FEARLESS (12 page)

“It’s what I would have done.” Ben pointed to the lights hanging on the wall on either side of the fireplace. “Just like those aren’t cameras. Right?”

Under different circumstance Davis decided he might like this guy. He was smart and pretty ballsy. He clearly had some information on Corcoran and the people who worked there. Knowing that, walking into this house showed more guts than Davis had found in most government agents. “How do you know about us?”

“I looked at the information on the laptop someone planted at Steve’s murder scene. Lara’s laptop. You figure prominently. After getting the name, I did a trace. If it’s any consolation, you’re not an easy man to find, but I happened to have a key.”

“Explain.”

“My boss at NCIS, the deputy director, handed me your file. The boat reference was in there.”

“Interesting.” Connor shot Davis a furious glance.

“Connecting you to the marina was a leap, but I guarantee you I won’t be the only one who makes it.” Ben tapped his pocket. “The hairband helps, but for now that’s safe with me. If the police aren’t inclined to share with me, then I’ll return the favor.”

“That thing could belong to anyone,” Davis pointed out.

Ben smiled. “But it doesn’t.”

It was a lot of information to take in. The guy across from him scanning the room every time he shifted his head or body had some skills. He possessed an ego, which worked on this job, but not too much, which made him tolerable.

He said the right things, but that didn’t mean he was clean. He had information he shouldn’t have and Davis couldn’t figure out if that made him a friend or an enemy.

His file on the agent didn’t provide many clues. Ben appeared to play by the rules. But he could easily be the one who’d started this mess and wanted a piece of Lara.

Connor came around the couch to face Ben head-on. “What’s in this for you?”

“If I’m leaving this job, and that seems pretty clear right now, either on my own or by being fired—” Ben blew out a breath as if the words were hard for him “—then I’m making sure an innocent woman isn’t framed.”

“Hypothetically, if we knew where she was, what would your plan be?”

Davis tried not to flinch at Connor’s question. Letting Ben in was a mistake. The fewer people who knew, the safer Lara would be.

“I need to ask her what Wasserman said, if anything, and then talk to her about her boss.”

Davis had expected that. Hell, he’d already been through all of that with her and there was nothing to find. “Why?”

“I think he could be the next target.”

* * *

C
LIVE
HAD
NOT
moved in almost an hour. He’d perfected the art of perfect stillness over the years and had trained his muscles to endure the aches and stiffness.

He stood now, watching the security guard walk the same pattern around the top two floors of the Gimmel Office Building. Tapping into the closed-circuit feed had been easy. Just slip into the building and down the emergency stairs to the server room.

He clicked a button on the black box in his hands and the view switched to the glass-front double doors of Hampton Enterprises. He scoffed. Glass, as if the aesthetics should ever overwhelm an office’s security needs. It was an amateur move by a man who’d spent his life in business rather than security.

No one moved in the area by the reception desk. Only the guard in the hall.

Five-nine with a stomach stretched and hanging low thanks to too few salads. Clive didn’t fight off the smile. This would be too easy.

He leaned down and grabbed his backup gun from his ankle holster. No reason to waste his favorite weapon. This one would end up in the garbage. After, he’d blend into the Georgetown tourist crowds filling the streets and walking along the water’s edge, then slip away.

By his count, he had two minutes to get upstairs. He unclipped the listening equipment and smashed it under his heel. Nothing would trace back to him. It never did.

After a quick check in the hall to monitor for any surprises, he opened the door and slid out. A few feet more and he stood at the emergency stairs.

Minute-thirty.

Taking the steps two at a time, and careful to land his feet with as little noise as possible, he vaulted up the three flights to Hampton’s floor. He reached his destination in record time, not even out of breath from the effort. With his hand on the lever, he pressed his shoulder against the door to the third floor.

A check of his watch told him he had thirty seconds.

He tightened his fingers and lifted his gun. The footsteps should sound at any minute. As soon as he thought it, he heard them. A sense of satisfaction pumped through his veins. It was about time something on this job went as planned.

He counted down. At ten seconds, he threw open the door and stepped into the hallway. The guard didn’t even have time to blink before the bullet hit him.

Chapter Thirteen

“Greg is in danger?”

Lara had stayed upstairs as long as she could tolerate it. With a gun in her hand and a cell with 9-1-1 typed and ready to hit Send in the other, she headed down the stairs. She heard the low rumble of male voices, including one she didn’t recognize. Rounding the corner she caught the comment about the threat to her boss.

Davis saw her and a mask of fury fell over his face. He pointed as he yelled, “Stay upstairs!”

“It’s a bit late for that, don’t you think?” Connor asked.

She saw the gun in Connor’s hand and tried to make an educated guess about how many were in the room at that moment. She hoped at least one pointed at the guy she didn’t know.

“I’m Ben Tanner.” He stood up and held out a hand.

“I heard.” She glanced at his outstretched hand but didn’t shake it until Davis gave her a nod. “And, no, I didn’t kill anyone.”

“I’m looking into the Wasserman matter and any ties it may have to the Dwyer murder at the marina.”

The guy didn’t even know what he was dealing with. He was talking about two deaths and missing one that she couldn’t forget. “For the record, the number of deaths is at three,” she said.

Ben leaned forward. “Excuse me?”

“An attacker came for me in my home right after Lara’s encounter at Wasserman’s. He failed.” Davis delivered the sequence with all the emotion of a guy being asked to clean the house.

“My people took care of the body,” Connor said as he sat down on the arm of the couch. The gun rested on his lap, making exactly the kind of statement these guys did best.

Ben shot him a look. “I’d love to know how you did that.”

Connor shrugged. “It’s easy to make people disappear, especially when no one cares about them.”

And that was just about enough of that conversation. Last thing she wanted to talk about were more bodies. She’d seen too many at her feet to last a lifetime.

“Had you seen the guy at your house before?” Ben sat back down as he asked.

“No.” Davis blew out a long breath. “The one who killed Wasserman also killed Dwyer. Also blew up my brother’s boat. He’s the one still on the loose.”

“Which is the only reason you’re standing here,” Connor said to Ben. “Someone tipped off the attacker about the boat. Someone with access to confidential information.”

Ben’s eyes narrowed. “Only a few people fit that description.”

“Like the deputy director.”

“Exactly.”

Lara had lost the thread of the conversation. Somewhere along the line Davis and Connor had filled this guy in, which was a surprise. They kept the circle closed. Opening to a stranger struck her as a huge risk. If they were talking, things were more desperate than she’d thought. And that was hard to imagine because she’d painted a pretty horrible picture in her mind.

If it hadn’t been for Davis crawling into bed with her last night, she probably wouldn’t have slept ten minutes. Not that she wanted to examine the comfort he gave her. That was confusion for another day. She had to live that long and stay out of jail first.

Best way to avoid the death and prison thing was to end all of this. She started talking before Davis could hustle her out of there. “Steve Wasserman didn’t say anything. He offered me a glass of ice water and then got a call. He was in the kitchen so long that I went in and found him dead on the floor. That’s when the fun started.”

“How was he acting?”

She took the seat next to Davis and sighed inside with relief when his hand slid over her knee. The warmth of his palm gave her the energy she needed to keep going. “Nervous.”

These were all questions Davis had already asked her. Whatever training this guy Ben had felt familiar. He kept the inquiries short and clear. He didn’t let up or waver from giving her eye contact. Davis had used all those techniques on her one time or another, though she doubted he knew he did it.

One of the constant complaints of the relationship stemmed from his insistence on treating her like someone he needed to interrogate. He never noticed. She always did.

“Were there papers or anything in the apartment?” Ben asked, as if working through his mental list.

“Just my...” Her voice hiccuped in her throat.

Davis’s fingers curled around her leg as he leaned in with eyes filled with concern. “What is it?”

The blood drained from her face. She felt it whoosh out and leave her head. The dizziness smacked her a second later. “I left my file. My work file. It had Wasserman’s information and some of mine.”

The breach was significant. With every other horrible thing happening it likely didn’t matter, but it was so out of character for her that it hammered home how desperate she’d been to run from that house.

But the news did help a missing piece of the puzzle fall into place. For someone to attack her on Capitol Hill and launch a second attack about forty-five minutes later in Annapolis required significant planning. It shook her firm belief that the attackers traced back to her job and not Davis’s. But this would explain it. If someone knew about her life, there could be another party somewhere overseeing and moving the people where he needed them.

Davis must have been thinking the same thing. “That explains how he tracked your name down and then got to me so fast.”

Ben leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. His voice stayed calm but the air around him shimmered from the force of his will. “Wasserman didn’t try to hand you anything or show you anything?”

“Really, we had just started when the call came.”

Ben looked down, then his head shot up again. “You have the cell? There wasn’t one in the house.”

“There was when I left with the attacker on the floor.” She tried to deliver it with a half chuckle but couldn’t sell it.

Ben glanced at Davis before he continued. “Well, a lot of you is still at the house.”

The way he put the words together tipped her off. She was not going to like this part. “What?”

“Personal things. Someone wants it to look like the two of you had a personal relationship.”

“That’s a lie.” Shock punched into her. She didn’t realize she’d jumped up until her feet hit the carpet. Her gaze bounced down to Davis. “It is!”

“We know, honey.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her back to the couch. Once there he didn’t let go. His fingers slipped through hers. “Why is her boss in danger?”

“Steve found out about the clearance investigation and contacted her boss, Greg Parker, directly. It’s possible Steve said something.” Ben made a hissing sound through his teeth. “Even if not, someone else might think Steve talked.”

Connor got to his feet. He still held the weapon, but it seemed to have a different target now. “Let’s head over.”

Ben’s mouth dropped open. “Me?”

“You came here asking for help,” Davis said. “You’re stuck with us now, especially since I’m not convinced you aren’t at the bottom of all of it.”

Ben swallowed hard enough that Davis could see his throat move. “That’s comforting.”

Davis’s smile was almost feral. “So long as we all understand where we stand.”

Lara had no idea what was going on. The room buzzed with energy. It was as if all the testosterone funneled into that small space and imploded. If anyone stormed the house right now, they’d run straight into a wall of male fury, including Ben. Somewhere along the line he’d been added to the Corcoran equation. His eyes hadn’t stopped blinking since Davis had included him in the trip.

That left one person. Her. “I’m coming.”

“No,” Davis stated before she finished her comment.

He could yell all he wanted. This was happening. “This isn’t a debate.”

“Damn right.” He dropped her hand and stood up. He’d probably have locked her in the closet if he got half a chance. “This could be dangerous.”

She tried the one thing she thought would work—logic. To be safe she aimed it at Connor instead of Davis. “It’s not during regular business hours. You won’t get in without my key card.”

Davis gave her a nice-try smile. “We’re going to his house.”

The man never learned. “Steve will be at work. He practically lives there. You should appreciate that since you’re the same way. Work first always.”

Davis frowned but didn’t say anything to that.

But Connor was already moving. He stood in front of Ben. “So the deal is you stay quiet about Davis, and certainly about Lara, and in turn we look into this together.”

“Yes, but if I find out I’m wrong and she did it, I’ll deliver her to the police myself.”

She wasn’t worried about that because she hadn’t done anything wrong. She had broken work protocol, but she doubted anyone would blame her seeing as she was being attacked by a trained killer at the time. A forgotten file couldn’t matter that much.

Davis shook his head. “Connor, we should—”

“We need to drive to D.C. We should leave.” She tried to telegraph a sense of urgency because the ball of anxiety bouncing around in her belly told her they didn’t have time to waste.

Connor spared her a glance but kept his focus on Ben. It was clear Connor had downshifted into leader mode. “You could get into a lot of trouble for this.”

“We’ll all be in danger if I don’t. You think whoever killed a navy lieutenant is going to just let this drop?” Ben shrugged. “Besides that, I don’t think Lara should pay for something someone else did.”

The man uttered the words that appeared to save his skin. Connor nodded. “Integrity. I like it.”

“It’s not exactly a novel concept.”

“Right. That’s why you plan to leave your government job after all of this is over.” Connor looked as if he wanted to slap Ben on the shoulder but settled for a firm nod instead. Then he turned to Davis. “Lara goes. She’ll be safer with us than here alone waiting for Pax and Joel to return.”

Davis’s eyes closed for an exaggerated second. “We could wait.”

Both Ben and Connor shook their heads, but Connor got the words out. “Not smart.”

She smiled at Connor. “Thank you.”

He frowned back at her. “Don’t make me regret it.”

Davis scowled at all of them. “Let’s get going. We have a drive ahead of us and I plan to break every law getting there fast.”

* * *

C
LIVE
WALKED
TO
the window of Greg Parker’s office. Towering glass panes provided an open view of the Potomac and Virginia on the other side. Off to the left sat the famous Kennedy Center. Boats sailed on this sunny day and people scattered in every direction on the streets and paths below.

Real estate in the waterfront section of Georgetown cost a small fortune each month. Renting an entire floor only increased the tab. Apparently, there was a good deal of money to be made digging into the personal lives of others.

Nosiness paid well—but not well enough to guarantee the supposedly “uncrackable” security would work as planned. Kill the guard, use his handprint and key card, and the door magically opened.

Clive tensed his hands against the windowsill. The view did nothing for him. He preferred the mountains to the water. Trees and as few people as possible. That was how he’d grown up, away from others, learning to shoot and live off the land. Lessons taught by a father who saw government as the enemy and an uprising of the people inevitable.

Put Clive in an enclosed space and the hypocrisy and general human waste choked him. Moving and living where he knew every leaf and stone appealed to him. He’d travel back to his cabin in West Virginia as soon as this job finished. No one knew him there. No one bothered him.

First, he had to dispose of Greg Parker.

He turned around and glanced at the type of man who disgusted him the most. He didn’t produce anything or add to society. He made calls and held meetings. A well-trained animal could do those things.

But Greg’s crimes surpassed laziness. He sat in an office and got paid to judge others.

Now it was Clive’s turn to judge.

He stood on the opposite side of the oversize desk and watched Greg shift his hands, thinking he hid his movements as he tried to break free. That was not going to happen. Clive had bound the older man to the leather desk chair. Even now blood dripped from the slashing cut across his chest that slit his dress and had it gaping. The puncture wound on his upper arm didn’t look any better.

Clive’s only real concern was that Greg would have a heart attack before he coughed up any information. That was the problem with torturing men in their sixties. You tended to scare the life right out of them.

With his fists on the edge of the desk, Clive leaned in and saw Greg’s eyes open on a bolt of fear. “It would be easier if you told me what I wanted to know.”

Not that he could say anything with the gag pulled tightly across his mouth. The bloody knife sitting on the empty desk between them was there to make a point. One move and the blade would pin him to the chair.

Clive picked up the knife and touched the sharp end to his fingertip. Greg shook his head and mumbled into the gag.

“A quick admission would have meant a quick death. But you reached for that emergency button.” Clive made a tsk-tsk sound. “I bet you’re sorry you wasted my time now.”

Greg strained his arms against the bindings. Sweat stained his armpits and dotted his forehead. His gaze shot around the room, and small thuds sounded as he shifted in his chair.

Clearly Greg thought there was a way out of this.

Clive found that notion amusing.

“Here’s what’s going to happen.” Clive walked to Greg’s side of the desk and grabbed him by the neck when he tried to shrink away. “I’m going to search this office inch by inch. For every drawer I go through and don’t find something on Wasserman, you’ll get cut.”

Greg was whimpering now.

“After a few rounds I might give you a chance to talk again. Depends on how well you behave while I’m working.”

The whimpering turned to actual sobs.

The pathetic sound only fueled Clive’s need to keep going with the game. He crouched down so his face was even with the sniveling man. “For your sake, I hope there’s something here worth finding or this is going to be a long and painful day.”