Grafted into Deceit (Intertwined Book 3) Read online

  He continued to shift from one foot to the other, and beads of sweat broke out on his tanned forehead. His left eye twitched, but he held Marina’s gaze. Was he hiding something?

  Marina clenched her fists. “I don’t understand why Iris asked me to oversee the deliveries if she didn’t trust me to do it.”

  Mack stared up at the ceiling and groaned. This wasn’t the first time the trust issue had come up between Marina and Iris, and his exhaustion of it showed. He squared his clipboard with his chest and redirected his attention to her. “She trusts you. She was worried because she couldn’t get in touch with you. That’s all.”

  “Then why didn’t she send you to check on me?”

  “I was coming to your house next, Marina. Good grief. What’s got you all suspicious of everybody?”

  Marina brushed her hair from her face again and dropped her hands to her side. “I’m sorry, Mack. I’m on edge from the wreck, plus almost being run down, being shot at, and having a sleepless night in the hospital. I’m kind of suspicious of everyone now.”

  Mack squinted at her as his neck lurched forward. “Someone shot at you?”

  “Twice,” Steven spoke up from behind Marina.

  She swiveled toward him and flinched at how intensely he stared at Mack. He was still on full alert and must suspect Mack of something. His suspicions were off base, though. Mack had a streak of spite now and again, but he was as gentle as a three-toed sloth most of the time.

  Steven was indeed right about the shootings. She’d been shot at twice—even if the second time had been nothing but a paintball gun. It’s like they were toying with her, like they wanted her to know they were watching her, wanted to prove a point that they could hurt her whenever they were ready.

  Mack stared down at Steven and puffed out his chest like a baboon. Marina would have laughed if strain hadn’t painted his face. “Twice, huh?”

  “Yep, twice.” Steven shifted the box from one hip to the other and didn’t seem intimidated by Mack’s attempt at dominance.

  “Did you catch whoever did this?” Mack glared at Steven.

  Steven pointed to himself with his thumb. “Me?” He tightened his jaw, as if gearing up for a fight.

  Mack laughed and assessed Steven’s attire. “Yeah, you’ve got cop written all over you.”

  Steven straightened his shoulders. “I—”

  Mack waved his phone and the clipboard in front of him. “Look, Marina’s like a sister to me and Iris. If you can’t catch whoever’s after her, I’d be glad to take care of this myself.”

  “That won’t be necessary.” Steven’s eyes twinkled, like the thought of Mack, the gentle giant, taking down a criminal amused him. “We’ll catch him. I promise you that.” He stepped closer to Marina and captured her gaze with his. “I promise.”

  Marina smiled, and her heart squeezed. Finally, she had a protector. She loved her independence like she’d told Steven before, but that self-sufficiency had caused her to drive people away. This time, she wouldn’t drive him away. At least not until she had her answers.

  Mack coughed and broke their captivation with each other. “I hate to break up this, uh, moment between you two, but I’ve got work to finish.” Shaking his head and smirking, he left out the back exit to the main greenhouse.

  Marina pulled her keys out of her purse and aimed her gaze toward Steven. “Sorry about that. He always teases me.”

  “Guess he thought we were on a date?”

  “Guess so—which is funny because you’re law enforcement.”

  They exited the building, and she locked the door behind them. She opened the rear door on the passenger’s side, so Steven could drop the box in there then climbed into the front seat.

  “Why’s that funny?” He jumped in on the driver’s side.

  “He knows I don’t date cops.” Marina bit her bottom lip and held her breath. Had she really blurted out that tidbit of information? Maybe if she closed her eyes and wished hard enough, the words would disappear from where they hovered between them.

  He raised an eyebrow. “But Mark was a cop.”

  “Okay, so I don’t date cops anymore.” She had to stop hurling the first thoughts which came to her mind without thinking about their effects on people. Besides, he hadn’t asked her on a date anyway. He was probably married. “I mean—”

  Steven waved her apology away. “No need to explain.” He picked up the pretzel rod he’d left in the cup holder and headed to the end of the gravel drive. “Your dating life has nothing to do with this case, so it’s none of my business.” He took a bite of the pretzel and focused on the road.

  In an instant, whatever bond she’d felt with him before dissipated. Because of her flippancy, his law enforcement persona returned.

  But he didn’t need to know why she didn’t date cops, and since her reason involved his brother, she wouldn’t share. He was still grieving Mark’s death, and finding out Mark had tried to assault her and use his fellow police officer pals to blackmail her would crush him, if he believed her. If not, it could start an argument she’d probably lose.

  “I noticed a picture of Mack and a Jamaican woman in the lobby. Is that Iris?”

  “Yes. She’s Chinese-Jamaican but American born.”

  “The guy driving the pickup truck appeared to be from the Caribbean.” He stopped and looked both ways, the afternoon sun bidding them goodnight off to the west.

  “She’s not related to anybody like that.”

  “Okay.” He shrugged and seemed to let the subject go for the time being. “Which way?”

  “To the left, toward 41.”

  “You don’t live near here?”

  “Um … no. I can’t stand the isolation of the country. It’s fine to work out here because traffic is never bad, but I’ve got to be closer to stores and restaurants … and not near deer or people who jump out in front of my car at night.”

  Steven chuckled. Maybe he hadn’t locked himself away yet.

  “What about you?” What kind of place would a narcotics detective call home?

  “I live in a three-story on Pine Lake. My grandfather left it to me when he passed away a few years ago.”

  “Nice.” Waking up every morning to the sun glistening on the sparkling water would be the highlight of any day Marina had. Unless there were snakes. “Do you have problems with snakes? I can’t stand them.”

  Steven nodded. “Sometimes.”

  “See, I need to be in the center of town. I have a much better chance of avoiding snakes there. They don’t like the city or towns, you know.”

  “There are snakes in the city and in towns.”

  She grabbed the console with her left hand, and her eyes bulged. “There are?”

  “Two-legged ones, yes. I see them all the time.”

  Marina laughed at this man who kept surprising her with his mood changes. She hadn’t expected his comedic relief. No doubt he’d seen his fair share of two-legged snakes.

  When the vehicle lurched, her laugh halted.

  Steven seized the wheel with both hands and maneuvered the SUV over into a turn lane ahead of the embankment Marina had crashed into less than twenty-four hours earlier.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I think somebody shot out my tire.”

  Marina gripped the dashboard. “This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening.”

  “Hang tight.” Steven undid his seatbelt and kicked open his door.

  She grabbed for his arm, but he moved like a panther and slipped from her reach. “Where are you going?”

  He held out his hand. “Stay here!” Without altering his plan, he slammed the door and abandoned her.

  Marina watched as Steven drew his weapon and surveyed the area. Sweat poured down his face. He wiped his eyes and assessed the damage then holstered his gun. He was probably ready to get rid of her, for her safety and for his own. She had a target on her back, and being with her endangered him.

  Whoever trailed them didn’t se
em to have murder in mind. Yet. But he did enjoy playing with his victims instead. So far today, there’d been the mysterious flowers and then the cruel joke of the hits with the paintball gun. None of this made since. Why didn’t they kill her and get it over with? Why toy with her? She didn’t know anything. Did she?

  Could Steven single-handedly take down whoever had shot at his car?

  Marina’s heart pounded as Steven stomped to the rear of the SUV and opened the hatch. He tossed aside his vest and a box of flares, ripped up the carpet to expose the spare tire crank and jack, then he released the tire from its holder underneath the car. At least the sun hadn’t gone down yet. The last thing they needed was a repeat of last night.

  “Do you need any help back there?” Marina called.

  A gust of wind whipped across Steven and rustled his hair the same way it rustled the leaves on the ground. The rain-laden clouds threatened to empty their contents on them at any minute.

  “No, stay there. I’ll have the tire changed in a few minutes. Stay on the lookout, though. If someone did shoot this tire out, one of us could be next.” He slammed down the hatch.

  While he was preoccupied with changing the tire, Marina considered who was behind the attacks and if the occurrences were related to what was going on at work, but she couldn’t connect any of the dots. Taking a chance Steven would be angry with her, she climbed out of the vehicle and slipped down to the scene of the accident through prickly twigs and sharp rocks which threatened to destroy her bare feet. She should have stayed and done as Steven asked, but she had to see where she’d crashed.

  “Marina! What are you doing down there? I told you to stay in the car.”

  Marina pivoted toward Steven. His face matched the anger in his voice and revealed his readiness for an argument. Instead of a fight, though, she crumbled to the kudzu-covered earth in a heap. Another gust of wind ripped at her hair and dress. Rain would be here soon.

  This would be a perfect time for the killer to take them out of the game, and it would be her fault if it happened. Her bare feet added to the danger because she wouldn’t be able to run fast through this terrain if someone attacked them.

  In a few strides, his hand on his gun, Steven came to her side continuing to keep watch on their surroundings. “What are you doing? I told you to stay in the car,” he repeated.

  “But I—”

  He scowled causing his eyebrows to meet in the middle. “But nothing. Do you want to get us killed? I can’t protect you if you run away from me.”

  “I wasn’t running away,” she screamed.

  He locked his knees. “Well, what were you doing then? You’re defenseless with those bare feet of yours.”

  “I needed—”

  He interrupted her, and her temper flared. “I don’t think you know how serious this situation is.”

  “No, I do.”

  “Until we know who the enemy is, we have to be on guard at all times. You can’t leave my side until I get you home.” Was that worry flickering in his eyes?

  Steven sighed then held out his grimy hand to her, didn’t even bother wiping it on his suit first. She looked up at him and then again at his hand. Disregarding the grime, she accepted his offer.

  When he pulled her to her feet, she slipped into his arms. Heat radiated from his chest when she tucked her head underneath his chin and sobbed. His heart raced and both comforted and scared her at the same time. Even through her distress, her heart tingled in response to his.

  Then she wiped the tears from her face and steadied her heart. She couldn’t become distracted by the protection Steven offered her. Her to-do list was too long to let her mind wander down a path that could only lead to failure. Disappointment. Rejection. Loneliness.

  Besides, in a few days after he’d caught his criminal and buttoned up his case, he’d move on to the next one. His kindness was part of his duty to serve and protect. Nothing more. It’d be best if she kept her mind on the case and figured out the cause of the business’s missing money.

  After a moment of holding her, Steven’s now calm and smooth voice drew Marina out of her thoughts. When he released her, a void took his place. “Are your feet okay?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Now I need to get you home before the rain comes in. I’ve got to report this latest incident with my tire and see if there’ve been any leads on our missing body.”

  “Of course.” She followed him, careful to avoid the sharp rocks.

  He shuffled his feet in the grass and gave an annoyed look to the weeds which clung to his tailored suit pants. “What were you doing down here anyway? I told you to stay in the car.” Now that he’d asked her three times, she figured she had better answer him.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I should’ve listened to you, but I needed to see the accident scene in the daylight.”

  He shrugged. “I understand. You should’ve told me, though. I thought someone had taken off with you while I was changing the tire. I was beginning to think I’d lost my ability to protect you.”

  “No, you’re a great protector. You’ve kept me from being killed several times already, and we haven’t even been together a full day yet.” She laughed.

  Steven copied her laughter and motioned for her to lead the way up the hill to the car. Once she was inside, she buckled up as he stepped around the front to the driver’s side. Before he could open his door, a white van blazed past them and knocked him against the car. Then he fell to the ground.

  Chapter Six

  “Steven!” Marina screamed, unbuckled, and jumped out of the car. “Steven! Are you okay?” She ran around to his side, where the only man who’d attempted to protect her in years slumped on the pavement. Kneeling beside him, she grabbed his face and slapped it several times. “Detective, answer me.” If he was dead, she’d never forgive herself for distracting him from his duties with her wanderings.

  His eyes fluttered open, and he braced on his elbows then surveyed the scene. “What happened?”

  “A white van—probably the van from the hospital—tried to run you down. Are you okay?” She helped him sit up all the way.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  “You need me to drive?”

  “No.”

  “But you’re bleeding.” She reached to wipe the blood from his cheek.

  He pulled to his feet with Marina’s help and motioned for her to get in. “I don’t have time to worry about a little blood. I’ve got to get you out of here.”

  She followed his instructions this time and didn’t delay.

  Once he buckled in, he picked up the radio handset and sucked in a deep breath. “This is Detective Pennington. I’m out on Elm Grove Road near Acres and Fields Nursery and the Southern Hope Ranch. I’ve got Marina Acres with me. Someone shot my tire out and tried to run me down.” He wiped the dripping blood from his face and smeared it on his suit pants.

  “Sir, do you need an ambulance dispatched to your location?”

  “Negative. Whoever shot at us was driving a white van, and he’s gone. I suspect it’s the same van seen at the hospital today when Ms. Acres was shot with paintball pellets. Notify all area units to be on the lookout. I’m getting her to safety.”

  Steven replaced the handset in its holder. “Someone’s determined to get rid of you and isn’t afraid to take me out in the process. Either I’m right and there are drugs being manufactured and sold out of your business, or someone wants kept hidden whatever is in that box of files in the backseat.”

  “Maybe it’s both.” Marina stared out the windshield on alert for the white van as droplets of rain fell. Would she ever arrive home safely?

  ***

  Steven let the gravity of Marina’s realization wash over him like the rain which assaulted the earth. He’d tried to convince her earlier that his suspicions of drug activity and the series of events, including her company’s money problems, could all be connected. She’d resisted that idea.

  Now that she cons
idered his suspicions a possibility, she’d want to be an active player in this game, and therefore, the risks had increased. He could tell she wasn’t the type of person to remain a victim for long. If he couldn’t keep her tucked away at home, she’d endanger herself and risk blowing his case. He’d worked too many long hours on this for that to happen.

  Pulling into the townhome community, he followed Marina’s directions toward her unit. The wipers beat out a rhythm that tried to offer some normalcy to the situation. But there was nothing normal about their circumstances, except the setting sun.

  “Once I drop you off, stay home. Don’t go anywhere without letting me know, so I can send back up.”

  Marina pulled her keys out of her purse. “I don’t plan on leaving. My home is my haven. Besides, I don’t have a car or a phone, remember?”

  “As long as we agree.”

  She nodded.

  “You’ll be reviewing the files in that box, and I don’t want you handling matters yourself if you discover something crucial to this case.”

  Marina emitted a nervous giggle. “I won’t. I’ll go next door and call you if I find anything that’s useful to your case.”

  “Okay.” Steven slowed the SUV as he approached her unit and clicked the wipers down to the lowest speed in response to the slackening rain. He jerked his neck and faced her. “Wait, I heard what you said there. You said you’d call if you found something connected to my case.”

  He brought the vehicle to a stop in the middle of the road and pointed at Marina. “You know that includes if you find evidence that relates to your questions? If these things are tied together, anything you find could be useful in solving my case. You have to treat everything as part of the tangled web that I believe it is.”

  Marina chewed on the inside of her cheek and shook her right leg.

  “Okay?” He eased off the brake and let the SUV coast the rest of the way to Marina’s house.

  She sighed. “Okay. Maybe everything isn’t connected. Maybe one of my employees is stealing money. Maybe someone isn’t growing and distributing drugs out of my business. Maybe—”