Big Easy Temptation (The Perfect Gentlemen #3)(45)
Anger flared inside her. This asshole wanted to corrupt justice. He wanted Dax kept in the dark . . . or dead. She had to get out of here without getting shot. The minute she could get away from these assholes, she would arrange to view the parking lot’s security tapes and ID these men. “I’ll take it under advisement.”
“See that you do.” He nodded to his henchmen and backed toward a black SUV. “And, Special Agent, I believe you’ll find the cameras have mysteriously malfunctioned. It’s a shame that technology doesn’t always work.”
She gritted her teeth, fearing the power he must have. “I can still figure out who you are.”
“Then I’ll have some sort of ‘accident’ and they’ll replace me. I know how these things work. My boss will simply hire someone else and the business will continue.” He paused, regarding her with a shrewd stare. “You’re not convinced, so I’ll prove my point. If you don’t shut down the investigation, we’ll start small. Maybe simply scare the captain. After that he will receive the photos of his father. If that doesn’t convince him he’s on a witch hunt and the investigation still doesn’t cease . . . then we’ll start eliminating the problems. You’ll be last so that you can watch them all fall. How will you live with that, I wonder? Will that ‘justice’ you’re seeking have been worth the price? Think about it. Good evening, Special Agent Kirk.”
He slipped into his vehicle and was gone. She memorized the plate number but wondered if it would mean anything. After a quick call to the prison, she learned the cameras had indeed been shut down briefly for a software issue.
So whoever this man represented was powerful enough to have someone on the inside.
Shock rolled over Holland as she climbed into her car and sped away, trembling fingers gripping the wheel. She had no idea what to do now, what to say to Dax. But maybe she knew one person she could trust who would give her straight talk.
Flipping a U-turn, she headed to her uncle’s office.
*
Dax glanced at the clock. Almost lunchtime. He hated the fact that Holland was investigating the case alone while he was stuck in the office talking about procedure and processes.
“I think this wording really works,” Courtney said, peering at her computer screen.
“Good.”
She looked at him, a frown on her pretty face. “You’re really distracted. Is there anything I can help you with, Dax? Your brain has been somewhere else all morning.”
Courtney was an attractive girl with a waterfall of dark hair and hazel eyes. If he didn’t have Holland, he might have been interested. She was sweet and funny, but she didn’t have Holland’s grit or acerbic wit.
His brain had been on Holland. All day. All week. Ever since the day he’d come back into town, he’d been able to think of little but her. “Sorry. I’ll be better this afternoon.”
After he knew Holland was out of that prison and back at her office. Though her job was always dangerous. Somehow it was easier not knowing exactly where she was. He could pretend she was comfy and cozy in her office and not tracking down some crazed bitch who’d likely sold her daughter for cash.
Courtney’s eyes narrowed. “So everything is going well? I know the answer to that question since I haven’t heard from Holland. We usually have lunch a couple of times a week but I’ve barely heard from her.”
Because he’d consumed her every spare moment. His lunches were all scheduled here. If she could, she met him. Twice she’d been called away on assignment, but he understood that. “Sorry. We’re a new couple. I’m sure we’ll hate each other soon.”
Not if he had his way. They would be one of those couples that couldn’t get enough of each other, the sort who annoyed everyone around them because they were so deeply entwined.
“I don’t know about that.” Courtney looked back at her computer with a sigh. “I think I’ve pretty much lost my best friend.”
Damn. He hadn’t meant to come between Holland and her friends, especially one with whom she was so close. Dax knew well how important it was to have people he trusted. After Joy’s death, Holland needed friends more than ever. Courtney seemed a little frivolous for Holland. The girl was smart, no doubt. And funny. But she spent an awful lot of time talking about her nails. Still, maybe Holland had needed someone lighter in the wake of her grief.
“She’s not ignoring you. I’m just a possessive bastard and I’ve stolen all her time for myself.” He tried to give her a reassuring smile. “She’s talked about you, but I don’t know how the two of you met.”
Courtney smiled with the memory. “She was working a case involving some serious procedural problems during a training exercise. I’m kind of the expert, so she talked to me to make sure she fully understood what was expected. I deal with NCIS on a regular basis. About half of them are non-military based, so I’m a fairly good translator.”
The military had its own language and sometimes civvies got a little lost. Sailors tended to speak in an odd mixture of acronyms and slang only other sailors understood. He could definitely see where someone like Courtney could be an asset. She’d grown up in the military but had her schooling in the civilian world. “You two hit it off?”
“We’re both civilian females in a military world. No offense, but this is still a man’s turf.”