by Laura Scott
He was human and would bleed just like anyone else if injured.
She went two blocks west, pulled into an empty space along the side of the road and shifted the truck into Park. Then she took a deep breath and reminded herself that getting upset wasn’t good for the baby.
Her fingers and toes were beginning to get cold when her phone rang. She was so startled she dropped it. After picking it up, she answered, “Hello? Marc?”
“Come pick me up,” he said in a brusque tone.
“On my way.” She disconnected from the call and carefully pulled away from the curb. Making the loop back toward the apartment building didn’t take long, and when she noticed the grim expression on his face, she knew something was wrong.
Kari climbed over the console, giving Marc room to get behind the wheel. Once she had her seat belt latched, she turned to face him.
“What happened?”
Marc pulled away from the curb and put some distance between them and the apartment building. When they were safely out of the area, he let out a heavy sigh.
“Tomas Lee wasn’t home, but someone had searched his place. It’s a total wreck.” He gestured to the phone sitting between them. “We’ll need to call it in, but without giving our names. We need to remain anonymous.”
“Searched for what?” she asked, trying to understand this latest setback. “And where is Tomas?” She was relieved he wasn’t dead, like the officer who’d been sitting outside her safe house. But the news still didn’t bode well for Tomas.
“I’m not sure, unless someone was looking for the money from the robberies.” Marc shrugged. “I don’t understand it, either, and I can’t help but think Tomas might be in danger. Maybe from the third guy who’d been with them when they got their tattoos? All I can do is speculate at this point.”
She picked up the phone with shaking fingers and dialed 911.
“What’s your emergency?”
Kari gave her the details, but when the dispatcher pressed for more, she lost her patience. “Just send the police.” Kari disconnected from the call and then quickly powered down the phone, knowing the dispatcher would attempt to call her back.
“Thanks for making the call,” Marc said.
“Do you think we had the wrong apartment?” She wanted to believe they’d made a mistake, that their one clue hadn’t just led them to a dead end. “Maybe Tomas Lee doesn’t really live there any longer.”
“I saw some mail on the floor addressed to Lee and postmarked four days ago. I think it’s his place, although I guess we can’t know for sure that he’s living there alone.”
“If he has a roommate, it could be the apartment was trashed because of something that person did.”
Marc grimaced and shook his head. “Seems like a pretty strong coincidence to me. We suspect that Lee is involved in the bank robberies. What are the chances that the ransacking of the apartment isn’t related? I’m not buying it. There’s definitely something odd going on here.”
She hated to admit he was right. That would be one incredible coincidence. “Well, we know Jamison wasn’t the one who trashed the place.”
“You’re right about that,” Marc agreed. “Which means someone else is attempting to cover up their participation in this. Someone who is going to extreme lengths to keep their secret. Now that I’ve seen what happened in Lee’s apartment, I’m starting to get a little worried about Jamison.”
“Jamison? But he’s safe in jail, isn’t he?” Even as she said the words, she knew the answer. Of course not. No one was ever safe in prison. “You really think it’s possible that someone could be bribed into killing Jamison while he’s in custody?”
“Yeah. Unfortunately, I do.”
“But why?” Her stomach knotted at the thought of someone paying money to have Jamison killed. As much as she dreaded the thought of testifying at trial, she didn’t want to get out of it by having the guy murdered.
“That’s the part I can’t quite figure out,” Marc admitted. “There were several attempts to kill you, to keep you from testifying, which would cause us to drop the charges against Jamison. But why go after Lee? And if someone does want to try to silence Lee permanently, why not just kill Jamison, too, and leave you out of it?”
She had no idea. “What should we do now?”
“I’m not sure. I can’t call my boss if that puts us in danger, but I feel like there are still several puzzle pieces missing. At the moment, I can’t figure out if Jamison’s life is in jeopardy or not.”
“It wouldn’t hurt for him to have extra protection, regardless, right?” she pointed out. “Maybe we could leave another anonymous tip?”
“Not sure a tip like that would be taken seriously. I could ask Miles to request additional security.”
She frowned. “But they’d know that you put him up to that, wouldn’t they?”
“Someone was already following him,” he reminded her. “I’m sure they know that I’ve been in touch with my family. So yeah, they’ll know the request actually came from me. But I can’t think of another way to get the word out to the jail administration.”
She couldn’t think of another way, either. “Do you want me to call Miles?”
“Not yet. I already left him and my other brothers messages, so I have to assume they’re busy. Hopefully, one of them will call me back sooner than later.”
“Okay.” She stared out the windshield, wondering about the person who’d searched Lee’s apartment. A thought occurred to her, and she reached over to grasp Marc’s arm. “Marc, what if Jamison finds out about Tomas Lee’s apartment being searched? Couldn’t that information be used as leverage to encourage him to confess as to who else might be involved?”
He glanced over at her, his gaze full of admiration. “Now you’re starting to think like a cop,” he said with approval. “You’re right—that’s a good idea.”
The warmth in his green eyes caused her to blush. “Obviously, I’ve been hanging out with you for too long,” she teased.
His grin widened. “Touché,” he said. “The only problem is that I’m not sure who can get that information to Jamison. My brother is a police detective, but I doubt anyone will give him access to talk to a federal prisoner. And I can’t trust the members on the task force, either.”
“Then we’re back to talking to your boss. I know that you don’t trust the members of the task force, but do you honestly think your boss is the leak? Couldn’t you trust him with at least this bit of information?”
“Maybe, but I refuse to use our new phones to contact him.” Marc tapped his fingers on the top of the steering wheel. “Let me think about it. Maybe a brief call from a pay phone would work.”
“Do they even have pay phones anymore?” she asked. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen one. Then again, with the evolution and availability of cell phones she hadn’t really needed to look, either.
“Probably not many. But we should keep an eye out just in case. They’re most likely going to be at gas stations or convenience stores.”
The phone in Marc’s pocket rang, diverting her attention from searching for a pay phone. He took the phone out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Put it on speaker.”
She hit the button and held the device between them.
“Marc? What’s going on? I’m still investigating a new homicide. Why do you need someone to stay with Kari again?”
“I don’t need that anymore. I already checked out the apartment leased by Tomas Lee. Unfortunately, he wasn’t there, and his place has been trashed from top to bottom.”
“Who’s Tomas Lee? One of the accomplices involved in the bank robberies?” Miles asked.
“Yeah. He has a similar tattoo on his chest, in the same spot as Jamison’s. There were three men who all received their tattoos at the same time
earlier this year. I found Tomas Lee in the criminal database.”
Miles let out a low whistle. “That’s not good news.”
“No, it’s not,” Marc agreed. “We made an anonymous call to 911 with Kari’s phone to send the police out there. But I need your help. We think there is something going on between the bank robbers. Lee and Jamison could both be in danger. I think it’s important to heighten the security around him, get him out of the general population.”
“Yeah, I agree. I’ll do my best, but you know very well I don’t have any authority in this case.”
“I know, but tell them anyway. I’ll keep looking for a pay phone to call my boss.”
“Wait a minute, I know where there’s a pay phone. Hang on a sec.” Miles set down his phone and Kari could hear voices and paper rustling in the background. “Here it is—there’s a pay phone at the gas station on the corner of Captain and Hillside.”
“How do you know that?” Marc asked, executing a U-turn to head in the opposite direction from where they were headed.
“There was a stalker case we worked on and we were able to figure out that the woman was doing her own phone calls from the pay phone there, claiming they were from her ex.”
Kari’s mouth dropped open. “Really? She made it up?”
“Yeah, although honestly that doesn’t happen often,” Miles admitted. “One of the detectives staked out the pay phone and then watched her make the call.”
“Unbelievable,” she murmured.
“Okay, thanks, Miles. I’ll use that pay phone to call my boss to request added security on Jamison.”
“Sounds good. Oh, by the way, I have interesting news about the drawing of that guy you gave me.”
“Vince Ackerman?” Marc asked, meeting her gaze briefly before turning his attention back to the road. “What did you find out?”
“We believe he’s a scam artist who goes by several different aliases. One of them is Victor Arrowsmith, who allegedly scammed almost ten grand from a woman in Chicago. There are a couple of other complaints against him, too. Unfortunately, we haven’t found him yet.”
Kari dropped her chin to her chest and closed her eyes. She knew she shouldn’t feel so humiliated by being taken in by a crook, but she did. How was it possible she’d allowed herself to be so naive?
“Kari, don’t,” Marc said in a low voice. “It’s not your fault. He’s a professional crook and has obviously done this several times before.”
She lifted her head, belatedly realizing the conversation between Miles and Marc had ended. After dropping the phone in the cup holder, she folded her arms over her chest. “I know. But that doesn’t really make me feel any better.”
“Just stay focused on the gift he gave you,” Marc suggested. “Your baby needs you.”
Kari drew in a quick breath. This was the first time Marc had ever initiated a positive comment about her pregnancy. Oh, he’d said a few things before, but only after she’d broached the subject.
Maybe she was reading too much into his comment, but after that heated kiss they’d shared, she couldn’t help thinking that maybe Marc had finally accepted her as she was, pregnancy and all.
* * *
As much as Marc wanted Vince Ackerman, or whatever his name was, to pay for his crimes, he hated seeing Kari so upset. Especially when her only mistake was trusting the wrong man.
Marc wished he weren’t driving so that he could take her in to his arms again. Not that he should even think about kissing her. No matter how much he wanted to.
“You’re right,” Kari agreed. “My baby is my top priority. Well, that and testifying of course.”
“Glad to hear it.” He glanced at her, knowing deep in his bones that she’d be an excellent mother. Someone who would always put the needs of others before her own.
Very different from Jess. Although, to be honest, it’s possible his wife could have changed once the baby was born.
“Aren’t we supposed to be heading toward Captain and Hillside?” Kari asked.
He reined in his scattered thoughts. “Yes, we are.” He turned at the next intersection, taking the most direct route to the pay phone Miles had mentioned. As he drove, Marc tried to think of the best way to approach his boss.
Special Agent in Charge Evan White wasn’t going to be happy to hear from him. In fact, Marc feared his job might be on the line if he didn’t follow his boss’s orders. Somehow, he had to make him understand the seriousness of the threat against Kari and the need to remain off the grid until the day of the trial.
The call would have to be short to avoid being traced. They’d still be able to figure out where he’d made the call from, but by the time that happened, he and Kari would be long gone.
“There it is,” Kari said, breaking into his thoughts.
“I see it.” He pulled into the gas station, then jockeyed the truck around so that he could use the phone and still make a quick getaway. “I’m going to keep the engine running, okay?”
She nodded, her hands twisting in her lap as if she were nervous.
He flashed a reassuring smile, dug several coins out of his pocket and then jumped out of the truck. After feeding the money into the machine, he quickly dialed his boss.
“FBI,” Evan answered.
Marc took a deep breath. “It’s Callahan. Someone is trying to kill our witness.”
“Where have you been?” Evan shouted. “I want you to report to my office immediately!”
“Not going to happen.” When Evan started to sputter again, Marc interrupted, “Listen carefully, there have been three separate attempts to kill Kari. They traced my car and my brother has been followed, as well. I believe one of Jamison’s accomplices is a man named Tomas Lee.” He rattled off the address, hoping that his boss was taking notes. “Lee’s apartment was ransacked. You need to get more protection on Jamison and convince him to cooperate. Tell Jamison about the break-in at Lee’s apartment. Maybe the news will convince him to start talking.”
“Report to my office and bring the witness,” Evan repeated. “We’ll find a way to keep her safe.”
Marc ground his teeth together in frustration. “No. I’m sorry, but I believe someone on the task force is dirty. There’s no other logical explanation for how the safe house was compromised in the first place, not to mention the way my vehicle was tracked. Only someone with police resources could do something like that.”
His boss swore. “I need you to work the investigation, Callahan. We’ll get someone else to babysit the witness.”
Marc scowled at the phone, glad Evan couldn’t see his facial expression. No way in the world was he handing Kari off to someone else, except maybe to one of his brothers. He wouldn’t trust anyone else to keep her safe. “I am working the investigation. I just gave you the name of a possible accomplice, Tomas Lee.”
“I need to be able to reach you,” Evan said. “Can I call you back at this number?”
“No, this is a pay phone.” Marc glanced at his watch, realizing he’d already talked for longer than he’d planned. “I’ll keep in touch, but I’ll only call you and only in your office.”
“When?” Evan demanded.
“Soon.”
“If you don’t call me every eight hours with an update, you can kiss your job goodbye.”
“Understood.” Marc hung up the phone before his boss could go at him again. He had no doubt that Evan meant what he’d said about losing his job. FBI agents didn’t get very far up the career ladder if they refused to obey orders.
But keeping Kari and her baby safe were far more important.
The pay phone rang loudly, and Marc knew that it was probably Evan attempting to call him back. Marc turned his back and jogged over to the truck. He quickly climbed in behind the wheel.
He’d only call his b
oss back if or when he had new information to share. And not before.
Because right now, he and Kari were better off alone.
TWELVE
When she’d watched Marc talk to his boss, his grim expression and the way he’d hung up the receiver with more force than was necessary convinced Kari the conversation hadn’t gone very well.
She hated knowing he was likely in trouble because of her. Well, not because of her but rather the situation she’d found herself in. The men who’d tried to kill her were the real bad guys.
And Marc Callahan was one of the good ones.
She averted her gaze, hoping her growing feelings for him weren’t clearly reflected on her face. Marc might have kissed her, but she knew better than to expect anything to come of their brief embrace.
This was the worst possible time to fall for a man. Especially a guy like Marc, who could have his pick of any woman on the planet.
Why on earth would he want someone like her? No college degree, a mundane job as a bank teller and pregnant with another man’s child.
Yeah, she was a real prize all right. Not.
Okay, now she was just feeling sorry for herself. Blame it on the hormones. She pulled herself together and forced a smile. “Where are we headed?”
“We need another motel, preferably someplace far away from the pay phone and not very expensive,” Marc said. “My cash reserves are running low.”
“I think there’s a place near the café where I used to work,” she told him. “It’s one of those Holiday America chains. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner.”
“Not sure it’s a good idea to be close to where you once worked,” Marc said. “But I know there’s another one on the opposite side of town, so we’ll head there.”
The idea of anyone digging so deep into her background that they knew the name of every place she’d ever worked was beyond creepy. If her mother hadn’t passed away last year, Kari had no doubt that she would have been in danger, too.
