Storm Front (15 page)

Tweeter grinned evilly. “Already set that search up. It’s been running since last night. The guy travels a lot. I have my analysis program plotting patterns, then I’m cross-checking with criminal activity reports of dead bodies, missing women, and the like in the places he frequents.”

“Good idea,” Earl murmured. “Try the next folder, Tessa. It has his picture.”

Tessa opened the image folder. A picture of a smiling, dark-haired man in his middle forties stared out at her from the screen. “I’ve never seen him before in my life. The men who…” she choked and then swallowed, “…hurt me always wore masks and never talked.”
Just grunted and groaned.
“So, I can’t say if he is or isn’t the man. But if Tweeter says this is the guy sending the e-mail, then it must be him since he acknowledged he’d branded me as his property.”

She choked over the last words, fear tightening her throat.

“You’re mine.” Earl tipped her chin up and whispered against her lips, “You are mine.”

Then he kissed her, branding her more permanently than any piece of hot metal ever could.

Later on Tuesday afternoon.

Earl sat on the leather sofa in the Lodge great room with Tessa snuggled next to his side. Ren sat on the companion sofa.

After the beautiful, intimate interlude with Tessa that morning, the day had been filled with one bit of bad news after another about Tessa’s stalker, Dion Denuccio.

The man was in the wind, and even Tweeter, now with Keely helping him, couldn’t find the bastard. The man either had some computer skills, or had hired someone to blur his trail since he’d left his London home over two weeks ago, right before Tessa began receiving the threatening texts and e-mails.

The worst of it was, the asswipe had been spotted in Chicago two days ago. The FBI and the cops had known that fact and lost him.

Turned out, they’d traced Tessa’s stalker’s identity weeks ago. The FBI had known of Denuccio’s many crimes, as had Interpol and several other major law enforcement agencies in the world. The fucker was wanted for sex trafficking, murder, kidnapping, and money laundering. They’d rationalized leaving him free to pursue Tessa as a path to the greater good.

“So,” Earl gritted out as he faced the large-screen television being used for the teleconference call among several of the law enforcement agencies pursuing Denuccio, “let me summarize. You concluded Denuccio, a murdering, predatory sexual offender who’d eluded you for over seven years would make a mistake in his lustful need to regain control of Tessa. But you didn’t tell her or give her physical protection. Is that the gist of it?”

Tessa trembled against him. She hadn’t uttered a word since the Chicago cop and the FBI agent had detailed their reasons for not including her in the loop. He hugged her and pressed a kiss against her too-cool cheek.

Detective Roebuck had the grace to look embarrassed. The Interpol and MI-6 reps just looked uncomfortable.

The FBI agent, Garcia, glared and said, “We had protection on her until she took the notion to go to O’Hare without letting us know and fly to the fricking middle of nowhere Idaho.”

Earl smiled, and he was fairly sure it wasn’t a pleasant one if Roebuck’s audible gulp said anything. “Good thing she came here then, isn’t it? With her security being compromised and you guys unable to find your asses with a GPS.”

Garcia stuttered. “That …that’s an inaccurate representation.”

“Shut up, Garcia,” Ren said. “Did you catch the current live feed we sent from her apartment? Did you see what the animal did to her place? He’s a sick fuck, and your people saw him and did nothing.”

“We don’t have enough evidence…” Garcia began.

Earl growled. “Shut the fuck up. We don’t want to hear any more lies. You’ve been chasing this guy for over seven years. How can you not have enough evidence?”

“When would you have stepped in?” Tessa’s breath hitched. “When he was in my apartment raping me? When he’d taken me to wherever his new
playroom
is and branded me again? When?”

Earl massaged her shoulders and brushed a kiss over her tear-stained cheek. “I’ve got you, sweetheart. Not gonna happen ever again.”

“We wouldn’t have let it go that far.” Roebuck spoke over the mumbling of the other law enforcement representatives who also denied they’d ever let such a heinous act occur. Garcia sat and said nothing as he stared stonily at Earl.

“No, you sure as hell won’t,” snarled Earl. “Tessa’s under my and SSI’s care now. We’ll handle her personal protection. If Denuccio comes anywhere near Tessa, he’s dead.”

“You can’t just take the law into your own hands,” Garcia blustered, his face brick red.

“You’d be surprised what I can and will do to protect Tessa from the bastard.” Earl stared first at Garcia and then Roebuck. “Tessa’s mine, and no one touches what’s mine. Understood?”

Roebuck nodded and a glimmer of respect for Earl’s words appeared in his eyes.

Garcia’s lips thinned in anger. “Then we’d have to arrest you for interfering in an ongoing federal investigation and murder.”

Earl snorted. “Try it. But note, I never said I’d kill the bastard. I’ll merely make sure he’s in no condition to ever touch another unwilling woman.” He looked at Ren and nodded. “Tell the nice FBI man what we’ll be delivering with Denuccio’s slightly damaged body since they haven’t managed to find enough evidence to arrest the fucker before now.”

Ren smiled, a particularly nasty smile which Earl had to appreciate. “I’d be happy to, Earl.” He turned and stared at the men on the screen. “Courtesy of my brother-in-law, Dr. Stuart Walsh, and my lovely wife, Dr. Keely Walsh-Maddox, you’ll be getting the proof needed of not only his sex trafficking business, his clientele lists, and the places he launders money for his own and other crime organizations, but also what he launders for known terrorist groups. You can say thank you now.”

“Will it be legal?” the Interpol agent asked. “To use in the World Court and other countries’ courts?”

Ren snorted. “It’s legal in the United States, and as far as I’m concerned that’s all that matters. You gentlemen sat on your thumbs while the man laundered terrorist money.”

Visibly restraining his rage, Ren continued, “We had two Federal judges sign off on the warrants last night before we began looking into Denuccio’s bank records and holding companies.”

“How did you get that kind of access?” Roebuck asked, a frown on his face. “Garcia said it couldn’t be done. We didn’t have enough evidence.”

“My wife has access as a contract employee for NSA to pursue terrorist money wherever it lurks. This is legally obtained evidence pursuant to several terrorism laws, and the case will be tried in the United States. Y’all can fight it out with the US Attorney General for Denuccio leftovers.”

Earl fixed Garcia with a narrow-eyed stare. “If the FBI had taken the initiative to reach out to its fellow agencies in the US Intelligence community, you would’ve learned of the CIA’s and NCS’s long-time interest in the movements of Denuccio as it applied to terrorism money laundering. If the FBI had shared its information with Homeland Security or even Interpol, Denuccio would’ve been picked up years ago.”

The “then he couldn’t have terrorized my woman” he left unsaid. If the asshats hadn’t picked up what was most important to him by this point in the call, then there was no help for the idiots.

Tessa choked on a sob and turned her face into his chest. He smoothed her hair and cuddled her shuddering body as she wept. He reined in the anger that his angel had been reduced to tears by the callousness and disregard of the law enforcement agencies that should have been protecting her.

“When we informed the Director of NCS last night that their money-laundering Denuccio was also under suspicion of being an international sex trafficker, a sexual predator,” Earl spit his words out like bullets from an automatic weapon, “the Director consulted with the AG and they decided it was time to pull him in.”

“They
,” Earl stressed the word, “wound up a multiple-year communications intelligence gathering and human intelligence gathering terrorism investigation in order to get this piece of human excrement off the streets. That’s real law enforcement.”

The “unlike you two pieces of garbage” also went unsaid.

“I’m sorry, Tessa.” Roebuck’s voice was raspy. “If he’s still in Chicago, we’ll find him. He won’t hurt you.”

“Damn right, he won’t,” Earl rumbled, “because he has to go through me first.” He shot a nasty look at Roebuck and Garcia. “Go take care of the other fine citizens of Chicago, you boys missed your chance on this one.”

When Garcia opened his mouth to say something, Earl snarled, “Shut it, Garcia.” He turned to Ren. “I think we’re done here, right?”

“More than.” Ren nodded. “The Director of NCS in conjunction with Homeland Security acting on the behalf of the US Intelligence community and the US Attorney General has contracted SSI to bring Denuccio in on the terrorist money laundering charges. Other charges, including sex trafficking,” and he now addressed the international agencies, “can be brought after we bring him in.”

The international law enforcement representatives smiled and murmured their thanks and support.

All but Garcia, who opened his damn mouth to speak, but was cut off by Tweeter, who’d just come upstairs and had, Earl knew, been following the call on a monitor in the Bat Cave.

Tweeter looked at the Fed. “Garcia, I just sent copies of what NCS and Homeland have kindly told us to share with the FBI. Your boss has them. He also has a detailed analysis by my sister, Dr. Walsh-Maddox, of the evidence in this case from the intelligence community perspective. She also details that under the new anti-terrorism laws, you failed to share your Denuccio case reports with the other boys and girls in the IC. That’s a big no-no.” Tweeter grinned. “If they don’t can your ass, you’ll be looking at a permanent assignment to Fargo.”

“We’re done here.” Ren pointed a remote at the screen and terminated the feed. He turned to his brother-in-law. “What’s up, Tweeter? I know that grin.”

“I know where the bastard is.” Tweeter’s lips thinned grimly. “He’s in Chicago in a condo not two blocks from Tessa’s condo on Oak Street. He bought it just about the time he began sending the e-mails. The FBI and the Chicago cops thought he was staying in the apartment where the transmissions came from, but that was his smokescreen and how they lost him. They checked hotels and motels, but never bothered to look for another private residence. Tunnel-visioned idiots. Denuccio’s using public Wi-Fi within two to three blocks of this condo.”

Tessa lifted her head from Earl’s chest and sniffled. “How did you find him, Tweeter? How did you find the condo?”

“It wasn’t hard.” Tweeter frowned and muttered under his breath, but Earl heard him say, “It was easy. The cops must have had a blind spot. Need to see why the cyber-crimes guy didn’t tweak onto it.”

Earl stiffened and wondered why also.

In a louder voice, Tweeter continued, “Denuccio bought it under your pen name, T.A. Parks. Keely had an idea that if he was so fixated on you and, if as we suspected it was the novel you wrote that turned his eyes back on you, we should try character names and then your pen name with recent real estate purchases. Your pen name did it.”

Tessa shoved out of Earl’s arms, ran to Tweeter, and hugged him. “Thank you … thank you.” She turned and smiled through her tears. “It’s almost over. I need to go hug Keely now.”

“Tessa?” Earl called out; he didn’t like her out of his sight, even here where she was as safe as she would ever be.

Paranoid much?

Fuck yeah.

Tessa turned and ran back to him. She leaned over and kissed him on the mouth. Tongue was involved. When she pulled away, he wanted to pull her back, but the others were grinning, and he decided to wait until later when they were alone to take the promise of that kiss further.

“I’ll be back, tough guy. Meet me in the kitchen. We’ll throw Scotty out and make something special for dinner. Okay?” She stroked his face. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.” He took her hand and pressed a kiss to the palm. “Steaks, you think?”

“Yeah, steaks. See you in the kitchen in fifteen minutes. I want to cuddle little Riley after I hug Keely.” She whispered, the barest sound for his ears alone, “I want to practice for the day I hold our child.”

Earl pulled her to him for a deep, hungry taking of her mouth. Letting her go, he whispered, “I look forward to that day.”

Thursday, December 8th, 9:00 a.m., Chicago.

Earl stood among the shambles of Tessa’s condo. He didn’t know what to do for her. He’d never felt so helpless in his entire adult life.

“Sweetheart…” he began as he reached for her.

“Shh, we knew it was bad from the live feed. So I was prepared.” Tessa turned and placed her head on his chest. “They were just things. Things can be replaced.”

Her calm acceptance of what the fucknut had done made him even angrier. “Screw that. They were more than just things.”

He tipped up her chin and looked into her sad, sad eyes. Not as unaffected as she wanted him and the others picking through the mess to think. “This was your haven. The place you were supposed to feel safe. The place where you created all those wonderful books.”

“Yes, it was…” she kissed his chin, “…but now I have you. You’re my haven. You make me feel safe, loved.”

She looked around, and a bittersweet smile touched her lips. “This was my past. My old life began in Chicago, and it ends here.” She relaxed more fully into his body and rubbed her cheek on his chest. “My new life is with you—in Osprey’s Point. I can live—write—anywhere, Earl, as long as you’re there also. I’ve learned since Monday, I really need you close by.”

“And that’s where I’ll be.” Earl kissed her, taking her mouth with hunger. He’d never get tired of kissing or loving this woman. “I’ve found I need you just as close. We’ll have a wonderful life in Osprey’s Point, I promise.”

“I know we will. From the moment I met you, I knew, deep inside, I’d waited my whole life to find you … the one man who would love and care for me. The one man I could trust with all that is in me.” She shifted to stand at his side, her arm around his waist. She kicked a piece of broken pottery. “Let’s get out of here. We can’t stay here.” Her voice echoed in the destroyed room.