Shades of Gray (21 page)

P.J. smiled, warmed through by the genuine regard and acceptance the other women had
bestowed on her.

The world might well be coming to an end, because P.J. Rutherford was actually making
friends
.

CHAPTER 32

“SO
how did it go?” Cole asked on the drive back to Camden.

“It actually went well,” she said.

She reached over to slide her fingers around his hand, surprising him with her overture.
He picked up her hand and put it on his leg, his grip firm.

“You were sweet to do that for me, Cole. I really appreciate your caring,” she said
in a quiet voice. “They didn’t pry. And they didn’t push too hard. They just let me
know I wasn’t alone and that they were there anytime I needed a shoulder. It was kind
of . . . nice.”

He squeezed her hand. “I’m glad. I hate that you seem so alone, like you’re isolated
from the rest of the world. There are so many of us who care about you, P.J. I just
wanted to show you that.”

Her heart did a complete somersault in her chest. This man was so damn perfect and
he actually wanted her. It defied all logic, but she wasn’t going to argue.

“Thank you. I do feel better. It was nice to get out for an afternoon. The Kelly women
are nice.”

“Yeah, they’re pretty special, but not as special as you.”

She blushed hotly but smiled her happiness over his assessment.

“Hey, when we get to your place, do you have wireless Internet? I need to get on my
laptop. It’s been forever since I checked email and messages.”

“Sure. I’ll get you hooked up, no problem.”

“What sort of divine delicacies can I look forward to tonight?” she teased.

“Was thinking of cranking up the grill and doing something quick, like hamburgers.”

“Yum. That sounds perfect!”

He smiled. “You’re awfully easy to please.”

Impulsively, she leaned across the truck and kissed him on the cheek. He glanced over
in surprise when she pulled away, but pleasure glowed in his eyes.

“What was that for?”

“Just seemed like the thing to do,” she said.

“Well feel free to do it more often,” he encouraged. “I assure you I won’t mind.”

When they arrived at his house, she again got out without any help from him. She limped
toward the house, and whether it was her mood or the wound wasn’t bothering her as
much, her step was quicker and more confident.

Her assessment was verified when Cole commented that she seemed to be getting around
better.

She went to her bedroom and pulled her laptop out of her bag. The battery was likely
dead, so she retrieved the cord and went in search of a place to plug it in.

Cole was in the kitchen pulling stuff out of the fridge, so she opted to set up her
computer on the bar and settled on one of the stools.

After plugging in to begin the charge, she opened it and searched for his wireless
connection.

“Hey, do you have a password to get on?” she asked.

To her surprise, his cheeks darkened with color, and instead of telling her the password,
he walked around to her laptop and swiftly typed it in.

She stared at him in curiosity. “Don’t trust me?”

“Nah, just figured it was easier if I typed it,” he hedged.

“So how am I supposed to connect if you aren’t just right here?” she asked innocently.

“Since I don’t plan not to be right here with you, it isn’t an issue.”

“Oh come on, Cole. You’ve got me curious. I could swear you blushed when I asked for
the password. What is it, some kind of X-rated guy thing? Like
bigboobs
or something like that?”

Cole sighed. “The password is
Pjshot
, okay? Happy?”

Her eyes widened and she stifled her laughter. “P.J.’s hot? That’s the password? How
long have you had this network?”

“Three years, okay? Now can we change the subject?”

He was so cute in his embarrassment and it made her want to squeeze him.

“So you were checking me out that long ago, huh?”

He sighed. “I was checking you out from the day you joined our team.”

“That’s so cute,” she said with a grin.

“Cute?” he grumbled. “God, I feel like some kind of horny teenager who just got busted
making out on the couch by his mother.”

Still grinning, she logged on to her email and began scanning the subject headers.

When she got to one buried below a dozen others, she froze and her heart sped up,
beating painfully against her chest. With shaking fingers she clicked on the message.

She had to read it several times because adrenaline was making her jumpy and she had
a hard time processing the message.

B in town. Something big going down. Several of the girls were hired. Can’t say more
in email. I’ll talk in person if it’s just you.

The email was from one of the call girls P.J. had befriended in her quest to track
down the four men who’d been present when she was raped. Katia—P.J. didn’t know her
real name—had been an invaluable source of information, but she was also extremely
paranoid and spooky. With good reason. Brumley wouldn’t hesitate to shut anyone down
he perceived as a threat.

She quickly checked the date the email had been sent and breathed her relief when
she saw it was sent the previous evening. So it hadn’t languished for days while P.J.
had been out of touch.

With shaking hands, she shut the laptop, her mind in vicious turmoil.

It had been so easy to forget her objective when she was a world away with people
who cared about her. The last days with Cole had enabled her to shove Brumley into
the back of her mind. She’d relaxed her guard, had been able to pretend she was flirting
and forging a relationship.

Last night should have told her that there was no way she could move forward with
her life until she’d taken care of her past. But even after her panic attack, she’d
still refused to focus on the task at hand.

She had to get to Vienna and talk to Katia. What if Nelson had been wrong about Jakarta?
What if he’d outright lied, purposely sending P.J. on a wild-goose chase? He could
have been protecting his boss with his last breath.

What if they could take Brumley down before the deal in Jakarta?

Her mind was filled with a thousand what-ifs.

“Hey, what’s wrong? You’re pale,” Cole said, concern an edge in his voice.

“We need to talk,” she said more sharply than she intended.

Cole dropped what he was doing and walked around to take the bar stool beside her,
turning so he faced her.

“What’s up?”

He was all business now, his expression serious, and he was focused solely on her.

She let out her breath, hoping like hell she wasn’t making a mistake confiding in
Cole. But she trusted him. It was time to see just how their relationship was going
to work.

“Okay, you know I was gone for six months and I managed to take out three of Brumley’s
men. You were there when I took out Nelson.”

Cole nodded.

“What I never told you was how I was able to get so close. How I got my intel and
knew where to find them each time.”

Cole nodded. “Yeah, I wondered since you weren’t using the team for support.”

“The night of the party, when Donovan and I went in, I saw several very high-class
girls hooking up outside the gate with single men going into the party. Donovan explained
that they were very expensive working girls. A date for the night plus whatever went
on behind closed doors when it was all said and done.”

Cole nodded again.

“Well it occurred to me that these girls were probably in the know. They know when
the parties go down. They know who the players are. And that if I got close to one
of them, I could tap a valuable source of information.”

Cole frowned. “Okay.”

“I could only find one willing to talk to me. She calls herself Katia. The rest were
obviously afraid and unwilling to risk talking to me. I can’t say I blame them. They’re
pretty much nameless, faceless women no one cares about. No family to be concerned
if they disappear. They’d probably not even cause a ripple if they suddenly went missing.

“Anyway, Katia was willing to talk to me, but she was extremely cautious. Always met
in secret. She was adamant that I was the only person she would talk to, and if I
didn’t show alone, she wouldn’t open her mouth. So I paid her for info. She’d tell
me when a party was planned or even when she’d heard about a deal going down. Apparently
a lot of the guys these girls pick up have loose lips after sex and they like to brag
about how powerful they are.”

“So she told you how to get to the first three men,” Cole said grimly.

“Yeah. She never gave me a bad lead, so I figure she’s entertaining some people pretty
high up in Brumley’s organization, if not Brumley himself.”

“Okay, so what does that have to do with now?” Cole asked impatiently.

“I got an email from her,” P.J. said, her fingers still shaking despite her best effort
not to let the email rattle her. “She says something big’s going down in Vienna with
Brumley. She wouldn’t say more. She wants to talk to me in person.”

Cole reared back, automatically shaking his head. “Oh hell no. Fuck no, P.J. Not going
to happen.”

P.J. put her hand up, pissed because it was still shaking. The last thing she needed
was for Cole to think she was afraid, because she’d never get him on board then.

“Think about it, Cole. I’m not going after Brumley alone. I just need to see Katia
and find out what she knows. It’s possible Nelson completely misled me when he told
me about the deal going down in Jakarta. Think about it. His dying breath and he sends
me in the opposite direction to where Brumley will really be. The ultimate fuck-you.
I need to get to Vienna and talk to Katia so we know where this deal is going down.
If we’re off in bumfuck Jakarta while he’s doing a deal in Vienna, he’s home free.
We may never find the fucker again.”

“If you think I’m letting you go off to Vienna by yourself, you’re out of your goddamn
mind.”

He looked angry now. His entire body was tense and his eyes blazed with purpose.

She put a hand on his arm and gently squeezed. “I wasn’t planning to go alone, Cole.
I was hoping you’d go with me.”

CHAPTER 33

COLE’S
agitation level was off the charts. He stared back at P.J. realizing she was utterly
serious. His gut was screaming because all he wanted to do was keep her safe under
wraps, in his sights, at his home, where he knew damn well she was safe.

The last few days had been . . . idyllic. They hadn’t even touched on the subject
of Brumley or Jakarta or any of it. He’d secretly hoped that with enough time, he’d
be able to convince her to let KGI go after Brumley and leave her out of it entirely.

It was an unrealistic hope at best, but he’d fooled himself into thinking it was a
possibility.

“P.J., this is stupid. You honestly want to go off without the team on a fact-finding
mission? You’re hurt. Or do you not remember taking a bullet to your leg? You can
barely walk. The last thing you need is to be running all over Vienna.”

P.J.’s lips thinned and she had that stubborn pit bull look that she got when she
was pissed—and determined.

“I won’t be running all over Vienna,” she said tightly. “And there’s no point getting
the entire team involved when this may amount to nothing. There is also the fact that
if we go in as a team, we aren’t going to go unnoticed. And thirdly, there is no way
Katia is going to talk if I show up with a bunch of testosterone hanging over my shoulder.”

Cole frowned, but she continued on.

“You’re making more of this than needs to be made. It’s a simple trip to Vienna. In
and out. We could be back in three days. I go see Katia. Find out what information
she can give us. If something’s going down soon, we call up Steele and get the team
in place. If nothing’s going down, we simply return and wait for Jakarta. I can’t
afford not to jump on this lead, Cole. You knew from the start that I wasn’t going
to rest until I nailed that bastard, not only for what he did to me, but for what
he’s done to all those babies,” she said fiercely. “If you won’t go, then I’ll damn
well go myself.”

Fuck a duck.

He knew he was overreacting and he knew he just wanted to keep her wrapped in bubble
wrap so nothing could ever touch her again. He also knew that it was a stupid idea
because she’d never allow it. Just like he knew in the back of his mind, no matter
how much he’d like her not to go to Jakarta, that she’d be there with or without her
team’s approval, and she wasn’t going to sit back and let her team take on a mission
she’d sworn to carry out.

It drove him insane, but at the same time he admired her for her resolve and her commitment
to her purpose. He wouldn’t respect her half as much if she rolled over and allowed
others to take up the fight for her.

“Damn it, P.J.”

Her expression eased because she knew she’d won.

“I’ll get online and book us the next flight out of Nashville,” she said. “We’ll have
to connect in New York, and it sucks, but we’ll be going without any sort of equipment.
But I know a supplier where we can get what we need in Vienna.”

“Made quite a few friends over there,” Cole bit out.

Her expression sobered. “I did what I had to do to bring those bastards down.”

He reached forward, framing her face with both hands. “I want you to be careful, P.J.
You mean a whole hell of a lot to me. I’m not going to just stand by while you put
yourself on the line. I’m going to be with you every step of the way. This is no longer
just your fight. It’s
our
fight. Those bastards hurt someone I care about. That makes it my fight too.”

She leaned in, resting her forehead against his. In that moment she seemed utterly
fragile and vulnerable, and it only intensified his resolve that she wasn’t going
to do this alone.

He moved his lips, just enough that they met hers. He kissed her once, retreated,
then kissed her again just as softly.

“You make those reservations. I’m on board until I see that we’re getting into a dangerous
situation. If that happens, I’m pulling you back, and if I have to sit on you until
our team arrives, then that’s damn well what I’m going to do. Got it?”

She smiled. “Got it.”

* * *

TO
reserve a flight, P.J. ended up having to call the airline, and then they had to literally
pack a bag and get out the door within an hour. Making any decision that quickly didn’t
sit well with Cole. He was more of a measured, sit back and think out all the potential
issues kind of guy. P.J. was more of a take the bull by the horns and let all hell
break loose girl.

If this was any indication of how their relationship was going to go, he was royally
fucked.

All the way to Nashville, he second-guessed his decision to go along with P.J.’s plan.
There were a hundred different reasons why it was a bad idea, but there were also
reasons why it made sense.

If it went down just as she’d explained and they were merely going to Vienna to meet
her contact and then make plans accordingly, he didn’t see the harm.

But there were so many things that could go wrong that it made his head spin.

Even if it pissed her off and she never spoke to him again, he was going to make damn
sure she didn’t put herself in any danger. A quick visit to the call girl and then
they’d put their heads together and call in the team.

It sounded simple on paper, but his gut was full of dread, because nothing was ever
that simple. And he—and P.J.—had already paid the price for him ignoring his gut once.

They made it to Nashville with only minutes to spare before they would have missed
the check-in for their flight. The seats were economy, which sucked. Cole was a bit
spoiled, making most of his trips on the Kelly jet where he wasn’t subjected to crying
babies, kids throwing tantrums and assholes trying to take his seat before he’d even
boarded.

Worse, the transatlantic flight had a connection in London and then a flight to Vienna.
All in coach.

P.J. was tense and wired for sound the entire way to New York. They didn’t speak during
the flight, but he could see the wheels turning in her head.

She’d switched from the easygoing, relaxed P.J. who he’d been able to draw out the
few days they’d spent together, to the P.J. who was ready to shed some serious blood.

Not that he didn’t get seriously turned on when P.J. got all kick-ass. Something about
that woman when she got all badass just flipped all his switches, and some he didn’t
even know he had.

But this time he was worried. This was too personal. She’d lost all objectivity. It
wasn’t a mission where they could disengage their emotions and do the job expected.

This was revenge, and while he couldn’t blame her for wanting to nail the bastard
who’d not only hurt her but had deeply shaken her confidence, a big part of him wished
that she could just walk away and heal.

When they arrived in New York, they only had forty-seven minutes to make the next
leg of the flight, and it took extra time boarding because they had to present their
passports. They were one of the last to be seated, and sure enough, some dickhead
had plopped down in Cole’s seat, and when Cole stood in the aisle, the jerk actually
had the balls to ask him to trade.

Cole gave him his best snarl and told him to get his ass up, but in the end, P.J.
was the one to get him moving quickly. She leaned over, whispered something in a low
voice and suddenly the man couldn’t get out of the seat fast enough.

He and P.J. settled into their seats and Cole glanced over in question.

“What did you say that made him change his mind so quickly?”

She grinned. “I just told him that I suffered from multiple personality disorder,
was deathly afraid of flying and that I had to have you sitting next to me so I didn’t
have panic attacks.”

Cole chuckled. “You’re diabolical. I love that about you.”

She shrugged. “Hey, it got the job done.”

“I hate assholes who just assume you’re willing to trade for their shitty-ass seat
just because they like your seat better,” Cole grumbled. “Shit like that is why I
prefer flying first-class.”

The flight to London was long, and it gave Cole too much time to ponder all the reasons
this was a bad idea. His gut was gnawing on him, but he was already in, and there
wasn’t much he could do at this point except hope his gut was wrong.

After changing flights in London, they slept for most of the flight to Vienna. By
the time they dragged their carcasses out of the airport and got into their rental
car, Cole felt like he’d been rode hard and hung up wet.

“Did you email your call girl already?” he asked as they drove toward the hotel.

P.J. shook her head. “I didn’t want to risk her wanting to meet immediately and then
getting spooked when it took more than twenty-four hours to arrange a hookup. After
we check into the hotel, we need to go see my contact and then I’ll email her once
we’re prepared.”

Cole had to admit, P.J. had her shit down. It scared the hell out of him that she
had been scouring the dark holes of Vienna in search of an arms dealer by herself
when he’d been half a world away going nuts worrying about her.

They checked into a hotel, and just when he would have fallen face-first onto the
bed, P.J. was dragging him out the door again.

“I don’t have this guy’s number, but I know where he hangs out,” P.J. said. “I just
hope we’re lucky and he can be found. We’ll take a cab. I don’t want to draw any attention
by driving right up to this place.”

“What kind of place are we talking about?” Cole asked warily.

The very last thing he wanted was to go into some shit hole unarmed.

“It’s not the Ritz” was all she said as they hopped into the taxi.

She had the driver drop them off at an intersection in a part of the city that immediately
raised Cole’s hackles. Hell, it was broad daylight and he was still uneasy.

They walked two blocks then ducked into an alley that smelled like it was a sewer
drop. The narrow cobblestone street that fed into the alley was barely wide enough
for a scooter to pass through, and the potholes were big enough to be small ponds.

Carved into stone walls that had to be centuries old was a metal door that looked
like it had been the victim of police battering rams. More than once. The padlock
dangled precariously from the latch.

P.J. gave three sharp knocks, and a moment later a guy who was three times Cole’s
size opened the door and stuck his head out.

He had long, stringy hair that hadn’t been washed in at least a week and a jagged
scar that curved the entire side of his face.

His eyes glimmered in recognition when he saw P.J., and his stance relaxed.

“I need to see Kristoff,” she said.

“I’ll see if he has time for you,” the bigger man rumbled.

“Tell him it’s important.”

Without a word the guy closed the door, leaving P.J. and Cole in the dank-smelling
alley.

“This can’t be a good idea,” Cole muttered. “I was out of my mind for letting you
do this.”

“Kristoff will get us what we need,” she said confidently. “Besides, he likes me.”

“Well thank God for that,” Cole said sarcastically.

A moment later, the hulk opened the door and gestured for them to come in.

The inside smelled little better than the alleyway. It was dark and smelled strongly
of cigar smoke and alcohol.

P.J. forged confidently ahead and Cole followed close behind her, determined to stick
close to her in case it all went to hell.

They went down a long hallway and the hulk stopped at a doorway and opened it, motioning
P.J. and Cole inside. Cole breathed a sigh of relief when Hulk remained outside, shutting
the door behind them.

Kristoff was sitting behind a desk, smoking a nasty-smelling cigar that made Cole
want to gag.

When he saw them, he slid his feet off the desk and smiled in P.J.’s direction.

“So, what brings you back?”

“I need weapons,” P.J. said bluntly. “At least two semiautomatic rifles and two handguns.
If you have something small that can easily be concealed, I need two of those too.”

Kristoff studied her intently. “I got word of the three guys you took out. Major players
in Brumley’s network. Impressive. He’s got a contract out on you. Offering big bucks
to the person who can bring you in. Alive or dead. He doesn’t care.”

P.J.’s gaze narrowed. “Don’t fuck me over, Kristoff.”

He laughed. “I have money. What do I need Brumley’s for? Besides, I have a lot of
money riding on you taking him down first. So don’t let me down, eh?”

“About the guns,” she said impatiently.

Kristoff got up from his seat, pushed a button and the far wall revolved, revealing
an entire arsenal arranged on the inside wall.

“Take your pick. We’ll talk price after you make your selections.”

P.J. strode to the wall, examined a few of the weapons and then tossed one of the
rifles in Cole’s direction. He caught it and examined the M-16.

“It’ll work,” he said.

She then tossed him a handgun.

“I’m assuming these will fire,” Cole said in Kristoff’s direction.

Kristoff immediately bristled. “I sell only the finest arms. You won’t find fault
with any of my stock.”

P.J. chose her own weapons then tossed another smaller pistol in Cole’s direction.

“Give us what ammo we need and we’ll be on our way,” P.J. said shortly.

Kristoff lifted an eyebrow. “We haven’t talked price yet.”

“Ten grand for the lot,” she said coolly. “Cash. American dollars.”

“Fifteen. You picked six of my best pieces.”

“You get ten or no deal.”

Cole blinked, impressed with P.J.’s calm. The woman had balls.

Kristoff looked pained for a long moment and then he sighed. “Only because I’m planning
to make twice as much when you take out Brumley. But if you fail, I’m coming after
you for the other five grand.”

P.J. snorted and dug into her pocket, pulling out a wad of cash Cole hadn’t even know
she’d had on her.