Sins That Haunt (15 page)

“Excuse her, Noah. She's trying to channel me.”

“I'd say she does a great imitation,” Noah said, knowing better than to argue.

Maggie's husband met them inside, and as the day wasn't exceedingly warm, the four opted to sit on the patio by the pool.

“How much do you know?” Noah asked Christian. He wasn't stupid. Christian had access to information that even the local cops didn't have. It wasn't that the agency was happy about it. In fact, they often pretended they were oblivious to any association, choosing the ignorance-is-bliss checkbox. Truth was, they didn't want to step on Ryan Sheppard's toes. Many of his men were former agents, sick and tired of coloring inside the lines and wanting to do more. And more than that, Sheppard often fed them the kind of intel only he could acquire. It was Sheppard who'd told them about Casales setting up camp in Miami.

“I know Santos arrived on your flight this morning and Casales is flying in.”

“Who's Casales?” Shannon asked.

“Santos's boss.” Noah didn't see the harm in telling her that much.

As they sat in the shade, Christian slid his sunglasses over his head. “I also know no one is coming closer to figuring out who whacked Lewis. The cops are looking into a connection between his murder and the law office being ransacked. I get people might have wanted the man dead. But what's the connection to Shannon?”

“If the destruction in my office was because of JJ, people would have a reason to want me dead too. Or at the very least might want to scare me,” Shannon said, staring off into nothing.

“Shannon?” Maggie looked confused.

So it was true. Shannon hadn't told her best friend the entire truth. She'd confessed to only telling Noah, but a part of him hadn't believed her. These two kept no secrets from each other. Maggie knew Shannon's home life was nonexistent, but why had Shannon told Noah and not the girl she'd chosen to start a new life with?

Shannon swiveled her head toward her best friend. “It's true.”

“I don't understand.” Christian looked between Shannon and his wife. “Who would want you dead? Is this about a case?”

“No,” she answered, “it's about the crimes I helped commit when I was a kid. You must have learned JJ was a con man.”

Christian nodded. “The feds had been tracking him for a few years.”

And here was one of those times when Noah was supposed to pretend he didn't hear that. Not that he cared. His concern right now was Shannon and the confession she was about to make, the shame she'd hidden beneath the blank mask she wore as she explained her part in JJ's schemes.

Maggie said nothing, either from shock or disappointment that her friend had never confided in her, but Christian, bless his hard-ass heart, reacted exactly as a man who, on more than one occasion, did exactly the opposite of the laws he'd once sworn to uphold. “JJ Lewis was a bottom feeder. Look, sweetheart, you, being you, are going to argue with me, but you'd be wrong. You
were
a kid. Most kids fuck up.” He held up a hand when Shannon opened her mouth to argue. “Yeah, yeah, there are degrees of sin. But parents are supposed to guide you. JJ used your naïveté against you. I mean, look at the shit some of the kids Maggie's pulled off the streets have done. You wouldn't hold it against them. Why are you any different? Because you matured and figured it out?”

“It's what I've been trying to tell you,” Noah said, wishing he'd said it first.

Shannon, as expected, disagreed. “A man killed himself because of my lack of judgment. A man . . .” She bit her lower lip, her eyes growing glassy as she fought not to cry. “A man who was the closest thing I had to a father growing up. JJ stole his money. The man was so desperate that he took his own life for insurance money his wife never
got
. She nearly lost everything. How am I to forgive myself for that? How do I come to terms with my part in his death?” She stood. “When the three of you can figure that out, you can tell me I was just a kid.” She walked out of the room.

Noah stood to follow.

“Let me,” Maggie said.

He wanted to argue because he'd done this to her and wanted to make it right. Instead he sat down. These two needed to talk.

“Smart move,” Christian said. “If anyone can get through to her, it's Maggie. How about a beer?”

“Sure, why not? You think they'll be at it long?”

“You got some place to go?” he asked, standing and motioning for him to follow.

“No. I just don't like seeing her upset, that's all.”

“Yeah, me too. It's odd,” he said inside the pool house. “It wasn't that long ago she threatened to serve me my balls on a platter if I so much as hurt one hair on Maggie's head. Super scary, that one.”

“If you don't know her.” He understood what was underneath all that bravado. Oh, she meant what she said. Piss her off and she'd find a way to hurt you, mentally and physically, but she had a heart of gold. And right now that heart was in pain. And he didn't like it.

They walked through a gym any guy would give his left nut for and past two bedrooms before ending up in a small kitchen.

“Right now I'm the reason she's upset.” He accepted a beer from Christian.

“How?”

“I hashed all this shit up. I knew she didn't want to go back there.”

“Somehow I doubt your team left you much choice.” Christian took a swig of his beer.

“No, and honestly I . . . we needed her. I
didn't
have a choice. I just wish there would have been an easier way to lead up to it.”

Christian laughed. “No offense, but you couldn't have picked a worse way. Arresting her? What the hell were you thinking?”

Noah shrugged. “I wasn't. Can I be honest?”

“Sure.”

“No, I mean can this stay between us? Agent to former agent?”

“As long as you're not putting Shannon at risk, my lips are sealed.”

He scratched the corner of the beer label with his thumbnail. “I thought I could handle seeing her again. We were kids, you know. First love and all that crap. But one look at her and it was like I was seventeen again. Seventeen and heartbroken. Part of me, the professional, knew I had to get her to cooperate under any means. The other part wanted to hurt her.”

“I see.”

“It was a dumbass move,” he said before Christian took a swing at him. “The whole time I had her in my car, I kept thinking
what am I doing
, but every time she kicked the back of my seat . . .”

Christian choked on his beer. It took him a few seconds until he could breathe without coughing. “You tossed her in the backseat?”

“I had to make her think she was under arrest,” he said. “Maybe I went too far with the handcuffs. . . .”

Christian broke out laughing. “Don't get me wrong, I would have paid to see that, but why didn't you just ask for her help?”

“Honestly, I didn't think she'd give it. Earlier she'd hung up on me, and we were pressed for time. I admit I could have handled it better.”

“No shit.”

“Yeah, let's change the subject.” What was done was done. He hoped he and Shannon could one day laugh about it. That is, if they ever reached the one-day point. As it stood, he didn't think that would ever happen. “So what do you know about Alejandro Casales?”

“I know what you know, if that's what you're asking,” he said with a friendly but smug grin.

“Yeah; it's what I don't know that I'm curious about.” Any information he could get out of ICU would be a bonus. Monty and he were friends, but most information exchanged usually worked like contra deals; they scratched his, he'd scratch theirs.

“You know how this works, right?”

Noah nodded, actually salivating with anticipation. Casales was one of the—if not
the
—biggest drug kingpins in Europe. The odds of taking him down were slim to none, at least not without the cooperation of every major law enforcement agency. But they could do serious damage to his organization by nailing the Santos family.

“My sources wouldn't be happy if I let you in on what I learned before they had time to let the feds know themselves. So you,” he pointed a finger at Noah, “can't tell your team. Are we clear?” he said, waiting for Noah to acquiesce.

“This doesn't affect our investigations?”

“I didn't say that. What I said was this is between you and me. Your team will know soon enough.”

That meant something was going or had gone down.

“Okay.”

“Overseas authorities busted a cocaine lab just outside of Madrid. They believe the woman running it worked for the Santos family.”

Noah set his bottle down on the counter. “Are you sure?”

“I don't normally involve myself in this, but when Maggie told me about Shannon, I called in a few favors. Inside the lab they found ledgers they think links the Santos family. It looks like Santos was going independent.”

“You think that's why Casales is here? To deal with a rogue cartel?”

“He might not know what the police found. But while he's not the only game in Spain, he's the biggest. If he suspects someone else is selling coke, he's going to want to know who's cutting into his business. If he's here, he might suspect Santos.”

“Which makes this all the more dangerous. We might have a war on our hands.”

“I
don't want to talk about JJ.”

“You
never
want to talk about JJ,” Maggie said. “Even when we were kids. You and I were and are as close as sisters; closer. You kept denying abuse.”

“He wasn't abusing me, not physically.” And not until she was sixteen had he implied using her sexually.

“For the longest time I thought you were lying.”

“I would never lie to you, Maggie. Never you.”

“But something was wrong. And when you didn't have any bruises, I assumed the worst. When I told my mom she couldn't tell anyone where we went because you were in an abusive family, I meant it. Victims can often deny the truth.”

“Stop fishing. He didn't sexually abuse me. I promise,” Shannon assured her, wanting to wipe the grim expression off her best friend's face. “There was an incident, right before we left, but it wasn't with JJ directly and I got out before anything happened.”

“You should've told me.”

“How could I tell the sainted daughter of the town's beloved religious leader that her best friend was a con artist? For the longest time you were my only true friend. And even after Noah and I got together, you were my first threesome.” She smiled, deliberately trying to gross out Maggie, who, surprisingly, didn't take the bait.

“Are we going to have a serious conversation? Or are you going to joke?”

“You're no fun anymore. If that's what marriage does to a person, count me out.” She took a seat on the sofa and plopped her feet on the mosaic coffee table.

Maggie sat beside her, swatting at her legs. “I don't know who's worse, you or Christian.”

Shannon didn't budge. “You married him.”

“Yes, I did, and while I'm not letting this JJ thing go, that brings me to another matter.”

“Noah?”

“Well, what's up with that?”

“Nothing.” She wasn't ready to admit to sleeping with him, not while he was still in town. Maggie would make too much of it. Then saying good-bye to him would be all the harder.

“I can see the way he looks at you. Something either happened or is happening.”

Shannon didn't lie to Maggie. Her friend had this sixth-sense thing going on. She knew trouble when she saw it and was fairly good at sniffing out bullshit. The only reason she hadn't drilled her about JJ when they were kids was because Shannon had assured her she was handling it. Maggie hadn't liked it and was forever keeping an eye on her, but she'd let it go. “We hashed it out, my leaving the way I did.” It wasn't a lie, just avoiding the truth.

“And?”

“And he told me I hurt him. That's when I told him about Mr. P seeing me in Boston. I had to make sure he understood why I left and that it had nothing to do with him.”

“Did he buy it?”

“You say that like it involved Noah. I left to get away from JJ and . . . Mrs. P. I couldn't face what I'd done to her, day in and day out.”

“You mean what JJ did to her.”

“I'm not arguing this with you.” No one could remove that black mark off her soul.

“Fine . . . for now. But stop lying to yourself about Noah. He was on the list of reasons why you left.”

“I loved him. Why would I leave him?” She crossed her feet at the ankles.

“I asked myself that very question. Now I understand.”

“Care to share?” She didn't know squat, but she'd humor her anyway.

“Noah's family equaled mine—”

“No one equaled yours.”

“I disagree. The preacher might save your soul, but the doctor saves your life. Anyway, stop interrupting me,” Maggie said, snuggling closer. “You never thought you were good enough for them. In your mind, what happened in Boston only reaffirmed that. So you forfeited the love of your life to save him from you. Now who's the martyr? Albeit a dumb one,” she added with a snort.

“That isn't the same as risking your life to battle pimps,” she argued.

“So you admit it?”

She could continue to argue, but what was the point? Maggie wouldn't let it go and she was right. “He was better off without me.”

“But now he's all grown up. He's his own man, and a mighty cute one to boot.”

“Maggie, do you know who bought your father's house?”

Maggie sat up. “No way,” she said, having figured it out.

“Yup. Still going to play matchmaker?”

“Damn, that blows.”

Shannon laughed. Maggie never cursed and rarely swore, so when she let one slip, it was funny.

“My parents didn't tell me,” she said, sitting back.

“Well, your dad never much cared for me. Maybe he thought you telling me would somehow make me run back to Tweedsmuir to get my claws back into Noah.”

“Stop,” she said, slapping Shannon on the arm. “He doesn't think like that.”

“Anymore.”

“Anymore,” she agreed, nudging Shannon. “But maybe Noah bought it for an investment.”

“An investment? In small-town Timbuktu? No, he's making roots.”

“And if he wasn't . . . would you want him then?”

“Thirteen years is a long time, Maggie. I've changed. He's changed.”

“Doesn't mean it wouldn't be fun getting to know each other again. It took you a long time to get over him, if you ever did. Don't think your stinky relationships went unnoticed. You used school as an excuse, and when that was no longer the issue you hid behind that crappy law firm where you were trying to make partner.”

Maggie was right again. She hadn't had much luck in that department. “Hey, that crappy law firm made my career.”

“Because you told them to shove it when they refused to take Monica's case.”

Her old firm couldn't believe that the largest stage production company in Nevada would knowingly allow one of its performers to be sexually harassed. However, the single mother of two had struck a chord with Shannon. “What a dumbass move on their part.”

“They had the same mentality people have about strippers. A showgirl couldn't possibly have morals.” Maggie made a disgusted sound. “Didn't that come back to bite their pocketbooks?”

The case had made headline news and given Shannon her killer reputation.

“I still can't figure out how you managed not to get your face in the papers,” Maggie said.

“Creative avoidance.” It hadn't been easy. The court steps had been overflowing with reporters. Luckily for her, she'd gotten it in her head that a brunette would be viewed more seriously in the courtroom, so right out of law school she'd taken to dying her hair. She'd been careful to wear sunglasses going in and out of the courthouse, but Monica was so stunningly beautiful the press had been more focused on her than anyone else.

“That and a great set of boobs.”

It had been the deciding factor in her firm refusing the single mother of two. Breasts like Monica's couldn't possibly make her sympathetic to a jury. DNA evidence proved them forty million wrong.

Shannon covered her mouth, unable to stop a yawn.

“Tired?”

“I didn't get much sleep last night,” she said, regretting it the second it came out of her mouth.

Maggie jumped on it. “Why?”

“Jet lag. I tried to nap on the plane, but I couldn't shut my mind off.” Nor could she stop thinking about Noah and their night together.

“Sure, if you say so. Why don't you go to bed? The pool house is yours. We can talk in the morning.”

“Oh, sorry, sweetheart. I thought Shannon would take the guest room.” Christian and Noah walked into the living area.

“Does it matter?” Maggie stood, giving her husband a soft kiss on his cheek.

“No, but I offered the pool house to Noah. No point in staying at a hotel when we have the room. But I'm sure Shannon doesn't mind. They're both adults and there are two rooms in there. Right?” he said, giving Shannon an innocent smile she wasn't buying.

Maggie wasn't the only matchmaker in the family.

* * *

Shannon hadn't argued. They
were
both adults. She followed Noah into the pool house and, like an adult, bid him a quick good night and went to bed. Thankfully, the last three days had worn her out and she'd collapsed into a deep sleep.

She awoke to the smell of bacon. Either Maggie had delivered breakfast or Noah was cooking. She could hide out for the rest of the morning and maybe he would leave without seeing her. Or she could be the adult Christian had claimed her to be and she could go get a cup of coffee. The first option being childish, she got out of bed and headed to the kitchen.

“Good morning,” Noah said.

“Good morning.”

Dressed in sweats, he was frying bacon. “Want breakfast?”

“Just coffee, thanks. Don't you have to work? And isn't it dumb to fry something without a shirt on?”

He looked down at himself as if only now realizing he was half-naked. “I was hungry. And we're meeting Santos at ten. I was going to make a stop at the mall before that, but Christian and I are the same size. He's loaned me some clothes. I'll shop after the meeting.”

She was starting to get hungry too, only not for bacon. Better she focused on something other than that glorious body. “Tell me, this whole thing with Santos; was it just to get him to ask you to use this car dealership to launder money?”

“The evidence against the cartel is mounting.” He poured her a coffee, added a teaspoon of sugar, and handed it to her. “This will tie him directly to the money laundering. And late last night I got confirmation of a major breakthrough. If we can nail him on this, we can get a search warrant for his house in Miami.”

“So you don't have probable cause to search his place?”

“He's been clean up to now. No direct links. So yeah, we need cause.”

She looked down at her coffee. “You remember how I take my coffee?” They'd never had enough milk to spare so she'd learned to drink her coffee almost black.

He opened one of the cupboards and pulled out a plate. “I remember every last thing about you,” he said, plating bacon and scrambled eggs from another pan.

“Really? What's my favorite candy?” Most men remembered squat about their old girlfriends.

“You don't eat candy, and if you're going to put chocolate in your mouth, it's the expensive kind. I'm sure now you can afford it, but back then it was a treat. So you didn't get it often. Unlike Maggie, who didn't care what it cost and would eat any chocolate you gave her.” He stabbed some bacon with his fork and ate with a smug grin. “What's my favorite candy?”

She grinned back. “Pop Rocks, those dumb hard things that explode in your mouth. Too easy. Ask me another one.”

“Who's my favorite football team?”

“Why the hell would I care?” She repeated the answer she'd given him when they were kids. She'd hated football. He broke out laughing, but when he stopped, with all seriousness she said, “The Broncos. Interesting game last year.”

“
You
watched the Super Bowl?” he asked, doubting her.

She shrugged. “It's still a stupid game, but it's a big deal in Vegas. Can't seem to get away from it.” Truth was, she'd started watching right after she and Maggie had taken off. It was the only thing she'd had left of Noah and had started to enjoy the game. Maybe she'd actually come to appreciate the sport, or maybe because it made her feel closer to him; she wasn't ready to admit to either. They were starting to reconnect on a level she didn't like. The kind that would end up breaking her heart all over again. “And so you know, I stopped drinking my coffee black years ago.” She reached for the milk container on the counter and splashed some in her cup.

“Oh,” he said, looking oddly disappointed. Noah's phone, sitting on the counter, began to beep with an incoming text. He set his fork down to reply.

She sipped her coffee. Noah's eyes widened as he read and then quickly tapped a reply. He didn't look happy. He put his unfinished breakfast in the sink.

“I'll clean up later. I have to go.”

“Everything all right?” It was a dumb question, but how else did one ask?

“No. Look, Shannon, I know you're not going to like this, but it would make things a whole lot easier if you'd stay here for the next couple of days. And I mean here. Don't leave Maggie's.”

“Why?” What the hell had he gotten her into?

“Santos has been asking questions. I think it's better you not take a chance on seeing him while he's here.”

She hadn't expected him to answer truthfully and while she was grateful he had, she wasn't willing to be patted on the head and told to stay, at least not without a very good reason. “Noah . . .” she warned.

“He stopped by the accounting office we set up for you.”

At what must have been her panicked expression, he held up a hand. “We had people in place. He was told you were taking a few days off because of a death in the family.”

“Why, Noah? Do you think he doubted our story?”
Was
one of his men responsible for ransacking her office?

“He wouldn't go to your office himself if that was the case. And I know what you're thinking. I don't believe he had anything to do with the vandalism. These boys don't play like that.”

“Maybe he found out and he's trying to scare me?”

“He's not a cat-playing-with-the-mouse type of guy. He's the lion, if you get my meaning.”