Nailed (Marked For Love #1) (18 page)

I got the cat, and followed her, stepping carefully across the cracked sidewalk to join her.

By the time I got there, she was already talking into the intercom. "It's me, baby, and I brought you something you're just going to
love
."

A few minute later, we heard footsteps, and the door opened, revealing an attractive, heavy-set young man with super-short, dark hair and wire-rimmed glasses.

I bit my lip, holding back a grin as they kissed, trying hard not to laugh as Dani introduced Eli as her boyfriend. "Has he met the family yet?"

"No, and I don't want to." Smiling, he offered his hand and we shook.

A glowing Dani clutched his free hand. "If it's high-tech, Eli here, can figure it out."

Poor Eli's cheeks turned pink as he led us inside and up the stairs. His loft had a queen sized bed tucked next to what passed for the kitchen. Every other available space was taken up with tables covered with computers and other electronic equipment I couldn't identify.

Eli took a seat at the longest table, located just under the windows, and held out his hand.

I pulled the baggie containing the chip from my purse and passed it to Dani who gave it to him. "We want the information off that chip."

"You sure there's actually something on it?" He held it up to the light, studying it.

Dani and I glanced at each other and shrugged simultaneously. "Pretty sure."

There was still the odd, and miniscule, chance that chip wasn't what we'd been looking for. But what else could it be?

"Okay then—" he smiled, "—let me see what I can do."

"How...how long do you think it'll take?" I asked.

Clyde wasn't going to stand being stuck in that carrier for much longer, and I'd missed breakfast. Not to mention the guys would eventually wonder where we were. The clock was ticking.

"I'm honestly not sure. It depends on what I find once I figure out how to access any data that might be stored on it. Could be a couple hours, could be a couple days."

We didn't have a couple days; hell, we didn't have a couple of hours. "We can hold of John and Wynn for an hour or two, but days we don't have, Dani." I didn't particularly like lying to Wynn after he'd been so good to me, but I didn't see we had any other choice at this point. If he knew we'd dragged yet another person, let alone Dani's boyfriend, into this, he'd be furious, and rightly so.

"She's right, honey."

"Come back in an hour. Let me see what I can do."

***

Back downstairs I suggested we call Wynn and lie, maybe go get a cup of coffee to kill some time until Eli got done working his high-tech voodoo.

Grinning from ear to ear, Dani pulled her cell phone from her purse. "We can take him to PetSmart, just like I told the guys we would. That way we're not lying, and he can get out and ride in the basket."

Once she made the call, we were off again, heading back toward the highway and the nearest pet store. This time Dani took Clyde. She scooped him out of his carrier and marched him into the store, heading straight to the fish and rodents. I followed after hurriedly grabbing a shopping cart.

"See the yummy treats, Clyde."

He purred, lounging in her arms and lapping up every crumb of attention she threw his way.  

I rolled my eyes at a passing sales clerk and nudged the cart in her direction. "I'm going to get him a collar."

"And a leash. He needs a leash. We're going to pick out some toys."

I spent ten minutes debating the merits of various collars and leashes, and trying to find a matched set, then another five scolding myself for wasting time on a leash for a cat I'd probably have to give away when this was all over. Never mind that he'd probably never use it.

"Any luck?" Dani asked when she and Clyde joined me. She'd put him in a basket and covered him in half a dozen toys. He actually looked pretty comfy, lounging on a blue and green checked pet cushion, his demonic yellow eyes reminding me not to be fooled by his relaxed demeanor. He could decide to turn on us and go after those fish any minute now.

"Yeah." I held up a red harness and leash I'd chosen. "I doubt we'll get much mileage out of it with him though."

"You never know. At the very least, it's another play toy."

"What if the guys followed us and they know we went to Eli's?" I asked, dropping the leash on Clyde and teasing him with it.

He twisted around in the basket, determined to make it his slave, the action making it tougher on Dani to hang onto him.

"Let me take him." I held out my hand, slipping the basket on my arm, and we slowly walked to the front of the store to check out.

"I don't think they'd bother." She draped an arm over my shoulders. "Relax, worry wart."

Easy for her to say. It wasn't her ass on the line.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Wynn had spent the morning straightening up the house and cooking, more as a way to burn off nervous energy than anything else—and to avoid John who seemed to run every time Wynn headed his way with the vacuum. At least, when the girls called he could finally relax. And relax he did, stretching out on the sofa for a quick nap until his cell phone rang. It wasn't Dani calling back, but his dad.

"I haven't had an update in days. Please tell me you're not leaving this until the last possible second."

"I'm not, sir."

"I want to talk with him when you're done," said his mother.

"You know better than to leave me hanging like this. Did you or did you not find the Lyons's yet?"

"Not yet."

"Not yet? Not yet?" His dad's voice rose on the second question, a question that didn't really need an answer.

"I'm working a different angle. We're on the home stretch."

"We?" his father barked.

"Us. You and me? I'm just tying up some loose ends, Dad."

From his spot on the other side of the bar, John grinned. Too bad Wynn had nothing to throw at him. Shifting closer to the cat food, he covered the mouthpiece and whispered, "You want to talk to him?"

John shook his head, backing away from the counter.

"Then shut up."

"What did you just say?" his father demanded.

"Nothing, sir. I promise I'll have this wrapped up in time."

"You better. Here's your mother."

There was the sound of fumbling as he passed the phone off and then his mother's bright voice in his ear. "How's it going?"

"Everything's fine, Mom." He relaxed at the sound of her voice, the knot in his gut loosening just a bit.

"Just a minute, dear. Let me get outside."

He waited patiently until the back door had closed.

"Now," she gently huffed, "tell me what's really going on."

"Besides what John's told you?" He felt bad for scolding his mother, even slightly, but it had to be said. A sigh was the only sort of acknowledgement he got. "The Feds showed up so we're in Dallas now."

"The Feds?" she breathed. "Why in the world..."

"John." Wynn grinned at his brother.

"They aren't after him again, are they?"

"No, he called them to turn in a woman who'd kidnapped her children, and Julie insisted we help the woman get away."

"So
she's
still with you?"

"She's out with Dani now, trying to find out if the evidence is in the cat. And please don't yell at me. Your daughter refused to go home and mind her own business."

"Oh, dear. Don't tell your father. You know how he gets about Danielle." The sound of a long, drawn out sigh, a sigh only a mother could give, filled Wynn's ear. "Now, that woman?"

"Mom, I've got it all under control."

John snorted, and Wynn picked up a piece of cat food and tossed it at him.

"Wynnie, honey..."

"Mom,
under control
. I—"

"I don't believe you. Your involvement with this woman is trouble in the worst way, honey. What do you think your father would do if he found out? The poop would hit the proverbial fan."

"That's why you sent John? Because you were afraid Dad would find out?"

"Technically, dear, I didn't send him. He elected to come on his own. What happens to this woman—"

"Her name is Julie."

"All right. What happens to
Julie
when this is all over? Have you even thought about that?"

"Yes—"

"I'm not just saying this because of your father. I'm truly worried about you, Wynn, and I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Nobody ever plans to get hurt, Mom. I'll be fine."

"You know you have to send her away when this is all over. It's for your own good, as well as hers."

"I know." As much as he didn't like it, she was right.

Once he got what Dad wanted from Julie, he'd put her on a plane to Brazil, just like they'd discussed.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Eli had found something.

We'd driven through Jack in the Box for a late breakfast, and were headed back to Eli's, when he called. My mouth watered the entire way. It'd been far too long since I'd had fast food—
good fast food
. Even Clyde thought so, if his howls from the back seat were any indication, but he'd have to settle for some fancy canned cat food we'd picked up at the pet store.

Back at Eli's, we hustled upstairs, carrying the food and Clyde, who jumped on the kitchen counter the minute he was free, pacing back and forth impatiently for his treat. It wasn't the same as real chicken, but he didn't complain.

"Do you love me?" Eli asked, accepting the monster sized breakfast sandwich Dani handed him.

"You know I do. Now what'd you find, sugar pie?"

"Sugar pie," I whispered, glancing at Clyde.

Eli, who was in the process of unwrapping his food, glanced at me, as if daring me to make fun of Dani's pet name for him. Frankly, I was too busy wondering what they were doing together. Not that Eli wasn't good looking, and obviously he had a brain, but two different worlds was an understatement.

"So, what did you find?" I plucked at my own, much smaller sandwich, too anxious to eat, despite missing breakfast.

"Sunset Pharmaceuticals has been very bad and
very busy
." He punctuated his sentence with the sandwich, waving it around, then taking a bite when he was done talking. We had to wait until he'd chewed and swallowed to get the rest of the story. "From what I read, they've falsified data on five different drugs, including one that's getting ready to hit the market."

Wynn's timely deadline now made sense, but five drugs was...I shook my head, trying to process it all. "Are you sure, Eli?"

"Yup." He motioned with his head to the printer located near the foot of the bed.

I scooped it up before Dani could, and a minor scuffle ensued as we fought over the paper. "I gave up my life for this," I finally insisted, giving an extra firm tug. "And besides, the less you know the better."

"Fine." Dani threw up her hands and returned to her own breakfast, feeding Clyde tiny pieces of sausage.

By the time I was through reading, I was sick to my stomach. Giving Wynn the evidence hadn't sounded like such a bad trade off when it was one drug but...Sunset had been perpetrating a fraud,
a huge fraud
that had put people's lives in danger, and made a mint in the process, for years.

And their fraud had lost me everything.

My mind chaotic, I washed and dried my hands, standing silently by while Dani finished reading. Giving them what they wanted and getting a free pass to a new life was all well and good when it was one drug. And yes, I knew it was a very grey area, the difference between one and five. And maybe it didn't make me a very good person, my willingness to trade my freedom so easily, but the enormity of it all was a game-changer.

Jesus
! I rubbed my temples, squeezing my scalp in frustration, then reached out to scratch Clyde, who rolled on his belly and knocked over an empty glass.

"Dani, this is bad." Bad was an understatement. No wonder Sunset had been so worried.

This was a catastrophe.

"What do you want to do?" she asked softly.

"You need to do
something
," Eli added between bites.

"I was willing to trade my life for one drug, to trade my family's lives, but not five. Not this. Someone needs to pay, Danielle."

She nodded slowly, reluctance written on her face. Making charitable donations in your gangster hitman father's name was one thing, going against his direct orders was a whole new ballgame. "Whatever you want me to do, I'll help."

"You can't get involved. Not really. But I will need you to lie...a little." The only way to protect Dani, Wynn and yes, even John, was to keep them in the dark over what I was thinking of doing.

"What do you have in mind?"

"We weren't here. I never met Eli."

"It took longer at the vets than we thought, time got away from us at PetSmart, and we stopped to eat." She shrugged her perky shoulders. Too bad all my problems couldn't be solved as easily.

"With the cat?" Eli's chair squeaked as he turned around.

"We could have sat in the car with Clyde."

"Sounds good." I nodded and scooped up the printouts. "I need another set of these. Better yet, make it two more."

With a nod, Eli turned back to his computer, clicking a few more buttons. The printer started to hum and spit out more papers. I motioned to Dani to stay put and crossed to where Eli sat. "The less she knows the better."

He leaned back, glanced at her and smiled, before catching my eye again. "I know, but good luck with that."

We nodded at each other in mutual understanding, then I reached for another stool, pulling it close to him and sitting down. "If you were going to send this information to someone, who would you choose? Someone big."

"
Anderson Cooper
?
 60 Minutes
?"

"Do people still watch
60 Minutes
?" We both shrugged. "Get me their addresses, please." I grabbed a piece of paper off the printer to sketch out a rough draft of my letter. "And the FDA, too. Definitely the FDA."