Web of Secrets (Agents Under Fire) (28 page)

She shook her head and smiled. “But if you don’t mind, my arms are kind of getting tired of this position.” She laughed.

He didn’t crack even a fraction of a smile, but tenderly unlocked her handcuffs. She started to move one and the strain had her moaning in pain. He cursed under his breath and took her hands, moving her arm slowly until it lay by her side, then followed suit with her other arm. He started for her ankles but she grasped the back of his shirt and drew him back.

“Those can wait.” She twined her arms around his neck, the pain in her muscles nearly stealing her breath, but she didn’t care.

She gazed into eyes that were riveted on hers. Then he lowered his mouth and kissed her. The kiss became urgent, frenzied, as if he thought he might never see her again. She returned the emotion, ounce for ounce. Her arms ached and complained, but she didn’t care. She was alive and safe and kissing the man who seemed to love her, a man she loved too. If that meant a little discomfort for a few minutes, then so be it.

“Um, guys,” Taylor said. “Backup’s here. I don’t think you want them to find you this way.”

Connor lifted his head a fraction, his eyes now filled with desire.

“Go put Van Gogh in a squad car,” he said gruffly to Taylor who’d done nothing wrong other than to get in the way of his kissing Becca.

She started for the door, jerking Van Gogh roughly.

“Don’t worry, Mother,” Van Gogh said as he stopped to look at the ceiling. “I’ll get out of this and my work will continue. You can count on it.”

“Ha!” Becca shouted. “The only thing you’re going to be doing is sitting in a five by eight for the rest of your miserable life. If you’re lucky, that is. You know what happens to child killers in prison, don’t you?”

Van Gogh blanched, and Becca felt free at last.

Taylor prodded Van Gogh to get him moving again.

“Hey, Taylor,” Connor yelled. “Thanks for the help. You’re gonna be a real asset to the cyber team.”

Becca looked over Connor’s shoulder. “Yes, thanks, Taylor.”

Taylor stopped and grinned. “I guess this means he’s off-limits after all.”

“You know it,” Becca said, and grinned at her teammate.

Connor’s eyes narrowed. “What’s this all about?”

Becca smiled reassuringly up at him. “It’s a long story. With Van Gogh headed to jail, we’ll have plenty of time to talk about it.”

CONNOR WANTED nothing more than to be alone with Becca, so he waited while his lieutenant gave them both an attaboy for arresting the terrifying serial killer. He waited while Dane arrived and started processing the scene. And he waited while the medics checked Becca’s vitals. But he was done waiting now.

He liked to cut to the chase, and the chase here was that he had no reason not to be with Becca. And if she had any concerns, he would do everything in his power to change her mind. Tonight.

He crossed the street and stared down the medic. “I’m taking Becca home.”

He didn’t give the medic or Becca a chance to argue, but gently lifted her by the elbow and escorted her through the chaos on the street.

Eva Waters stepped out from the crowd, her microphone dangling from her fingers. “Thanks for the exclusive. I honestly thought you were blowing smoke with your promise, but I’m glad to see you came through for me.”

Becca gave a weak nod and continued walking. Connor settled her in the passenger seat of his car and held her hand for a moment, looking into her eyes, trying to transmit how important she’d become to him.

She smiled. Softly. Sweetly, as if this was all new to her. He could totally understand. He’d never experienced this depth of caring for a person outside his immediate family. They were both experienced law enforcement officers, but when it came to relationships, they were rookies.

He squeezed her hand and closed the door, then saluted Sam before running around the front and climbing in. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m taking you to my house.”

“Kait has asked me to stay with them, and that’s what I want to do.”

An ache, the same one that had plagued him when he couldn’t find her, tightened his gut.

She rested a hand on his arm. “Don’t be upset. I need time to think. After Van Gogh took me, I came to some realizations. One of them is that I can’t continue to live my life cut off from the world. I need to let others in.”

“Does that include me?” he asked quietly.

She slid her hand down his arm and twined her fingers in his. “I hope so. At least,” she said softly, “if you want it to.”

He pulled his hand free and tipped up her chin. “Of course I do.”

“But you said you weren’t interested in a relationship.”

“Despite what I said, you changed that. So come home with me, and we can talk about it.” He cupped the back of her head then slid his fingers into her hair. He grinned and winked. “Or figure it out another way.”

She took his hand down and kissed the palm. “That is why I have to stay at Kait’s place. I want to figure out if I’m ready for a relationship, or if I need time to work through my junk. To do that, I need space.”

“Does that mean I won’t see you?” He heard the panic in his own voice.

“I’ll be at your office first thing in the morning to be grilled by your lieutenant. And then there’s all the paperwork we’ll need to close out. Plus, I’d like to come with you to do the death notification calls for all the girls whose names we found on the wall.”

“You don’t need to do that, honey.”

“Yes, I do,” she said with sincerity. “If you want me to resolve the things that have kept me away from you, then yes, I do.”

Chapter Thirty

BECCA STEPPED BACK from Molly’s grave and watched her friend’s coffin being lowered into the ground. Seven days had passed since Van Gogh had been arrested, and Becca was starting to put her past where it belonged—in the past. But that wouldn’t include Molly or her family.

The coffin disappeared from sight, and Becca’s knees felt week. Connor supported her elbow and held her close.

Goodbye, Molly. I wish I could have known you as an adult. But I know your kids now, and I’ll always be there for them. I promise.

Becca felt good about her promise. She could do this. It wasn’t a promise made out of guilt, but out of love for her friend.

She dabbed her eyes and turned to Molly’s husband, Finn. “It was a lovely service.”

He nodded woodenly.

Haley, her eyes red-rimmed, stood next to him and stared at Becca. She put her arm around the teenager. “You know you can call me anytime. Day or night. I’m here for you.”

She sobbed and nodded. Becca hugged her close and vowed to be sure this young lady had a better life than Becca and Molly had endured.

Becca pushed back and ruffled Todd’s hair. “That goes for you, too, squirt,” she said to the ten-year-old.

He took a step back and clung to his father. Becca was thankful they both had Finn, who seemed to be a strong man and parent.

“I’ll call you later this week,” Becca promised and stepped away.

She and Connor crossed the grass toward his car. Becca fought the tears, but she wouldn’t keep them at bay forever as she’d done in the past. She’d gone to her first appointment with a shrink, and had high hopes that if she faced her emotions head-on, she’d eventually be free from residual nightmares. Doing the parental notification visits, like the final one she’d conducted with Connor that morning, had helped, too.

The sun shone down on them. It was a beautiful autumn day, and, despite the funeral, her optimism continued to flow. She stopped and looked up at him. “The funeral, the visits to the families . . . all of it has helped me to work out my issues.”

He leaned against his car, the sunlight highlighting the red in his hair. “You mean the guilt.”

She nodded. “It’s always easier to help others with their problems than to see them in yourself. That’s what the parents have done for me. They only wanted the best for these teens. The same as I wanted for Molly. Maybe they made a mistake along the way, but they have nothing to feel guilty about. It’s not like they’d neglected these girls.”

“How can you be so certain? Especially after what you experienced in some of the foster homes you stayed in.”

“When you’re neglected as a child like I was, you can spot the signs.”

He lifted a brow. “You’ve never really told me about your parents.”

“Neither have you.”

“Then let me fix that. Tonight. After dinner, we’ll talk.” He took her hands.

She felt the warmth spread through her body. He hadn’t so much as hinted at touching her since the night they arrested Van Gogh, but she could see that he wanted to. She wanted his touch, too, but she’d needed the space, and he’d respected that. Another plus for him in her book.

“I agree,” she said. “It’s time we talk.”

His brow creased. “Now you have me worried.”

“You have nothing to worry about.” She freed her hands and pressed a finger into his forehead to relax the muscles.

He smiled, the cute little one that deepened his dimple and made her want to kiss him. The atmosphere changed, and the air heated up between them. If they hadn’t been standing at the cemetery, she suspected he would have kissed her.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket, and she grabbed it. “It’s Taylor. I should answer.”

“We’ve got him.” Taylor’s voice was filled with urgency.

“Got who?” Becca asked as she climbed into the car.

“Xiaowen Shen. The mastermind behind the credit card fraud.”

“Perfect. Is he corroborating Willow’s story?” Willow claimed that the ringleader had bought lists of foster kids’ identity and insurance information from hackers. He employed Willow to create bills for a bogus clinic to defraud insurance companies, resulting in millions of dollars of Medicaid and private insurance fraud. Willow had recognized Frankie’s name on the list and decided to use it.

“He’s not saying a word, but we recovered a printout of insurance information at his house, confirming Willow’s statement. Several of the others kids he had running the credit card scam and billing the insurance companies are rolling over on him, too.”

“I’ll bet he wishes he never graduated from credit card fraud to insurance fraud.”

“He’s going away for a long time.”

“Unfortunately, Willow might be, too. Too bad there’s no way we can help her.”

“She made the choice to use the insurance info, and Frankie died. You can’t change that.”

“I know, but she’s just a kid,” Becca said, remembering how wild she’d been at that age and knowing something like this could have happened to her. “I just hate not being able to do something for these kids.”

“Don’t forget Danny. You’re helping him.”

“One bright spot in this otherwise messed-up investigation. Keep me updated on Shen. Especially if you confirm that he was the local who was buying information from Van Gogh.” Becca disconnected and relayed the latest development to Connor then fell silent. She thought about Danny and how Elise had agreed to foster him. She’d have quite an impact on his life.

He’d known only abandonment from the day his mother gave him up for adoption at the age of two. She’d tried so hard to keep him, but he had a heart issue, and she couldn’t get him the care he needed. She’d wanted him to have a better life, but he never got it. His heart issue put off prospective parents, so he remained in foster care, moving from home to home. He’d finally had enough of the system and took off. Not unusual. It was a sad thing, as far as Becca was concerned, and something she was still committed to help fix.

She told Connor about Shen, then they made the rest of the drive in silence, both of them pensive. But the silence was comfortable, something she’d never had with another person.

He pulled into the parking area at her office and squeezed her hand. “I’ll pick you up at five.”

“I’ll be ready.”

His fingers twined in hers, and she could tell he wanted to say more, but was waiting for the evening. He gave her hand one last squeeze and then she got out of the car, basking in the sunshine before she stepped into the security booth. The clean, crisp air blew softly against her face. Since Van Gogh’s arrest, everything seemed so much clearer and crisper. She was grateful for her life, and planning to do whatever she could to make it count.

No more with the guilt and recriminations. She now recognized that the misplaced guilt she’d felt all these years was just a reason to stop living. A reason to keep herself from getting hurt again. She didn’t need that anymore. She was free, free to come out of the shadows of fear. The shadows of guilt. It was time to live for the present.

“ARE YOU SURE YOU want to do this?” Connor asked Becca from the driver’s seat.

The sun was dropping toward the horizon, a burning fireball hanging behind tall pine trees and large outbuildings. But the evening was still unusually warm and a fresh breeze drifted through his open window.

“Of course.” Becca smiled, a carefree, wonderfully relaxed smile that made him hopeful for their conversation.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He nodded at his parents’ house. “It’s going to be crazy in there. A room overflowing with people, all of them like me.”

“Exactly like you?” she asked, her tone lighthearted. “Then I can’t wait.”

She’d been relaxed all afternoon at work, and now she was downright flirtatious.

He could get on board with that kind of attitude very easily. He leaned close, cupped the back of her head, and kissed her. The world exploded around him, and all he could think of was deepening the kiss.

“Ew, Uncle Connor.” Fists pounded against his window. “Come out of there.”

He lifted his head at the sound of his seven-year-old nephew.

“Go hide, Zach, and I’ll be out to find you at the count of ten,” Connor yelled, though he didn’t take his eyes off Becca.

“Me, too, Unca Connor.”

“You too, Emma,” he said to Zach’s three-year-old sister.

“Sorry for the interruption, but that’s life around here.” He took in a deep breath and blew it out, then trailed a finger down her face and sat back to clear his head. “Time to go in. The craziness will start as soon as I open the door. Consider yourself warned.”

“Absolutely.” She smiled, her expression easy. How far she’d come in such a short time. He knew she was still having nightmares and anxiety plagued her at times, but she was seeing a counselor and that should help over time.

Her opened his door and started counting loudly. Becca came around to join him and slipped her hand in his.

“Eight, nine, ten,” he said even louder. “Ready or not, here I come.”

A little girl’s giggle came from bushes abutting the porch.

Becca chuckled. “She’s destined for a covert law enforcement career for sure.”

He grinned at Becca then cupped his hands around his mouth. “I’m sure Zach and Emma are way too big to fit behind the shrubs.”

“No I’m not, Unca Connor,” Emma said.

Becca laughed joyously, and Connor stood watching the sun set behind her back. He’d hated this place ever since his mother had walked out. Now he could see it from new eyes. From Becca’s eyes.

Her laugher stilled. “You look awfully serious for a game of hide and seek.”

He stared over her head at the bus stop and memories came flooding back. “It’s my mother. She didn’t neglect me, the way your mother did you. Instead, she walked out when I was fifteen. Put us all on the bus for school one morning like usual, and then took off. She told Dad that she couldn’t handle the responsibility anymore. She had to be free. We never heard from her again.”

“I’m so sorry,” Becca said, but she didn’t get all sappy like the women in his family would, trying to hug him and make it all better. She just stood tall and strong next to him, holding his hand and waiting for him to continue if he wanted to.

“As the oldest kid, a lot of responsibility fell on me. I wasn’t allowed to be a kid anymore. I resented it when my brothers and sisters got to have fun, but I had to keep things running while my dad worked. It got to the point that I hated being here. That’s why I left as soon as I could. And I hated coming back here. Until you.”

“Me?”

“The people inside? The ones who are cutting up and having a good time? I’ll walk in that door and they’ll welcome me like nothing’s wrong. I essentially turned my back on them, but they’ll still be there for me. You didn’t have the luxury of turning your back on your family. You had no one to run from. I can now see how dumb it was to take off, and I aim to rectify it.”

“So if this thing between us keeps going, we’ll both be getting a family, then.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

His nephew stepped out from behind a wishing well. “Uncle Connor. Come on. You’re not playing right.”

“I’m done with all of that,” he said to Becca. “These games with the kids? They’re the only ones I’m going to play anymore.” He squeezed her hand and took off to chase his nephew.

Zach screeched so loudly, it brought his mother to the door.

“Connor Warren, why didn’t you tell us you were here?” she lectured, standing on the porch with her hands on her hips. “We would have come to greet you.”

“I figured the longer it took for Becca to meet all of you, the more likely it is that she’ll keep going out with me.” He looked at Becca and winked.

His sister came charging down the steps and linked arms with Becca. “Come on, Becca. You’ve had a long ride with this big dope and it’s time you met the smart ones in the family.”

Becca laughed hard and Connor strode over to her. He looked at his sister Beth. “We’ll be in in a few minutes.”

Beth winked at him, as if she’d read his mind and jogged up the steps.

Connor turned to Becca and circled her in his arms. “You seem happy.”

“I am,” she said battling with a wayward strand of hair the wind had pulled from her clip.

“I can think of no one who deserves to be happy more than you,” he said and pressed the hair behind her ear, then slid his fingers into her hair to cup the back of her head. “And I promise to spend every day making sure you’re treated like a princess.”

She grinned up at him. “Even if you have to wear the knight costume again to make it happen?”

He winked at her and leaned in for the kiss that marked the beginning of a whole new happiness in his life, too. “Even then.”

The End

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