Buch lesen: «Mission Undercover»

ONE

Blake Michaels pulled into the parking lot of Northshore Medical Center and cut the engine. He spotted Mason Webber’s police cruiser a few rows away. Mason was sitting behind the wheel. Blake reached for his pistol and tucked it into the waistband of his jeans. He didn’t know what Mason wanted, but he suspected it couldn’t be good.

He and Mason weren’t on the best of terms and his call asking Blake to meet him had been cryptic. Besides, Blake had gotten used to trusting no one. That’s what made this job perfect for him. After his fiancée Miranda had betrayed him, distrust came easily to him. And he had a lot of reasons to distrust the town’s police force, especially Mason Webber.

Blake got out, pulled his shirt over his weapon and then headed for Mason’s cruiser. The sound of jackhammers reached his ears, but he realized it was only construction happening outside the hospital.

He slid into the passenger’s seat of the police car and immediately saw the folder lying on the console between them. A folder with his name written on it.

That could not be good.

Mason noticed him gaze at the folder and his lip quirked as if he found the entire matter amusing. He smacked his hand against the steering wheel. “I learned something about you today, Blakey,” he said, using a nickname Blake absolutely detested. “You’re not who you claim to be.”

He held his breath. Had Mason discovered his real reason for joining the Northshore Police Department? He wanted to keep his voice casual but his mouth was bone-dry with apprehension. He’d known men like Mason during his time as an Army Ranger. Their macho bravado hid insecurities that were highlighted when a gun and bullets was added to the mix.

Mason reached for the folder and tossed it at Blake. It fell open and his photo, along with what looked like his police service record, spilled out. Blake picked up one sheet of paper and saw that it was his police service file—his real service file. How had Mason gotten his hands on it? “Where did this come from?”

“I have powerful friends in this town.” Fire blazed in his eyes and his hand gripped the gun in his lap. “You’re investigating us.”

Knowing Mason was already on edge, Blake would have to choose his words carefully. He’d already spent months trying to find out just who these “powerful friends” were, but hadn’t had much success. The men he’d met on the Northshore PD, including Mason Webber, liked to do a lot of bragging, but they were surprisingly tight-lipped for dirty cops.

“Who gave you this?” Blake asked. His official record had been supposedly altered by the Department of Justice when he’d accepted this undercover assignment in Northshore, Arkansas. So how had someone gotten their hands on his real-life info?

“You’re investigating me. In fact, you’re investigating this whole department.”

It was a statement, not a question, and Blake couldn’t refute it. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t try. “I’m investigating the drug ring. That’s all I care about, Mason. You don’t have to be a part of this.” That wasn’t entirely the truth, but he needed Mason to think he had an out if he would just take it.

“I already am. Your cover is blown at the precinct. The boss knows all about you, Blake Michaels. Now you’ve got not only the drug ring after you, but Northshore PD, as well.”

But who is the guy in charge?

That was the question Blake had spent months trying to figure out. He suspected it was someone working in the Northshore PD, and probably someone high up. In fact, the DOJ surmised that as many as twenty-five police officers—probably more—were involved in the massive drug ring operating out of the small town. And that was the real reason Blake had joined the department—and why he was sitting in Mason’s car now.

His friend Matt had landed him the gig with the DEA/DOJ combined task force. The agencies had been looking to send in someone with proven law-enforcement experience to pretend to be dirty and to gather information. Blake had the police background and had been in serious need of a change after being betrayed by his fiancée. Only he hadn’t been able to gather much intel even after nine months here.

Mason perked up as he saw something through the windshield. Blake followed his line of sight and noticed a pretty, dark-haired woman in scrubs leaving the employee entrance of the hospital. He didn’t recognize her, but her hair was around her face and her walk weary, making Blake assume she had just finished her shift at the hospital.

“Who is she?” Blake asked.

“Her name is Holly Mathis. She was Jimmy’s wife.”

Blake knew Mason’s partner, Jim Mathis, had been shot and killed nearly a year ago while responding to a burglary in progress at a gas station. The shooter had also been killed.

He didn’t know what Holly Mathis had to do with this, though he didn’t like the look in Mason’s eyes or the coincidence that Mason had brought him here to drop his bombshell just as his former partner’s widow was leaving work.

“Why are we here, Mason?”

“I just wanted you both in the same place. It makes it easier.”

Blake’s heart hammered in his chest. “Easier to do what?”

Mason picked up his gun and pointed it at Blake. “To kill you both.”

Sweat broke out on Blake’s brow, but he forced himself to remain calm. His life depended on it. He stared down the barrel of the gun, caught off guard by this sudden change. He scanned the area, realizing Mason had chosen the perfect spot for this ambush. He looked past the gun to Mason’s face. “And your boss, whoever that is, sent you here to kill me?”

“Yep. Then I’m going to kill Holly, too. I can see tomorrow’s headline now—Obsessed Police Officer Murders Girlfriend then Kills Himself.”

“Why her? Why kill Holly? She’s your partner’s widow. You should be looking out for her.”

His jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed in anger. “She betrayed me just like you did.”

Blake tried another tactic. “You’ll have to make my death look like a suicide in order to make that work and a direct shot won’t do it. The coroner will know I didn’t shoot myself. There will be an investigation.”

Mason laughed, a humorless chuckle. “Not if the coroner is in our pocket, he won’t. He’ll do what the boss says. I hear he’s got a little drug problem he’s been trying to keep under wraps. Fortunately for him, we keep him well supplied, so he’ll say whatever we want him to say.”

Blake knew he couldn’t reach his gun before Mason fired. He had to think of another way out of this car and he had to do it fast.

“Did you really believe you could come to my town and deceive everyone?” Mason’s tone held bitterness and betrayal, as if Blake’s deception had been directed only toward him.

Blake slid his hand behind him and felt for the door handle. The situation was bad and he had to find a way out of it. He’d already been ambushed by this maniac and Holly was next. He also needed to let Matt and the DEA know his cover had been blown before the drug ring shut down and covered its tracks.

But as Mason rattled on about his betrayal of their trust, Blake’s own anger burned. What did Mason Webber know about betrayal? He hadn’t had his heart ripped out by someone he loved. He hadn’t had to deal with knowing his fiancée was responsible for placing those he cared about in danger and nearly getting his best friend shot to death. But this wasn’t the time for that discussion. He wouldn’t wish that kind of betrayal on his worst enemy—not even Mason.

“And what about her?” Blake asked. “I’ve never met her before in my life. How are you going to explain that?”

“Won’t be too hard to make it look like you two were together. Just another obsessed cop taking out his frustrations on his girl. They’ll probably make us all take more domestic violence seminars again because of it and the department will suffer some bad press—but we’ll get through it.”

So he had it all planned out. And if the coroner was in fact dirty, as Mason claimed, no one in this town would question their deaths. But Matt and the other Rangers would. They knew him too well to believe such a crazy concoction.

“Killing me would be a mistake,” Blake warned him. “You have powerful friends, but so do I. They’ll swarm this town and take you all down.”

Mason took only a moment to ponder that statement before he braced his arm, a sign Blake knew meant he was about to fire. In one swift move, Blake reached for his gun and pushed open the door, tumbling backward and rolling from the car as Mason fired twice. Blake felt the whiz of one bullet pass inches from his head while the other bit into his side as he tumbled. He hit the pavement, jamming his shoulder. He immediately rolled beneath the car as Mason jumped out the driver’s door and ran around to find him. When he did, Blake slid out the other side and hightailed it through the lot, staying low to use the cars as cover.

Mason swore then started searching for him, calling out his name. “Come out, come out, Blakey. I’ll find you sooner or later.”

Blake stopped and leaned against a car, his breathing labored and perspiration rolling off him. His shoulder ached but that wasn’t his most pressing concern. He touched his stomach and his hand came back bloody. He was hurt and he was leaving a blood trail behind him for Mason to follow. He had to get to his car, get as far away from Mason as possible and figure this all out. If Mason was to be believed, he was now being hunted by both the police and a powerful drug ring.

Lord, don’t forsake me now.

He adjusted the grip of his gun. If he was going down, he would go down fighting.

“You can’t get away,” Mason called to him. “I know I hit you. You’re bleeding bad. And soon you’ll have the entire police force hunting you. You won’t make it out of this town alive.”

Blake sucked in a breath and took off, again staying low so Mason wouldn’t see him. After a few minutes, he stopped to catch his breath one more time. He leaned against a Prius and listened for Mason’s footsteps. He was shocked to realize they were heading away from him instead of toward him.

He peeked around the front of the car and saw Mason moving through the parking lot—just as he’d suspected—away from him.

He glanced in the direction Mason was headed. Holly was approaching her car and Mason was moving to intercept her.

A rush of panic shot through him.

Mason had left him and was going after the girl.

He clutched his gun and forced himself to his feet, new energy pulsing through him. He couldn’t...he wouldn’t...let Mason kill her.

* * *

Holly Mathis rubbed her shoulder, trying to work out the kinks in her muscles. The sounds of the construction by the employee’s entrance hurt her head. Why did they have to make so much noise? She couldn’t even hear herself think. It had been another long night at the hospital and she was looking forward to a hot bath and then crawling into bed. She was tired, but at least it helped keep her mind free from the worry that had occupied her thoughts recently. If she gave herself time to focus on what she’d found and its implications, she might drive herself crazy.

Why didn’t you tell me, Jimmy?

Her husband’s death twelve months ago had left her life shattered and in confusion, but slowly, surely, she’d begun to live again...until two days ago when she’d been cleaning out the closet and discovered the hidden compartment and the leather-bound journal inside. What was written there had rocked her world and sent her reeling back into that place where thoughts of Jimmy occupied her every thought.

Had he died in the line of duty as his partner had claimed? She was beginning to question it. Her first instinct upon finding the journal had been to take it to Jimmy’s chief, but something had stopped her, some invisible hand—Jimmy’s? God’s?—on her soul had warned her to be cautious with what she shared.

Instead she’d photocopied a few pages that highlighted Mason’s wrongdoings and showed them to the chief. He’d been interested, pressing her to bring in the rest of the book, and Holly thought he’d seemed agitated even as he was trying to appear calm. But she’d seen sweat on his brow. He’d been unsettled about Jimmy’s findings, but what police chief wouldn’t be shaken after seeing evidence indicating he had a dirty cop on his force?

And Mason’s numerous visits made sense now, too. He’d become increasingly obsessed with her since Jimmy’s death. His constant calls and visits at the hospital and her home had bordered on harassment. She’d thought several times about filing a complaint with Chief Waggoner, but had hoped the problem would go away on its own and Mason would find someone else to focus his attention on.

Her attempts to appease Mason hadn’t worked and she knew why. He hadn’t really been obsessed with her. He’d been looking for information about what she knew of her husband’s investigation. Well, Mason needn’t have worried. Jimmy had kept his suspicions all to himself and hadn’t told her anything about corruption on the force. He’d seemed anxious and stressed in the last few weeks of his life, but he hadn’t given her any clue as to why when she’d questioned him about his behavior.

She’d been ready to turn the journal over to Chief Waggoner until yesterday when she’d arrived home to find her house had been broken into and trashed. It had been obvious that whoever had broken in had been searching for something—Jimmy’s journal she’d assumed—but when she’d checked the secret hiding spot, it had still been there. They hadn’t found it. The break-in couldn’t have been a coincidence, which left her wondering how Mason had found out about the journal in the first place.

What do I do now?

She didn’t know who she was talking to—Jimmy? Or God? She hadn’t spoken to God in nearly a year, not after He’d taken her husband from her and left her a widow. But she let the question float out there and hoped for an answer. She sighed as she pulled her keys from her purse. Maybe she was reading too much into this and the break-in at her house had nothing to do with Jimmy’s journal, after all.

She reached to unlock her car door, stopping when she spotted the shadow of a man in the window. Her heart leaped at the sight, but her instincts kicked in. She ducked, causing him to miss as he reached to grab her and hit the window instead. She spun around to face him.

Mason!

He raised his gun at her and words of protest caught in her throat. Fear rippled through her. At this close distance she could smell the acrid, sulfur aroma that indicated he’d fired his weapon recently. Very recently.

“Hello, Holly,” he snarled, his face contorted and bitter.

She saw murder in his eyes and knew she was in trouble. Jimmy had taught her about guns and had even bought her one for safety before he’d died, but the hospital had a strict no-guns policy so it was safely locked inside her car—so close but so out of reach. She had to find a way to get to it.

She raised her hands, palms out, in a take-it-easy kind of gesture. “Mason, what are you doing? Put the gun down.”

He shook his head. “No, Holly. Tell me where the book is.”

“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“We both know that’s a lie.” He pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and threw it on the ground. She saw that it was one of the copied pages of the journal.

“Where did you get that?”

“Did you think you could hide it from me? Tell me where the book is, Holly, and I’ll kill you quickly. Don’t tell me and I’ll kill you slowly and find it anyway.”

He gripped the gun tighter and Holly felt her blood go cold. This was it. This was where she was going to die. But she wouldn’t give him what he wanted.

“You’ll never find it,” she whispered and saw his face contort. Tears warmed her eyes and she began to shake. She choked them back and prepared to fight for her life, but before she could act, another man—this one broad and muscular—leaped from behind a car and tackled Mason as he fired.

Holly dived for the ground as the blast of the gun rang in her ears. She scrambled for cover in front of the car then peeked around the bumper to see Mason and the other man hit the ground. The gun slipped from Mason’s hand and spun across the asphalt beneath her car. Holly considered crawling after it, but Mason and her rescuer were in the way. The broad-shouldered man was on top of Mason. He punched him and Mason slumped to the ground.

The man crawled to his feet and looked around, spotting her crouched behind a parked car. Using his sleeve, he wiped sweat from his brow and then held out his hand to her. “Don’t be afraid. My name is Blake Michaels. I’m here to help you.” Urgency poured from him as Mason began to squirm, mere moments from regaining consciousness. “We have to go. Now.”

Holly took his outstretched hand and let him pull her to her feet, but she hesitated at following him, glancing at her car. Should she try to get past Mason to retrieve her gun and cell phone?

“He wants you dead,” Blake said matter-of-factly, interrupting her indecision. “He wants us both dead. Now, let’s get out of here before he comes to and finishes the job he started.”

She glanced back at Mason, still trying to pull himself awake. He’d come to kill her tonight and he almost had. This man, whoever he was, had saved her life.

She nodded and followed him to a Dodge Ram pickup. He unlocked the doors and she slid across the seat as he got in on the driver’s side. Holly spotted blood on his hands as he started the engine. Her gaze moved to his midsection, where a dark circle was growing on his shirt.

“You’re hurt,” she stated as he took off. “What happened?”

He waved away her concern. “It’s nothing. The bullet just grazed me.”

“I’m a nurse. I should take a look at it.”

“Maybe later. First we have to get as far away from Mason Webber as possible.”

She looked at the handsome stranger who had saved her life and shuddered. Mason had shot him, actually shot him, proving that he was even more dangerous than Holly had wanted to admit.

How do I get myself into these situations?

“Okay, so I know what he has against me. Why does he want you dead, Blake Michaels?”

“That is a long story.” He moved his hand from the steering wheel and felt along the seat as he drove. “Do you see my cell phone anywhere?”

Holly glanced around but didn’t see it. “No.”

He slammed his hand against the steering wheel. “I must have dropped it. Do you have a phone?”

“No. We’re not allowed to bring them inside during our shifts. It’s locked inside my car.” Along with my gun. She sighed, wishing she had both right now.

He didn’t slow down as they approached the turnoff for the police precinct. In fact, he drove right by it. “Aren’t we going to the police station? We need to let them know what just happened tonight.”

He shook his head but didn’t let up on the accelerator. “We can’t go to the police.”

“Why not? I know Mason is a cop but he’s out of his mind. The chief needs to know he’s dangerous.”

“I said no police.” His voice was sharp and biting.

He was so insistent that it caused her to wonder why he was wary of police involvement. She realized she didn’t even know this man she’d gotten into a truck with. “Why don’t you want to go to the police? Are you a criminal?”

“No, I’m a cop.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, flipping it open on the seat. She saw a badge and breathed a sigh of relief.

When she picked it up, something fell out. She reached down and picked it up. It was a ring...an engagement ring. She glanced at him but he hadn’t noticed the ring slip out. He was busy checking the mirrors. She slipped the ring back into his wallet and examined the badge. His name was written on his credentials. Blake Michaels, Northshore Police. Okay, so maybe he wasn’t a criminal, but she still didn’t know anything about him except that he didn’t trust his fellow officers and he carried an engagement ring around with him.

“If you’re one of them, then why not go to the cops?”

“Because Mason wasn’t working alone. The force is corrupt. We can’t trust anyone.”

She gasped. Corrupt cops? How did he know? Jimmy had suspected as much before he died. In fact, he’d been looking into acts of corruption by his partner, according to the journal she’d discovered. Mason had seemed to have no fear of reprimand in his behavior tonight. But was the entire department really so corrupt that they could ignore attempted murder?

“So if we’re not going to the police, where are we going?”

“We need to get out of town fast, out of their jurisdiction.”

Getting to the next town was a sensible idea. They could sort this all out once they were there. She noticed the spot on his shirt growing larger. “You’ll never make it. You’re bleeding too badly. My friend Marcy’s apartment is a few blocks over. I know where she hides the emergency key. We should go there first so I can take a look at your wound.”

He shook his head. “That’s not a good idea.”

“You’re going to bleed out before we hit the town line and it’s at least five miles before we’ll find a place to get supplies. Marcy’s a nurse, too. She’ll have bandages there.”

“I don’t want to put anyone else in danger.”

She shook her head. “Neither Marcy or her roommate are at home now. They both went on duty as I was getting off.”

He grimaced at the pain then nodded his agreement. “We can’t stay long.”

She directed him to the apartment and he parked behind the building. “In case he drives by,” he explained.

When they got out, Holly noticed him holding his hand over his wound. He looked pale and she wondered if he could even make it up the stairs. “It’s on the second floor. I’ll help you up.”

He waved away her offer of assistance. “I’ll make it.” He leaned on the handrail and followed her up the steps.

Looking at the blood on his shirt and hands, she didn’t know how he was standing and suspected his wound was more than a graze. She hoped he didn’t have a bullet lodged in his abdomen or damage to his internal organs. She wouldn’t know until she could examine the wound.

Holly found the emergency key under a planter and used it to unlock the door. She ushered Blake inside. “Have a seat on the couch. I’ll go get the first-aid kit.”

“Is there a phone here?”

She shook her head. “No landline. Marcy and her roommate use their cell phones.”

She hurried down the hall to the bathroom and grabbed the kit and a stack of towels, stopping to catch her breath before returning to the living room. This was all happening so fast and now her protector, the man who’d saved her, might be seriously injured. She had to help him.

He was stretched out on the couch when she returned, his long legs hanging over one end and his gun now on the table inches from his hand. She was struck by his long, muscular frame and a pang of envy rushed through her as she remembered the ring inside his wallet.

He reached out and touched her arm, a soft, gentle touch that sent a spark of electricity through her. “Are you okay?”

She smiled, realizing he was the one hurt and yet was concerned about her. What would it be like to have a brave, handsome man like Blake in her life? She knew the answer to that. She’d had one...and she’d lost him in the line of duty. She’d hardly given romance a second thought since Jimmy’s death. But now, as she realized how close she’d come to her life ending, she acknowledged the deep longing ache in her heart for someone to share her life with. Her husband’s death had ended her dream, but she was still young and many of her friends had pressed her to start dating again.

“I’m fine,” she said, determined not to let her vulnerability show and convinced the trauma of the past hour was causing her emotions to go wacky.

She knelt beside him and shifted into nurse mode. She lifted his shirt, wiping away blood so she could see the wound. Thankfully, he’d been right. The gash wasn’t big enough for the bullet to have gone in. “It must have grazed you. It’s not even that deep.”

“Why is it bleeding so much?”

“Because you’re moving around and because of where the wound is. You could probably use some stitches, but we’ll have to make do.” She cleaned him off then taped a bandage over it. “You’re fortunate it was only a flesh wound. It could have been much worse.”

“I know. He took me by surprise. He meant to kill me.” He sat up and stared at her, his blue eyes piercing as he looked her in the eye. “He meant to kill us both.”

She nodded, realizing he was right. Mason wanted her dead. The thought shook her. She was used to seeing the effects of violence in her job as an ER nurse, but this was different. This was personal. “You still haven’t told me why he wants you dead.”

She picked up discarded bandage wrappers as he pulled down his shirt and sat up. “He found out I’ve been investigating him. There’s a major drug operation happening in Northshore. I believe Mason and several other officers are involved in it. Mason said someone high up was involved.”

“How high up?”

“High enough to pay off the coroner so he’d classify our deaths as a murder/suicide after Mason killed us.”