Saints Protection And Investigations: Discover Love Part 10

"Make notes on any who seem like possibilities," Luke instructed. "I'll be back up when we're finished."

Charlie watched him walk away before beginning the task of staring numbly at photograph after photograph.

As Luke rejoined the group downstairs, Monty had him set up the secure video-conference with Lin w.a.n.g. Jack glanced at Luke. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I know it's not the right time for Charlie to see Lin in a live conference now. Especially if she might recognize her voice. We don't want to give Charlie away."

In a few minutes, Lin's unsmiling face appeared on their screen. "Gentlemen," she greeted harshly. "I'm not used to secure conferences where I cannot see the whole group."

"For our own security purposes, you will be able to see only me," Monty explained.

Barking out a rude snort, Lin said, "And the security of the Bureau is less important?"

Not willing to begin a debate, Monty moved on to the information that they needed. "Ms. w.a.n.g, we have not been provided a copy of the initial consultation notes with Eli. Can you tell us when that came in?"

A crease knit her brow as she replied, "I thought you had been given everything you needed." She looked down at her papers and answered his questions.

Several points were looked at and the Saints noted that she replied to each one succinctly and without hesitation.

Glancing down at her watch, Lin said, "Gentlemen, if that's all, then I have another meeting to attend."

"Just one more thing," Monty said. "Can you tell us which agent first spoke to Eli? Which agent was his point of contact?"

Looking surprised for a second, she stared straight into the video camera and replied, "Yes. That was me. I was his contact."

Disconnecting the video-conference, Luke looked around the table. "f.u.c.kin' h.e.l.l," he said, gaining nods from the others.

"So, Lin w.a.n.g was Eli's first contact. She was the one who set up the meeting. She would have known where he lived and the exact time of the meeting," Monty agreed.

"And knowing Eli like we now do," Jude added, "she would have known he would be at home waiting since he rarely went out."

"What could her motive be? It would only make sense if she were part of the medical scheme Eli told Charlie about," Cam said. "I talked to Miriam last night and asked her about organ transplants. She never worked in that area of medicine, but said that there are databases for who needs organs. And she said that once an organ is taken from a body, there's only so many hours before it must be transplanted or it's no good."

Luke, back at his computers, twisted around in his chair to face the others. "One of the largest groups that deal in illegally harvested human organs is the Chinese mafia."

Those words hung over the group, each Saint considering the possibilities.

"Is there any way to see where their ties are in the US?" Jack asked, his gaze moving between Monty and Luke.

"I can begin searching," Luke said. "It'll be general, at first, and then I'll see what I can determine is in the DC and Baltimore area."

"Just because Eli lived in Baltimore doesn't mean the hit was local," Blaise surmised. "Could have come from anywhere."

The eyes of the group landed back on Monty, who was rubbing his hand over his face. "Okay, look, I know what you're thinking. We need a contact in the Bureau and can't use Lin w.a.n.g right now. Not as long as she is possibly involved. I've got some former friends still there, but they are going to be very reticent to work against a fellow agent."

"So don't tell them right away," Bart said. "Problem solved."

Luke looked over at Monty, knowing that of all the Saints, Monty was the most by-the-book. "Man, I know you hate this, but if we can get any inside info at all, it will help my search. But I promise to start digging immediately."

Jack sat quietly for a moment, pondering the situation. Finally he shifted his gaze around the table landing on Luke. "I've been vetting Charlie. You know that. So far, she's as clean as they come. She's already involved, so does anyone have an objection if she begins working with Luke...for us?"

The other Saints were quiet for a moment until finally Cam spoke up. "Boss, you never wanted to involve our women before." He nodded over to Bart and said, "Even when Faith could a.s.sist."

"Faith has continued to help, but in a very limited capacity," Jack agreed. "We have no need for an involved police artist but, depending on what Luke says, we could use another skilled computer a.n.a.lyst." He pinned the others with his stare before adding, "The final decision will be mine, but I want to know everyone's thoughts."

Marc shifted uncomfortably before responding, "I've never objected using whoever could a.s.sist us in a case, but does this put her in more danger? I want to know what Luke thinks. It's his woman, after all."

Jerking his eyes to his friend, he sat silent. My woman. That sounds so caveman...and yet... "Charlie is already involved." Sighing heavily, he added, "About as involved as she can get. She's a witness to a murder and is the only one who could positively identify that person. She's got Eli's information and past experience with working on whatever he discovered. I hate like h.e.l.l to put her at risk, but if she's working with us then we can protect her more easily." Twirling his pen in his hand he added, "She's smart. Tenacious. Driven." With a final nod, he said, "I'm good with it."

"That's good enough for me," Bart and Jude said simultaneously, with the others nodding in agreement.

"All right, Luke, call her back down," Jack said. "You two get to work on the Chinese mafia link and finding someone named Jun in the medical field, and Monty, dig more into Lin w.a.n.g."

Chapter 15.

As the moon moved across the night sky, Charlie lay nestled in the warmth of Luke's embrace. She was amazed at how quickly he fell asleep after they made love. But sleep was elusive for her as her mind played over and over the information they uncovered earlier in the day.

Having always worked on computer coding, she was unused to the elements of a criminal investigation that would haunt her dreams. Dreams...if only. I can't even sleep enough to have my dreams haunted!

The pictures she had looked at during the afternoon were burned into her brain. Since 2006, the Chinese government had been under investigation for using prisoners as unwilling organ donors. A human rights lawyer, who had since been nominated for the n.o.bel Peace prize, was a central figure in uncovering the horrors. And it's a billion dollar a year industry!

Knowing sleep was not coming she slid quietly from Luke's arms and padded barefoot down the hall to the kitchen. She searched but knew that he would not have any herbal tea in his kitchen. No problem...wine will do. Grabbing a bottle, she poured a large gla.s.s, taking a sip of the excellent vintage, before slamming down a large swallow.

She looked at her laptop still sitting on the table and wavered in her desire to open it up again. Deciding she had had enough for one day, she moved to the living room, settling on the sofa.

Has it only been a few days since I broke into Luke's house? As she admired the room, illuminated by the moonlight streaming in through the window behind her, she felt oddly at home. Taking another large sip of the wine, she leaned her head back, closing her eyes.

"Hey," Luke's sleepy voice came from the living room entrance and she turned her head toward the sound.

He stepped into the room, his eyes never wavering from the beauty basking in the moonlight on his sofa. Her long hair was flowing across her shoulders. Her legs were tucked up under her body in a way he recognized as her comfortable position. Her eyes had been closed peacefully but he was already able to recognize the tension in her face. "Can't sleep?"

"How do you do this?" she asked.

c.o.c.king his head to the side, he strode over, so close she had to lean back to keep her eyes on him. Sitting down on the coffee table facing her so that she would be more comfortable, he asked, "Do what?"

"Deal with the things you find out."

Her voice was barely above a whisper, her anguish written clearly on her face, he leaned forward and took the half-empty wine gla.s.s from her hands and set it down on the end table. Taking her cold fingers in his hands, he ma.s.saged them gently.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I've been investigating a long time. I suppose, somewhere along the way, I became a bit immune."

"What did you do before the Saints?" she asked. "You know almost everything there is to know about me and I hardly know you at all."

Giving her a little tug forward, he kissed her softly. "Oh, I think you know me pretty well after the last couple of days."

Rolling her eyes at him as he moved back, she said, "Such a typical man. Just because we've had s.e.x doesn't mean I know you." Huffing, she leaned back and said, "Tell me. Tell me who Luke Costas is." She watched the hesitation on his face and said, "Please. I really want to know."

Dropping his chin to his chest, he pondered her request before lifting his head back to hold her gaze. "Okay," he agreed, but nodded to her wine gla.s.s. "Give me a minute 'cause I think I'll join you in that."

She smiled as he walked into the kitchen to pour a gla.s.s of wine for himself. Admiring the way his draw-string pajama bottoms hung on his tight a.s.s, she was startled as he headed back to her, his naked chest and abs creating just as stunning a view.

Lifting an eyebrow, he said, "What on earth are you thinking?"

"Just admiring the view," she said with a grin. Patting the sofa next to her, she offered the silent invitation to join her.

After an appreciative sip of the wine, he said, "I don't think there's much to tell, to be honest. My parents were scholars. Loving, but a bit absent-minded. I was the typical nerd boy, picked on in school until I finally hit a growth spurt in middle school, and that helped."

"Helped?" she queried.

"It's hard...for a boy," Luke explained. "If you're big, you have a better chance of being more popular...or at least not being picked on. But if you're not, and especially if you are different in any way, then you're much more likely to be bullied."

Her heart automatically ached for the bullied child he had been, understanding in her eyes. "What happened?"

"I was lucky. We had these great neighbors-he's the one I told you taught me about karate. With his help, I learned to defend myself and work out. With my pre-adolescent growth spurt, I was more confident."

"I heard about you when I went to MIT," she confessed.

"What'd you hear?"

"You were kind of a legend in the Engineering program. You had just graduated and were super smart...even by MIT standards. I used to look at your picture on the wall as the past Engineering Society president and have to admit...I was smitten."

"Smitten?" he laughed.

Giving his arm a playful slap, she admonished, "Don't make fun of me." Hesitating for a moment, she added, "We met...once."

His brows lowered as his mouth opened slightly, surprise on his face. "When?"

"When you came back after you graduated to give the speech. I was the girl who tripped going into the building."

A flash of memory flew through Luke as his confusion melted into a smile. "That was you? I was so nervous thinking about giving a speech to an auditorium full of people that I rushed away too quickly."

"I was just a dorky freshman and you had been such a campus hottie."

Leaning over to place a soft kiss on her wine-flavored lips, he whispered, "I like being your hottie."

Licking her lips, she stared at him, not believing that the man she used to drool over years before was now kissing her. Blinking rapidly to keep from being overwhelmed by his presence, she ordered, "Keep going. Tell me all about you."

Offering a self-deprecating shrug, he said, "I took a job with the CIA out of college."

At that, her eyes bugged. "Really. The CIA?"

"You don't have to be impressed," he added. "I thought it would be exciting and, while I turned down some very lucrative private offers, working for the government seemed the right thing to do. But I was stuck in a cubicle writing security code all day."

"Why did you leave?"

"Just when I thought I would make a difference the bureaucracy would get in the way. Security didn't want to clear a new program that I wanted to use. The higher ups said they wanted cutting edge programs but then the security nixed everything. I felt like I was always. .h.i.tting a brick wall."

"Then what?"

"I met Marc on an a.s.signment. He was a pilot for Homeland Security and then for the CIA. I was actually given a field a.s.signment and he was the pilot. We became friends and he was just in the process of interviewing with Jack, having served with him overseas." Chuckling, he said, "We couldn't have been more different, but we bonded."

c.o.c.king her head to the side, she asked, "Different? How? All of you Saints seem sort-of alike."

Eyes wide, he shook his head, incredulously. "Alike?"

Giggling, she said, "You know. Tall. Big. Muscular. Kind of larger-than-life. And definitely alpha."

Hearing her giggle, Luke decided it was the sound he loved the best. And knowing she was now relaxed enough to actually find something amusing was an even better reward.

"Luke, do you remember the night at the bar...when the fight broke out?" Gaining his nod, she continued, "Well, as soon as the first punch was thrown, all the Saints jumped up and immediately created a wall of muscle in front of the women."

"Oh, no," he protested. "Are you going to tell me that we shouldn't have done that? Or that the move was too alpha?"

"No, no," she a.s.sured. "Quite the contrary. I thought it was...nice. Every one of those women I have met so far has been smart and strong. And yet, you all created a safe haven for them in the middle of that chaos. I...guess I felt envious."

"I never told you that I saw what you did to the man in the suit that night. Gotta admit, it was the s.e.xiest thing I've ever seen." He smiled as she laughed out loud again. "I've been telling you about me, but you've got to tell me about the karate."

"A couple of years ago, I took a self-defense cla.s.s at a local YMCA." Her face scrunched at the memory. "It was actually Eli that suggested I take lessons."

"Eli?" Luke asked, unable to hide his surprise.

"Yeah. He knew I wasn't living in the best apartment building at the time and he said he wanted me safe." Her eyes searched Luke's as she added, "As odd as Eli could be, he really was a friend." Heaving a sigh, she said, "I discovered I was good at it and the instructor gave me private lessons after that."

A strange bolt of jealousy shot through Luke at the thought of Charlie's private lessons and what all that might have entailed. A punch on his shoulder jerked his attention back to her.

"What was that look for?" she asked, her eyebrows drawn together.

"Nothing. Well...actually I wondered how private these lessons were?" He cringed at how possessive he sounded, the unfamiliar emotion rocking him.

"Hmmm, would it make you feel better to know that the lessons included his teenage daughter and wife?"

Releasing a held breath, Luke dropped his head. "Okay...busted. Yes, it would make me feel better."

"I'd never done anything like it before," Charlie admitted. "I was the proverbial nose-in-a-book girl. I know you said it was hard for guys, but being the dorky nerd girl wasn't a piece of cake either. And college was no better. I dated rarely, just enjoying friends. And then working for myself, I really found out what lonely can be."

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping their wine as the shadows pa.s.sed over the room.

"You know what's crazy?" she finally asked. Seeing his curious face turn back toward her, she said, "Being on the run for the past five months has been lonely. Scary. And the nightmares of remembering his murder have been horrifying." Running her finger around the rim of her gla.s.s, she paused, sucking in her lips.

"Go on," he whispered.