Love Inspired Suspense June 2014 Bundle 2 of 2: Forced Alliance\Out for Justice\No Place to Run (10 page)

“I don't intend to go anywhere,” Vanessa Armond snapped.

Connor and Josie helped her toward the big, dark house.

When they were safely inside, Vanessa Armond turned to Connor with wide, worried eyes. “What happened here? I came home to police tape and a burned bed. Where is my husband?”

* * *

Josie brought the tray of coffee and water over to the big wooden table across from the kitchen counter and placed it in front of Mrs. Armond. Connor had found pain pills and crackers.

“You need to drink this water,” he told Mrs. Armond.

After pouring them all some of the strong coffee, Josie sat down next to the fierce little woman. “As I already told you, he's safe. He's being guarded. But I have to explain to you, when he wakes up he will be questioned regarding the death of Lewanna Munford. And we've collected some incriminating evidence that he needs to explain, too.”

Vanessa said something in Italian that Josie could only interpret as derogatory toward the dearly departed Lewanna. “She knew to stay away. That was our agreement. I don't know about any evidence, but I do know that woman was supposed to stay out of my way.”

“You had an agreement with Lewanna?” Josie asked.

“I did.” Vanessa took a sip of her water. “I told her as long as she stayed out of the public eye and stayed away from my son and me, I would pay her a monthly allowance.”

Connor shook his head, then glanced over at Vanessa in disbelief. “You paid your husband's mistress?”

“To stay out of my way and to be discreet, yes.”

“Did you kill Lewanna?” Josie asked, trying to read the woman's body language and mood.

“No, no.” Vanessa started crying. “I didn't do that. I've been in New York visiting my sick mother.” She glared at Connor, obviously daring him to dispute her.

Josie wondered if her explanation was code for taking care of business. “And how is your mother?”

Vanessa's dark eyes boiled with rage. “She's in a retirement home.”

“I see. And I can get verification that you were with her over the last few days?”

“Yes.” Vanessa turned to Connor with a lethal glare. “You bring this into my home, after all Louis did for you?”

Josie had planned to get to this part, so she waited to see how Connor would handle Vanessa Armond's accusations.

“I didn't bring this,” Connor replied, his tone sure and firm. “Your husband did. But someone set him up. They killed Lewanna to scare him and then they tried to blow him up in his own bed. Then they came after him and shot him.” He hesitated, then added, “I believe someone planted that evidence.”

“What kind of evidence?” Vanessa asked.

“We aren't at liberty to say,” Josie replied, giving Connor a warning glance. For all they knew, Vanessa could have set up her husband.

Vanessa shuddered and started praying in Italian. “I tried to warn him. I tried to stop this. He never listens to me and now he's ruined everything.”

“Stop what?” Josie asked, still curious as to what Vanessa had been looking for out in the garage.

As if realizing she'd said something she shouldn't have, Vanessa clammed up. “I want my lawyer.”

“Why do you need a lawyer?” Connor asked.

“I won't tell you. And I won't tell her.”

“Our suspect has turned hostile,” Josie replied. “Time to call in my immediate superior.” She brought out her phone. “Of course, he'll have to question you at the FBI headquarters in town, and you know how the newshounds hang around, just waiting for a big story like this.”

“Stop,” Vanessa said, her finger in the air.

Connor took that as his cue, his nod toward Josie telling her he could make this work. “Vanessa, I know you think I betrayed Louis, but I didn't. I didn't give the FBI anything on him last year because I never found anything. I found the Benoit paintings, and that's all I did. He proved they belonged in his family, and he did the right thing by allowing them to be put on tour.”

He leaned toward her. “Neither you nor I gave up anything else to the FBI. But I've been watching your husband for some time now, hoping to get him into protective custody. He's scared now, but before all of this happened he'd agreed to talk to me. But someone scared him off. And because of my association with him, someone wants me dead now.”

“He should have killed you that night last year,” Vanessa said, anger turning her pale skin pink. “You. He's always favored you over the others.”

“What does that mean?” Josie asked, hoping the woman would slip up and give them a clue.

“Nothing.” Vanessa's fiery gaze stayed on Connor. “Louis has a lot of people doing his bidding, but this one—what my husband saw in him I'll never know. He didn't even have the guts to get rid of this con man when he had the chance.”

Josie shot Connor a questioning glance. “You do have the gift of persuasion on your side.”

“He has a lot more than that going for him,” Vanessa shouted. “Now he's accusing Louis of cooperating with the feds. Ha, that will never happen. And making up stories of Louis wanting to tell secrets. Nonsense.”

“Let's get back to the paintings,” Josie said. “Do you think someone is after them?”

Vanessa waved her bejeweled fingers in the air. “Those paintings are paltry compared to our real money,” she said on a smug breath. “And if you think this is all because you hung around here snooping, then you are deadly wrong.”

“Care to elaborate?” Josie retorted. “Is that why you were in the garage? To find something valuable? Or did you set the fire to hide some incriminating activities?”

“No.” Vanessa glanced back to the embers of the garage. “But I...I need to go back out to the garage. I had something stored out there. Very important papers.”

Josie leaned close. “Such as?”

“Such as none of your business,” Vanessa replied. “I want my lawyer.”

“Give us a minute,” Connor said. He got up and motioned Josie over to the kitchen sink. “I might be able to convince her to share,” he said. “I know a few things about her, too.”

“And you'll use that against her?”

“If I need to.”

“What do you know?” She wondered if he'd been playing her, telling her he'd never found enough to help put Armond away.

“We both know something we can use as leverage. Remember what Beaux told us?”

“Right.” Josie stared over at Vanessa Armond. “It's worth a try.” Then she whirled back to Connor. “Speaking of Beaux, have you seen him since we left him out on the road?”

“No.” Connor glanced outside, his phone already to his ear. “He's not answering. I'll go check on things and try to find him.”

“Don't be gone too long,” Josie replied. “Meanwhile, I'll get back to the lady of the house.”

Connor headed out, leaving Josie with Mrs. Armond.

“How's Lou?” Josie asked to test the waters.

Vanessa's head shot up. “What do you mean?”

Josie tapped her fingers on the table. “I mean how is your son doing?”

“You stay away from my boy.”

The look in Vanessa's dark eyes should have scared Josie, but instead it gave her an adrenaline rush. For the first time since this whole weird episode had started, she'd found a weak spot in the Armond armor. This mother would do anything to protect her only child, even if it meant breaking the law. Josie's father had tried to protect his family from his crimes, but in the end, his house of cards had caught up with him. And their family had crumbled.

The same thing was happening to the Armonds. She should feel sorry for this woman, but she couldn't find it in her heart to forgive just yet.

“I'm not going to harm your son, Mrs. Armond. But you both might be in danger. Someone is out to kill your entire family. Your husband is in and out of consciousness and being guarded by the police and the FBI, and you're scared about something that might have burned up in your garage. What about your son, Lou? Are you sure he's safe?”

Vanessa jumped up and started pulling at her blanket. “I have to talk to Louis. You need to take me to see my husband, right now.”

“I'll do that,” Josie said, getting up, too. “I think that's a very good idea.”

She buzzed Connor. When he didn't answer, she texted him.
We need to take her to see her husband.

“Let's go,” Vanessa said. “Now.”

“I have to wait for Connor and Big Beaux,” Josie said. “They should be here in a few minutes.”

But after ten minutes and still no sign of Connor, Josie got worried. “Are you able to walk?” she asked Vanessa.

“I'm fine.”

“Then we're going to find Connor.”

She took Vanessa by the arm. “And please, don't try anything, Mrs. Armond. I do have my weapon.”

“And so do I,” said the man standing at the open back door.

Josie held Mrs. Armond behind her but not for long. The woman gasped and rushed around her. “Lou.”

“It's me, Mom,” the dark-haired man said. “And I found these two snooping around outside.”

He pushed Connor and Big Beaux inside and shut the door.

“Now, together, I think we can get to the bottom of things,” he said, waving his semiautomatic in the air. “Because nobody's leaving here until we do.”

TWELVE

V
anessa Armond hugged her son, her Italian greeting swift and hard to interpret.

Connor focused on Josie, hoping to convey that now wouldn't be a good time to become a hero. She had her hand on her waistband, obviously going for her gun. But Lou Armond was a mean, ruthless son of a criminal who had the dark playboy looks that belied his cold personality. Right now, Lou's black eyes held a cruel intent. He'd waylaid Beaux and held him in the dark until someone convenient came along.

Connor had been that someone. Ambushed and now trapped, because Junior had made it clear he'd shoot Josie if Connor tried any tricks. Connor wouldn't put it past Lou to set that fire. He had appeared right after they'd arrived, but he'd held Beaux so the authorities didn't find them.

Lou hugged his mother but kept the gun on Connor and Beaux. Then he pointed the gun straight at Connor but his gaze hit on Josie. “Take out your weapon and place it on the floor, or someone might get hurt.”

Connor lifted his head toward Josie. “Leave her alone.”

She gave him a sharp glance, then trained her eyes on Lou Armond. “You look nothing like your father,” she said on a daring note. But she slowly took out her weapon and held the barrel down.

Connor watched as she mirrored Lou's every move. Was she trying to win the man over or get herself killed?

“On the floor,” Lou said. “Shove it over here.”

She kicked the gun with her booted foot, then glanced back at Connor.

Connor wanted to throw a dish towel at her. She was walking a thin, dangerous line here, trying to mess with a man who had no scruples. What was she up to?

“I take after my mother's side of the family, Agent Gilbert,” Lou replied with a touché attitude. He shoved her gun back behind him, near the open French doors out to the patio.

Josie's smile was sugary sweet, but her stance was all business. “Yes, I can see the resemblance.”

Vanessa made a throaty sound, but kept watching her son with adoring eyes.

Lou pushed his doting mother out of the way and stalked toward Josie. “What are you and this loser doing on my property?”

“It's your father's property,” Josie replied, nose to nose. “We wanted to do a little more investigating, but someone beat us to that. Did you set the garage on fire? I thought I saw someone standing on the second-floor landing in the garage. Was that you?”

Lou shook his head and waved his gun. Motioning for Connor and Beaux to go stand beside Josie, he paced between the heavy wooden breakfast table and the long kitchen counter, his dark gaze hot with anger. “Somebody is messing with my family, and I need to understand who and why. I don't like the FBI sniffing around and I especially don't like this mole nosing around our property.”

Connor inclined his head. “I've been called worse, but I wasn't nosing around. Your father mentioned the garage when he woke up from surgery. I owed it to him to come investigate, since he seemed worried about something.”

Lou snorted with disdain. “You don't have to investigate anything, since you're just a shadow for the FBI. I should have taken you out a long time ago, Randall.”

“Did you get a chance to chat with the fire chief and the police officers also milling around out there?” Josie asked, her tone so calm Connor couldn't help but be impressed. “They're preserving the crime scene and bagging evidence—even the tiniest bits of evidence. Your mother has already been checked over. She was inside that burning building.”

“They were too busy to notice us,” Lou said on a shrug, but he did glance over his shoulder. “I convinced Beaux to wait in the woods with me. We had such an interesting chat about the weather, politics and, oh, yes, that the FBI had confiscated my father's files and all of the Armond official vehicles.”

“He threatened to kill me,” Beaux said, his dark eyes bleary and red-rimmed. “Ain't nothing I could do but tell him the truth.”

Vanessa grated her words through a clenched jaw. “You're all trespassing. I'm beginning to think one of you started that fire to keep us—”

“Enough, Mother!” Lou pushed his mother into a chair. “The garage isn't a total loss, thanks to the rain and someone calling the ever-alert local volunteers. They've tromped all over the place out there, but we'll deal with that later.”

“Lou, please,” Vanessa said, her hands trembling in the air. “We need to get out of here. Someone tried to kill me tonight. We have to hurry, darling.”

Josie turned to Vanessa. “You never mentioned to us that someone tried to kill you. That's a whole new spin. Did you see someone else in the garage?”

Vanessa looked toward her son, her mouth opening and closing like a clam. “No. No one. Just a feeling.”

Lou put a plump finger to his lips. “Shh. The FBI is everywhere and so are their little spies.” He glared at Connor and Josie, hatred darkening his expression. “The big question right now is—what are we to do with these trespassers?”

Josie crossed her arms over her stomach and glared up at him. “I hear you've been out of the country. While your father took care of business.”

Lou advanced on her, the glint in his eyes raging like the earlier fire. “You're trying so hard to rattle my chains, but I'm the one holding the gun, remember?”

“I can see that,” Josie replied, her gaze sweeping over the stout, dark-haired man. “But you see, you can't do anything to help your father right now. If you tell us what you know, we can help you and your family. We're guarding your father for that very reason.”

“Oh, you want me to turn, right?” Lou stomped in a frantic pacing. “You're making up things, wanting me to think my father has agreed to protection from the FBI. That can't happen. I've waited a long time to tell the FBI what it can do with its cameras and listening devices and its petty spies. Now's my chance to do something. I came home to look after my father's interests while he's recovering.”

“Or you came home to finish the job,” Josie said in disgust. “I'm no fan of Louis Armond's, but even I smell a rat in this room. You've been living off your daddy's money for a long time now. But it's kind of you to be so concerned that you came home to help out, especially since we couldn't locate your mother or you when this happened.”

Lou grabbed her by the collar and brought her in front of him. “Hand me her gun,” he said to Beaux. With one weapon strapped over his shoulder, he waited for Beaux to hand him the other one.

The other man did as he asked, but Connor couldn't take seeing Josie's gun aimed at her head. He lunged, but Vanessa got in his way, her dainty, dirt-and-smut-covered shoe almost tripping him.

“My mother is very quick for her age, yes?” Lou said. He held Josie's gun to her temple. “Sit down, Mr. Randall, or I will shoot her.”

Connor counted to ten and took a seat. He had to stay cool for Josie's sake. “What do you want, Lou? You know you can't escape. The first responders might not have noticed you, but the FBI and the locals will be here all night investigating the fire. They'll move back to the house later, since the master bedroom is still a crime scene. This place will be full of lawmen in a few minutes.”

“I know that,” Lou replied. “That's why I'm taking her with me.”

“No,” Beaux and Connor both shouted. But Connor knew it was too late. He could see it in Josie's vivid, on-fire eyes. She wouldn't go with this man because she knew she'd never return.

Josie waited until Lou had her almost out the door, then she looked back at Connor. That look was a call to action. She grunted with all her might, then elbowed Lou Armond, and in a split second, her booted foot rammed into his midsection.

Lou dropped her gun and went down in a scream of pain. Josie grabbed her weapon, then held it over Lou's face before he could use his gun. “Let go of the rifle.”

He grunted and let the rifle drop beside him. Careful to keep her gun on him, Josie swooped down and kicked the rifle well away from his grasp.

Connor grabbed at Lou while Beaux went after Vanessa. Lou's mother was shouting and kicking, but Beaux held on. “I got her,” he shouted. Then he growled in her ear, “Hush up, Mrs. A. I ain't gonna hurt you.”

Lou let out a grunt, then started spouting profanity. “You'll all regret this, I can promise you that. You have no reason to hold us, you got that? No reason, no proof, no search warrants, nothing. You've got nothing on us, you hear me? You're breaking the law. My lawyer will see you in court.”

“I love visiting people in the courtroom,” Josie countered as she searched the room, her breath rasping. “I've got enough for now to at least take you both in for questioning. We found some interesting items in your daddy's safe.”

Lou's gaze collided with his mother's. “What are they talking about?”

“I...I don't know,” Vanessa said. “I never got past the garage. Someone threw something through a window and...the fire started and spread across the floor.” She looked genuinely frightened. “Lou, we've got to stop this.”

“Shut up!” her son shouted. His frowning face pulsed with an angry twitch. “I'm telling you, Randall, you will regret this.”

Connor took the sturdy garbage-bag tie Josie had hurriedly found in the big pantry and tied Lou's hands. Then she did the same for his mother.

“The only thing I regret is that you had your nasty hands on Agent Gilbert,” he grated in Lou's ear. “You're done here, Little Lou.”

Lou kept cursing and hissing right along with his spitfire mother. By the time the backup agents arrived, they were both tied to dining chairs, and Beaux and Connor held the guns on them while Josie gave a report to Sherwood and the other agents.

“Two more Armonds carted off to the big house,” Beaux said on a satisfied sigh after Sherwood had gone back to the garage. “I'm sorry about that, Connor.”

“It's okay,” Connor retorted, his gaze on Josie. He breathed a sigh of relief. “I'm so ready to be done with this.”

“Me, too,” she replied. “But right now, we need to see what the team found in that garage and possibly search it again before it gets trampled and rearranged.”

Beaux reluctantly left with the FBI after being promised he'd be under twenty-four-hour protective guard until he could testify against the Armonds. He understood he might have to go into some sort of witness-protection program, but the big man seemed relieved even after hearing that.

Lou shouted at him and called him a dead man walking, but Beaux didn't look back. In separate cars, they were all carted back to the city.

Connor should have been relieved, but he knew this wasn't over yet. It wouldn't be over until they rounded up everyone involved with the Armond dynasty. But that list was long, and it stretched out over the entire world. He didn't have enough time to bring them all in.

But he'd do it just to avoid seeing Josie held at gunpoint ever again.

* * *

Hours later in the predawn light, the charred remains of the big garage loomed like a dark hulk over what was left of the rainy night. Josie and Connor moved through the smoldering embers, careful of where they stepped. The forensic team had done a thorough job of bagging and tagging but Josie's gut told her something could still be hidden here.

They'd searched the whole house but had found nothing—no other computers or flash drives, no safes or obvious hiding places. Josie had checked behind paintings and gone through office cabinets. Armond had covered his tracks, except for the contents of that safe. Which stuck out like a sore thumb.

Josie held her flashlight high to shine over their path, lifting crime-scene tape away from the gutted remains. “The forensic team and the parish fire investigator have gone over this entire place, but they didn't find anything out of the ordinary.”

“Except the accelerant that they told us about,” Connor said. “Someone threw a Molotov cocktail through that side window.”

Josie lifted the flashlight to the broken window, then swept it over the fire trail scorched across the floor. She had a vague memory of a hulking shape on the stairs, but it could have just been a shadow. “So an arsonist is now on the loose. I wonder if that person is the same one trying to kill all of us, the same one who set up that low-explosive bomb. Or did someone just want to destroy incriminating materials in both cases?”

“And I wonder why you insisted on staying behind to search again,” Connor retorted. “I'm dirty, tired and in need of nourishment. But you, Agent Gilbert, you just keep on ticking.”

“I'm exhausted, too,” she said on a long sigh. “But both Vanessa and Lou Armond returned here for something. That woman was willing to die in this fire to find whatever she believes is in this garage. What if someone was trying to get that money and those invoices
out
of the safe and just ran out of time?”

Connor shrugged. “It's possible. But a team of agents and experts just left without finding a thing,” Connor reminded her. “They found the source of the fire but nothing to pin on anyone.”

“But they'll definitely question the Armonds—you can count on that. For all we know, Vanessa started the fire. I did find her near the side door.” She glanced up at the stairs again.

“I understand she's a suspect, and I'm extremely glad she and Little Lou are in good hands now,” he said, “but don't you think we should get out of here before somebody else shows up?”

She whirled on him. “Stop trying to convince me to leave, and start thinking like a criminal, okay? You do remember how to do that, don't you?”

Surprised, he tugged a hand through his hair. “You want me to think like a criminal?”

“Yes.” She held the flashlight down. “There is something very valuable in here, something that could either make someone rich or do someone a lot of harm. Could it have been in one of those upper rooms?”