Enemies and Playmates (5 page)

He’d almost fallen off his chair that first night when she’d said Alex Covington was her father. Bastard was too good a word for that man. The guy was a twisted control freak. What was he doing in a relationship with the guy’s daughter?

Was it even a relationship?

Damn.

Out in the kitchen, Jesse opened the refrigerator and scanned its contents. The sight of food made his stomach churn. He settled for a glass of orange juice. After two sips, he dumped the remainder in the sink. He yawned, grabbed his keys from the counter, and left his apartment.

The early driving rain had slowed to a drizzle. Thick patches of fog settled across the ground. His Mustang was barely visible through the dense fog. He slumped into the seat. What a great morning to stay in bed.

He muttered a curse directed at the world in general but meant more toward himself. He was normally so good with casual relationships. And he’d sworn never to get involved with a client or anyone linked to a job he worked. Now he found himself strongly attracted to a woman he wasn’t even sure cared if he existed. A woman with a strong link to several recent jobs he’d worked. What the hell was he thinking?

After weaving through forty-five minutes of traffic, Jesse pulled into the already crowded parking lot. He took a deep breath, swore at no one and nothing in particular, and stepped out into the day. The mostly glass building glittered in the growing sunlight. Jesse sighed and walked inside Covington’s Law Firm.

“Good morning Mr. Ryder,” Suzanne said. “Mr. Covington is waiting for you.”

“Didn’t know he was psychic,” Jesse replied.

Suzanne overlooked the sarcasm. She said, “I’ll let him know that you’re here.” She disappeared into Covington’s office, then quickly reemerged. “You can go in now, Mr. Ryder.”

“Thanks,” Jesse replied.

Jesse walked past Suzanne, into Alex Covington’s spacious office. He assumed Covington was expecting him to give in. To go back on the job. That wasn’t about to happen.

Without waiting for an invitation, Jesse sat on one of the chairs opposite Alex’s desk. Alex Covington’s intimidation did not work on him. All it did was piss him off. He said, “Why did you involve Lauren in this?”

Alex lowered himself back into his chair. “I have neither the time nor the inclination to have this discussion with you,” he said. “You were hired to perform certain jobs which -”

“That’s just it,” Jesse said. “I never agreed to what you’re asking.”

“Until your recent indiscretion, you had proven yourself to be a valuable asset to this firm,” Alex said. “You performed responsibly, discreetly, and professionally. You proved your worth, which is why you were chosen to complete the tasks at hand.”

“I suppose I should be flattered?”

Alex didn’t respond. He simply stared at Jesse while rapping his fingers against his desk.

Jesse sighed. “Look, I told you I won’t do what you’re asking with the murder case. Under no circumstance would I ever do it. And as for tailing your wife, that would definitely be awkward. But, regardless of Lauren, that’s just not my thing. None of this has anything to do with Lauren.”

Alex leaned forward. “It does now.”

“This should be between the two of us. No one else.”

“Forget Kara,” Alex said. “I’ll deal with my wife in other ways. However, the other task is not up for debate. You will complete the job or I will put an abrupt halt to your career.”

“I don’t give in to threats.”

“I don’t make threats, Mr. Ryder. I make only promises.”

Jesse stood. “I won’t do it. I got out of law enforcement because I wouldn’t play the games and bend the rules to win. I’m certainly not about to start doing it for you.”

Alex snorted. “Do us both a favor and get off your moral high horse.”

“Christ, you want me to mess with evidence so that your client can walk free,” Jesse said. “Your client is a cold-blooded killer. What makes you think he won’t do it again?”

“I don’t care whether he does it again,” Alex said. “I care about winning.” Alex pushed his chair back and rose. He leaned forward, pressed his hands against his desk and glared at Jesse. “My client is an important man. He takes care of me and I do the same for him. That’s how it works, Mr. Ryder. I’m surprised you haven’t learned that by now.”

Jesse glared back at Alex. He was in deeper than he cared to be with this man. He’d known Covington’s reputation when he’d taken that first job. The job had been minor. He’d thought he could handle it. And he had. He just hadn’t counted on things escalating so quickly.

Alex drummed his fingers on the desk. His face showed controlled anger. He said, “You could have gone far with us. Walk away now and you will lose all you’ve worked for.”

Jesse turned and strode to the door. “Don’t be so sure,” he said. He walked out before giving in to the urge to pound Covington’s face into the polished wood.

***

Jesse had spent the past half hour taking out his frustrations on the weight bench at the gym. His arms throbbing, he slammed the bar against the bench as if Alex Covington’s head lay between them.

Would it be any easier had he not gotten involved with Lauren? Less complicated, yes. But he’d still be backed against a wall. How the hell had that happened?

Jesse grabbed his towel and wiped sweat from his forehead. He said, “Well, it was simple at first. He had me doing research for a few cases. A few personal things for him but nothing that was a big deal. The money was great. No problems.” Jesse sighed. “Then the other day he called me to his office for a private meeting.”

“To praise your outstanding work ethics?” Tim asked.

“Kind of started out that way,” Jesse said. “His opener was to tell me how good my work was and how far I could go with the law firm.”

“Uh-oh.”

“You got that right.”

Jesse glanced around to make sure no one was in ear shot. He dropped his voice and said, “I had impressed Covington so much that my next job was to dig up dirt on some guy he’s trying to frame. For murder. And after I’d dug up what I could, I was to manufacture and plant the rest of what was needed.”

“Nice.” Tim dropped his weights and sat up. “He either really hates this guy or he’s protecting someone important.”

“Both. His client, the murder suspect, is way up there on the political ladder. And the guy he wants to frame happens to be suing one of Covington’s clients. A surgeon. Malpractice case.”

***

The office Jesse rented was on Park Drive in the Back Bay of Boston. When he arrived, his secretary was sitting at her desk typing. Jesse greeted her with a smile. “Hey Dawn,” he said. “How are you today?”

Jesse went into his office and plopped down on the leather chair behind his desk. He picked up his messages and read through them. Nothing from Lauren. Not that he’d expected there to be. They were supposed to see each other this weekend. Christ, it was only Monday. Friday was a long way off.

What the hell was wrong with him? Why was he so obsessed with this woman? Sure, she was beautiful. But it wasn’t like he’d never dated a beautiful woman before. And yes she was funny and smart and a wonderful diversion from the airheads he’d been dating recently.

“This is just great,” he muttered. Of all the women for him to fall apart over, it had to be Alex Covington’s daughter. What the hell was he thinking?

Dawn tapped on the door, then poked her head inside. “Someone’s here to see you.”

“Who?”

Dawn stepped inside. She scrunched her face up like she’d sucked a sour lemon. “He wouldn’t tell me his name,” she said quietly. “And he’s giving me the creeps.”

“Send him in,” Jesse said. “May as well keep this day going on that steady downward spiral.”

“Good luck,” Dawn said.

She left the room and seconds later his doorway was filled with what could have been a character from a bad horror movie. His massive arms were solid muscle. A soft fleshy stomach that he probably filled with beer and rare steak pressed against the confines of a designer t-shirt. His eyebrows were dark angry streaks over lopsided eyes. He looked as if an earthquake had passed through his face and shifted one eye socket lower than the other.

The man smiled, revealing a broken front tooth. Even the smile was crooked. It was like one side of his face was sliding off. Definitely horror movie material. The guy tossed a photo face down onto Jesse’s desk, then turned and strode out the door.

Jesse waited until the guy walked past Dawn’s desk and let himself out the outer door. Then he picked up the photo, turned it over, and winced. The clothing told him that the person had been male. One hand had no fingers. The other had been crushed flat. The face was not recognizable as human.

***

Jesse was ushered through the high gates of Walpole’s maximum-security prison. The guard brought him to a small room with one scratched metal table, two equally scarred metal chairs, and no windows. The guard said, “I’ll be right out in the hall.” Then he stepped out and closed the door behind him.

Jesse sat on one metal chair, which was bolted to the floor, and waited. Five minutes later the back door to the room opened. A second guard nodded to him as he ushered his prisoner inside. Chris Nyles, a tall lean man who showed each of his thirty-two years, plopped into the opposite chair and glared at Jesse. “Who the hell are you?” he asked.