intended for them to be hurt or to witness you being killed.” She put a hand on Denise’s shoulder and gave her a squeeze. “The way I see this is that Clem was madly in love with you. When he thought you’d cheated on him, he went berserk—if he couldn’t have you, no one would. He didn’t think things through and he couldn’t bring himself to confront you about what you were doing when you were gone in the evenings.” Andi shook her head. “He never once considered how it would affect the children to be without you.”
Denise mulled that over, her face a study in anger. “So the man who made millions thinking turned into a pea-brained jackass because he was too fucking proud to confront me.” She hurled the glass across the room. It left a trail of water in its wake before it shattered against the wall.
“Denise,” Vaughn said, “I know this sucks, but you have to get control of your emotions. You’ve got Aria and Christian to think about. Your first priority has to be how you’re going to keep them out of the line of fire.”
Vaughn’s graphic comment was the magic wand that dissipated Denise’s anger at Clem and replaced it with stark-raving fear for her children. “Ohmygod, you’re right! They can’t be around me. They….” Her eyes darted frantically around the room. “They’ll have to stay with their grandparents.” Her eyes welled again with tears, which she blinked frantically to dispel. “If he kills me, that means…I may never get to see my babies again.”
“It’s not going to come to that,” Stacy said.
Denise railed at her. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“She’s not,” Andi said in defense of the LT. “We’re going to find this guy. Bank on it.”
She could almost feel Denise’s panic deflate. Conversely, her own qualms increased.
Chapter 9
Stacy remainedbehin d with Denise, intending to stay the night, if need be, to offer her sister’s best friend support and police protection all rolled into one.
Vaughn walked Andi to her car. “You doing okay?”
“I’m so damned frustrated!” Andi said. “You do realize, if he read about Clem’s death, that he’s here, right?”
“I gathered that, yes.”
“He may even live here.”
“It’s possible.”
“Do you think he’ll stick to the schedule and not do anything before Wednesday?”
Vaughn lifted a shoulder. “I did some digging on the ’net after I talked to you. Apparently, hitmen have a code of honor, both among themselves and with their clients. If they have a contract for a certain date and time, they adhere to it. If they say they’re going to kill Person X, they don’t leave a scratch on Person Y, standing right beside them.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “Look, maybe it’s just me being paranoid or suspicious or whatever, but something’s hinky about his last reply.”
Andi couldn’t control the shiver that coursed through her. “Funny you should say that, because I’ve got a bad feeling about it, too.” She leaned against her car, peering up at one small cloudless spot in the night sky that framed a few stars. “If what you say is true, and The Liquidator has his own twisted code of ethics, why would he make a statement like ‘I don’t leave witnesses behind, either’?”
Vaughn followed the direction of Andi’s gaze. “Consider this. What if the person who’s responding is not The Liquidator?”
Andi’s startled eyes locked with Vaughn’s. “How could that be?”
He shrugged. “Maybe he’s busy elsewhere and can’t make the hit in the window stipulated, so he hires a sub to do the work. Someone local.”
Andi frowned. “That seems like a far reach, and if you’re right about the hitmen having a code of ethics, wouldn’t that be an unforgivable breach?”
“I suppose.” Vaughn blew out a loud sigh. “One thing I know for certain, though, is that Denise has got to make sure her kids aren’t around until after February
Denise mulled that over, her face a study in anger. “So the man who made millions thinking turned into a pea-brained jackass because he was too fucking proud to confront me.” She hurled the glass across the room. It left a trail of water in its wake before it shattered against the wall.
“Denise,” Vaughn said, “I know this sucks, but you have to get control of your emotions. You’ve got Aria and Christian to think about. Your first priority has to be how you’re going to keep them out of the line of fire.”
Vaughn’s graphic comment was the magic wand that dissipated Denise’s anger at Clem and replaced it with stark-raving fear for her children. “Ohmygod, you’re right! They can’t be around me. They….” Her eyes darted frantically around the room. “They’ll have to stay with their grandparents.” Her eyes welled again with tears, which she blinked frantically to dispel. “If he kills me, that means…I may never get to see my babies again.”
“It’s not going to come to that,” Stacy said.
Denise railed at her. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“She’s not,” Andi said in defense of the LT. “We’re going to find this guy. Bank on it.”
She could almost feel Denise’s panic deflate. Conversely, her own qualms increased.
Chapter 9
Stacy remainedbehin d with Denise, intending to stay the night, if need be, to offer her sister’s best friend support and police protection all rolled into one.
Vaughn walked Andi to her car. “You doing okay?”
“I’m so damned frustrated!” Andi said. “You do realize, if he read about Clem’s death, that he’s here, right?”
“I gathered that, yes.”
“He may even live here.”
“It’s possible.”
“Do you think he’ll stick to the schedule and not do anything before Wednesday?”
Vaughn lifted a shoulder. “I did some digging on the ’net after I talked to you. Apparently, hitmen have a code of honor, both among themselves and with their clients. If they have a contract for a certain date and time, they adhere to it. If they say they’re going to kill Person X, they don’t leave a scratch on Person Y, standing right beside them.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “Look, maybe it’s just me being paranoid or suspicious or whatever, but something’s hinky about his last reply.”
Andi couldn’t control the shiver that coursed through her. “Funny you should say that, because I’ve got a bad feeling about it, too.” She leaned against her car, peering up at one small cloudless spot in the night sky that framed a few stars. “If what you say is true, and The Liquidator has his own twisted code of ethics, why would he make a statement like ‘I don’t leave witnesses behind, either’?”
Vaughn followed the direction of Andi’s gaze. “Consider this. What if the person who’s responding is not The Liquidator?”
Andi’s startled eyes locked with Vaughn’s. “How could that be?”
He shrugged. “Maybe he’s busy elsewhere and can’t make the hit in the window stipulated, so he hires a sub to do the work. Someone local.”
Andi frowned. “That seems like a far reach, and if you’re right about the hitmen having a code of ethics, wouldn’t that be an unforgivable breach?”
“I suppose.” Vaughn blew out a loud sigh. “One thing I know for certain, though, is that Denise has got to make sure her kids aren’t around until after February
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