The Perfect Murder--A Novel

by Kat Martin

  Hawk reached down and gripped Long’s hand. “I’ve got friends. You’ll have a guard 24/7 at the hospital. In the meantime, I’m going after Bolt. He’s the dead man, not you—and that’s a promise. Understood?”

  Long managed a single nod and closed his eyes. As Hawk waited for the ambulance, he phoned Chase and asked him to set up protection for Long at the hospital.

  “I’ll make some calls,” Chase said. “Consider it done.”

  “Thanks. I’ll stick around the room till your guy shows up. I’ve got a few things to do after that, then I’m going hunting.”

  THIRTY

  “That’s Hawk,” Reese said, nodding toward the door.

  Kenzie turned to see a tall, good-looking man with thick dark brown hair walking into the Vagabond Steakhouse. Hawk had phoned Reese earlier, said he had news. Just finished with supper, Reese suggested they meet in the bar.

  The soft notes of a piano and low amber lighting complemented the dark walls and brown leather chairs. Kenzie sat across from Reese at a quiet corner table, both of them sipping after-dinner drinks, a Kahlua and cream for her, a single malt for Reese.

  They drank slowly, mostly pretending. What they were doing was dangerous. They couldn’t afford to lose their focus.

  Hawk slid into one of the round-backed leather chairs at the table.

  “Kenzie, this is Jason Maddox,” Reese said.

  Hawk just nodded. She had imagined a man who smiled more often, but he wasn’t smiling tonight.

  “Nice to finally meet you,” he said.

  “You, too, Hawk. I hope you don’t mind me calling you that. Seems like everyone else does.”

  “Don’t mind at all. So many people call me that, half the time I think of myself as Hawk instead of Jason.” Maddox turned to Reese, apparently not into small talk.

  “What’s going on?” Reese asked, picking up on the tense vibes coming off his friend in waves.

  “Guy who shot Lee Haines? Name’s Jeremy Bolt. He’s a hit man, one of the best. Had a little run-in with him tonight. No way to prove it was Bolt, but the guy he shot is one of my informants, Long Bailey. Long came to me with intel on Bolt. Twenty minutes later, someone shot him in the parking lot .”

  “Oh, my God.” Kenzie’s heart jerked. “Is he...is he...?”

  “Took a round in the shoulder, but he should be okay. Be dead if I hadn’t spotted the gun in time to shout a warning. Chase is setting up protection for him at the hospital until I can track Bolt down.”

  “Bolt is the man who shot Lee,” Kenzie said. “Now he shot your friend. I feel as if this is somehow my fault.”

  Reese turned toward her, a dark look on his face. “It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault. Arthur Haines is responsible for all of this.”

  She shivered. It was true. Arthur and his gambling. Because of him, all of them were in danger, especially her son.

  “Keep in mind, you and Griff aren’t his only victims,” Reese said. “The selfish bastard managed to get his own son killed.”

  Her throat tightened. Lee was a rotten husband and father, but he didn’t deserve to be murdered.

  “Long wasn’t able to get Bolt’s location,” Hawk said, “just that he likes to gamble and hangs around the casinos.”

  It occurred to her that if they could prove Jeremy Bolt had killed Lee, she would no longer be the primary suspect in his murder.

  “I’m going to find him,” Hawk said. “Long’s a friend. He won’t be safe until Bolt’s dead.”

  Reese gripped his friend’s heavily muscled shoulder. “We need him alive, Hawk. We need proof he killed Lee Haines. It’s the only way to prove Kenzie’s innocence.”

  Hawk’s gaze swung back to her, held for several seconds. “Locked up or dead. Either way works for me.”

  * * *

  Reese checked his watch. It was two o’clock in the morning and all of them were exhausted.

  “There’s nothing more we can do here tonight,” he said. “We’ll start searching for Griff again in the morning.”

  Kenzie wearily nodded.

  “I’m heading back to the hospital to check on Long,” Hawk said. “He should be out of surgery by now.”

  “That Holiday Inn’s just a few blocks away.” Reese slid his key card out of his wallet and handed it to Hawk, who tucked it into his pocket.

  “I’ll see you back in the room,” Hawk said.

  Maddox headed in one direction and Reese and Kenzie went the other, making their way out of the casino to the parking lot, then heading back to the hotel. Kenzie also had a key card, so they went directly up to their third-floor suite.

  Pistol in hand, Reese checked the interior, but the room was empty and nothing seemed out of place.

  “Let’s get some sleep,” he said. “If something breaks tomorrow, we need to be ready.”

  Kenzie said nothing, just wandered into the bedroom and started stripping off her clothes. There was just enough light coming through the crack in the curtains to illuminate her body in a pretty pink neon glow. She pulled on an oversize cotton T-shirt that shouldn’t have been sexy but was and climbed into bed.

  Reese sighed into the darkness. No way was he getting any sleep tonight, not when he was already aroused. And with Hawk coming in later, he couldn’t sleep on the sofa. He always slept naked, but tonight he left on his boxer briefs, walked over, and slid beneath the covers, staying as far from Kenzie as possible.

  “Get some sleep, baby.” Turning on his side, he faced away from her and willed himself to fall sleep, not that he actually thought he would.

  “Aren’t...aren’t you going to kiss me good night?”

  Reese closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, fighting for control. Rolling onto his back, he stared up at the ceiling. “I’m afraid to, honey. I’m already hard just watching you undress. I’ve wanted you for days. Even with everything that’s happened, that hasn’t changed.”

  “I’m sorry I put you through all of this.” Her voice sounded shaky, vulnerable as she rarely let show.

  Reese turned toward her. “It’s just life, baby. Sometimes it gets in the way.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Go to sleep.”

  An hour passed. Reese was still wide-awake, and though she hadn’t made a sound, he knew Kenzie was awake, too.

  “You can’t sleep, either?” he asked, breaking into the silence.

  She sighed. “I wish I could. I feel like my body is plugged into an electric socket. My mind keeps spinning, replaying the scene in Griff’s room, seeing it in different ways. Was there something I could have done? Some way I could have saved him?” Her voice broke. “I don’t know.”

  Reese came up over her. “You fought like a wild thing, honey. You did your best against two hardened men. There was nothing more you could have done.”

  Her eyes glistened. Tears leaked from the corners and rolled down her cheeks. “I need you to kiss me, Reese. I need you to touch me, make love to me. Please, Reese. Make me forget what might be happening to my son.”

  His chest clamped down. He knew it was selfish, knew he should find another way to help her sleep, but he wanted her, and tonight she needed him.

  He leaned over and kissed her, softly at first, then deeper, drawing it out, nibbling and tasting until he felt her body soften and she started kissing him back with the same urgency he was feeling.

  He nipped an earlobe, pressed his mouth against the side of her neck. “I’ll make you forget, baby. At least for tonight.” He kissed her temple, kissed the pulse throbbing at the base of her throat, moved lower, felt her body heating, responding as she gave herself over to him.

  He shoved the covers aside and moved down to her beautiful breasts, suckling and tasting, trailing kisses over her soft skin, ringing her navel. He was hard and aching, his pulse pounding as need burned through him. But tonight was for Kenz
ie. As much as he wanted her, tonight her needs were more important than his.

  He parted her legs and settled himself between them, kissed her abdomen and felt the brush of her fingers in his newly shorn hair. His arousal strengthened. He kissed the inside of her thighs and felt her tremble.

  She cried out as he began to pleasure her, driving her up, keeping her on the edge until she was clutching the sheets. Her body quivered and tightened. He knew what to do, how to please her, knew she was near the brink. She cried his name as a powerful climax struck, and slowly she began to spiral down.

  Relaxed at last, her eyes drifted closed and Reese kissed her softly. When he started to roll away, she clutched his shoulders.

  “No...please, Reese. Not yet. I want to feel you inside me. I need more... I want you to finish this.”

  He wanted to. Jesus God, he wanted to bury himself so deep he wouldn’t know where one of them stopped and the other started.

  “Are you sure?”

  When she leaned up and kissed him, he felt the wetness of tears on her cheeks. “Please.”

  There was no turning back now and Reese didn’t want to. His mouth found hers and he savored the sweetness, a taste that belonged to Kenzie alone. He retrieved a condom and began to kiss her again, turned his attention to her pretty breasts, making them pucker and tighten.

  He was a skillful lover and he used that skill to drive her toward the edge once more, then he buried himself deep and started moving, setting up a rhythm her body urgently matched. Kenzie arched beneath him, her fingers digging into his shoulders, a cry escaping as she reached release once more.

  Reese’s iron control shattered. His mind shut down and pure male instinct took over. Thrusting hard and deep, taking what he so desperately needed, his body went rigid as he followed her to a wild, earth-shattering climax.

  Long seconds passed. Easing off her, he settled down on the bed beside her and drew her into his arms, unexpected emotion moving through him. He felt as if she belonged to him, as if he had claimed her in some primal way. He had never felt that way about a woman before.

  Shaking off the feeling, he rose to deal with the condom and returned to find Kenzie fighting to hold back tears.

  Sliding into the bed beside her, Reese smoothed damp hair back from her forehead. “Don’t cry, honey. We’re going to find him. We’re going to bring him home.”

  Kenzie looked up at him. “Thank you for being here. No matter what happens between us, I’ll never forget what you’ve done.”

  Reese fell silent. No matter what happens. The words burned a hole in his chest. They hadn’t had time to think of the future. Until this was over, there was nothing he could say or do. All that mattered was finding a way to bring Griff safely back to his mother.

  Reese vowed he would do whatever it took to see it done.

  * * *

  When Kenzie walked into the living room the next morning, she found two men standing at the counter in the open galley kitchen. Hawk was only a little taller than Reese, but he was brawny, with powerful arms, a thick neck and shoulders. Reese’s lean muscles were more sculpted, his biceps sinewy instead of bulky, but he was just as solidly built. Both of them were sex personified.

  A thought that sent a shaft of guilt straight into her heart, remorse for the pleasure she had received while her son was suffering, terrified he would never get home.

  Her throat tightened. She had needed Reese last night and as always he had been there for her. After his intense lovemaking, she had fallen into a bone-deep slumber, free of the constant fear that threatened to paralyze her completely.

  He walked toward her, tall and dark and so incredibly handsome. Kenzie glanced away, afraid her feelings for him would show in her eyes.

  “I’m glad you got some sleep,” he said, a soft note in his voice she rarely heard, along with a hint of male pride. He pressed a mug of hot coffee into her hand. “We’ve got work to do and you’ll be more help now that you’re rested.”

  She flushed at the memory of last night and wrapped her fingers around the mug, grateful for the soothing warmth. “Thanks.” She took a sip and was surprised how good it tasted.

  “I need to call the office, make sure things are running smoothly. It’s time to speak to our attorneys, see how they’re coming with the cancellation documents. I also need to call Derek Stiles, let him know what’s going on.”

  Kenzie had talked to Gran earlier. Her grandmother was worried sick but holding it together. Kenzie retrieved her laptop, pulled it out of its case, and set it on the kitchen table.

  “I’ll call Louise,” she said. “She’ll be in near-panic mode. I’ll see what I can do to help.” She could also check her email, see if there was anything important.

  Hawk set his coffee mug down on the kitchen counter. “I’m headed back to the hospital. Soon as I’m sure Long’s okay, I’ll start hunting Bolt.”

  “Keep in touch,” Reese said as he picked up his phone.

  “And be careful,” Kenzie added.

  Hawk smiled. “Same thing my wife said when I talked to her this morning. I reminded her I’m always careful.” Hawk grabbed his gear bag and turned back to Kenzie. “Can you shoot?”

  “A little too well, according to the police.”

  He pulled out a .38 revolver and set it on the counter, turned, and headed out the door.

  They made the necessary calls and worked on the internet. Over an hour slipped past. Kenzie poured herself another cup of coffee just as her cell phone rang. Her pulse took a leap. Thinking it was the kidnappers, she glanced at Reese, who moved up beside her.

  “Hello.” Her hands shook as she held the phone so he could hear.

  “It’s Shirley,” the blackjack dealer said in a gruff voice. “Is this Kenzie?”

  “It’s Kenzie. Hi, Shirley. Did you...did you find him?”

  “No way to know if it’s your boy, but one of the cleaning gals has a boyfriend who works room service. Said he’s been bringing kiddie meals to room 1806. It’s a suite on the eighteenth floor. Said he could hear cartoons playing on the TV in the bedroom.”

  Kenzie’s pulse speeded.

  “Doesn’t mean it’s him,” Shirley warned. “But the boyfriend said there were two guys in the room and neither of them looked much like a daddy.”

  “Thank you, Shirley, thank you so much. I really appreciate your help.”

  “Be good if you kept my name out of it.”

  “I will, I promise.”

  Reese phoned Hawk. “We got a lead on the boy. There’s a chance they’ve got him stashed in the casino hotel.”

  “A suite on the eighteenth floor,” Kenzie added in the background. “We have to go find out.”

  Reese put the phone on speaker.

  “Take it easy,” Hawk said. “You can’t just go storming in with no idea what you’re facing. We need intel. We need to be certain the boy’s actually in the room and if he is, who’s in there with him. If he’s there, we need a plan to get him out.”

  Kenzie’s worried glance flashed to Reese. She wanted to rush back to the hotel, pound on the door of the suite, and demand the men let Griff go. But they needed to be prepared or something could go wrong and Griff would be in terrible danger.

  “Hawk’s right, honey,” Reese said. “We have to be prepared.”

  She nodded. “I know.”

  “I need to find Bolt,” Hawk said. “But your son comes first. I’ll head over to the hotel and keep an eye on the room until you get there. What’s the number?”

  “It’s 1806,” Reese said.

  “Arm yourselves and meet me there.”

  THIRTY-ONE

  Reese was anxious to get back to the casino, but before they left the room, he called Chase.

  “Two things,” Reese said. “Hawk was right. Haines’s killer is a mob hit man named Jeremy Bolt. But maybe
you know that already.”

  “Hawk called, brought me up to speed. What’s the second thing?”

  “We may have found the boy. It’s far from certain, but it’s possible they’ve stashed him in a suite in the Pot-of-Gold casino.”

  “DeMarco’s club?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Which means he’s got a small army at his disposal. What’s your plan?”

  “We’re working on it. We need more information. Once we confirm Griff’s there, we can move forward.”

  “I’m coming to Shreveport. Four of us are better than three.”

  “It might be a wasted trip,” Reese warned.

  “I’ll fly. Won’t take as long to get there.”

  “Take the jet. Kenzie can set it up. Flight takes less than an hour.”

  “Good idea.”

  “I’ll stay in touch, keep you abreast of what’s going on.”

  Thirty minutes later, they were armed and ready, Reese’s Nighthawk holstered at his waist beneath a lightweight black nylon windbreaker, plus the .380 ankle gun Chase had loaned him. Kenzie had the .38 revolver Hawk had left her in the purse slung over her shoulder.

  But they couldn’t act until they had intel. They needed to be sure Griff was there. They needed to know if there was a guard outside the room, needed to size up the exits, figure the best way in and out.

  They arrived at the hotel, texted Hawk, and headed for the elevator. Hawk was already upstairs, somewhere out of sight. Reese and Kenzie crowded into the car with a group of tourists, who slowed the ride by getting off at half a dozen different floors.

  Finally, the elevator doors slid open on the eighteenth floor, and Reese and Kenzie exited, just a couple heading back to their room to change or take a break from playing the slot machines. Reese wore his boots and straw cowboy hat, Kenzie her curly blond wig.

  Reese had tried to talk her into waiting downstairs till they had more information, but he had known from the start the effort would be futile.

  “Griff’s my son,” she’d said. “I have to be there.”