Captured Innocence (CSA Case Files) (30 page)

“I said keep undressing.”  Russell walked over to the St. Andrew’s Cross, giving Lauren pause.  Should she run for the main door?  If she could just get to the street, someone could help her.  He turned back to face her.  “Marilyn wanted Mistress Beverly.  Couldn’t you see that?  It was in her movements and the way Marilyn looked up at Mistress like she was her savior.  She wasn’t!  Mistress is mine and she’ll come to realize it soon.”

“You did a good job throwing the police off, making them think Terry did it,” Lauren said, changing tactics.  She slowly placed her hand on a cha
ir that was behind her, trying to look like she needed support to kick off her boots in which her jeans were now tangled above.  She really was just delaying.  “The shibari was a nice touch.”

“
Do you know how many demonstrations that Joel has here?” Russell waved his gun around the room.  “Night after night, I’m watching some goddamned demo on bondage, toys, ropes, and whatever else Joel can find someone to do.  I practiced those knots over and over again, knowing that the police would look for someone with that knowledge.  Imagine my luck when Terry tried to cut her loose with the knife that I killed Marilyn with.  I couldn’t have asked for things to go better.”

Russell laughed, although it seemed strained.  Lauren knew she was running out of time and kicked off her boots.  She slid the jeans over her socks, taking those off too.  The prickles of terror started the reign over her flesh.  She knew that he intended to bind her to the cross.  Russell had no idea the anarchy he was about to unleash
with her phobia.

“Then why shoot Terry?” Lauren asked, unable t
o keep her voice from trembling.  All that was left for her to remove was her bra and panties.  She caught herself from laughing manically, due to the fact that she never thought her first club scene would be like this.  It would also be her last.  “The police thought he’d killed Marilyn.  Why change that?”

“He knew,” Russell whispered, looking down at the carpet as if ashamed.  Lauren feared his swing of emotion.  “He knew.  He’d been making calls and talking to people.  Joel told him that Marilyn had been talking with Mistress.  I overheard the phone conversation.  I knew it wouldn’t be long before Terry put it together.  I had to shoot him so that he wouldn’t say anything.”

Lauren knew that Russell was paranoid.  He’d gotten so caught up in his infatuation with subbing for Beverly that his obsession had turned in on itself.  He didn’t know what to believe, and so he thought he could just wipe everyone out of Mistress’ life, as well as his own. 

“Just like I have to kill you
and frame someone else.  If you are involved with Connor, then he’ll be the prime suspect.  What better justice than to the man who would betray his friends by nosing around in their personal lives.”  Russell raised the gun.  Lauren felt her chest constrict and knew that she’d run out of time.  “Walk over to me.  You’re the last person with any knowledge.  Once you’re gone, I’ll prove to Mistress that I’m the only one for her.”

* * * *

Connor pulled his weapon as he and Jax each took up position on either side of the door.  Crest and Kevin were on their way and would cover the main entrance.  They’d kept the fact that Taryn had followed the traffic cams, following Lauren’s van through the city streets until it had pulled off into the garage of the club from the police.  They didn’t need this fucked up now.  Not with Lauren’s life on the line.

“A fucking romance book couldn’t end better than this shit,” Jax whispered, reaching for the doorknob. 
His fingers tightened on the handle.  “You better make this good.  Maybe even confess your undying love.”

“Fuck you,” Connor murmured, agitated that his friend would chose now to try and alleviate the tension.  He used to do this shit when they were about to go on a mission, but this had nothing to do with
ridding the earth of scumbags.  This was Lauren.  “Just do what you’re trained to do.”

“I’m just saying…a dedication in my name might be nice.”  Jax
slowly turned the handle and indicated that it was unlocked.  “It’s not everyday a man gets to witness true love.”

Connor felt the cold sweat that had broken out over his body start to dissipate.  His agitation lowered, just as his friend knew it would.  They were a team…a unit.  They would extract Lauren using the training they had been taught, giving her back the life she was intended to live. 

“On three.”  Connor readied his body, taking a deep breath.  His heartbeat lowered and the blood he heard in his ears diminished.  “One…two…three.”

Jax swung the door open, entering low to the ground.  Connor swept
in, turning immediately to his left and surveying the club.  His mind computed everything at once and instantly focused on the fact that Lauren was naked and being bound to the cross.  Only one wrist was enclosed in the strap, but it was enough to have his vision darken. 

“Connor!” Lauren cried out.
  She’d been fighting Russell like the feisty hellcat she was and Connor couldn’t be more proud. 

“Back away, Russell,” Connor barked, aiming his weapon on the target’s widest accessible area, which happened to be Russell’s chest.  He had to force himself to ignore Lauren’s plea, knowing that if he looked away from his
target that they could all end up dead.  “It’s over.”

Jax kept moving, quickly immersing himself behind the bar.  Connor knew that he would work his way to the end, giving himself a better position. 

“Drop your weapon, Russell.” 

Connor
stared into eyes that held no sanity.  Russell had managed to lose any semblance of rationality.  Connor’s sense of morality had to try to get Russell to see reason, but Connor’s gut told him that this was going to end badly.  He’d seen that look before and knew he had no choice but to pull the trigger.  How had Connor missed this?

Russell moved
quickly, ducking behind Lauren, who had just gotten her wrist out of the cuff while Connor had held Russell’s attention.  Before she could run toward him, Russell yanked her naked form back against his chest.  He brought the gun up to Lauren’s head.

“
Toss your weapon to the floor and move away from the door.”  Russell tightened his grip on Lauren, causing her to cry out.  Connor’s finger took up the slack on the trigger, waiting for a clear shot.  He resisted the urge to look and see if Jax was in position.  Did he have a better angle to take this fucker out?  Russell looked frantically to see where Jax had gone.  Connor had no idea if Russell had located him, but had no concerns.  This would end, and Russell would be the one crossing over into hell.  “Once I’m out, I’ll let her go.”

“You and I both know that you have no intention of letting her live,” Connor replied, resisting the need to look into her green eyes and reassure her that e
verything would be all right.  “I can’t let that happen.  Red, present!”

Connor didn’t hesitate.  The second Lauren used her body weight to fall to her knees, he pulled the trigger.  T
he bullet tore through Russell’s chest and that familiar wet slapping sound filled the room.  Surprise flashed across his face as recognition dawned that he was dead.  Russell dropped, along with his weapon.  Unfortunately, he landed right on top of Lauren.

In sync, Connor and Jax darted across the carpet.  Jax grabbed Russell by the jacket, pulling his body off of Lauren while Connor gathered her up into his arms.  Her
back and arms were covered in blood, but he ignored the slick mess with its distinctive copper smell as he held her close. 

“I’ve got you,
Red,” Connor murmured, trying to shrug out of his jacket.  He wanted her covered so that when the recovery team came through the main doors, she had some sense of dignity.  “You’re safe…you’re safe.”

“Got a thready pulse,” Jax yelled out, digging for his cell phone in the front of his jeans. 

Connor couldn’t stop the irritation that he’d missed the target’s heart.  Connor had no doubt Russell would die.  A shot to the chest from a Sig P220 firing 230-grain hydra-shock rounds had about a ninety-eight percent kill ratio.  He looked down at the redhead in his arms and tried to soothe her as a sob wracked her body.

“Red, slid
e your arms through,” Connor murmured, nudging her to shift a little.  “Come on.  Put this on or else my entire team will see you naked.  I don’t think we’ve quite worked our way up to that.”

Her sob turned into a snort
, and for the first time that day Connor felt a smile tug at his lips.  No matter what happened from here on out, Lauren was safe.  She lifted her upper body to where he could assist her into his coat.  Her tear-streaked face finally looked up into his, and those emerald circles held such hope within them that he felt his heart crack just a little.

Chapter Thirty-Three

“Hand me that crescent wrench, mi
hijo,” Alberto said, his voice carrying from underneath the car. 

Connor had been looking outside of the open garage, watching life pass by the old shop.
  Jersey never changed.  He looked behind him at the ancient red tool cabinet on rickety wheels that his father refused to part with.  Turning around, he closed the distance and moved around the various tools that lay in the open drawer, choosing the right one.  Leaning down, he laid it in his father’s outstretched palm.

“
Have you called to check on her?”

“I told you,” Connor replied, straightening his knees and walking over to where he’d left his can of soda.  “Lauren was fine when I left. 
I made a couple calls since then.  It’s only been three weeks since the incident.  She has a life to lead that doesn’t include me and it was time that she got back to it.”

“So you say,” Alberto mumbled from underneath the vehicle.  Connor resisted rolling his eyes at his father’s know-it-all tone.  “Maybe
she wants that life to include you.”

“We both know
that she would have moved on if I’d decided to continue with what we had,” Connor said.  He brought the can to his lips and took a gulp.  “I was just doing us both a favor by saving her the trouble.”

“Favor, eh?”  Alberto rolled out from underneath the block of metal, turning those dark eyes his way.  “Not all women are like your mother.”

Connor looked down at his father in surprise.  It was rare that they discussed
her
and he didn’t want to start now. Alberto shifted to his left and used his arm to push himself into a sitting position.  He reached into the back pocket of his overalls for a rag, trying to wipe the grease from his hands.  It was a useless endeavor.  

“Want me to put steaks on the grill this afternoon?” Connor asked, finishing off his soda.  He wasn’t about to have this conversation and dredge up unwanted memories for his dad.  “I can drive over to the house and get them out of the freezer to thaw.”

“What I’d like is to have a conversation that is long overdue.”  Alberto rose from the creeper and walked over to the mini fridge, grabbing himself a water. 

“Dad, I —”

“I don’t think I gave you a choice, mi hijo,” Alberto said, his brow furrowing.  Connor sighed deeply, knowing that when his father set his mind on something, it was going to happen come hell or high water.  “Why do you think I haven’t remarried?”

The question came out of left field and Connor didn’t quite know how to respond.  What could he say that wouldn’t rum
mage up painful memories?  His father didn’t seem to mind, which should have been his first clue.  Alberto seemed to have an extra kick in his step this past week and thought it was because of his visit.  Apparently it had to do with someone else entirely.  He was a private investigator, for fuck’s sake. 

“Is that what this is about?  You’ve met someone?”

“Crest has been taking it too easy on you,” Alberto said, shaking his head.  “My question was why do you think I haven’t remarried?”

“I’d assumed because you didn’t want to experience the same thing you did with —” Connor broke off, having a hard time evening saying the word mother.  “Why would you
want to put yourself through that again?”

“Your mother and I were young,” Albert
o said, a half smile on his face as if he was remembering something fondly.  Connor felt anger rise in his chest, for he didn’t have any of those.  He checked himself before commenting, knowing it wasn’t his father’s fault.  “I knew what she wanted out of life, and as a foolish teenager in love I thought I could give her what she wanted.  Unfortunately, that wasn’t meant to be.”

“Dad, I really don’t think we need to rehash this,” Connor said, crushing the soda can in his hands and walking over to the garbage can.  He tossed it inside the large
rusting fifty-five gallon drum, wishing he could do the same with the pent-up wounded feelings that never went away.  “Let’s drop it for today.”

“Why?” Alberto said, waving the water bottle in an arc.  “So that you can go about life thinking that all women are like your mother?  When she became pregnant with you, I was the happiest man on the face of this earth.  Wherever she may be and whatever life brought her, I will always be eternally grateful that she gave me you. 
Her selfishness kept her from knowing you.  I pity her.  But you seem to think that I haven’t moved on because of her actions and that is so not the case, mi hijo.”

“Really?” Connor asked, turning back around to face the man who
’d worked day and night to provide for him.  “Then what is the case?  From where I’m standing and what I’ve seen over the years, that is exactly the way it is.  I don’t blame you.”

“I know that,” Alberto said, looking down at the bottle in his hand.  Holding it up, he moved it around and the sunlight that was
bouncing off an old wreck’s windshield and through the garage door caused a refraction.  “And if I had had my way, I would have kept your heart as clean and clear as this water.  You blame your mother.  But it is she, not Lauren, that did what she did.”

Connor fisted his hands and used them to lean against the wooden bench alongside the wall.  His father tended to talk in riddles, much
like his grandmother used to.  Alberto Ortega was a very introspective man and felt the need to impart his wisdom, which Connor could do without today.  He’d come home to get away from it all, not have his past rehashed.

“The one blessing that came out of your mother leaving was knowing what I wanted and needed from a woman.
  It was a hard lesson to learn, but one that I hold dear.”  Albert set the bottle of water on the tool cabinet.  “I had you, so I knew that I could wait until that special lady came along.  She finally did, but not until recently.  I would like you to meet her this evening.”

Connor knew the conversation had been heading in this direction.  His father had been smiling a lot this past week and dropping hints that this New Year would bring happiness.  Did his father think that he wouldn’t be happy for him?

“Dad, I’m happy for you,” Connor said, loosening his fist and holding out his hand.  Alberto’s smile grew bigger and his father drew him in for a hug.  It wasn’t anything that Connor wasn’t used to, as his father was a very sensitive man and showed his affection.  He hadn’t lied either.  Alberto’s happiness meant the world to him.  “I can’t wait to meet her.”

“Mi
hijo, there is a difference between you and I that causes me concern,” Alberto said, pulling away but placing his hands on Connor’s shoulders.  “I knew what would make me happy and would have continued to wait for many more years if need be.  You purposefully do not seek out love for a different reason and one that will leave you very lonely, I’m afraid.  You are good boy.  My boy.”

Albert
o wrapped his fingers around the back of Connor’s neck.  It was his way of stressing what he was about to say.  Connor could see the intensity of which he spoke.

“We both deserve happiness,” Alberto said.  “If this Lauren is enough woman to have you come home and hide your heart
within my garage that you rarely set foot in since you left for the Marines, then she is one that is worthy to fight for.  Do you have enough in your arsenal to capture her heart?”

Connor broke away, walking to the open garage door
, needing a moment to himself.  The cold air whipped in and he raised his face to embrace it.  He closed his eyes as the deep-seated fear came over him of what could actually happen if he admitted his love for Lauren. 

“What if she leaves?” Connor whispered, knowing that his father had followed him.  The question was practically torn from his chest
, and now that it was out in the open, a terror so vivid filled him like no battlefield ever could.  “What if I invest everything I am into her, only to find that I’m stepping on a landmine?  It’s just a matter of time before my foot shifts and my world is blown apart.  She’ll slip through my fingers.”

“You’re already invested, mi
hijo,” Alberto said, placing a hand on Connor’s shoulder.  “Instead of viewing your relationship like a minefield, what if you see it for what it is?”

“And what is that?” Connor asked, opening his eyes.  He turned his head and looked into his father’s knowing eyes
, looking for the security that even this wise man couldn’t provide. 

“The gift of love. 
Life doesn’t come with any guarantees.  You have to put yourself out there and risk being hurt to truly gain something worth keeping.  It sounds to me as if Lauren warrants that.  You may fail, but if you don’t try, you will never achieve peace with the one person you need to make you whole.”

* * * *

Lauren took a deep breath before opening the door to the offices of CSA, trying to slow down her heart rate.  It was almost a month after Russell Treace had been shot to death in his attempt to murder her.  She didn’t feel an ounce of remorse for his death, but couldn’t help but think that he’d gotten away from paying a price for the devastation he’d caused to his victims.  What she did feel at the moment was irritation with a certain former Marine.

“May I help you?”

The woman in front of her couldn’t be older than twenty-five, but there was an underlying knowledge and intelligence in her brown eyes that were rarely found in someone so young.  It was also apparent this woman knew exactly who Lauren was.  Her long brown hair was pulled back at her neck, similar to how Lauren wore hers when she was working.  The woman gave a small smile.

“Um, yes, please,” Lauren replied, pulling her purse higher onto her shoulder.  “Is Mr. Crest available?  I’m —”

“Lauren Bailey,” the woman answered, standing from her chair and holding out her hand.  “Nice to meet you.  I’m Jessie, Mr. Crest’s personal assistant.”

“It’s nice to meet
you, Jessie,” Lauren said, returning her smile. 

“Jessie,
did we receive anything from Lieutenant Commander Kryder?  Ethan needs to have—” Crest broke off as he rounded the corner.  “Lauren.  It’s good to see you again.  I take it things are well?”

Lauren looked at him quizzically, not understanding why he seemed
so surprised to see her.  It was Crest who had wanted her to stop by the office this afternoon.  She looked over at Jessie, who was now rearranging something on her desk.  Why would she have left Lauren a message to be here at two o’clock to meet with Crest?

“Yes, thank you,” Lauren replied.  “
When I stopped by the hospital to visit Lach, he mentioned that Terry was awake and responding well to physical therapy.  I’m glad to hear it.”

“Thank you,” Crest replied, nodding his head in acknowledgment.  “Lach was released a couple of weeks ago once the infection in his lung cleared up.  Terry is now home with his father and is recuperating amazingly well.”

“Thank you for the update.  Is there a reason you wanted to see me?” 

Crest looked over at Jessie
and she could see irritation cross his face.  His assistant’s cheeks flushed, but she then seemed to get her spunk back.  She straightened and she faced Crest head-on.  Before either one could say anything, Jax stepped around the corner.

“Hi, Lauren,” Jax said, flashing his smile.  Lauren couldn’t resist returning it, although she had to wonder what he was up to.  His next words
had her stomach sinking.  “That was me who had Jessie call you.  I wanted to have a chat with you about Connor.”

At the same moment Lauren heard Crest exhale a deep sigh, the door behind
her whooshed open.  Jax’s smile grew larger, Jessie’s eyes widened, and Crest looked downright irritated.

“Jax, in my office.”

“Yes, sir,” Jax replied, never once looking contrite.  He leaned forward a bit, as if he was having a private conversation with her.  “Lauren, Connor will have to take over our meeting.”

“Now.”

“Boyo, don’t fuck this up,” Jax called out as he led the way down the hallway with Crest two steps behind.  “By the way, I’ve decided to buy Masters from Joel Summit.  I need a partner.  Let me know when you decide to come up for air and then we can head to the bank.”

Lauren couldn’t quite bring herself to turn around and look at the man who’d haunted her days and nights for the past month. 
The image of his face was burned into her mind, from the laugh lines around his eyes to the square edges of his jaw.  Connor’s blue eyes that so reminded her of the tourmaline gems that she hadn’t been able to bring herself to use since the night he’d walked out of the hospital had preoccupied her dreams.

“Lauren?”

Connor’s voice was inches from her ear, but she still needed that extra time to compose herself.  After Russell’s shooting, Connor had insisted she be taken to the emergency room.  He’d gone with her, never once leaving her side.  Of course, she’d checked out just fine and Connor had taken her home.  She’d known by the look in his eyes that he was still going to walk away from what they had.  And he did.

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Lauren turned around.  She resisted placing a hand on his chest, where his jacket was hanging open. 
She needed his warmth, even now.  Lauren refused to make a fool of herself.