Knock Out (A Reynolds Security Novel) Read online

  “So?”

  “So what?”

  “Well you seem to be in a better mood today but lover boy sure doesn’t.”

  “Shhh, don’t call him that. Someone might hear you.”

  “Right like no one has noticed.”

  Chapter 21

  Jace was running on the treadmill when Lou stepped into the gym. She hadn't seen him through most of the afternoon. She knew he had been busy. He still had a business to run but she could tell he was avoiding her too. She stretched out but instead of working the bag she stepped onto the treadmill next to his and began to run. She had always enjoyed sharing her workout with him. It was nice to be able to share something they both enjoyed. She was so conflicted. She didn't want to let him go but she didn't want to hurt him either. And she was just not stable enough to be in a relationship. She didn't even know how to have a relationship.When he finished and stepped off the treadmill she watched him rub the towel over his head. Finally he turned his intense gaze on her. She stopped the machine.

  "When are you relieving Sam?" She looked up at the clock.

  "In about a half hour."

  "Okay I am after you I am going to pull the feed in my office if you want to watch it there, it will be more comfortable."

  "You took a shift?"

  "I'm on this team too aren't I?" he snapped.

  "I didn't mean..."

  "What that I should just go home quietly and leave you to handle it. Or maybe I should just let Colby take care of you. I am sure he'd be happy to take you home with him. Or maybe that was already your plan when you leave here tonight."

  "Jace..."

  "Don't Lou. I got it okay. You have made yourself clear. Crystal." He turned and walked out and she stared after him slightly stunned. Her temper flared as she thought about all he'd said. This wasn't her fault. She had told him she couldn't do a relationship. Repeatedly. She gathered her stuff and walked back to the war room. She wasn't going to go up to his office. He could sit there and stew by himself. She would just sit here by herself because Colby left hours ago. Colby... Realization lit up her mind. Jace was jealous of Colby. It was easy to remember how bad she felt when she had seen him with Savannah. Since Colby was gay she didn't think about him as a potential rival for Jace but if Jace didn't know he was gay then their friendship took on a whole different context.

  She tapped lightly on the door and heard a muffled ‘Yeah’ from the other side.

  “I brought pizza.” She said softly. He looked up and watched her as she approached. “I even had them put olives on your half.” She saw his lips quirk slightly. “I don’t have any plates so table manners are just going to have to go out the window.” She set the pizza on the table by the sofa and approached him. He didn’t move away when she drew close so she took that as encouragement. She looked up in his eyes.

  “I am really bad at relationships. Terrible in fact. But I am really good at monogamy.” His brows dropped slightly. “I don’t know what we’re doing here but I can promise that as long as we’re doing… it.” She could feel her cheeks heating. “I won’t be with anyone else.” One side of his mouth tilted up in a slow smile.

  “You’re pretty cute when you blush.” He said. She hit him playfully on the arm and he laughed.

  “Com’ere.” She pulled on the front of his shirt and he bent towards her. She pressed her lips to his. He met her with the same hot passion he always did and a small part of her danced in celebration. “Jace,” She whispered when their lips separated. “Colby is gay.”

  “Huh?” He said pulling back slightly.

  “I didn’t think about how it must look to you. He is just a friend. If he were going to make a move on either one of us it would probably be you. But he knows there is something between us. He respects that.” Lou smiled at Jace’s odd expression.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “I don’t know I just didn’t think… I don’t think I possess a gaydar.”

  “Really this close to San Francisco you can’t possibly be homophobic.”

  “No. It’s not a phobia.” He protested. “Not like I am afraid of gay people.” He laughed. “More like uncomfortable. I mean I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings.”

  “Jace, he knows you’re straight. Everyone knows you’re straight.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Well some guys put out a gay vibe, you put out a straight vibe.”

  “A vibe?”

  “Yeah, I mean I bet women just flock to you. You don’t even have to try right?”

  “Well all except the one I want.” He grumbled and she grinned.

  “Come on I am starving.” She pulled him over to the sofa in front of his monitors. Several had been changed over to the cameras in and around her apartment. “Man I hope nothing happened while we weren’t watching.” She laughed.

  They ate the pizza and talked while they watched the monitors. Long after the garbage had been cleared away Jace yawned and stretched.

  “This is the most boring movie ever.”

  “Why don’t you lay down and take a nap? I’ll wake you in a couple hours.”

  “I don’t know if I should trust you. You do naughty things to me when I am sleeping.”

  “You didn’t like it?”

  “You kidding? It was hot as hell. I just want to be awake to enjoy it.” He laughed and she rolled her eyes. He laid down on the sofa and put his head in her lap. She gently threaded her fingers through his hair and soon he was asleep. She watched the monitors but it was more interesting to watch him sleep. He looked so good it made her teeth ache. She still couldn’t quite fathom what he saw in her but clearly he felt something for her. He was right when he said what they had was special. She just wished she had the courage to embrace it.

  “Jace… Jace.” Jace opened his eyes and tried to orient himself. He remembered he was in his office. He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

  “You ready for me to take over?” He mumbled.

  “No look look.” She gestured excitedly at the monitor. “Can you freeze this?” He grabbed the remote. He froze the image she had gestured to but kept the feed going on another monitor.

  “I know this guy.”

  “Who is it?”

  “Okay maybe ‘know’ isn’t the right word. I have seen him before. He was at the party. He was sitting at the bar acting strange. He’s been just hanging around outside the apartment for a while but look,” she pointed at the screen,” That is a woman he is arguing with. Maybe it is the woman from the surveillance footage.” They both watched. It looked as if the two were arguing about something then finally she turned and they both gasped.

  “I’ll call in the team.”

  Lou grabbed her cell phone and helped. Soon she, Jace, Colby and Sam were standing outside her apartment.

  “I say we just go. They are going to get away.”

  “The rest of the team isn’t here yet. Frank is still forty five minutes out.”

  “Lou is right, we can follow them but by now they know the jewels are gone. This might be our only chance. There are four of us and two of them. The odds are in our favor.” Jace relented and they crept slowly up the stairs. The door was closed and still locked. Lou produced the key and the four of them crept inside. Lou had been right about the couple arguing. They were still arguing.

  “I told you this was a stupid idea. You should have just brought the diamonds to me in the first place.”

  “You are supposed to be retrieving Marcus in exchange. Where is he?” The four of them lined up outside the bedroom door guns drawn. Elena gasped and put her hands up. The man put his hands up as well but he didn’t look worried.

  “Easy gentlemen, and lady. I am just going to get my ID.”

  “Slowly.” Jace barked. The man moved very slowly and withdrew an ID badge.

  “I am Agent James Rathdrum with the FBI.”

  “The FBI is breaking into people’s apartments and planting stolen property now?” Lou
asked angrily.

  “Where are the diamonds? You didn’t hand them over to him did you?” Elena demanded, her voice taking on a panicky tone.

  “They are safe.” Jace lowered his gun but he didn’t holster it. “Why don’t you tell us what this is all about?”

  “We don’t have time for that.” Elena cried. “A man’s life is at stake.”

  “Who?”

  “Marcus Latimer my… love.” Lou felt her own brows go up but none of them said anything. “He knows I took them. If I don’t get them back he is going to kill Marcus.” Elena’s breath hitched and tears began streaming down her cheeks.

  “Maybe you’d better start at the beginning.” Jace said and gestured everyone out to the living room. Lou grabbed a box of tissues and handed them to Elena.

  “Why is the FBI involved? Or I guess what I should be asking is why was the FBI involved before the diamonds were stolen?”

  “I can’t discuss an ongoing investigation.”

  “I understand.” Jace said blandly. “Of course you understand that I am going to have to make a citizen’s arrest and call the Edgepark PD to come and take you both in for breaking and entering. If you are who you say you are it won’t stick but it sure will make a good story in the morning paper.”

  “You can’t do that. It could destroy our case.”

  “And Marcus’s life.” Elena cried.

  “What case would that be?”

  Agent Rathdrum glared at him and sighed, “Castillo is trafficking in stolen diamonds. Conflict diamonds. He has been for… well always but he is careful. He’s never been caught. He has ties to a gun smuggling operation bringing guns in through Latin America. We have teamed up with ATF to catch him in the act. Get him to flip. The necklace, the rainbow one, is made from marked diamonds.”

  “How can you mark a diamond?” Sam asked.

  “With a laser. It’s a kind of bar coding system. He has always been really careful not to use marked diamonds but this time he messed up and we can prove they are stolen. But of course we need the necklace.” As he was speaking the remaining members of the team arrived.

  “So you stole it?”

  “We tried to steal it at the party. It should have been easy. He always finds some young woman to impress by allowing her to wear a piece. It should have been easy to relieve you of it at the party. When the police were called for the robbery the diamonds would be discovered.”

  “Sorry to have screwed up your plan.” Lou muttered.

  “You did at that. You also handed Marcus right to Castillo.”

  “Marcus is ATF.” Jace wasn’t really asking but Rathdrum nodded.

  “Marcus and Elena have been… involved. Castillo was simply waiting for the appropriate time to use that information.”

  “You knew he knew.” ‘

  “No. I didn’t even know.” Rathdrum glared at Elena. This seemed to be an obvious point of contention between them. “Anyway Castillo offered Elena Marcus’s freedom in exchange for the Heart of Africa. She gave him the stone but he didn’t hold up his end of the bargain." Lou looked at Elena again and realized she looked as if someone had roughed her up a bit. Her dark skin hid the bruises but they were there.

  “Elena managed to get into the hotel vault and stole both necklaces.”

  “How did you manage that?”

  “The Hotel manager thought I was supposed to be allowed in.” She sniffed.

  “Obviously Castillo couldn’t report the robbery so he apparently hired you to recover the necklace. Unfortunately, he knows Elena took them and has promised to kill Marcus if she doesn’t return them. We think we know where Marcus is but we need Castillo to be in possession of the stolen diamonds when we take him down.”

  “Please, you have to give them back.” Elena pleaded.

  “We don’t have them.” Jace said looking somewhat sympathetic.

  “Who does?”

  “The FBI.”

  Chapter 22

  “Mr. Castillo I am happy to report that we have located your necklace.”

  “That is wonderful news Mr. Carpenter.”

  “Yes, we also located your wife’s family heirloom. Did you realize it was missing?”

  “The Heart of Africa? No, I didn’t even know she had placed it in the vault. I haven’t told her of the theft. I didn’t want to upset her. She only wears it on special occasions. I bet she hasn’t missed it yet.”

  “Where did you find them?”

  “They were in the home of the young woman you allowed to wear the necklace at the party.”

  “You’re kidding.” He gasped.

  “I’m afraid not. From the looks of things she was quite obsessed with you and the necklace.”

  “That is quite shocking.”

  “Yes it was. I believe we have enough evidence that you could have her charged if you choose to. I know you were trying to avoid publicity.”

  “Yes, I will have to give that some consideration”

  “Anyway I would appreciate it if you would come to my office to positively identify them and pick them up. It makes me nervous to have something of such value, even in my safe.” Jace laughed.

  Lou didn’t relish her role in the sting considering she was the baby sitter. But she understood that it was her job to keep Elena from doing anything crazy. She turned to the woman beside her in the Range Rover.

  “Why did you put the jewels in my apartment?”

  Elena flushed and hung her head. “I am sorry. I saw you that night. I didn’t know what to do with the necklace. I was angry I didn’t know who I could trust. I left the hotel on foot. I saw you park and get out. I assumed you were meeting Viktor so I… well I thought it was fitting. He wouldn’t expect you to have them and if you were caught with them it would be… retribution of sorts.”

  “I thought you weren’t in love with him. That you loved someone else.”

  “I’m not and I do but he has made me miserable since I was fifteen.”

  “You were only fifteen when he married you?”

  “Yes at that point he was twice my age. He didn’t really want me, I was simply a prize. He never stopped taking lovers, not before or after we were married. At first he liked to flaunt it to me. I think he sought to punish me but by that point I no longer cared. He likes his lovers to be very young. Sometimes too young. I was disgusted by him. But I never took any other lovers. Honestly after Viktor I found the idea distasteful.” Elena looked out the window. “I have always known that Viktor’s repentance and renouncement of the blood diamond trade wasn’t real. He stole everything from my family. He never stopped financing the guerilla army his brothers had created. When I met Marcus I knew he wasn’t one of Viktor’s men. He still had a soul.” A tear rolled down Elena’s cheek, she continued to focus on a point outside the window. “I never loved until I met Marcus. I never knew what love was until Marcus. Rathdrum will tell you Marcus used me to get information or to further his cover but it wasn’t like that. He told me who he was. I helped him because I wanted to.” Elena brushed the tears off her cheeks. “Then Viktor took him away from me. Of course I had to get him back. I would do anything, give anything.”

  “I’m sorry.” Lou said softly. “I wish we had known. That we hadn’t messed up your plans.”

  “It’s not your fault.” Elena smiled a watery smile. “You did your job admirably.” She looked as if she was about to say more when Elena gasped and pointed.

  “That man works for Viktor. His name is Emile and he does all Viktor’s dirty work.” Lou looked at where Elena was pointing and saw a man walking up the sidewalk. They were parked a block up from the hotel so they could see when Viktor’s motorcade came and left. It had left fifteen minutes before. The FBI should be moving on the suspected location of Agent Latimer right now. Their job was to watch and report when Viktor returned. Something was wrong, she could feel it. She watched the man get into a sedan parked on the street. Lou started the Range Rover and pulled out behind him. She had never followed an
yone before but she had seen enough action movies to know the basics. She kept two cars between them. She didn’t immediately change lanes when he did. She did her best not to look suspicious.

  She tried to call Jace but of course he didn’t answer. By now Viktor would be in his office. She called Frank Sinclair who should be with Jace. He didn’t answer either. She systematically dialed every number in her list until she finally got someone to answer.

  “Brent we have a problem.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know.” He grumbled.

  “What happened?”

  “Rathdrum walked into an ambush, no Latimer and our contact at the hotel says the suites are cleaned out. As soon as our man has his jewels he’s gonna skip town and we may not find our missing ATF agent.”

  “I think I am on my way to the missing agent.”

  “What?”

  “I am tailing Viktor’s henchman. I am driving Jace’s Range Rover. Can you track it and get the FBI here?”

  “Hell yes, I am on it now. You rock babe!” Lou disconnected the call and used her phone to snap a picture of the sedan’s license plate. She didn’t know if it would help but it was better than nothing. She sent the pic to Brent and Jace.

  When the sedan turned onto the road leading to the small municipal airport, Lou pulled over into a mini-mart. He would see her for sure if she followed. There were no other cars on the road. She debated while she watched the car disappear. She called Brent.

  “How far out is the FBI.”

  “They are on the other side of town from you. Probably thirty minutes.”

  “Seriously can’t they step it up?”

  “Have you seen the agent?”

  “No.”

  “Then I can’t. They weren’t too worked up based on your hunch.”