it for an hour over Lash and Hoyt’s possible involvement. He knew neither man could possibly have murdered anyone. But he couldn’t seem to convince his SAC of that.
“You’re not here. That means you’re going to have to trust my opinion. I assume that by assigning me here, you do. If not, then send me the fuck home.”
Redemption (Fateful Justice Book 2) Page 11
