Images of the mountains being bombed by her paranoid, suspicious government, the FBI analyzing every AmEx Black Card for patterns, and her damn patient folder sitting on Webb’s desk sent a flood of adrenaline rushing through her body. How in the hell can I ignore this for another second?
Keely jumped up from her chair, fought the tears biting to free themselves, and blurted out her thoughts.
“I need to leave. Now.”
Chapter 33
Leaping up, Baruch fought to steady his legs. Keely’s eyes were shiny and filled with fright. Makar’s shoulders were up near his ears as he frantically searched for whatever had scared their precious mate.
Untangling her twisting fingers, Baruch pulled them to his chest and covered his thundering heart. “What’s wrong, baby. Tell us.” Within seconds, the others were gathered around with concerned faces.
Blinking rapidly, Keely took a few hard pulls of air, glanced around, and then turned bright red.
“Crap! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you. I just had an image of my stupid-ass government bombing the vortex, and I panicked. We need to get rid of the evidence. I can’t leave it out there any longer.” She swallowed hard and looked around at everyone.
“Your world is incredible. Everyone has been so nice to me, and…and I’m so sorry that I put you in jeopardy.”
Tana walked up and patted her on the back. “Aw, sweetie. It’s going to be okay. You had no idea. Don’t blame yourself.”
Lucien nodded. “Tana’s right, Keely. Trust me. We’re going to have more close calls. It’s inevitable. I’m honored that you’re concerned for us. Put your mind at ease.”
“There’s more evidence?”
Everyone looked to Cato. His brows were furrowed, and his questioning blue eyes were zeroed in on Keely’s face. Baruch placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Her work records and some e-mails are still hanging around. We were attacked as we were leaving, not when we were coming back. With the shuttle crash and her abduction, we’d completely forgotten about them. We’ll leave right away.”
Cato reached over and clasped Luna’s hand. “We’ll go with you. If there’s an electronic trail, I’ll need to scrub everything clean. I’ve called Sotarios to head out and prepare the jet. The longer we wait, the more intricate the cover-up has to be.”
Smiling, Baruch squeezed his shoulder. “I feel a thousand times better knowing that you’re going to have your paws on this mess, Cato.”
Maxim snorted. “I’m just glad Makar’s not flying the jet.”
Makar rolled his eyes. “You’ll never let me live that down, will you?”
“Nope. It’s too much fun.”
“Love you, too, big guy.” Makar shrugged and bumped knuckles with the unrepentant jokester.
Keely’s shoulders dropped a few notches at the sound of the tension-relieving laughter. She blew out a hard breath. “Well, I was hoping to keep my butt attached to the ground, but if I have to fly again, at least it’s not in another helicopter. I promise I’ll try not to squeal too loudly when we take off.”
Infinitely glad to see her beautiful smile back in place, Baruch grabbed Keely’s hand and pulled her toward the stairs.
“Don’t worry yourself, sweetness. You can squeal in our ears all you want.
* * * *
“Are you sure this is a good idea? What’s going to keep them from telling anyone that wants to listen?”
Baruch pulled Keely into his arms, kissed the top of her head, and glanced up at the tall, imposing Travis County Jail. He couldn’t wait to get inside.
“By the time Cato and I get done with them, no one’s going to believe a word that comes out of their mouths.”
Cato stepped out of the Suburban and waggled his handheld. “Okay, this is what we have. Monica Sewell’s family had her transferred to a psychiatric unit in upstate New York after her hearing. She’s been catatonic since they brought her in. She got her face cut by an inmate. That doesn’t surprise me one bit since she liked to brag about her beauty. Guess she took it a little too far this time. Foster and Wharton are still in solitary. The bed count just finished, so they should be tucked in nice and tight. This should be an easy in and out adventure. You ready?”
Nodding, Baruch handed Keely over to Makar, gave Sotarios and Luna a wave, and misted. Fifteen minutes later, they were floating down the empty corridor housing high-risk prisoners. Even though he was a bad cop, Foster got to stay away from the other inmates willing to slit his throat. Baruch waited until Cato slipped under cell door sixteen and announced his presence.
“Hey, Foster. Remember me? I heard you’ve been running your mouth.”
Chuckling, Baruch followed the marked corridors until he found the psychiatric unit. He was surprised when he found Wharton sitting cross-legged in the middle of the small cell, palms on his knees, eyes closed, and softly humming. Okay, change of tactic. This should be interesting.
Settling in front of the door, Baruch took the exact same position. He reformed just enough to engage his voice box and look like a blob of scary supernatural. He let his words roll out deep and husky.
“Do you seek solace, mortal? You will find none with me.”
Wharton’s eyes flew open, and his back straightened. For a few seconds, it appeared he warred with the fight or flight instinct, yet he immediately took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders. He sounded resigned.
“I knew you’d come one day. Am I going to die tonight?”
Intrigued, Baruch drifted closer. “Do you think you should?”
“It would be only fair. Damien has been very bad.”
Keely had clued him that Wharton carried other entities within his shell. He’d expected to find the violent one, not this passive, almost peaceful persona.
“What name do you carry?”
“Thomas. Scott’s resting now. He’s been through too much. I try—” His face twisted, fingers gripping his knees until a slight sheen of sweat beaded across his forehead. Eventually, he huffed out a few hard breaths and relaxed.
“I lost control of Damien for a long time, but this place has helped me to regain some peace. I’m stronger now. He’s very angry that I won’t let him come out into the world.” He leaned forward, eyes assessing. What are you, Caelius?”
Oh, wow. This is weird. Time to get back with the plan.
“I am Thanatos, the god of death. I wield the power to cease life, not Damien. He tries my patience.”
Swallowing hard, Wharton cast his eyes down, blinked a few times, and then looked back up.
“Oh. So, you’d come for Rhia. It breaks my heart that you have to take that lovely woman, but if it’s her time, then that’s only right. Scott and I were devastated when Damien killed Caroline and Sarah. We couldn’t stop him. I beg you for mercy.”
Well, shit. Didn’t see that coming. Think. Think.
Rising up and moving to the side of the door, Baruch deepened his voice. “Then you know what to do. Confess, and I will spare you this night. Kill another, and you will meet me again.”
Nodding, Wharton pushed up from the floor, immediately walked to the cell door, and punched a button to the side of the frame. After two more tries, an irritated voice sounded through the door.
“What is it, Wharton?”
“I need to see an officer. I want to confess to killing Caroline Wharton and Sarah Fielding. I forced Caroline off a cliff, and I put Sarah in a freezer. She’s in my storage unit. May I speak with someone?”
“Well, shit. Uh…yeah, sure. Mills! Get the sergeant down here right now.”
Wharton turned his head, eyes pleading. “Is Scott safe now?”
“Yes.”
Baruch fully misted and watched as Scott’s protector walked slowly to his bunk, sat down, and spent five minutes staring at the floor before the authorities finally retrieved him. He repeated the confession and calmly allowed them to take him from the cell.
Hesitating at the door, the male looked over his shou
lder, smiled, and whispered, “Good-bye, death.”
* * * *
Baruch jumped into the Suburban, closed the door, and listened to Cato explaining how Foster took his bedtime visit.
“I didn’t think a grown male could ever curl up on themselves that much. He looked like a rounded ball in the corner of his bunk. I never even touched him. After he pissed himself, he promised that he’d never utter another word about that day. He thinks that I’m going to follow him around until after his trial.” Cato looked over to Luna and winked. “He sends his apologies for being such a rank bastard to you.”
Luna chuckled. “So what did he think you were? Did he even ask?”
“Yup. I saw that he was wearing a cross around his neck, so I told him I was your guardian angel. I reformed my back into the shape of wings and flapped them a couple of times. That’s when you got your apology.” He smiled when she stroked his cheek.
“Do you know how much I love you?”
“No. So keep telling me every chance you get.”
She kissed his chin. “Every second.”
Cato grinned and then looked over his shoulder. “Keely, I updated the police records to replace all references of disappearing to us moving too fast. Psych evaluation requests are now strictly based off their other actions.”
Keely nodded. “Perfect. Thanks.”
Cato tilted his head. “Baruch, you were locked down tight when we came out. How’d it go with Wharton?”
Baruch took Keely’s hand. “He sort of threw off my game plan at the beginning. You said he was messed up, but I had no idea. I’m glad that I didn’t have to scare him too bad. I would’ve felt guilty about that. His mind is eerily splintered. The dude I met was totally different from what you described. He called himself Thomas. He’s Scott’s protector from that evil one you experienced. I told him I was death and that it wasn’t their place to take lives. I got him to agree to confess what Damien had done or I’d come back for him. He told the officers everything. The whole encounter was very peaceful, and he looked relieved.”
“Damien? He was the one that tried to kill Caelius?”
“More than that, baby. He told the officers that he killed two women. Caroline Wharton and Sarah Fielding. Have you heard of them?”
Keely squeezed his fingers. “Oh, my God. I was right. I thought he might’ve had something to do with his wife’s death. Those poor women. Everyone thought Sarah just took off to get away from him. That’s so sad. I’m glad you went in there. You did a good thing, Baruch.”
Makar leaned over and patted his knee. “I agree. The females’ families will find closure now. You could’ve easily frightened him into total madness. I’m proud of you, amici.”
Sotarios called out from the front. “Okay, get ready for some more closure. Here’s the hospital. At least it’s just a computer this time. No emotions and no talking back.”
Cato chortled and rubbed his hands together. “True, that.” He kissed Luna soundly on the lips. “Now, I’m going to have some fun. I’ll be right back.”
* * * *
Makar stood beside Keely’s chair and watched Cato systematically purge everything related to Wharton, Foster, and Sewell’s investigation from her computer. He explained that even though he could delete e-mails and documents she’d created, they’d still be hanging around where they could be retrieved by someone with the technical expertise. He was doing a full scrub to remove all evidence of their existence. Cato turned her computer off and stood up. “Okay, let’s go check the other one.”
Keely peeked out the doorway, swiveled her head back and forth, and then looked over her shoulder. Her eyes were wide as she motioned them out into the hallway. He thought she was beyond cute as she tiptoed down to Webb’s office on her seek-and-destroy mission. Baruch entered his thoughts.
Is it just my imagination, or is our little minx seeming to enjoy this stealth operation?
Nope, you pegged it. She’s had a big grin on her face from the moment Cato rerouted the security camera feed to his computer.
They both chuckled when Keely plastered herself against the wall and signaled for them to halt. She reached over and jiggled the handle on a gleaming oak door. Relief washed over her face.
“Good. He’s not in there.” She waggled her brows and pointed to the bottom of the door. “Okay, which one of you will slide under here? I love watching you do that.”
Makar chuckled, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her close. “Give me a kiss, and I’ll make a big spectacle of it for you.”
“Deal.”
Lifting on her toes, she planted her warm, pouty lips on his and made him wonder if he could even mist after he came up for air. He nipped her lower lip and stepped back.
“Okay, then. That deserves the full treatment.” Focusing, he melted slowly, leaving his final form as a roiling mass of gray cloud. Swirling his energy, he gradually built up the speed until her hair was blowing back from her beautiful, smiling face. Shoving under the door, he made sure to rattle the thick wood several times before reforming on the other side. He flipped the lock and made a show out of inviting her inside.
“Your room awaits, madam.”
She gave him a prim head nod. “Thank you kindly, sir.”
Baruch elbowed him in the rib.
“Show off.”
Cato chuckled, closed the door behind him, rounded the desk, and plopped down in front of the computer. “Good one. I have to use that on Luna, but I think I’ll be pulling bed sheets off of her instead…or maybe her nightie. It’s a toss-up.”
Keely surprised them all with her quick comment. “Both. Trust me.” She immediately veered to the left, snatched a folder off the huge wooden desk, and held it aloft.
“Score! It’s still in the exact same position I left it in. He didn’t read it. I never thought I’d say it, but I’m glad he’s still a dickhead.”
She wasted no time in feeding the contents through a loud machine. Long, thin strips of paper fell in rivulets into the attached waste bin. They realized her determination when she fed the shavings back through the machine until it was nothing but tiny slivers. She wasn’t satisfied until the brown folder met the same fate. She turned to Cato.
“Done. Do you need me to log in for you?”
“Nope. Already in.”
“You’re dangerous.”
Cato winked. “Exactly. That’s why they call me in for all the crazy shit. Okay, I found all of the e-mails you sent him. Those are gone now. Just looking for any outgoing references to disappearances or the patient names, then we’ll be done.”
Keely pulled a drawer out from the desk and rifled through a stack of folders hanging on a metal bar. She slipped one out, flipped it open, and Makar watched her eyes devour the contents. She straightened and one eyebrow rose. Her voice was hushed.
“The dick.”
Makar moved closer. “What?”
She glanced up, eyes narrowing as she held up a slip of paper. “My performance review. He was supposed to speak with me last week, but kept putting it off. Now I know why. He’s eviscerated me. None of this is true. He wants to put me on probation pending an investigation.” She dug through the folder and shook her head. “I have no idea what this is about. I can’t find anything.”
Baruch snatched the paper, walked over to the clunky machine, and annihilated the document. “There. Now it’s gone.”
Keely smiled. “That’s sweet, but it doesn’t matter. I’m sure he has a copy in—”
“Deleted.” Cato grunted. “Found it in a file called Reviews. Easy.”
Shoving the folder back into the drawer, she stood, and her features softened. “You guys are the best, but he’ll just write the thing again. It’s going to happen whether I like it or not.”
Baruch’s eyes narrowed. “Then Makar and I will beat his ass. He’ll change his mind by the time we’re done.”
Pushing the drawer closed, Keely walked over and rubbed his arm. “Aw, that’s the nicest thi
ng anyone’s ever threatened to do for me, but let’s try to keep me out of jail, okay? He’ll think I sicced you on him. This is a no-win situation. I’ll just file an appeal with the board. That’s all.”
“I can’t kill him?”
She laughed. “No, but thanks for the thought. It’s a nice image I can run through my brain when I’m sitting in this chair tomorrow.”
“Heads up.” Cato pounded on the keyboard, turned off the monitor, and held up his computer. “Come on, we need to leave. The camera shows someone coming up the intersecting corridor.”
Keely looked at the screen, and her shoulders dropped. “It’s Webb. He’s already turned down this way. I can’t leave without him seeing me.” She swiveled around, her eyes wide.
“Quick. You guys need to disappear. He can’t find any of you in here, or he’ll call security. We don’t need to bring more attention to you guys, especially Cato.”
Makar grabbed her hand. “We’re not leaving without you.”
Keely tapped the monitor again. “There’s no time to argue with me. I’ll be fine. Stay if you want. Just go invisible, will you? I’m in enough trouble already.”
Pissed that they had to leave her vulnerable, Makar found solace in the fact that he could always reappear and snap the creep’s neck if he had to. She’d just have to forgive him later.
Baruch poked him in the rib. I heard that. You can’t kill him, and you know it. She won’t forgive you either. Don’t get her mad at me too.
Gods damn it. I know! They all misted and drifted into the corner.
Keely gasped when the door flew open and banged against the wall. Makar immediately knew this was going to be the hardest challenge he’d faced in a while.
Chapter 34
“What in the hell are you doing in my office?”
Fueled by Lust: Makar and Baruch (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 30
