Stolen. Part 15

"She's taking authority too far," Sean said.

"There are safeguards to prevent that," Noah replied.

"I don't want to argue with you, Armstrong."

Noah stared at him and Sean finally said, "What is it? You're the one who wanted me to go undercover, yet ever since we've been in New York you've been an a.s.s. I thought you'd agree with me about Deanna Brighton. Frankly, I thought you'd mellowed out this past year."

"This isn't about Agent Brighton. I'll take care of it."

"Then what is it about? Is it about this case? That you think I'm getting away with something?"

"You are."

"f.u.c.k this, Armstrong. It was nearly ten years ago. And you brought me into this mess."

"You don't regret it."

"You mean with Martin Holdings? h.e.l.l no. That guy was a b.a.s.t.a.r.d. He deserved everything we did, and more-and don't tell me I should have gone to the authorities. Because they would have done s.h.i.t, and you know it. I told you and Rick everything."

"And you'd do it again."

"Yes, I would."

They stared at each other. An impa.s.se, maybe. But Sean was in too deep with Colton not to see this through. Sean had to give Noah something, an olive branch.

Sean's phone rang and he sent the call straight to voice mail.

"I'm not anti-law enforcement," Sean said. "I know too many good cops. You, even." He gave Noah a half smile, but Noah wasn't in the mood.

"And," Sean continued, "I will never do anything to risk Lucy losing her faith or trust in me. I love her too much."

Noah nodded slowly. "That I believe. It's for Lucy I'm doing this."

"What does that mean?" Sean said, a streak of jealousy running through his veins. He'd known for the past year that Noah had feelings for Lucy. It was something Sean, as a guy, just knew. And Noah knew Sean knew.

"Are you in love with her?" There, he'd said it. And it hurt. Not because he thought Lucy would return the feelings, but because some people thought a man like Noah-a cop, a military hero, a law-and-order stalwart-would be better for Lucy than a private investigator and semi-retired computer hacker.

Slowly, Noah shook his head. "I love Lucy, but not like you. You don't need to be jealous."

"Lucy respects you. She trusts you. If she even thinks-"

"I care for Lucy, but I'm not competing for her." Noah ran his hand over his face. "I'm having a hard time with this case, okay? I've had issues with RCK in the past, when it was just your brothers and JT Caruso running things. You guys think you're all above the law, and I'll admit, after hearing about your shenanigans with Colton Thayer at MIT, I wanted to shut down the whole operation."

Noah turned away and looked out the window. SoHo was bustling with the club scene, and the street below was a major thoroughfare to get to two of the most popular clubs in the area.

"I'll deal with it," Noah said.

"Look, Noah, I'm trying to understand you. I get that you don't like me, that you don't like what I've done, that you think I'm getting away with something. Just because I don't regret what I did then doesn't mean I'd do the same thing now. Maybe that doesn't make any sense to you, but I don't know how else to get you to trust me."

"Ironically, I do trust you most of the time. The law means something to me, Sean. It means more to me than it does to you. Just-do what you need to do, but remember that this is my op, and I make the calls. If I shut it down, it's shut down, got it?"

"Got it." Sean knew this conversation wasn't over, but it was for now. He glanced at his phone. Hunter had left him a message. "Back to work. Hunter called."

Before Sean walked out, he turned to Noah. "What are we going to do about Paxton and Russo? Maybe I should check out Paxton's apartment."

"Stay away from him," Noah said. "He could be here on legitimate government business. Congress is in recess."

"Or he could be here because of PBM."

"I'll check on Paxton."

Sean raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think he'd find it a bit suspicious if he saw you in New York?"

"I've done surveillance a few times," Noah said.

"Really?" Sean said in mock surprise.

Noah shook his head and cracked a brief smile. "Watch your back, Rogan."

"You, too, buddy."

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

Sean listened to Hunter's message as he walked up the stairs to his apartment.

"I found something really weird, and you're the only one I trust. Don't talk to anyone. I'm freaked."

Hunter was paranoid by nature, but that didn't mean he didn't have a reason to be paranoid now. Even Sean had been antsy ever since he cloned the badge, and now that Hunter was nervous-especially after they talked this morning-Sean was doubly concerned.

He hit Hunter's number on his cell phone. No one answered. Hunter didn't have voice mail set up. Sean disconnected. Hunter sounded scared, not paranoid.

Sean grabbed his go bag from his closet and slung it over his shoulder. It had everything he might need if he couldn't return to the apartment.

He tried Hunter a second time; again, no answer. He went down the back stairs and called Noah. "I'm going to Hunter's. He sounds spooked."

"Do you need backup?"

"No-I'll send a nine-one-one if I have a problem. Find out everything you can on Paxton, Bonner, and Lynch-and that boating accident."

"I'm working on it." Noah disconnected.

Though Noah was still Mr. Law and Order, Sean understood him better. It took guts for Noah to bring Sean into this investigation. And he was relieved that Noah wasn't after Lucy. Sean had always worried that if something happened between him and Lucy, she'd turn to Noah because he was there.

Sean didn't want to wait for the subway, so he grabbed a cab to Murray Hill, where Hunter had an apartment that had been in his family for half a century. Hunter said his grandparents had owned the four-story townhome and had sub-divided and sold off floors over the years to pay for their three kids to go to college. Hunter had been the only grandchild. The top floor was still in the family and worth many times more than the original building had been.

Sean had visited Hunter's flat many times when they were in college, even lived in the bas.e.m.e.nt for a few weeks one summer. A hidden staircase went from the top floor to the bas.e.m.e.nt. In the twenties part of the building had been used as a speakeasy during prohibition. The bas.e.m.e.nt had an old bar along one wall, a remnant of its past, along with a tunnel that led to the house three doors over.

Sean buzzed Hunter's apartment. No answer.

Maybe Hunter hadn't called Sean from his apartment. Except that earlier today, when they parted at the park, hadn't Hunter said he was going home? A loner by nature, he wasn't one for crowds and socializing. If he wasn't here, he was at Colton's.

"Come on, buddy, answer," Sean muttered.

He glanced around. It wasn't quite dark but late enough that there weren't a lot of people on the street in this quiet midtown neighborhood. Park Avenue was a block west and bustling.

The door worked on an electronic release, easy for Sean to pop. He took out his phone, ran through a series of codes, and thirty seconds later the door clicked open. He slipped in and closed the door.

A central staircase on the south side of the building led to each flat with wall sconces faintly lighting each landing. He quietly went up to the fourth floor.

Hunter's door was ajar.

Sean retrieved his gun from his bag and crept into the apartment.

Nothing appeared out of place. Sean tried to convince himself that Hunter had gone out for dinner or run out for beer, or some such excuse, but he knew that wasn't the case.

The apartment was cluttered but compulsively tidy. Hunter was a bit OCD about his s.p.a.ce-he collected a lot of junk and arranged it methodically. His Star Wars LEGO collection was displayed in the dining room, complete with staged battles that Sean suspected Hunter, at thirty-one, still played with. Sean liked video games, but Hunter had always been obsessed. He'd designed many but never sold anything. His skills were the back end, not making the game pretty, and Hunter was hard to work with. Like a lot of computer geeks Sean had known over the years.

Except Sean had always liked Hunter. He picked up a LEGO Han Solo and smiled. He'd always liked Han Solo best.

Sean hesitated to call out, in case someone other than Hunter was here.

He walked quietly down the hall, senses fully alert, listening with more than just his ears.

He smelled blood before he opened the door to Hunter's office.

Hunter was dead at his desk, blood pooled under his head, dripping to the floor.

"s.h.i.t!" Sean whirled around, pushing back the tortured rage that tore through him at the brutal murder of his friend. He quickly ascertained that no one was in the room.

He went to Hunter's desk-his laptop was gone. His laptop was his life. What had Hunter learned that had gotten him killed? Could Colton have done this?

Sean didn't believe it. Colton wasn't a killer. But Evan-Sean hadn't trusted him from the beginning. Was he willing to kill to keep his secrets hidden?

Sean a.s.sessed his surroundings, looking for any evidence of who could have done this. Hunter's cell phone beeped behind Sean, and he turned around. The phone was on a high shelf, charging. It beeped again, a message across it flashing: Security Alert Code 2 Sean had no idea what that meant, but he remembered that Hunter had said he'd set up a system to alert him if Deanna Brighton was caught in Hunter's security net.

Sean pocketed his gun and grabbed Hunter's phone, hoping he could access the cloud network through it, since the laptop had been taken. Maybe the information that had spooked Hunter was backed up in cybers.p.a.ce.

A noise from the living room startled Sean. He froze, looked at all possible exits. There was only one. The way he'd come in. The door was partly closed. He went to it, looked through the crack, saw movement, but it was slow and cautious.

Straight across from the den was the kitchen, and the back door that led directly to the bas.e.m.e.nt.

Now or never.

He bolted across the hall.

"FBI! Freeze!"

Sean recognized Deanna Brighton's voice before he saw her. He didn't hesitate. He ran through the small kitchen and opened the escape door, as Hunter had jokingly called it back in college.

Sean didn't trust Brighton, and that she was here, in Hunter's apartment, meant either she already knew he was dead or she'd been following Sean. It made no sense for an FBI agent, even one as crazy as Brighton, to kill Hunter. But she may have staked out the place, waiting for Sean to show up. Either way, he was in trouble and he couldn't risk being out of commission-not when he and Noah were so close to nailing Senator Paxton. And if Paxton was responsible for Hunter's death, Sean would kill him.

You're not a killer.

Maybe not, but under the right circ.u.mstances ...

"Rogan! Stop! I will shoot!"

It didn't help that he had a gun on him, but he was glad he'd pocketed it before she'd seen him. As he ran down the dark, hidden staircase as fast as he dared, he stuffed the gun and phone into his go bag. He was banking on the fact that he knew this building and Brighton didn't.

"Gannon! Catch him downstairs!" Sean heard. Her partner?

She fired her gun into the dark corridor. What the h.e.l.l? She was shooting at him! How was she going to explain a bullet in his back?

He prayed the door leading into the bas.e.m.e.nt office was unlocked. He hadn't thought of it until now, but in the past there had been a lock to keep people from going upstairs, not from exiting.

Sean considered himself lucky when the heavy wood door creaked open. He immediately closed it and heard another gunfire burst as he slid the bolt.

He saw feet running in front of the narrow ground-level windows. He would be trapped in here, Brighton behind the door, Gannon in the front. They'd call in SWAT. Sean would have to surrender or get shot.

Except Brighton had shot at him.

He needed to escape and regroup. There were too many what-ifs and unknowns.

Brighton pounded on the door. "You're making this worse for yourself, Rogan!"

He pushed aside the bookshelf that hid the tunnel. He did his best to slide it back into place, but it was obvious it had been moved, dusty books and papers strewn across the floor.

He grabbed his flashlight. Brighton and Gannon were shouting, but their voices grew faint as he fled.

He hadn't remembered the tunnel being so narrow. It also reeked. By the smell, many dead animals had rotted along this path.

Where did this tunnel lead? When Sean first knew Hunter, the pa.s.sage had led to a residence, but he seemed to remember the building had been converted into a business. The exit could be blocked and then Sean would be trapped.

But he'd been lucky twice. Third time's the charm, right?

He found the door. Pushed hard.

It didn't budge. He shined his light and fought with the k.n.o.b, but cement filled the seams. Sealed shut. s.h.i.t.

"What are you going to do now, dumb a.s.s?" he mumbled to himself.

He glanced at his cell phone but had no reception. He typed a message to Noah that would send as soon as he had a signal.