Sins That Haunt (18 page)

“No. I didn't see it coming.” She'd been focused on the file prior to the light turning green and hadn't paid attention to the traffic around her.

“Okay. I'd like to say the break-in and now this incident are coincidences, but my gut is telling me they aren't. ”

“You're calling the vandalism a break-in? Did you find something?”

“No. But there's a camera at the light where you were struck. There was smoke from the second car that hit you, but we could see the driver of the first car reach into your car and stuff something into his coat. Do you know what he took?”

She glanced at Maggie. She'd tell Horace, but not yet. “I'd have to see my purse, and I'd packed some more clothes. So—”

“Shannon, it didn't look like anything small or clothes. What else did you have in the car? Remember that in a collision anything in the back or not tied down is tossed forward.”

She rested a hand over her face. “Everything is still a little foggy.” Not lying was hard work.

And just as she knew she would, Maggie started to toss Horace out of her room. “I'll let you know if she remembers anything important,” she was saying. “For now, I'm taking her home and to bed.”

“Hey, she's awake?”

Shannon glanced up and saw Noah blocking the door.

“Well?” Horace asked him.

“He's in custody.”

“Good job.” Horace patted Noah's shoulder. “Is he talking?”

“I don't know, I left him at the station and came straight here.”

“You got him?” Maggie asked, sounding pleased.

Noah nodded. “How are you feeling?” He looked at Shannon, worry etched on his face.

“Like someone smashed into my car. What's everyone talking about?” And why did Noah look like he'd been running?

“I'm going to the station,” Horace said. “I'll keep you all in the loop.” Then he left, as hurriedly as Noah had come in.

“Will someone
please
tell me what is going on?”

It was Maggie who answered. “Like Horace said, that intersection had a camera. The person who hit you is known to the police. Noah wasn't here when you woke up because he wanted to be the one to bring him in. But it looks like whoever did this isn't talking. Not yet.”

Did that someone still have the file? Had it too been recovered? “Who is he?”

“He's a two-bit flunky with a major rap sheet,” Noah said. “I'm guessing someone hired him to hit you. Question is why? But he might not even know.”

She knew. He wanted her file. And if Noah didn't know, it hadn't been recovered.

“That slimeball could've killed you,” Noah said, getting all worked up. “I'm sorry, when we got word they identified him, I wanted to make sure there weren't any screwups. How do you feel?” he asked again.

“Maggie, why don't you and I go see to Shannon's release papers?” Christian took his wife by the arm and waited while Maggie received a sign from Shannon.

“Go,” she said. “Find that doctor so I can leave.” And then they were alone.

“Did you think I didn't want to be here?” Noah asked.

“I didn't think . . . I didn't know what to think. We're not a couple. We're not anything really.”

“No?” he said, taking her hand. “We might not be a couple, but we're far from not being
anything
. No matter what, you have to know how I feel about you. A large country between us isn't going to change that.”

She was afraid to ask because there was a big fat country between them and there always would be. But she went and did it anyway. “How is that?” And why the hell had he been ignoring her all week?

“You really have to ask?”

“I'm not a mind reader.”

“I thought you would know how I feel about you.”

“Why would I? Because we spent one night together? Because of what we once meant to each other? I haven't seen you in thirteen years, Noah. For all I know you turned into a hemorrhoid who likes one-nighters.”

“Is that what you really think?”

No, but her hip ached, her temple throbbed, and someone had tried to do her serious harm, so she wasn't in any mood for games. “Never mind. Thank you for catching who did this. Now could you please get me a nurse to unhook me before I lose it and do it myself?”

“Shannon—”

She reached for the IV needle in her left wrist.

“Okay, I'm going. Don't,” he warned, “rip off anything that's attached to something else.”

She wanted to rip something off all right, only it wasn't anything poking out of her. She should be grateful to him. He'd brought in the man responsible for nearly killing her. But she couldn't help it. She'd had a shitty week and it didn't look like it would get better any time soon. But taking it out on Noah was wrong. She'd apologize later.

* * *

Shannon was fairly certain she'd hurt Noah's feelings by choosing to ride with Maggie and Christian. And she'd come to remember she didn't like doing that. She'd once hid her math test score for an entire week, not wanting to upset him with her dismal attempt at being a normal student. It turned out her teacher had already praised him for keeping Shannon out of summer school. The passing grade hadn't impressed Shannon, but considering how badly she'd been failing, Noah had worn it like a badge of honor. The big dummy.

Their argument, or whatever it had been, she'd started. She just wasn't sure why. For now, she'd blame it on her injuries. Wanting what she couldn't have had nothing to do with it.

“You okay back there?” Maggie asked.

“I'm fine. I'm just wondering how we're going to get to the bank without Noah finding out.” She'd do it now, but he was following them.

“Are you sure you don't want to tell him?” Christian asked. “Someone went after you because of that file. It might help the police figure out who.”

She had been rethinking it and Christian was right. “Let's tell Horace. If it's an officer in his department, he needs to know. I just wish I could remember that cop's name off the top of my head.” But it was the names of the victims who had made the biggest impact on her and it was theirs she kept hearing in her head.

“I'll call and have him meet us at the house.” Maggie turned sideways. “What about Noah?”

“You think I'm making a mistake?” She trusted Maggie's opinion, but she was the same person who thought she and Noah needed to reconnect.

“Since you asked, yes. If he believed there was a leak in his office, I can't see him putting your life at risk.”

“The operative word being
if
.”

“True, but someone knew you had that file. Maybe this was all on your father. But I saw how worried Noah was when the ambulance brought you in. When he left to bring him in, I wasn't sure there'd be anything left of him to arrest. Even Horace was a little leery of sending him. He made Noah promise he'd bring him back in one piece.”

“Someone on his team knew you had a file on your father,” Christian said, eyeing her through the rearview mirror. “But the only ones who knew exactly what was in that file were you and your father. If he was killed because of it—and given what happened yesterday, I'd say he was—he pushed the wrong person's button. If it means keeping quiet until he's certain it wasn't someone on his team, I can't see Noah talking.”

“I know. I just don't want to get him in trouble later.”

“He's a big boy. Let him handle that.”

She hated giving Christian the satisfaction, but he had a point. “Okay, let's go to the bank. I'll explain everything to Noah when we get there.”

“I'd like to, but we can't do that right now.”

“Why?” Shannon asked.

“Because Noah isn't the only one tailing us.”

* * *

Noah accepted the call from Christian on the hands-free. “I see him,” he said, not bothering with hellos. “Is he one of yours?” Noah checked the rearview mirror again. The gray Buick was still behind him.

“I told him to meet us at the house. You're closer. Describe the driver.”

“Male, white, clean-shaven, stupid, and not a local.”

“You assessed his IQ with a look?”

“Either he wants us to know he's tailing us or he's new to the game and doesn't know how to be inconspicuous. But I'm going for stupid. Look around you, man. See anyone not wearing shades? It's almost mandatory in Vegas. Plus, wouldn't he want to hide his face in case he was spotted?”

“Then this should be easy. Pull back. Let him get between us.”

“Not with the women in the car.” He wasn't going to risk their lives.

“Tell me he didn't just say that?” he heard Maggie object.

“Noah, a smart man wouldn't piss off my wife.”

Shannon waved through the back window, only she wasn't using five fingers.

“Or Shannon,” Christian added.

“Fine. Ladies, stay in the car. I don't need my boss or Cooper handing my ass to me.” Doing as Christian suggested, he slowed and fell back. And, as expected, the car following them took up the position between them. “Now what?”

“We get off the freeway and try not to spook him. Ladies, how about a round of golf?”

Noah had seen the signs. They weren't far from one of the many courses.

“Take the next exit,” Christian said. “There'll be signs if you get lost. Stay on Washington and I'll take the side streets. If we time it right and he's dumb enough to stop, we have him. Stay on the line if it puts your mind at ease.”

“How do you know it's not at ease?”

“Because if it was Maggie in a car being tailed, I'd be freaking out.”

He didn't bother denying it. Shannon was listening. Whatever was going on between them, he wanted her to know he cared about her. He'd almost lost her, for Christ's sake! He told himself not to think about that now. Now he had to focus on whoever was in that Buick.

He wasn't crazy about not having eyes on them, but it was the only way to sandwich this guy between them. He tamped down all the what ifs going through his head. Christian wouldn't risk the women's lives, nor was he stupid. He'd been doing shit like this before Noah joined the agency.

As planned, he spotted Maggie's SUV pulling out of a side street, the Buick still following.

“Stay way behind until I stop,” Christian instructed. “You got your running shoes on?”

“All laced up and ready to go.”

The residential houses disappeared as open greens landscaped the road. Up ahead, Christian stopped in the clubhouse's parking lot. To the left was an empty practice green. To the right golfers picked up golf carts. The Buick would either park or attempt to turn around. Either way he was trapped between them, but he chose to park an aisle behind, in one of the four empty spots.

“Ready?” Christian asked.

Noah slid his car into reserved parking, with a direct line of vision to the driver. “I say he goes left.”

“A smart guy would go right, use the golfers as a distraction.”

“A smart guy wouldn't have let himself get cornered.”

“True enough. On three?”

They got out of their respective vehicles at the same time, Christian approaching from the front, Noah from behind. Seeing Christian, the guy got out of his car. Noah got ready to run. As Christian drew closer, the driver hadn't left himself enough time to bolt right so he'd either stay put and allow himself to get caught or take his chances on the greens. He did neither. He managed a few steps forward, toward Christian, before Noah grabbed him by his jacket and tossed him on the hood of his car.

By his stunned expression, he hadn't seen it coming. That made three of them. Both Noah and Christian had expected him to run for it. Instead the man flinched and lifted his hands in surrender.

“Please don't hit me. I just need to talk to Shannon Joyce.”

“Pick up the phone,” Christian said.

“I wasn't given her number, just her office. But they said she'd left town so I waited at her condo.”

“And how do you know where she lives?” Noah asked, ready to punch him regardless of what he said.

“I have friends. It wasn't that hard. Look, I just need to talk to her. I tried yesterday, but then she was in that accident.”

“You saw the accident?”

He nodded, his hands still drawn protectively up. “I was a few cars back.”

“Who are you?” Christian said, reaching forward and yanking the guy up by his lapels.

“Arnold West.”

“He's a crooked attorney,” Shannon said.

“Thought I told you to stay in the car.”

“Your wife isn't the only one who doesn't listen to you.” She flashed her teeth at Christian.

“You know this guy?” Noah didn't want her here either, but arguing with her would be pointless.

“He used to work for JJ.”

“Still do,” Arnold said.

“The man's dead. I'd say you lost a client,” Christian pointed out.

“I'm the executor of his will.”

“Why are you still practicing?” Shannon drew closer. “I thought you'd have been disbarred by now.”

“I gave that up years ago. Do you mind?” he said to Christian, still hanging on to his shirt.

Christian released him with a not-so-gentle shove into the hood of his car.

“There's no need for violence.”

“There is,” Christian said, “if you have a file that doesn't belong to you.”