Trust No One

by Velvet Vaughn

  "Hell, Alex, who did this to you?" His face was battered and bleeding, his torso bruised and bloody. Dorian untied his feet and started on his hands. "Handcuffs," he cursed. He debated whether to leave them until help arrived or cut them off. "Keep breathing, buddy, I’ll be right back."

  Jumping to his feet, he darted for Alex’s utility room and grabbed bolt cutters. He was back in a flash, cutting the chain linking the cuffs together. Alex groaned as Dorian eased his arms to his sides and removed the chair.

  More blood on his back. He felt around, glad to find an exit wound, and applied pressure. The bullet was a through and through in the upper pectorals. He prayed it missed the vital organs, but at this point, blood loss and internal bleeding were his main concern. Alex was bruised all over. Whoever did this to him gave him one hell of a beating before shooting him.

  Finally sirens shrieked in the distance, drawing closer. Tires squealed and the already-splintered door slammed against the wall.

  "In here," Dorian called out.

  Two uniformed officers arrived first, followed by a man in a dark suit. Dorian recognized him as Alex's boss.

  "Ah, hell, Mylonas," Chief Saunders cursed. "Get the gurney in here, now," he yelled over his shoulder.

  "What happened?" Saunders asked, forgoing introductions. He took out a handkerchief and mopped his brow.

  "I came to see Alex, heard a gunshot, kicked in the door and found him. He'd been tied to the chair, his hands handcuffed behind his back. I heard noise on the fire escape, but chose to tend to Alex instead of giving chase."

  "And you are…?"

  "Dorian Demarchis. Alex and I went to school together."

  A man and woman wheeled in a stretcher and Dorian and the chief stepped back to give them room to work. "Someone worked him over but good," Saunders muttered angrily, as bandages were ripped open and needles stabbed into Alex's veins.

  This was the work of the people who were after Kendall, Dorian was positive. They knew Alex had an informant and they tried to beat the name out of him. Knowing Alex, he’d die before he gave it up. If Dorian hadn’t arrived, they might've succeeded.

  He excused himself to call Dante, ask him to escort Kendall to the cabin and to take extra precautions. It was going to be a long night.

  #

  Ron Daulton popped another antacid, disgusted to discover it was his last one in the bottle. He smacked on the lid and tossed it into a nearby trash bin, making a mental note to replace it as soon as possible.

  What started as a search for a missing woman turned into a manhunt for her killer. Now they were headed to Byron Wilks' apartment. The senator's campaign manager was dead of a gunshot wound to the head.

  "Do you think this is all about the senator?" Cory asked as he punched the button on the elevator.

  "It sure seems that way. First his wife is murdered, then his campaign manager."

  "Don't forget the wife's obstetrician and nurse."

  "We don't know for sure that they're related, but it's too much of a coincidence, and I don't believe in coincidences." His phone rang and he punched the button. "Daulton."

  "The official cause of the fire is arson," the fire inspector told him. "A cigarette was used to ignite alcohol, but there was no DNA on the filter."

  "Both women were dead before the fire started," Ron told him, recalling what the medical examiner concluded. "They were bashed in the head."

  "So both deaths are murders and the fire was intentionally set. Someone was trying to destroy evidence."

  "That would be my guess, too," Ron agreed. He thanked him and hung up, waiting while Cory instructed the apartment manager to unlock Wilks' door.

  They slipped on gloves and entered the room. Much like Wilks himself, the apartment was flashy and pretentious. "I'll start with the den." Ron headed in to search. The room was lined floor to ceiling with books. Two overstuffed chairs were aligned in front of a stone fireplace. A laptop rested on top of a massive oak desk. Ron sat in the leather chair and powered on the computer. He was waiting for it to start up when Cory called out, "Daulton, you need to see this."

  He got up and located Cory in Wilks' bedroom. Cory indicated a black duffle bag on top of the mattress. "I found it under the bed." Ron peeled the sides open to discover bundles and bundles of money.

  "Holy shit." Ron glanced at Cory. "You know what this means?"

  "Either he kidnapped and killed Pamela Hofstra or he cashed in on the tragedy." Cory dumped the contents on the comforter and started counting. "The ransom was five hundred thousand?"

  "Right."

  "There's about half that amount here." Cory looked up. "He had a partner."

  #

  Dorian paced the crowded waiting room, anxious for any news on Alex’s condition. He was too wired to sit so he paced back and forth, working off nervous energy. He'd been allowed to ride in the ambulance but Alex hadn't regained consciousness. He'd been rushed to surgery as soon as they pulled up to the emergency room.

  Dorian called Alex’s family and they arrived soon after, his mom and sister in tears. His brother was on a training mission and couldn’t be reached. He tried to reassure them that he'd pull through, but he wasn't so certain himself. His friend looked bad.

  Fellow cops filled the room to capacity, some in uniform, some not, waiting on any word. A nurse had delivered a cart with extra carafes of coffee to handle the crowd. They had already gone through several pots.

  A doctor pushed through the doors and called for Alex's family. He considered Alex a brother, so he hurried forward with the others and followed the doctor to a small room with three chairs. The doctor took up one seat, Alex's mom and sister the other two. He stood next to his dad against the wall.

  The doctor wasted no time with preliminaries. "He made it through surgery. We repaired damage the bullet caused. It passed completely through so we stitched up both holes. He had quite a bit of internal damage." The doctor consulted his notes. "His spleen ruptured causing internal bleeding." Alex's mom gasped and sobbed quietly. "At this point, a splenectomy is not necessary, but we will monitor him and if his condition worsens, we won't hesitate to remove it. He also had five cracked ribs and two broken, which punctured a lung. It's reflated and his breathing is not constricted. He has several contusions and lacerations and a concussion at the least. He hasn't regained consciousness yet and we won't know the extent of the head injury until he does. He's listed as critical but stable. He lost a lot of blood so we had to perform a transfusion."

  "I want to donate," Alex's father offered gruffly. "We're the same type."

  "I'll make a note and if we need to give him more, I'll ask the nurse to notify you."

  "When can we see him?" Dorian asked.

  "He's still in ICU under heavy sedation, so no visitors allowed yet. Once he stabilizes, he'll be moved to a room and you'll be able to see him, but no more than two at a time. I would encourage all of you to go home and get some rest before returning tomorrow. You won't be able to see him before then."

  They thanked the doctor and returned to the waiting room to update the people who'd stuck around for news. Dorian searched for Alex's partner to fill him in, but didn't see him among the remaining cops. He'd been there earlier, pacing nervously like Dorian.

  Dorian hugged Alex's mom and sister and shook hands with his dad, promising to see them in the morning. He watched as they donned their coats and shuffled out the door. Most of the cops left but a few stragglers remained. Finally, they all departed, leaving the waiting room virtually empty. He looked around to make sure he was alone and then approached the nurse's station. He flashed his most charming smile and flirted shamelessly with the nurse on duty. She giggled and preened at his attention. He sweet-talked her into checking on Alex's condition and when she relayed that he'd stabilized and had been moved to a room, he begged for the number. She resisted at first but he poured on the charm and she relented. He thanked her profusely, gave her one last smile and headed to the elevator.

  As
he stepped off onto Alex's floor, a shrill noise resonated through the hallway and a light above a door flashed red. He hurried forward and almost collided with Barry Millson.

  "Someone just tried to kill him," he rushed out. "Again. He ran past…green scrubs, mask. Did you see him? Which way did he go?" He had his gun out as he scanned the area.

  "I just stepped off the elevator. I didn't see anyone."

  "I'm getting a doctor…there he is, thank God."

  They watched as a doctor in a white lab coat rushed into the room, followed by several nurses. Dorian hurried after them, stopping only when a male nurse blocked his entrance and slammed the door in his face.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Friday, September 24

  Dorian sat beside Alex's bed, watching his chest rise and fall to assure himself that he was alive. He looked like hell. His mom would freak when she saw him. He was a battered, black and blue mess. Tubes were inserted in both arms and he had oxygen in his nose to help with the partially deflated lung. He still hadn't woken up and the doctors were tossing around the possibility of a coma.

  His chief returned when he heard about the second attempt on Alex's life. He ordered around-the-clock guards on his room. His mom would freak over that, too.

  Apparently someone managed to sneak into his room and tried to suffocate him, but they dislodged the oxygen tube, causing the machine to sound the alarm. Alex's partner had sweet-talked a nurse—different from the one Dorian charmed—to get his room number. He said he wanted to peek inside to assure himself that Alex was alive when he spotted someone in scrubs rush from the room. The alarm was blaring and he thought it was strange that the doctor or orderly or whatever would be running out instead of in to help. That's when Dorian arrived.

  The chief requested the security feed from the floor, but apparently the cameras had been tampered with just before the attempt on Alex's life. The chief decided against watching the entrance and exit feeds since the person had obviously been donning a disguise. It would be a waste of time. The hospital was launching an internal investigation on how someone had managed to shut off the cameras, but Dorian had no faith that they would uncover anything incriminating. The guy was a pro, but he didn't know about the alarm attached to the oxygen machine. Otherwise, he would've succeeded in murdering Alex.

  #

  Kendall woke with a start when the door to the cabin creaked open. She wanted to stay awake to find out about Alex, but she'd been so tired, she crashed before her head hit the pillow. She'd been horrified when Dorian called last night to tell her about finding Alex near death. She didn’t know the specifics, but she knew it had something to do with the people looking for her.

  She scrambled out of bed and finger-combed her hair. She'd taken to wearing clothes to bed in case they needed to make a quick getaway…when Dorian wasn't sleeping with her. When he did, she wore nothing at all. A wicked shiver coursed through her veins.

  She'd left the door to the bedroom open so she'd know when he returned. She hurried out to greet him. With mussed hair and shadows under his eyes, he looked exhausted. He was speaking in low tones with Dante, but he glanced up and their eyes met. He offered her a tired smile and her heart flipped.

  It was dangerous, the way he made her feel.

  "How's Alex?" she asked, wanting to step into his arms, but holding back for Dante's sake.

  "Looks like hell, but he pulled through surgery. He hasn't regained consciousness yet but the doctors don't seem to be overly worried."

  "What happened to him?"

  "It wasn’t pretty, you don’t need to—"

  She cut him off. "I’m tougher than you think. Tell me."

  After exchanging an amused glance with Dante, he told her everything in graphic detail. Her stomach rolled. He had been beaten, battered, shot, someone then tried to smother him and somehow it involved her. Guilt rolled through her. "It’s my fault."

  Dorian reached her in two steps, grabbing her shoulders. "Do not feel guilty. It wasn't your fault. Some sick bastard did this, one trying very hard to cover his ass for several gruesome murders."

  Kendall nodded but didn't respond. It didn't matter what he said…it was her fault.

  "I'm going to jump in the shower and grab something to eat, then I'm headed back to the hospital."

  "You need to sleep."

  "I'm fine," he insisted. "I'll catch a cat-nap later in the day."

  "I want to go with you."

  He brushed a thumb across her cheek, making her shiver. "Okay. I'll be out soon."

  He headed for the bathroom and she glanced over to see Dante acting like he didn't see the exchange between them. Music filled the room as Kendall's phone chimed. She'd left it charging in the bedroom, so she hurried inside to check the display. She clicked the on button. "Hi, Livvy."

  "Kendall, you got a postcard from Stefani," Olivia said without a greeting. "It took a while because she didn't use postage. Burt, the doorman, paid the fee and I just found it in the box."

  "What does it say?"

  "It's from the hotel where you were staying. It's really hard to read, basically scribbles. She must've been rushing to write it, but I think it says: 'Remember that movie we watched junior year about the corporate spy. Remember what we said we would do.' That's it. Her name's barely legible, but I'm positive it says Stefani. Does it mean something to you?"

  Kendall racked her brain. "I'm not sure. It sorta rings a bell, but it's not coming to me. Maybe if I knew what movie she was talking about. I'll think about it and hopefully I'll remember."

  "Anything else happening with the investigation besides Wilks' murder, which was a shocker. Thanks for the heads-up about that, by the way. I would've had a hard time not reacting if I'd read it cold from the teleprompter. I didn't like the guy, but I wouldn't have wished that on anyone."

  Kendall paused, wondering how to break the news. "There is something else…it's about Detective Mylonas."

  "Alex?" Olivia gasped. "What is it? I know he was with Wilks when he was murdered…I watched your interview. But he wasn't hit…was he?"

  "Not then, but he was attacked last night."

  "Oh my God. Someone beat him up?"

  "And shot him."

  "I-is h-he…"

  "He's critical but stable. The bullet passed cleanly through, but his spleen ruptured and he had several broken and cracked ribs that punctured a lung."

  "So he's going to be okay?"

  "Well…someone tried to finish the job at the hospital, but his partner and Dorian arrived before he could carry it out."

  "Tell me they caught the guy."

  "They tended to Alex instead of chasing him. He disguised himself with scrubs and blended in with the hospital personnel."

  "Does Alex know who did this to him?"

  "Dorian sat with him all night but he hasn't woken up yet."

  "I'm coming back."

  "There's nothing—"

  "I'll call when I've made the arrangements," she insisted firmly.

  Kendall sighed, knowing there was no way to dissuade her friend. "We'll pick you up at the airport."

  #

  After Kendall disconnected, she headed back to the kitchen. Dorian brought an assortment of fast food breakfast sandwiches, so she chose one and nuked it for a few seconds to warm it back up. She smiled, noticing Dante was on what looked like his third. The man was solid muscle, so it probably took thousands of calories a day to keep him going. Dorian, too. She watched them both put away impressive amounts of food the last few days. She wondered idly who'd win in an eating contest.

  Just as she bit into her sandwich, Dorian returned from his shower, his hair wet and glistening. He wore a long-sleeved tee, well-worn jeans and a crooked smile. He looked so devastatingly handsome, the hunk of biscuit lodged in her suddenly-dry throat and she almost choked. Thankfully she was able to chase the food down with orange juice before one of the men had to perform the Heimlich maneuver. Hum…being engulfed in Dorian's arms didn't sound so bad.


  He grabbed four sandwiches and plopped down in a chair, unwrapping one to take a huge bite.

  "Don't you want to warm them up?"

  "Nah," he said, finishing it in two more bites before opening the next one. Dante grabbed another and he, too, practically inhaled the sandwich. Kendall would be lucky to finish one.

  "This is all I want, so the rest are up for grabs."

  The two men dove for the remaining biscuits, divvying them up equally. Five sandwiches for breakfast? Really? Just one was pushing it for her…the camera really did add pounds.

  "Olivia called earlier to let me know that a postcard arrived from Stefani," she told them after they finished eating and were headed for the truck to visit Alex. "Stef forgot to add postage, so it took a few extra days to get there. Olivia said it was from the hotel where we were staying, so Stef must've dropped it in the mailbox before I arrived."

  "What did it say?"

  "It was hard to read, but Olivia thought it said for me to remember a movie we watched junior year and what we said we would do." Dorian helped her inside the truck and then closed the door. She insisted Dante ride in the front so he'd have enough leg room.

  After Dante locked his belt in place, he half-turned towards her. "Does that mean anything to you?"

  She shook her head as Dorian cranked the engine. "I have a little niggling at the back of my mind but I can't dredge it up. Maybe if I read it for myself, it'll trigger something."

  "Olivia sending the postcard to you?" Dorian glanced in the rear view mirror.

  "Actually, she's hand-delivering it."

  His brows raised. "She's coming back?"

  "She freaked when she heard about Alex."

  "When's she arriving?"

  "She's going to call…" Her cell trilled. "Speak of the devil. Hey, Livvy."

  "My plane arrives in three hours." She rattled off the flight info. "I have to catch a cab to LaGuardia, so I'll see you soon."