Mystic Hearts

by Cait Jarrod

  She took the sharpness with a flinch of her head and pulled her lower lip inward, scraping her teeth on the soft tissue. The movement a kick to the gut, he wanted to kiss the pained expression from her face.

  “You brought him to my home?” Millstone raised the card toward Larry and narrowed his eyebrows at Charlene.

  Her gaze darted between him and Millstone, confusion etched in her brow and the downward curves of her mouth. “What? I didn’t.”

  Angry red splotches appeared on Millstone’s face, his hands curling into fists. “I can’t believe this shit. Charlene, how could you set me up?”

  Larry slid the edge of his blazer behind his holster and gripped the butt of his gun. Millstone getting jumpy he hadn’t expected. “Sir, I need you to stay calm. I’m here to ask a few questions, nothing more.”

  “Uh, huh,” Randy said, his head bobbing. He turned to Charlene. “This is how you repay me?”

  A tear slid down Charlene’s cheek. She shook her head. “I didn’t.”

  Damnit! Larry caused her this grief. “I have a newspaper photo of you and Andrew Smith. Ms. Smith did not lead me to you.”

  She locked gazes with Larry and gave him a forced smile.

  The effect chipped at his heart.

  Millstone bolted.

  Now what? Adrenaline crashed into Larry’s veins and his muscles twitched with the potent thrill of a chance. He glanced at Charlene. “Don’t move.”

  She diverted her gaze.

  “Promise me,” he said, eyeing Millstone. “I need to find you after I grab this guy.”

  She nodded.

  Larry ran after him, his achy muscles reminding him of the fall yesterday.

  Millstone cleared the fence into the neighboring yard, stumbled on the landing, and regained his balance.

  The man was in shape. Larry cut the corner, bypassing shrubs and jumped the fence a yard over.

  At this point, he needed to keep Millstone in his sights. The guy could take off in any direction and Larry could lose him.

  A deep growl came from behind. Larry glanced over his shoulder in time to see a pit bull lunging toward him.

  He jerked to the side, out of the line of its path, and sailed over the enclosure into another yard. The pit followed, his strong jaws snapping as he tried to bite Larry’s legs and ankles.

  Man, he hated to use force on an animal. No way could he outrun the beast. He unclipped the Taser from his belt and twisted.

  The dog leapt, and his paws hit Larry square in the chest. He pressed the Taser to the dog’s belly. He fell backwards. Air whooshed out of his lungs.

  The dog yelped and ran in the opposite direction.

  The sky and earth warped around him. He focused on the white, fluffy clouds against the light blue sky, shook off the dizziness, and regained his bearings. Climbing to his feet, he scanned the perimeter.

  Millstone hopped over a neighbor’s hedge and raced toward the beach along Potomac River.

  Man, he hoped no one was there. Larry sprinted across the street and sank, the grainy particles bleeding around the edges of his hiking shoes.

  Twenty-five yards ahead, Millstone ran toward the fishing pier, the heels of his bare feet kicking up sand behind him.

  If Millstone reached one of the fishing boats floating at the end of the pier, chances of Larry finding information on Smith or figuring out why he fled were slim. Heart thundering in his chest and adrenaline darting through his veins, he forged ahead, shoving through the airy, yet heavy soil.

  Millstone leapt onto the wooden pier.

  Larry dug deeper, pushed harder, and closed in. He drew his weapon from his holster. “Freeze!”

  Millstone’s steps faltered.

  The noise of an engine roaring blasted the air.

  Larry tracked the sound to the end of the pier.

  An average size man stood behind the wheel, a red baseball cap firmly on his head.

  Mathews?

  “Son of a bitch,” Randy yelled. His back stiffened.

  “Andrew,” Charlene gasped from behind Larry.

  Andrew? What the hell? And why had Charlene not listened? Her being here could make matters worse or…he could use her presence to his advantage. “Think of your friendship with Charlene. You don’t want this situation to go south. Step off the pier and let’s talk.”

  With his hands in the air, Millstone turned. His gaze darted between Larry, pointing the gun at his chest, to the water.

  Describing the guy as edgy didn’t depict the gleam in his eyes, nor his body twitching. All signs pointed to the situation ending badly. Millstone would take the bullet and not rat.

  What did Smith have over him?

  Millstone didn’t budge. His eyes shot to Charlene.

  Alarm pounded inside Larry’s skull. “Come on, Randy. You don’t want Charlene to see you get shot.”

  “I’m sorry, Charlene.” Millstone jump.

  Fuck! Larry squeezed the trigger.

  A grunt shadowed by a splash of water followed.

  “N-o-o!” Charlene screamed.

  “Call 9-1-1.”

  Larry lowered his weapon and tossed Charlene his cell.

  Eyes wide, mouth gaped, she nodded.

  The strained expression on her face about undid him. Work had to come first. He shoved down his first instinct to hold her and hopped up on the wooden pier. His boots echoed on the slotted boards as he raced toward Millstone’s body floating, face down, blood spotting the murky water.

  Larry made quick work of removing his shoes and tugging his socks off, and stuck the gun in his hand and the one from his ankle holster inside the shoes before dropping into the water, clothed.

  Larry rolled Millstone over and pressed two fingers to his neck. “He’s okay,” he yelled back to Charlene who stood at the edge of the water, a hand on each cheek.

  Clutching Millstone by the shirt at the nape of his neck, Larry tugged him to the shore, then grasped him under his shoulders and laid him on the sand.

  “Is he all right?” Charlene knelt beside them, concern etched into worry lines on her face. “Randy?”

  Millstone coughed and sputtered, water oozed from his mouth for a few moments. He propped himself on an elbow then sat up and grasped his shoulder where the bullet had winged him. “I’m okay.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked, her hands and eyes inspecting the area near the wound.

  “I said yes.” Randy said around clearing his throat. “I’m fine. The wound stings, but I’m good.”

  “What the hell were you doing?” Frustration clearly welled inside her by the tone of her voice.

  “What?”

  She hit Randy on his good shoulder. “You left Larry with no choice but to shoot. Who does that?”

  “Larry? You’re on a first name basis with this guy?”

  “That’s not the point,” Charlene bit back.

  Larry chuckled. With Charlene occupying Millstone, he wasn’t concerned if the guy would make a break for it and walked back to the pier to retrieve his guns before any spectators arrived. Gun fire in the area surely would bring onlookers. Still, he swiftly holstered his guns and made quick work of dressing his feet and returned.

  “Leave it be, Charlene,” Randy said, his manner like a scolded puppy.

  “No.” Charlene smacked his forehead and jabbed her hands on her hips.

  Admiration filled him. Charlene took matters into her own hands. She didn’t want someone else to fight her battles, she confronted them head on. At that moment, she earned his whole-hearted respect. He rubbed the area between his pecs, soothing the sudden tightness.

  “You stupid son of a bitch. What has Andrew gotten you into?”

  “Charlene.” Larry joined her at her side. “You can’t beat on my prisoner.”

  “Prisoner? The hell I am.” Millstone straightened and reapplied pressure to the wound with his hand.

  Larry snatched the gun off his belt and aimed. “Take another step, the next bullet will be more painful.�
�

  “I’d listen, you idiot,” Charlene commanded, stepping to the side. “Don’t let Andrew bring you down a road you can’t recover from.”

  A cloud of darkness passed over Millstone’s features before he nodded. “What do you need?”

  Sirens approached.

  Soon, the beach would be covered with police and rescue personnel. He lowered his gun to his side. “Why did you run?”

  “You’re FBI,” Millstone huffed. “Of course, I ran.”

  “A citizen who’s innocent doesn’t run,” Larry said, matter-of-factly.

  “I haven’t done anything wrong, so get that idea out of your mind.” Millstone removed his hand and looked at the injury. Blood covered his palm, but the bleeding slowed.

  “You warned Andrew! Why?” Charlene demanded.

  “I owe him, Char. I would have helped you talk to him if you hadn’t brought the Feds.”

  “This has been covered,” Larry said choosing his words carefully and keeping his voice under control for Charlene’s sake. “She didn’t bring me.”

  Millstone forced a laugh. “I don’t care what you say. I know you followed her.”

  Charlene observed Larry, the stink-eye showing. “Did you?”

  Charlene questioning him in front of Millstone didn’t set well. He gave the trail events that put him to this point, case closed. “We’ll talk later.” His voice came out more stern than he liked, but Millstone was really starting to grate on his nerves. Charlene siding with him for an instant sent a rush of disappointment through him.

  She sucked in her bottom lip and surprisingly shook her head.

  Suckerpunch in the gut. Again, he wanted to apologize for snapping. He winked. When her features softened, he focused on Millstone. “It’ll go easier on you, if you tell me what’s up with Andrew Smith before the uniforms and other agents reach us.”

  Millstone puffed out his cheeks. “A while back, he asked to stay with me while he straightened out his living situation.”

  “What living situation?”

  Millstone lifted his good shoulder. “Beats me. He didn’t tell and I didn’t ask.”

  “Anything else?” Larry asked, suspicion he held back curling in his gut.

  “That’s all I know,” Millstone said in a measured tone.

  Larry wasn’t buying the act. “Think. There’s probably something he mentioned or you overheard.”

  A police car followed by an ambulance parked on the shoulder of the road near the beach.

  “Your time is up,” Larry said. “Right now, I have you on obstruction.”

  Millstone drew in a deep breath and stared out at the slight waves breaking on the beach.

  “Please, Randy,” Charlene pleaded.

  He cut his eyes at her.

  “For Henry. Don’t make me tell him you went to jail.” Charlene wiped a tear from her face. “I can’t tell him another man he looked up to has let him down.”

  The moment Charlene’s words registered with Millstone, he flinched and pressed his lips together. “He goes by Mathews.”

  The hair on Larry’s neck rose. “Allen Mathews?”

  “That’s it. Phone calls came to my house for him. I hung up on a few, then one day I received a call and got pissed. I told them to stop calling. Andrew was nearby and snatched the phone from me. Shortly after, he disappeared. Today’s the first day I’ve seen him for about six months.”

  “You didn’t know he was on your boat?” Charlene asked.

  “Nope.”

  “If you weren’t heading toward him for help, why run toward the pier?” Larry asked.

  “For my boat, the one Andrew took off in.”

  Smith, AKA Mathews, used Millstone for a pawn. The question still stood, why would this seemingly decent guy go to such lengths to help Mathews? “Want to tell me why you’re so loyal to him?”

  Millstone watched the advancing vehicles. “Nope.”

  ****

  Charlene sat on a bench under a group of trees, looking at the sudden crowd forming along the sandy beach. Minutes ago, the area was empty. Now, uniformed officers kept people at a distance as Larry talked with two men dressed in slacks and button down shirts. Now more than ever, she was glad she told Gloria to keep quiet about her involvement in the café.

  Whatever Andrew was involved in, he pulled honest people into his web, preyed on them, and chewed them up, letting the remains fall in any direction without care. He’d proved that today when he raced away from the pier in his friend’s boat, another thing to add to Andrew’s long list of criminal activity. When would he ever stop? And at what cost?

  She glanced over her shoulder at Randy, shirtless, sitting on a stretcher in the back of an ambulance. He still hadn’t told her why he went to such extremes for Andrew. Not knowing drove her crazy.

  Randy locked eyes with her as the EMT pressed white gauze to his shoulder injury. Unlike earlier when he wore a scolded childlike expression, anger vibrated off him.

  The EMT patted Randy’s good arm. “You’re just winged. Keep the area clean and follow up with your doctor.”

  Randy slid his shirt on, jumped to the pavement and was met by an officer, holding cuffs.

  Her heart went out to Randy. Still, no matter what Andrew did, Randy allowed it, always had.

  Larry shifted, drawing her attention. She studied his profile. The tension from his jaw vanished and his eyes had softened. Every inch of him had been business while Randy tested him. Fierce, yet sexy…hard, yet soft. He possessed every quality she admired about a man.

  Larry had looked out for her at the same time he worked the situation. She didn’t blame him for shooting Randy. She did, however, kick herself for challenging Larry during a high stress period. First chance she got, she’d apologize. He wasn’t anything like Andrew. Questioning his motives or what he said made no sense. If he said it then it was fact. She’d cause herself less stress if she remembered that.

  Larry and the two agents approached. Larry stopped in front of her while one of the agents grasped Randy’s elbow and the other opened the rear door to a sedan with darkened windows.

  “What will happen to him now?” Charlene asked.

  The ambulance, followed by the agents’ car, and other marked police cars filed down the road and turned out of sight before Larry focused back on her and stretched out his hand. “Let’s take a walk.”

  Hand in hand, they walked in the direction of the pier.

  “Randy will be interviewed to see what else he might know.” Larry squeezed her hand. “Your ex is up to his elbows in trouble. I’m asking that you stay away from him until loose ends are tied up.”

  She paused and gazed into his eyes. “He wants money from me. Why does that mean he’s in trouble?”

  “He broke into your house, Charlene. Hit a parked car. His behavior indicates irrational behavior. Other than saying that, I can’t go into details until I have facts. If I say any more, it’d just be speculation.”

  Everyone shutting her out, not confiding in her, made her feel like she was alone in the dark, a little apprehensive, and a touch scared. “Do you always operate in such vague terms?”

  “Not vague, cautious.”

  She gazed out to the water. “I hate being in the dark.”

  “Roger that.” Releasing her hand, he reached around her shoulder, tucked her closer, and kissed the top of her head. “If I could tell you more, I would.”

  The subtle, tender touch sent her heart soaring. As they walked toward the pier, she relaxed her head onto his shoulder, enjoying the comfort of his warmth and not caring that his shirt wet her cheek and the side of her blouse. “I should have waited and questioned you in private instead of in front of Randy.”

  He shrugged. “No worries.”

  The impassive tone of his voice told her despite what he said, it had bothered him. “Anyway, I’m sorry.”

  “How you handle yourself today, minus not listening to me, was remarkable.”

  No compliment had ever m
ade her glow inside. “Thank you.”

  He pecked her lips and motioned to sit on the pier. “Do you have any idea why Millstone is loyal to Smith?” They settled next to each other on the pier, their feet dangling inches above the water’s surface.

  A breeze tossed her hair into her eyes and the sun reflected off the water, all elements for a gorgeous, romantic day. “I don’t.”

  “If Millstone cooperates, he will be released soon.”

  Larry’s phone vibrated against her hip. She retrieved it and handed it to him. “What about the obstruction charge?”

  Larry read the incoming message, shoved it into his pocket, and stretched his arm around her back. “It depends on if he cooperates. The information he gave identifying Smith as Mathews was a huge piece to the puzzle I need to solve.”

  “Mathews?”

  Larry groaned and rested his chin against her. “He’s someone of concern. I’m watching him now. Knowing he’s actually your ex-husband puts a whole other spin on my concern.”

  She snuggled closer to his chest. Since this morning, her emotions underwent a one-eighty. The rush of wanting to get even with Andrew and the excitement of getting her restaurant back gave her hope and made her feel vibrant. Then the flipside, the man she wanted, craved actually, a relationship kept her in the dark

  Needing to talk about something exciting and plunge out of the darkness that seemed consistently to enclose around her, she said, “I’m getting my restaurant back. Well, half of it.”

  He eased her away from him and locked gazes with her. “The one you and your husband owned?”

  “Yes.”

  “Charlene, that’s exciting news.” He cupped her face and kissed her.

  A rush of heat wove through her veins. His hand slid down her back to the small of her waist. He held her to him while his free palm tilted her head and caressed the curve of her chin.

  A low thrill of excitement escaped her.

  He eased away and his eyes squinted into small beacons of want as they slid over her face, taking in her every feature. “You get to me.”

  Her heart hitched, leaving a lump of emotion lodged in the back of her throat and tears stinging her eyes. The powerful passion passing through them locked her in place. She couldn’t look away and couldn’t identify what she felt. She could only stare and wait to see what he’d say.