Merchants with Evil Intent (12 page)

      
“I don’t think that’d be a good idea,”
she replied, looking at the pavement.

      
Declan lifted his hands in frustration.
“That’s it then? Snog me socks off and no promise of seeing you again?”

      
She scarcely knew how to respond. Even
though Declan caused a stirring in her soul she’d never felt before and wasn’t
sure she’d ever feel again, she knew a long distance relationship would only
end in heartache.

      
After several long moments she lifted her
gaze from the pavement and stared into his ice blue colored eyes and shrugged.

      
He raised his eyebrows in disbelief,
lifted his hands then dropped them in frustration. “I guess ‘tis true what they
say about American lasses.”

      
Camryn placed her hands on her hips. “And
what’s that supposed to mean?”

      
He sneered, “That they’re all feckin’
easy.”

      
Camryn’s mouth formed a perfect round
circle. She narrowed her eyes as she pulled open the car door. After starting
the car she rolled down the window. “Feck you, Declan!” she yelled. She stepped
heavily on the accelerator, causing the car to fishtail and once she righted
it, she sped away.

*
     
*
     
*

      
Detective Bedroom Eyes treaded heavily
into the interrogation room. Valik glared at him through a black and blue eye.

      
He leaned over the table and whispered,
“I’ll try to get you out of here, but it’s not going to be easy since three
witnesses fingered you in a line up. In the meantime make a phone call and find
out where he wants me to drop her off.”

      
Valik eyed him with circumspect. “You’re
bluffing.”

      
“Trust me, I don’t bluff,” he coldly
replied.

*
     
*
     
*

      
Declan watched as she sped away. The two
cops approached him. The one from the concert patted him on the back. “That’s
my Camryn for you. She has the O’Mara temper, I’m afraid. Don’t let that put
you off though.”

      
Declan shrugged, “I’m leavin’ tomorrow
anyway. I just thought…hell I don’t know what I thought.” He shook his head and
began to walk away and suddenly stopped. He turned towards John. “This man of
hers, are they serious?”

      
“Hardly,” John laughed. “If that was the
case she never would’ve kissed you, eh?”

      
“I doona understand women,” Declan
sighed.
    

      
Tom McShane laughed, “None of us do.”

*
     
*
     
*

      
Of
all the nerve!
Easy?
Jerk!
Camryn stomped the accelerator pedal
again.

      
But still, there was something about him.

      
She pulled out her phone and dialed
John’s number.

      
“Camryn!”
John
laughed into the phone.

      
“Are you still at the park?”

      
“Yep.
Is there
something you need?”

      
“Is
he
still there?”

      
“If you mean Declan, yes he is. Would you
like to talk to him?”

      
She hated his smugness and gritted her
teeth. “I don’t know.”

      
“Well, if that’s all you wanted…,”

      
“Wait! Fine, yes, I’d like to talk to
him.”

      
John didn’t respond. She checked to see
if she lost reception driving through a tunnel.

      
“John?” she asked.

      
“’Tis Declan.”

      
She was at a loss for words. He growled
into the phone impatiently, “Didja want to speak with me or not?”

      
His tone set her into defense mode again.
“I see someone still has their boxers in a bunch!”

      
“Ah love, now I’ve got ya thinkin’ aboot
me shorts,” he murmured.

      
Her eyebrow lifted. “Of course I am.
After all, American girls are easy, right?”

      
Declan closed his eyes. Damn, he wished
he’d never said that, especially when he heard a dial tone.

*
     
*
     
*

      
When Camryn arrived at the station Viktor
was in the interrogation room with her stalker. Detective Barnes took her into
the two-way room and said she’d be able to view the stalker without him seeing
her.

      
She gasped when Viktor moved allowing her
to see her stalker.

      
Viktor seemed angry, frustrated. Valik
appeared composed considering he was arrested for kidnapping at least one woman
and stalking another.

      
“Does he look familiar?” Barnes asked.

      
She tore her eyes from Valik. “He looks
like Viktor, doesn’t he?”

      
Barnes hesitated and looked at the two
men. “Yeah, I guess so. Have you ever run into this guy? Did he try to make a
move on you and you dissed him?”

      
She snorted, “I don’t get hit on much,
Richard. I don’t go anywhere
to
get
hit on!”

      
“I understand the park is a pretty
happening place,” he grinned.

      
She felt herself blush. “Cripes, does the
whole department know?”

      
“Probably.
I
can’t say it does much for Orlov’s self esteem.”

      
She sat in a gray folding chair. She
never realized how grungy the station looked. Light green paint had peeled away
from the cinderblocks and littered the linoleum floor.

      
She lifted her eyes to meet Richard’s. He’d
been at family gatherings throughout the years and she tended to treat him as
the older brother she didn’t have. “I’m so confused.”

      
Richard sat next to her taking her hand
into his. “Whaddya confused about?
Orlov?”

      
“I thought he left with Camille Mayden
the other night so I’ve treated him badly. On top of that I was caught kissing
another guy and confessed to a bunch of cops that I enjoyed it, right in front
of him.”

      
Richard shifted uneasily in the chair.
“I’m not surprised you’re confused. I heard how your relationship took a
different turn with John. You’ve been handed a lot of shit the past few days
and I’m sure it’s hard to sort it all out.”

      
That was one thing that Camryn hated about
her uncle, well father, being a cop. Everyone knew everyone else’s business.

      
“Cam, take off for a while. Clear your
head and let the dust settle. This jag-off will be behind bars and you’ll have
time to come to terms with your relationship to John.” He shrugged and
continued, “I personally don’t think Viktor’s right for you. Not your type at
all.”

      
She half-smiled, “And what exactly is my
type?”

      
“Someone that’s not spineless. Orlov’s a
pussy when it comes to you. It’s disgusting and frankly I’m surprised you put
up with it.”

*
     
*
     
*

      
“The lass hung up,” Declan said, handing
the mobile to John.

      
John took the phone and pulled a notepad
and pen from his jacket pocket. He quickly scribbled something and handed the
sheet to Declan.

      
He lifted his eyebrows curiously as he
scanned the paper. “It’s Cam’s phone number. Trust me, she’d enjoy a call from
you once she simmers down,” John urged.

      
Declan tucked the sheet into his pants
pocket and shook John’s hand. “I’m not sure aboot that, but thanks.”

*
     
*
     
*

      
Camille Mayden blinked her eyes wearily.
She shook inside from the nightmare, even though she remembered little of it.
Something about being tied to a bed.
She tried to roll over
to catch a few more winks.

      
She realized she was living the
nightmare.

      
She struggled against the leather that
bound her hands to the bed rail. They seemed looser than the day before or
maybe it was wishful thinking.

      
She stilled at the sound of footsteps.

      
“So, you’ve decided to see things my way,
eh?” a deep voice boomed. “Tonight you may bring the girl directly to me. In
the mean time I’ll need six additional and I expect you to find them since
Valik is presently tied up.”

      
The caller replied, infuriating the man.
“You will get me more girls.” She listened as he paced the floor. “Do you
realize the problems you’ve created for me? Valik’s been arrested and I’m
having a difficult time getting him out! See that you expedite his release!”

      
Camille heard the closure of a flip
phone. When he passed by he brushed his fingers against her exposed thigh. She
repressed a shudder. He walked away closing the door behind him.

      
She lifted her head and looked at her
surroundings. She counted four women in the same predicament, strapped to beds
with IV bottles next to them.

      
What did he plan on doing to them? She
put that thought from her mind as she feverishly worked her wrists in the
leather straps. She’d be damned if she’d die this way.

*
     
*
     
*

      
Viktor sauntered to his desk and noticed
Cam sitting there.

      
“Viktor, I’m so sorry for what I said,”
she whispered.

      
He raised an eyebrow. “But not for what
you did?”

      
She blushed, “Yes, I’m sorry about that,
too. Can I make it up to you?”

      
He wanted to spit in her face but instead
chuckled and rubbed his temple. “I don’t know Cam. It hurt like hell, ya know?”

      
She touched his arm. “I’m sorry. I don’t
know what else to say. I shouldn’t have done that.”

      
He bent and whispered in her ear, “You’re
right. You shouldn’t have.”

      
The way he said it gave Camryn goose
bumps and the little hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention.

      
She was done kissing his ass. In fact,
she was done.
Period.

      
“Well, I just wanted to apologize. See ya
around,” she snipped.

      
She began to walk away and he grabbed her
arm, a little rougher than he intended. “Wait, I thought you wanted to make it
up to me?” he asked with a slight grin.

      
Her eyes narrowed. “What do you have in
mind?”

 
     
He shrugged, “Why don’t you come by my
place around seven and we can talk about it.”

 
 
    
 
“I
can’t tonight. I’ll call you later in the week,” she hedged, walking away.

      
With a room full of cops watching Viktor
held his emotions in check. He turned and called over his shoulder, “Later,
Cam.”

      
He began to sift through paperwork on his
desk when Travers walked by slowly and stared at him. Viktor shot him an
annoyed glance. The guy got on his nerves.

      
At one time he thought Camryn and Travers
were
an item because they always showed up at parties
together. He always thought Travers wanted more, but never acted on it.
 

*
     
*
     
*

      
When Camryn got home the first thing she
did was grab the thirty-eight from her nightstand and search the apartment.
Afterwards she went into her closet and spun the wheel on the safe several
times and opened the door.

      
She pulled out a thick envelope and
spread the contents on her bed. She socked away ten one hundred dollar bills,
for a rainy day and leafed through her passport. Afterwards, she sucked it up
and placed a call she never thought she’d make.