In the Shadow of Evil Book 2 Page 4

  She turned and studied the townhouse. There was no evidence that Mendoza had any connection to the property, but he was part of whatever was going on behind its closed doors. His foul presence enclosed the property like a thick dark fog.

  Ten years ago, the neighborhood was Mendoza’s territory. His men were loyal and stayed with him for years. If she could identify one of his old employees leaving the building, maybe she could convince the police to take another look at Quinton’s death.

  The police didn’t believe her when she told them Mendoza was back. The bastard still controlled the drug routes into her neighborhood. Someone will mess up, and she’ll be there. Or at least her cameras will. She would avenge that happy-faced little boy whose life was taken before he had a chance to live.

  She attached the rope to her harness and inched her way to the edge of the roof. While in college, she had repelled many times off rock walls. This wasn’t much different. She was securely anchored to the roof. If she couldn’t climb back up, she could repel to the ground and collect her ropes.

  Jennie checked her harness and hardware one last time. She slipped on her gloves, then stood on the edge of the roof.

  “Jennie McKenzie, what in blazes do you think you are doing?”

  Father Anthony stepped out onto the roof from the stairwell and charged over to her. He grabbed the rope and tugged on it.

  Jennie eased her grip and stepped away from the edge. “Good grief, Father Anthony, you scared the crap. . . I mean, what are you doing here?”

  “What am I doing here?” His deep baritone voice reverberated off the buildings, although he had whispered his question.

  Heat crawled up her neck into her cheeks. As the new music minister of St. Luke’s, the man in front of her wasn’t just a friend, but also her employer.

  When her godfather accepted his position in Rome, Father Anthony became her mentor. He wasn’t a typical priest. He spent the first thirty years of his adulthood as a member of US Army Special Forces. When he retired, he went into the seminary. One look at his expression, and Jennie saw the soldier behind the reverent, priestly garments. Explaining herself would not be easy.

  She took another step away from the edge and swallowed. “I’m changing the batteries in the cameras. It’s perfectly safe.”

  “Perfectly safe. . .”

  “I secured the lead rope to the brackets holding the HVAC units to the roof. They aren’t going anywhere.”

  “How many laws have you broken? And don’t think for one minute you can stand there and tell me you were safe hanging over the side of a five-story building with only a rope as your safety net. There’s a better way. Let me call in someone…”

  “My problem. My plan.” Jennie didn’t have many friends, and Father Anthony was one of the few people she trusted. She hated upsetting him. But if anyone understood what she was fighting for, he did. “I can’t take a chance I missed someone involved.”

  “How long are you going to keep this up? And with this out-of-date equipment?”

  “It was free, and it works.”

  “You need to turn this whole mess over to the people trained to do this kind of thing, before I have to identify your flattened body in the city morgue.”

  “Again, those people don’t believe me. Father A., why are you here?”

  “I was visiting a family in the building and saw you heading for the roof. Poor Mrs. Perez must think I’m stark raving mad, the way I dashed out of her apartment.” He pulled the collar of his coat over his ears and picked up the excess rope. “But I can tell that nothing I say will keep you from carrying out your crazy plan. I might as well see that the people in this building don’t have to wake up with you splattered all over their front step.”

  Jennie sucked in a breath. “You’re will help me?”

  “I want something in return before you dive off the roof.”

  “What?”

  “This is the last time you do this. We’ll find another way. I want your word on it.”

  “I can’t give you that.”

  “And I don’t negotiate well. I also want your promise there will be no more hacking of any kind looking for evidence on Mendoza.”

  There had been people in her life she could eventually sway, but never this man. It must have been the cassock.

  “I’m waiting, Jennie.”

  She looked out over the rooftop, then back at Father Anthony. “I promise this will be the last time.”

  Father Anthony nodded and braced his boot against a cement block. Jennie gave him a quick hug and repositioned herself before he changed his mind.

  “I can do this,” she said, bracing her left hand on the ropes at her waist and her right hand holding the section of rope around her back. Then she stepped back to the edge of the roof and propelled herself into the air, controlling her descent down the side of the building for about four yards.

  She pulled herself up against the brick and reached for the camera with her left hand while she held her descent with her right hand. She tried to flick the release button on the battery cover, but her wet gloved hand wouldn’t cooperate. Using her teeth, she pulled the glove off each finger. While she held the soggy glove between her teeth, she released the latch and pulled out the battery. She slipped it into her pocket and took out the replacement. In seconds, she had the battery in position and the casing closed.

  The climb to the roof was always the most strenuous part of the exercise. How was she going to replace the glove with only one hand?

  She pulled the glove from her mouth, just as an eerie feeling of being watched danced across her skin. Scanning the street in both directions gave her nothing. She gripped the rope and spun around to face the house across the street. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, but someone was there. The prickly goosebumps never lied.

  She eased the glove open with her teeth and wiggled her fingers into the section that rested on the center of her palm.

  “Jennie, are you okay down there?”

  “I can’t get my glove back on.”

  “Why did you take it off?”

  “I couldn’t unlatch the button on the battery casing. Can you hold me so I can use my right hand?”

  “I have you. Just be careful. It’s icing up.”

  Jennie released her right hand and quickly tried to yank on the glove.

  “Shit.”

  Anthony’s panicked whisper reached Jennie just as she dropped, her stomach plummeting with her. She gasped and the glove slipped from her fingers. The rope immediately went taut, and she grasped it with her bare hand, her descent jerking to a stop. She clutched the rope with both hands as her body slammed against the brick building. Her body twisted, and she spotted a faint light in the third-story window, casting a shadow on the side of the house. A motion caught her eye and a man’s form appeared, his body plastered against the siding. The light switched off, she blinked, and he vanished.

  As her heart hammered, she climbed the rope until Father Anthony dragged her over the edge.

  “Are you okay?” The priest helped her stand.

  Jennie removed her harness, but a sharp pain in her left hand stopped her. Raising it into the dim light, she studied the long, red rope burn that ran from the middle of her fingers to the center of her palm. She couldn’t stop the moan.

  “That’s got to hurt. I can bandage it back at St. Luke’s,” Father Anthony said, coiling the rope.

  “A man, maybe six feet tall, hid in that shadow at the edge of the house. He backed behind the bush and disappeared.”

  “Are you sure? Why didn’t he warn the guys inside the house?”

  “I don’t know, but let’s get out of here.”

  Father Anthony grumbled. “Last time, Jennie. I’m getting too old for this shit.”

  Jared eased behind the large column and stood in the shadows of the sanctuary of St. Luke’s. Ceiling lights beamed over the altar, casting a light glow on the cross. The rest of the sanctuary was bathed in flickering candlelight. Wit
h his back against the cool marble, he took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the familiar scents of incense, burning candles, and wood polish.

  From his position, he had an unobstructed view of the woman sitting at the grand piano. Jennie McKenzie. Except for the few moments in the squad room, it had been over two years since he stood this close to her.

  There was a time he didn’t go a week without seeing her. After the fiasco on the Mendoza’s lawn, he should have disappeared from her life. But he couldn’t stay away. His protective instincts wouldn’t allow him to rest until her world was safe. Then, a friendship formed between them. It was like none other he had ever experienced. Jennie had an exuberance for life; she lived every minute to its fullest. But it was her quiet maturity that drew him to her. Her presence settled him and filled a hole that not even his twin could touch.

  But after his screw-up in Mexico, he cut Jennie out of his life. It was the only way he could protect her. He could live with the painful scars he suffered at Mendoza’s hands. That was his own stupidity, pride. What he couldn’t ignore was his midnight visitor, the faceless voice that woke him from his dreams—Protect her. You are her only chance.

  Night after night, the message screamed in his head. Ending all contact with Jennie was his only choice, but a damn hard one. Mendoza watched her sleep, teach, live—and Jared was powerless to stop him.

  The special FBI task force led by Jared’s brother Mac was finally closing in on Mendoza. Mac needed Jared completely off Mendoza’s radar. To ensure Jared stuck with the plan, Mac violated the brother code and obtained his superiors’ support. Jared would have done the same thing in Mac’s shoes. But relying on others to keep Jennie safe was hell. Mac’s team watched her every move, but they didn’t know her like Jared did. Otherwise, they would know something was off.

  He rested his head against the column and listened to the hauntingly sad music coming from the piano. As Jennie’s fingers waltzed across the keyboard, a tear slid down her cheek. Every note echoed what could only be a deep hurt—the kind that dug itself into the darkest crevasses of the heart. Listening to her pain ate away at him. What the hell had he missed that would cause this kind of grief?

  Jared stepped out of the shadow. It didn’t take long before her fingers froze on the keyboard.

  “Jared,” she whispered.

  He took another step closer. “Hey, Jennie.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I could ask you the same thing.” He strode up the side aisle, trying to stay in the shadows. The question he wanted to ask all day stumbled out of his mouth. “How could you just run off like that? You know my brother. He’s all bark.”

  “You shouldn’t be here.” Her expressive, deep hazel eyes widened as she searched the sanctuary. When Jennie turned and faced him, her features clouded with fear.

  Jared straightened his stance, and his hand went to his weapon. “Who else is here?”

  “No one, except Father Anthony.”

  “Why are you so spooked? Hell, Jennie, you look like you are about to jump out of your skin.”

  Jennie stood and lowered the piano lid over the keys. “It’s just late. I didn’t expect anyone to be here.”

  Damn. What the hell?

  “I think that is the first lie you ever told me.” Jared took several steps, closing the space between them. Even in the dim light, he could tell his words affected her. He reached for her hands clutched in front of her. His fingers rubbed against several layers of gauze wrapped around her left palm. He lifted it so he could get a better look. He couldn’t see what was under the bandage, but the skin was red, and blisters formed on each finger joint. “What the hell? You didn’t have this earlier.”

  She yanked her hand free. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”

  “That’s two lies. And this,” he said, holding up her hand, “is definitely something. How did it happen?”

  In all the years they had known each other, Jennie never tried to close herself off from him. In fact, he teased often that her eyes gave away exactly what she was thinking. But not tonight. She definitely was hiding something.

  Where was the smile that lightened his mood, or the hug that stayed with him for hours? Could the distance he placed between them have led her to stop believing in him? The idea, crushing.

  “Why did you come to the station today?”

  “I left you a note.”

  Jared edged in close enough that her citrus and jasmine scent surrounded him. She didn’t back away, but she stared at the floor. “Since when do you need to leave a note? Why didn’t you just let me know you were coming? I would have been there to meet you.”

  Jennie brushed a hand through her auburn shoulder-length hair while her eyes darted everywhere but at him. So many emotions passed across her features—desperation, guilt, sadness.

  “Jennie, what’s wrong?”

  “Read the note, Jared. It’s all in there,” she replied in a hushed whisper.

  It took everything in him to keep from blaring out where she could stuff the damn note. “You could always talk to me before. What’s changed?” He cupped her face with both of his hands. His thumb caressed the tender skin along her jaw. “Please don’t shut me out.”

  “You’re not here, Jared. I can’t… won’t—”

  “Won’t what? Count on me, trust me?”

  Shaking her head, she reached out her uninjured hand and flattened it against his chest. Her touch sent a jolt straight to his gut and he swallowed hard.

  She pulled back. Jared placed his hand over hers and traced his thumb along the outside of her wrist. Her pulsed raced against the fabric. “You know I’ll always be here for you.”

  “I’ve always trusted you, Jared. But I’m not that stupid kid anymore. I’m all grown up.”

  “You were never a stupid kid. Maybe too trusting, but never stupid.” He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “And I stopped treating you like a kid a long time ago. All I want to do is help if I can.”

  She dropped her arms to her side. “You can’t ride in and fix my problems. I need to fight my own battles.” She looked over his shoulder at the entrance. “You shouldn’t even be here. You said we had to stay away from each other so…”

  “Is this the result of you fighting one of those damn battles?” Jared lifted her injured hand.

  The space between them felt cold and empty. Unable to stop himself, he drew her into his arms. There was such longing in her expression, which went against everything she said to him. “Don’t push me away like this. I need—”

  He didn’t understand what came over him, but he brought his lips to hers until they barely touched. She awoke every sense at once—the heat of her breath on his lips, her body molding itself to his, the scent of her wrapping him in a sensual cocoon. All that was missing was taste. He had to taste her.

  Their eyes held, and when Jennie didn’t pull away, he curled his hand around the nape of her neck and covered her mouth with his. At first, there was a gentle tenderness, giving her time to shove him away. But she matched his desire with her own, taking everything. He loved her taste of mint and vanilla, and there wasn’t a tentative bone in her body. How had he missed this primal, sexual connection between them? Where in the hell did it come from? How long had it been staring him in the face?

  Jared’s hand caressed her spine, landing at the base. He drew her into him. Jennie arched her back until there was nothing separating them but their thin layer of clothing.

  The nails clutching his shirt relaxed. Jennie planted her hands on his chest and gave a slight push. Then she broke the kiss. Her head rested on his chest while she caught her breath. Jared buried his fingers into her hair and cradled her to his chest.

  Shit! How was he going to walk away from her now? How was he going to breathe without touching, holding, making love to her? He just opened a Pandora’s box, and he had no desire to shut it.

  “Jared?” Jennie’s voice sounded winded.

  “I know, Jennie
.”

  She raised her eyes to meet his. “We can’t… I can’t.”

  “I know.”

  He rested his forehead against hers. He was going to step away and leave her here. There was no other option until they stopped Mendoza. But what he unleashed tonight could not be taken back.

  A door slammed somewhere in the church. Jennie moved out of his arms. “That’s Father Anthony. He’s here to walk me home.”

  “I can’t leave without knowing you’re okay.”

  She leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips. “I’m fine.”

  “You are not fine, far from it. And that’s lie number three.”

  “You have to go.”

  Jared cupped her neck and drew her to him. “It will not be like this forever. We have something damn powerful between us, and one day we will see where it leads us. Believe in me, Jennie. Trust me like I trusted you. Can you do that?” Without waiting for her to answer, he placed a light kiss on her forehead, then on the tip of her nose, ending on her lips. It ended way too soon. He lifted his eyes and met hers, then stepped behind the large column, just as the priest entered the sanctuary.

  “Are you ready to go, Jennie?”

  She stood at the piano with her eyes closed. The priest strolled up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  Jared didn’t miss the concern in his voice. Jennie turned and faced her friend. “Yes, just drained.”

  “After your evening, I don’t doubt it,” the priest commented. They left the sanctuary through the door near the altar. Jennie never turned back.

  Jared stayed where he was until he was sure he was alone. He moved from behind the column and approached the altar. He genuflected as his mom taught him many years ago. Raising his eyes to the man on the cross, he prayed, “Help me keep her safe.”

  Five

  Maryland Department of State Police Headquarters

  The next morning

  * * *

  Blood thundered in his ears. His lungs ached as he tried to compete with the vise around his throat. Jared scrambled violently to remove the arms that constrained him, but he couldn’t breathe. . . move. . . react. His twin brother lay unconscious only inches from him. Mendoza held Jennie, his hand gripping a chunk of her hair.