Whatever It Takes (36 page)

“There’s no evidence to say otherwise, but after we saw what happened to the others, my best guess would be no, he didn’t fall. He was pushed.”

Tears sprang to her eyes, and emotion clogged her throat. “All this time... I never told Alice, but all this time, I thought he might have committed suicide. He wasn’t the same once he got out of prison. There was no light in his eyes, as there had been before.

“We tried, Alice and I, we tried to make it like it was before. But he…” She trailed off as another, more devastating thought occurred. Shoving Eli’s hands away, she jumped to her feet and then whirled around. “Alice.”

It was all she said. All she needed to say. She saw the truth in his eyes.

“Tell me. Everything, Eli. Just tell me every damn thing you know.”

“The woman who shot Alice.”

“Yes, Maureen Downey.”

“The photos of her and Braden together. Grey had them analyzed. They were Photoshopped.”

“Fake?”

“Yes. Those photographs were the only real proof that she even knew Braden.”

“But why would she shoot Alice? She—” Kathleen closed her eyes briefly. “The woman. The hired killer. She forced her?”

“That’s our best guess. Maureen had no family, but when she was a teenager, she gave birth to a daughter that she gave up for adoption. The girl disappeared for three days a few months back. She claimed to have been kidnapped but, out of the blue, was let go. The girl’s been in some trouble before, so no one believed her. The timing coincided with Alice’s shooting.”

“So the woman did to Maureen what she tried to do to Teresa. Blackmailed her into killing.”

“Yes. Unfortunately, it worked.”

Kathleen shook her head. “All this sadness, all this loss, because of one man’s need for revenge…or money…or what? What the hell reason is there for all these deaths? All this heartache?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart. I don’t know.”

She wrapped her arms around herself. “It hurts. It hurts so damn much. So senseless and pointless. My father made so many mistakes. And one of them cost Alice her life.”

“It almost cost you yours, too.”

“You mean the poison? Yeah, I—” She gasped, comprehending his words. “The hit-and-run in Denver. You think she’s the one?”

“If not her, one like her, hired to kill you. We know this bastard has patience. He’s spread these murders out over decades. It would be no skin off his nose to wait awhile and go at you again. Who knows? The two men who attacked you in Chicago may have been another attempt.”

She shook her head in disbelief. How had she not seen the pattern? It didn’t help in the least that no one else had seen it either. That had been the bastard’s plan all along. 

“I want him to pay, Eli. He’s taken my father and my sister from me. I want him to pay.”

“He will. I promise you that.”

“And I want her to pay, too. I don’t care if she turns out to be Grey’s friend. She’s going down.”

“I agree.” He waited a heartbeat and then added, “That’s not everything.”

“What do you mean, not everything? They’re both dead. I know they were both murdered. What more could there be?”

“Sit down.”

“No. Just tell me.” She was no longer afraid. Fury had replaced the grief. Her family was dead. There was no more truth that could hurt her.

“Hired killers are paid to do a job. When it doesn’t work out, they continue until the job is done, the target eliminated. When Maureen Downey shot Alice, she didn’t kill her.”

“Yes, she did. She—” A lump of dread settled in her chest. “What are you saying?”

“I had an investigator talk to the deputy in charge of guarding your sister’s hospital room. Ten minutes before she died, a woman dressed in a nurse’s uniform went into Alice’s room. She matched the description of the woman who approached Teresa.”

She stood, frozen in place at the horror of his words. “No. No. No.” She heard the whispered words as if from very far away. The room whirled around her, and Eli caught her before she fell. He sat down, pulled her into his lap, and wrapped his arms around her. 

But she couldn’t hear any more tonight. Just couldn’t be here. She had to go. Had to get out of here.

She jerked out of Eli’s arms and started toward the door with no idea of a destination. Rational thought was gone. To survive, she had to leave. Get out. Now.

“Kathleen. Wait.” Eli’s heart broke for her as he watched her world crumble. Having no clue what to do, only knowing she needed to know she wasn’t alone, he reached out for her, touched her shoulder.

Whirling around, she lashed out at him, slamming her hand toward his face. He managed to sidestep, and perhaps at the last moment, she realized what she was doing and pulled back, because the hit wasn’t as hard as it could have been. Still, he felt the sting in his jaw.

Covering her face with her hands, she let out a keening, wild cry of grief and fell to her knees. Eli followed her down, wrapped his arms around her, and let her grieve.

Ugly, retching sobs filled the room. Tears stung Eli’s eyes, and he wished with all his might that he could take away her pain. Make all of this go away. Since he couldn’t do that, he did the only thing he knew to do. Standing, he pulled her up and then scooped her into his arms. There was one place he loved to go to when his heart was heavy or he needed solace. The tower room.

She didn’t ask where they were going. He didn’t even know if she was aware they were moving. Her face was buried against his neck, and though the awful sobs had stopped, she was still weeping silently. He thought that might be sadder than the loud sobs. The silent tears spoke of hopelessness, sadness.

Finally reaching the fourth floor, Eli pushed the door open and then kicked it shut behind him. Grateful for the good weather and mild temperatures, Eli used one hand to push the switches up. A humming sounded, the ceiling opened, and the night sky exploded above them.

Settling into an oversized chair, Eli pulled Kathleen closer and then leaned his head back. When it was time, when she stopped crying, the heavens would be above her, showing her beauty. Giving her peace.

Slow moments passed. Eli didn’t speak, giving her time to come back to herself in her own time, her own way. When he felt her move slightly, felt the loosening of her tense muscles, he squeezed her lightly, another touch of assurance that she wasn’t alone.

Several more moments passed, and then she whispered in a raw voice, “I failed her. It’s my fault.”

Eli sighed. He had known she would take this on herself. She had assumed the responsibility of her sister at age nine and had never let up.

“I should have looked out for her, should’ve taught her better. She never would have fallen for Frank Braden’s act if I had prepared her for people like him.”

“How could you have prepared her for someone like Braden?”

“I don’t know. I just…” Horror shuddered through her. “I just think of her lying there. So alone, so vulnerable. And that bitch comes in. I never should have left her alone. The doctors didn’t really believe she would live. I saw the truth in their eyes, but dammit, she deserved a chance.”

“Yes, she did. So let’s make sure we blame the ones responsible. Not the one person who did everything within her power to save her.”

“Did you tell yourself the same thing when Shelley died?”

Of course he hadn’t. He had blamed himself for not being able to save her. Then, when he’d learned what Adam did to cause her to kill herself, he’d blamed himself even more.

“Maybe it’s time for both of us to let go of the guilt.”

“I want the sadness to go away. I want to catch the bastard who’s behind this and the bitch he hired. Once they’re behind bars, I want to be happy. To remember the good times I had with Alice and my dad.” She shifted to look up at him and saw the stars above them. “It’s beautiful here. Thank you for that.”

“Marry me, Kat.”

“What?”

This wasn’t how he’d planned to ask her, but suddenly, nothing seemed more important than having her agree, right here, right now, to be his forever.

“Let’s start a life together that has nothing to do with our past. If you don’t want to live here, we’ll find another house. Or build one. Or, if you want, we’ll go somewhere else…away from Dallas. We’ll go where no one knows us and start over again. The girls are young enough so they’ll easily adapt to a new environment.” 

He pressed his forehead against hers. “Don’t let them win. Don’t let them destroy what we’ve found together.”

“Oh, Eli,” she sighed softly.

“I know this is terrible timing. And we’ve only known each other a short while, but I love you, Kathleen. You’re the one I’ve been waiting for.” He winced. “That was kind of corny, wasn’t it?”

She gave a half sob, half giggle and shook her head. “I think it was perfect.”

“We’ll go to Denver, Detroit, Duluth. Anywhere you want. We’ll—”

She pressed a finger to his mouth. “It doesn’t matter where we live. Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Duluth. Or even a city that doesn’t start with a D. As long as we’re together, you, me, Sophia, and Violet, I don’t care where we live.”

“So that’s a yes?”

“I love you, Eli. So very much. And I would be honored to be your wife.”

Relief flooded through him. This had to be the poorest timing of any marriage proposal, but he didn’t care. She had said yes. That was all that mattered. His kiss was a soft one of promise, of commitment. He wanted this moment to be in her memory, wanted to erase the last hour.

She sighed as she buried her face in his neck, hugging him to her. “It feels so weird to be so happy and sad at the same time.”

“Someday soon, we’ll both be happy. Together.”

“You’re right. We will. It’s strange, though, don’t you think?”

“What’s strange?”

“We’ve been connected for years and never knew it. Through our fathers.” She nuzzled her face against his neck, pressed soft kisses to his throat. “How extraordinary is it that you happened to be in Chicago, saw me on the news. How amazing is it that we even met?”

Everything within Eli froze at her words. “Son of a bitch.”

She jerked back, looked up at him. “What? What’s wrong?”

Instead of answering, he pulled out his cellphone and hit the speed dial for Justice. The minute he answered, Eli said, “I know who it is.”

Justice said, “I just got the name myself.”

They said the name at the same time. “William Johnson.”

“Dammit, I can’t believe I didn’t piece it together.”

“We’ve got him,” Justice said. “That’s all that counts.”

“Where is he?” Eli asked.

“Kings Crossings, Vermont,” Justice answered. “I’ll set things up with the local law. You and Kathleen get your gear together and meet me at the airport.”

Eli put Kathleen on her feet and then hugged her hard, barely believing that the nightmare was almost over. “Let’s go catch a monster.”

Chapter Forty-two

Grey Justice’s Private Jet

The Boeing 767 sliced through the night, winging its way to Kings Crossing, Vermont. Kathleen glanced over at Eli, who sat across from her, quietly talking to Grey. Dressed in black jeans, black sweater, black boots, he had the appearance of elegance, sophistication, and wealth. As if with one arrogant look, he could get things done without lifting a finger. But she knew the man beneath the clothing. Eli Slater could be just as dangerous and ruthless as any man she’d ever met. His veneer of sophistication hid a well-trained fighter. There was no one she’d rather have at her side—to fight with or to spend the rest of her life with.

Kathleen’s blood pumped with exhilaration, masking the exhaustion she wouldn’t let herself feel. When this was over and done with, she would let go. Until then, she’d live off coffee, hope, and Eli’s love. 

“You okay?” The concern in Eli’s voice was another reason she adored this man.

She flashed him a reassuring smile. “I’m good. Just looking forward to the takedown.” 

“From what I remember about Johnson,” Eli stated, “he won’t put up much of a fight.”

The things she’d learned about William Johnson over the last few hours made her agree. Though he had a reputation of being a wealthy, eccentric recluse, she had found a couple of old photographs of him when James Johnson, William’s father, was still alive. Eli was right. William was barely five-five, probably weighed only a few pounds more than she did, and had a sallow complexion. He looked as harmless as a child. But knowing what he had done, what he still wanted to do, she could only see him as a monster. Evil lay beneath that dull looking façade.

“We’ll be prepared just in case,” Justice said. “Anyone that evil will have some tricks.” 

Hearing their conversation, Nick and Kennedy got up from the sofa they’d been sitting on and seated themselves beside Kathleen.

“He’s right about Johnson’s appearance,” Nick said. “Some of the most evil people I dealt with as a cop looked as unthreatening as a kitten. Those are the ones you have to look out for because people assume they’re harmless.”

“I still can’t fathom why Johnson manipulated things so you would be in Chicago during Alice’s trial,” Kennedy said. “What was his motivation?”

“Hell if I know,” Eli said. “The meeting was legit. Mathias and James, William’s father, had been negotiating a deal for several months. The Johnsons have several different businesses, including a chain of discount stores spread throughout the Northeast. Mathias had been considering purchasing them. When James died, William took over.”

Kathleen’s brow furrowed with confusion, and Eli was glad to see her sorrow over what she’d learned about her father’s and Alice’s deaths had been replaced with a new light of determination. “Why would Mathias do business with a man who was blackmailing him?” 

“The workings of Mathias’s mind were always a mystery to me. For any other person, I’d say it was because he felt like he owed the man something, but Mathias was the least sentimental person I’ve ever known and had absolutely no conscience. My best guess is, he thought he could make some money off the deal. That was always his primary motivation when it came to business. After Mathias’s death, William Johnson contacted me, offered his condolences and suggested, after a proper time of mourning, we reconnect. He wanted to continue to negotiate a deal.”