Out of the Dark (17 page)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Hershey climbed onto the couch next to Emily and Mac, and put his head in her lap as if he sensed something wrong. “I’m so glad to have you. You’re such a good boy.”

Rubbing her dog’s soft fur, Emily’s body shook uncontrollably. The explosion raced through her mind, scene after scene in rapid procession. She squeezed her eyes shut to block out the memory of seeing everything she owned destroyed.

Emily hid her face with her hands, as if that would stop the images, and inwardly fought against the mess her life had become. She didn’t know who was responsible for blowing up her house, but hatred for the act of injustice and brutality made her heart ache.

What if they found her? A sob escaped from her lips, and Mac pulled her against his chest. “I’m...I’m so scared.”

“I know,” Mac said, stroking her hair. “But, you’re safe, Em. We’ll get through this. We’ll find the people responsible, and punish them. I promise.”

Emily clutched the front of his shirt, wanting to crawl inside him where she would feel safe from harm. And yet, she had the urge to run as fast as she could away from the damage in her life. With no strength left, she went limp, and sobbed until the tears were gone. All feeling left her body, and she surrendered to complete devastation
.

The life she’d once known had n
ot always been a happy life, but it was her life. The one she’d built alone after her parents died and she’d been left to care for her younger sister. Through tears and heartache she’d never asked anyone for anything. She’d paid for her and Victoria’s education by working two jobs. She’d gone to law school to make a difference. To serve as an honorable example of how one should live.

Never in her whole life had she ever harmed another human being. Clean morals and a sincere belief in integrity were the foundations of her whole existence. And while there were things she would’ve loved to change... a husband, children, an extended family, she was sti
ll grateful for each milestone she’d passed along the way.

Desperate for something to do besides cry, Emily asked, “Should I call my insurance company about the house?”

“No, Falcon Securities is taking care of everything.” Mac brushed her hair back. “If you call the insurance company, someone might find out you’re alive. Frank is getting you another phone. Same number, but no GPS. Brody will bring it over soon.”

“So, is this entirely my fault? The pictures, my phone?”

“It’s nobody’s fault but Ramón Marino’s. He’s the one to blame. He wants me dead. You just got caught up in his shit. That’s all.”

“Why does he want you dead?”

Mac let out a deep breath. “I managed to bust up his organization pretty good the last time I went after him. He lost a lot of money. The CIA wanted me to bring him back to the States to stand trial for killing two DEA agents. I tried, but Marino crawled into a hole and wouldn’t come out. Frank gave me the go ahead to kidnap his sister as a bargaining tool.”

“What happened?”

“We’d made a deal. Marino for his sister. Once we had Angelina, Marino agreed to surrender if we let her go. During the exchange, in the middle of a dirty road on the outskirts of Columbia, with Marino fifty yards away, someone took a shot. Angelina was killed.”

“How horrible,” Emily placed her
hand on Mac’s shoulder to offer comfort.

“I was on this side
of the border. The shot came from the other side. The murder weapon belonged to a Mexican Policeman, and we proved it. But Marino refused to believe anything except I murdered his innocent sister. For that reason he’s vowed to kill me.”

Mac’s cell phone rang
and Tony’s ID came up. He answered then walked into the kitchen. Emily continued petting the dog, now sound asleep, snoring softly.

“Tony, can you get to
Moscow?”

“I’m on my way.
Why?”

“I think I’m onto s
omething. Do you remember that CI we pulled out of Bogotá?”

“ATF, Right?
I remember.”

“Do you recall what he said about Marino dabbling in a new market other than drugs?”

“Yes.”

“Before you leave, can you have a conversation with
Nicholas Belskavia?”

“He
’s a strange duck. We aren’t exactly on speaking terms. But I sort of owe the bastard a favor. He gave me an exit when I needed one. Never knew why. What’s on your mind, Mac?”

After finishing the conversation, Mac returned to the living room, only to see Hershey’s head pop up. That damn dog lay stretched across Em’s lap on Mac’s expensive leather couch.
With all that had happened lately, it must’ve gotten to Em because she was sound asleep. Mac called to the dog, but Hershey put his head down and stayed put.

Determined to let Em rest, Mac dropped into the chair across from the couch and patted his knee. “Come here
, boy, I’m not going to hurt her.”

Slowly the dog came off the couch and sat beside Mac to get his head scratched. Watching Em sleep, Mac felt horrible. They had been on one rough joyride, and Em definitely deserved that vacation in Belize. Instead, unless Falcon came up with some serious information fast, Em’s life would change drastically.

Sad eyed, Hershey put his chin on Mac’s knee and whimpered. “What is it?” The dog padded to the door. “You need to go outside?”

Hershey pawed the door. Realizing he didn’t have a leash, Mac went into his bedroom closet and buckled two belts together. All he needed was to lose Em’s dog.

After securing the belt to the dog’s collar, Mac opened the door. Obediently Hershey walked beside Mac as they went down the stairs to the designated doggy area of his apartment complex.

At dusk few people were in the park, but Mac was
reluctant to let the dog off the leash. Mac squatted down and took Hershey’s head in his hands. “Can you be a good boy off your leash?

Hershey barked.

“No, I need a nod.”

Hershey obeyed
, and when Mac released him he ran to the nearest patch of grass and hiked his leg. Then he went sniffing everything, including the butts of every other dog in the vicinity. Being the biggest mutt in the park, Mac didn’t worry about him getting hurt, and with Hershey’s disposition, there’d be little chance he’d bother anyone. Even with all that, Mac wasn’t going to let him get too far away.

After several minutes, Mac called, and Hershey came and sat while Mac clipped the belt on. Then they went upstairs to check on Em.

Mac expected Brody any minute. With the make-shift leash tossed aside, a knock sounded at the door.

Surprisingly, Hershey didn’t bark, but crawled toward the door, and growled low in his throat.

Mac bent down and patted Hershey’s head. “He’s one of the good guys.” Confident his fellow agent wasn’t going to be eaten alive, Mac opened up and Brody stepped inside. The agent looked at the dog then Em lying on the couch. “What’s going on?”

Hershey sniffed the bag in Brody’s hand and started licking his
chops. Mac quickly snatched the food out of Brody’s hand and held it up in the air. “This is Em’s dinner.”

Hershey’s eyes followed the brown bag.

Brody laughed. “When I used the drive thru I didn’t know it was for
Em.”
Brody raised a brow and the dimples in each cheek deepened.

“Frank tell you her house got blown?”

“Yeah, what kind of yahoo blows up a woman’s home?”

“I finally figured out they were tracking us by Em’s GPS. You bring the
new phone?”

Brody rea
ched in his pocket. “No contacts or anything like that, but same number.”

“Good, at least she can make and receive calls.”

“So, what’s the deal?”

“
Unaware anything was wrong, Em accidentally left her cell phone in the Falcon SUV, and drove her own car to the store. They read the signal from the phone, figured she and I were there, and they detonated the bomb.”

“Damn, if that isn’t enough to
get every Falcon agent pissed, I don’t know what is.”

“
Frank is plenty
pissed.
He wants these bastards caught,” Mac said.

“When I left the office he told me to do whatever needed to be done to wrap this up.”

“I know Em wants it over so she can get on with her life.”

Brody rubbed the back of his neck and slapped his Stetson against his thigh. “Jake is hot on the trail of the
black car that pulled into Emily’s neighborhood and parked down the street just minutes before the blast. So we need to get going.”

“Okay, let me get things situated. Meet me downstairs.”

“Hey, Mac, that’s a good-looking dog. He yours?”

“No, that’s Hershey. He belongs to Em.”

“Who names a big boy like that, Hershey?”

“Em.” Mac petted the dog’s head. “He’s pretty well behaved except when it comes to food.”

A low growled sounded.

Pointing his finger, Mac said, “You know I’m not lying.”

That got a bark, and woke Em.

She rubbed her eyes and sat up. “What’s going on?”

“It’s okay.” Mac turned to Brody. “Wait for me.”

Em stood on wobbly legs. “Brody brought you some dinner. I put it on the counter. Hershey had a nature call and I took him downstairs.”

“Thank you, Mac.”

“I want you to sleep here tonight. Brody and I have to go check
out a lead.”

“I hate to intrude
,” she said.

Emily numbly looked about,
Mac’s apartment. It surprised her. Situated in an elegant, gated community, she could only imagine how expensive it must be.

The apartment was so unlike Mac
. 

Meticulous
and uber clean. Never one to bet, but in this case, Emily would lay money down that you couldn’t find a speck of dust in this place with a magnifying glass or a white glove. And here Hershey was shedding everywhere.

Earlier, s
he’d cringed when her dog and Mac had a tug-of-war with the bag of dog food, and the kitchen floor lost. Although she’d quickly cleaned it up, she didn’t miss the shocked look on Mac’s face before he turned away.

So much for the
conversation they had about him owning a dog. An apartment this spotless didn’t allow for any kind of animal. Still, it surprised her that Mac lived in such a fastidious environment.

When she’d been alone with him, he didn’t seem to care if he had a toothbrush
, nor did he mind using hers. The clothes he’d showed up wearing at her hotel in Moscow weren’t fit for a homeless man. In her mind, if necessary, he’d drink sewer water.

Then to walk into this?

The guy was a conundrum. Just goes to show you never knew a man, no matter how much time you spent with one.

He cupped her face. “Listen here, pretty lady. You’re not intruding. I want you here when I come back. Besides, it’s Frank’s order
s.” He bent and kissed. What started out as a simple good-bye kiss turned into something miraculous to never be forgotten. His head lowered until his breath brushed against her face and then her mouth. The passion of him sinking into her with a dose of hunger.

Emily hadn’t been with a lot of men but the woman in her reached out to his masculine side and she felt the hard, firmness of his warm body against hers. His lips, hungry and
on the prowl captured her mouth and without hesitation his tongue slipped into her mouth to taste and sample, leaving her panting and wanting more. He nibbled her lower lip before breaking the kiss.

“Mac.”

“Eat, watch TV, take a hot bath and relax. Nobody knows you’re here. If Hershey has to go out, the dog park is to the left of the building. You’ll see a sign.”

“I’m afraid I’ll make a mess of the place.”

She ducked her head, but he tilted her face toward him. “I don’t care how dirty this place gets. It’s nothing more than a place for me to crash.”

Em spread out her arms in a circle. “It’s so neat and sanitized.” She rolled her shoulder and ducked her head. “I feel out of place.”

Mac laughed. “You want to know why this place looks so clean?”

She nodded.

“My cleaning lady lives three doors down and she’s from Japan. When I moved here her older brother was harassing her because she refused to settle for an arranged marriage. I handled that for her. Ever since, she’s kept my apartment like a shrine. She bought everything you see. I could walk away from all this, and it wouldn’t matter one bit.”

“I think it’s lovely.”

“Then enjoy the hell out of it.” Mac put his arm around her and walked into the kitchen. “Listen carefully. See that small screen with four squares mounted on the wall?”

She nodded.

“If anyone besides me, Brody or Frank knocks, call 911 and lock you and Hershey in the bathroom. The door is solid steel.”