Captured: A Bad Boy Romance (12 page)

CHAPTER 15

“What the fuck is this?” Melissa slammed the folder onto Logan’s desk.

“Your new assignment,” he answered calmly. “Is that not what you wanted?”

Fuller stood there for a moment trying to decide what she was supposed to say. The Nomad investigation had been put on hold. She understood that. But she wasn’t quite sure why she was handed this one to replace it.

“Why am I being put on this case?” she asked. “This isn’t what I do.”

“You are an ATF agent,” Logan smirked. “You do whatever case the ATF is currently working on.”

“I want something else.”

“I want a million dollars in the bank and a supermodel in my bed,” Logan offered. “Sadly, that’s not going to happen.”

Melissa began to pace. She knew she was stuck. She had to take whatever she was assigned. Granted, if she told him what was inside her head, she’d easily be able to bow out of this assignment. But that would mean trusting Logan with something very few knew about.

“I work on the club cases. This isn’t a club case.”

“Correction,” he began. “You
were
working on the club cases, Agent Fuller. That does not guarantee you to always have club cases.”

“It’s what I do.”

“We work what needs to be worked on,” Logan responded casually. “I don’t know what they did in Jersey, but here in Vegas, there are plenty of ATF cases that aren’t motorcycle clubs.”

“But I prefer them,” she answered. “I know them.”

“Unfortunately, we can’t always get what we want. Now, we can put you on desk work, you can give me a valid reason to switch your cases, or you can go back to your office and start working on your assignment. Which will it be, Agent Fuller?”

She didn’t answer him. She didn’t have the stomach to give him an answer that wouldn’t get her fired. Instead she grabbed the folder from his desk, turned and headed back to her own.

Damn him
. She thought to herself as she opened the file and read the details once more. If she didn’t know better, Melissa Fuller would think that Logan was torturing her in his own way.

***

Asher Hudson was one of the most prominent men in Las Vegas. He was known throughout most of the world and thanks to his recent association with Manuel Guiterro, part of Mexico. People respected him. Some feared him.

That’s why it made no sense to him why he was sitting in his bedroom with very little desire to do much of anything. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. The night she’d kissed him. The way his body had responded to her.

He was good at reading people. And Melissa Fuller’s body language had been abundantly clear. She wanted him. Over time, she’d gotten close to him. She’d cared about him.

Why’d she leave? Was he just that stupid? That he didn’t even know he was being played?

The conversations that they’d had were serious. He’d told her things he didn’t tell anyone. She had done the same. How do you go from that to gone in a few hours? What the fuck had happened?

He wanted to focus on that, but the guys wouldn’t let him. At least a dozen club girls had been brought to him in the past couple of weeks. None of them had been asked to stay. In fact, he’d pretty much sent all of them home.

Asher had zero interest in women, except for that one particular one that had played him and ran away. He wasn’t sure if what he was feeling was love, but he knew he felt something he wasn’t very familiar with.
How the hell do you move past that?

The only thing he agreed with the guys on was that he needed to focus a little more. She’d been gone for weeks and nothing had happened. His own intel had told him that she wasn’t speaking. According to what he’d heard, she pretended not to remember anything and stuck to her story of being unaware of where she was and who held her.

Why? If she was playing games with him to win, why didn’t she tell them all she’d known?

One look inside that closet downstairs had told him she knew enough. Drugs. Weapons. Shit, she had seen more than enough. So why not turn him in? She had enough inside information to do just that.

Unless she was trying to protect him. But why? Why would she protect a man that she didn’t want to be with? One that she’d escaped from?

None of it made any damned sense. Including the part where she was all he could think about. His entire operation and their agenda could be shut down any second and he was imagining the floral scent of her perfume as he kissed down the nape of her neck.

This was entirely unacceptable and Logan knew that he had to get a grip. Otherwise the guys were going to vote him out of leadership and the club would be fucked. He had to let the memory of Agent Melissa Fuller leave his mind . If only it were going to be as easy as it sounded.

He picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number.

“I need to meet with you today,” he began and then continued without waiting for a response. “Vinnie’s Pizza, noon.” And with that he set the phone down and planned how he was going to handle all of this.

***

“New assignment?” Andy’s voice brought Melissa’s nose out from the folder.

She nodded and wanted to tell him about it, but she couldn’t without giving away her own emotion.

“That’s good,” he replied. “What is it?”

Melissa closed the folder and leaned back in her chair. Her outstretched hand motioned for her colleague to sit down, and he obliged.

“Gang related,” she answered. “Not much other info for now.”

“Must be serious.”

“Little boy was shot and killed,” Fuller tried to contain the pain that she was feeling. “Ammo matches AKs.” She watched as Wallaby nodded. “It’s third time one has been used in city, but the markings are all different.”

“Different guns.”

“Bingo. Witnesses say the boy was an accidental victim of a turf war. Wrong place, wrong time.” She sighed and shook her head. “But we have no leads.”

“You don’t seem to like this case much, do you?” Wallaby noticed something that she’d tried to keep hidden.

“Not really,” she answered. For a brief moment she wanted to tell him. She needed to share. But she couldn’t. She didn’t trust anyone right then. “We’re going after the small guys, but we need to take out the big guys at the top.” She shrugged. “But orders are orders, so I’m stuck here chasing random leads that lead nowhere.”

“It’s what we do.” He laughed, but it was devoid of humor—a guarded laugh. “Fuller,” he spoke her name and waited on her to respond. She simply looked at him without saying a word. “I’m really sorry,” he continued.

“It wasn’t your fault, Wallaby. You couldn’t have known.”

“I didn’t,” he replied. “I was trying like hell to find a way to get you.”

Melissa smiled at her co-worker, glad to hear that someone had cared that she was kidnapped. “Thank you.”

“I’m glad you’re back.” he said before he walked out of her office.

She knew he was keeping something from her, but she wasn’t sure it had to do with her. Fuller had to let it go.

***

“She was cleared for work today.” The words hung in the air until Asher was ready to respond to them.

“Is that so?” he asked the voice on the other end.

“Yes.” There was no emotion present as the answer was given. “But she’s chasing down leads on gangbangers, not the weapons.”

“So she’s no longer looking into us?”

“No one is. The case has been suspended until further evidence is discovered.”

“Why?”

“Lack of evidence. She never turned on you.” The voice continued.

“Do you think I’m safe?”

“For now.” The words were her final ones before the line clicked dead.

Nothing about this made any damned sense.

***

Fuller sat straight up in the bed, breathless and sweaty. To the outside observer it would appear she had been having a nightmare. But she knew better.

Grabbing the glass of water that sat beside her bed, she tried to collect her thoughts. It had been another dream. A good one. It had included Asher Hudson. She remembered visions of leather and lace. Torment and torture that led to sexual pleasure.

Mostly she remembered his eyes. The way they danced when he looked at her. The eagerness he had to touch her. She had thought that he felt the same spark she did. The same attraction and chemistry. The same desires. But then he’d said those things.

Melissa was spending far too much of her time focused on Asher Hudson. She could have easily told them where he was and what he’d done, but she couldn’t. Not really. Underneath her anger at his betrayal, she loved him. And the one thing she was learning in all of this was that when you loved someone you would do whatever it took to keep from hurting them. Even if you were risking your job.

But the dreams. They were so vivid. She was happy. And then she woke up and realized she was dreaming and she was unhappy. Nothing was understandable. Part of her wished she could put that man behind bars so she could move on with her life. But she couldn’t betray him.

She decided to stop worrying over her dream and just wake up. Lack of sleep was becoming common. She hadn’t rested since she’d left Hudson’s house. Ironically though, she’d slept a lot while she was there. But the exhaustion was wearing her out at this point. She needed something that would give her energy and help her get through the days. Hell, before she knew it she’d be getting drugs to support her inability to sleep because she couldn’t stop thinking about the man who had kidnapped her.

And sadly, because of the problems with Logan at work, she couldn’t even go to therapy.

As her tea whistled in the background she made a decision. She had to stop thinking of Hudson and just focus on what she was supposed to do.

“Any progress?” Logan appeared in her doorway and ruined what was already panning out to be a shitty day.

“Not so far.” Melissa admitted. She was running into roadblocks everywhere she went.

Logan walked in and sat down. He watched as she scanned the file in front of her, not saying a word.

“Did you need something else?” Fuller looked up at him, annoyed and ready for him to leave.

“No,” he answered. “I was just thinking how we focus so much time and energy on these clubs and the high profile thugs we hear about.” Melissa closed the folder and waited to see what Logan’s point was going to be. “And in the meantime there are kids being shot and killed.”

She tried to ignore what he was saying. She didn’t want to think too hard into what was going on. She definitely didn’t want to think too hard into her own past. She’d prefer to just work the case without thinking about the details.

“I’m doing what I can, Logan,” she snapped in his direction.

“Oh I know,” he replied softly. “I just hate thinking about it. How old was he, six?” she tensed at the words. “His parents must feel awful. That’s life changing.”

Melissa’s breath caught in her throat. She wasn’t sure how to reply to his questioning, or what he was up to with asking it. “I think anytime someone dies, it’s life changing,” she answered stiffly.

“Yes, but a child is worse.” He continued. “He didn’t do anything wrong. Just showed up in the wrong place at the wrong time. And in most cases, the wrong place is just playing near his house.”

Her body stiffened.

“I can’t imagine how that would feel. Especially for the ones caring for him.”

“Logan, is there a point to this?” Fuller looked up and glared at her boss.

“I just want these gangs off the street,” he replied. “Why, is something bothering you?”

“Only that you are interrupting my ability to work.”

“Sorry,” he stood to walk out. “Why don’t you go home, Fuller? You’ve been here constantly since you got back. Go home and spend some time on your personal life. The file can go with you.” He smiled and walked out with a wave and promise to see her on Monday.

Breathless, Fuller decided to take his advice. She needed space from this office. She’d grab some takeout and head to her apartment to relax. Maybe she’d even pick up a movie. It sounded like the perfect Friday night.

***

“Do you think she knows?”

Logan looked up from his lunch and stared at the object of this business meeting. Sometimes he found himself wanting to smack the shit out of the guy. But that wasn’t very good professionalism and he was nothing if not a professional.

“Knows what?” he asked with a smile.

“Any of it,” the idiot responded. “Especially that you are fucking with her right now?”

Logan looked at his fork and imagined what it’d be like to throw it across the table. The idea alone made him smile. Unfortunately in his line of work there was no choice but to deal with morons. And this particular moron had a lot of power. Enough that Logan could disappear in an hour and no one would ever know what happened.

That was enough to make him obedient.

“No. She has no clue. The whole thing is making her crazy and she is trying not to think of it. That works in our favor.”

“I say we just get rid of her. It’d make life easier.”

“I know it would,” Logan began. “Why do you think she’s working the gang case?”

“To fuck with her head?” the guy questioned, certain he already knew the deal.

“Well, yes.” Logan answered honestly with a smirk. “But when she’s taken down, no one will know who did it. Those gangs are hard to keep track of. And it keeps you and me, out of the spotlight.”

“And Hudson?”

“I’m working on him,” Logan admitted. “He’s tougher. But chances are when she’s taken down, he’s going to do something really fucking stupid. And then he’s going down.”

“I like that idea.” The man chuckled. “Asher Hudson, hopeless romantic.”

“More like Asher Hudson, hopelessly romantic inmate for life.” Logan smiled and raised his glass.

“I can drink to that,” the man picked up his glass and reached out to clink it against the one in Logan’s hand. “Here’s to ending this once and for all.”

***

Melissa seriously hoped no one had seen her rent the movie. Not because it would embarrass her. But she hadn’t seen a damn bit of it. And she’d tried three times over the weekend. She’d also tried listening to her favorite music, reading a book she’d been trying to find time for and even catching up on her favorite TV show.

Nothing worked for her. Instead she found herself lost in thoughts of Asher Hudson. It wasn’t even the sex anymore. It was the loneliness. She missed him. Was that pathetic, she wondered?

She couldn’t stand being home. She was bored. She was alone. She wanted something more. And she knew what that something was about. As she roamed from room to room trying to decide what to do, she thought about the fact she’d spent more than a month locked in a room. One room. And yet she’d enjoyed it more than she’d enjoyed any of the freedom she currently had.

She would almost trade her own life right now to go back behind lock and key in Hudson’s house. And that part terrified her.

Finally, Melissa decided to stop avoiding and just face the facts. She needed to work. It was all she had. And even if the case was going to touch on every nerve she had, she would just do it anyway.

The file had been sitting on her dresser since she came home on Friday. She had refused to open it because she was giving herself a break. From work. From the case. From the memories.

But she wasn’t helping herself. Instead of relaxing, her break had caused her to remember how empty her life was. How void it was. How much she missed the man she shouldn’t miss.

Maybe the twenty four hours she hadn’t focused on the case would give her a fresh perspective. Perhaps she would have a small clue that would help her.

Grabbing another cup of coffee, Melissa sat at her own table and pored over the same paperwork she’d been looking at for a while. Reading the same case details.

She decided to pull out a notebook and jot important facts. She didn’t even think as she wrote them one by one. Dated facts that somehow had to do with her case.  At the end, she glanced at the notes she had made.

January 2
nd
: Drive by. East end. Elderly man shot. Not involved. Witnesses say known gang. Names unknown. Fully automatic. Detective Larsen takes case.

January 15
th
: Robbery. Outskirts of city. Convenience Store. Clerk shot. Dead on scene. Second employee in freezer. Said known gang. Name of shooter unknown. Police delayed due to surveillance ordered by ATF. Fully automatic. Detective Larsen.

January 27
th
: Two fully automatics found in ditch outside city. No prints. No known use. Doesn’t match shootings. Detective Larsen.

February 10
th
: Just outside city. 6 year old boy shot and killed outside of his apartment building. Witnesses say two rival gang members were arguing. Shooters unknown. Fully automatic.  Detective Larsen calls ATF for assistance.

Something about her notes was bothering her, but she wasn’t sure what. She made a mental note to contact Detective Larsen. He seemed like he’d be a helpful person to work with. After all, he’d requested the ATF help.

Besides, Larsen was a decent man. She’d realized that the day he’d picked her up when she left Hudson’s house. He’d been almost as glad to see her as Wallaby was. She felt bad that he was stuck on a case like this. From his end it seemed damned near impossible.

She hadn’t spoken to him since she’d gone and thanked him for the ride. That was about a week or so after he’d picked her up and taken her back to the office. She remembered it because she’d stopped and picked him up a little treat. Valentine’s candy had been everywhere, so her choice had been a giant kiss. She’d smiled and told him that she wanted to give him a platonic kiss for making sure she got back safely.

She hated realizing it was almost Valentine’s Day. It was a not so subtle reminder of the feelings she was trying to avoid. So she’d spent it thanking those that made a difference in her life. Which didn’t include Logan.

She shook her head. It was hard to believe it’d been almost a month since she’d seen him. Touched him. Held him. If she’d waited a few days longer, they might have spent the holiday together.

That train of thought is what made her realize what it was that bothered her about her notes. The dates.

The first was the day after she’d been caught in the closet. The last was right after she was back. All of the shootings had taken place while she was being held in Hudson’s bedroom. Except for the last. That had been two days after she got back.

Her stomach twisted into knots at what that could mean. He was leaving a lot. Taking care of things. She’d heard him herself. He was playing her. He didn’t care if she was dead once her usefulness had worn off. Wouldn’t that mean he was dangerous?

Melissa felt her heart rate increase and she suddenly was dizzy and nauseous. Was Hudson behind the shootings? Was he the one dishing weapons out? She had seen weapons in his basement. Serious weapons.

And drugs.

Fuller looked back down at the file and tried to find any other clues in the details. She didn’t want to feel or think what she was feeling and thinking. She didn’t want this to be the way it appeared. She wished she could wipe away the concerns.

Could it be possible that the work he kept leaving to do was supplying gangs with what they needed to be, well, gangs? She looked for any correlation between the two.

Picking up the phone, Fuller didn’t pay attention to the time or day. She just dialed the numbers and waited on someone to answer. It was the life of an agent. It was the life of anyone that was fighting crime. Your job didn’t have off times.

“Larsen.” The voice that answered was groggy. He had been asleep. That realization was what had reminded Fuller that it was late. But it was too late to take the call back.

“Agent Fuller, ATF,” she introduced herself before she explained her call. “I’m sorry to bother you, Detective Larsen, but I’m working on the gang shooting case and I need to meet with you.”

“Now?” he asked.

“As soon as possible,” she replied. “I’ve got some questions that I need to ask.”

“Can we meet in the morning? Breakfast and coffee?” He suggested while trying to sound like he wasn’t annoyed. But she knew he was.

“Sure,” she answered and conceded that the man deserved sleep. “Is seven okay?”

She heard the grunt before he agreed and named the diner.

“See you then, detective,” she hung up the phone.

Picking the file back up, Melissa knew she wasn’t getting any sleep. If her worry was correct and Hudson was involved in this it meant something she didn’t want to face.

He was responsible for killing a little boy. Right after she’d told him about her brother.