A Dangerous Liaison Part Four Read online

  A Dangerous Liaison

  Part 4

  PUBLISHED BY:

  Melanie Brooks

  Copyright © 2015

  www.melaniebrooks01.blogspot.co.uk

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.

  Chapter 1

  Petra

  “The son of a bitch can’t have gotten far,” said Gabriel, looking toward the woods that encircled Statton’s log cabin – his breath misting in the cool evening air.

  Cooper, Gabriel, and I were outside Statton’s log cabin, near the Avezano National Park, northeast of Rome. Cooper looked like he’d gone fourteen rounds with Mike Tyson. His jaw was swollen and he had the makings of a black eye, a real peach.

  Before Cooper or I could answer, Uzbeke appeared from the darkness of the trees, looked around for a moment, then made a beeline toward us. He walked with short angry strides and kept his eyes on the ground until he reached us. His face told me he had bad news before he opened his mouth.

  “He’s gone,” said Uzbeke abruptly, like he wanted to confess to his failure before anyone blamed him.

  Even in the failing light I saw Cooper’s cheeks flush red. Then his face contorted in a grimace twisting the bruises on his jaw.

  “Dammit!” he said, slamming the palm of his hand hard on the hood of the Alfa Romeo parked next to us. “Damn that bastard to hell.”

  Cooper was hurt but I didn’t think the physical pain bothered him. It was the damage to his pride that really stung. He was blessed with intelligence, good looks, and ambition – the three qualities Gabriel had half-jokingly told me you needed to get on in the Bureau. In fact Gabriel had once said Cooper had more ambition than any agent he’d seen in twenty years of service. It was as if he had to succeed. But whatever the reason, since joining the Bureau Cooper had shot up the ranks. And now he was widely recognized as one of the best Section Chiefs the Bureau had. He was expected to make Assistant Director in the next few years.

  So Cooper was used to winning. Especially against people like Alec. I guessed Cooper saw Alec as just another ex-army grunt, albeit one who’d spent a few years in the SAS. So being beaten by him – being physically overcome, having his own cuffs used on him – that would have been the ultimate humiliation. Still, his reaction seemed so intense I wondered if I was missing something. Was there some other reason for Cooper’s hating Alec?

  Gabriel cleared his throat.

  “We need to stay calm, sir.”

  Cooper glared at him.

  “We’ve just lost our best chance to catch that son of a bitch. We had him in our fucking hands and we let him get away – and you’re telling me to stay calm.”

  Gabriel cocked an eyebrow. I knew what he was thinking. If Cooper hadn’t let Alec get the drop on him Alec would already be in custody.

  “Dammit,” said Cooper again. The bruises on his jaw seemed even more livid. He really wasn’t used to losing.

  I looked back towards Statton’s log cabin. The front door was open and I could see straight through to the corridor where Alec had pushed me up against the wall. He’d been so close I’d felt his heart beating against my chest. Alec was guilty. I knew it. All the evidence said he killed Statton and that woman in Rome. But when I was with him, I hadn’t been so sure. It was as if Alec had hypnotized me.

  I didn’t do it, he’d said. I know you don’t believe me. Right now you can’t. But I will clear my name.

  The words echoed around my mind. They seemed ridiculous now. I’d seen him stab that woman in Rome with a kitchen knife. He’d killed his friend Statton for God knows what reason and he’d damn near killed Cooper with his bare hands. I’d just wanted Alec to be my hero so badly that I’d deluded myself.

  But, however much it hurt, I had to accept Alec wasn’t the man I thought he was. He was a brutal killer – probably a psychopath – and he needed to be stopped.

  Cooper rubbed the flat of his hand over his head, and blew out a long breath, bringing me back to the here and now. “Okay,” he said. “I’m calm. Any idea how we find that bastard?”

  Gabriel eyed him warily.

  “Sir, Reader has the skills to go to ground. He could disappear if he wanted to – live rough in the forest for months. I’m not sure we’d ever find him if he did. We could put his description out – alert the airports – but he’s too smart to be caught like that.”

  I shook my head.

  “No, he wouldn’t hide.”

  Gabriel stiffened.

  Cooper snapped his eyes onto me.

  “What was that, Agent Anderson?”

  I didn’t want to keep going against Cooper and Gabriel. I was getting tired of all these run-ins. But Gabriel was wrong. If I kept quiet we’d end up looking in all the wrong places.

  “He won’t hide,” I said. “He came to Rome for a reason.”

  Gabriel made a face – but I ignored him.

  “He came here to kill,” said Cooper. “But tonight, he was very nearly caught. Now he knows there’s a full-scale manhunt for him. What makes you think he won’t hide?”

  I straightened up and met Cooper’s stare.

  “Because for one, I don’t think he’s finished. He won’t run. He wants to complete his mission, so that’s what he’ll do.”

  Cooper was staring at me – like I was some kind of exotic animal.

  “By finish his job you mean another murder?”

  I met Cooper’s hard gaze – but didn’t answer. What could I say? We stared at each other for a long moment.

  “And what’s the second reason Reader won’t hide?” said Gabriel, his voice icy.

  I dipped my head, swallowed, then met his gaze.

  “Because that’s not the kind of man he is. He may be a killer – but he’s not a coward. If he came here to do a job he’ll finish it.”

  `

  “No fucking way,” he said. Then he got himself between Cooper and me – protectively pushing me away.

  “Sir, you’ve just got through telling us how dangerous Reader is and now you want Petra to be bait?”

  “I’ll do it,” I said over Gabriel’s shoulder. “At least I’ll try – but I’m not sure he’ll fall for it.”

  Cooper put his hands on his hips and smiled slightly.

  “Oh, he’ll fall for it alright, Petra. I don’t think he can resist you.”

  ***

  We spent the next couple of hours prepping the scene for the Italian forensic team. They were already en route from Rome and should arrive pretty much when we were ready to go.

  By 9 p.m. I was sitting in the back of one of the Alfa Romeos. Cooper was in the back with me. Gabriel was up front, and Uzbeke was in the driver’s seat. We were going to head back to the station in Rome and take stock. It was all very well, me agreeing to be bait to bring Alec in, but I had no reliable way to contact him. I had his cell number. But that was a few days old already, and I knew he had a thing for changing his phone like other people changed their clothes. When we were in Rome and had a plan of action, I’d try the number, of course, but the chances were it would be dead, in which case we’d be out of options. We’d have to wait until Alec contacted me – if he did.

  Uzbeke fired up the engine and pointed the car toward the dirt track leading out of the woods and back to the highway.

  Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz.

  The noise was coming from the chest pocket of my jacket – where I’d put my cell.
r />   Gabriel twisted around in his seat and stared at me. Cooper’s eyes were already fixed on mine.

  It could have been anyone, but somehow we all seemed to know it wasn’t.

  “Stop the car,” barked Cooper to Uzbeke – not breaking eye contact with me.

  Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz.

  “Well, for God’s sake answer it,” said Cooper, jerking his head toward my jacket pocket.

  “Right.”

  Holding my breath I snatched my phone out and looked at the screen.

  “It’s him,” I said. “A text.”

  My fingers shaking, I opened the message.

  Petra. I’ll be in touch soon. Remember you can’t trust Cooper.

  I flipped the phone around to face Cooper, then Gabriel. Cooper snorted.

  “Looks like the son of a bitch has a sense of humor.”

  Then he grabbed my wrist, shoving the phone back toward me.

  “Text him back. Tell him you want to meet.”

  I glanced at Gabriel.

  “Don’t look at him. You’ve already agreed to do this, Agent. And if you’re having second thoughts I’d want to know the reason why.”

  “I’m not having second thoughts, sir.”

  “Good. Then text the son of a bitch. Tell him you want to meet him.”

  I typed out the message – my fingers felt clumsy and numb.

  I need to see you.

  A second later my phone buzzed again.

  Not now – too dangerous. I’ll contact you on this number.

  Cooper leaned over and grabbed my shoulder, then squeezed so tight I winced.

  “Say you can’t wait. You have something important to tell him.”

  I nodded and typed out the message. A few seconds later the answer came back:

  Where?

  I flicked a glance at Cooper. He shrugged. I thought for a moment, then typed.

  The café on Pantheon Square. Tomorrow at 3 p.m.

  My phone buzzed again.

  Okay. I’ll be there.

  I sat back in the seat – feeling some of the tension leave me. It was done. For better or worse it was done.

  “Tell him you believe in him.”

  Cooper’s words knocked me out of my trance. I looked at him. His eyes were glinting slightly and his mouth had turned up a little at the edges. He looked like a schoolyard bully, although one who’d taken a bad beating.

  Suddenly my mouth was dry. I felt bad – very bad – and what I was doing felt like a betrayal. I swallowed.

  “What?”

  “Tell him you believe in him – you trust him.”

  “Sir, is that really necessary?”

  Cooper leaned closer so his lips brushed my ear. “Do it.”

  Feeling sick, I typed in the words.

  Chapter 2

  Petra

  “Would you like another, miss?”

  I jerked and looked up at the waiter, then flushed. I’d been staring into the distance, lost in my thoughts again. It was becoming a habit. The waiter leaned over me. He was a typical Italian man. Dark hair, a glint in his eye, and a way of moving that reminded me of a cat. He gestured at the empty espresso cup on the table.

  “Miss?”

  I glanced at a silver clock on the wall behind the bar: 3:10 p.m. Alec was supposed to be here at 3. For the tenth time since I’d arrived I picked my iPhone up off the table, and frowned. There were no messages.

  “Sure,” I said, smiling thinly. “Why not.”

  The waiter nodded and hustled off, deftly negotiating the tightly packed tables back toward the bar. I sighed and pushed a stray lock of hair behind my ear.

  Where the hell is Alec?

  Hszzt. Hszzt.

  Static from my earpiece made me flinch. Cooper and Gabriel were listening in. They’d both wanted to arrest Alec as soon as he arrived. But I’d persuaded them to wait until I signalled them. I’d told them I’d get Alec to tell me who he was working with, and how he was targeting the victims. Then they could take him.

  I looked past six or seven tables packed with customers to the front door of the café. Where is he?

  Maybe he’d changed his mind. Maybe he’d guessed I’d been lying to him – that this was a trap. I shook my head. No, it wasn’t that. I’d been convincing enough. I’d almost believed it myself. Probably because half of what I’d said had been true. But that’s what they say, isn’t it? The best lies have more than a grain of truth.

  I sighed. I couldn’t make Alec arrive, so I might as well try to relax. But of course I couldn’t. The feeling that I’d betrayed him had been eating away at me since we’d arranged to meet. Since I’d texted him that damn message.

  I believe in you, Alec.

  I knew my guilt was completely irrational. Alec killed that woman in Rome. And he killed Statton. What I did was justified. I didn’t like to lie – but sometimes it was necessary. So why did I feel so bad? I didn’t have to wait long for the answer.

  He was the only person who ever meant anything to you, said a voice in my head. And you betrayed him.

  Before I knew what was happening my eyes were wet, and a moment later tears streamed down my face. I knew in seconds I would be sobbing uncontrollably. Great wracking sobs from the pain I’d been holding inside my whole life. For a moment I wanted to let go. It would feel so good to stop fighting.

  But then, thank God, an image of Alec standing over that poor woman with a knife in his hand flashed in my mind – and my emotions flipped like a somersault – from guilt to anger.

  I grabbed a tissue from my pocket and wiped my eyes. Jesus. I was an emotional wreck. “Pull yourself together, Petra,” I murmured to myself for the umpteenth time. “Pull yourself together.”

  I blew my nose, looked furtively around the café to make sure no one had noticed my near meltdown, then placed my hands flat on the table, took a deep breath in, and blew it out slowly.

  Dammit, Petra, I thought, you have to get control of yourself.

  But I knew that part of me still hoped Alec wouldn’t turn up. I hated that part of me because it was weak and deluded. It was the part that had yearned for a mystery man to fill my life for the last fifteen years. It had made me latch on to Alec as my savior. And even now, when I had hard evidence that Alec was a killer, that weak part of me still wouldn’t believe that he was anything but my hero.

  What an idiot.

  The waiter put my espresso on the table, placed the bill beside it, and hurried off. The café was getting busier. I took a sip of the coffee, put it back on the table, and then blew out another long breath.

  I had to give up trying to work out why Alec did what he did. I knew he was a murderer, and that was all that mattered. He had to be stopped before he did it again. And for my own self-respect, because he’d made such a fool of me, I had to be the one to bring him in. I wasn’t going to take any notice of the whiny voice in my mind that said Alec was innocent.

  I ducked my head and rubbed my forehead. Jesus, what a mess.

  “Petra.”

  A shiver went down my spine. My hand shook. It was him. I blew out through pursed lips, trying to steady my nerves. I had to hold myself together. I had to make him believe I didn’t think he was a murderer. Slowly, I looked up and met his gaze.

  “Hello, Alec.”

  He stood on the other side of the table. His eyes were red-rimmed and twitchy, like a hunted animal. His strong jaw was rough with twenty-four hours’ worth of stubble. His clothes were crumpled like he’d slept in them. But somehow he looked like he had the inner strength to keep going whatever he came up against. Somehow he looked too… honorable – that was it. He looked too honorable to be a serial killer. But I knew what I’d seen.

  We stared at each other for a long moment. As the seconds ticked by I felt that yearning grow inside me. But I pushed it away violently. I wouldn’t allow myself to lose control again. Alec sat down on the seat opposite me, put his elbows on the tabletop, and leaned forwards.

  The thick muscles in h
is neck corded as he spoke. “Petra, are you okay?” he said huskily.

  I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Focus, I thought. You’re here to do a job. Somehow I had to get Alec to tell me who he was working with – and why he was targeting American citizens in Rome. Then I could let Cooper take him.

  When I thought I had at least partial control of my voice I said:

  “I’m fine. And you?”

  Dammit, I thought. I sounded so awkward he was bound to know I was playing him.

  The corners of his mouth turned up slightly. But most of the smile was around his eyes.

  “I’ve been better.”

  My stomach flipped. Alec looked just like the man in my dreams

  He leaned closer – his eyes locked on mine.

  “I don’t have much time, Petra,” he said. “What is it you need to tell me?”

  I hesitated. I’d forgotten that was the premise for getting Alec to meet me. I’d nothing to tell him. At least nothing he’d want to hear – so I answered his question with another.

  “Have you gotten anywhere… with finding the killer?”

  He blinked.

  “No, not really. Not yet.”

  His face looked tired. I wanted to reach out and caress his cheek. My hand was halfway across the table before I yanked it back. I looked away – grimacing. It was as if my body wasn’t my own.

  “Do you have any theories?” I said, looking sharply at Alec. “Any idea what ties this all together? Any evidence?”

  He paused. “Maybe I already know.”

  My stomach clenched again. Was he going to confess? I wasn’t sure if I could bear to hear it.

  He sat back, pushed a strong hand through his wiry hair, and sighed.

  “Petra, I’ve spent the last twenty-four hours racking my mind – going over the facts. But in the end I realized chasing down leads wasn’t going to get me anywhere. The answer had to be in my mind – not outside.”