Chapter 13 #2
“I have to admit, Peck. I was stymied by your motive. I couldn’t imagine what your end game was in all this. But I finally figured it out.” Dane stared the man down and watched him tense as if for a blow.
“It turns out Fiona Whitaker was your end game.”
Fiona stood and screamed, “No—I was tricked by him. He wanted the money. None of it was my idea—”
“Shut up—” Peck shouted.
The SAC came through the door, moving fast and holding handcuffs.
Dane stood there watching Evans cuff Peck while another agent struggled with the task of cuffing Fiona Whitaker.
The woman pleaded and kept trying to reach out to Shana.
“I was fooled by his plan to run away with me and all the money. I went along with the plan because I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t know he was going to kill anyone—”
“Shut up!” Peck yelled as they dragged him out the door.
The interrogation room was cleared and Dane, Shana, and Cap were told they would be called back to make statements later after the internal affairs department was engaged. They were ordered not to say a word to anyone by the ASAC, Mark Richards.
Dane, Shana and Cap left the interrogation room and walked down the hall past the observation room as the door opened and Acer stepped through. He wore a wide grin.
“Did you catch the last act?” Dane asked.
“Every punch. You took a good one.”
“That’s all you have to say? No thank you?”
Acer laughed. “We’re dismissed to wait in the hallway near the elevators. David and Peter are being debriefed.”
“You mean negotiating the terms of the arrests,” Dane said as they marched down the hall to the open space of the elevator lobby area.
Dane didn’t mind waiting. He needed a chance to come down from the adrenaline high.
It wasn’t the fight with Peck so much as the entire intense orchestration of the evidence.
If there hadn’t been a semi-confession from Fiona witnessed by everyone, Peck might still have gotten away with it.
Fiona truly had been Peck’s downfall. Dane looked at Shana.
* * *
“I did not see that coming,” Shana said.
She turned to Dane to see his jaw set in satisfaction as a handcuffed Special Agent Glen Peck was led from a door further down the hall beyond the elevators.
She gazed past him at her big fat surprise, Fiona Whitaker, as one agent held her and another one cuffed her.
“Gotta have a good imagination in this business, girlie.” Dane pulled her in and nuzzled her hair. She wasn’t ready for his easy affection or his fake-patronizing teasing. She pulled away from him.
“A very perverted imagination.”
“Always helps,” he said. His grin was shameless. He let her have her space for the moment. Then he added, “Don’t you think it’s time you changed from that ridiculous date dress?”
“I think I’ll wear it all night.” Sometimes she was ready for his baiting and she congratulated herself for being quick this time, even under stress.
He gave her a speculative look that turned to the invitational smile that she knew well and she turned away. No sense tempting fate. She folded her arms across her chest.
“Is that a challenge, sweetheart? Do you want me to—”
“No.”
Cap and Acer rescued her from further seduction, even if it was a temporary reprieve. She’d have to reestablish the lines of demarcation between her and Dane. Soon.
“Acer won the bet,” Cap said.
“You bet that Fiona was having an affair with Peck?” Shana wasn’t ready to believe Acer had figured out more than she and Cap had, although she wasn’t quite sure about the guy. There was that past he shared with Dane, both in and out of the unit, to consider.
“That? No. It was news to me.” Acer guffawed. “That was purely Dane Blaise mojo at work. I figure out the machines, he figures out the people. His job is tougher.”
“Then what was the bet?” She looked between Cap and Acer and then squinted at Dane. He knew what the bet was about. The damn man.
“The bet was—” Dane started.
“It better not involve me,” Shana added. If it did, he’d better not tell her.
“Of course not, little miss narcissist. Everything is not about you.” He paused. She rolled her eyes.
“Then what?”
“They had a bet about whether I would be the one to end up in the hospital this time.”
Instant fuzziness took over her brain where all other thoughts and working analysis used to reside. “Are you okay?” She leaned closer and inspected the bruises near his eye and the long cut across his cheekbone. “Did you get a concussion? Let’s get to the hosp—”
“Reign it in, girlie.” He shook his head and touched her hair. “I’m fine.” His words softened, but she didn’t believe him.
Didn’t believe that she hadn’t even thought about it until she was told to.
She inspected everything then, touched his arm tenderly where she spotted a bruise and then remembered he’d been punched hard in the ribs more than once—the shot by Peck must have been a lucky punch.
She let her fingers play down his chest to see if she could detect any swelling. He pushed her hand away.
“You goddamn liar. You’re not okay at all.”
“What’s the matter?” Cap looked surprised.
“He has ribs—a problem with his ribs,” Shana told them. Her hands rose to her hips and she eyed the two men like they were sewer rats.
“Don’t listen to her,” Dane said. His smile was more testy than convincing.
David came out of the room where the higher-ups had been having their pow-wow and coming to their agreement about how to handle this delicate matter. He glanced once in the direction of the two arrestees. They turned back.
Fiona shouted, “It wasn’t my fault,” one last time.
Peck barked, “Shut the hell up you goddamn—” The agent handling him tugged him through the exit door at the end of the hall and they were swallowed up by the system as the door closed behind them. Shana shivered.
She wasn’t at all sure that Fiona wasn’t telling the truth about that. But in the end it didn’t matter. The jury would have to decide the rest. She’d done her part. Shana looked back at Dane and wondered if he felt the same way. Probably not. He wanted justice. Period.
“I’m glad you’re all still here,” David said. “Once again the exact people I need to speak with all in one place—”
“Not for long,” she said. “We need to get Dane to the hospital to get his ribs checked out.”
“I agree,” David said.
Dane stayed silent this time, giving her a smoldering stare. It was not the stare of an injured man. She shivered. Off balance yet again.
Acer said, “You need an ambulance?”
“Shut up,” Dane said. Acer laughed. Cap tried not to laugh.
David quirked a smile and looked at her. “It’s always better to be safe. Department policy. I’ll have an ambulance—”
“I don’t need a damn ambulance. And if I recall correctly, I’m not part of your department.”
“Outside contractors are covered by the policy as well,” David dismissed him.
Shana felt better. She’d go to the hospital with him.
“I’ll go to the hospital on the island,” Dane said.
“Martha’s Vineyard General?” Cap joked.
“Sounds good to me.” Shana took Dane’s arm and led him to the elevator.
“How are you all getting back to the island?” David asked.
“I’m not going back there,” Acer said. “I spent my time at the beach shack.” He folded his arms. “Nothing personal, demon man, but that place is too crowded for me.”
Shana felt the blush and didn’t blame the poor guy.
“I’ll be getting my own place in short order, Acer. So feel free to come back any time.”
Dane snorted but said nothing as he gave his friend a hug, cautiously, and a fist bump on his back. When he backed up, Dane said, “Stay safe. Stay invisible. And stay in touch.”
Acer nodded. Cap caught the elevator and said, “We’ll be flying in the Statie copter compliments of the governor.”
* * *
When she walked into the hospital room, Dane was fully dressed and sitting on top of the covers of the adjustable bed relaxing against the pillows like she’d seen him do in hotel rooms as if he were on vacation. Cap was sprawled in the only guest chair and they were watching a football game.
“I don’t know what you Americans see in that game. Rugby is a far better sport. No sissy helmets.”
Dane grinned at her. “New outfit?” He looked her up and down and she felt his gaze as if his eyes were heat-emitting lasers.
She glanced down at her expensive suede pants and new boots, although she noticed his eyes lingered on her ice-blue cashmere sweater.
He was so predictable. But then so was she since she felt the zing of his notice and his relaxed, overly confident maleness from across the room.
“I treated myself. With our bonus money.”
“What bonus money?” Cap said.
“Yeah, what bonus money? I didn’t get any checks in yet. Not even for expenses—”
“Oh I forgot to mention it, didn’t I?”
“Spill it, Shana.” Dane gave her a mock scowl.
She looked at Cap and wasn’t sure she should mention it in front of him, but what the heck?
“Fred Bryant sent us a bonus. I found a check for a hundred-thousand dollars in the P.O. box this morning from Bryant Enterprises.”
Dane furrowed his brows in real concern. “What the hell are you talking about? I’m sure Acer would have mentioned it if Fred Bryant was sending us a bonus that size—especially since we ended up having his daughter Fiona thrown in jail.”
“One hundred large? Impressive,” Cap said. “Are you sure the check is good?”
She walked by Cap and smacked his leg. “It was good. It was a cashier’s check.”
“Something ain’t right, girlie.”
Dane sounded serious.
“But what could be—”
“Remember your interview at the salon?” Dane said.
She nodded her head. Then she stopped and clapped her hand over her mouth. She had commanded Fiona to send her a check for one hundred-thousand dollars as a test to see if they had access to the embezzled money at the time.
“Looks like Fiona did what she was told.” Dane smiled the wicked lazy grin like he enjoyed when women did what they were told.
Or that could have been Shana’s imagination.
She felt the heat rise and her body flush in that pleasant anticipation.
But it was the kind of anticipation she was not entitled to.
She could not have Dane. Not even for a minute.
He didn’t belong to her. He belonged to no woman. He was his own man. A man of the world. A legend.
* * *
“Don’t look at me like that, girlie, unless you mean it,” he said.
Her hot wistful look did crazy things to his pulse and his other body parts making him damned uncomfortable—in a very pleasant way. He held his breath waiting for her response. She froze and retreated after a beat, turning away to look at Cap.
“I guess that means we can keep the money,” she said. “Fiona sent it to me. I’ll make sure we send our intrepid stringer Ronnie Ryan a nice bonus too.”
Cap smiled and said, “In addition to being brave and gorgeous, you’re a good hearted woman, Shana.”
Damn Cap. Her safety net.
But Dane ought to know better. Hadn’t he learned his lesson about the reason for the rule?
Hadn’t it damn near killed him, compromised his professionalism and effectiveness on this case—always second guessing himself and her and every decision that involved putting her in danger—especially with Peck?
The thought of Peck simultaneously boiled his blood and made him smile.
Shana said, “How’s your shoulder, Cap? This guy has nothing wrong with him after all.” She swept a hand in Dane’s direction.
“What do you mean? I got a couple of cracked ribs, don’t I?”
“That’s nothing. No bullet wounds, not even a knife.”
“How about a fist in the face? Will that get me a kiss, girlie?”
She scowled at him. That meant her armor was up in full tilt and she was impervious.
Might as well be made of granite. He sighed.
Relief mingled with profound disappointment.
He felt a wash of longing followed by a sense of comfort as if he were a kid returning home after a tough loss—home to his mother or sister.
That it felt good was a testament to how pathetic he’d become.
He might as well start thinking of himself as her uncle.
The notion disappeared as a defiant flash of memory of her naked next to him in bed, the scent of her and taste of her on his lips, flooded him.
The erotic memory erased any comfort he felt with the disquiet of sensual tension. He took another deep breath.
“Let’s go home.”
She nodded and put out a hand to help him from the bed. His ribs were taped, so he took the hand while Cap watched with an unreadable expression. Good old Cap. He’d probably get a lecture from the guy later.
“I’ll drive. You’re on medication.”
“No argument here,” Dane said. “But for the record, the medication has not incapacitated any of my important physical functions.” He waggled his brows at her and she laughed.
He sighed again. She was clad in full-on body armor all right. It covered her from her head all the way deep down to her very soul. Maybe it would last this time and protect them both from his idiocy. From his ridiculous longing for what he couldn’t have.
He stood and put an arm around her. He owned her friendship and her partnership and that would have to do for now. It was more than he’d had in a long time. Even with all the comrades in arms he’d collected over the years, Cap included, it was Shana who provided the warmth he craved.
Dane would have to find a way to stay satisfied with what they had. No matter that it was against every instinct he had, against everything that made him who he was, to settle for less than he wanted. He’d try to stay content, not scare her off, to keep what he had with her.
Because his biggest fear was that she would leave.
##