CHAPTER 27
BLAKE Switzer had been following the limo around town on its seemingly aimless journey across the city. Blake guessed that LaCall was on a mission to divert any potential tails Laraquette’s driver had acquired on the way home.
It made perfect sense. They had to be worried about that fruitcake ex of LaCall’s. Rio must be scared out of her wits with a stalker and LaCall’s crazy, pregnant ex-girlfriend sneaking around.
Finally, the limo pulled into the parking garage of the Plaza Towers and Blake followed them inside. Initially, his intention was to watch her get out of the car and head inside. But then she emerged wearing LaCall’s shirt, and he was bare from the waist up. That brought out the angst Blake had managed to suppress until now.
Irritation pushed Blake out of his own car and sent him charging across the parking garage toward Rio and LaCall. He caught up to them at the doorway leading inside. Blake grabbed her wrist. “I cannot believe you!”
LaCall came at him full-force, yanking him by the shirt and throwing him against the wall. “Don’t ever put your hands on her.” LaCall’s eyes glared with viciousness. He was marking his territory, and Blake didn’t like it. He didn’t like being choked either.
Blake wrapped his hands around LaCall’s wrist. Tugging. Aching. Struggling. “You talk about protecting her? Look what you’ve done to her with your pregnant girlfriend.”
LaCall released Blake and pushed him backward. “Get out of here,” he said in a near-monotone voice. There were no misgivings emitting from him. Obviously, he did not consider Blake an issue, much less a rival.
Smug bastard.
Blake turned to Rio. “How could you do this? How could you let him degrade you like this?” He gave a waving gesture at her inappropriate attire. “In the back seat of a freaking limo for Christ’s sake!”
“This is none of your business, Blake.” Rio’s cold stare sliced through him before she turned her back on him. She simply walked into LaCall’s arms and disappeared inside the building.
Feeling utterly disappointed, Blake turned and headed for his car.
Hard to believe he’d ever had feelings for the slut.
* * *
Arriving at the Federal Building with Rio the next day, Eddie still hadn’t gotten past Switzer’s performance back at the garage of the Plaza Towers. So much for the guy losing interest. His temper tantrum definitely proved otherwise. Eddie wouldn’t be surprised if the stalker struck again.
He needed to step up his surveillance. Maybe he’d ask James Laraquette to bring in private bodyguards. Make it really hard for Switzer to get to Rio.
Eddie and Rio strolled through the entrance and he purposefully pushed his hatred for Switzer aside. As long as he knew
who
the enemy was, he felt confident he could control the situation and keep Rio safe—with a little help from her father and his resources. Once Eddie got James onboard, he could concentrate on Perzinsky and the poker tournament.
“LaCall.” Bradley stopped them in the path leading toward their desks at the back of the bullpen. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” His tone was anxious and weaker than usual.
“Sure, what’s up?” Eddie asked.
“In private.” Bradley managed to locate the strength he’d temporarily lost from his voice.
Eddie looked at Rio. He hadn’t talked to James yet. He didn’t like the idea of her roaming around alone. Not even here. At the Federal Building.
“Go ahead,” she said. “I want to go have a little chat with our soon-to-be informant anyway.”
“Rivera...” Eddie raised his voice enough to grab the attention of his coworker sitting two rows of desks away. When Rivera looked up, Eddie waved him over.
Rivera closed the manila folder, dropped the pen and pushed himself up from his desk. He closed the gap between them a few steps and then said, “What’s going on? Why does everybody look so serious?”
“Go with her, please?” Eddie asked, pointing to Rio.
She looked at him, opened her mouth as if she were about to object, but instead, rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Come on, Riv.” She latched onto his wrist. “Let’s go.”
Was she pissed? Sure. Did Eddie care? No.
They disappeared through the entrance and Eddie turned to Bradley.
“I really don’t want to get in your business,” Bradley said.
Eddie believed him, but still. “Then don’t.” He studied Bradley’s face, easily guessing what this was about. Naomi and her accusation.
“Well...” Bradley folded his arms across his chest and finally his gaze met up with Eddie’s. “Let’s pretend for a moment that I am her overprotective older brother.”
Eddie could almost believe it. Bradley was playing the part to the hilt. The tension was getting a little too thick to suit Eddie. “So what...?” he asked. “You saying you want to kick my ass or something?”
“All I’m saying, LaCall, is...I don’t want to see Laraquette hurt by this.” Chris paused, as if choosing his words carefully. “And if you leave her for your pregnant ex-girlfriend...it’s going to hurt.”
Eddie remained silent while he debated on whether or not to give in to Bradley’s whims. He’d begun to consider Bradley a friend, and because of that, Eddie wanted to clear his name. And not just with Bradley but the others, too. Except Switzer. Eddie didn’t give a damn what Switzer thought.
“Okay, you want an explanation?” Eddie said with determination. “Get Gabe, Rivera and his girl, and Rio,” he added her name into the mix. He didn’t trust her care to much of anybody else.
* * *
Lester recognized the cop right away when she entered the room. The chick from the poker tournament. He’d known there was something off about her, but he hadn’t been able to identify it. Not until now. “Well, hello, Miss Scarlett,” he said, letting her know he was on top of things.
“Afternoon, Lester.” Her greeting was a little too friendly to suit him. Cops only acted like this when they wanted something. Something that usually involved snitching. Well, Lester had news for her. He wasn’t a snitch.
And he wasn’t afraid of her either. “Afternoon? That’s pushing it,” he said with a cool air. “What do you want? Let me guess...you want to talk about some alleged marker sham, too?” he added, just so she’d know he wasn’t going to be as easy a mark as she was probably thinking.
“Markers? No.” Surprisingly, she seemed genuinely uninterested in his markers scheme. “I want to talk about the poker tournament.”
“Lose your seed money already?” He laughed. “I’d love to help you, but I’m kind of indisposed right now.” He raised his cuffed hands. The hardware tended to put a damper on things.
She tapped her fingernails on the table. They had purple tips. It was kind of sexy, in a freaky sort of way. “No. Surprisingly, I’m winning.”
“Then quit your bitching.”
She leaned forward and propped her elbows on the table. The relentless gleam in her eyes cut through Lester, leaving him with a definite, bone-tingling chill.
“I haven’t begun to bitch,” her icy tone breezed past, surrounding him with bitter resolve.
He came to the conclusion that taking a determinate stance against her bad-cop attitude was his only hope. “If you don’t want to talk about the markers,” he said, “then what do you want?”
“Okay, here’s the deal.” She paused, seemingly growing tired. Or frustrated. “We know the tournament is rigged. You help us with the particulars...who, what, and how...and we’ll see what we can do about the markers thing.” She put it out there and eyed him placidly for a time before rising and exiting the room.
Like that was really going to work. He chuckled as the door closed between them. Lester Perzinsky wasn’t about to play ball with a bunch of pansy-ass cops.
CHAPTER 28
EDDIE entered Gabe Dalton’s office and closed the door behind him. The accusatory faces of his critics threatened to chase away the composed front he tried to maintain.
Rage doused red on Gabe’s face and Eddie could easily guess that his boss had been filled in on last night’s events at the restaurant.
“I have a simple question for you, LaCall.” Gabe didn’t wait for a response or a concession from Eddie before continuing on. “Is there a grain of truth in what that girl said last night?” His tone had grown progressively angrier with each word and by the time he reached the end of his inquiry he looked ready to explode.
Eddie gazed into the faces of his accusers: Gabe, Bradley, Rivera, and Victoria. Rio was the only one sparing him their evil-eyed retribution. He was ready to deal with the wrath of the others if it meant he could spare Rio the humiliation. “No. There is no truth in Naomi’s accusation. I know this because I have never had unprotected sexual relations with her. If that’s not enough...I haven’t touched her in over six months. I’d think she’d be showing by now...if it were mine.”
“Okay.” Gabe’s expression softened. “Now that we’ve got that straightened out.” He waved at Eddie’s accusers. “Everybody out. Except LaCall.”
Gabe studied them, one by one, as they filed out of his office. When the door closed behind the last one—Rio—Gabe settled his attention back on Eddie. “Okay, LaCall, in light of there being a stalker in the midst, we really don’t need your scorned lover thrown into the mix. What do you plan to do about her?”
“I had a restraining order issued against Naomi this morning.” Eddie paused. He’d underestimated his former lover from Phoenix. “If there is a next time...she’ll go to jail.”
“The next time she pulls a stunt like this, give her a choice. Jail or leave Vegas,” Gabe said. “And make sure she’s escorted back to Phoenix.”
Eddie wasn’t expecting that. But he liked the idea. Just get rid of her altogether. Eddie felt his mouth spreading into a smile.
“And wipe that silly-ass grin off your face.” Gabe pointed an accusatory finger at him. “This is mostly your fault.” His glare hardened. “Something you want to tell me?”
Eddie’s heartbeat chased his nerves. He shook his head. What was Gabe accusing him of?
“If there is a mole in the FVC Unit,” Gabe said, “I’d like to know about it.”
“A mole, sir?”
Gabe flung a file at Eddie. The corner pierced him in the chest. The stinging sensation was probably more of a mental reaction.
“Cut the crap, LaCall.” Again, Gabe looked like he was gearing up to explode. “You were sent here under false pretenses. Who is your suspect?”
Eddie knew when to relent. He sucked in a deep breath and prepared to come clean.
* * *
Rio should’ve knocked. And she should’ve closed the door when she heard their voices, but she didn’t. Eddie and Gabe kept talking. Obviously, neither of them knew the door was cracked open.
“The Treasury Department does have reason to believe there is a leak in the FVC Unit.” Eddie’s confession floated out on a troubled tone. “More than one target under the Unit’s investigation seems to know what the Feds are going to do before we do it.”
Seriously? A leak. Oh, shit. This was bad. Wait...what was it Digger said...? A mole? Something about someone pretending to be something they weren’t. Eddie? Was she talking about Eddie?
Rio’s heart thudded against her chest.
“Who is your suspect?” Gabe asked.
“Well frankly, sir,” Eddie said, “I’ve backburnered the investigation in light of all that’s been going on.”
“Then who was your suspect?”
“I didn’t get far. Just preliminary assessments.” Eddie was stalling to answer. Why?
“Who?” Gabe said, more demanding this time.
“Well, oddly enough—” Eddie laughed. “At first I thought it might be Laraquette.”
Me
! Seriously? Eddie thought she was a crooked cop?
Gabe laughed out loud.
Thank you, Gabe
.
“She does live above a cop’s means. When her tires got knifed, I thought she’d pissed off one of her customers.” Eddie paused. “That was all before I found out about her father.”
Wait a second...! Before he found out about her father, he’d slept with her. Was that just part of the job? Had he used sex to reel her in easily?
“Well, I can see how you’d think that...in the beginning,” Gabe said. “But you couldn’t be more wrong about Laraquette.”
Rio pushed the door open to prevent the conversation from progressing further. Whatever Eddie’s other justifications might be, she didn’t want to hear them. She’d had her fill of Eddie LaCall. He’d screwed her for the last time.
Both men stopped. Silence stiffened the air.
Gabe fixed his eyes on Rio. “What’s up?” he asked.
Rio stepped inside the room. “I just wanted to confirm that Lester Perzinsky definitely knows something.” She wouldn’t give Eddie the satisfaction of seeing her true—hurt—feelings.
“He gave you something?” Eddie piped in anxiously.
Rio shook her head and kept her gaze fixed on Gabe. “No.” As far as she was concerned, Eddie LaCall no longer mattered. “Nothing yet. But he definitely has the answers.”
Eddie’s attention faded from the conversation as he took the time to answer his phone.
“Let’s just sit on him then,” Gabe said of Lester.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Rio agreed. “A couple of days in the hole will drive him crazy.” She laughed devilishly, having effectively shoved LaCall away from the foreground of her mind—for the time being. She opened the door and backed out into the hallway.
She’d told Gabe she didn’t have a desire for a partner. And look what happened when she was forced to pair up with one. Somebody was going to pay for this.
* * *
Oh, God
. Eddie rubbed his forehead with a one-handed massage. How much had she heard?
“Rio
…
” He leaped to his feet. “Wait up.” Considering the call he’d just gotten from her father’s private eye—Naomi was downstairs—Eddie should stick close to Rio.
Not that he necessarily thought Naomi was a danger to her, he just knew that his ex being anywhere near Rio was daunting, at the very least.
He chased after Rio in the hallway and literally bumped into Switzer.
“LaCall—” Switzer’s tone took on a smug pitch. “Your other girlfriend is downstairs asking for you.” His gleam of hatred left Eddie and traveled on to Rio and settled on her stoic poker face.
Her attention finally landed on Eddie. There was nothing in her eyes for him. No sorrow. No regret. No remorse. No nothing.
“Your girlfriend,” Switzer said again. “She’s downstairs. Asking for you.” He seemed to enjoy the idea of driving a wedge between Eddie and Rio. “You probably ought to go see her. You wouldn’t want to upset her in her condition.”
Eddie stuck his hand up in Switzer’s face, spanned his fingers out and held them there briefly before balling it into a fist. He let out a primitive growl and fought the urge to bitch-slap Switzer. Instead, Eddie shook a critical finger at him and then stormed past him without a word.
Damn it! Eddie slammed the butt of his palm against the elevator’s down button. Suddenly, things had gone tragically wrong.
Rio turned her back to him. She was really pissed. Or freaked out about Naomi being downstairs—
Oh, yeah. Naomi. Man, he didn’t have time for this.
Bradley appeared around the corner.
“Didn’t she get the order?” Eddie asked his coworker. He was the one who was supposed to have made the delivery.
That caught Rio’s attention. She turned around. “Order?”
“I had a restraining order issued this morning.” It was kind of futile now to think that his taking legal measures against Naomi would make Rio feel better.
“Well, apparently that did a lot of good,” she said in a voice so snarky that it stung Eddie’s ego.
“We can always arrest her if we go downstairs and she doesn’t leave immediately,” Bradley said with a shrug. “That’s one of the perks of being a Fed. We don’t have to wait for the police to arrive and catch her near you.”
Rio’s face lit up, like she was thinking she wanted to be the one to arrest Naomi. But the enthusiasm didn’t last long. It faded as quickly as it manifested. That wasn’t good.
“So Eddie...here’s your chance.” Her glare cut through him like a jagged knife. “Are you going to follow through? Or was this just another one of your games?”
“Rio...” He let her name linger on his tongue. He didn’t want to do this here. Not now. Not in the hallway. He was still on the job.
“Games?” Bradley asked. “What games?”
Rio cleared her throat. “Maybe we should go down and talk to her,” she said, changing the subject, as if she realized what she’d almost done. “She needs to understand that you are no longer an option for her.” Her bold stare ripped through Eddie. “If that is indeed the case.”
“It is.” Eddie dared to step toward her. “You got any ideas how I can do that?” Hell, he’d gotten a restraining order, and she was ignoring that.
“Just tell her,” Bradley said, without any sympathy for Naomi.
“Oh, I have. More than once.” Eddie shook his head. Naomi didn’t get it. No matter what he said or how cruel he was, she wouldn’t go away.
“Let’s give it one more try,” Rio said. Eddie felt like he was being led toward the firing squad after an inquisition.
“I really didn’t want you to see that side of me.” His statement was genuine, but the look of disbelief on her face suggested she didn’t believe it.
“You mean there’s something worse than what I’ve already seen?” Her words encased him in a cold, bitter chill.
“Don’t let her come between you guys,” Chris said. “That’s her goal.”
“I can tell you right now,” Rio said with snide laughter, “that’s not going to happen.”
“Good.” Chris’ tone perked up. Apparently, he didn’t catch the underlying sarcasm. “Go down there and present a united front.”
“You come, too,” Eddie said to Chris. If Bradley tagged along, there’d be that much more time for Eddie to cook up a good story to sell Rio about his undercover assignment here in the FVC Unit.
She shot him a rough glare and hit the lobby button inside the elevator. “You and me, LaCall.”
“Looking forward to it.” He gave her a smile, as if he meant every word. Of course he didn’t, not a one of them. At least, not until he could figure out a way to get her to forgive him.
“Why do I feel like I missed something?” Bradley said offhandedly.
Rio caught her breath and straightened her expression. “If push comes to shove,” she said to Bradley, focusing on the job, “you can always arrest her or escort her to the airport.” At least she wasn’t ready to expose Eddie. That had to count for something.
“After last night,” Bradley bit onto her hook with ease, “gladly.”
Either Naomi would leave town or she’d see the inside of a jail cell. Eddie liked that idea. Whatever it took to leave him with one less headache.
* * *
They rode the elevator to the first floor in silence. Rio's imagination ran wild with thoughts of arresting Naomi or at least running her out of town. But in the end, that would not solve her problems. Naomi could turn out to be no more the evil-hearted villain than Rio herself. She may be nothing more than a desperate woman trying to hold on to the good thing she’d found.
Funny, the thing they both wanted to hold on to so badly was a scoundrel. A man who had no qualms about using a woman to further his cause. Well, this was one woman he was going to regret exploiting.
The elevator doors opened and Naomi was standing with the security guards at the building’s entrance. Eddie moved closer to Rio. She shuddered. Pride urged her to shove Chris between herself and Eddie, but her instincts convinced her otherwise. Better to let Naomi think that she and Eddie were tight as ever.
“You’re still here?” Naomi spoke directly to Rio. “I figured, after last night, you would’ve hightailed it back to cry on daddy’s shoulder by now.” Her voice was filled with pseudo sympathy, evident by the fierce look she doused over Rio.
“Yes, I’m still here.” With grace and poise Rio stood her ground. “Lies don’t carry much weight with me.” She crooked her head and let her gaze drift up to meet Eddie’s.
He gave Rio one of those
it wasn’t me
looks. It had no effect on the ice pack chilling her heart—an ice pack that Eddie had placed there. And now, he’d have to suffer the consequences.
* * *
LaCall and Laraquette were acting weird. It made Chris wonder, but he had to stay focused. There was a job to do. The kind he really enjoyed.
“Miss Thomas,” he said to Naomi, “you should know—” He stepped toward her with smooth satisfaction spreading through him. This was the part of the job he loved the most. “A restraining order has been issued against you on behalf of Mr. LaCall.”
“I suppose that was your idea?” She looked at Rio with a measure of condescension and sucked in a deep breath. “He will never commit himself to you.” Desperation shrilled out in her voice. “He’ll keep stringing you along until a new and untried you comes along, and then...you’ll end up just like me. Nowhere.” Naomi choked on her own tears and the hurtful things she’d said.
Apparently, she didn’t care about the image she labeled on LaCall. It didn’t matter that he’d done none of the things she’d accused him of, other than refraining from committing to her. The only thing that seemed important to Naomi was that she get rid of Rio. It was like she thought that, sooner or later, LaCall would see that she was his perfect match.
“Rio’s not responsible for what’s going on here,” LaCall’s voice fossilized. “She didn’t know anything about the order until just now.” A chilled aloofness fell over his words. “Don’t go away mad...”
“Just go away, right?” Naomi’s voice broke. She shook her head. “I’m not going to do that.” She stood defiant, tears sliding down her cheeks. “One day, you’ll realize we were meant to be,” she said to LaCall. “And I plan to be here when that happens.”
“No, you’re not,” LaCall said without sympathy or regard for the girl. “There’s nothing for you here.” His cold glare snowed over Naomi like a brisk winter storm. “Go home.”