Sex, Lies and Surveillance (23 page)

Janey laid down the law the second she got into Bennett’s limousine.

“There will be no touching. You will keep your hands to yourself. You will do exactly as I tell you and we will get along just fine tonight. Do you understand?”

“I see you’re just as feisty as ever, Janey.” Bennett leaned back into plush upholstery, looking like a lazy tomcat stalking his prey. “I like that in a woman.”

She refused to be intimidated. “Well, you’re going to have to like it in someone else.”

“You tell him, Janey.” Mal’s voice rasped in her ear, courtesy of Jimmy’s miniature receiver.

Her senses went on full alert at the sound of his voice. She wouldn’t need to pretend to be interested in Bennett. All Mal had to do was whisper in her ear all night and she’d be hot.

Mal asked, “You’re sure his parents relayed the information about tonight to Wilson’s mother?”

A shiver ran up spine, but a quick look at Bennett checking himself out in the darkened window took care of that. “Mal wants to know if your parents told Mrs. Wilson where we’d be tonight.”

“I was right there while they did.”

“Okay.” Mal sighed, inducing a tingle in her tummy. “I’ll be close all night, Janey. You tell that sleaze if he touches you, I’m gonna hurt him.”

Janey smiled at Bennett, who was so shocked, he didn’t return it. “We’re ready to go.”

Janey never caught a glimpse of Mal all through dinner at the trendy little Italian place they’d settled on. Its coziness and limited seating made it easier for Mal to watch and cut down on the number of access points.

He was somewhere on the street right now. He hadn’t said much since they’d sat down and Bennett had behaved himself so far. They’d actually had a conversation.

The man was amusing, in his own self-serving way. He had a sarcastic wit and a wealth of Hollywood insider stories that would have made the filthiest tabloids cry uncle.

But by dessert, when nothing had happened, she was beginning to wonder if she’d made a mistake. Perhaps Carla Wilson wasn’t the stalker after all.

“So.” Bennett leaned back in his chair, predatory stare returning. “Do we return to my hotel to see if she shows up?”

“No way in hell,” was Mal’s reply.

“I think Mal’s opposed to that. Why don’t you take me home and we’ll go from there.”

“Why, I’d love to go back to your place.” Bennett’s voice oozed sexual innuendo and Janey considered popping him in the nose. Just a tap. Just to wipe that look off his face.

“You’re never going to see the inside of my home, Bennett.”

“Never say never.”

She was sure this was one of those times when never
definitely
meant never but she guessed he’d have to discover that for himself. “Are there any skeletons in your closet you haven’t told us about?” Janey watched Bennett carefully but the man never flinched.

“No, my dear. Believe me, if I had skeletons, the world would know. But you’re welcome to examine my closets, if that will help.”

Mal snorted. “I guess dating blondes young enough to be his daughter isn’t enough of a skeleton in Hollywood.”

“Mal would like to know if any of your young, blonde female friends may have it in for you.”

Bennett didn’t even have the grace to look embarrassed. “I’m always looking for new talent. Here you go, Janey. Safe and sound at your door.”

She looked out the window at her building. Damn it. She hated to be wrong and she’d been so sure about Carla Wilson.

Bennett’s bodyguard opened the door for Bennett to get out and walk her to the door.

Janey wasn’t sure what happened next—if she first heard Mal yelling in her ear to get down or whether she realized Chris had fallen to the ground, clutching his leg. She knelt beside him instinctively, smelling gunpowder in the air and realizing that someone had shot at them from the alley just down the street.

***

Mal had parked his car around the corner and was just walking up the street when he heard the gunshot.

“Janey, get down, get down!”

He started to run, trying to stick to the shadows, and saw the bodyguard fall. Saw Bennett cower behind the car and then watched Janey go down next to the bodyguard. Now he didn’t care if the shooter saw him or not.

“Janey, oh Jesus, Janey. Are you hurt?”

Someone was shouting from the alley next to Janey’s building.

“Randy, you bastard.” A woman’s voice screamed. “How could you? You told me you loved me. You promised we’d be together.”

Another shot rang out, hitting a garbage can on the other side of the street. She seemed to be aiming at Bennett as he slinked along the side of the limo, trying to put the car between him and the gun.

“Carla, why don’t you put the gun down so we can talk?” Bennett yelled, his voice shaking. “I’m listening.”

Finally, Mal reached Janey. “Are you okay?”

She looked up at him, her eyes wide, hands covered in blood. “Chris is bleeding really badly.”

Vertigo assailed Mal at the sight of all the blood.

In his mind’s eye, he saw Dev.

His twenty-five-year-old partner with a bullet hole in his chest and a god-awful exit wound on his back. Begging Mal to tell his family he loved them. To make sure they understood.

Son, suck it up. This isn’t Dev.

“Mal, we need an ambulance.”

He snapped back into the present and there was Janey again, covered in blood.

He grabbed her by the arms, unable to stop himself. “Are you okay?”

“Mal.” She stared right into his eyes. “I’m fine. Really. But Chris needs a doctor.”

“Carla, I don’t understand.” Bennett hid behind the limo, still talking. “Why don’t you put the gun down and we can talk about this?”

“You don’t want to talk. All those letters. You never responded. You ignored me like I was some stupid
fan
. I’m not a fan, Randy. I
loved
you.”

“I didn’t know who the letters were from.” Bennett’s voice started to show signs of stress—shaky and weak. “You never signed them. You never told me.”

“You should have known, you bastard. You’re just another scum like all the rest.” The woman sobbed. “I was so stupid. I thought you were different. But you only ever wanted those young girls. All those blondes you took out for drinks and took back to your hotel room. You never wanted me.”

Mal cringed at the despair in the woman’s voice. “While she’s busy with Bennett, let’s get Chris out of the line of fire.”

Janey nodded and together they dragged the bodyguard to the other side of the car.

“I’m going to make sure you never get the chance to hurt me again, Randy. But first I’ll make you watch this bitch die. Then she’ll never be able to get between us again.”

Mal’s blood went cold. Carla Wilson was talking about killing Janey.

“Stay down.” He had to force the words past his locked jaw. “I’m gonna go through your place and take her out from behind.” Then he planted a quick kiss on her lips and looked her straight in the eyes. “I love you. Call 9-1-1.”

Turning and leaving her there in that alley was the hardest thing Mal had ever done. He wanted to hurry but he knew one mistake and he’d lose the element of surprise. Easing through the shadows, he made it to Janey’s door without attracting the woman’s attention and slipped into the building. Then he ran through her home like the hounds of hell were on his heels. When he finally reached the door leading into the alley, he cracked it open silently, hearing sirens getting closer.

“You lied to me, you bastard.” Carla sounded pissed again. No longer weepy. Pissed was definitely more dangerous. “I don’t care if I go to jail. It’ll be worth it if you’re dead.”

“Carla, come on. Let’s talk about this rationally.” Bennett pitched his voice with just enough sincerity that Mal could almost believe him. “You can’t mean that.”

Unfortunately, Carla didn’t.

“I mean every damn word of it.” Her voice had turned hard, ugly. “You better make your peace, Randy, because I’m going to send you to hell.”

The woman never saw Mal coming. She was so focused on Bennett, she noticed too late that Mal had sneaked up behind her.

With a gasp, she turned to confront him, swinging the gun to aim at him. A shot went wild as Mal grabbed her arm with one hand and the gun with the other.

It didn’t take much to overpower her and by the time the police cars parked, he had Carla Wilson on the ground and the situation under control.

At least he had Bennett’s situation under control. His life was still completely fucked up.

He needed to tell Janey everything. And hoped like hell she still wanted to speak to him afterward.

***

“You’ve got a hell of a lot of explaining to do.”

Sitting on the top step leading to her door giving a patrolman her statement, Janey saw Luke walking down the street, looking street-tough and dangerous in black boots, ripped jeans and a black leather jacket.

Shit. She didn’t want to do this tonight. All she wanted was to go inside and have a glass of wine, then crawl in bed with Mal.

Standing, she got ready to cut Luke down to size, but he never acknowledged her. He headed straight for Mal, who was sitting on the curb by the street.

Mal rose but didn’t say anything, looking the other man straight in the eyes.

“I’m sorry.” She nodded to the patrolman. “Could you excuse me for just a minute?”

“You son of a bitch.” Luke was on top of Mal before Janey could get there.

By the time she had, Luke had decked Mal with a right hook. Mal didn’t flinch or make a move to protect himself, just took the hit on his chin.

“Hey!” Janey’s outraged yell attracted the attention of the patrolman who was standing closest. The patrolman looked ready to intervene but Mal held up one hand.

“Did you think no one would find out?” Luke pitched his voice low, his handsome face distorted in rage. “You son of a bitch, you’re gonna wish you’d never been born.”

Janey stepped between them, but Mal moved her gently out of the way.

When Luke raised his arm again, she grabbed for him. “What the hell are you doing? Luke, calm down or I’m going to have you taken away.”

“You haven’t told her yet, have you?”

That got her attention. She looked at Mal, found him staring at her, his expression blank.

“Told me what?”

“Go on, do it.” Luke’s voice was unyielding. “If you don’t, I will. Tell her about the call you made to my chief this afternoon.”

Her pulse thundered until she could hear it throbbing in her ears. “Tell me what? Mal?”

Maybe she didn’t want to know, if the look on Mal’s face was anything to go by.

“Janey, why don’t you come with me?” Luke tried to pull her away. “We can—”

She dug in her heels. “Luke, I think you should leave.”

He shook his head. “No way. Janey, you don’t know—”

“You’re right. I don’t. But I’m going to. You’d better go.”

She deliberately turned away. “Mal, let’s go in.”

He nodded and sent Luke an inscrutable look before meeting her gaze again. “Yeah. We need to talk.”

Okay, now she really didn’t want to know.

She felt sick as she told the patrolman she would come down to the station tomorrow to make a formal statement. When she’d finished, she saw Mal leaning against her front door, head down. He looked…forlorn.

It had been only minutes ago that he’d told her he loved her.

He raised his head slowly as she approached. His hair was mussed, and she reached out to push it behind his ears. She stopped when she realized she had blood all over her hands.

The look on his face when she pulled away might have broken her heart if she wasn’t so damn scared about what he had to say. What Luke had been so angry about.

With shaking hands, she opened the door and waved him through.

“Do you want something to drink?” She moved to the sink and began to scrub at her hands with dish detergent. She knew from experience that regular hand soap wouldn’t get the blood off. Her dress was a complete ruin. The blood would never come out of the silk.

“No.”

“Okay.” She dried her hands on the dishtowel far too long before turning. “Tell me how bad it is.”

He’d sat at the table, rigid in the hard wooden chair. He met her gaze. “Bad.”

She dropped her gaze and felt her way into the chair across the table. Her chest felt like she’d taken the brunt of a full roundhouse.

“You know my partner Dev was killed, but what you don’t know is how. He was killed with a gun he bought from Carabini.”

She started to hyperventilate.

Mal stared straight through her. “Damon Mays shot him. I couldn’t do a damn thing to save him.” He looked down at his hands, spread on his knees. “I nearly killed Damon with my bare hands. I would have if another agent hadn’t gotten there in time to stop me.”

She hadn’t been able to track those guns fast enough, and Mal’s partner had paid the price. A young man had died.

She wanted to crawl in a hole somewhere and never come out.

She swallowed a sob. “I’m so sorry.”

His head shot up. “That wasn’t your fault. If it hadn’t been Carabini’s guns, it would have been someone else’s. It wasn’t your fault.”

She’d screwed up. She hadn’t been good enough. “I couldn’t track them fast enough.”

“Janey, I’m a plant.”

Her head shot up.
“What?”

“I was sent here to investigate DeMarcos’ ties to Carabini.”

Janey’s stomach knotted. “I don’t understand.”

He looked heartsick. “The DeMarcos were linked to Carabini. The CIA wanted to know how and why.
I
needed to know.”

Oh, God. She was beginning to see where this was going. And she didn’t like it. “You’ve been spying on us, on me, searching for information. You thought I was in league with Carabini in some way.”

He didn’t look away. “I now know you’ve been working with Nabosny on his case. I don’t believe you were ever involved in any way with Carabini except to supply Nabosny with intel.”

She barely heard him over the ringing in her ears. “You slept with me to get inside my house, to find out more information?”

“No.” Pain flashed through his eyes and he grimaced. “No, I meant what I said. I—”