Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun (Finlay Donovan, #3)(72)

Nick tucked a finger under my chin, pulling my reluctant gaze to his, holding my head up. “You are desirable and sexy and smart. But you’re also resourceful, resilient, and courageous as hell, and any partner who doesn’t see all of you isn’t seeing the most amazing parts.” His full lips were close, dusted in dark stubble, and my heartbeat quickened as I remembered how it had felt to kiss them. He eased back and let me go, but it did nothing to quell the sudden tension between us. His mouth thinned as a fist pounded against the door.

“Nick!” Joey’s voice boomed outside. “You in there?”

Nick called out, “Not a good time, Joe!”

“Get your ass out here. We need to talk.”

Nick dropped his head as the doorknob rattled. “I swear to god, I’ll kill him and they’ll never find the body,” he muttered. He limped to the door and threw it open. Students hovered in the hall, whispering behind cupped hands as a handful of officers looked on in amusement. Nick pulled the door closed behind him, leaving it cracked. I spotted Vero in the crowd. Our eyes caught through the narrow opening.

I peeked out as Nick grabbed Joey by the collar. “The next words that come out of your mouth had better be the most important ones you’ve ever spoken.”

Joey answered with the only two that mattered. “Zhirov escaped.”





CHAPTER 27


I braced myself against the doorframe of the maintenance closet, mirroring Nick’s shock as a hush fell through the hall.

Nick blinked at his partner. “What did you just say?”

Joey lowered his voice. “They think Zhirov escaped early this morning. Correctional officers said they saw him in his cell before lights out last night. This morning, he refused to get out of bed, claiming he had a headache. The officer on duty said he never got a good look at whoever was in the bunk, but when they opened his cell this afternoon, the guy wearing Zhirov’s jumpsuit didn’t match any of the inmates on record. They’re still trying to ID him, but they suspect he’s a Russian national.”

I felt the blood drain from my face.

Nick released Joey’s collar. “Has anyone talked to his attorney?”

“Kat’s slinging the usual crap. Claims she had no idea. She’s spinning it around, citing negligence on the department’s part, crying to anyone who’ll listen that her client had been receiving threatening letters and was probably abducted while he was in custody. She’s demanding an investigation.”

Nick raked a hand through his hair as he paced. “She’s full of shit. She and Zhirov are working this whole blackmail angle to their advantage. It’s all smoke and mirrors. Kat probably orchestrated the whole damn thing.”

“Careful,” Joey said, darting glances at the other cops lingering in the hall. “She’ll sue you for slander and take you for every cent you have.”

“Thanks for the advice.”

“Want some more? Button up your shirt and fix your goddamn tie. The commander called. He’ll be here in an hour.”

Nick shot Joey a look as he fastened his button. “What’s he coming here for?” he asked, cinching his tie around his throat.

“He probably wanted to be the one to break the news to you. He knows how hard you’ve worked on this case.”

“Zhirov could be anywhere by now. There’s no way we’ll get him back in custody before his trial date.”

“Everyone’s looking for him,” Joey assured him, “including the feds. If he’s still on US soil, they’ll find him. Here,” he said, passing Nick a folded piece of paper. “This ought to make you feel better.”

“What is it?” Nick asked. I angled closer to the gap in the door, struggling to hear them as they lowered their voices.

“Sam’s been monitoring all the network traffic, looking for outgoing emails to that same address the crime scene photo was sent to last night. She found this one today.”

Nick’s eyes brightened as he read it. “There must be fifty businesses listed here.”

“Shell companies. All local.”

My fingers tightened around the doorframe. Shell companies. Like the one that owned the Aston Martin. The one Feliks set up in my name. Was FD Consulting on that list?

“What’s this number?” Nick asked.

“Sam thinks it’s an offshore bank account number. Looks like someone’s getting impatient. The blackmailer threatened to mail the list to you if Zhirov doesn’t comply.”

“When was this sent?”

“Around midnight last night. Whatever Feliks saw on this list must have spooked him.”

Nick shook his head. “Feliks doesn’t get spooked. He gets angry. Our blackmailer will be lucky if he’s not dead by morning.”

Joey’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen. “I need to grab this call. I’ll ask Roddy and Georgia to help cover your next class. Take a few minutes and pull yourself together before the commander gets here.”

“Thanks, Joe. And hey,” Nick said as his partner turned to go, “I’m sorry I flew off the handle just now. I shouldn’t have.”

Joey’s eyes skated to mine through the crack in the door. “We’ve all done a few things we probably shouldn’t have.”