Heat: An Alpha Male Criminal Romance (A Hotter Than Hell Novel Book 1) (11 page)

Dawn arrives too damn soon. I spent another night alone in my bed with my vibrator for company. Thankfully, I bought a twenty-four pack of double A batteries. If things keep going this way, I’ll need them. Unfortunately, the purple wonder struggled to do the deed. Thoughts of Moon are not like having the real thing. I’ve come to the conclusion sleeping with him is the only solution. I need him out of my system so I can go on with my boring life.

I hit the apartment complex gym and add an extra two miles on the treadmill to hopefully waylay my dirty thoughts. I work my lower body on the weight machines too. When I’m dripping sweat and too exhausted to do another rep, I walk back to my apartment and take a lukewarm summer shower.

My cell rings while I’m drying myself off. I recognize the ring tone and answer, “Hi, Dad.”

“Hey, Mak.” He goes straight to the point, “You’re taking after your dear old dad and have a live one here.”

“You looked over the figures I sent?” I can’t keep the happy thrill from my voice.

“Yes…” he goes on to give me the details on how my thief is working her scam. She’s good. When I interviewed her boss, I had him give me a rundown on all his employees. Her glowing reference put her at the top of my list. She’s the employee who never forgets a birthday and buys the boss ugly sweaters for Christmas. Everyone loves her. Back in my patrol days, I took a general training about white collar crime. The least likely employee was mentioned as being a key subject of interest. Embezzlers don’t see themselves as thieves. Oh, they know if they get caught, they can do jail time, but they think the money is owed to them, so they mentally excuse the theft away. They keep everyone happy with gifts and baked goods while robbing the company blind.

“Thanks, Dad. I owe you Spam casserole next time I visit.” My mom refuses to make it for him or to even buy Spam. My dad loves it and the least I can do is prepare the disgusting stuff once a year. “I’ll call Mom tomorrow, promise.”

“You’re on. I just e-mailed my notes on your case back.”

“Love you.”

“Love you too, sweetie. Now I’m off for a round of golf.”

“Hang low, Dad.”

“Gotcha, sweetheart.”

I fist pump my hand into the air after I pull up the promised e-mail. I send off an e-mail to the company CEO and make an appointment. I’ll run everything by him and he’ll make the decision about taking the case to the police. Sadly, for this type of crime, company leaders usually don’t go to the police. The thief will be fired and go find another job where she’ll do the same thing. That’s how I zeroed in on her. It wasn’t her first time. Nine years ago, she did pretty much the same thing. The reluctance of that employer to speak up landed her the job she’s now in. It comes down to lawsuits. It might make me angry, but I’m out of it after handing over the evidence.

My day is fairly productive. I give the bad news to the CEO and check my bank account an hour later. The CEO transferred my final payment and I’m flush for two solid months. It’s a first for me since getting my PI license, and I’m hopeful for the future. Late in the afternoon, I treat myself to a Caesar salad and delicious hard crusted roll from the Wildflower Bread Company off North Hayden Road. After a short wait, I land a small table inside. Nine months out of twelve you can sit outside and enjoy the day. Not in the summer.

I’m finished with half my salad when I get a strange tingling on the back of my neck. Cops don’t disregard these feelings. I slide my gaze around the restaurant. Hell, it’s Kennedy. He’s leaning against an inside pillar and staring straight at me. When he sees I’ve noticed him, he tips his chin up and walks out.

Damn, damn, damn. This was a threat and it won’t mean anything to the police. Kennedy followed me here and made sure I noticed him. I’m pissed off and leave my uneaten salad and roll on the table. I get behind Sally’s steering wheel and browse through my contacts until I locate Al’s number.

“Yea?” he answers after two rings.

“This is Mak. You can tell Kennedy to fuck off.” I hang up and head back to my apartment. It takes another workout to calm me down. I enter my apartment with my gun drawn and search it. If Kennedy wants to play hardball, I won’t be missing the pitch.

After a shower and a short foray through television channels, I head to bed. It’s been a long day, and I fall asleep without using the purple wonder. Moon’s blue, piercing gaze flashes through my thoughts as darkness takes me away.

I grab for my ringing cell phone sometime later. I look at the clock on my nightstand while answering. It’s one in the morning, and I’m trying like crazy to clear the fog from my brain.

“Mak, you need to help me…”

I don’t recognize the voice right away.

“Mak, please.”

It’s Penny Dandridge. “What’s wrong, Penny?” I ask her softly. She sounds desperate and it helps clear my foggy thoughts.

“I need you to pick me up,” she says between tears while gasping for breath.

This isn’t good, and I’m rethinking a cement foundation for her soon-to-be ex-husband.

“Okay, have you called the police?”

“No police.” Pure distress is clear in her answer. “Don’t call them, please. I just need you to pick me up.”

Well, hell. I will most likely change my mind and call the police after I discover what condition she’s in. “Are you safe?”

“Ye…yes. I’m safe. I’m in Heber. At the cabin in Heber. I need, just need a ride.”

“Okay,” I get up and head to my desk. “Give me your address. It’ll take about two hours to get there.” I scribble the address.

“Thank you, Mak… I’m so sorry.” She hangs up. Her voice sounded incredibly sad. I, on the other hand, am pissed off. If I had my hands on Harry Dandridge right now, he’d be eating my fist. I know the son of a bitch hurt her and I’m determined that he’ll pay for it with more than money. For once, I’m thankful I’m no longer a cop. There is no way I could have helped Penny back then. This situation would require me going straight to my supervisor and the closest authorities being notified to go to the cabin. I know I should call the police, but Penny is my friend and I’ll give her what she wants for now.

I dress quickly and I’m out the door ten minutes later. I need to thank Moon for tuning up Sally, and that doesn’t help my anger at the moment. Sally couldn’t have made this trip in her less-than-stellar condition.

I jump on I-17 and turn on the radio while I try to settle in for the two-hour road trip. I know it’s going to be a long night.

Chapter Twelve

MY HEADLIGHTS GLOW AGAINST
the winding road as I reach the rim of the White Mountains. I’ve taken this route before and it’s beautiful in daylight. That is, if you aren’t driving. If you’re behind the wheel, you need to keep your eyes on the road. Now that I’ve calmed a bit and had a chance to think, bells are going off in my head. It’s the tone of Penny’s voice when she apologized that seems off. I slow Sally a bit as I reach another winding section of highway and notice headlights gaining on me. The vehicle has stayed about two hundred yards back since I hit State Route 260. Now, it’s gaining speed. Yes, I’ve slowed a bit, but this is a dangerous stretch of highway. Thankfully, there are two lanes and he can go around me. He comes up fast and I’m blinded by his bright lights. What an asshole.

I’m astonished when the car hits Sally. I’m thrown forward at impact and then bounce back. The steering wheel is ripped from my fingers and things go into slow motion. There are no guardrails on this section of highway and I’m airborne. Sally’s wheels hit the ground and she continues speeding downhill. I’m tossed up and down. We bounce and thud while careening down the side of the mountain. There’s a sheer drop coming up and I have no way of stopping what’s about to happen. Thankfully, a tree has that ability. Metal grinds and glass shatters on collision. The power of the crash lifts me up and back. The front airbags finally activate. Even with the seat belt secured and the airbags, my head slams into the headrest behind me followed by my face bouncing against the steering wheel. Because of the seat belt, I have no air left in my lungs. Stars burst around my peripheral vision and in the center there’s a black hole. It takes forever before I manage to suck air into my lungs. My headlights cast a shadowed glow straight ahead of me. The drop-off looms about ten feet in front of Sally.

I wipe my face with my forearm and see that I’m bleeding from a wound that I don’t yet feel. Maybe several wounds. I take quick stock of my injuries by slowly moving my arms and legs. My bad shoulder took a lot of punishment, but I’ll live. I save my neck for last. I slowly turn and look to the left and then to the right. I expel a breath when I can safely move it in all directions. The inside of the car is mostly dark with just the dash lights casting a dim glow. I feel around for my phone and begin to panic when I can’t locate it.

“Breathe,” I tell myself out loud. I need to think clearly. I glance at the glove box and relief washes over me when I remember that Moon’s phone is in there.

Smoke is rising from Sally’s engine and it swirls hazily through the headlights. I don’t smell gasoline, which is a blessing. I try to support myself while unbuckling the seat belt so I don’t fall forward. It doesn’t work. My chest hits the steering wheel and takes the brunt of my sudden freedom. I breathe slowly and roll sideways a bit so I can see the glove box. I reach over and hit the latch that opens it. Everything is pushed to the back, and I lean over to reach the phone. My fingers are shaking uncontrollably when they close around it. I pull it out and quickly bring it to my chest. This phone is my lifeline.

My head throbs and I’m beginning to feel the effects of my face meeting the steering wheel. This doesn’t keep me from adding together the facts of what just happened. It’s clear that I was intentionally rammed and driven off the road. I check the gun at my waist to assure myself it’s there. I push my tee behind the stock so I can pull it easily. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know I’ve been set up. Worse… they have Penny. She made the call because someone was threatening her. My stomach twists, but I don’t have time to worry about Penny right now. I’m in danger and I need to focus on getting out of the car and finding cover.

If the person who hit me comes down here, I’m a sitting duck and they can easily finish what they started. This is related to Kennedy, of that I have no doubt. Funny that I’m hanging with a known criminal and he is nowhere on my suspect list. He has no reason to want me out of the picture. It’s Kennedy. If I call 911, Kennedy or whoever he sent will have a police radio and they’ll know their attempt to kill me was unsuccessful. The odds are that the bad guys will be closer than the highway patrol or Department of Public Safety as they’re known in Arizona. In the mountains, DPS is called out of bed if there’s an accident, and it will take some time before they get here.

I turn and try to judge how far I traveled before hitting the tree. A hundred yards, maybe. I doubt Kennedy or his crew will come down here, but I can’t be sure. Blood runs into my eyes and I swipe it away. I don’t have time to stop the bleeding. I need to find a safe place and hunker down before I worry about the small details. I remind myself that my body has almost two liters of blood it can spare. My wounds are a long way from that… I hope.

I shove Moon’s phone deep in the front pocket of my BDUs. Nothing impedes the door opening and it swings forward, which is actually downward because of the angle Sally slammed the tree. The giant squeal the door makes is loud and the interior lights turn on. I need to get as far from the car as I can as quickly as possible. I give a short prayer that whoever hit Sally is long gone.

The car is jammed into the tree about a foot up. I feel nothing but air when I try to touch one foot down. I slither in my seat a bit more and finally touch ground. Using the door frame for balance, I swat the airbags away and slide completely out while looking around. The headlights cast a faint glow to the surrounding area. I try to turn them off but they’re stuck in the on position. I need to be completely out of their sphere. I can barely make out a thick line of trees and bushes in the distance. A normal person would head up. I don’t. I head to the left where the denser area is while staying clear of the drop off. I’m unsteady on my feet and do everything I can to remain upright. I make too much noise because of the dried leaves, so I stop every ten yards or so and listen. The bushes are farther away than they looked. It seems to take forever to reach them. I crouch low and quickly burrow in. Once I feel hidden, I turn around to scan the area between me and Sally. I think I’m about fifty yards to the right of her. I un-holster my gun and keep my hands pulled in close to my chest and the barrel pointing in Sally’s direction. I remain still and listen for odd noises. I glance upward toward the highway as headlights shine from above. The lights don’t slow down and I’m hoping this means the bad guys aren’t pulled over on the side of the road with plans to come look for me. If a car was pulled over, other cars would slow. At least this is what my fuzzy brain puts together.