Retribution Boxed Set (Books One and Two) (31 page)

The right words wouldn’t form on his tongue. He
needed to tell her, but wanted to spare her at the same time. “I’m not sure how
to put this.”

“You just say it.” Her voice was anxious and
impatient at the same time.

“Castell filed charges against you.”

She stared at him for a hard moment, then blinked.
“For what?”

“Assault and battery.”

“I stabbed him in self-defense.” Outrage clouded
her features. “Any judge or jury would agree.”

“The evidence is in your favor.”

She paled. “He wants me. And he can’t find me. This
is his way of getting me to come to him. Oh, God.” She turned and sat on the
bed next to him.

“That’s what I think, too.”

She shifted, facing him. “I’m not going to do it.
He can’t make me. A lady from the job I was waiting to hear about called today.
I told her I could be there by Friday. If I can impress them with my cooking,
they’ll hire me. I can leave town. With this job, I can take care of myself,
and he can’t touch me.”

Sam shook his head, and the fired-up resistance
that burned in her gaze dwindled. “It’s not Paul you have to answer to. It’s a
judge. If you fail to show, the judge may hold you in contempt of court and
issue a bench warrant. In effect, Paul has ensured that you remain in town
and
will have to show your face.”

She inhaled a ragged breath. “What should I do? She
turned fearful eyes to him. “You can’t protect me from that.”

“The hell I can’t.” There was no way he’d ever
let Paul Castell get his hands on Janie again. “Me and Christian together with a
couple of other friends I have can do this. We’ll hold out as long as we can
and then have Eliana postpone the dates, ask for extensions, whatever we can do
to drag this out. I’ll go after him for drugs and anything else I can think of.”
He pinned her with his gaze. “I know you’ve been reluctant to talk about what
went on in your apartment, but there has to be something you can give me that
might help.” He lifted his brows, prompting her to answer.

“Seriously, I don’t know anything. I stayed away
from that business.”

“You had to have seen people come and go. Did you
catch any names? Anything might help.”

She raked her fingers through her freshly-washed
hair. “Um…there’s Brent, the guy that was in my apartment when we went there. I
think he’s just a user though. No one important.”

“At this point, everyone is important.”

“Lou? I don’t know his last name, but he came by
a lot. Then a tall guy with a star tattooed near his collarbone.”

“A star? What the hell? Was Castell somehow
involved with the Hardy drug ring? There had been rumors that Hardy might even
be connected to Donati, the person behind Nicole’s fiasco. Sam didn’t want to
scare Janie, but this might be more serious than she realized.

“Yeah, a little star right…” She touched a spot
at the base of her neck. “He had evil eyes, if you know what I mean. Always
watching. He made me nervous, so I left whenever he was around.”

“God, Janie.” He shook his head, not wanting to
think about her in such a serious situation.

“I know, okay?” she shot back at him. “I should
have left the first time anything crazy happened. But I had nowhere to go. And
then things were fine again. For a while.”

“Why didn’t you go home?”

“I couldn’t.”

That wasn’t a good enough reason in his mind. “Why
not?” he pressed.

She licked her bottom lip and then sucked it into
her mouth, anxiety leaving her expression bleak. “Home is almost two thousand
miles away. Not to mention, my parents would
love
it if I came home
begging for a place to stay.” Sudden tears spiked her lashes. “They bet me I’d
fail, and I’d be home within a month. It’s been six years, so technically they
were wrong, but I would still feel like a failure.” She took a breath, blinking
away her emotion. “I’m not giving up, and I’m not going home.”

Damn. Parents could be awfully cruel to their
children. “You’re not going to Texas, either.” He shook his head when she
frowned. “You’ll stay here. I’ll keep you safe, and we’ll make that bastard
regret the day he ever looked at you.”

She eyed him as though she wasn’t sure she should
trust him. “Maybe I should take my chances and not show up for the court date.”

“Yeah, if you want to go into hiding and work
jobs getting paid under the table slinging hamburgers. You’ll never be a
world-famous chef living like that. And living your whole life wondering who’s
two steps behind you is no way to live. You run, you’ll have Paul after you
along with the court system. I’d advise against it.”

He waited for her response, but she didn’t answer.
“What else can I say to convince you to give me a chance? If we can’t make this
work, I’ll personally help you hide.” He would. He’d do whatever was necessary
to keep her safe, even if it meant breaking the law.

“Fine. I’ll stay. For now.” She gave him a
tremulous smile, and his heart broke wide open.

He hugged her to him knowing he was pushing the
boundaries of their relationship, but he couldn’t resist. “You’re going to be
fine, Janie. I promise. There will most likely be a message from your lawyer on
your phone. Don’t call her back, yet. Give me a couple of days to see what we
can do.”

Sam left Janie in her room, giving her time to
adjust to his news. Christian had changed into one of the t-shirts his bar sold
for extra income, and Sam glanced at his watch. His friend would be leaving for
work soon.

“How’d she take it?” Christian asked, concern etched
in his serious gaze.

“She wants to run. I’ve convinced her to stay for
the time being. That gives me a couple of days to come up with a reason to
permanently get Castell off the streets. It’s the only way Janie will feel safe
enough to appear in court.”

“What are you planning?”

“I think the drug trafficking is my best chance. Better
than assault charges. Castell has been a pain in our ass for some time, but
we’ve never been able to charge him with anything more serious than a
misdemeanor. I’m going to dig so deep in this guy’s dealings and charge him
with everything I can find until I come across something big. Janie said one of
his colleagues has a star tattoo, and I’m going to guess Paul is not as small
time as we originally thought. My gut tells me he’s involved in something much,
much bigger, and I’m going to find out what it is and bury his ass. I’ll give
Ryan a call and see if his contacts have ever heard of Castell and see if they
have any different info on Hardy than what the bureau has.”

Sam walked into the Central Precinct an hour
before he was expected to arrive, eager to start delving into Paul Castell’s
history. He’d hated to leave the house and Janie early, but she was still
asleep, and the sooner he started pursuing leads to put Castell behind bars,
the better.

“You’re here early,” Clark Dyer said as Sam
entered his cubicle. The investigator sported bushy brown hair and a pair of
black-rimmed glasses that rested on his chubby cheeks. He might not have been
particularly blessed in the looks department, but he supposedly had a brilliant
mind.

However, Sam was still pissed at Clark for
missing a critical piece of evidence back when he’d been sure Nicole had been
guilty of grand larceny. Following that, the said piece of evidence
disappeared, and he’d started to wonder if the younger detective had somehow
been involved with the people who’d committed the crime. Sam had been angry
enough that he’d had the guy investigated. Lucky for Clark, he’d come out clean.
Time had lessened the tension between them, but it hadn’t completely
disappeared.

Clark’s oversight had almost cost him his
friendship with Xander and possible jail time for Nicole. Thankfully, the
couple had both forgiven Sam after the real thief had been caught. Since then though,
he’d tried not to see Clark as a complete imbecile, and unfortunately, they
still had to work together.

“I need your help,” Sam said. Maybe Clark would
see it as a chance to earn back his self-respect. “See what you can find on any
convicts who go by the name Angel. Might be Angel Hardy. He’ll have a small
star near his collarbone.”

“Is this for a new case you’re working on?”

“Yeah.” Sam eyed him with a look that dared him
to ask further questions. “I need this asap. I’ll give you an hour.” He’d likely
give him more time, but it didn’t hurt to set a deadline.

“No problem.” The guy turned to his computer
monitor acting slighted, and Sam didn’t miss his last-second eye-roll that he
was sure Clark hadn’t meant for him to see. Sam was beyond tempted to call him
on it, but he didn’t have time.

Back at his desk, he pulled up Castell’s electronic
file. There were a couple of arrests for possession of a controlled substance,
but he hadn’t been convicted for anything serious. No assault and battery
charges, either. No real time behind bars. He dug deeper and found Paul had
been represented by Philip Desmond. “Desmond. Desmond.” He wracked his brain
trying to remember how he knew that name. His eyebrows shot upward when he made
the connection.

Philip Desmond was the same attorney who’d
represented James “Angel” Hardy. He should have caught that sooner, especially
since he’d just been talking about Hardy to Clark.

It was becoming more and more obvious Castell
wasn’t a dumb, small-time crook. He might not have been arrested for anything
big, yet, but it would only be a matter of time if he was involved in Hardy’s
outfit.

Perhaps it was time to pay a visit to Castell’s
neighborhood. Sam didn’t have enough yet for a search warrant, but sometimes
just hanging around a place would provide clues. If Castell
had
gone big
time and Sam started poking around, someone would eventually poke back.

He locked his screen and picked up his keys as Noah
walked into their office. “Don’t bother putting your stuff down. We’re headed
out.”

Noah shifted directions and moved into the hall. “Where
are we going?”

“To hunt down some leads on a drug case.”

“Shouldn’t we involve Drug and Vice?”

“Not yet. Not until I have some actual proof.” He
pushed through the doors that led outside, not slowing his stride.

Noah rushed to keep up. “Who are we going after?”

“Paul Castell. I’ve been thinking about it, and I
figure Janie Singleton could use all the help she can get, not to mention,
we’ll get one more perp off the street.”

*        *        *

The block where Janie had previously lived was
busy with morning traffic when Sam and Noah arrived on scene. Sunshine coursed
down on the crowds who were making their way toward their jobs for the day. Sam
cruised the nearby streets, stopping at a coffee shop, grabbing two cups of his
favorite blend. He sat one in the drink holder, gave the other to Noah before
circling back around to park near Paul’s apartment.

“Don’t you think we should start by questioning
the neighbors instead of sitting here for hours on end?” Noah asked after
they’d been parked for forty minutes.

“I want to watch for a while, see who comes and
goes.”

“Then we’d be better to come back later when the
people who might have information have risen for another night of partying. No
one is going to be up this early.”

“Yeah? A spark of superiority flared inside him. “Then
who’s that? The scrawny punk he’d met in Janie’s apartment the night he’d
helped her clear out her belongings worked his way up the street, constantly
looking over his shoulder like he had something to hide. “Let’s go.”

He didn’t check to see if Noah would follow. Even
though he and his partner had only been working together for a short time, he
trusted him with his life. It was an unspoken oath. They always had each
other’s backs.

He grabbed Brent’s elbow and steered him away
from the front door. The kid nearly jumped out of his skin, but Sam didn’t
release him. “We’d like a word with you.” Noah took hold of his other arm, and
together, they escorted him around the side of the apartment building and off
the main street.

“I didn’t do nothing.” Brent struggled to be
free, but they held him in place.

“Remember me?” Sam asked getting close to his
face.

His bloodshot eyes grew larger. “You’re the dude
who was with Janie the other night. You’re a cop, right? He darted a glance at Noah
and then quickly looked away, shifting from one foot to the other.

“That’s right. And you work for Paul Castell.”

He shook his head vehemently. “Hell, no. I don’t
work for him.”

The kid was smart enough to recognize he didn’t
want to be considered a part of Paul’s organization.

“Then what’s your association with him?”

“I just come to see him for…to say hi.” But not
smart enough to totally avoid suspicion.

“He sells drugs to you, then?” Sam asked.

“What? The kid widened his eyes, overdoing the
innocent act. “I don’t use.”

“Uh-huh.” Noah pushed him against the rough brick
wall. “You normally this jittery?”

What a waste of humanity, Sam thought. “Look
kid…what’s your name?”

He looked nervously between the two of them. “Brent…Shaw.”

“Okay, Brent Shaw.” Noah leaned forward until his
gaze was level with the kid’s. “Let’s make a deal. You tell us what we want to
know, and we won’t drag you down to the station for distribution.”

He stared back at Noah his gaze turning confused
as though he wasn’t certain what the other cop wanted from him. “I don’t know
anything.”

“You know Paul Castell, don’t you?” Sam asked. When
the kid didn’t respond, he lowered his voice. “Don’t you?”

Brent stopped resisting their hold. “Look man. I say
anything, I’m dead. You want my life on your hands? He directed his response to
Noah, making Sam itch with irritation.
He’d
been the one to ask the
question, not Noah. Lack of respect would get the kid nowhere.

“And why would you be dead?” Noah pushed further.

“Because he told me so.”

“I think we should take him downtown,” Sam said
to Noah. “Don’t you?”

“Definitely.”

Brent started to struggle again. “What for? I
didn’t do anything.”

“Possession of meth,” Sam answered.

The kid’s demeanor broke into a satisfied grin. “If
I had any, I wouldn’t be here.”

Sam’s smile trumped his. “Oh? That must mean you
are
here to score, then.”

The look on the kid’s face dropped. “Oh, man. You
gotta listen to me.”

“Here’s how it’s going to work. You give us some
information on Castell’s next big drop, and we won’t rat you out.” Sam looked
to Noah, and his partner nodded. Sam was totally going with his gut instinct
that Castell
would
be involved in a substantial transaction, but the kid
didn’t know that.

Brent started to argue, but Noah cut him off.

“You wouldn’t rather be dead, would you?”

“But I will be if I talk.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. I’m pretty sure, though, if he
finds out you’ve spent all day with us down at the station, he’s going to think
you talked whether you did or didn’t. Do you think he’ll take that chance?” Sam
asked.

The kid went limp in their grasp as though that
would help him get away, but the two men held him up.

“Your choice,” Sam said.

The kid sighed. “You won’t let him know it was
me?”

“Why would we? You’re more valuable to us alive
than dead,” Noah responded.

“Okay.” Brent went back to holding up his own
weight and shifted his gaze down the alley between Paul’s building and the
neighboring one. “I’m not sure ‘cause they don’t tell me anything, but
sometimes I overhear stuff.” He paused until Noah urged him to continue.

He released a heavy sigh. “Paul had me talk to
Lou the other day, to tell him to call Paul.”

“Lou? What’s Lou’s last name?”

The kid hesitated for a second, looking for all
the world like he might die if he spoke another word. “Elliott.”

Noah nodded. “Continue.”

“He wanted me to tell Lou to call him. So I did. He
called Paul while I was there getting…something.” He seemed to realize he was
on the verge of another confession and blinked his eyes quickly as he looked
down. “They talked about receiving a package from someone named Angel, I
think.”

“Angel Hardy? James Hardy? Sam glanced to Noah
and saw the recognition in his eyes. Angel Hardy had known connections to an
infamous group of convicts, and Janie had said one of the guys had a star tattoo,
a known symbol of the powerful group.

Brent shrugged. “I don’t know. I heard him say
Angel.”

Noah pushed him harder against the wall. “Half-assed
information isn’t going to cut it, kid.”

“I don’t know.” His voice pitched. “He just said
Angel, okay?”

“When? Sam needed more information than just a
name.

“Saturday,” he stammered. “Castell has a warehouse
on River Street.”

“What time?” Noah took his turn interrogating,
and Sam could tell he loved this part of his job.

“I don’t know.”

“You’re making this awfully difficult, Brent. I
could still drag your ass down to the station.” Sam lifted a brow, promising
the kid he’d regret it if he didn’t make the right decision.

The kid’s eyes grew wild, and Sam could tell his
bit of pressure had been applied at the appropriate time.

“God’s truth, I don’t know.”

Sam jerked his arm as though to pull him toward
the car.

“Earlier in the day,” he squealed. “I don’t know
exactly what time, but they always do their transactions during the day. Like
noon or something. So they don’t look suspicious.”

“Or something? Noah raised a brow.

“I swear.” He glanced between both of them.
“That’s all I know.”

Sam released him and stepped back. “You’d better
not be jerking us around.”

Relief gushed over the kid’s face. “I’m not. I
swear.”

“Fine. We’ll let you go for now. But Mr. Brent
Shaw, don’t forget, we found you once. You jerk us around, and we’ll find you
again.” Sam pinned him with a gaze that had put the fear of God into more than
one criminal.

The punk didn’t wait for them to change their
minds. Instead of going back into the street, he gave Noah one more fearful
look before he headed down the alley and disappeared from sight.

“So, that’s how the infamous Sam Holden does it.”

Sam rolled his eyes. He admitted, he did have a
way with criminals, but he wasn’t one to brag about it. He was just grateful he
could use his skills to protect the innocent. “I don’t know. He seemed to be
more scared of you than me. Have you come across him before?”

“No.” Noah widened his eyes. “Never seen him
before. He’d better hope we don’t run into him again.”

Sam dismissed the feeling he was missing an
underlying current. More often than not, addicts displayed odd behavior, and
beyond Brent’s peculiar glances at Noah, nothing had been out of line. “Let’s
get the hell out of here. We’ve got a sting to set up.”

“Are we going to involve Drug and Vice? I feel
like they’re going to want a part of it.”

“I don’t have a problem with that.” The more cops
involved, the more likely the operation would go down smoothly.

Once they were back in the vehicle, Noah nailed
him with a discerning gaze, and Sam could see how his partner would eventually
develop his own visual tactics. “How did you know the kid would show?”

“I didn’t.” Not exactly. He’d made an accurate
guesstimate. Anyone on meth didn’t stay away from his buyer for too long. “I
just figured eventually someone would show up.”

“That’s a pretty good guess.”

Sam didn’t buy into his leading comment. Doing so
would only draw suspicion. He started the engine and eased into traffic. “Paul
might still be in the hospital, but someone’s gotta be directing the operation.
Especially since it sounds like another deal is about to go down. My guess is
Castell is still calling the shots, but maybe using Elliott as a mouthpiece. When
we get back to the office, we need to rundown what we can find on Lou Elliott. I’ve
already got Clark on Angel Hardy. We’ll start putting together a file and looking
for connections. I always thought Castell was a small time dealer, but if he’s
involved with Hardy, there’s some big time shit going down.”

Noah grinned. “I’m more than up for it.”

“I thought you might be.” Sam remembered when
he’d been involved in his first big case. Nothing like kicking some criminal
ass and taking names. Even better if it set Janie free from the maniac who’d
had such a hold on her life.