Cheating Justice (The Justice Team) (24 page)

A fresh rush of adrenaline tightened the muscles at the base of Mitch’s neck. “When did you meet with Kemp?”

She clasped her hands in her lap and bent her head. “The night he was killed.”

Caroline sat forward, squeezing Maria’s hand. “Did you see who did it?”

“No!” Her head snapped up. “I didn’t see anyone. He didn’t know I was coming—I wanted to surprise him, see how he reacted when I told him I knew Tommy. Tommy had given me his contact information, but every time I called his office I got the run around. So I used money from extra shifts I’d worked last month to buy a plane ticket. I went to his office and the receptionist told me he’d left for the evening. Tommy had told me what a health nut Kemp was, that he drove an ugly green Volkswagen hybrid, and that he did a daily run at Rock Creek Park. I didn’t know Washington D.C. at all, but the car I’d rented had GPS. It took me nearly an hour to scan all the parking lots, but I found his car. I was nervous, but I waited. He came out and I approached him. He probably thought I was a stalker or a serial killer, but we talked. I told him I needed to know he was trustworthy and I gave him the USB I’d copied two of the files onto. I told him if he wanted the rest, he needed to help me. Get my brother immunity or whatever.” She worried her bottom lip. “You don’t think he was killed over those files, do you?”

Damn right, he was killed over these files.
Or at least what someone believed was in them.

“You’re lucky the killer didn’t off you too. He probably heard you tell Rodgers that all the files weren’t on that USB.” Mitch closed the keychain and stuck it in his pocket, heading for the door. “Brice, stay here with Maria. Caroline and I are heading back to the RV. We’ll have a look at these files and be in touch.”

Brice looked less than pleased that he was babysitting again. “Why don’t we look at it here on my laptop?”

Because I need to look at them alone
. “As soon I know what’s on it, man, I
will
call you.”

He went out the door before Brice could argue further, Caroline on his heels.

“One more thing I think you should know,” Maria called.

Mitch turned back and focused on Maria still planted in the chair. “Tommy said he never told you, and he always wished he had, but you were like a brother to him. The only person he ever considered family.”

Mitch was quiet.

That alone obviously concerned Caroline because she kept looking over at him. Analyzing him like he’d turn psycho at any second. All he wanted was a few minutes to get his head together. To compartmentalize the emotional crap sawing him in half.

Twenty minutes into the ride to the RV, Caroline finally spoke. “What do you think is on that USB?”

Mitch, for once, was driving. He needed something to occupy his mind and Caroline was too doped up to complain. “Tommy knew he was in some deep shit, otherwise he wouldn’t have secret files that he entrusted to his girlfriend. Whatever information is in those files, it’s worth killing over.”

“You don’t really think Kemp was killed because Maria gave him a couple of those files, do you?”

He glanced at her across the seat. She was still pale and her eyes tired. So tired, in fact, she looked like she could barely keep them open. “You think it’s coincidence? Come on, Caroline.”

“Remember what I said about going off half-cocked and letting your emotions get the better of you?”

“This isn’t about emotion, this is about information…information someone didn’t want leaked. Tommy was about to blow the lid on something, I’d bet my ass on it, and it got him killed. Maybe whoever wanted those files was just going to mug him and he fought back. I don’t know, but Maria met with Kemp, gave him a couple of the files, and he’s dead now too.”

“Why didn’t they kill her? Whoever they are.”

She was definitely tired and not tracking straight. “Because they need
all
the files.”

“And she still had them.”

“Exactly. Except, they didn’t know where the others were, so they probably followed her back home.”

“And broke into her house,” she said, staring into the blackness outside. “But they didn’t find the key ring.”

He made a turn, heading north toward the lake. “They—whoever they are—may have thought she gave the files to you. That’s why you were attacked.”

“They’ve been following her, and now us, the whole time? What if they go after her at the motel?”

“Brice will keep her safe. If they’re smart, they’ll be following us and leaving Maria alone.”

Her fuzzy gaze swung back around to him and she gave him a loopy smile. The drugs were working her over and if he didn’t get her to the RV soon, she’d crash right inside this filthy truck. “I love you.”

“That’s the drugs talking.”

She scooted across the bench seat and tucked herself next to him. Her arm went around his and she rested her head on his shoulder. “You may be a little tarnished around the edges, but you still rock that shining armor.”

He patted her knee. A stoned Caroline. What a gift. She was cozied up next to him, all warm and sleepy, and it reminded him how sexy she was after an orgasm. How much he loved this Caroline.

“Someone might be following us,” her voice trailed off as she yawned—“the goons maybe.”

“We’re clear. I’ve got my eye on the rearview.”

Except for Donaldson
. His old boss had been following them since the hospital. Why, Mitch wasn’t sure, but he’d had no trouble losing him a few miles back.

Caroline rubbed her cheek on his shoulder. “Good. I need sleep. Drugs are making me loopy.”

By the time they reached the lake, she was fast asleep. Mitch did a heat run, taking a bunch of back roads until he was one hundred and ten percent sure they didn’t have a tail. Then he parked the truck behind some trees and carried Caroline to the camper.

Inside, he laid her down, took off her shoes, and covered her up. He booted up her laptop and rubbed his finger over the fleur-de-lis while he waited for the start screen.

One for all and all for one
.

The computer was ready. Mitch plugged in the USB and cruised the files. The first one he opened was labeled “Mitch.”

One was a memo from Atkinson to various agents reminding them of the importance of discretion regarding Operation Bulletproof. They weren’t under any circumstances to discuss their activities. Period. The next file was a summary of purchases made by a guy whose name Mitch didn’t recognize. All fourteen weapons were semi-automatic rifles. Had to be a straw purchase, otherwise, what the hell did this guy want with fourteen semi-automatic weapons?

Mitch closed the file, went back to the directory and scanned the list again. Three documents marked with consecutive months were titled
Meeting Notes.
Click. Encrypted. Interesting. He sat back, thought about possible passwords. If Tommy intended him to have these files, the password would be something they’d both know.

Musketeers
, he typed.

No dice. He drummed his thumb against the computer, running ideas through his mind. Names. They’d often joked about who would be which Musketeer. By Tommy’s way of thinking, Mitch was Athos, the protector. And since Tommy left this drive for Mitch…

Athos.

Had to be.
Tap, tap, tap
.

The file popped open to what looked like Tommy’s slanted handwriting. Scanned document. At the top of the page was the date and “TF meeting.”

Taskforce meeting. Had to be. Tommy had noted something about guns being found at a murder scene just across the border. Jesse’s name was written beside the note. What did that mean? Had Jesse purchased one of the weapons?

Mitch closed the file, clicked the next one. This one contained photos of dozens of semi-automatics and handguns confiscated from a warehouse. Beside the photo, Tommy wrote “straw.”

Jesus.

Sickness rolling in his stomach, Mitch closed the file. Next file was an email from Tommy to ATF ASAC Atkinson warning him of the number of weapons agents were letting walk as part of Operation Bulletproof.

Covering his ass. Good old Tommy.

The next document was the response from Atkinson blowing smoke up Tommy’s ass about his dedication to the job being honorable. He was also told to stand down. The plan was the plan and ATF had it under control.

Whatever that meant.

At some point, it started to rain. Mitch made coffee and stepped outside for air, the small awning keeping him dry. He stared at the lake, part of his mind filled with the information in Tommy’s files, the other half wondering about the encrypted ones. Caroline had woken up and he heard her moving around, but gave her what little privacy he could in their cramped quarters. After a couple of minutes, he went back inside. She’d taken off her pants and was dressed solely in her shirt. Her bra had disappeared, too, and never had he enjoyed that white button-down as much as right now.

“I crashed. Sorry. I don’t suppose you waited for me to look at those files, did you?”

He handed her his coffee. “You needed the sleep. How’s the head?”

She brushed her fingers over the bandage. “Sore, but I’m tough. Takes more than that to put me out of commission.”

He hadn’t slept, but he didn’t need to. He was wired. “Good, because we have a lot of work to do.”

She eyed him. “What’s on that USB?”

He’d had time to think everything out, but there was something he needed to do before he showed her the files. “Nothing that can’t wait for a few more minutes.”

Before she could protest, he lowered his head and kissed her.

Chapter Nineteen

The world needed a Mitch Monroe support group. A program. Somewhere women like Caroline could go to save themselves because she wasn’t just about to fall off the wagon. She was about to dive head first. Twelve stories. Onto cement.

And nothing good could ever come of that.

Mitch was a wild card. She knew it and yet…

This is bad.

But the triple orgasm from last time? That was good. Very good. A solid twenty-five on a scale of one to ten.

With Mitch, it was all about the closeness, that skin-to-skin, soul-to-soul connection—the heat—she hadn’t experienced with anyone else. Mitch was it. Then. Now.

Always.

Setting his hands on her cheeks, he backed away from the kiss, ran his thumb gently over her jaw and—wow—when he touched her, the stress of the job—life—melted away.

She hooked her fingers into the loops on his jeans and pulled his hips forward. “Let’s finish what we started last night.”

He nodded. One solid jerk of his head, but the gesture, one she’d seen from him thousands of times and was always so self-assured, so
determined
, suddenly felt…off. Hesitant. “Mitch?”

“It can’t be like last time.”

Um, why?
“My three orgasms from last time beg to differ.”

What she considered a fun, snappy comeback earned her an eye roll. He dropped his hands from her face and stepped back. “You think it’s funny. This is what I’m talking about. It can’t be another night-that-never-was.”

Another…what? She stood for a second, stymied. Clearly her lame joke had unleashed something. For years now, sarcasm and innuendo had been their standard way of communicating. The status quo. What she knew and had adjusted to.

Now
he wanted to change it? She held her hands up. “Okay, relax a second. I didn’t mean to be flip.”

He poked a finger at her. “If we do this, you’d better be in it for the long haul. My two oldest friends are dead, Caroline. I’m—” he dug his fingers into his scalp and squeezed his eyes shut. “Shit.”

“You’re what, Mitch?”

Please let him tell me what I need to hear.
Whatever that might be.

He lowered his hands, opened his eyes and stared at her with an intensity—
sorrow
—she’d never seen before. The cocky smart-ass was gone, his normally amused eyes doused like a dying fire.

She held her hands out, fingers spread wide, ready to grab hold of anything he’d give because, dammit, she needed to hear whatever it was. “Please talk to me.”

“Broken. I’m
broken
and—hello—the fact that I’m even admitting that is a fucking nightmare. You know me, you know how hard that is for me.”

“Mitch—”

“I can’t wake up tomorrow wondering if you’ll regret it. Last time, I thought I had it made. We had a great night. Superior night.”

“I loved that night.”

He let out a sarcastic laugh. “You loved it until you didn’t. That wasn’t a one-night stand for me. That was my future. Finally something good to grab on to. I was all set. And if the Bureau didn’t like the fraternization, no problem. Plenty of government agencies to work for. I would have walked away from the Bureau for you. So, yeah, for me, that night wasn’t just a lay.” He stopped, shook his head and let out a huff. “At least until you made it one.”

“Oh, come on!”

That was so unfair. He was the one always making jokes, being slightly crude, laughing everything off and now he blamed her?

“Admit it, Caroline. Call it what it was. I was some dick who happened to get you through a tough night. Back then, I could handle it. Now? I’ll lose my fucking mind. One more loss and I’m cooked.”