Sinner Realized Page 21

  Not for a second.

  The captain was now laying it on a little too thick. The syrupy sweet tone to her voice was failing at covering the venom right below the surface.

  Everything coming out of her mouth smelled like bullshit.

  “So, who did you scoop up?” Nate asked, using her own words. They already knew the team had one man dismissed, but he wanted this woman’s perspective. It might give them something to go on.

  This could be a break.

  “His name is Sergeant Leroy Walker. He has some excellent skills in the field, but he’s bad with people, especially women. That’s why he and Maura had to part ways.”

  Callie pointed out the obvious. “You’re a woman.”

  “Yes, but I don’t go out into the field. He views me as a superior in title only. That works for us, even if it’s in his mind,” Bethany replied, laughing. “Honestly, I don’t really care what he thinks of me as long as he does his job, and does it well.”

  “Why didn't they get along?” Quinn asked. “Was it all one sided?”

  “She likes gentlemen, even in the field, and he is anything but. Leroy is a testosterone-laden rollercoaster. Maura likes her men to behave in a certain way, and Leroy can’t be anyone but who he is.”

  “Is that all you have?” Quinn asked.

  “If you want more than that, you’ll have to talk to Maura or Leroy. I’m just an outsider looking in on this one.” Bethany glanced down at her watch.

  From her tone and body language, they knew she was getting ready to dispatch the conversation. They had pushed her as far as she was going to go.

  Callie knew there was probably enough time for one more avenue of questioning, so she went for it. “I have to ask, Captain, if he’s hard to handle, then why did you take him?”

  Bethany shrugged. “Simple. He’s trained and good at being a Marine. I wasn’t looking to date or marry him. I wanted someone who could do the job, and when it comes down to it, he’s more than proficient.”

  Callie saw the tell that she wasn’t being one hundred percent honest. Her eyes flickered down and to the left. She was fabricating information. Yeah, this woman was keeping something to herself.

  “You’re full of it,” she said.

  The woman looked surprised at being called out. “I am?”

  It was time to lay it on the table. “We know that he had discipline issues, greater than what you’re sharing. No Marine, in her right mind, would saddle herself up for that unless there was a better reason. It’s just not going to happen. So, we have to ask ourselves what the real intent was, and why you’re hiding it.”

  Quinn was proud of his wife. When the doctor had to, she could get down to business relatively fast. She didn't pull punches.

  She sighed. “Okay, here’s the deal. Maura has some mad skills when it comes to strategy. I took on Leroy in hopes that he’d picked up some of her planning skills. If I could learn to do what she does, I might move up in rank as fast as she did.”

  That made more sense.

  “I needed an edge, and Leroy is nothing more than a means to an end. Yes, he’s a pain in the ass, but if he brings me closer to moving up in rank, I’ll deal with his chauvinistic outbursts.”

  They watched her.

  “And?” Callie stated.

  They woman continued, “Plus, if she ever burned out, I could step into her place and take over.”

  Yeah, she was definitely jealous and competitive.

  “We’re going to need to talk to Leroy,” Nate stated. “He’s going to have to tell us what went on and how he felt when Maura kicked him to the curb.”

  She pulled out her phone to read his address off to them. “He lives on base. My guys do. Maura’s are off on their own. It makes it easier for them to go missing for weeks at a time on long missions. Ours are generally a day or so.”

  Callie typed it into her phone and sent it to Quinn and Nate for their records. “Thank you for your time,” she stated.

  “Yeah, don’t go off anywhere,” Quinn added.

  “Why the hell not?” she demanded.

  “You’re one of our top suspects,” Nate stated.

  “What? Why? I was honest with you! I didn't hold anything back from you!”

  “Because jealousy is a damn good motive for killing,” Callie admitted. “You stated you wanted her team. What better reason to hunt her down and kill them all off?”

  The woman stared after them.

  “See you around,” Nate stated, walking away with his field partners. They tried not to laugh, even as they heard her tirade of curses.

  “We pissed her off,” Quinn said.

  Nate grinned wickedly. “Yeah, we certainly did.”

  Callie spoke up, “Good to see that some things never change.”

  Wasn’t that the truth?

  * * * C a r t e r C h r o n i c l e s * * *

  He managed to slip away for a little bit. Maura had gone down to the water to take a dip, and Luke had been thinking about the alarm at his house.

  Maybe thinking wasn’t the right word.

  Obsessing.

  As in it was making him crazy.

  If they were going to be in trouble, then he needed to learn more about the layout of the land. In the event that trouble came a knocking, Maura and Luke needed an escape route to get away. So, like a good Fed, he began working on it.

  The dense trees might be perfect for that.

  As he wandered around, he was cognizant of how far Maura was from him. If she were to scream, he would hear her and be at her side before long.

  That was his priority at the time. Luke wasn’t willing to take any chances-- not with her safety.

  As he rounded a cluster of brush, he found her standing there waiting for him against a tree. He jumped in surprise.

  “Hi.”

  “Jesus! What the hell, Maura!”

  She started laughing at the look on his face. When she couldn’t find him, she began tracking him through the trees. It wasn’t like he was being silent on his trek. He might as well have worn a bell.

  “I’m sorry, but when I couldn’t find you, I was curious as to what you were up to.”

  “I was looking for berries.”

  She wasn’t buying it.

  Not in the least. The bushes she found were on the other side of the cabin. Luke was too smart to wander that far off track. While he wasn’t a Marine, he was still a seasoned Fed.

  “Uh huh. Try again, Mr. FBI.”

  Luke didn't put up a fight, but he wasn’t going to give her everything that was bouncing around in his head. “Okay, you got me. I was wondering if we had to get out of here, what the best route would be. I was trying to learn the lay of the land, so to speak.”

  That she bought.

  “Want my help? I’ve already figured out how I would get out of here. I can tell you my ideas, and you can decide if you’re good with that. I’m a team player, after all.”

  Her smile stole his breath.

  Luke was having a hard time concentrating. Her shoulder length, golden brown bob was dripping onto her t-shirt, making it reveal the delicious curves beneath. Forcing his eyes up to hers, Luke agreed to her offer. After all, if she was with him, then they could wander out a little further from base camp.

  “Okay. How can I turn down a romantic stroll through bug infested trees with a gorgeous girl?”

  “Uh huh.” Glancing down at her watch, he noticed she was playing with the stem. “What are you doing?” he asked.

  She held out her wrist. “You know how the FBI issues watches with compasses in case you get lost in the woods?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Well, ours have coordinates.”

  He looked at her wrist. “That’s pretty handy,” he admitted.

  “Well, when you have to call in Alpha Phantom for extrication, they need to know your exact location. They get bitchy if they have to wander in circles to pinpoint your coordinates.”

  “Good point,” he admitted.<
br />
  When they headed toward the ledge, she shared her plan. “If it were me, I’d go for the rocks,” Maura stated. “In the woods, you’d make too much noise and on the cliffs, the playing field is level. In order to make it hard to be tracked, you have to take the rough route.”

  He understood. “So rocks it is.”

  Moving toward the edge, Luke watched her stand on the very edge overlooking who knew what. She looked ready to jump. Surely, Maura knew better. When she stepped out and dropped out of sight, he rushed over, heart pounding in his chest. He was so scared that he couldn’t even shout her name.

  She laughed as he peered over the edge. “You didn't really think I’d leap before I looked, did you?”

  “You’re scary.”

  Holding out her hand, she helped him jump down to the ledge. Below there was another, but it was in further and hidden from view. “This would be my first hiding spot,” she offered.

  “How would you get down there? First of all, how did you find it?”

  “I looked. I’m trained to see the best places to tuck away when you’re in danger. When you’re moving someone like Oracle, you need an escape route. You can’t let anyone find her. She’s our number one priority.”

  “It’s a she?”

  Maura realized that she told him way too much. “I can’t say any more. I’ve already compromised too much.”

  “You can trust me.”

  She sighed, weighing her options. Technically, this was like a mission in itself. Luke was her partner until they got home. Going against her better judgment, she let him in on as much as she could. “Oracle is a woman and she’s spooky.”

  That surprised him. “How so?”

  “That I can’t tell you, but all I know is the government is VERY attached to her. We move her often from location to location. She’s not to fall into the wrong hands.”

  He was curious as hell.

  “Hey, at least it’s not like plutonium,” he offered, teasing her. “You won’t blow up if you make a mistake.”

  Maura laughed. “Yeah, you’d have to meet her to understand why plutonium would be safer. She’s scary.”

  He let it go. Luke was smart enough to know that Maura was done discussing it.

  “Can we actually get down there?” he asked.

  “How are you at jumping blindly into nothingness?” she asked.

  He started laughing, not sure if she was serious or not. “That depends, but it looks like you found us a hiding spot that no one can see, and we really can’t access. The forest is looking better and better.”

  Maura was about to go out on a limb. “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes and no.”

  She stared at him.

  “You’re a competent Marine, but I think you may be a little crazy. Until I decide which is more prevalent, I’m going with both.” Then, he grinned at her.

  Maura punched him. “Nice one. Come here.”

  Luke stared down at her as she tugged his belt open. “Baby, there’s poison ivy out here. If you want to get naked, maybe we should head back to the cabin. As much as I like doing it in the great outdoors, I don’t think oozing blisters are very sexy.”

  Maura couldn’t help but snicker. “I don’t want to have sex,” she began, then glanced up at him, “Not right this second anyway. I need your belt.”

  “Why, or should I be scared to ask?”

  “I need it for what’s coming next. I’m going to show you how to get into that opening. In the dark, we’d be invisible. That’s what we’d need.”

  He took the chance. After all, what did he have to lose? Luke waited for her to pull it free from his jeans.

  “You’re going to wrap this around your wrist and let me steady you as you swing down.”

  “Oh, no I’m not,” he said, laughing. “It’s official. I made up my mind. You are crazy, especially if you think I’m going to do anything you just said.”

  She held it out. “Yeah, you are going to do it.”

  “Why would I?”

  “If you don’t, I’m going to bust your ass and call you a girl. Oh wait… I’m not afraid and I’m female.”

  Luke took it, unwilling to look like a chicken. He had it bad for this woman, and if it meant risking his neck, he was going to do it.

  “We’ll only use it if you slip. You’re going to lower yourself over the edge, swing your legs, and land in the opening. It’s easy and foolproof.”

  “This is crazy.”

  “This is nothing,” she countered. “If this freaks you out, you wouldn’t last five seconds in my job.”

  He was out of options.

  “You can do it,” she urged.

  There was something he needed first. Pulling her toward him, his mouth crashed down on hers, plundering and stealing all she had to offer. It was hot, steamy, and filled with so much heat that it nearly overheated both of them. When he let go, Luke stared down into her eyes.

  “What was that for?” she asked, caught off guard. Maura couldn’t get her heart to stop pounding in her chest.

  “In case I fall to my death, I want my last taste to be of you. You’d be my dying wish.”

  That touched her like nothing ever had before.

  He wanted her so much, she couldn’t understand the magnitude. Before Lucas Mars, she didn't have a clue.

  Love was the strongest thing ever.

  Finally, Luke did what she asked. He only hoped he’d live to kiss her again. When he was over the edge, he could see the opening. It was actually quite spacious. Maura was lying on her belly, holding onto his arm and the one end of the belt--just in case.

  “Build momentum and land,” she stated, enjoying the feel of his muscled forearm under her fingertips. It rippled with power.

  Yeah, now she was turned on.

  Maura forced herself to focus.

  Swinging his legs, he let go and landed on the ledge. “I’m in!” he exclaimed as he waited for her to lower her body over the edge. It was a big turn on watching the marine in front of him. Before her, he was always into a certain kind of woman. Now, he’d found that females, who worked their body as hard as he did, were the sexiest thing ever.

  Correction--Maura was sexy as hell.

  Only her.

  When she landed beside him, Maura looked around. “This is the first place I would go if we had to escape. What do you think?”

  When she faced him, Luke startled her as he pulled her into his arms. “I think this is the perfect place to make out,” he whispered.

  Before she could reply, his mouth covered hers, giving Maura no chance to protest.

  She melted into his embrace. There was nothing more amazing than feeling safe in his arms. Trailing her hands up his body, they went to his hair and the back of Luke’s neck.

  The second she touched him, the urgency flared. The kiss deepened and Luke wanted so much more. From the frenetic glide of his tongue across hers, there was no doubt that need was binding them together in that moment.

  As quickly as lust came, sanity returned, and he slowly released the kiss. When he saw Maura was just as breathless as he was, it made his heart flip in his chest. She wanted him. He could see it in her eyes.

  It gave Luke hope.

  There might be more than just this.

  “So, this is a pretty awesome cave,” he offered.

  “I think it’s more of a crevasse,” she stated. “But it’ll do in a pinch.”

  “How do we get out of here?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I didn't think about that,” she teased. “My bad.”

  “What? Maura!”

  She started laughing. “Lucas, I do this kind of thing for a living. Come on,” she stated, heading for the edge. Along the side were some really thin trees growing up from the rocks.

  “They don’t look sturdy.”

  She ignored him, preparing to take the leap. “Stay here,” she said, grinning over her shoulder, as she jumped the four feet to the branches.

  He nearly threw up
as she took the leap. He watched in horror and fearful fascination as she caught a branch effortlessly, and then used her feet against the rocks to push herself back.

  A shower of leaves fell from above, but the limber tree bowed toward them, not breaking. When she was back inside the opening of the cave, Maura handed it to him.

  “Jump and then when it stops moving, climb down.”

  “WHAT?”

  She laughed. “Really. It’s easy.”

  “Nothing is going to make me do that.”

  Maura crossed her arms. “What will it take to get you to trust me and just do this?”

  Luke thought about it before answering. “We have an honest conversation first, and then maybe I’ll do it.”

  She didn't like where this was heading.

  Maura could see the look in his eyes, but they couldn’t stay there forever. There was no food or water.

  Finally, she gave in.

  “Okay, deal.”

  Luke held the branch as he stared into her eyes. “When this is all over, then what?”

  Yep.

  This went right where she thought it was going to go.

  He wanted to talk about them.

  Their future.

  The chance at a life together.

  “I’m going to go back to work. I have to take care of the Oracle transport, and then I’m going to have an even bigger issue to worry about.”

  Luke didn't like that she was considering him an ‘issue’. Is that really how she saw their moments together?

  “What would that issue be?” he asked, bracing for her rejection. It wasn’t like he would be shocked.

  “My team is half gone. I have to recruit, study, and train new members. There’s no way I can do half the jobs we do without a full staff. Oracle is the government’s top priority, and we’re the only ones who know about her.” She paused. “Well, us and now you.”

  He was a little relieved that she wasn’t referring to him as the ‘issue’, but then again, Luke was irritated that Maura didn't even include him in the list of things she had to take care of. It was like he didn't matter.

  It was like he was slotted to disappear when this was all over.

  Yeah, that was a bad sign, despite what they’d been through the last few days.

  This sucked.