Mystic Hearts (24 page)

An
unsettled feeling plunged into the pit of his stomach. He lowered the
lenses…trim waist, oh so perfect butt.

Charlene?

Anger
and jealousy spiked. He wanted to reach through the distance and shove the guy
off her. Grinding his teeth, he dropped the binoculars to his lap and his
fingers curled around the steering wheel as he tried to remove the barb that
stabbed him in the chest.

Irregular
situations often led to measured anger he handled every day, but the annoying
emotion of jealousy streaming through his system, he had a hard time managing.

Frozen
in the spot, he stared in their direction, his red-hot vision not allowing him
to see clearly. Before he stepped out of the vehicle, he had to get under
control.

His
cell buzzed.

Without
checking caller ID, he hit the talk button, putting it on speaker. “Newman.”

“From
your tone,” Jake said, “you’re at the residence.”

Impossible
thoughts arose. Had his buddy set him up? “Affirmative.”

“Old
friends, agent. They’re old friends. Going through a tough time. I don’t know
what you’re seeing or what you’re thinking, but remember they’re friends.”

“Say
friends one more time, so I can reach through the phone and punch ya.”

Jake
chuckled. “If I was a betting man, I’d think Millstone has info. That’s why
you’re there. Not to spy on Charlene.”

“That’s
your cover story, isn’t it? She told you where she was going and you sent me.”

“I
sent the best man for the job,” Jake teased, as if he had the authority to tell
Larry what to do.

Millstone
eased away and Charlene crossed her arms over her chest.

“Gotta
go.”

Larry
hit the off button. Shoved his phone in his pocket, stuck his gun in his hip
holster, and slipped on a blazer.

Opening
the door, the fishy odor gagged him. He covered his mouth and stepped onto the
salt and pepper paved road and gently closed the door. Heart thundering in his
chest, the effects of the green monster flying through his veins, all he could
think about was Charlene reconnecting with an old flame. He light footed it
toward them, wanting to overhear their conversation. Spying on friends wasn’t
in his gamut of past actions, yet he never thought about a woman non-stop,
either.

“He’s
different,” Millstone said. “Something’s off.”

“How?”
Charlene asked.

All business,
nothing intimate.

He
worked his shoulders, easing the tension and preparing for the next onslaught
of emotions. Thanks to Jake, he was about to piss Charlene off. No doubt, she’d
jump to the conclusion that he followed her.

Larry
cleared his throat. “Excuse me, Mr. Millstone? I’m Special Agent Newman.” Larry
handed him a business card from the small stack he carried in his shirt pocket.

Charlene
inhaled a breath of air, a low shrill escaping her, and gaped.

For
a brief moment, Millstone stared at the card before locking eyes with Larry,
his features darkening. “What’s this about?”

“Larry,
why are you here? Jake told you, didn’t he?”

“Not
the place or time,” Larry barked and regretted it.

She
took the sharpness with a flinch of her head and pulled her lower lip inward,
scraping her teeth on the soft tissue. The movement a kick to the gut, he
wanted to kiss the pained expression from her face.

“You
brought him to my home?” Millstone raised the card toward Larry and narrowed
his eyebrows at Charlene.

Her
gaze darted between him and Millstone, confusion etched in her brow and the
downward curves of her mouth. “What? I didn’t.”

Angry
red splotches appeared on Millstone’s face, his hands curling into fists. “I
can’t believe this shit. Charlene, how could you set me up?”

Larry
slid the edge of his blazer behind his holster and gripped the butt of his gun.
Millstone getting jumpy he hadn’t expected. “Sir, I need you to stay calm. I’m
here to ask a few questions, nothing more.”

“Uh,
huh,” Randy said, his head bobbing. He turned to Charlene. “This is how you
repay me?”

A
tear slid down Charlene’s cheek. She shook her head. “I didn’t.”

Damnit!
Larry caused her
this grief. “I have a newspaper photo of you and Andrew Smith. Ms. Smith did
not lead me to you.”

She
locked gazes with Larry and gave him a forced smile.

The
effect chipped at his heart.

Millstone
bolted.

Now what?
Adrenaline
crashed into Larry’s veins and his muscles twitched with the potent thrill of a
chance. He glanced at Charlene. “Don’t move.”

She
diverted her gaze.

“Promise
me,” he said, eyeing Millstone. “I need to find you after I grab this guy.”

She
nodded.

Larry
ran after him, his achy muscles reminding him of the fall yesterday.

Millstone
cleared the fence into the neighboring yard, stumbled on the landing, and
regained his balance.

The
man was in shape. Larry cut the corner, bypassing shrubs and jumped the fence a
yard over.

At
this point, he needed to keep Millstone in his sights. The guy could take off
in any direction and Larry could lose him.

A
deep growl came from behind. Larry glanced over his shoulder in time to see a
pit bull lunging toward him.

He
jerked to the side, out of the line of its path, and sailed over the enclosure
into another yard. The pit followed, his strong jaws snapping as he tried to
bite Larry’s legs and ankles.

Man,
he hated to use force on an animal. No way could he outrun the beast. He
unclipped the Taser from his belt and twisted.

The
dog leapt, and his paws hit Larry square in the chest. He pressed the Taser to
the dog’s belly. He fell backwards. Air whooshed out of his lungs.

The
dog yelped and ran in the opposite direction.

The
sky and earth warped around him. He focused on the white, fluffy clouds against
the light blue sky, shook off the dizziness, and regained his bearings.
Climbing to his feet, he scanned the perimeter.

Millstone
hopped over a neighbor’s hedge and raced toward the beach along Potomac River.

Man,
he hoped no one was there. Larry sprinted across the street and sank, the
grainy particles bleeding around the edges of his hiking shoes.

Twenty-five
yards ahead, Millstone ran toward the fishing pier, the heels of his bare feet
kicking up sand behind him.

If
Millstone reached one of the fishing boats floating at the end of the pier,
chances of Larry finding information on Smith or figuring out why he fled were
slim. Heart thundering in his chest and adrenaline darting through his veins,
he forged ahead, shoving through the airy, yet heavy soil.

Millstone
leapt onto the wooden pier.

Larry
dug deeper, pushed harder, and closed in. He drew his weapon from his holster.
“Freeze!”

Millstone’s
steps faltered.

The
noise of an engine roaring blasted the air.

Larry
tracked the sound to the end of the pier.

An
average size man stood behind the wheel, a red baseball cap firmly on his head.

Mathews?

“Son
of a bitch,” Randy yelled. His back stiffened.

“Andrew,”
Charlene gasped from behind Larry.

Andrew?
What the hell?
And why had Charlene not
listened? Her being here could make matters worse or…he could use her presence
to his advantage. “Think of your friendship with Charlene. You don’t want this
situation to go south. Step off the pier and let’s talk.”

With
his hands in the air, Millstone turned. His gaze darted between Larry, pointing
the gun at his chest, to the water.

Describing
the guy as edgy didn’t depict the gleam in his eyes, nor his body twitching.
All signs pointed to the situation ending badly. Millstone would take the
bullet and not rat.

What did Smith
have over him?

Millstone
didn’t budge. His eyes shot to Charlene.

Alarm
pounded inside Larry’s skull. “Come on, Randy. You don’t want Charlene to see
you get shot.”

“I’m
sorry, Charlene.” Millstone jump.

Fuck!
Larry squeezed
the trigger.

A
grunt shadowed by a splash of water followed.

“N-o-o!”
Charlene screamed.

“Call
9-1-1.”

Larry
lowered his weapon and tossed Charlene his cell.

Eyes
wide, mouth gaped, she nodded.

The
strained expression on her face about undid him. Work had to come first. He
shoved down his first instinct to hold her and hopped up on the wooden pier.
His boots echoed on the slotted boards as he raced toward Millstone’s body floating,
face down, blood spotting the murky water.

Larry
made quick work of removing his shoes and tugging his socks off, and stuck the
gun in his hand and the one from his ankle holster inside the shoes before
dropping into the water, clothed.

Larry
rolled Millstone over and pressed two fingers to his neck. “He’s okay,” he
yelled back to Charlene who stood at the edge of the water, a hand on each
cheek.

Clutching
Millstone by the shirt at the nape of his neck, Larry tugged him to the shore, then
grasped him under his shoulders and laid him on the sand.
 

“Is
he all right?” Charlene knelt beside them, concern etched into worry lines on
her face. “Randy?”

Millstone
coughed and sputtered, water oozed from his mouth for a few moments. He propped
himself on an elbow then sat up and grasped his shoulder where the bullet had
winged him. “I’m okay.”

“Are
you sure?” she asked, her hands and eyes inspecting the area near the wound.

“I
said yes.” Randy said around clearing his throat. “I’m fine. The wound stings,
but I’m good.”

“What
the hell were you doing?” Frustration clearly welled inside her by the tone of
her voice.

“What?”

She
hit Randy on his good shoulder. “You left Larry with no choice but to shoot.
Who does that?”

“Larry?
You’re on a first name basis with this guy?”

“That’s
not the point,” Charlene bit back.

Larry
chuckled. With Charlene occupying Millstone, he wasn’t concerned if the guy
would make a break for it and walked back to the pier to retrieve his guns
before any spectators arrived. Gun fire in the area surely would bring
onlookers. Still, he swiftly holstered his guns and made quick work of dressing
his feet and returned.

“Leave
it be, Charlene,” Randy said, his manner like a scolded puppy.

“No.”
Charlene smacked his forehead and jabbed her hands on her hips.

Admiration
filled him. Charlene took matters into her own hands. She didn’t want someone
else to fight her battles, she confronted them head on. At that moment, she
earned his whole-hearted respect. He rubbed the area between his pecs, soothing
the sudden tightness.

“You
stupid son of a bitch. What has Andrew gotten you into?”

“Charlene.”
Larry joined her at her side. “You can’t beat on my prisoner.”

“Prisoner?
The hell I am.” Millstone straightened and reapplied pressure to the wound with
his hand.

Larry
snatched the gun off his belt and aimed. “Take another step, the next bullet
will be more painful.”

“I’d
listen, you idiot,” Charlene commanded, stepping to the side. “Don’t let Andrew
bring you down a road you can’t recover from.”

A
cloud of darkness passed over Millstone’s features before he nodded. “What do
you need?”

Sirens
approached.

Soon,
the beach would be covered with police and rescue personnel. He lowered his gun
to his side. “Why did you run?”

“You’re
FBI,” Millstone huffed. “Of course, I ran.”

“A
citizen who’s innocent doesn’t run,” Larry said, matter-of-factly.

“I
haven’t done anything wrong, so get that idea out of your mind.” Millstone
removed his hand and looked at the injury. Blood covered his palm, but the
bleeding slowed.

“You
warned Andrew! Why?” Charlene demanded.

“I
owe him, Char. I would have helped you talk to him if you hadn’t brought the
Feds.”

“This
has been covered,” Larry said choosing his words carefully and keeping his
voice under control for Charlene’s sake. “She didn’t bring me.”

Millstone
forced a laugh. “I don’t care what you say. I know you followed her.”

Charlene
observed Larry, the stink-eye showing. “Did you?”