The Justice Agency

A murderer?

Ethan’s heart slammed against his chest. He couldn’t look at Jennie. She must be terrified. Still, he wouldn’t lie and tell her discovering Munoz’s history was no big deal.

It was a big deal.

Her attacker was wanted in gangland slayings and the important thing to focus on right now was finding out what a vicious killer like Munoz wanted with Jennie.

THREE

Jennie could barely breathe. It seemed as if all the air had been sucked out of the truck.

“I’ll get Kat to start tracking down Munoz, but we need to figure out his connection to you,” Ethan said. His tone was soft, but did nothing to ease her distress. “I know this is shocking news, Jen, but we need to focus here.”

She pulled in a deep breath. Let it go. In, out. In, out. One after another.

“This is crazy,” she wheezed. “Just crazy.”

“You’re right, but dwelling on it won’t help us move forward.” He paused as if waiting for her to get it together.

She lowered the window to let air fresh from an afternoon shower cool her burning face. Tipping her head toward the opening, she peered at familiar sights as the tires spun over wet pavement toward her home.

She sighed and waited for normal breathing to resume.

“Okay to talk about this now?” Ethan asked.

She nodded.

“So what do you and a Mexican drug cartel or a local gang have in common?”

What, indeed. “The only thing I can think of is that most of the pictures for the show were taken in Mexico.”

“What part of Mexico?”

“Just over the South Texas border in Nuevo Progreso.”

“Cole said the cartel’s home base is in Matamoros. Is that close to Nuevo Progreso?”

“Less than an hour away.”

“Then this could be our connection.”

“You think I caught a cartel member in a picture?” Her voice was starting to rise again.

“I can’t think of any other motive the cartel or this gang might have. I highly doubt they have a grudge against the gallery. And I’m assuming your charity hasn’t done anything to anger either of them.”

“Of course not. At least, not that I know of.”

“So catching them doing something illegal in a picture is a more logical explanation, which means we really need to get those negatives scanned.” He glanced at her, and she could see the concern in his eyes, the warmth lingering in the depths.

She may have hurt this man, but she wasn’t alone here. He was with her. No matter what they learned next or what happened. He’d stand by her side or in the line of fire until this was resolved.

“Thank you, Ethan,” she said. “For being here and not treating me the way I deserve.”

He cast a tender glance her way, warming the chill still claiming her body.

She rushed on without thinking it through. “I’m so sorry for hurting you. I didn’t want to end things that way, but I…” She couldn’t explain so she looked away. There was a pause, then Ethan spoke.

“I told myself this wasn’t the right time, but with the way this case is heating up, we need to talk about our past and clear the air before our history gets in the way.”

She froze at the tension in his voice.

“I mean,” he went on, “we can’t just ignore it.”

Yes, they could. At least, she had for years whenever thoughts of him had come up.

“Can’t we just leave it in the past where it belongs?” She shifted and peered at him. “I’m sorry I even brought it up. It was a long time ago. We’re both adults and we can—”

“Can what?” he jumped in. “Spend time together and not remember how much we meant to each other?” He gave her an appraising look. “At least, you meant a lot to me.”

“Ethan,” she said and let her voice fall off before she shared something she’d later regret.

If she shared, he’d look at her with the same loathing she’d seen in her last boyfriend’s eyes when she’d told him about her past. Or feel the same judgment people in her church had meted out.

They’d claimed the church was a safe place. A place to cast all of her burdens. When she’d believed them and told them about her pregnancy, they’d judged her and treated her like an outcast—or rather, more of an outcast. Her family situation had ensured that she felt out of place even before she shared her secret. She knew her place now and it wasn’t with a decent man like Ethan, so why put herself through all of the pain of rehashing the past?

“I’m sorry, Ethan. I just can’t talk about it.” She clenched her hands and waited for him to yell at her. To get angry. To do anything other than look at her with such intense pain.

He turned his attention back to the road but she couldn’t help thinking about his eyes. Those amazing deep brown, almost black eyes.

She’d never seen eyes like his before. Never forgot them. The way they cut through everything. Warming her heart with one look.

She looked away, but could still feel his larger-than-life presence.

He’d always made her feel special. The first man—the only man—ever to make her feel cherished. And here he was. Beside her. The same unwavering set to his prominent jaw, his profile all hard and angular. With this new determination and focus as if nothing could best him anymore.

That was so powerful. And attractive. So attractive.

Jennie, Jennie, Jennie. You have got to get a grip.

Thinking about him like this was nuts. Just plain nuts. Sure, he’d let go of his professional detachment and gotten personal for a moment. But only because he wanted an answer. Closure, maybe. Nothing had changed. She’d hurt him too badly for him to care about her again.

He pointed out the window. “The one with black shutters yours?” His tone was flat and all business again. The way she wanted it. So why did she suddenly feel sad and alone?

“How did you know my address?” She stared at him.

“I did my homework after Madeline called me.” He pulled into the driveway and killed the engine.

Good. She needed to put some space between them. She reached for the door handle.

“Not so fast, Jen. I need to check things out first.” His pain vanished and a deadly intensity darkened his eyes to a midnight black, reminding her of where she should focus her mind.

She had no time to linger on thoughts of their past or how he still made her heart beat faster. No time. Not when a killer remained at large and could return any moment to finish what he had started.

* * *

Ethan watched a variety of emotions flitter across Jennie’s face. She was thinking about Munoz, as was he. But despite the threat, he wanted to move back to their discussion of their past. Have a do-over. This time he’d use more patience and understanding. Not be all blunt and harsh.

He needed to talk about what had happened between them. To get it out in the open so he could let it go, focus on the job and figure out how to keep her safe. But her mind was somewhere else, her eyes staring blankly at his chest.

“Jen,” he said, trying to sound detached. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing. Really. Just seeing you like this…brings back things I haven’t thought about in a long time.” There was a tense edge to her voice.

“And from the tone of your voice, I’d say things you don’t want to remember.”

“It’s not that. It’s just…” She shook her head as if unwilling to talk about it any more. “Never mind.” She grabbed her bag and lifted the handle.

He shot out a hand. “Remember, I go first, Jen. No matter where we are, I always go first.”

“Sorry.”

He ran around the truck, sweeping the area, keeping his focus on her safety. He escorted her up a damp sidewalk leading to a modest bungalow painted in dark beige. The air smelled fresh. He didn’t see any signs of a disturbance…yet.

“My keys,” she muttered near the stoop and stopped to dig in her camera bag.

He climbed the steps and found the door cracked open.

“Did you leave this open?” he asked.

“What?” She looked up, her eyes creasing with concern. “No. I mean, I don’t think so.”

He held out his keys and drew his gun with the other hand. “Go back to the truck while I check this out.”

“I probably just forgot to lock it and the wind blew it open.”

“What wind, Jen?” He jingled the keys. “I need you to go back to the truck.”

She didn’t move.

If he was going to get her cooperation now and in the future, he needed to remember she often balked at others telling her what to do. He’d need to dial things back a notch. “Please go to the truck, Jen.”

This request seemed to bother her more, but she took the keys and turned to leave.

“Call 9-1-1. Make sure you tell them I was with the bureau and what I’m wearing so some trigger-happy cop doesn’t take me out. And lock the doors.”

He waited until he heard the lock click then raised his gun and shoved open the door with his shoe, noticing the pry marks on the wooden jamb on the way in.

A forced entry. Just as he’d thought.

He glanced in and out. Caught sight of a family room thoroughly tossed by someone looking for something. Blowing out a breath, he stepped in, picking his way through her personal belongings scattered on the floor and heading toward a doorway. He flattened his back against the wall. Counted to three. Glanced in. A hallway. All clear.

He eased forward, quietly pressing open the first door. Empty and tossed. Obviously Jennie’s room, tasteful and understated. Fit her personality perfectly. A quick check of the master bathroom, and back into the hall.

Moving cautiously, he slipped into the main bathroom and slid open the shower curtain. No one. On to the next room. Same story. Set up as a guest bedroom before this creep ripped everything into shreds. Last door, an office, surprisingly neat. Just a few binders tossed on the floor.

On to the trendy kitchen. Interesting. Not touched by the intruder. The garage next. Neat and tidy. He went out the back door. Swept the yard. No one.

Their intruder was gone. Long gone. He lowered his weapon and holstered it as he returned to the living room.

The sofa and cushions lay in tatters, slashed open, the stuffing strewn across the floor. Someone had emptied shelves and tossed every item in the room to the floor like trash. This wasn’t some random burglary, but a professional search meant to leave nothing unturned.

Looked as if he entered through the front door, ripped this room apart, then worked his way down the hall just as Ethan had. Stopping his search after the office likely meant he’d found what he’d been looking for in there.

He retraced his steps to the end of the hall and took a closer look. The desk remained intact, bookshelves lined with binders all neatly labeled on the spines stood untouched. He grabbed a binder with this year’s date and the word Chicago on the outside. Inside, he found three-ring protector sheets filled with negatives.

So this was how she stored negatives.

Empty slots on the shelf could mean the intruder was after negatives. Probably the negatives Jennie had come home to retrieve. Added credence to his theory. This guy didn’t want Jennie’s photos displayed in public, and these incidents were all about the pictures. But why? That was the question needing answers right now.

Sirens spiraled through the air and Ethan went to meet the police. Jennie, still in the truck as instructed, craned her neck to see him. He wasn’t pushing his luck that she’d sit idly by and wait for him to cross the yard, so he picked up speed. She didn’t disappoint but whipped opened the door and stood on the running board, peering over the top.

“Is everything okay?” she called out, her voice holding a good measure of concern.

He jogged to the truck before she jumped down and tried to make her way to the house. “There’s no one inside now, but someone’s been here.”

“How can you tell?”

“I’m sorry, Jen, but your place has been thoroughly trashed.”

“What do you mean, ‘trashed’?” She jumped down as if intending to rush inside.

“Hold up.” He blocked her way. “We need to wait for the police to check it out before you go in.” Technically not true, but he wanted her to get used to the idea of someone vandalizing her house before actually seeing the mess.

She placed her palms flat against his chest and pressed. “It’s my house. I need to see what they did.”

Her touch felt hot. He stepped back. If he was going to keep her safe, he had to get a grip and not react to a simple touch.

“Ethan? Is there something else you’re not telling me?”

Yeah, you broke my heart and it’s never recovered.

He shook his head. “They’ll want to collect evidence, and we don’t want to contaminate things.”

“But you went in.”

“Because I wanted to make sure we weren’t at risk from a panicked intruder. Now that I know you’re not in any immediate danger, we should sit tight.”

“Should or have to?”

He groaned in frustration. “Is this how we’re gonna play things, Jen? I suggest something and you balk at it every time?”

“I just want to see what they did to my house. That’s all.”

“I’m not trying to boss you around for the fun of it. All of my directives are meant to keep you safe.” And to minimize her pain—not that he’d mention that part.

“I appreciate your help, Ethan. Really I do. And I’ll try not to argue. I’ve just been in charge of my own life for so long, I guess I don’t take direction well.” She stared up at him with wounded eyes he remembered so well.

He fisted his hands to keep from reaching for her. She’d made it clear she wouldn’t welcome his touch.

A police car flew down the street, drawing her attention as it screeched to a stop.

“We’ll wait here until the officers give us the all clear,” he said.

“Can you at least tell me if you have any idea why someone trashed my place?”

“Looks like they took the negatives for the show.” He waited for her to gasp or get upset about the loss.

Instead, her expression turned thoughtful, and she glanced at her watch. “It’s too late today, but first thing in the morning we’ll have to go to the bank and retrieve my other set of negatives.”

“What?” His voice shot up in surprise.

“I always make a duplicate copy of the negatives for my shows. I store them in a safe-deposit box in case of fire.” She smiled again. “Good thing I’m so paranoid or I wouldn’t be able to reprint the pictures.”

This was a good thing? Not in his mind.

If his theory continued to hold water, these thugs would keep coming after her until they were certain she couldn’t reproduce the photos again. And maybe they wouldn’t stop even then.

FOUR

No matter Jennie’s desire to see her house, Ethan shouldn’t have let her in. Her private sanctuary had been violated. Rudely violated. Now she stood in the middle of her living room, fear stark and vivid in her eyes again.

He wanted to slip an arm around her shoulders and escort her from the trashed house to a safe location. Had tried it actually, but she wouldn’t budge. She’d hung with the forensics team as they meticulously collected every fiber of evidence. They, too, encouraged her to get out of there.

Did she go? No. She wouldn’t hear of leaving them to their job and not questioning every little step they took. He knew there was an element of shock in her behavior, an attempt to find some normality after today’s terrifying events.

He benefited from it, though. He witnessed the quality of their investigation. The first officers to arrive on the scene took this break-in coupled with the gallery threat seriously, calling in techies, uniforms and detectives to canvass the neighborhood for witnesses, search the house and yard, and collect items.

If they’d gotten lucky, they’d lifted a latent print and would produce an ID, but Ethan doubted their suspect had been so careless. Still, he’d have his sister Kat keep after her Portland Police Bureau friends to see if any items collected tonight produced a lead.

Right now, he needed to give Cole a heads-up. They were taking no chances. Someone might go after Madeline, too, and Cole was leading her protection detail.

Ethan pressed his brother’s speed dial. While waiting for him to answer, he double-checked the new lock the locksmith had just installed on the front door.

“How’s it going, bro?” Cole asked.

“We had a break-in at Jennie’s house.” Ethan explained the situation. “I wanted to let you know to be on your guard.”

“Will do.” A long yawn filtered through the phone.

“Little early for that, isn’t it?”

“You’re having all the fun. Madeline’s detail is downright boring.”

“This guy might be coming your way so keep your eyes open.”

“I will. For the next hour, anyway. I’ve arranged for Derrick to spell me tonight so I can get some sleep and come back first thing in the morning.” As the youngest brother of the family, Derrick embraced all assignments, as did his twin, Dani, so they generally got stuck with the worst shifts—if, in Dani’s case, they were given shifts at all.

“Do you think we don’t let Kat and Dani in on the action enough because they’re women?” Ethan asked.

“Where’s that coming from?”

“Kat commented on it this morning when I made assignments for this case.”

“I don’t know, man. I’ve never thought about it, but I guess it’s possible.”

“So maybe you can ask Dani to take a shift, too?”

“What about Kat?”

“I’m taking Jennie to Kat’s house to spend the night.” He looked at Jennie again and imagined the challenge of convincing her to stay with Kat. “At least, that’s what I hope will happen.”

“You having trouble over there, bro?”

“Nothing to worry about. I can handle it.” Ethan said goodbye and hung up before his perceptive brother probed deeper.

“Okay, miss.” The slender man heading up the forensics team stood. “We’re finished here.”

“So I can clean up now?” she asked.

“Yeah.” He slid a finger through residual black powder from fingerprinting work. “Sorry about the extra mess.” He lifted his case, the weight pulling down his slight shoulders, and headed out the door.

Jennie looked around the room as if not sure what to do.

“You should pack a bag, Jen. You can’t stay here tonight.” Ethan gestured at the mess surrounding them for emphasis.

“I won’t let them run me out of my own house.” She crossed her arms and straightened her shoulders.

“I can’t let you stay here.”

“They got what they came for. There’s no reason for them to come back.”

“But you don’t know that for sure. The guy came for you on the train. Since he didn’t get what he wanted, he’ll probably come back.” He went closer, softened his tone. “You can stay with Kat tonight, and then we’ll figure out a more permanent solution tomorrow.”

“Your sister? She doesn’t need me hanging around her place.”

“She’ll be happy to have the company.”

“I don’t know, Ethan. I mean, I hardly know her.”

“I’d suggest you stay with a friend, but you really don’t want to bring someone else into this mess, do you?”

“Isn’t that what we’d be doing with Kat?”

“She’s part of the team and trained to handle something like this.”

“Still, I don’t want to impose on her.” Jennie looked around, and her shoulders sagged a bit. “I’ll go to a hotel.”

“Hotel logistics make it harder for me to keep you safe. It would easier if you stayed with Kat.”

“I don’t know.”

He had to appeal to something she wanted enough to be willing to inconvenience Kat. “If you stay at Kat’s house, she can run your protection detail for the night.”

Her eyes brightened. “Really? You’d go home?”

He didn’t think she’d jump on this so enthusiastically. It made his gut hurt again. More than a little. “Yes. Kat is quite capable of keeping you safe for the night.”

“Okay.”

“Great. Go pack a few things and we’ll get out of here.”

She turned without a word and left the room.

When she was out of earshot, he hissed out his frustration. Was it always going to be like this? So different from the past, when he’d believed they knew exactly what the other was thinking and feeling without asking. Until the end.

“Women,” he mumbled and texted Kat, another woman who often pushed his buttons. Normally he’d call her and ask if she’d let Jennie stay with her, but as soon as his sister realized their client was his old girlfriend, she’d hound him about how he felt.

When Jennie bailed, Kat had been there for him and helped him heal. They were still close. More alike than any of the other siblings, they often worked through problems together.

He heard wheels rolling down the hallway’s wood floor, and he went to meet Jennie.

“I want to check my email before we leave.” She left her suitcase and headed for her office.

He’d rather they get out of here, but she should have received the email from her warehouse manager by now. It would be smart to get someone started on investigating the tattoo connection as soon as possible.

He joined her, leaning on the doorjamb and waiting. She clicked away on her laptop, her face intent and the horror of the day lingering in her eyes.

The printer whirred to life on the credenza, spitting out paper. She retrieved and handed him multiple pages. “This is all the information my manager has on Javier Caldera. In her email, she said again what a great employee he is. He’s always asking how things are done and trying to learn as much as he can about the charity.” She sounded as if she thought these were good things.

Not Ethan. He saw it as the guy asking too many questions to find a vulnerability in the organization so he could exploit it, but he’d hold his tongue until he had proof to confirm his theory. “I’ll pass this on to my colleague in Texas and have him follow up.”

“I need him to be discreet. I don’t want the agency to get into trouble for sharing this.” She closed her computer and put it into a protective sleeve.

“Don’t worry, Jen. Patrick is a professional investigator.” He folded the email and stuffed it in his back pocket. “C’mon. We should get going.”

She hesitated as if her feet were planted to the floor. He cupped her elbow and directed her out of the room before she came up with another reason to stay. She sighed, and he walked behind her, keeping quiet, though he wanted to talk with her about the lingering fear he caught on her face. Simple, plain talk, without dancing around their past as they’d done all day. To help her come to grips with the threat to her life.

But there was no point. She wouldn’t let him help. Never had. She’d always been too proud to accept any help. When they’d been together, he’d worked hard to get her to open up. She’d shared very little about her past, so he’d never understood her reasoning. And now, even when she needed a friend the most, nothing had changed. Even if a killer had her in his sights, she wasn’t going to let him in.

* * *

Jennie used the final minutes of their drive to Kat’s house to watch the scenery pass by and to breathe. To focus. To center herself and find some semblance of calm. So what if the guy who stalked her this afternoon was a killer? So what if he’d trashed her house, making her feel unsafe in the place that had always been her haven? She had capable men and women surrounding her and this Munoz guy didn’t know she intended to go through with the show yet. So for now, she was safe.

They turned into the affluent West Hills of Portland and climbed high above the city twinkling with white lights. This area of town was foreign to Jennie, though she knew its reputation. It had the same wealth and trappings as many prestigious neighborhoods in the country, just not the formal dress code. Gore-Tex was more common here than cashmere, but the narrow streets they wound through still reeked of money.