The Undercover Playboy (Captured by Love Book 3) (18 page)

“She’s answered it,” Bronwyn said.

“Okay, Cassie,” Carter said. “You have my keys and you know my alarm code. So go into the house.”

She obeyed. What choice did she have?

She opened the door and punched the code on the security panel, then she
flicked the light switch.

Memories of the last night she was here—when Carter had made love to her so well that she did scream—flashed in her head.

A sob escaped her and she covered her mouth to stop any more sounds from coming out.

“Come on, Cassie,” Bronwyn said encouragingly. “Don’t think of the bastard on the other end of the line. Think of your loved ones—our loved ones.”

Yes, she had
to think of
her
loved ones.

She took a deep breath to compose herself.

“So what’s next?” she asked.

“Go to my study and look for my filing cabinet key in my desk drawer,” Carter said.

She ignored the terrible ache in her chest as she walked to Carter’s favourite room in the house. This was his man cave. While the rest of his house was adorned with practical and functional items, his study
was filled with all the sentimental things he loved.

She strode to his desk and stopped dead in her tracks. On the right-hand side of the desk was his most prized toy—a limited-edition police car model that he’d bought on auction for a ridiculous amount. But the items next to it were what took her by surprise. Sitting on the wide platform where the model car rested was the pair of sunglasses
she’d bought for him. Next to it was a picture of her and Carter kissing—a selfie they’d taken when they’d gone to the beach. He’d printed it?

She picked up the photo and looked at it closely. There seemed to be something written on it.

Her throat tightened. He’d written ‘I love her’ on the photo, with an arrow pointing to her image.

Tears poured profusely down her cheeks. That was a lie. He’d
said he didn’t love her. He’d only used her to make Vera jealous.

And now, whoever was working with Bronwyn had to be at Vera’s house, threatening the couple. Why else would Carter be willing to own up to crimes he hadn’t committed?

“Cassie?” Bronwyn said. “What’s going on?”

“Just give me a moment,” she said, sniffling.

“There’s no time, Cassie,” Bronwyn said. “Carter has orders.”

The hairs
on Cassie’s neck stood up at the clear annoyance in Bronwyn’s voice. Hastily, she opened the first drawer.

“I found some keys,” she said.

“Good,” Carter said. “Now open the bottom drawer of my filing cabinet.”

She did. “Okay. What am I looking for?”

“There are two thick files at the back. Can you see them?”

“Yes.”

“Pull out the one closest to you. So
not
the very last file, but the one before
it.”

“Okay.”

“You got it?” Bronwyn asked.

“Yes. It’s quite heavy.”

“Good work, Cassie,” Carter said. “Now give the file to Bronwyn, and you can go home.”

She closed the filing cabinet, flicked the switch, and walked out of the house. Bronwyn was standing outside of her car, waiting for her.

“Will you be okay, Bronwyn?” she asked, making sure she sounded suitably concerned.

“Yes. Don’t worry
about me. He promised to let me go after I deliver this file. As for you, make sure you keep your mouth shut.”

“Yes. You know what will happen if you say anything, Cassie,” Carter said.

“I don’t even know what to say to you, Carter,” she said with a hard tone.

“Then don’t say anything,” he said, his voice soft.

“You better go before he changes his mind,” Bronwyn said.

She nodded and walked
away.

“
Stop pacing, Carter,” Vera ordered. “Be grateful I allowed you to stand up. Don’t abuse the privilege.”

“I have pins and needles from sitting on your uncomfortable chair,” he retorted. Truth was, moving about helped him contain the rage and grief that were strangling him from the inside.

“So what? You’ll die soon. You won’t need your legs where you’re going.”

“I’m vain,” he said
sarcastically. “I want all parts of my body in the best condition when I die.”

Vera snorted. “Maybe I should have given you some time alone with Cassie. Five minutes would have been more than enough to get you off. Oh, I forgot. She hates you now. She’d probably bite your dick so hard you’d yell in pain instead of pleasure.”

He glowered at the she-devil before resuming his pacing. He noticed
Vera check her watch for the umpteenth time.

“So how come Bronwyn’s not back?” he asked provokingly. “Maybe she’s decided to disappear on you now that she has her hands on the evidence.”

“She can’t afford to do that,” Vera said with an unconcerned laugh. “I work in the police department so I hold all the aces.”

“You don’t fool me. You look so impatient,” he taunted.

“Very observant, Carter.
I must say I’m really enjoying being stuck in here with you. With the other stooges, all they did was plead and beg and plead and beg. It was a relief when we finally shut them up for good. So I’m glad we’re having a stimulating conversation. It keeps the boredom away.”

“My sentiments exactly,” he said, finding an opportunity to do more probing. “Maybe David somehow found Bronwyn and took her
into custody.”

“No. David would still be following that clue I planted—which will eventually lead to you.”

“So that’s what you’ve been doing all these weeks, huh? Tamper, destroy or plant evidence to make all the arrows point to me.”

“And I’ve been having fun doing it. And you know the funniest thing?” Vera said with a chuckle. “You kept on falling for the trick that it was Susan. That gave
us all the time we needed.”

“You know what just occurred to me, Vera? I don’t think you’re fully done with your cleaning up. Otherwise, I’d be in jail by now, protesting my innocence.”

“Oh, I never underestimated you, Carter. We have a contingency plan in case you discovered us before our Plan A was ready. And this is it. Your suicide, your note that details the crimes, and whatever evidence
against you we’ve managed to doctor, should make them close the Tellman Galleries case.”

“I’m sure they’ll find what you haven’t managed to erase.”

“Have you forgotten I’m still working for the authorities? I have all the opportunity in the world to keep on cleaning up. Besides, with your suicide note, there won’t be any more investigating. No one’s got the time to dig deeper these days when
there’s a full confession. Add to that, there will be Cassie acting like a woman scorned and telling everyone you’d threatened to kill her family if she breathed a word of it to anyone. Our colleagues at the station would be so shocked to know that you were a criminal.”

“Fuck you, Vera,” he said dryly.

“Me? You should fuck yourself, Carter. It’s your fault that you’re gonna die in the prime
of your life. If you haven’t been so suspicious of Bronwyn and put two and two together, we wouldn’t have had to call on our Plan B. Sure, you’d be in jail, but at least you’d be alive. But it’s too late to turn back the clock now. You know too much.”

“So have you always been a crook from the moment you joined the police force?”

“A crook, Carter? How about a genius? You know, you people are
so stupid. You get me to investigate my own crimes,” she said, laughing out loud. “All you detectives put together are no match for me.”

Fucking psycho.

“So let’s talk about Bronwyn,” he said musingly. “Are you
over
estimating her? There’s no doubting you’re the brains, and Bronwyn owns the perfect business to do some laundering. But the question remains. Where is she now?”

“Maybe she went and
offed your girlfriend, after all,” Vera snapped.

Carter tried not to react. Vera was definitely agitated by Bronwyn not turning up yet. It terrified him too. He hoped that Bronwyn hadn’t decided to follow Cassie home.

They heard a car arrive and Vera peeked through the curtains. “Ah, here she is,” she said with a smug smile, going to the door and opening it for her partner in crime.

“Where
is it, Carter?” Bronwyn demanded, rushing in with the big file in her hands. “I can’t find it.”

“I thought I told you to come back here straight away,” Vera said coldly.

“Sorry, but I had to search through this file. It’s evidence against
me
, you know.”

“See what I mean, Vera?” Carter drawled. “She’ll be a liability if she keeps on veering away from the plan.”

A hint of fear crossed Bronwyn’s
face. “I had to look. I want to see this evidence.”

“Sit down, Carter,” Vera ordered.

“Is Cassie safe?”

“Oh, God,” Vera muttered, rolling her eyes.

“I left her there,” Bronwyn said. “But if you don’t give me this evidence, then she’s dead. Do you hear me, Carter? Now show me where it is.” She banged the file on the table.

He exhaled raggedly and opened the folder.

He froze. This wasn’t the
correct file. It wasn’t what he’d asked Cassie to take.

Oh, baby.

Cassie had seen the photo of the two of them in his study. She must have guessed the truth of what was going on!

His eyes smarted and he blinked a few times. The bitches couldn’t know.

With unhurried movements, he took one sheet of paper at a time, inspecting the newspaper clippings closely, and laying them face down on the
table.

“Are you messing with me, Carter?” Vera asked impatiently. “Hurry up.”

“If I miss it, I’d have to go through this pile again. Besides, I want to live for a few minutes longer, so I don’t mind taking my time.”
Think, Carter. Think!

“You’re fucking with us,” she growled. “Stand up.”

Well, that was a better option than looking for evidence that wasn’t there. So he did.

“Cuff him, Bronwyn.
We have to go.”

Bronwyn obeyed instantly.

“Move,” Vera ordered, pushing him towards the door while holding the muzzle of her gun against the back of his head.

He smirked. “Putting a bullet in my noggin while my hands are cuffed will not look like suicide, Vera.”

“I don’t want to have to clean up your blood off my floor,” Vera retorted. “I’ll be getting rid of you elsewhere—where your body
won’t be found for at least a few days. When they finally do, it will be rotting, and your precious loved ones won’t be able to look without puking their guts out.”

“Gee, you’re really such a hateful bitch, aren’t you?”

“I hate having my plans messed up, Carter. And you’re the biggest thorn in my side. Now, move!”

“You’ll miss me.”

“I’ll be laughing over your dead body,” she hissed.

A loud
crack startled them. It was the door crashing open, and in stormed David and four uniformed police.

“I have him, Dave,” Vera said. “I managed to cuff the swine.”

“Good for you,” David said, aiming his pistol at Vera. “Now put your gun down.”

“He means you, Vera,” Carter said cheerily, relief flooding him.

“Of course,” Vera said in surprise, putting her gun on the floor and raising her hands
in surrender. “You followed the lead, right, Dave? You saw what Carter’s done? I just figured it out as well. And then he came here to make sure I shut my mouth. But I... what are you doing?”

“Cuffing you,” David said. “We heard what you said earlier.”

Vera’s eyes went wide with fear as an officer led her away.

“Vera,” Bronwyn sobbed, as she too was escorted out.

Vera ignored her.

“You okay,
bro?” David said, taking out a key and undoing Carter’s handcuffs.

“Yes, thanks. Where’s Cassie?”

“At your house. She called Gavin who, in turn, called me. I raced here straight away and sent a couple of officers to your place. They found naked pictures of Bronwyn and Al Jackson together in a file that Cassie said she should have handed to Bronwyn but didn’t. She knew there was evidence against
Bronwyn there and didn’t want Bronwyn to destroy it.”

Carter chuckled with relief, his eyes misting. She’d saved his life. And he loved her so.

“Where did you get the photos?” David asked.

“From Al Jackson’s mother.”

“What?”

“As you know, I was working on a different case today and had to drive all around Sydney. I had a bit of a lull so I decided to drop by Mrs. Jackson’s. I was just desperate
for new clues. At first she couldn’t tell me anything more than what she’s already told us before. But when I asked her again about her son’s past friends or girlfriends, she blushed. Then she told me about this envelope she found under her mattress last weekend.”

“Under
her
mattress?”

“Yup. Her daughter had bought her a new mattress because hers was over twenty years old, apparently. When it
was delivered last weekend, the delivery guys took her old one away as part of the service. That was when she noticed this envelope that she didn’t even know was there.”

“And it contained the naked pictures?”

“Yes. It didn’t occur to her that they might be connected to her son’s shooting until I quizzed her about her son’s past girlfriends. She now hopes the pictures will help catch her son’s
killer.”

“Wow. That was lucky. Those photos could have stayed hidden for years.”

“Yeah. After I left Mrs. Jackson’s apartment, I got a call to interview a tourist who might have witnessed something connected to this other case. He was already on his way to the airport to catch his plane so we arranged to meet there. Since my house was on the way, I stopped by quickly to keep the photos there.
I wanted to make sure they were safe. Then I got a text from Vera wanting me to come here before I headed home. She said she wanted to go over something she discovered today. When I got here, she pointed her gun at me, then called to Bronwyn. They tied me to a chair upstairs, gagged me, then left to lure Cassie here.” His heart squeezed at the memory of what they’d forced him to say to Cassie.

“Where were they planning to take you?”

“To my death,” he said with a mirthless smile, and told David about the fake suicide plan.