THE DEFENDER (3 page)

“What’s with the son? That’s the second time you’ve brought him up.”

Because I’m terrified for him.
Penny sighed. Blame it on the madman who’d opened fire on the courthouse today, but the plan she’d mapped out for this conversation had evaporated, simply imploded under the terror that came with watching those around her, including her father, drop to the ground. Standing on those steps, for a few brief seconds she’d thought her father was dead, shot down in front of her eyes. The panic from earlier whipped inside her, curling her stomach into tight knots, each one of them squeezing, squeezing, squeezing.

She glanced back at Russ, hands on his lean hips, all chiseled face and alpha among alphas, and her stomach let up. She’d guessed his height to be around five-ten, but he carried enough power and presence to fill a giant. With Russ came a sense of strength. Control. She didn’t doubt he could be a hothead, but he also understood how to maneuver a conversation.

She let out a breath. “I have to be able to trust you.”

“Be straight with me and you can trust me. I’ve been working this case for over a year. Don’t waste my time. Don’t waste the bureau’s time. If my guess is right, Colin Heath is running this scam in multiple states. We’ve got agents all over the country chasing leads on this guy.”

Penny held her hand to the chair, but he stared down at her, eyes a little squinty. “Please sit. I’ll tell you everything I know.”

He sat.
Woo-hoo!
At least she’d kept him from leaving. Back to work here. “As you know, Elizabeth Brooks is a licensed stockbroker.”

“Correct.”

“After the husband’s murder, Colin Heath realized there was money unaccounted for.”

“You’re telling me Sam Brooks was ripping off Heath?”

She nodded.

“Of course he was. What do these animals expect? They rip off innocent people and then expect their partners not to make off with the profits?”

Penny waited a moment. Russ remained silent. Her turn to speak again. “Right. So, Colin went to Elizabeth soon after Sam’s death and told her the money was missing. Obviously, he wanted it, but she didn’t know anything about it.”

“Come on, Penny.”

Seemed the FBI agent trusted no one. Probably a good trait in an investigator. “It’s the truth. She loved her husband. Maybe she suspected a few of his stock deals were off, but when she questioned him, he schmoozed his way around it. She made the mistake of trusting her husband. Women can’t be convicted for that.”

That got her the hard look he’d leveled on her five months ago from the witness stand. “They can when they’re involved in criminal activity.”

Penny rolled her eyes. “Heath is as cynical as you are and thought she was lying about not knowing where the money was. He told her she’d have to work off her husband’s debt by doing trades for him. She refused and he sent her a photo of her son with an X over his head.”

“He threatened her son.”

Russ let out a long breath and his shoulders dipped forward. The man had a soft spot for kids. Good to know. Suddenly, she wondered if he had children. None of her previous research had indicated such. From what she knew, he was in his early thirties and had never been married. Didn’t mean he hadn’t had a relationship that resulted in a baby. She could have overlooked certain aspects of his personal life.

“Unless she agreed to do the trades,” Penny said, “the photo implied her boy would be in danger. So she did it. What devoted mother wouldn’t break the law to protect her child? Let’s not forget she’s a grieving widow. Until last week, she’d been unable to go through Sam’s things. When she finally worked up the nerve, she found multiple safe-deposit-box keys hidden in the attic. Those safe-deposit boxes contained five million dollars in cash.”

Russ’s eyebrows flew up. “Not bad.”

“Assuming it was the stolen money, she cleaned out the boxes and took the money to Heath. She figured the debt would be paid and that would be the end of it.”

“How naive is this woman?”

Penny shrugged. “More desperate than naive. Heath took the money, but told her she’d have to continue making trades or else... Fearing she’d be prosecuted if she went to the FBI, she came to me.”

“And here we are.”

“Yes. She wants out. She can give you account numbers, how the scheme works, everything. She just wants a new life somewhere safe.”

Penny sat back and waited. She’d done her job and presented her offer. Now the FBI would have to decide how to handle it.

Again, Russ drummed his fingers, his gaze on her, unyielding, analyzing. Trying to figure her angle. No angle. Just an attorney trying to give her client peace of mind.

Penny leaned forward, touched the arm of his chair. “She’s a mom, Russell. Her husband is dead and she’s trying to make a life for her son. She knows she broke the law. She wants to make it right. Can you help her?”

Russ glanced down at her hand on the armrest, then brought his gaze back to her face. She wouldn’t attempt a guess at his thoughts. Cynics tended to surprise her, so she’d long ago given up trying to figure them out.

“Let me talk to my supervisor,” he said. “Elizabeth is willing to give us everything? No screwing around?”

First step complete.
Go, Penny.
“No screwing around. I promise.”

Someone rapped on her door and she glanced up to see her brother Zac and his girlfriend standing in the doorway.
They’re back.
“Hey, guys. Is Dad okay?”

“He’s fine. I figured we’d check on you and take you home.”

Zac slid a questioning gaze to Russ, then came back to her. Right. Introductions. “Special Agent Voight, this is my brother Zachary and his girlfriend, Emma. Zac and Emma, meet Russell Voight from the FBI”

Emma made an
oh
face. “Are we interrupting?”

As usual, the sight of Emma, her dark hair pulled back in a way that resembled a cute third-grade teacher, settled Penny’s rattled nerves. Which was saying something, because not many people in Penny’s world had that kind of influence. Funny in an easy, disarming way, she carried a reserved calm about her. Emma, being the complete opposite in all matters concerning looks, fashion, outspokenness and Penny’s general affection for chaos, was special.

And considering she’d started out as Penny’s client when she’d thrown herself into proving her wrongfully convicted brother’s innocence, Penny liked to brag that she’d found Emma before Zac. Depending on the day, Penny either took credit for bringing them together or accused her brother of being a pig for seducing her then client and now close friend.

“I think we’re about done here,” Russ said, turning toward Zac and Emma.

Zac adjusted his posture, squeaking out a few more millimeters of height while he took stock of the other male in the room. Fascinated, Penny shifted her gaze to Russ’s back and the excellent fit of his jacket. At first glance, the differences between Russ Voight and Zac Hennings weren’t hard to miss. Where Zac was tall and broad-shouldered with blond hair, Russ Voight’s short dark hair stood out. His height clocked in over a few inches shorter than Zac’s and maybe his body was more compact, but the set of his shoulders, that thrown-back I’m-in-charge stance, not to mention his predatory grace, indicated all male, all the time. Something churned low in Penny’s belly. Maybe it was lower. Lower than her belly, higher than her thighs. Pure sexual attraction.

Russ shook Zac’s hand. “You’re the Cook County ASA. Criminal Prosecutions Bureau, right?”

Knows Zac.
Interesting. Not nearly as interesting as watching these two size each other up the way idiot males often did in their attempt to establish who’d be the lead gorilla in the room.

“Yeah.” Zac said.

“Uh-oh, Zachary. The FBI knows who you are. Maybe they’re watching you.”

Zac shrugged. “Let ’em watch.”

Russ glanced back at her. “You’re half-right.”

“Excuse me?” she said.

“It’s part of the shooting investigation. We’re looking at motive as to why someone decided to open fire on innocent civilians. Your brother’s job—as well as yours—makes him a possibility.”

Emma straightened from leaning on the doorframe and stepped fully into the room. “Come again?”

Without moving from his spot, Zac nodded. “People threaten ASAs all the time.”

“Correct,” Russ said. “We’re looking at everything. Including the case your father is currently working.”

“Hang on,” Penny said. “You think the shooter was aiming at my
father?
”

“Didn’t say that.”

“Russell!”

He shifted back, tilted his head and gave her a flat-mouthed look. “Can I answer the question before you start hollering?”

Sufficiently chastised, Penny sat back. “Sorry.”

Zac folded his arms and grinned. “This, I’m enjoying.”

“No kidding,” Emma said.

But Penny had had enough of them. “Knock it off, you two. Go ahead, Russell.”

Russ swung his gaze to Zac and Emma, then came back to Penny. “
Anyway,
we’re looking at every angle. Everything is a possibility.”

“You’ll keep us updated?”

“Of course. Until we figure this out, though, don’t go having press conferences on the courthouse steps. Lay low and stay safe. Got it?”

And—hello, sexy eyes—the power in that dark-chocolate stare set her body to churning again. Normally, she’d say something snarky about being bossed around, but Russ didn’t look in the mood to play. She didn’t know him well enough to know what he was in the mood for, but if the shadows under his eyes were any indication, sleep might be at the top of his list.

“I’ve got it,” Penny said. “I’ll be careful.”

“Thank you. We’re all set here, then?”

She nodded. “You’ll get back to me about that other matter?”

“As soon as I have something, I’ll call you.”

“Thanks. And thanks for today, too.”

Their eyes connected for a few short seconds, that focused and unmistakable recognition of sexual attraction. If Penny would let it happen, Russell Voight could completely unglue her. Which wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, because heaven knew it took a lot for a man to work her up. Part of being an aggressive woman meant finding a man willing to do battle when necessary. And even when not necessary. Call her crazy, but Penny hungered for the pull of a heated argument. Most of the men she’d come across didn’t understand her need for debate or came off as arrogant and unbending.

Thus, the shrinking pool of male candidates strong enough to survive her continued to be a challenge. One thing about Penny Hennings, good or bad, she knew how to bring a man down.

Russ smiled at her, just a small quirk of his lips that let her know he knew her mind had gone somewhere other than Elizabeth Brooks.
Dirty dog.

“You are very welcome,” he said. “I’ll call you.”

Penny cleared her throat. Gah.
Quit acting love struck.

“I’ll walk you out,” Zac said.

The minute the men left the room, Emma swooped in. “Wow.”

Play dumb.
Penny motioned Emma to the chair Russ had just vacated and the two of them sat. “Wow, what?”

This earned her a rather obnoxious snort from her dear friend. “Come on. You think I didn’t notice you looking at him like he was a giant pile of white gummy bears?”

Penny scrunched her face. “Hey, now, don’t say that.”

“Why?”

On the list of Penny’s all-time favorite candies, white gummy bears claimed the top spot. She didn’t just love them; she craved them with a ferocious yearning that kept her up at night, dreaming of the quick shot of sweetness hitting her system. No matter how many times she’d sworn them off, they always lured her back, teased her into submitting. When it came to white gummy bears, she was no better than the crack addicts swarming the South Side of Chicago.

“Because they make me feel weak. I don’t want a man making me feel that way.”

Emma tilted her head and puckered.

“Please,” Penny said. “Now you’re psychoanalyzing me? Listen, Freud, it’s nothing deep. I’m just saying I don’t want to feel needy when it comes to men.”

“Yeah, but you said you don’t want to be weak. You’ve never been weak a day in your life.”

“Exactly my point.”

Emma scoffed. “Maybe that’s your problem.”

Problem? She didn’t have any problems. “And what’s
that
supposed to mean?”

“It means I always knew you were a little nuts, but until now, I didn’t realize how deep your level of nuttiness ran.”

Only Emma could get away with saying that. And worse, rather than being insulted, Penny laughed. What had she ever done without Emma? Truly, it would have been a travesty if this woman hadn’t come into her life.

“You’re lucky I love you, Emma Sinclair.”

“I love you, too, which is why I will risk bodily injury and say this to you. Relationships are about partners. One is vulnerable when the other is strong. Then it switches back. It’s about balance. You think your brother doesn’t feel vulnerable sometimes? That guy worries about his job like no other. Makes me crazy, but I also love that about him. And trust me, he’s far from weak.”

Why were they even discussing this? “I see your point. It doesn’t matter, though. Russ Voight is off-limits. He’s working a case involving a client. And, unlike my pig of a brother, who got involved with you while working your case, I’m not doing it. Uh-uh.”

Emma laughed. “You know he’s not a pig. You just say that to get him riled.”

Penny did a fast clap. “I know. It’s such fun.”

Zac swung into the room. “What’s fun?”

“Nothing,” they both said.

He eyeballed them. “You’re talking about me again?”

“We are,” Penny said.

For what might be the thousandth time since Zac began seeing Emma, he threw his arms up. He didn’t like his girlfriend talking to his sister about him.
Too bad, big brother.
“Relax. Is Russ gone?”

“Yeah. He seems like a good guy. Some of those feds are cocky SOBs.”

“He’s good. I destroyed him on the stand a few months back and he still talks to me. Heck, he saved my life today. Some of the guys I’ve gone against probably keep a bullet with my name on it.”