Trouble with a Badge (10 page)

“I came to talk to the sheriff,” Lockwood said, but he didn't look at Jericho. He kept his narrowed gaze on Levi.

“So, talk,” Jericho snapped, still keeping watch.

Lockwood's eyes narrowed even more. “The cops over in Junction Ridge found a body this morning,” he said. Now his attention went to Alexa. “It's a woman, and they're pretty sure it could be Tasha.”

Chapter Ten

Levi listened to what Jericho was telling him. It was an important update on Scottie, but his attention was on Alexa. Exactly where it'd been since they'd arrived at Dexter's house and where his attention would likely stay until he was certain she was indeed as all right as she claimed.

He wasn't convinced.

At least she was moving again. Well, sort of. Once they'd gotten into the house, locked up and set the security alarm, Alexa had dropped down on to the sofa. Clearly shaken. And also clearly waiting for news not just on the woman's body that'd been found, but she undoubtedly wanted to hear from Marshal Walker so they'd know he'd made it to the safe house with the baby.

Levi could help her with the last part but not the first.

“I'll tell Alexa,” Levi assured his brother, and he ended the call.

“Is Violet safe?” Alexa asked right off.

Levi nodded. “Marshal Walker called Jericho and told him no one followed them to the safe house, and Violet is all settled in.”

Alexa nodded, too. “Good. I'm glad she's okay. I'm not sure I could have dealt with it if she hadn't been.”

Probably not. Of course, she wasn't exactly dealing with everything else, either. Her nerves were raw and right at the surface. Any bit of bad news now could break her, and that was why Levi continued with the last of the good news he did have. Maybe it would help take some of that worry and fear out of her eyes.

“Marshal Walker talked with his boss,” Levi continued. “And you don't have to go back into the marshals' custody. Especially not Lockwood's. As long as you stay in protective custody, that'll work for them.”

“Thank you. And I'll thank Marshal Walker, too,” she said.

But Levi wasn't sure she should be thankful that she was staying with him. After all, he'd done a really bad job of keeping her safe so far. Two attacks in two days, and that wasn't counting the one that had sent her running to him in the first place. Whoever was behind this was damn persistent, and Levi doubted the snake would just give up because two more of his hired guns had been killed.

After hearing the two pieces of good news, Alexa did look relieved, but the look didn't last long. Her forehead bunched up again. “Is there anything about the body?”

“No ID yet, but it shouldn't be much longer.” Actually, it could come at any time now.

“I could ID her if they send me a picture,” she offered. It was probably the last thing she wanted to see if it was indeed Tasha, but other than asking Scottie, Alexa was their best bet at making a facial ID.

But there was a problem.

One that Levi wouldn't mention to her just yet. The dead woman's face had been, well, damaged. In part, by the gunshot wounds to her head. Also in part because the killer had tossed her body into a ravine, and the fall had done even more damage. There were broken bones and postmortem injuries.

“You said the gunman only shot Tasha once?” he asked.

“Yes.” She stared at him. “Why?”

“Because this woman had three gunshot wounds to the back and head.”

More relief. Again, short-lived. Because Alexa must have realized that the killer could have shot Tasha two more times after Alexa had fled with the baby.

“The cops are working on getting Tasha's dental records,” Levi added. “If they match the body, then you won't have to try to make the ID.”

Levi was really hoping that would happen while still holding out hope the body wasn't Tasha's. The cops in Junction Ridge hadn't been able to give them much of a physical description of the DB, only that it was a woman about five foot five and with brown hair. Since there was another missing woman, a known drug dealer, who also matched the description, there was still a chance. Added to that, Junction Ridge was a good hundred miles from the gas station where Tasha and Alexa had been attacked.

“She could still be alive,” Levi reminded her, going with the theory that Tasha had faked her own death to escape Scottie. If it was true, then it would mean Violet wasn't an orphan.

And that the baby would eventually have some place to go.

Which brought him to the second part of the conversation he'd just had with Jericho.

“Brett Mendoza has two aunts, both in their early fifties, and Child Services will ask them if they're willing to take the baby,” he explained.

“Are they fit to raise Violet?” she asked.

“No indications that they aren't, but they'll be checked out. That could take a while. Child Services has agreed to back off as long as Violet's under the marshals' protection, but eventually she'll be placed with either the aunts or someone else, so it'll be a permanent custody arrangement for her.”

“I want her,” Alexa jumped to say. But again, the doubt crept into her eyes.

Levi knew why.

He sank down on the sofa next to her. Not just because she looked as if she needed some close contact, but also because it put him in a better position to look out the window. There'd been no sign that anyone had followed them. No sign of other gunmen. Nor had anything or anyone tripped the sensors along the road. But Levi wouldn't take any more chances with her life.

“Even if the aunts turn out to be unfit, I can't take Violet as long as Marcos is after me,” Alexa added. “And even after the trial, he might still be after me.”

Levi sure couldn't argue with that. Marcos could still control his henchmen from behind bars. Which meant unless something drastic happened, Alexa would have to go back into WITSEC. A new identity, a new life. One where she'd always be looking over her shoulder for a would-be killer.

Hardly a good life for a baby.

“If it doesn't work out with the aunts, there are plenty of good families out there who'd love to adopt her,” Levi said. Then, he frowned.

Heck.

There it was again. That tugging feeling in his heart. He didn't want to see Violet handed off to strangers. He'd diapered her, fed her and walked the floor with her when she wouldn't hush crying. That'd obviously created some kind of bond that couldn't happen since he wasn't exactly stellar father material.

“Something else has you worried.” Alexa touched his face, right between his eyebrows. “What is it?”

It really wasn't something he could keep from her, and it was news they'd expected. “Scottie's already out of jail.”

Alexa took a deep, weary breath. “Is there any way we can find out who he phoned from the sheriff's office? Because he could have ordered the attack with that call.”

Levi agreed. “We're getting a court order for his phone records.” Though he hated to tell Alexa that if Scottie had indeed triggered that attack, then he'd probably used a prepaid cell or some other phone that couldn't be traced back to those hired guns.

Of course, even if Scottie had actually made the call to his attorney and not a pair of gunmen, that didn't mean he hadn't given the order to his lawyer to put the attack into motion. Still, a court order might unnerve Scottie a little.

“Chase is doing okay?” she asked.

Levi hadn't expected the question. Not because his brother hadn't been on his mind. But with everything else going on, he was surprised Alexa had remembered that only a few weeks ago Chase had been knifed by the Moonlight Strangler.

“He's recovering,” Levi settled for saying. Like him, though, Chase had this need to catch the killer. “When Violet no longer needs protective custody, then Chase will almost certainly go on the hunt again for the Moonlight Strangler.”

She lifted her eyes, met his gaze. “And Jax and you will join him.”

No sense denying the obvious, so Levi just nodded. “You will, too?”

Alexa nodded, as well. “As best I can. If I'm in WITSEC that limits how much I can do without drawing attention to myself. Then again, I might not have to look for long. After all, the Moonlight Strangler found me once, and he can find me again.”

Definitely not a comfortable thought. It didn't matter that the killer had said he would leave her alone, because there was no way she would trust him. No way would she get a decent night's sleep until he was either behind bars or in the grave.

Levi checked out the window again, and this time Alexa noticed. She turned, her attention landing on the road where Levi kept glancing.

No one was there.

“You're expecting the worst,” she said.

“I just want to be ready if something goes wrong again,” he corrected. “I nearly got you killed today.”

She huffed. But it wasn't exactly a huff from anger because tears watered her eyes. “No. I nearly got you killed. And your brother. Heck, everyone in the sheriff's office.”

The tears didn't stay in her eyes. They spilled down her cheeks, and Levi did something he was certain he would regret. He pulled Alexa into his arms. Despite the cruddy situation and those tears, he felt the very thing he didn't want to feel.

The heat.

Oh, yes. It was there mixed with all the fresh emotions and spent adrenaline from the latest attack.

“You don't want this,” Alexa whispered.

Even though she didn't qualify what she meant by
this
, Levi made a sound of agreement. He didn't want the problems that could come from the attraction he was feeling for her.

But he did want her.

And he did something about it when she leaned back to look at him. He slipped his hand around the back of her neck and kissed her.

No tug this time. It felt like a truck had hit him in the chest. Oh, man. He hadn't wanted her to taste like something he was certain he could never get enough of. He'd wanted the kiss to satisfy this need stirring inside him.

Didn't happen.

The need soared.

Alexa did her part to make that happen. She certainly didn't move away or stop him. She kissed him right back, along with making a silky little sound of pleasure that Levi was sure could be his undoing.

For a moment he thought the buzzing sound he was hearing was from the buzz he was getting from the kiss. But it was his phone. He snapped back from her so he could take it out of his pocket, and he saw Jericho's name on the screen.

Probably not good news.

That was why Levi started to get up and move away from Alexa. That and he needed a second to cool down his body, something that wouldn't happen if he stayed so close to her. But she took hold of his arm.

“Please, put the call on speaker. I need to hear what Jericho has to say,” she insisted.

Well, she certainly had a right to hear it since it would likely involve her in some way, but Levi had hoped to be able to buffer the news. But she was right. She would need to hear this. And deal with it.

“Just got a call from Junction Ridge,” Jericho greeted the moment Levi answered. He glanced through some notes he'd taken. “The dead body is Tasha.”

Alexa's breath trembled. So did she, and Levi sank back down beside her.

“They're sure?” Levi asked, already knowing that the answer would be yes.

“They got a confirmation from dental records. We'll run the DNA to double-check. We can get Tasha's DNA from that amnio test that you mentioned she had a while back and compare it to the body.” Jericho glanced at the notes again. “The cause of death was the gunshot wound to the back of the head.”

Just as Alexa had said.

“All the other wounds, including the two additional gunshots, happened after her death,” Jericho explained.

“Overkill,” Alexa whispered.

Yeah, it was, which would point to Scottie. But that seemed almost too convenient unless Scottie was going for some kind of reverse psychology.

But Levi wasn't ready to take Lockwood or Marcos off that list.

Lockwood could have hired those goons to go after Alexa, and they could have killed Tasha by mistake.

“I'll have to let Child Services know,” Jericho added. “But that doesn't need to happen today. It's not as if I don't have plenty to keep me busy.”

True, and Levi wished it was safe enough for him to be there with Alexa. “Anything yet on the two dead gunmen?”

“No. The ME's finishing up, and I'm about to head out to examine the scene.” Jericho paused. “Lockwood's still here, too.”

“Why?” Alexa immediately asked.

“To hell if I know. I haven't exactly put out the welcome mat for him. He's making calls and doing a lot of pacing. When I get off the phone I'm giving him the boot. He can find another place to hang out until I'm dead sure he's not trying to kill us.”

“Good idea. Email me whatever reports I can do here,” Levi said. “I'll use Dexter's computer.”

“Just do your statement and take Alexa's when you can. Everything okay there?” Jericho asked.

Levi purposely didn't look at her. Or her mouth. “Fine.” It wasn't anywhere close to the truth, and Jericho likely knew that. “We can talk more after you've had a chance to examine those dead gunmen,” Levi added, and he ended the call.

Silence followed.

He could hear Alexa's breathing. It was too fast, and the blasted tears were within seconds of starting again. She had a reason to cry. A reason to fall into a thousand little pieces, and Levi wasn't sure how to stop it.

So, he kissed her.

It barely qualified as a kiss. More of a peck of reassurance, the kind that people who'd been in a relationship for a long time gave each other. In other words, definitely not their kind of kiss.

Alexa looked at him, and he couldn't be certain but she seemed thankful he'd delivered that peck. Thankfully, he'd stopped the tears. At least, that was how the look started out.

Then it changed.

Big time.

Levi wasn't sure which of them made the first move. They seemed to come together at once. Her, putting her arms around his neck. Him, dragging her to him. He kissed her again. Same taste.