Hidden Prey (Lawmen) Read online

  “Your computers.” Pablo sounded satisfied as he took one of the briefcases from John. “Maybe now we’ll get somewhere.”

  Gregory closed his eyes. The address wasn’t on his computer, but it was no doubt on Tori’s. And the shitty thing was that he knew Tori’s password, and these men would probably get it out of him. She had never known, but he’d had a software program that tracked keystrokes and he’d found out what her password was.

  He’d spied on her and had gone through her laptop several times, making sure she wasn’t cheating on him. He reviewed her email regularly and even managed to break into her phone sometimes when she’d been in the shower. No text messages, no instant messages, and no emails. He made sure he knew where she was at all times and had even installed a tracker on her phone—

  He went still. The tracker he’d put inside her phone. These men could find Tori with it, even if the phone was off and the battery was out.

  “Is there anything else you can tell me that will help me find Tori?” Pablo asked.

  Gregory avoided Pablo’s eyes as he thought about the tracker application on his laptop and how easy it would be to tell the man that the tracker would lead him straight to Tori. But somehow Gregory managed to hold it in. He’d already given too much. Tori might be as good as dead thanks to the weakness that had brought him to this point.

  Wasn’t it what she deserved after all that these men had done to him?

  His whole body went slack. The agony was so unbearable that he was close to passing out again. This could all be over if he gave them what they needed.

  No. I can’t do that to her.

  But why not? It was her fault that this was happening to him now. She had left him.

  “What is the password?” Pablo asked and Gregory opened his eyes to see that the man had set Gregory’s and Tori’s laptops on a workbench. Pablo had Gregory’s laptop open and ready at the password screen.

  Gregory hesitated and John kicked Gregory’s shattered leg. He shrieked with pain, unable to speak for a moment as tears flushed his cheeks. Spots appeared before his eyes and he nearly passed out.

  “Password,” Pablo demanded again.

  In between sobs, Gregory gave it to him.

  Pablo entered the password and Gregory’s desktop came up with icons for all of the applications he used. One of the apps was for the tracker that could locate Tori’s phone. Pablo clicked on the address book icon first.

  When the address book popped up, Pablo did a search. He looked at Gregory and scowled. “I find nothing for a Henry and Josie Cox.”

  Gregory clenched his jaws tight. Pablo nodded to John who raised his leg to slam his foot into Gregory’s shattered leg. Oh, God, he couldn’t take it again.

  “Wait!” Gregory screamed. “It’s probably on her computer.” Gregory sobbed in resignation. “I don’t have their address on my computer.”

  Pablo stared at him for a long moment. “I believe you.” He turned to the other laptop. “Is this Tori’s?”

  “Yes.” Gregory could barely get the word out.

  “What is her password?” Pablo asked.

  Gregory hesitated again and John started to bring his foot down on Gregory’s thigh again. “I’ll give it to you. I’ll give it to you! Just promise you’ll stop.”

  “I don’t promise anything.” Pablo sat on the edge of the workbench. “Except more pain if you do not talk.”

  “Okay, I’ll give it to you.” Gregory gave out each symbol, letter, and number in her password and Pablo wrote them down. When Gregory had installed the program, he’d been impressed with her complicated password.

  When he finished giving the information to Pablo, the man hit enter and Tori’s desktop came up. He clicked on the address book icon and it opened. He immediately went to Cox.

  “Ah, here it is.” Pablo gave a smile and looked at Gregory. “If you gave me the correct information.”

  “I did.” Gregory let out his breath. “Josie and Henry are her parents.”

  Pablo looked satisfied as he scanned the address book. “She has many friends who we may find interesting to talk to as well.”

  Gregory thought of Tori’s best friend, Paula. He’d never liked her, but he couldn’t imagine her being strung up like he was.

  “Look here.” John pointed to the screen of Gregory’s computer, drawing Pablo’s attention. “I recognize this app.” He cut his gaze to Gregory and then to Pablo. “This is an app for a special tracker that could be on a car or in a phone, independent of the phone as a power source.”

  Gregory watched, his heart sinking, as John opened the app. John had a satisfied look on his face. “This shows exactly where she is. She’s in Bisbee and she’s on a street near the high school.”

  Pablo smiled at John. “Excellent.” Pablo turned his smile on Gregory. “Thank you for making this easy for us.”

  Gregory hung his head. If he wasn’t in so much agony, he would have thought this was all just a horrible nightmare. But the screaming pain in his body told him all too well that he was indeed awake and alive.

  God knew he loved her. He was obsessed with her and she belonged to him. But now these men would kill her—unless they planned to torture her first. Gregory closed his eyes again, shutting out the image of Tori being tortured and murdered.

  Pablo’s voice broke into Gregory’s rambling thoughts. “Is there anything else you can tell me?”

  Gregory looked at Pablo again. “What did she do? Why do you want her?”

  Pablo studied Gregory. “She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. For that she must die.”

  Chills wracked Gregory’s body from Pablo’s words. “Tori is an innocent. She doesn’t deserve to die.”

  Pablo shrugged. “My boss tells me she does. So we will find her and kill her.”

  A lone tear rolled down Gregory’s cheek and he looked down. Tori belonged to him and had been his to do with as he wanted. She belonged to him. But that meant she was also his to protect, and in the end he hadn’t protected her. He’d failed her.

  Gregory heard a click and knew it was a gun being cocked.

  He looked up at Pablo and saw the barrel pointed at his head. Death would be better than being alive and knowing what Tori would go through because of him. And death was better than suffering any longer, his body one incredible mass of agony.

  Gregory’s throat worked as he stared at the gun. He raised his chin, determined to die with some shred of dignity.

  “It took far too long, but you have finally been of some use.” Pablo gave a slow smile, a smile that could be called nothing short of evil. “Goodbye, Mr. Smith.”

  Pablo pulled the trigger.

  CHAPTER 10

  When Tori was back in the safe house, they went into the kitchen and got out a couple of bottles of water.

  After drinking his water, Landon gestured in the direction of the front door. “I’ll grab dinner for us and I’ll be back after I meet up with my mom.”

  “Okay.” Tori felt numb from everything that had happened.

  “Hey.” Landon rested one hand on her shoulder. “Two of the best are here with you. Everything’s going to be all right.”

  She nodded, but even though she liked O’Donnell and Johnson, she still felt like she’d be safer with Landon.

  Landon gave her shoulder one last squeeze and what he hoped was a reassuring look, before heading out of the kitchen.

  Tori’s hand shook as she brought it up and put it over her mouth. She felt like she was going to cry or scream, maybe both. She’d never been so scared in her life. To have a powerful cartel after her—would anyplace be safe?

  She’d told Landon she would testify, and that meant no changing her mind. He wouldn’t let the cartel get to her. She needed to be brave.

  It was harder than she’d ever thought possible. How could her brother ever have sunk so low as to deal with people like the members of the Jimenez Cartel?

  Johnson came into the kitchen, carrying a paperback book. �
�You all right?”

  She nodded, moved her hand away from her mouth and straightened her spine. “I’m fine.”

  Johnson went to the back door and peered through the blinds before moving to the table. He sat where he could easily see both the back door and the entrance from the living room into the kitchen. His gun was holstered at his side. It reassured her to see that both agents wore weapons at all times.

  He showed her the paperback, a thick one. When she looked at the title she saw it was Stephen King’s The Stand. She’d read that book at least three times over the years.

  He lowered the book. “There’s a bookshelf in one of the bedrooms if you like to read.”

  “Thanks.” She wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans. “I’ll go see what I can find.”

  The first bedroom was hers, and no bookcase was in there. In the second bedroom was a bookcase with three shelves and a combination of fiction and non-fiction filled the space. She usually liked suspense and romantic suspense, but right now she felt like she was living in a suspense novel and wasn’t up to reading it. She picked up a historical romance by Susan Wiggs, then went back to her room and lay on the bed with her head on the hard pillow, and started to read.

  Books were a wonderful way to escape without actually going anywhere. But this time she had a hard time focusing. She kept seeing Alejandro shoot Miguel, and she kept going over and over the scene in her mind. Had she missed anything else that could help in the case against the Jimenez Cartel?

  Tori woke to a darkened room. She’d drifted off without intending to. The growing darkness made her feel jumpy, as if someone might pop out of the room’s shadows at any moment, and her heartbeat stepped up. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and fumbled for the switch on the lamp that was on the lone nightstand, then clicked it on. Immediately the room was flooded with a soft yellow glow, and her heart slowed to a more reasonable pace.

  The sound of the front door opening and closing had her getting to her feet. It was likely Landon. She left the paperback on the bed and left the room. The delicious smells of pizza met her when she walked into the living room. The warm smell covered up the musty odor of a house that clearly wasn’t lived in often.

  Landon had set the pizza on the coffee table. He looked up and smiled at her. “How are you doing?”

  “Fine.” She smiled. “And thanks to the great smell I’m now hungry.”

  He opened one of the two large boxes. From out of a bag he brought a stack of paper plates, a bunch of paper napkins, and packets of crushed red chili peppers. On the floor beside the couch were several shopping bags—he must have carried everything all at once.

  Moments later, O’Donnell had pepperoni pizza on a paper plate and had kicked back to watch TV again. Landon handed Tori a plate with two slices then put three large pieces onto the third and fourth plates, which he carried into the kitchen. Tori and Landon sat at the kitchen table with Johnson after giving the man his pizza.

  Even with the other agent there, Tori got lost in her attraction to Landon. While she ate her pizza, she found herself stealing glances at him as he talked with Johnson. She ached to run her fingers over the coarse stubble along Landon’s jaws and trace his firm lips with her tongue.

  A stirring in her belly sent tingles of awareness throughout her body and she was afraid her hardened nipples were pressing against her crop top, and that her desire would be clearly noticed by Landon. Maybe even his fellow agent.

  Landon glanced at her, catching her watching him. Their gazes met and held for a long moment before he looked at Johnson, who’d just asked him a question.

  Tori wiped her mouth with a napkin as she finished her second piece. “It reminds me of when I lived here in town and we used to hang out at the pizza place where you got this.” She was smiling when Landon glanced at her again. “Bisbee might be a small town in the southwest, but I swear it has the best pizza ever.”

  He nodded. “They do make a mean pizza.”

  After he’d finished eating his third piece, he and Tori took the shopping bags from the living room and into the bedroom assigned to her. She dumped out the bags onto the bed to see that his mother had bought her jeans, tops, and socks, as well as a large T-shirt and comfy sweatpants to sleep in like Tori had told Landon she preferred.

  Her cheeks felt a little warm when she emptied another bag that contained panties and bras onto the bed. It felt intimate having him see what she would be wearing beneath her clothing.

  His mother had also purchased a black overnight bag to carry everything in, as well as every kind of toiletry a girl could need, along with a toothbrush, hairbrush, and comb. She put those into a bag that she would take with her into the bathroom when she got ready for bed.

  “Tell your mom thank you for me.” Tori looked at Landon she paused, feeling a moment of awkwardness and embarrassment. “And thank you for everything. You saved my life, and you’ve been looking out for me. I owe you more than I can ever repay.”

  “You don’t owe me anything.” Landon’s voice was low, vibrating through her. “I’m just doing my job.”

  She shook her head. “You’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.” She stopped talking, suddenly unable to think of another word to say.

  For a long moment they looked at each other. As the silence lingered, the tension grew stronger between them. At that moment she knew his attraction to her matched her desire for him—it was in his eyes, in his expression. It was more than sexual even though she’d known him for such a short time.

  The incredible need to have him touch her made her want to slide into his embrace. What would it be like to have his hands caressing her, his lips covering her own? She had to know, every part of her being straining toward him.

  He was tall enough that when he moved closer to her she had to look up to meet his gaze. Without really thinking about what she was doing, she took a step toward him and stopped with only a couple of inches still between them. She swallowed as his body heat warmed her through and she caught the scent of his male musk. His scent even made her crazy for him.

  Butterflies stirred in her belly and she could see an even stronger desire reflected in his eyes. She wanted—needed—his hands on her. To kiss him, to taste him.

  He didn’t move, just looked at her as if he was frozen in place. She raised her hands and slid them up his chest, his muscles flexing beneath her palms.

  A low groan rumbled up inside him and he grasped her hips and pulled her closer to him so that her body was snug against his. He lowered his head, ever so slowly. She didn’t wait for him. She rose up on her toes, moved her mouth to his, and his firm lips pressed against her own.

  His kiss was gentle but she could feel the tension in his body as if he fought to restrain himself. She gave a soft moan as she kissed him harder, slipping her tongue between his lips.

  He lost the tight rein on his control. He groaned louder this time and kissed her with a fierceness that set all of her senses on fire. His mouth moved over hers, taking, demanding. He nipped at her lower lip and she gasped at the eroticism of that one little action.

  Her nipples tightened and she ached between her thighs. She desired Landon with everything she had. She wanted to climb him, wrap her legs around his waist, and hold on for the ride she knew he’d give her.

  She clenched his T-shirt in her hands and her mind spun as she became lost in the kiss. His hands slid along her curves, over the bare skin of her back revealed by her crop top. She loved the feel of his hard body against her softer form. The ridge of his cock pressed into her belly and she gasped into his mouth, the sound lost in the kiss.

  When he raised his head she almost whimpered from the loss of his lips on hers. His pupils were dilated, his chest rising and falling with each harsh breath. Her own breathing was ragged and she could do nothing but be lost in the depths of his gaze. The moment stretched out, the silence between them heavy with their desire.

  “I’
m sorry.” His expression looked pained as he released her hips. He caught her off guard as he captured her wrists, drawing her hands away from his chest. “That shouldn’t have happened.”

  She blinked, the spell binding them vanishing with those few words. Her cheeks heated and she looked away as she stepped back. With her gaze still averted, she tried to pull her wrists from his grasp but he didn’t release her.

  “No.” She looked back at him. “It was my fault. I shouldn’t have—”

  “Ah, hell.” He lowered his head and captured her mouth with his, still gripping her wrists in his hands. His kiss was fierce, demanding, like a man staking his claim.

  This time when he pulled back, she looked at him, her moist lips parted, her eyes wide. His expression was as fierce as his kiss had been.

  “I’ve never crossed this line before.” He kept her wrists clasped in one of his big hands. He brushed the knuckles of his free hand over her cheek and she shivered from the sensual touch. “But I don’t know if I can keep my hands off you, Tori. I can’t explain it.”

  “You don’t have to explain.” She searched his gaze. “I feel it, too.”

  “This isn’t a good idea.” He blew out his breath and his throat worked as he swallowed. “It’s not good at all.”

  She opened her mouth to tell him that it was good, it was right, and she wouldn’t change a thing. She wanted him and she wasn’t afraid to tell him. But the words were lost in an instant.

  The lights went out.

  CHAPTER 11

  Landon’s senses went on full alert and prickles scrabbled up and down his spine. The room was dark, the blinds blocking what little light might have come from the moon or streetlight. It was completely and utterly dark. And completely silent.

  “What happened to the lights?” Tori’s voice wavered.