All or Nothing: A Trust No One Novel (3 page)

Joe caught her, as she rushed blindly by him, and pulled her into his arms. “It’ll be okay, Cara. Everything’s all right now.” The warmth and strength of his body anchored her again. She buried her face against his chest until the worst of her groans subsided.

When she had herself under control again, she pushed away from him. He took her hand and led her through the motel walkway to the parking lot and out onto the street. The lights of the casino beckoned in the distance and she started for them.

Joe swung her around. “You can’t go back, Cara.”

“What? What do you mean? That’s where I’m staying. My brother is there, my luggage. Of course I’m going back.” She tried to twist away from him, but he tightened his grip and pulled her across the street. A wave of panic washed over her. Was it a mistake to trust him?

“You have to stay away from your family. You’re not going back.” His expression was hard, his tone unyielding.

She bristled. “You can’t stop me.”

“Yes, I can. Don’t start a fight you can’t win. You’re not thinking straight right now, but I’ll explain everything later. Trust me.”

She was probably in shock, but what did that have to do with going back to her motel? Just what gave him the right to decide for her? He’d saved her life and he probably thought she owed him, but she hadn’t forgotten it was he who put her in danger to begin with. The argument wasn’t over, but she’d postpone it for a few minutes until her mind was a little clearer.

“Who were those men? Why were they after you?”

He hesitated, looking away from her. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you, but not right now.”

Her gaze dropped to the dark stain on the sleeve of his left arm. “You’re bleeding. You need a doctor.”

“I can’t go to a doctor with a knife wound. They’ll call the police. I try to avoid those entanglements whenever possible.”

Oh God! What had she done? Was he wanted by the police? Maybe those two men were cops and she just killed one of them. Cara started to shake.

“Are you okay?”

“No.” How would she ever be okay again?

“My car is just down the block. Come with me. Let me get you off the street in case there are any more of those creeps.”

“More of them?” Her gaze darted into the shadows of nearby buildings then came to rest on Joe again. “No way am I getting in a car with you.” She took a step back.

Joe raised his hands in front of him. “We’re sitting ducks out here. I can’t leave you alone. Just come to the car. I’ll explain everything and then give you a ride wherever you want to go… as long as it’s not the casino.” He held out his hand, and his eyes begged her to trust him.

Not one good option in the bunch.
Cara groaned as those eyes drew her in again. She had absolutely no reason to trust this man, yet she wanted to. “Okay, but just long enough for you to tell me what’s going on. Then I’m walking back to the casino.” She ignored his hand as she brushed by him.

He fell in beside her, and they walked in silence. When he stepped to the curb and opened the door of a black sedan for her, she only hesitated a moment before she slid onto the seat.

Chapter Two

Friday, 9:47 pm

“S
ON OF A
bitch! Murphy, what the hell?” Joe growled.

Special Agent Michael Murphy had just slipped into the backseat of the car and plunged a hypodermic needle into Cara’s neck. Joe barely caught her as she slumped sideways in the front seat.

“Damage control.” Murphy slid the rest of the way into the car and slammed the door. “You weren’t having any luck convincing her to stay away from Sinclair. I heard you arguing from outside.” He shrugged as he put the empty syringe back in its case. “Don’t sweat it. She’ll only be out an hour or so. I understand your need to keep your promise to your friend, Joe, but at this point, the woman is a liability.”

“I had everything under control. You didn’t need to drug her.” Joe shot the older man a glare. Why the hell had he agreed to work for him again? Murphy was driven to reach new heights within ATF, making him highly effective at his job, but also reckless and unpredictable at times. Unfortunately, Murphy was currently his boss, and the closest thing Joe would see to a doctor tonight.

He leaned Cara gently against the passenger door, buckled her in, and started the car. Ten minutes and several back streets later, he pulled into the lot of a quiet mom-and-pop motel.

“Room two twenty.” He tossed his key to Murphy then went around to the other side and scooped Cara up in his arms. She couldn’t weigh much more than a hundred pounds. Too damn thin. The soft scent of jasmine floated on the air between them. Her head fell against his chest and, for the first time, shadows beneath her eyes and scars marring her jaw and throat became visible, half-hidden beneath thick strands of hair and the collar of her shirt.

Anger stirred within him. The marks on her jawline were rough and uneven, the kind made when someone’s knuckles connected with savage force. Her throat bore scars he’d seen too many times to mistake for anything else—the tip of a razor-sharp knife, applied with just the right amount of pressure, wielded to punish and intimidate rather than kill.

Imagining how she’d come by them sickened him, and the unexpected need to protect her surprised him with its intensity. Just as quickly he dismissed the urge. She hadn’t protected Charlie. Hell, she hadn’t even reported him missing.

Joe came tonight convinced she was guilty, but now he wasn’t so sure. Staring at her face, remembering the sadness ever-present in her eyes, his suspicions began to fall apart. He wanted to believe Charlie was right about her. Why hadn’t Charlie ever mentioned the scars or hinted of anyone else who was trying to hurt her?

Was Sinclair behind it all? He was vile enough, but surely Cara wouldn’t take that kind of treatment from her half brother. In fact, it was hard to believe she’d take it from anyone. So, how
did
she come by them? What demons haunted this woman, and would she have strength enough to cope after he told her the truth?

Murphy had the door to the room open, and Joe swept Cara into the separate bedroom, placing her carefully on the bed. She moaned and tried to speak, but nothing intelligible came out, and she grew quiet again. A slight smile twitched Joe’s lips as he turned to walk away. She appeared vulnerable, but he’d already learned that wasn’t the case. She’d taken that second shooter out like a pro.

When she wakes and realizes she’s been drugged, she’ll be furious.
With any luck, he’d be able to direct her wrath at its rightful target, Special Agent Murphy. Anger Joe could deal with, but he needed her to believe him. The trust factor had, no doubt, been seriously damaged by Murphy’s interference.

When they were alone in the outer room, Murphy motioned him into a chair. “Let’s have a look at that.”

Joe removed his shirt and stuck out his forearm. The slash wasn’t as deep as he’d thought. Murphy cleaned the wound, bandaged it, and gave him a shot of antibiotics. “You’ll have a nice scar.”

Joe scowled as he pulled a clean shirt from his bag. At times like this, he appreciated Murphy’s paramedic training, but did the man have to be such a jerk? “Do you give a damn about anything?”

“Sure. This op, or what’s left of it.”

“Unless we get another man inside, we’re at a standstill.” Joe shrugged into his shirt and buttoned it. Six months of hard work went down the drain with the death of the last man Joe sent undercover on this investigation. Anger surged through him with the memory. Charlie Dugan had been an experienced operative and a damned good friend.

“I wasn’t sure you thought that was a viable solution.”

“This time, the inside man will be me.”

“As soon as you get done playing nursemaid?” Murphy jerked his head toward the bedroom door.

“She may have information we can use. There’s even a chance she’ll cooperate… if I can convince her you’re an idiot. That shouldn’t be too hard.”

“She’s Sinclair’s stepsister. You don’t really expect her to help you take him down?”

“If she believes those men were after her tonight, I might have a chance. The first thing I need to do is convince her that her brother is trying to kill her. I can guess how that’ll go.” Joe frowned at the impatience on Murphy’s face. “I told you before, she meant something to Charlie. She’s alive because he asked me to keep her that way. Whether she cooperates or not doesn’t change the fact she’ll be in danger until Sinclair is behind bars… or dead. I’ll have to stash her someplace safe.”

“Do you have a place in mind?”

“I’m taking her back to Montana with me.”

“What if she doesn’t want to go?”

“I’m not giving her a choice.”

“Look, Joe. I know you think she somehow screwed with Charlie’s head and got him killed. Are you sure you’re not trying to exact some revenge from this woman?”

“Maybe.” Joe shrugged and sank into a chair. “Charlie was like a brother to me. You’re damn right I want revenge, but I may have been wrong about Cara. She may be exactly who Charlie thought she was and if he was right, she’s in a hell of a lot of trouble.”

“Damn it! We’ve already lost one man because of her. I can’t afford to lose you too.”

“If you and I both do our jobs right, that won’t happen.” Joe held Murphy’s gaze until the other man looked away.

Murphy straightened, a worried frown creasing his brow. “Well, whatever we do, we’re running out of time. The least you can do is let me know when you’re ready to go back to work. I assume it won’t be tonight.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow, after I’ve had a chance to talk to her. If Sinclair is true to form, he’ll be at the tables most of the night. You should be able to send someone to grab Cara’s luggage.”

“If I have time after I clean up the dead bodies you’ve left everywhere.”

The sound of footsteps came from the other room, and Joe held up a hand in warning. They both turned toward the noise.

“Good.” Murphy stood and took a step toward the bedroom door. “She’s awake. I want to meet this woman who’s caused us so much trouble.”

“You stay here.” Joe shot him a warning glance, succeeding in removing the grin from Murphy’s face. Joe got slowly to his feet and approached the door, tensing as Murphy followed on his heels. Striving for control of his temper, Joe took a deep breath and rapped his knuckles lightly on the door.

“Cara? Are you awake?” Silence. He opened the door and flipped the light switch. The bed was empty. Joe’s gaze swept the room, coming to rest on the closed door on the adjacent wall.

“Where is she?” Murphy craned to see around him.

Joe crossed to the door and knocked sharply. No answer. No sounds of movement. He tried the door and found it locked. “Cara? Are you all right? It’s Joe.” She might not even remember him after the shock she’d had, combined with whatever drug Murphy gave her.

“We have to make sure she doesn’t go back to the casino to warn him.” Murphy was right at his elbow again. Did he think the woman was hard of hearing?

“Damn it, Murphy.” Joe turned, his voice low and hard. “Get the hell out of here and let me do my job.” He’d reached the end of his patience. At the rate Murphy was screwing up, Joe might not salvage anything from this. With an effort, he reined in his temper again. It’d been a long night for all of them… and it wasn’t over yet.

“You’ve patched me up. Go on. Get out of here. I’ll call you in the morning.”

“You need to keep me in the loop.”

“I said I’ll call. Just let me take care of this.” Joe tipped his head toward the outer room. Finally, Murphy retreated and Joe followed, ostensibly to lock the dead bolt behind him, but also to facilitate his exit in case he had second thoughts. With Murphy gone and the door locked, Joe returned to the bedroom.

“Open the door, Cara.” This time he was rewarded with light in the cracks of the door. He smiled grimly. At least she was alive. Probably scared out of her mind, but alive. That was all Charlie had asked of him.

“Don’t make me break the door down. You know how these motels operate. They’ll use my credit card number to build a new wing before they’re through.” He drummed his fingers on the door, keeping his voice calm and unhurried.

“No one’s going to harm you. Do you remember anything that happened tonight?” He slipped quietly to the foot of the bed and sat. “I’m sure you have questions. We need to talk about what happened. Will you agree to that much?”

The silence lengthened. Just when he decided she wasn’t going to answer, the sound of the lock turning gave him his first ray of hope. Slowly, the door swung open. He tensed, watching her closely for some indication she might be planning to make a run for it.

The wisp of a smile curved her lips but did nothing to hide the fear and uncertainty in her eyes. “Does this mean you really are a serial killer?”

Joe chuckled and some of the tension left his body. “I’m just trying to keep you alive.”

Her hair was tousled, her clothes slightly rumpled, and there was a definite sheen to her eyes. Residual effects of the drug. She didn’t look too bad, considering. His gaze wandered over her appraisingly. The door she leaned against appeared to be the only thing holding her up. Still, she was stronger than he thought. She’d been through a lot tonight and was still functioning.

“Who bandaged your arm?”

“Murphy was a medic in Kuwait. He just left.”

“Who was Murphy afraid I would warn at the casino? About what?”

Damn Murphy. She wasn’t ready yet, but would she ever be? Joe shook his head, frowning. “Murphy is somewhat theatrical.”

“I’m free to go then?” She took two wobbly steps toward the outer room.

He rose to intercept her and she stopped, backing up. “When I’m sure it’s safe, I’ll take you back to the casino.”

Her gaze flitted around the room nervously. “Where are we?”

“My motel room.”

“How did I get here? Did you drug me?” Her eyes challenged him.

“That was Murphy’s idea. He’s a little paranoid. The drug should be out of your system soon. You feel okay, don’t you?”

“I feel like a fool for trusting you. Other than that, I’m just great.”