She thought about it.

  “I’ll call her then, and if she sounds like she’s in trouble, then I’ll decide my next move.”

  “Watch your ass. If Cavanaugh knows she was with Fogerty and his brothers, then you damn well know he has someone watching the apartment.”

  “He’s pretty stupid then if he doesn’t notice feds watching her place, too.”

  “We said he isn’t bright, and his focus could be on his agenda and on Amelia.”

  “This is terrible. I feel so bad for Amelia.”

  “I don’t think there’s much you can do tonight. She’s on her own. The case is bigger than just her.”

  She hated this. Hated the sensation she felt as Pierre told her the truth, no sugarcoating anything. “Let me know if you hear anything else, Pierre, please.”

  “Of course, April. Be safe.”

  She ended the call and then immediately called Mike Waters.

  “So I gather that you heard what happened in our little town tonight?” he said without even a hello first.

  “What the hell? What’s the plan of action?”

  “Nothing. We can’t do a damn thing because our objective is to get Rosen.”

  “Mike, there’s still connections here, I know on a smaller scale, but it could help to eliminate this threat and cut off the method to supplying men like Wegman and Herbano and ultimately Rosen.”

  “That guy who is running things, Cavanaugh, is small time. A greedy shit-ass to boot. He should have stuck to stolen art and hot electronics. Now that he’s stepped it up to arms dealing with terrorists he’s going to get killed or locked up for life.”

  “Do you have anything on Amelia and her involvement with this?”

  Mike was silent a moment.

  “What? What are you not telling me, Mike?” she asked, immediately knowing that he had information.

  “Just chatter, something one of our inside people picked up on. They said Cavanaugh is obsessed with Amelia. That he’s been abusive and keeps making threats. Has her scared and he’s been consistently threatening her.”

  “She needs help.”

  “Honey, she did a job for him the other night.”

  “What?”

  “She delivered a gift, well, that’s what it looked like on the outside, to Herbano at a club thirty minutes from Mercy.”

  “No.”

  “Yes, and then outside, Dominga kissed her.”

  “Oh God.”

  “It looked forced, though, from the surveillance we got. They are definitely controlling her, so she has to be scared.”

  “Wonderful, well, now Cavanaugh just tried to kill one of the men she spent the weekend with.”

  “She won’t be cooperative even if we send someone in there.”

  “She needs protection. I need to ensure that when the shit goes down that Amelia will be safe.” April was firm.

  “You can’t expose yourself for this woman, April.”

  “I didn’t say I would, not unless it’s completely necessary. Help me out, Mike.”

  “You know I would do anything for you, despite you turning me down for a date.”

  “For a bed mate,” she replied.

  “It would be good.”

  “I’m not saying it wouldn’t be, but it would kill our vibe. We work well together.”

  “Excuses.”

  “Whatever, focus here please. What can we do to help her?”

  “Keep Fogerty, Dell, and Watson away from her. Tonight was a warning.”

  “I think Case and that Agent Harper already made an appearance and informed them to stay clear.”

  “That’s pretty fucking stupid. They’re Special Forces.”

  “Yup, but Harper is stupid. I don’t want him screwing this up.”

  “Well then, could be time to make a call.”

  She swallowed hard. “Do it.”

  “Are you sure? He’s local.”

  “I know it’s risky, but I can’t do nothing and let Cavanagh hurt Amelia more. It’s bad enough we don’t know if she’s alone in that apartment or if Cavanaugh is there and doing more damage to her.”

  “Let me see what I can do about that, too.”

  “Thanks, Mike.” She ended the call. She leaned back, her stomach in knots and her mind whirling with ideas to rescue Amelia from this situation, but every scenario would reveal her identity and also put more people at risk. Something had to give with these cases. Something.

  Chapter Seven

  Amelia didn’t even want to go to work. Her ribs were sore, and she could still feel the effects of Cavanaugh’s rage. He was jealous, pissed off, and he ranted and raved as he kicked her and informed her of his plans for her. She had to prove that she hadn’t slept with Fogerty. She wondered how he knew about that. About Fogerty being in her apartment and kissing her as they made out on the bed. Her eyes widened.

  “No, oh God.” She looked around the room, suddenly feeling like she wasn’t alone. Like Cavanaugh could see her every move. She looked around her apartment. She went into her bedroom, which was where she and Fogerty had made out, then the bathroom. She looked at the things on the counter, turned them around, looking for what? She didn’t know, and then she looked up toward the vent. She would have missed it entirely if it weren’t for the tiny red light.

  “He’s spying on me. Oh God, here in the bathroom? I shower, I…” She covered her mouth and cried, felt like throwing up. She walked out of the bathroom and into her bedroom and looked up at the vent. Another red light. “Son of a bitch.”

  She felt dirty, violated, and disgusted. How did things get so bad? How long had he been watching her every move, watching her naked, her shower, her sleep at night, and even cry herself to sleep? She thought about that and the little things he had said over several months. Things that she hadn’t picked up on, but now that she thought about them, she remembered. He must have installed them before they broke up.

  He’d been so angry when he struck her last night. He’d truly wanted to kill Fogerty. She promised him that there was nothing between her and Fogerty and the only way to prove it to him was to push Fogerty away. Cavanaugh wanted her going out to Corporal’s and turning them away, make them see she wasn’t interested and even tell them that she was involved with another man. He would have someone watching.

  He told her that at the end of the week she was going to go with him to do a job, that it was important and would make him a lot of money and would also change her life forever. She was scared. So scared she didn’t know what to do. She even debated about running, or maybe even killing herself, to end all this pain. Especially the pain in her heart. It ached so badly. She was in love with Watson, Dell, and Fogerty. She feared for their lives and felt so guilty about possibly getting them killed. She would go to Corporal’s, and she would deny that she cared for them. She would do it to save them.

  When her cell phone rang, she jumped, afraid of whom it might be. She had ignored texts from the men already and then a call from Watson. She cried some more and then got showered and dressed, which took so long because of her ribs. They could be broken. She wasn’t sure, but they hurt a lot. Now that she knew about the cameras, she didn’t know what she would do. Her stomach ached.

  She saw that it was April and wondered why she was calling. She answered the call.

  “Hey, Amelia, what’s going on?” she asked, all bubbly.

  “Nothing, just getting ready for work.”

  “I figured as much. Wondering if you want to meet for lunch or something or maybe dinner later?”

  “I can’t meet for lunch, too much to do at work.”

  “Dinner then?”

  “I’m going to maybe go to Corporal’s.”

  “Oh, I thought you were doing a self-defense class with Casey.”

  She had completely forgotten about that.

  “I can’t. In fact I need to call Casey and cancel.”

  “Why? Are you feeling okay?” April asked.

  “Yeah, just tired. It was a long weekend.”

  “Ohhh, anyone I know?” April teased. She so badly wanted to tell April about the men and ignore the truth of how her weekend had ended.

  “You don’t have to tell me. Hey, did you hear about last night? Someone took shots at Fogerty’s truck and he crashed, got a cut and concussion. The police said gunshots.”

  “What? Oh God, is he okay?” Amelia asked, and she truly hadn’t heard a word, but she feared he was hurt.

  “Yeah, he’s okay. You know Fogerty. He’s badass Special Forces. I don’t know what it would take to stop him in his tracks. So I’m sure it will be busy tonight at Corporal’s. I bet the whole crew will be there. Do you need a ride?” April asked.

  “No, I should be fine, and I don’t plan on staying long.”

  “Why, is everything okay?”

  “Yes, just busy. I better call Casey to cancel the class.”

  “Okay, hey, if you need to talk, I’m here. Remember that,” April said, and Amelia felt the tears reach her eyes.

  “Thanks, April,” she whispered and ended the call.

  A few seconds later, as she grabbed her purse and painstakingly walked toward the door, someone knocked on it. She gasped then waited a minute.

  She stepped closer to the door and looked out the peephole. Her heart hammered inside of her chest. A cop. Hell, the chief of police. She didn’t know what to do, and then he knocked again.

  “Miss Woods, it’s Chief Farmer. I need to ask you some questions.”

  She swallowed hard and then began to unlock the dead bolts on the door. She opened it up, keeping the security chain engaged.

  “Yes?”

  He peeked in. “Hello, Miss Woods, I need to ask you some questions.”

  “I’m getting ready to leave for work. What is this about?”

  “Your boyfriend Fogerty was in an accident last night. Did you hear from him?”

  “He isn’t my boyfriend. He’s okay though? My other friend just called and told me that he is okay.”

  He looked at the chain. “Can you unlock the door and let me in so we can talk in privacy?”

  She didn’t want to appear suspicious, so she nodded, undid the chain, and then opened the door to let him inside. He walked into her apartment, and he was a big man, tall and very commanding in appearance. He had a little bit of a beard, dark eyes, and was very attractive. She swallowed hard.

  He looked at her. She stepped back and winced at the pain in her ribs.

  “So what do you need to ask me questions about?” she asked, voice cracking. She was shaking, and she tried not to show her fear, but she was past trying to pretend right now. This was a nightmare.

  “As I mentioned, Fogerty was in an accident last night. Someone took shots at him with a rifle. He said he was here and dropped you off around ten. Is that correct?” he asked her, and she felt sick.

  Poor Fogerty. Oh God, she’d nearly gotten him killed. She had to be strong here. She would rather die than see anything happen to Fogerty, Dell, or Watson.

  “Yes, I think so. My God, who would take a shot at him? Some kids being stupid or something?” she asked.

  “No, looks professional. Have you had anyone bothering you or maybe know of anyone who would want to hurt Fogerty?” he asked her, and she gulped and shook her head.

  “Me? No, of course not. I was just hanging out with him and his brothers over the weekend.”

  He glanced around the place, and he looked her over. He squinted. “You have a bruise on your head.” He pointed and stepped closer. She reached up, her fingertips hitting her temple where Cavanaugh had struck her last night.

  “Oh, it’s nothing. I banged it while bending to look into the refrigerator. Stupid me.” She laughed it off.

  “Hmm, well, is there anything you can tell me that may help with the investigation? Anyone threatening you, or maybe you heard of someone threatening Fogerty and his brothers?”

  “No. I don’t know anything.” She looked at her watch. “I’m sorry, Chief, I really need to head to work.” She reached for her purse and hissed for turning too quickly.

  “Are you okay?” he asked her, and she smiled.

  “Of course. I hope that Fogerty will be all right and that you can find out who did this.”

  “We can use all the help we can get, but I assure you, Miss Woods, we will find out who did this, and justice will be served.”

  He followed her out, and she locked the door, top and bottom locks.

  She was trying to hide her tears at the pain each step caused. She couldn’t let on that she was injured because the chief would push her. As he got into his car, she watched him leave and then exhaled. She got into her car and her cell phone rang. She glanced down and saw that it was Cavanaugh.

  “Hello.”

  “What did he want?” he barked at her. She knew he was watching the apartment.

  “To ask me questions about last night and Fogerty’s accident. He’s suspicious.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “I didn’t tell him anything. I said I didn’t know anything, that no one is bothering me or threatening me.”

  “Good, because I have people watching him, and if he comes around again, he’s dead.”

  “No, Cavanaugh, please don’t do anything to him. Please. I said I would cooperate.”

  “Oh, I know you will. Last night’s punishment was only the beginning.”

  She felt the tears spill from her eyes. “No, Cavanagh. Please.”

  “Keep your phone close by. There may be a change in plans for tonight. I’ll call you, and remember, keep your mouth shut.”

  He ended the call, and she covered her mouth and sobbed. She was going to his bed tonight. He was going to force himself on her and beat her into submission, and there wasn’t a thing she could do about it.

  * * * *

  “She’s lying, and she’s hurt. I don’t think you should tell Fogerty and the others quite yet, or they could go to her place and make matters worse,” Caden said to Simon.

  “Fuck, that just pisses me off. We all know damn well that she’s scared out of her mind and that Cavanaugh has a hold on her.”

  “He more than likely threatened to kill Fogerty,” Caden stated.

  “Fogerty has a tail on him,” Aqua said in the background over the phone.

  “What?” Simon asked.

  “He’s got a tail. He just texted me.”

  “Shit. Tell him to keep his cool and not to do anything rash,” Caden said.

  “This is fucking bullshit.”

  “I know, Simon, but we need to be careful or more people could get hurt, and Amelia could, as well. Did you get anything at all with your connections?”

  “Yeah, and none of it sounds good. They’re out to fry a really big fish, and I’m not talking about this Agent Harper or the Case guy either.”

  “What?” Caden asked.

  “Case and Harper were told to stand down and to not involve themselves any further. Sounded like some higher organization is at work here,” Simon told him.

  “Like who?”

  “Like military.”

  “Shit.”

  “Exactly. Our hands are tied right now. All we can do is wait and hope I get a call saying we can take Amelia out of this. At least then the guys can provide protection for her any way they deem fit and the assholes can hopefully be captured,” Simon said.

  “Maybe let Watson and the others know the position things are in. The plan is to go to Corporal’s tonight and help to keep Fogerty and his brothers from doing something stupid if Amelia shows up.”

  “Easier said than done. I know if my woman was involved in something criminal and could be in serious danger because of an abusive ex, I wouldn’t just stand there,” Simon said.

  “Hear ya on that. This is a mess because of the agencies involved and obvious seriousness of the situation. I’ll meet you there by seven.”

  Caden ended the call and wished there was more they could do. If anyone could get info on this and help, it was his brothers, as well as Mike and his team and Fogerty and his brothers. Something had to give.

  * * * *

  April stood by the bar watching Fogerty, Dell, Watson, and the chief of police talking. She immediately noticed two other men sitting not too far from them. They were very good-looking men, had fierce expressions, which matched the others. No one was happy about this. She had gotten a call from Pierre right before she’d gotten here. It seemed that the chief had visited Amelia and that his brothers, two other men she was assuming could be the two big guys by the bar, were Navy SEALs and had connections that surprised Pierre. They were getting closer and closer to the investigation and had even found out that Harper and Case had been pulled from their investigation. The shit was getting worse, and here she was feeling like she could be doing more, yet had to remain quiet.

  She turned away as one of the guys caught her gaze. She was shocked at the way she felt. It was like she sensed him still watching her. She immediately stepped away from the bar and walked toward the other side. She went to take a seat and looked at her cell phone, pretending she was busy. She glanced up, and holy shit, two of them were watching her. The two men she’d thought might be the good-looking chief’s brothers. Her gut clenched, and she decided that maybe this wasn’t such a smart idea, being here like this, but then Amelia entered the bar with Casey and Melina. All eyes went to them.

  Fogerty got up off the stool, and Amelia looked at him and then turned away and toward where April sat. She locked gazes with her.

  “Come sit here,” April said, and Amelia smiled, and Casey and Melina joined them, too. They ordered drinks when Fogerty, Dell, and Watson approached along with the other men. Except the other men, the chief, his brothers, and two others, moved elsewhere but still within earshot.

  “Amelia?” Fogerty said her name, and Amelia’s eyes welled up with tears. She squinted and looked at his head to an exposed cut. She reached up but then pulled back and turned away.

  “Amelia, talk to me. I know something is going on,” Fogerty said.

  “Nothing is going on. I’m sorry, Fogerty, but I have nothing to say.”

  “What do you mean you have nothing to say?” Watson asked.