Dangerous to Her (18 page)

Chapter 18

P
ain throbbed steadily at Dom’s temple, tempting him to slide into the darkness once again, but he refused to go. He tried to move his arms and legs, but they remained still, encased in quicksand that was about to swallow him whole.

Desperately, he opened his eyes, blinking until his vision finally cleared.

Dom stared at the man standing before him, leaning against a stack of crates with his arms crossed over his chest. “You killed Joel, didn’t you? You planted the drugs?”

Straightening, Cam walked toward him. “Sorry, bloke. I can’t take credit for the drugs.” Cam pulled at the rope binding Dom’s wrists together, testing to make sure they had no give. “I’m afraid those were already there when Joel and I had our little disagreement.”

“Disagreement about what? How soon you’d be going to hell?”

“Tsk tsk, now. Let’s not make this personal, Dom. It’s not.”

Disbelief couldn’t have hit him any stronger. “You trying to kill me, Mattie and her brother? I take that personally.”

“Well you shouldn’t. This is all Frank Manelli’s fault, you know.” Pulling the gun from his holster, Cam crouched and shoved it underneath Dom’s chin. “He cheated on Grace again and again. After he was out of the picture, I poured my heart out to her and you know what she said? That she could never love me the way she loves him. That she filed for divorce to scare him straight.” Cam looked at Dom, his confusion obvious, but he didn’t lower the gun. “How stupid is that?”

“So you tortured him? Stripped the skin from his body?”

“Maybe I enjoyed that a little too much, but in truth I was counting on Guapo’s men getting rid of him. Only my plan backfired. I needed to know the confidential informant’s identity, Dom, or Guapo was going to come after me.”

“You know the CI’s identity now. Go. Tell Guapo. Let him come after Tony himself.”

He shook his head then stroked the barrel of his gun down Dom’s cheek. “Don’t play with me, Dom. You know I have to take him to Guapo. But first I have to kill you and Mattie.”

Cam straightened, lifted the gun, and pointed it at Dom.

“At least tell me—why Joel?”

Cam laughed. “The lieutenant would be proud of you, L.B. No flinching or begging from you. But that’s why you can’t understand, Dom. You’re like Robocop. You didn’t even understand about Joel and Tawny. But Grace—” He took a deep, pained breath. “I love her, man. Everything I’ve done, I’ve done for her.”

Robocop? Dom felt all right. Despite what Cam or anyone else thought. “Joel understood, even if I couldn’t. So why’d you kill him?”

“He didn’t understand,” Cam roared, his eyes turning wild. “Otherwise he would never have tried to help Frank. My only chance with Grace was getting Frank out of the picture, and I had the perfect opportunity. He’s not just a cheat, Dom, he’s a thief. He took the drugs from Guapo during the raid and Joel found out about it. He made Manelli give him the drugs, then was going to turn him in.”

“How’d you get involved, Cam?”

“He called me. Told me the whole thing. Asked me to take a freaking report and book the drugs into evidence!”

“Why not do it? Manelli’s reputation would have been destroyed. He would’ve gone to prison—”

“And she would have waited for him. No. I wanted Frank dead. And he would have been if Joel had just let Guapo have him.”

“So you killed Joel?”

Cam frowned, bewilderment flashing across his face. “No. No, I never meant to hurt him. That—it was an accident. But once Joel was gone, I tried to set the record straight with Guapo. I told him about Manelli. Instead of taking care of Frank, he decided to use me to find out who the CI was. Only Manelli couldn’t identify him and I had no clue who it was. How’s that for a laugh?”

“So Falcon. Linda Delaney. Even Judge Butler?”

“Falcon wasn’t my doing. All the D.A. and the judge had to do was tell me who it was, but they wouldn’t. And for who? A two-time druggie?”

“A two-time druggie who was trying to turn his life around.”

“You don’t know—” Cam’s hand jerked at the sound of a gunshot. They stared at one another.

“No,” Dom whispered. With a roar of fury, he struggled against his binds.

Don’t die, Mattie-mine. Don’t leave me. Our daughter needs us and I need you, too. More than I ever thought possible.

“Damn,” Cam said. He rushed to a side door, opened it, and peered outside. “Sabon!” he shouted. “Sabon, answer me.”

No answer came.

That was good. It slowed the frantic beating of Dom’s pulse. It enabled Dom to start thinking again. “Cam,” he called, praying Tony had found Mattie and they’d escaped. “Did you ever think that Grace might’ve been scared? That she really did love you?”

Still holding the door open, Cam glanced at him. “What the hell are you talking about now?”

“Frank hurt her, Cam. Maybe she was just reluctant to get involved with another cop. But Frank’s out of the picture now, just like you wanted. You still have a chance with her, Cam. You can leave. Just disappear.”

“And how am I supposed to have Grace if I disappear?” he spat back.

Dom took a deep breath. “I don’t know. But after this, there’s no going back. We were friends, Cam. Do the right thing. Please.”

Cam stared at Dom and slowly smiled. “Sorry, Dom. There’s already no going back. I guess this is it. Our final game. Who still has a pulse out there? Is it Mattie and her brother, or the dirty drug dealer?”

“Damn it, Cam. Wait—” Dom let out a long roar as Cam disappeared. He heard the turning of a lock.

Immediately, Dom began working at his binds again but Cam had restrained him well. He looked around for something—anything—he could use to work the ropes free. Eyes zooming in on the crate Cam had leaned against, he used his body weight to turn the chair. Inch by meager inch, he managed to work himself toward it until it was directly behind him and he could drag his bound wrists across the edge.

It took precious moments for her to rouse Tony and get him out of the warehouse. Supporting his weight, they stumbled outside. When she saw Dom’s truck parked haphazardly with the doors open, she forced herself to walk past it.

Everything Cam had said was a lie. She should never have believed that Dom would turn his back on her for any reason, let alone a fight.

But where was he? And did he know about Cam?

She lowered Tony to the ground as gently as she could, acutely aware of his moans of pain. “I’ll be right back, Tony. I have to get Dom.”

As she rose to her feet, Tony grabbed her wrist. “Wait, Mattie— Think of Jordan. She needs you.”

“I have to help him!” Mattie shouted as she managed to break free. She ran toward a blue metal door kitty-corner from the one they’d exited. “Please, please,” she whispered. “Don’t let Dom be hurt.”

She reached for the door handle and flung the door open. The scream ripped out of her throat like the bullet she’d used to kill Sabon.

Before she could veer away, Cameron Blake, his face contorted into a cold mask of rage, grabbed her, whirled her around and got her in a chokehold. “I’ll snap her neck,” he warned Tony, who’d somehow gotten to his feet and been right behind her. Her brother’s gaze met hers, then darted over her shoulder even as he swayed, blinking and trying to hang on to consciousness.

“Don’t hurt her,” Tony gasped out.

“Worry about yourself, my friend. I’m assuming you got the better of Sabon, but unfortunately for all of us, I still need you. You’re going to talk to Guapo’s men and you’re going to confess what you did or I’m going to hurt your sister here.”

Several loud thuds echoed from inside, making them all jerk. Mattie could barely hear a voice shouting her name.

It was Dominic.

He was alive and still trying to save her.

Tony shook his head. “They’ll kill her. You know they will.”

“No—” Mattie screamed, struggling for a few seconds before the band around her throat tightened. With a jerk of his arm, Cam lifted her off her feet and cut off her air supply. She gasped and wheezed, clawing at his arm even as her vision blurred. She could just make out Tony stumbling forward before he lost his balance and fell to his knees.

Please, no. Not now. Not like this.

Immediately, the vise around her throat loosened and she sucked in breath.

“Better her than me. Now let’s go. Into the car.”

With an arm still around Mattie, Cam frog-marched her to Tony. With his free hand, he gripped her brother by his shirt collar and dragged him up. Another thud from inside had him turning his head to glance behind him. “Now,” he gritted.

He shoved Tony toward his car, then threw him the keys. They fell at Tony’s feet. “Open the trunk.”

The thuds from inside stopped.

“Now,” Cam screamed, jerking Mattie off her feet once more.

“Okay, okay,” Tony said. He picked up the keys, fumbled at the lock for several seconds, then finally opened the trunk.

“Get in,” Cam ordered.

Clumsily, he did.

Cam began to drag her toward the open trunk as well. “We’re going for a ride.”

“No.” Mattie wriggled, throwing herself from side to side. If she got into that trunk, she’d never see Dom again. She’d never see Jordan. And that was not acceptable.

Her shoes scraped against the pavement as he continued to drag her. When she flung herself forward, however, his grip slipped and he struggled for balance. Instinctively, she tucked her chin into her neck and bit into the flesh of his forearm.

He shouted and pulled away, but Mattie hung on, grinding her teeth in even deeper until a sudden blow to her head made her jaw loosen. He swung her around, and slapped her so hard she staggered into the car and thumped her head against it. Pain exploded in the back of her head and she felt her feet give way beneath her. Slowly, she slid to the ground.

All she saw were four jean-clad legs walking toward her, the force of the blow causing her to see double. But wait—

Those weren’t four of Cam’s legs. Those were two pairs of legs. That meant…

Forcing her chin up, she saw two large forms wrestling. Dom and Cam, so comparably matched in size and strength. But even in her dazed state, Mattie could see the rage on Dom’s face as well as the small spark of fear that had formed on Cam’s.

She couldn’t see individual movements. Couldn’t separate one punch from another. But she could see the way Cam’s head jerked back over and over again until he was backing away from Dom and into the car behind her, like a heavyweight fighter on the ropes.

“I’ll kill you for hurting her,” Dom shouted. “You’re dead, do you hear me? You’re dead.”

“Dominic,” she tried to shout, but it came out as a whisper. She flinched when she felt something grab her.

“It’s me. It’s Tony.” Her brother slumped against her. Even as Mattie pulled him close, she called out for Dominic, her voice getting stronger with each word until she was screaming.

He finally heard her. With a shove, he pushed Cam to the ground and knelt beside Mattie. Gently, he pulled her from Tony’s arms and embraced her. “Are you okay, baby?”

She nodded. Over his shoulder, she saw Cam stagger to his feet and start to run toward the main road. “Dominic,” she croaked, “he’s getting away.”

“He’s hurt and he doesn’t have a gun.” He gestured to a gun he had tucked into his pants, then gently turned her face towards his. “You’re what matters to me, Mattie, and I’m not leaving your side.”

“But—”

He shook his head. “Shhh. It’s okay, baby. Where’s he going to go? He’ll get his due. I have no doubt about that.”

He leaned back against the car with her and though he tried to hide it, she saw him wince. “Are you hurt?” It was a stupid question, given the fact that his face was bruised, swollen, and cut up. It was what she couldn’t see that worried her, however, and she immediately got to her knees and began running her hands over him.

“My shoulder,” he gritted from between clenched teeth. “I think I dislocated it trying to get the hell out of that room.”

“Oh, no.”

He shook his head and put his good arm around her, pulling her back toward him. “I’ve been hurt worse. It’s nothing compared to how I felt when I couldn’t get to you.” He leaned forward and looked at Tony, whose head was tipped back, his eyes closed. “Tony was really brave. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to you. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner.”

Tony smiled slightly. “You’re just saying that because I’m going to be your—” he hissed with pain as he shifted his legs “—your star witness as soon as the district attorney charges Cam with a whole helluva lot of crimes.”

“Not my star witness,” Dom said. “I’m not talking you into anything, Tony.”

When he looked at Mattie, checking for her reaction, she smiled. “It is Tony’s decision, but I trust your advice, whatever that is.” Careful of his shoulder, she laid her head on his chest, her hand covering his strong heartbeat. A few minutes later, when they heard the sirens in the distance, Mattie turned her face into his neck. “I—I killed him. I shot Sabon.” Her voice wavered as shock settled in.

“Good,” was Dom’s only response. Closing her eyes, she clung to him even tighter.

To the man who cared about her safety above all else.

Chapter 19

M
attie was a killer but she couldn’t feel remorse for her actions. Michael Sabon had tried to hurt her and her family, and she wouldn’t hesitate to kill again in order to stop him. Unfortunately, however, when you killed the brother of a renowned drug king, especially when your brother was already wanted by the same drug king, it tended to complicate things.

Even though Linda had regained consciousness several days ago, she was still pumped full of drugs. Sleeping now in her hospital room, she wouldn’t remember Tony’s tender kiss. He slipped an envelope that contained both Mattie’s letter and his own, under her pillow.

Dom had been right. Cam hadn’t had anywhere to go. Police had found him and booked him into jail. Even though he’d been given protective custody as a former police officer, he’d been killed in his cell, his throat slit. Although his cell mate had claimed self-defense, no one doubted that he’d been acting under Guapo’s orders.

As for them, Mattie, Tony and Jordan were officially being entered into the witness protection program. They couldn’t be certain that, before he’d been killed, Cam hadn’t told even one person that Tony was the confidential informant who’d sold Guapo out. It was either witness protection or spending the rest of their lives fearing that Guapo’s men would someday come for them. They’d be leaving Sacramento tomorrow morning.

“We should be going,” Mattie whispered to Tony.

Together they walked to the door. “I’ve always wanted to see more of the United States.”

She nodded and linked arms with him, trying to be brave just as he was. “It’ll be exciting, not knowing where we’re going. An adventure.”

Out in the hallway, Dom and Jordan barely looked up from their game of thumb wars. Jordan giggled when Dom “lost” and feigned outrage.

“You’ve got a ringer here, Mattie.”

“Don’t I know it.” She ruffled Jordan’s hair, so proud of her daughter and the man she loved. When he’d told Mattie and Tony about the witness protection program, he’d thrown in one other detail—that he wanted to come with them. “Can you be a cop in the witness protection program?” He’d looked at her with steady eyes and said, “I don’t see why not. But even if I can’t, I still want to come with you anyway.”

It shouldn’t have been enough. Law enforcement was in his blood, and even if he quit altogether, he’d likely made enemies that might come after him. No one doubted that if Guapo ever found out where Mattie or Tony were, anyone with them would be in danger, too. But instead of bringing that all up, Mattie had done what Dom was finally doing—she’d trusted their love to get them through anything.

They were waiting to tell Jordan that Dom was her father simply because it might be one change too many for her to handle. But in the past week, Jordan had already formed a strong bond with the man she called “Dommy.” It would only get stronger with time.

Dom stood, gave her a hug, then nodded at Tony. “Everything go okay in there?”

“She never woke up. I only wish I could tell her…” Tony shrugged. “Even with the letter I left, she’ll never really know how much she meant to me.”

Mattie took his hand. “She’ll know, Tony.”

After squeezing her hand, Tony tickled Jordan, eliciting squeals of laughter, then began walking down the hall backwards. “Come on, squirt.”

Watching them, Mattie couldn’t help but sigh.

Dom tipped her chin up. “Hey there. No worrying now. It’ll be good for him. A whole new start. Plus, with all the kids we’re going to have, he’s not going to have much time to get into trouble.”

She was drowning in the brilliant blue of his eyes. The color still reminded her of the sea—turbulent at times, peaceful at others, but always rocking. With Dom, her life would never come with guarantees, but she knew a good bet when she saw one. Mattie smiled. “Oh. Lots of kids, huh?”

“Sure. A dozen at least.”

“And you know this how?”

“The future’s looking pretty clear to me right now. In fact, I’m sensing something else.” He gave an exaggerated frown and lifted a hand to his forehead. “Wait, it’s something about where we’re going to be living soon.”

She slapped at his arm. “Did you find out where we’re going?”

He lowered his arm only to place both hands on her shoulders. “No, babe. That’s not how it works. But it doesn’t matter where we go, as long as the state meets some simple requirements.”

“Which are?”

“Don’t you know?” He leaned down, kissed her gently, and whispered in her ear, “Broad streets, a wraparound porch, blue shutters and—”

“—the best apple pie ever,” they finished together.

“I love you, Mattie. I’m so lucky to have found you again.”

“And I’m so lucky you found me.”

Hand in hand, with Jordan and Tony in front of them, Mattie’s family walked toward home.