Black Ice (BookStrand Publishing Romance) (14 page)

“Wow. They sound pretty remarkable.”

Ryder kept his eyes on the road. “I don’t know about that.”

“Why?” She squeezed his hand. “What skeletons are you hiding?”

“Nothing. Except for the fact I hail from a list of know-it-alls and I’m a lowly detective that gets paid in a year what they make in a month. It’s a common issue when I go back home, so I choose not to go back very often.”

“Where are you from?”

“St. Paul.” He smiled. “Don’t you dare ask to make a pit stop either.”

“They can’t be any worse than mine.”

He laughed. “It definitely is a toss-up.”

* * * *

Blake glanced over at Ryder, shutting the laptop for the final time. Lou got a warrant, and they went to pick Robert up. As it turned out, the valet confessed to Robert paying him to cut the brakes.

“I can’t believe the valet and Seth Cameron lived together as roommates. Why didn’t we pick up on this before?” Blake asked.

“Because they were supposed to live in Grand Rapids, when they really lived in a small house Robert Stevens owned. He shook his head in frustration. “That damn man has made us look like fools with all the hoops we’ve been jumping through. He’s probably sitting back and laughing with his buddies.”

Blake sighed. “Well, we’ve got two of his buddies, so I’m not sure how much celebrating is going on.”

He shifted slightly as they waited in the condo’s parking lot. She didn’t see him pull on the sexy black sunglasses he wore. She grinned. “You’re such a bad ass.”

He grinned back. “Don’t forget it.”

Blake’s phone rang disturbing the silence. She lifted it and read the caller-ID. Her mother. “Hi, Mom.”

“Where are you?”

“In town. Why? What’s wrong?”

“Someone set your house on fire. The fire department said no one was home.” Her mother’s worry showed in her tone. “But you’re okay, Blake? Right?”

“Yeah, mom. I’m okay.” Blake leaned forward, trying to digest what her mom said. “Someone set my house on fire? When?”

“I don’t know. The fire department just got here. I didn’t know about it until after I returned from the supermarket. Lilly asked me to pick up a few things.

Blake switched the phone to her other ear. “Mom, go to Lilly’s apartment and stay put. You two do not need to be alone, and whatever you do, do not confide in Willow or Levi. Trust me, Mom.”

“You think he did this?”

“I don’t know. It could be him, or it could be this case I’m working on.” Blake rubbed her forehead. “Promise me you’ll stay at home with Lilly.”

“I promise. Do you want me to leave now?”

“Yes. Give the fire department my cell number and go home. Stay away from the scene and do not speak to anyone about anything unless I tell you to.”

“Okay. I will.”

“Mom,” Blake took a deep breath. “I love you. If you need anything, call me before you call the police.”

“Why?”

“I can’t answer that. Promise me, Mom.”

“I promise.”

After Blake hung up the phone, she unbuckled her seat and reached for her laptop again.

“The fire department is at your house?”

“Yes. It’s okay though. My mom is there with the fire department.” The battery held enough power to do what she needed, though not by much. “You said someone was after me. Well, I think you’re right. I hate to say it, but I think it’s on the inside. They’re making this personal.”

“Could it be Levi?”

“Sure. But Levi prefers a direct approach. He likes showing me he’s stronger.” She clicked away at the keyboard, pulling up all the emails she’d sent and those that filled her inbox as well. “Someone doesn’t want me to have my badge.” She glanced over at him and narrowed her eyes. “Other than you, who would that be?”

Ryder shrugged. “I don’t know, but it’s the same person that leaked the info about the case to the media. Do you know anyone at the TV station?”

“Maybe.” Blake pulled out her phone and called her sister. Lilly picked up on the third ring. “I need your help, Lilly.”

“What?”

“First, keep Mom in your sight until I get back home.” Blake typed in the television station and clicked on their website. “Second, I need you to see if Mike can find out who leaked the story about me to the media. Can he get me a name?”

“Maybe. Why? What’s going on Blake?”

“I don’t have time to explain. If Mom isn’t at your house within the next few minutes, you need to go find her.”

“What’s wrong with Mom?”

“Lilly, someone is targeting me. Just see if you can find out the information for me and keep Mom safe.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Lilly sounded hopeful. “Blake, please tell me you’re okay. Where are you?”

“I’m in town.” She closed her eyes. “Stay safe and trust no one, okay? Call me if you find something.”

Blake hung up the phone. “What am I going to do?”

Ryder sighed. “Well, I’m glad I got you out of the house before you got attacked again, but you shouldn’t be here. Your family needs you.”

“No. You need me. We’re catching this guy and putting him behind bars. Then we’ll go find Levi and put him behind bars. I can only deal with one asshole at a time, and I just happened to be closer to the millionaire one.” Blake stared at her computer. “We’re doing this, Ryder, and we’re doing it together.”

Ryder’s lips quirked. “You make is sound so dirty.”

As if her life didn’t have enough complications, she most certainly didn’t need to think about sex. But she had thought about it a lot. Ever since she spotted the condoms in the drawer, she couldn’t stop thinking about what it would be like to have Ryder inside her. She couldn’t deny the thought scared her at first. She couldn’t even remember the last time she thought about any guy in a sexual way. Period.

“You just have a dirty mind.” Blake reached for the gun he gave her and pulled it out. He kept it loaded, and she only had one other clip for it. “And I would have never guessed you’d pick a girly gun to have for your backup.”

“My ex bought it for me. I tell her I want a Remington double barrel shotgun, and she gets me a .32 that can fit in the palm of my hand.”

Her cell phone rang, pausing their conversation. She answered as Lilly spoke.

“Mike checked with the guy that produced the show. He said the tip came from you. That you wanted your story, what you had done blasted all over the television.” Lilly paused. “Is that true?”

Blake sighed. “No, Lilly. I told you someone is after me, and I think it is Levi. Please just watch your backs. Keep Mom safe.”

She hung up the phone and relayed the information to Ryder. “It has to be Levi. He is the only one I can think of that has the knowledge and ability. He’s good at computer hacking. If calls came through the department, which I know they did, then he could have complete access to them. He could have access now.”

“He’s the ultimate threat.”

She nodded, perturbed. She couldn’t think about Levi at the moment. She had a case to solve and needed all of her energy to do so.

“Why on earth do you want a double barrel shot gun?” she asked..

He grinned. “I like to hunt. You can’t hunt with a little gun. Out in the wild, it’s the bigger, the better philosophy.”

A comment sprang to mind but she kept it to herself. “Shotguns kick. Rifles are better.”

“Rifles are for girls.” He glanced over briefly. “Do you like to hunt?”

“I haven’t been since my father died, but yeah. I enjoyed it when we went. He combined hunting and fishing. Taught me how to do both.”

“You want to go sometime? My family owns a cabin close to Bear Island. I’m practically the only one that uses it.”

Blake sat the gun against her thigh. “I don’t know. I don’t clean my own game and I don’t bait my own hook. It grosses me out. I can’t go if you make me do either.”

Ryder chuckled. “I’ll do it for you.”

* * * *

“It took him long enough,” Ryder said when McKenna pulled into the complex. “I’m going in the front to make the arrest. You sit tight.”

“He’ll run.” She met Ryder’s eyes. “Bet you twenty bucks Robert will run.”

“If he does, let him go. You’re a citizen today. Not a cop.”

Ryder glanced around the area, checking both the front and back locations. There wasn’t much he could do other than post uniforms along the sides with their guns drawn. It wouldn’t help that much though.

Ryder leaned over the console and kissed her lips. “Promise me you’ll take care of yourself.”

“I’ve got your back.” She grinned and kissed him again. “And your front.”

He climbed out of the SUV and met up with McKenna. He handed Ryder the arrest warrant, and they filed inside. The building looked like everything else in Robert Stevens’ life. Large, extravagant, and worth tons of money. He flashed his badge to the people at the desk and requested the penthouse code before heading to the elevator.

He stepped inside the box and drew his gun, waiting as each of the floors passed by. Robert chose floor thirty-three for his penthouse suite, and it seemed to take forever to get there. The cell phone at his hip buzzed, and Ryder glanced down with a frown. Who could be calling him now?

He reached down and answered. “James.”

Blake’s frantic voice nearly screamed into his ear. “Get out now, Ryder. He’s rigged the place with a bomb set to explode when the elevator doors open.”

Before Ryder could respond the elevators opened, and a red light came on directly in his line of view across the room. Seconds later, the place exploded.

Two of Robert’s men stood before her, talking about what a scene the explosion would be. She’d made the warning call to Ryder right before the condo above her exploded. She ran toward the mass of people trying to escape. People ran in all directions creating considerable chaos all around. Blake the mess, bumping into others running away from the building. She barely stood on her own two feet as she moved toward the doors, trying to get inside.

“Uh-uh.” A hand grabbed her arm and halted her, the barrel of a gun poking against her back. “You’re coming with me.”

She cocked her head to the side, immediately recognizing the tall man dressed in a perfect Armani suit.
Robert Stevens
. She knew better than to struggle. Too many people surrounded them and Robert Stevens was probably stupid enough to open fire in the uproar ,potentially harming innocent bystanders. A small child ran to its mother’s arms, and Blake took a deep breath. She cooperated.

He led her to the far side of the parking lot, forcing her toward the awaiting limo. She noticed his quick glance around as sirens sounded at a distance. Within seconds, he effectively disarmed her, taking away the gun she put in the small of her back.

“Get in.”

The back door to the limo opened. It wasn’t smart for her to leave with him. Everything she learned in her training and over the course of the past few years told her she needed to plead and beg, trying to gain an advantage to get away.

“I said get in.” He shoved Blake inside and climbed in after her.

The smell of burning marijuana filled the tiny space within the car. Curtains covered the windows making the inside virtually black. She tried not to breathe in the secondhand smoke.

A light clicked on, and Robert’s face came into view. “How did you know about my bomb?”

She glanced at the gun. He didn’t look like a guy that spent time perfecting his aim or the art of using a firearm. He looked more like a threat, hoping to use it to his advantage against the little weak woman. He didn’t scare her. Even with the gun in his hand and probably seven rounds of bullets loaded with the safety off, he damn near shook. What was he so afraid of? With all the smoke filling the short supply of air in the limo, he had to be a bit stoned. She needed to stall.

“Your people have big mouths.” She narrowed her eyes. “Part of my job as a detective is to listen. And your people made it easy for me. Especially when they’re standing in front of me talking about how big of a scene it would be. If you listen long enough, and give the suspect enough rope, the guilty hang themselves.”

Robert’s eyes darkened. “Is that so? Did you hear that? The guilty hang themselves.”

The window divider slid down, and Blake couldn’t hide her surprise. Her jaw dropped in shock as Levi came into her view. He took a puff off his blunt and blew it slowly into the back of the limo.

“Surprised to see me, sweetheart?” Levi asked. His pupils dilated, his eyes a bit red. “I have to say when I landed a job at Stevens Enterprises this past summer, I never expected to see you again.”

“You.” She tried to remain in control of her anger.

Levi chuckled. “I knew you’d be happy to see me.”

Blake’s jaw clenched. He stole information from the files and leaked it to the media. He harassed her. He set her house on fire. All of these things only fueled her anger even more the longer he sat in front of her enjoying his pot.