Merchants with Evil Intent (11 page)

      
“Tell me about the other women.”

      
“They weren’t pure,” Valik shrugged.

      
“Pure?” Viktor snorted.

      
Valik rolled his eyes, “Virgins!”

      
“What makes you think Miss O’Mara is?”

      
“Stupid fool!
I
bugged your houses. How I laughed when she spurned you. She doesn’t want you.
She never will.”

      
“You bugged our houses?” Viktor growled
and stood abruptly, knocking the chair over in his wake. He reached across the
marred table and grabbed Valik by the throat.

*
     
*
     
*

      
“Quit screaming, bitch.”

      
Had she been screaming? She couldn’t say
for sure.

      
Camille rolled her head to the side and
flinched when she saw a bald man with big bushy eyebrows standing next to her.
“Who are you? Where am I?” she hoarsely asked.

      
“It’s always the same questions from you
pigs,” he spat as he pressed a needle into the IV.

*
     
*
     
*

      
Declan’s mouth covered Camryn’s hungrily.

      
His tongue sent shivers of desire racing
through her. She’d been kissed before, but not
this
intense and she certainly had never felt so…wonton! She
reached up and buried her hands into his thick black hair, pulling him closer.
He moaned deeply, causing Camryn’s pulse to quicken.

      
He tore his lips from hers and planted
hot wet kisses on her chin and jaw as he moved to her neck. He hit a sensitive
spot and she squealed in response.

      
He pulled away and searched her eyes.
“Ticklish, eh?” he asked raggedly.

      
She started to reply when they heard,
“Stop right there you son of a bitch!”

*
     
*
     
*

      
“Jesus Christ, Orlov, I told you to
question him, not beat the shit out of him!” Brower growled.

      
Oblivious to Brower’s outburst, Viktor scanned
the office. He shouted, “Has anyone seen McShane?”

      
A cop passing by pointed at the kitchen.
Viktor stepped up his pace, bumping into cops and desks in his way.

      
He spotted Tom McShane at the counter
pouring a cup of coffee.

      
“McShane, Camryn’s not safe. Valik just
implied she’s still being stalked.”

      
Tom pulled out his cell phone. “It’s
McShane. Look we need coverage for Camryn O’Mara again. The perp talked. Can
you cover her?” He nodded as he listened, grunting in response to the person on
the other end. He scowled.
“Son of a bitch!
I’ll be
right there.” He ended his call and glanced at Viktor. “She’s at the park. A
patrolman nabbed a guy trying to rape her. Let’s go.”

*
     
*
     
*

      
Declan was ripped from Camryn’s arms.
Still breathless from kissing, she managed to scream out. “What the hell are
you doing Adams?”

      
Officer Paul Adams had Declan’s face
smashed against the trunk of her car and his arms pinned behind his back.

      
“Step back, Camryn. I’ve got this under
control,” Adams assured her.

      
She slapped his arm. “Get off him!”

      
“He was molesting you. Step away!”

      
She slapped his arm again and screamed,
“Did it look like I was resisting?”

      
Adams thought for a moment and stuttered,
“But, but he was all over you! What else should I have thought?”

      
She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Maybe I
liked
it? Let.
Him.
Go!”

      
Adams seemed unsure what to do. He was
glad when Lt. McShane arrived, but not so glad when he noticed Orlov behind
him.

      
Things were about to get uglier.

*
     
*
     
*

      
Viktor didn’t know what to do first. Go
to Camryn or tend to her attacker. He glared at the man as Adams cuffed him. It
took all his might to not punch the guy when he winked at him. He turned his
attention towards Camryn, holding his arms out.

      
She walked past, ignoring him.

      
Stunned, he turned to see her holding on
to the attacker’s arm. “Take the goddamn cuffs off him now!” she screeched at
Adams.

      
“Whoa, Camryn.
This is police business,” McShane warned her.

      
She closed her eyes and took a deep,
cleansing breath. “Tom, he didn’t try to rape me. We shared a mutual kiss or
two and FYI, Adams, I
liked
it! I
didn’t scream.”

      
“Well, you did squeal, love,” Declan
winked.

      
His blue eyes sparkled with mischief and
when he said ‘love’ it sounded like ‘loov’. Her knees went weak again.

      
McShane rolled his eyes. “Are you fucking
kidding me, Adams? You can’t tell the difference between consensual kissing and
rape?”

      
“Sir?”
Adams
gulped.

      
“Uncuff the man!” McShane barked.

      
Viktor grabbed McShane’s arm. “I think you
might be hasty, letting this guy go without questioning him first.”

      
McShane glanced at Camryn. “Do you want
to press charges?”

      
She snorted, “What do you think?”

      
McShane shrugged his shoulders. “You
heard her.”

      
Declan rubbed his wrists after the cuffs
were removed. Camryn hesitantly approached him. “Sorry about the confusion.”

      
He smiled, “No harm, no foul, aye?”

      
“You have a good outlook after what
you’ve just endured,” she remarked.

      
He shrugged, “I shared a kiss with an
interesting gel and nearly got arrested for the act; a memorable experience for
me. I do have one question.” He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned
against her car. “Just who the hell are you and why do you have police
protection?”

      
She started to respond when she heard
John yelling her name. She sighed wistfully, “No one special; just a cop’s
daughter.”

*
     
*
     
*

      
Drifting in and out of consciousness,
muffled cries surrounded Camille. After forcing her eyes open, she, too, began
to whimper after glimpsing several makeshift beds with women attached to IV
bottles.

      
Where
the fuck
am
I?

      
She struggled to lift her head. After
several tries, she gave up, gathered all the saliva she could and screamed like
hell.

*
     
*
     
*

      
“Camryn, are you okay?” John called as he
neared her.

      
She rolled her eyes.
“Camryn?”
John said, grabbing her upper arm.

      
She pulled away, glaring. “I’m fine.”

      
John looked at Declan and a small smile
formed on his lips. “You’re the Irishman from the concert!” he said, taking
Declan’s hand.

      
John turned to Camryn. “Who attacked
you?”

      
“
I’m
the molester! I threw myself at Declan and Adams stopped me!” she sneered.

      
After realizing what she said she quickly
turned and looked at Viktor. The pained expression on his face made her heart
twinge.

      
She covered her mouth with one hand and
the other she held out in apology, walking towards him. He sadly shook his head
and walked to his car. She ran towards him calling his name and without turning
he shakily said, “Don’t. Just don’t.”

*
     
*
     
*

      
Travers saw Orlov speed away when he arrived.
Asshole.
Why
wouldn’t he stay with Camryn considering what
happened
to her?

      
He passed a few laughing patrolmen.
“What’s so funny?” he inquired.

      
“Camryn O’Mara’s caught making out with a
guy and Adams thought she was being molested. Then Orlov shows up and Camryn
announces that
she’s
the molester. I
thought Orlov was going to burst a vessel,” Officer Michael’s laughed.

      
Travers rubbed his forehead. Who the fuck
was the other guy? Camryn didn’t make out with random guys! She told him a few
months ago she was a virgin.

      
Worry turned to anger as he marched to
his car. Things seemed to be under control, except his emotions.

*
     
*
     
*

      
Viktor fought the bitterness lodged in
his throat. It wasn’t bad enough she kissed the other guy, but she announced to
everyone she enjoyed it.

      
His phone rang, dragging him from his
thoughts. It was
her
. He threw the
phone onto the passenger seat and drove to the station.

*
     
*
     
*

      
“Damn,” Camryn mumbled when her call went
voice mail. “Viktor, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

      
She ended the call when John approached.
“Cam, he’s not worth the time, but Declan is. Go talk to him.”

      
She hissed, “You lost your chance to play
daddy the minute you gave up your parental rights, so don’t start now.”

      
Brushing past him she spotted Declan and
McShane talking by her car.

      
With her arms crossed over her chest she
approached slowly. “What’s going on?”

      
Tom lit up a smoke and shook his head.
“We’re just trading war stories. I didn’t realize your guy here is a fellow
cop.”

      
“Well no’ anymore, mind ya. I quit the
Garda a few years back,” Declan corrected.

      
“He’s not my guy, either,” Camryn
amended.

      
Feeling uneasy Tom laughed, ignoring
Camryn’s comment. “Hey, once a cop, always a cop,
am
I
right?”

      
“Aye, that you are,” Declan agreed.

      
Tom shook Declan’s hand. “I’d ask you to
stop at the station and see how American’s do things, but now’s not a good
time. I need Camryn to view the guy stalking her.”

      
Camryn wrinkled her nose. “I’d rather
not.”

      
“I didn’t say you had a choice,” Tom
flatly stated walking away.

      
She shot him the evil eye, something she
learned from her mom. She was disappointed when it didn’t bore a gaping hole
through his back.

      
“Lass?
Someone
is stalking you?”

      
She flinched, causing a small frown to
form on his face.

      
“Yeah.
He sent
me black roses with a note that said I was next. Then he broke into my house.”

      
His jaw clenched.
“Next
for what?”

      
“Hell if I know. The cops are trying to
link him to the missing women. It’s been in all the newspapers.”

      
“Aye, so I’ve read. Did the other women
receive things as well?”

      
She shook her head, “No, that’s why I
don’t think those cases and mine are related.”

      
Declan rubbed his fingers along her arm.
“I’ll go with you, to the station. I’d like to see this monster meself.”

      
Easing away from his touch she shook her
head. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ll be fine.”

      
He frowned, mildly annoyed as he jammed
his hands into his pants pockets. “Can I call you then?”