InTooDeep (8 page)

Carley met him at the door, inviting him in
by stepping aside. “It’s still early. I was going to wait until after nine to
call.”

Hunt walked inside and took the door from
her hand to close it. One look into those chocolate brown eyes told her he
wasn’t there because of a phone call. She took a stumbling step backward as her
heart began to thud.

“You found her, didn’t you? You found
Dani.” Even as she asked the question she was already shaking her head. “No.
No.”

“Carley, I’m so sorry.” Hunt walked toward
her but she held up a hand.

“No. You’re wrong. It’s not Dani.” The
denial tasted bitter but she needed something, anything, to fight back the
waves of grief approaching. Those same waves would drag her under and she’d
never survive. How could she survive?

One hand reached behind her, found the arm
of the sofa and Carley sat so her legs wouldn’t give way. “Are you positive
it’s Dani?” She drew in a hitching breath that made her lungs ache.

“Yeah.” Hunt put his hands on his hips,
dislodging his suit coat and making the black leather holster holding his gun
visible.

Carley stared at the butt of the weapon,
wondering how many times he’d used it to kill. Then hysterical laughter bubbled
up in her throat. Why was she thinking about killing when her sister was dead?
Because she wanted to kill Franklin. He’d taken her sister away from her. Dani,
who had been so young and innocent. Sweet, trusting Dani, who wouldn’t even
kill a spider, was dead.

And Carley so desperately wanted to take
the life of the man who’d murdered her sister.

“How did it happen?” Did she really want to
know? Carley tried to talk herself out of asking the question but she had to
know if there was a mistake. Could Dani possibly still be alive?

“Dani called us, Carley.” He walked around
her and sat down on the sofa cushion closest to her. “She was in the trunk of a
car when it went over the Ashley River Bridge.”

Carley clasped her hands so tight together
the tips of her fingers went white. Oddly, she noticed she needed a manicure.
What stupid things one tended to notice in the throes of pain. “Have they… Did
you see her?”

Hunt touched her leg and she jumped like
she’d been shot. She didn’t want sympathy right now, couldn’t handle it. If he
treated her like a porcelain doll she would crack, and she might never be able
to put the pieces back together again.

“No, but I talked to her. She identified
herself as Dani Rivers.”

Carley covered her mouth with her fist.
“She took Mom’s maiden name.” She didn’t need to tell him why.

“Has she been…” She couldn’t bring herself
to ask if her sister’s body had been recovered. The blood in her veins was so
cold her teeth chattered, and just the thought of voicing those words aloud
made her physically ill inside.

“Carley, don’t do this. You don’t have to
have all the details. It won’t do any good.”

Needing distance, she stood and walked
away, paced for several moments then stopped with her back to the kitchen. “She
could have gotten out of the trunk before it went over the bridge.” The look on
his face gave her the answer she didn’t want. “It’s possible, isn’t it?”

He watched her for a long moment with those
brown eyes so full of compassion for even a thief.

Just as she was about to prod him for
answers again, Hunt responded. “There wasn’t a lot of time between the
disconnection of her call and the car going into the river.”

Carley held her stomach like she’d been
stabbed. She might as well have been. Dani was her last remaining relative and
the only one who really gave a damn about her. Without her baby sister she had
nothing left, nothing but revenge.

Hunt nodded slowly, still watching her.
When was he going to look away, to give her time to regain some elusive
composure? “I stayed on the phone with her until the car stopped. Then the line
went dead. We tried to track her but she was on a cell phone and the signal was
sketchy. My partner and I were heading out to try to find the vehicle she’d
described when the call came through that it had gone over the bridge.”

Carley needed to sit again but there was
nothing close by so she sank to the floor. “Where will they take her? Won’t she
need to be identified by next of kin?” How could she even think about seeing
her sister lying on a cold metal table, naked, covered with only a sheet?

He got to his feet and walked toward her.
“Carley, look at me.” He sat down beside her, taking one of her hands in his.
“There’s plenty of time to think about all that, to face all of that. Don’t
punish yourself with the details.”

She gripped his hand then tried to pull her
fingers away but Hunt held fast. “What about the owners of the car? You had to
have found something on them, right? We can track—”

“Carley.” Hunt leaned forward, took two
fingers and turned her face to his. “You just found out your sister is dead.
Let me worry about finding the bastards who killed her. Right now you need to
cry for her. I know if she were my sister, I would need to let the pain out.”

“Letting the pain out doesn’t always have
to involve tears.” She tried to turn her head away from his but he slid his
palm alongside her cheek. “If you don’t find the person who did this, I will.”

“I promise you I will find Dani’s killer.”
He ran his thumb along her lower lip.

“But you’re interested in justice.” The
words tasted bitter in her mouth.

“Don’t do this to yourself. Thinking about
revenge serves no purpose, and even though I never met her, I’m thinking Dani
wouldn’t have wanted that.”

She swiped away a lone tear and managed a
shaky nod. “She’s was always a tough little thing. Smart. Funny.” The memories
flowed, taking Carley back to a time when life was different. Maybe even a
little easier.

Summers at the lake house with her parents
and Dani and all the long nights of endless ghost stories.

The many fights she and Dani had over
stupid, inconsequential things, which had seemed of the greatest importance
back then.

Dani getting ready for her first prom and
scared her date might insist on the obligatory sex. Carley’s advice had come
with a can of pepper spray.

“Pepper spray?” Hunt chuckled. “Now that’s
a big sister.”

She hadn’t realized she’d been talking
aloud. Lifting her head, she swiped the back of her hand across her cheeks. She
aimed a watery gaze at him, her chest burning. Though the fist of agony still
lay in her stomach, she could draw in a deep breath. Talking about her sister
had helped.

“It sounds like you have a lot of wonderful
memories of your sister.”

“And that’s all I have now.” She closed her
stinging eyes and shook her head. “Her life shouldn’t have ended like this,
Hunt. Dani was a sweet, honest, loving person who was just trying to live a
normal life which,” she gave a little laugh devoid of humor, “given our
parents, proved to be difficult at best. But Dani was determined.”

He stroked her hair, and she wasn’t even
sure if he’d pulled her closer or she’d just gravitated toward him. She dropped
her head to his shoulder anyway. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without
her. We talked every day, saw each other as often as possible.”

“I’m sorry. I wish there was something else
I could say, some way to make this easier for you, but none of this is easy.”

She tipped her head back to see his face,
now shadowed by the dimming of the sun’s rays coming in through the open
blinds. “Promise me you won’t stop until you put Franklin and whoever else is
involved in the ground.”

He didn’t wince at the words like she’d
expected him to. Instead he just brushed her hair again and urged her head back
down to his shoulder. “How about I just promise you I won’t stop until Dani
gets justice?”

She sniffled, and she wanted to hate
herself for that, to curse her weakness even though if there was ever a time
weakness was deserved it was now. But with Hunt so close, so comforting, all
she could think about was sinking into his warmth and, for once, releasing
control.

“Come on.” Hunt eased her away from him and
got to his feet, offering his hand.

Carley brushed her hair away from her face.
“Where are we going?”

“Some place more comfortable than the
floor.” When Carley slipped her hand in his, his fingers curled in a protective
gesture that brought the tears rushing back to her eyes.

How long had it been since she’d felt so
safe, so secure with a man, hell, with anyone? Never. Her father had taught her
to trust no one but family. In this harsh, cold world, all you had was family
to depend on. Now she was wondering if he just hadn’t opened himself up enough
to the rest of the world to give it a chance.

Of course, his line of work didn’t
encourage trust. He didn’t want people to get close to him, didn’t want to like
them. It was a lot easier stealing from strangers than friends. So Ben Morgan
had rarely made friends.

Hunt tugged her to her feet, settled her in
the link of his arms. “What are you thinking about?”

She started to tell him then shook her
head. She’d already said too much. “It’s not important. I’m going to go wash my
face.” Pulling out of his embrace, she caught the tension on his face, wanted
to ask about it, but changed her mind. If there was something Hunt wasn’t
telling her, that just put them on even ground.

There were a lot of things she hadn’t told
him, things she wasn’t sure she ever could. Maybe it was better that way. She
wasn’t looking for a relationship and it was only a matter of time before he
decided to do what was best for his career and arrest her.

How could he not? Putting criminals behind
bars was his job, one he was very good at. Wasn’t that one of the reasons she’d
chosen him because she knew deep down inside she could really trust him?

What did it matter anyway if she ended up
behind bars? Did she really think she could return to her life as if nothing
had happened, nothing had changed her? She slipped inside the bathroom and
pressed the door shut with her palm.

She wasn’t the same person she’d been
before Dani had been kidnapped and she couldn’t go back to who she had been,
what
she had been. She’d find a different path, maybe even a better one. One
that Dani would have liked better. It was the least she could do to honor her
sister’s memory.

Chapter Eight

“They won’t look for her now.” Franklin
brushed a lock of hair away from Rena’s cheek, breathed in the scent of her
perfume. “I solved our little problem.”

“You should have run this by me first. This
is my operation.” Rena folded her arms across her breasts and aimed an icy
stare at him. “What in the hell were you thinking?”

He lifted a shoulder in a shrug, more
relaxed now than he had been since they’d discovered the truth about Dani
Rivers. “I did what I had to do, and like it or not I probably saved your ass.”

Rena’s breath hissed out. “I don’t need you
to protect me.”

“No, but you do need someone to be the
voice of reason now and again. Trying to lure Carley Morgan in was a suicide
mission. The woman is too connected, and there’s no way in hell that she goes
missing without fallout.” He held up his hand to silence her upcoming tirade. “Yes,
she’s a criminal, but she has more friends than Hugh Hefner. I’m surprised she
hasn’t already found us both.”

“And what makes you think she’s going to
stop looking for us now that her sister is dead?”

Franklin smiled and eased himself down onto
the leather sofa inside Rena’s makeshift office. If there was one thing he
could say about the woman, she operated with more efficiency than elegance.
When outside the office she dressed like she owned stock in Dolce &
Gabbana. The warehouse they used to hold the girls meant forgoing the diamonds
and dresses, and he was more than a little surprised Rena allowed herself to be
seen without a stitch of makeup. Here she was all about business, nothing more.

“Why haven’t you answered me?” She sounded
petulant, almost like a little girl who’d been denied a lollipop.

“They might look but they won’t find us.
You’ll finish up the few auctions you have left then move on to the next city
just like we planned. I’ve already gotten you in with the Greenville Police
Department. Seems a captain there would rather be sailing across the Atlantic
on his yacht than sitting behind a desk shuffling papers. He’s ready to retire
in style.”

The news seemed to perk her up for Rena
gave him a blindingly white smile and snagged hold of his tie before giving him
an aggressive kiss. “I knew I was making a wise choice when I approached you.”

The remaining vestiges of tension drained
from Franklin’s muscles. He’d known she’d see things his way. Rena could be
difficult, but she could be controlled.

Hunt twisted the cap off the bottle of beer
and took a long swig. Leaning against the counter in the suite kitchen, he
waited for Carley to return, wondered if the tears had gotten the better of her
in the bathroom too.

Being an only child, he couldn’t imagine
losing someone as close as a sibling. Hell, he’d never really lost anyone close
to him. Even his grandparents were still alive— coasting into their nineties
and enjoying each day better than the last. And here Carley had faced not only
her sister’s abduction but her death as well in a little over a week. Soft
footsteps padding across the carpet drew his attention and he pushed off the
counter to join Carley in the living room area. “You okay?”

She nodded and twisted the bottom of the
gray t-shirt she wore into a knot. She’d changed into a comfortable-looking
pair of jeans along with it, leaving her feet bare. The fire-engine-red
toenails peeking out from beneath frayed denim caused his stomach to knot way
more than it should.

“So,” he cleared his throat, “are you
hungry?”

“No. Just tired.” Carley dragged a hand
through her long hair before pushing it back over her shoulder. “I think I need
to lie down for a while.”

He didn’t want to leave her alone but he
had no reason to stay. “That’s probably a good idea. I’ll call you as soon as I
know anything.” He walked to the door. “Be sure to lock this behind me.”

“Hunt.” Carley’s voice sounded fragile,
uncertain.

“Yeah?”

“You could stay…if you want.” Her freshly
washed face couldn’t hide the ravage the tears had left behind, and before
Hunt’s answer left his mouth he knew he’d be staying.

He clicked the lock into place and walked
toward her, pausing to turn off the overhead light. When he reached her, he
lifted her in his arms and carried her down the short hallway into the bedroom.

Carley curled her arms around his neck and
buried her face against his shoulder. And the knot in his stomach tightened.

He could try to convince himself not to
feel anything, not to allow himself to care for Carley Morgan, the thief, but
the heart spoke much louder than words. And right now, he was only holding
Carley Morgan, the woman.

Pressing a kiss against her temple, he held
her for a second longer before he laid her atop the downy comforter covering
the queen-sized bed. “You’re going to be okay,” he whispered. He turned down
the sheets and helped her beneath the blankets. Then he squatted down in front
of her, taking one of her hands in both of his. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save your
sister.”

Tears made her green eyes sparkle. “Dani would
have liked you.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. She always had a thing for macho
guys with soft centers.” A smile ghosted across her lips.

Hunt returned the smile. “You think I have
a soft center?” No matter what tomorrow would bring, tonight he was just a man.
He could lay aside his badge and his gun to be with Carley, to give her the
only thing he could…comfort.

She scooted back in the bed, silently
offering him space. “I think you work hard at trying to cover it up.”

He peeled off his shirt and climbed into the
bed with her, bringing her into his embrace. “Well if I do have a soft center,
it’s only for mouthy redheads.”

Carley’s body melted into his,
instinctively seeking the reassurance he offered. “It’s a good thing you
haven’t run into any of those then.” The last syllable ended on a quiet sob.

Hunt’s arms tightened and he held her while
the storm rolled through again.

His arm held her safely against his body
and Carley didn’t want to move. Since she’d woken up almost an hour ago she’d
been content to just be still and listen to the rhythmic sounds of Hunt
breathing. For a little while she could pretend that this was just another day,
that nothing bad had happened.

That Dani was still alive.

Her shoulders tensed as fresh waves of pain
shook the faux contentment. Hunt’s arms tightened and his cheek brushed hers.

“You okay?” His voice, husky from sleep,
was a soft rumble of concern.

She nodded and pulled out of his embrace,
sitting up with her feet off the edge of the bed. “Actually, that was a lie.
I’m not okay. I don’t think I’ll ever be okay again.” Standing, she realized
she still wore her clothes from the night before.

“I’m going to go take a shower and—”

“Carley.” The sound of her name stopped
her. “I will find out who killed your sister.”

Her lungs burned from trying to breathe
without crying. She mentally counted to ten then spun around to look down at
him. “No, you won’t.
We
will.”

Hunt sat up, the sheet dropping to his
waist. “We? There is no we. This is not a joint operation. This is my job.”

“And it’s more to me than just a job, which
is why I know you’ll understand when I tell you I can’t walk away from this.”

“You don’t have a choice.” He scooted to
the edge of the bed. “There’s nothing you can do. Emotions can’t be a part of
this, Carley. Emotions get people killed.”

“You need someone who can get close to
Franklin without getting caught. Your wiretaps or whatever you’ve got going on
obviously aren’t working. What you need is someone who is used to slipping in
and slipping out without leaving a trace. And, as my recent breaking and
entering proved, I am the perfect criminal for this job.”

Hunt leaped to his feet. “No. No way. It’s
too dangerous.”

“So was breaking into a cop’s home.” Carley
glared at him, welcoming the anger. She held on to the emotion, needing it to
propel her out of the pain.

He stormed toward her and took hold of her
arms. “I won’t allow you to get involved, Carley. Not now. I mean it. Look at
me.”

“I wasn’t asking for permission.” Carley
met his gaze squarely, issuing the challenge with her words. She’d expected
interference, was ready to take it on if she had to. There was no way she was
walking away from this now.

“It doesn’t matter. I won’t let you do
this.”

She gritted her teeth. “I’m going to allow
that to slide for now, but let me ask you something. What would you do if it
was a member of your family, Hunt? Would you walk away, and please don’t tell
me it’s different because you’re a cop.” The words stuck in her throat, as
bitter as the casing around her heart.

His hands loosened a bit. “This can’t be
about revenge, Carley, and that’s what you want.”

“Am I not supposed to want the person or
persons who killed my sister dead? Am I not supposed to want them to suffer?
You’ll have to tell me if I’m doing this all wrong because this is a first for
me.”

He tried to coax her back to the bed, to
get her to sit down, but she resisted. “Carley, I need to do my job, and to do
that I need to know you’re safe.” His hands framed her face. “Do you understand
what I’m saying?”

How could he expect her to do nothing when
she needed something to focus on besides the pain? If she couldn’t do anything
else for Dani, she could bring her killer down. The son of a bitch had crossed
the wrong family.

“I understand, but I can’t give you what
you want because it’s not what I want. I’m sorry.” She tugged her hands free
and walked away, refusing to look back when he called her name.

The pain sliced her like a scalpel but the
cuts were jagged. She imagined bleeding from every organ because that was how
real the anguish was. Somehow she managed to push through, putting one foot in
front of the other until she could close the bathroom door behind her.

She understood Hunt had a job to do and the
badge he wore required him to operate within the parameters of the law. But she
didn’t have those restrictions.

As she stared at her pale face in the
mirror, she promised herself the bastards who killed her sister wouldn’t spend
time in a cell eating three meals a day. She’d see to that…even if she had to
cross the line from thief to killer.

“I’ve decided to move up our timetable.”
Rena moved down the short row of women, casually inspecting their hair, their
skin, their eyes, checking for any qualities her buyers would find distasteful.
“We’ll be leaving Charleston within the next forty-eight hours.”

Her booted heels clicked on the concrete
floor of the warehouse, echoing against the aluminum walls. She’d pushed the
start of the auction up, needing to get this batch of women out of town in a
hurry. Still, as much as she’d like to wrap things up faster than the two-day
time frame, she couldn’t rush the presentation. Some buyers could be so
particular, but when they were offering upward of half a million per unit of
merchandise, Rena found it was always in her best interest to present the
highest quality of women.

“Yes, ma’am.” JT, the black-clad security
guard, spoke with great deference. She liked that about him. He knew his place,
knew that it was literally hundreds of rungs below hers.

Leaning in to get a closer look at a short,
blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman’s face, Rena frowned. “JT, take this one to the
back. Her hair’s been colored. Our buyers want natural.”

JT, thickly muscled man with close-cropped
hair and a permanent frown line, stepped forward and took hold of the blonde’s
arm. “This way.” His voice rumbled like thunder and Rena favored him with a
smile.

She’d always liked JT. Not enough to spend
any time with him other than what was required, but he was one of her employees
who did as he was instructed when he was instructed. And he was loyal to a
fault, never wavering in his trust in her decisions. It was hard to find that
kind of allegiance in the circles she traveled in. And allegiance was what she
needed right now, especially with this next task.

She’d given Franklin too much rope, allowed
him to call some of the shots, and he’d taken advantage of that power. Though
he might have made the right call with the Rivers girl, his plan had had a
fatal flaw. She didn’t like being left out of the loop.

“On second thought, JT, give the girl to
one of the other handlers. I have something else for you to do.” As she walked
away from the quartet of remaining women, she heard the sniffles and sobs,
reminders that these women were weak and deserved what was coming to them.

She’d never been weak, which was precisely
why she held the power. The world hadn’t given her a damn thing and no one,
certainly no man, would ever dare to put their hands on her. Her very manner
assured her safety.

She carried herself with an air of
authority and importance that spoke of confidence and strength. Criminals
always preyed on the weak, and she’d decided long ago she’d rather be the
hunter than the prey. Her husband’s repeated infidelities only spurred her to
action sooner. And that decision had led to this multimillion-dollar industry
and a very good life for her, one that assured her she could survive without
her husband to take care of her.

JT tugged the roller door shut behind him
once Rena had exited and turned to face her, his beefy arms folded, ready for
his next assignment. He didn’t speak or ask questions, another trait Rena
admired.

With a perfectly practiced smile, Rena
tipped her head back to let her dark hair caress her waist. “This business
needs to be handled quickly and efficiently.” Withdrawing a photograph from the
inside of her blouse, she handed it to JT.