Big Easy Temptation (33 page)

Tears pooled in his mother’s eyes. “You really think he didn’t sleep with that child?”

At least he could give her some comfort. “No. And I think I can prove it. The entire
incident was staged to strip him of credibility and give him something else to focus
on.”

His mom drew in a shuddering breath, seeming to steady herself. “Constance would talk
sometimes. Mostly gibberish. We didn’t see them very often, you know, but she seemed
to gravitate toward your father when we got together. I thought it was because he
was so handsome, but maybe she had another reason. Do you remember Zack’s wedding
day?”

“Vividly. I remember I had to help Dad get Mrs. Hayes out of the sight of reporters
and cameras because she was so wasted.”

“Yes, but you didn’t sit with her. Your father and I did until her husband arrived.
I do believe she was afraid of him. At the time, we decided not to interfere. She
was so out of sorts that it was impossible to know which of her fears were real and
which were in her head.”

“Did she talk about anything specific? I know it was a long time ago, but anything
at all could help.”

“She talked about Joy. Constance was worried about her. At first I thought she was
distraught about the marriage, as though she thought Joy wasn’t good enough for Zack.
Then she said something puzzling about Joy finding out. I wasn’t sure what she meant
precisely. She
wasn’t always coherent. But it sounded as if something happened in Russia. She said
that if Joy found out about Moscow, they would kill her. No idea what that meant.
She also talked about Zack being a baby and how difficult it was. Was he a cranky
child? Constance didn’t say more and I didn’t really understand. But I do remember
that your father was disturbed by something she said to him in private.”

“What was that?”

“He said that Constance asked him to protect her. She said, ‘One day they won’t need
me and they’ll kill me.’ So you really think her accident wasn’t an accident at all?”

He shook his head. “I’m beginning to suspect someone has gone to a great deal of trouble
to hide something that’s deeper and goes back further than we ever imagined.”

“Your father didn’t really hurt that child? I’m sorry. I need to say it out loud.”

He crossed the floor to his mother, sinking to one knee in front of her and taking
her hand. “He might have been guilty of a lot of things, but not this.”

“And you really think he didn’t kill himself?”

“No, Mom. That was a setup, too.”

Her hands tightened on her lap. “I was going to divorce him. I was so angry. I didn’t
know how he could possibly be the man I’d married and had two children with. I thought . . .”

“You must have never known him? You did.” All these years and she’d been drowning
in unanswered questions and guilt? “He was going to fight. He told me that in a letter
he never mailed. He wrote that no matter what happened he would fight to clear his
name and save his family. He didn’t kill himself to escape his shame or guilt or his
marriage. He was going to fight for you.”

She squeezed his hand. “I loved him. I truly did.”

“He loved you, too. I know he didn’t always show it. He did things that hurt you,
but I truly believe he loved you.” Dax couldn’t find it in his heart to judge his
parents any longer. Their marriage had blossomed
in a different time, and its inner workings would always be a mystery to him. The
fact that his father could dishonor his vows and his wife with another woman still
pissed him off, but anger served no purpose. There were always two sides to every
marriage. The best any son could do was to love his parents.

Dax vowed to work as hard as he could for his own marriage and treat it with the sanctity
it deserved.

After a moment’s tears, his mother reached for a tissue and dried her eyes. “But if
he didn’t hurt that girl, then why did he walk into the motel with her?”

That was a very good question. “You know, we never see his face in that video.”

“It was his uniform. I know because I’d had to patch it. He’d torn the sleeve and
they were getting him a new one, but he was stuck wearing the two jackets he had until
they replaced it. I don’t know why he chose to wear the one that needed to be fixed,
but I recognized it.”

“Did you ever ask why the hell he would wear a uniform to the scene of a crime at
all? I know you were angry with him, but give him some credit. He wasn’t a foolish
man.”

“He was drunk that night. He did stupid things when he’d had too much Scotch.”

He couldn’t argue with her on that. “Did they leave you a copy of that video? I know
Dad’s attorney got a copy of it. You don’t happen to still have one, do you?”

She sighed. “The lawyer left a box with me. I’m sure it’s in there, along with all
the legal filings. I have a copy of everything, though I’ve never really looked through
it. Dax, if your father was innocent, we have to clear his name.”

He cupped his mother’s shoulder. “That’s exactly what I intend to do.”

H
olland got out of the car, stretching after hours of being cooped up and listening
to Connor tell stories of how amazing Dax Spencer was. According to Connor, Dax had
singlehandedly helped him pass algebra, saved him from drowning once, and given Zack
the idea to run for office. Holland wasn’t sure when he’d had time to do those things
since apparently young Dax had spent a whole lot of time helping the poor and guiding
old ladies across the road. Oh, and Connor had worked in a story about Dax saving
a dog, too.

“You know, if your back’s giving you trouble, you should really see Dax.”

She rolled her eyes. “Give you a lot of back massages, did he?”

Connor grinned. “Overplayed my hand?”

For a former CIA operative, he wasn’t very smooth when it came to building up his
friend as a potential mate. “A long time back, Sparks.” She sighed as she closed the
car door. It looked like Dax was already back at the remote fishing camp and waiting
inside. “I’m not so sure we shouldn’t have confronted Peter Morgan. He could easily
disappear again.”

“I don’t think so,” Connor replied. “He seems pretty settled into his house. It’s
off the beaten trail. He thinks he’s pulled himself off the grid. I can promise you,
he didn’t catch me tailing him. We know where he is. When Dax is ready, we confront
him. But we need to know what we’re going to ask him first.”

“We should ask him why he turned in an innocent man.” It seemed pretty simple. If
it had been up to her, she would have hauled him in and questioned the little bastard
until he gave everything up.

Connor shut his door. “I want Dax there. He deserves to be involved in whatever goes
on. You know he took a bullet to save Gabe’s fiancée a few months ago.”

“Yes. I saw the scar.”

Connor’s jaw tightened before he spoke. “I know you think you have to push him away,
but don’t throw something good out because it might go bad someday. I thought I needed
to do that but it’s better on this side, Kirk. It may sound stupid, but it’s true.
Take a leap. You’ll see. And if you don’t, well, if you ever need anything, you come
to me because whether you’re brave enough or not, he’ll always love you and that means
I’ll always help you.”

Holland blinked, stared. She had zero idea how to handle that.

Connor turned toward the house. “Don’t stay out here too long. We need to catch up
with Dax, see what he might have learned and decide how we want to proceed. We can’t
hide out here forever.”

No. They couldn’t, which meant she would have to decide what to do about Dax soon.
She’d walk away. Wasn’t that decision already made?

The cell in her pocket chirped and she was happy for the distraction. Her uncle. Yeah,
her happiness faded somewhat. She answered anyway. “Hello, Uncle Beau.”

“Holland, I’m glad you decided to pick up the phone. I think we should talk.”

“I don’t have a ton of time, but you should know that I’m safe. I’m with a couple
of very well-trained men.”

“If you’re with who I think you’re with, you could be in serious trouble.” Her uncle’s
deep voice rumbled over the line. “I looked into this situation and it’s bad. Come
in and let me put you in protective custody.”

Like she was going to let that happen. “I’m fine. The last thing I need to do is sit
in a cheap motel eating takeout. I’m good.”

“Have you wondered why the only times your life gets really dangerous is when that
man is in it? I’m not saying he means to put you at risk, but he’s involved in something
none of you can handle.”

“What have you found out?”

“The bullets match a very specific gun. We found three casings on the assassin’s perch
across from your building. And yes, I said assassin because those casings were specially
made and matched casings found at three other crime scenes. Apparently they’re this
bastard’s calling card. He’s some kind of European hit man. Holland, someone is trying
very hard to kill Dax Spencer and this killer won’t care that you’re in the way.”

That was interesting news. “Is he Russian?”

Beau paused. She could hear her uncle shuffling paperwork. “Um, they think he’s Russian
because he does a lot of work for one particular syndicate. Have you ever heard of
someone named Ivan Krylov? I fucking hate these foreigners.”

She’d read all of Connor’s documentation about the events in New York a few months
ago. A lieutenant with the Krylov syndicate had shot Dax. The same group had also
been involved in Maddox Crawford’s murder. She held her tongue, though, because that
information was classified—not in any formal way, but Connor and Dax didn’t want it
leaking. “I’ll check into it.”

“Damn it, Holland. We’re all worried about you. I know you put in a request to visit
the prison so you can interrogate Sue Carlyle again.”

She’d had to. Unfortunately, one didn’t simply walk into a prison
and visit without paperwork. “It’s not really an interrogation. I just have some follow-up
questions.”

“She’s dead,” he said, his tone flat. “She was found in her cell hanging from her
bed sheets a few weeks ago. She didn’t leave a note.”

It wasn’t a stretch to imagine a mad woman becoming suicidal but . . . damn it. “Can
I read the reports of her death? I presume there was an autopsy?”

“Sure. Come into the office and I’ll let you read everything I’ve got.”

So he could put her in protective custody? No thanks. “Just e-mail me the report,
please.”

He sighed. “Haven’t you noticed that people around Captain Spencer and his friends
die? His buddy Connor was visiting a woman at a nursing home a few weeks ago when
this same assassin apparently murdered the woman he was talking to.”

Natalia Kuilikov. “I wasn’t aware it was the same assassin who’s after Dax. Of course,
I didn’t know any assassin was after Dax. I can tell you’re worried, but I can’t let
this go. Maybe the heat would be off Dax if the NOLA PD would officially open an investigation
into the admiral’s death. If we start shining a light on this, the vermin will run
back to the shadows.”

“Or you’ll get my men killed.”

She was so frustrated with him. “I let you talk me out of this once, but I have to
ask . . . Why the hell did you become a cop? To walk away the minute an investigation
gets dangerous? That’s the nature of our job. We take those chances so everyday citizens
don’t have to. Protect and serve, Uncle Beau. It’s what we’re trained to do and you’re
telling me to do neither.”

“I’m telling you to grow up and stop being so fucking naive,” he growled. “Do you
know why I became a cop? Because it was that or getting my ass shot off in the goddamn
military. I’m not about to get me or my men killed because your boyfriend stuck his
nose in where it doesn’t belong. Tell him to get out of my town and go back to D.C.
where he belongs. You know what? I’ll tell him myself. And, Holland, you better rethink
your position, because he’s going to get you killed.”

The line cut off abruptly and she stared at her phone. Her uncle had never spoken
to her like that. Never.

“You all right?” Dax stood not ten feet away from her, his big body illuminated by
the afternoon sun.

She slipped her cell in her pocket. “I’m all right. We can cancel our trip to the
prison.”

His eyes closed briefly. “Sue Carlyle’s dead, then. Suicide?”

“By all appearances.” The time had come to choose a side and make it known. “Likely
the Krylov syndicate arranged the scene, just as they did with your father. They killed
your father and now they’re trying to kill you.”

He stepped closer, and when he put his arms around her, she didn’t push him away.
“I’m sorry this is causing trouble between you and your family.”

“It’s all right. All that matters is figuring out what happened and what these criminals
want.” She let herself soak in the warmth of his body.

He stepped back, taking her hand. “I’m glad you said that, because I think Freddy
found a clue.”

“Good.” She turned to follow him, when something caught her eye. She stopped, staring
for a moment at the dirt nearby. It had rained earlier, making a single footprint
on the far side of the dirt road they’d driven up visible. “Has anyone been out here?”

She crept closer to inspect. Connor had parked close to the tree line in order to
give Dax room on the narrow road in case he needed to leave in the Jeep.

Maybe it wasn’t a print. Damn rain. It could be anything. She was being paranoid.

“I think we’ve all been outside.” Dax looked down to the spot she examined. “Sweetheart,
that’s so muddy I’m not sure what it is. Do you want to have Freddy look at it?”

“No. We just need to be careful. And maybe we should get inside.” She took his hand,
leading him toward the cabin. Suddenly, being out in the open made her feel exposed.
“Did everyone turn the locator off their phones?”

“Yes. Freddy made sure. The truth is someone who really wants to trace a call can
get it to the nearest cell tower, but then they’d still have a search on their hands.
Camps like this are all along the bayou.”

“Yeah, we tracked your father’s aide to one earlier, though it’s not nearly as nice
as this one.” She glanced around as they entered. “Have I thanked you for not insisting
we hide out in a hovel?”

“Yeah, we may be the target of the Russian mob, but never say we don’t lay low in
style,” Dax said with a wink as he escorted her in. “I was talking to Connor about
everything. After we have a discussion with Peter, it might be time to head to London.
We need to go to that hospital and figure out if Constance Hayes really was there
and why.”

“How is Zack handling it?”

“In his usual Zack way. He does that thing where he’s silent for a moment. Then he
thanks me for the info. Roman isn’t much better. I tried to leave Gus out of it, but
apparently she listens in a lot. One of these days Roman is going to fire her.”

Holland had to laugh at that. “No, he’s not. He will never, never fire Gus. Not when
he’s done so much to keep her close.”

Dax stopped and stared. “What do you mean?”

Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything. After all, she merely had a theory. The truth
was she hadn’t seen Gus or Roman in three years. “Nothing.”

“Are you talking about the way Roman acts kind of like a big brother around Gus and
pokes at her, all while watching her like a hungry lion who wants to pounce on an
antelope?” Lara asked, looking up from her laptop.

Connor frowned, looking down at his wife. “That’s ridiculous. Roman and Gus had a
thing like a million years ago. She’s so not his
type. And who’s the antelope in that pairing? It’s sure as fuck not Gus. She’s a predator.”

Dax sent his friend a stare that could have stripped paint off a wall. “Hey, that’s
my sister!”

At least someone was willing to stand up for Gus.

“You see Roman with her long-term?” Connor shot back. “Roman, who likes his women
demure and genteel?”

“No, but she’s not a predator. I’ll admit she’s got claws, but she’s not looking to
take Roman down.” He went pale as he looked back at Holland. “Is she? Please tell
me she’s not, because she’ll be doomed to disappointment. Roman really is looking
for his Jackie Kennedy.”

She shrugged a little. “I haven’t seen them together for years. I could totally be
wrong, but the air used to crackle around them whenever they stood in the same room.”

“He might think he wants a Jackie, but damn, he sure looks at the Marilyn a lot,”
Lara said. “I just think you two are too close to him to see it. I know he thought
he was in love with Joy, but I don’t see it from what I know about her.”

“Roman was in love with Joy?” That floored Holland. “Did they have an affair? No.
No. Joy would never have cheated on Zack.”

Dax looked straight at her. “And neither would Roman. He put her on a pedestal as
an example of his perfect woman. She was kind to him. Gus isn’t always kind.”

“No, but Roman would have walked all over Joy. She couldn’t have handled his ruthless
side. Gus would find it hot.” The more Holland thought about it, the more she felt
sure she was right. “Joy would have bored Roman to death. Two years, maybe less, then
he would have moved on. But it sounds like he’s still circling—and still interested
in Gus.” Holland smiled at the thought. “Zack was definitely more Joy’s speed.”

“Did she love Zack?” Dax asked.

“Yes, but then Joy tended to love everyone. I know they didn’t have
the most passionate marriage. I adored Joy, but she was very quiet. She preferred
to stay in the background. Her father approved of the marriage and that was that.
But I’ll be honest, I worried Zack would break her heart because of his press secretary.
I always feared he would have an affair with her because he obviously wanted her.”

“Liz.” Connor sighed. “Yeah, we don’t have to worry about that now. Zack hasn’t touched
Liz, by the way. He’s still faithful to Joy, so don’t think too poorly of him.”

“I wasn’t. I simply worried about Joy, but she’s gone. Why wouldn’t Zack pursue the
woman he so obviously wanted?” The answer hit her. “He thinks the Russians will use
her against him.”