CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Perk wanted the team to hear everything as it unfolded, and perhaps have them move in closer. They’d know exactly where he was in the house because he’d mentioned Jennifer’s office. They’d all, previously, been given architectural plans to study.
Perk kept up a steady stream of patter as he entered the woman’s inner sanctum.
“You probably heard. I have ten minutes to download the content of Mrs. Nelsin’s hard-drive,” he said quietly. “Which should give me plenty of time if Sarge’s estimate on the file-dump is correct.
“When I was in here last, I watched Jennifer carefully, and I’m ninety-nine percent sure I have her password. If I’m wrong, I’ll have to abort until I can catch her opening her computer up again. Which, of course, means I’ll have to put up with some of her sexual bullshit today.” He sighed. “Not gonna lie. That’s going to suck.”
Suck was a mild word for what he might have to put up with. Hopefully, he could feign shyness. Most certainly , he wasn’t getting a hard-on.
Perk approached Jennifer’s desk, not bothering with too much caution. He’d seen the woman head down to the basement, and knew that on top of whatever she was giving Jeremy for busy-work, she also wanted to head upstairs and primp for their…tryst.
Ewww .
Perk walked around Nelsin’s enormous desk and laid his hands on the keyboard. He sent up a quick prayer, held his breath, then typed.
And…
“Bingo. I’m in,” he whispered gleefully.
He reached into his pocket for the memory stick. “Now to—”
“Well. This is disappointing.”
Perk startled, and looked up to see Jennifer Nelsin in the doorway of her office. She was no longer looking like a wanna-be sex kitten, but instead sported an angry and dangerous face.
“Uh, hi?” Perk hoped he managed to appear dumb and sheepish. “I was just…”
“Snooping in my computer files?” she snapped.
Thank God he hadn’t yet pulled out the thumb drive. That would have cemented his culpability in her eyes. Maybe he could still convince the woman he was just a stupid kid.
He hoped the team was taking note that he might be in jeopardy and he’d need them, ASAP. Oddly, he hadn’t heard a word from anybody, and that was confusingly disturbing.
Right now, however…
Perk ducked his head, and swallowed nervously so that Jennifer could see. “I’m sorry. I was trying to get a quick peek at what you do before you try to convince me to join your…venture.”
Nelsin walked a few steps toward him. “Which you weren’t aware I planned to do, the last time you were in here, were you?” She snapped her fingers at his face. “So why did you spy on my password?” she glowered.
Perk knew he had to come up with a better excuse than the first one he’d given, and maybe, at the same time, he could get her to admit to some shit, as well. The crew in the van would be recording everything that came over his communication device for evidence.
“You’re right.” Perk shrugged, dropping his aw-shucks cover. “As soon as I figured out you were the one behind Jeremy’s gaming, money-grab, I wasn’t going to settle for crumbs. I want a major stake in what you’re doing. I can be a useful asset.”
“Well, isn’t that a shame,” she sneered. “Because I’m not one who likes to share.” She pulled a gun from inside her dress jacket and aimed it right at his head.
Perk put his hands in the air, backing up a step. “Whoa. Whoa,” he said placatingly. “There’s no need for a gun.” Perk hoped that would bring the team running. “I…haven’t actually seen or done anything yet.”
“But you know what’s going on, and that’s too much information for my comfort,” she told him. “Now, I’m going to have to get rid of you.”
Was she going to take care of him, herself? Perk didn’t think so. If their investigation had pointed toward anything, it was that Jennifer Nelsin didn’t get her hands dirty. She had left the “disposal” of Kaelyn up to Jeremy, and all signs indicated Shultz as being the one to off Mr. Nelsin.
“What? You’re going to shoot me right here?” Perk postured as if he were not only incredulous, but—with his arms held out away from his sides—daring her to make a move.
Come on, guys. Now would be a good time for the cavalry to arrive .
“I should,” she glowered. “And maybe I will. But first, my son needs to be taught a lesson in who to trust. He’s easily duped into thinking people are his friends, when clearly they’re not.”
Perk wasn’t about to point out that he’d had her fooled, as well. After all, she’d been trying to inveigle her way into his pants, hadn’t she?
“How did you know I was trying to get into your computer?” Perk asked conversationally as she scowled at him. “I thought you were going upstairs to put on something…hot.” He gave what he hoped was his steamiest look.
Maybe reminding her of her rampant libido would do him some good.
Her face didn’t soften one bit. “I have an alarm on my watch that lets me know if anyone is tampering with my keyboard,” she replied.
When he snorted, she said, “What? You think just because you’d make a good sex toy, that I’d keep my eyes closed to everything else? Not a chance. Now move from behind the desk and sit there.” She waved the gun at a leather settee that was placed in front of a wall of books.
“Yes, Ma’am,” Perk agreed. Anything to draw this out.
Even though his team hadn’t shown up, Perk had the comfort of knowing his weapon was strapped to his ankle. A seated position would make access easier than if he’d been standing, but still, he wasn’t going to escalate…yet. First, he wanted to see how Jennifer would involve Jeremy.
Nelsin walked behind her desk with her weapon still drawn, hitting the button on an old-fashioned intercom box. “Jeremy,” she spoke into it.
“Yeah, Mom?” the boy’s voice came back crackily after a short pause.
“May I see you in my office, please?” she imparted evenly.
“Sure. I’ll be right there.”
Jennifer stepped back from around her desk to stand with a clear view of both Perk and the door.
“An intercom?” Perk asked curiously.
That was confusing. With all the state-of-the-art things in the room, he didn’t have her pegged for a nostalgist.
“A precaution,” she revealed airily. “When I leave the office, I make sure the entire room is shielded from intruding electronic devices. Using a low power signal, the frequency I set up jams satellite, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity in case someone should try to get nosy about what I’m doing here.”
Well, fuck.
That was the reason Perk hadn’t heard from his team. His transmissions had been blocked as soon as he’d stepped into Jennifer’s protected lair. Well, at least she hadn’t discovered that he was here undercover. Which meant he could continue to work the “I’m friends with Jeremy”, angle.
The door to the office swung open. “Hi, Mom. What’s u—?”
At a glance, Jeremy took in his mother standing at the ready with a gun, and Perk seated a few feet away on the receiving end of the barrel.
“What’s going on?” he questioned, clearly bewildered.
“I caught your friend , here, attempting to break into my computer,” Jennifer snarled.
“No. There has to be some kind of mistake. Thomas wouldn’t—”
“Jeremy,” Mrs. Nelsin interrupted sharply. “Grow up. Of course he would. You’re far too trusting. Once he got wind of the amount of money involved, he decided he wanted a bigger piece of the action.” She actually laughed. “If it wasn’t me…uh, us , he was attempting to rip off, I’d almost be impressed.”
“Thomas?” Jeremy questioned, looking a little green around the gills.
“Yeah. She caught me,” Perk admitted. “But not for the reasons she thinks.” It was time to take them off guard; try to work things to his benefit. “I’m actually not a student. I’m here undercover.”
That part wasn’t a lie, but the next bit would be. “I was hired by your father’s company to find out where he is. They haven’t heard from him in nearly a month and a half, and they suspect foul play.”
“Undercover? What…? How…?” Jeremy clearly didn’t know where to focus as he looked back and forth between Perk and his mother. “Then… If you’re a…whatever you are, what did you do with Kaelyn?”
“No worries. She’s someplace safe in the wings, waiting things out with the proper authorities,” Perk told him. “Your father, however…”
Perk let that dangle, and Jennifer’s face grew stormy.
Jeremy faced his mother. “You…you said Dad was on a business trip,” he prompted.
When Jennifer didn’t answer right away, clearly struggling to answer, Jeremy’s mouth dropped open, and he barely got his next words out. “Mom. You didn’t,” he whispered. “You wouldn’t.”
“Of course not,” Mrs. Nelsin derided angrily. “Was it me who was going to do away with that Kaelyn girl?” she posited. “No. That was you,” she reminded him. “ I am not a cold-blooded killer.”
Jeremy nodded toward her gun. “Then wh…what’s that?” he stammered.
“A safeguard. That’s all. And it’s not mine. I’m holding it for a…friend.”
She looked like she’d regained her equilibrium, but if Perk had his way, it wouldn’t be for long.
Perk spoke up again. “Jeremy, I hate to tell you this, but the police in Plymouth pulled your father’s body out of a pond down there just before Christmas break.”
Jeremy gasped, staggered to a chair, and sat down hard. “He…drowned?” The boy suddenly looked young; a kid floundering in visceral pain.
“No, Jeremy, he—”
“That’s quite enough,” Jennifer cut Perk off. “I think you’ve disrupted our lives, plenty.”
“No, Mom.” Jeremy sat up straighter. “I want to hear what he has to say.”
Perk obliged, but with a care toward the pointing gun while he handed Jeremy the bad news. “Your father was shot and killed before his car was submerged.”
Jeremy’s eyes went wide, and he leaped to his feet. “You did this. You.” He pointed an accusatory finger toward his mother. “Is that the gun you used? Is it?” He was slowly becoming hysterical.
“Don’t be delusional, Jeremy,” Jennifer snipped. “I did not kill your father.”
Rather than looking appeased, Jeremy’s posture stiffened. “Who did it then?” he rasped. “And why?”
Jennifer glanced over at Perk, clearly deciding that she could speak freely since he wasn’t going to be a threat much longer.
She began wheedling, giving over much needed intel.
“Your father didn’t like what we were doing, Jeremy,” she began. “He was threatening to pull the whole operation down around our ears.”
“Who?” Jeremy repeated, his face having gone stark white.
Jennifer took a step toward her son. “Mr. Shultz thought it would be best—”
“Mr. Shultz?” Jeremy’s voice rose. “Mr. Shultz killed my father?”
Jennifer put a hand out toward him.
It was now or never.
Perk took his chance.
Reaching down, he grabbed the gun from his ankle, dropped and rolled just as Jennifer turned on him and fired.
Perk felt a slice of heat across his forehead, but he managed to pull the trigger, and watched as Mrs. Nelsin screamed and crumpled to the ground, losing her hold on the gun in the process. It skittered across the rug.
Perk scrambled for the weapon, kicking it away before the woman’s claws could reach it again.
“I don’t think so,” Perk growled, blood dripping down into his eyes. He swiped it away, angrily.
“Your game is over, Mrs. Nelsin.
“Consider this a knock out.”
****
Sloane had spent the last few minutes—once they lost all communication—trying to convince the team that they needed to move in, but Baskins and Del seemed to have faith in Perk, telling her to stand down. Del said they’d give Perk a few more minutes before they possibly blew their whole case by breaching the Nelsin residence prematurely.
Sloane wasn’t happy about it, but—
A loud gunshot split the air. Then another.
“What the…?”
Sloane didn’t wait for Baskin to finish. She was up and out of her hidden position in a flash, flying across the yard toward what she knew was Mrs. Nelsin’s office.
She wasted no time on the front door. Sloane, closing in on the house, picked up a wrought iron pole that looked like it had once been for a bird feeder, and approached the office window overlooking the side yard. She smashed through the panes with adrenaline and a vengeance.
Using the length to swiftly clear out the glass, Sloane leaped in and…
“Perk,” she yelped, once she got her bearings.
Yeah , her guy was standing.
Yes , he seemed to have control over the situation.
But his face was covered in blood.
“How bad is it?” she bleated, clear panic in her voice. She wanted to hurry to his side, but if he went down from his injury…
Nope . Years of training said she had to keep her own weapon focused on the semi-prone woman on the rug in case the bitch had another weapon on her and decided to retaliate.
Before Perk could say a word, the rest of the team breached behind Sloane.
Baskins went straight to where Jennifer Nelsin lay, kneeling beside her as she wailed, putting her in cuffs. “Nice shot, Perk,” he said, examining the woman’s bloody leg. “It doesn’t look like you hit anything vital, but we’ll need an ambulance just in case. For you, too?” he asked, getting his first good look at Perk’s face.
Perk absently wiped the gore out of his eyes. “Flesh wound,” he told the man as Del came over to examine his head.
“Still, it’s bleeding pretty badly,” Perk’s boss said. “I’ll call EMS.”
“You’ll have to go outside the office,” Perk told him as Sloane reached his side.
She ripped open her coat and fiercely tore a strip of material off the hem of her shirt, immediately holding it to Perk’s head as he winced.
“Explain,” Del commanded.
“Nelsin has a jamming mechanism for any outside communication,” Perk finished, putting up with Sloane’s ministrations, although it was clear he didn’t like it.
“That’s why you cut out,” Baskins grunted. “Did she admit to anything while we were blocked?” While waiting for the answer, he gave a chin lift toward the downed gun and addressed his team. “Bag that up. I have a feeling we’ll find it’s the weapon that killed Mr. Nelsin.”
A sob sounded, and everyone turned to Jeremy.
“I… Mr… Mr. Shultz killed my father,” he said, alleviating Perk from having to tell the team.
“Okay, son. We’ll look into it. Del?” Baskins glanced up at the SOS team leader.
“I’m on it. I’ll call for an ambo once I’m out of the house, then my guys and I will pick up Shultz.” He gestured to the SOS team, and they all chose to egress via the window.
Sloane would have found it funny, had she not been so concerned for Perk.
A second agent got busy putting Jeremy in cuffs as more plans were made, but Sloane had eyes only for her man.
“I told you not to get hurt,” she scolded him, keeping pressure on his head.
Perk chuckled, swatting ineffectually at her hands. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Yeah, but…" Did she dare? She worried her bottom lip.
“But, what, Sloane?” Perk asked, fixing her with an intense stare.
“But, I’d be pissed if you died because I…I love you,” she whispered for his ears alone.
Perk groaned. “I want to pick you up and kiss the hell out of you right now, but not only isn’t it appropriate for the circumstances, I’d also be covering you in blood. And that’s not the most romantic way to show you how much your words mean to me.”
Sloane let a slow smile spread across her face.
“You like that I like that?” Perk asked.
“No. Yeah .” Sloane straightened her brain out. “What I really like is that I’ve finally said the words, which means they aren’t creating a roadblock inside me anymore,” she admitted. “I’ve wanted to tell you for the longest time, but my stupid warning gates wouldn’t let the ‘L’ word slip past.”
“And now?” Perk questioned with a grin.
“And now you’re going to get sick of hearing them, because I’m going to tell you all the—.”
Baskins cut her off. “Listen up.”
“…time,” she finished with a low murmur before she tuned in to her boss.
“We’ll all meet up back at FBI headquarters and begin conducting our interrogation of Jeremy, here,” Baskins stated. “I’ll send an agent to the hospital with Mrs. Nelsin, who will then be transported to HQ for questioning once the medical experts assure us she’s stable.”
Baskins eyeballed Sloane for whichever task she preferred.
Go to the FBI offices ? Accompany Mrs. Nelsin ?
Neither.
Sloane shook her head.
“Not me, Chief. I’m going with Perk to get him checked out.”
The man chuckled, then sighed. “Why did I know that would be your answer?”