Undercover Lover, page 13
Pam staggered down the hall until she saw the bathroom and gratefully closed the door behind her. Locking it as quietly as she could, she ran the cold water and washed her face, rinsing out her mouth. When she looked up at her reflection in the mirror, she instinctively reached up to smooth away hair that the breeze was pushing across her forehead.
Breeze?
Pam looked up at the open window and then at the closed, locked door. She could do this, but she had to hurry. Kicking off her shoes, she tossed them outside. Standing on the toilet lid, she balanced on the tank while she decided if it would be easier to go out on her front or back. Front first, she rolled over on her back to scoot out. The cover slipped as she pushed herself out the window. It crashed to the floor, and she heard Vadim thunder down the hall, cursing in Russian.
Wiggling the rest of her body out, Pam fell hard on her shoulder. Shots exploded against the door, and she stumbled to her feet, taking off running. She hadn’t time to pick up her shoes, but she didn’t care. The pain in her shoulder ripped through her, but she refused to feel it. More shots zinged by her as she ran down the street. Weaving into the yard across from Nikolai’s, she passed by a barking dog and rolled over a hedge.
She glanced up and saw that Vadim was coming after her. She got up and started screaming. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know where she was. Heading into traffic, she started waving her hands and looking wildly over her shoulder. A pickup truck stopped for her, and she climbed in.
“Get out of here,” she told the woman driving it. “There’s a man with a gun after me.”
“Hell with that, honey,” she said and pulled down a shotgun from a rack.
“No!” Pam said, trying to stop her from getting out of the truck, but the woman kept mostly hidden behind the door and fired. The noise was deafening.
“I thought so,” the woman said after a moment and got back into the car.
“What?” Pam asked, still cowering on the seat, well below the window.
“He changed his damn mind. Now we can get out of here.” The woman put the big truck into gear and took off at a good clip while sirens blared in the distance. “My name is Josie, by the way.”
“Pam,” she said, holding her hand out before realizing she looked ridiculous cowering under the dashboard. Not ridiculous enough to sit on the seat, however.
“Where can I take you?”
“I don’t even know,” she said. “I can’t go home. I can’t go to work. I can’t go to the police.”
“Why not?”
“I think one of them is working for the man who was shooting at me. Home and work are the two places Vadim will look for me.”
“Vadim being the cue ball chasing you?”
“He killed two people,” Pam said and started to cry.
“We have to call the police. I can tell them that you’re going to be safe with me. You’re welcome to come back to my farm and keep your head down.”
Pam shook her head. “I can’t get you involved in this any more than you already have. Can you take me to the airport?”
The woman paused. “Sure, if you think that’s the best place for you.”
“Once I get passed security, I’ll be good.”
“Who’s after you, Pam?”
“The Russian mob.”
Josie winced. “Can you disappear?”
“No, but I can run for a bit. Just until I figure things out.” Pam knew this trip would max out her credit cards, but it was the only thing she could do.
“They can trace any credit card transaction, you know.”
“I’m going to do a cash advance.”
“Interest charge is going to be hell.”
“That’s the least of my worries,” Pam said.
“You might want to stop at Wal-Mart and get some new clothes.”
Pam looked down at her vomit-speckled shirt and torn pants. Blood from her palms stained what wasn’t covered in grass stains and dirt. “Good point. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Nah, we’ll go to the next town over, just to be safe.”
When they pulled into the parking lot, Josie said. “I’ll wait right here.”
“Thanks,” Pam said, and when she got out of the car, she realized she didn’t have her purse on her. She couldn’t ask Josie to drive her back to her office where it was. But she was helpless without it. She had to clear her head.
“The cops aren’t going to think you killed your friends, will they?” Josie said.
Pam looked up. “No, of course not.” Drake put a lot of garbage out there, but he had to know she couldn’t kill Oksana and Stefan in cold blood. “I’ll be right back,” she said to Josie, still not sure what she was going to do. Limping in to Wal-Mart, she realized she didn’t have any shoes, either. The greeter at the door just stared at her.
Making her way to the bathroom, Pam breathed a sigh of relief when it was empty. She cleaned herself up the best she could. Unfortunately, she still looked like an escaped mental patient. Was it only last night that she and Drake had made love? Only this morning that he’d thrown Darren against her wall and arrested him? It must have been Mark on the phone this morning, filling Drake’s head with Oksana’s poison.
Oksana, who would never do that again.
Pam locked herself in the stall and did deep-breathing exercises until she felt more centered. What she wouldn’t give to be back in her treatment room. That was it. She would ask Josie to drop her off at the hospital. She could take it from there. Her overnight bag was still there. Her purse was there. It was simple. She’d let security escort her into her office to make sure Vadim wasn’t waiting for her. Then she’d take off, maybe go see her parents down in Florida. They’d collapse in shock. But no one would be able to trace her there. They had different last names. Pam and Darren had changed theirs when their father left them homeless.
Pam left the bathroom with more confidence, until she ran into Drake and Mark coming in the front door.
“Mark is sleeping with Oksana!” She pointed her finger. “Don’t listen to a word he says.”
Mark turned a deep shade of red. “Oksana is dead.”
“I know,” Pam said. “I saw Vadim shoot her and Stefan.”
“Jesus,” Drake said and reached for her, but she flinched back.
“Are you taking me in for accessory to murder, Detectives?”
“We want you to come with us. It’s safer,” Mark said.
“I want my damn lawyer,” she shouted. “I’m not going anywhere with you. You’re a dirty cop.” Pam pointed at Mark.
He reared back, as if she’d slapped him. Drake reached out for her again.
“Don’t touch me,” she yelled. “You don’t get to touch me, ever again.”
They were starting to draw a crowd, and Pam was grateful. “Am I under arrest or not, Detectives?”
“No, of course not,” Drake said.
“Then get out of my way.”
“Honey, you have no shoes.”
“I have a ride.”
“No, you don’t. The woman who dropped you off called us. She left.”
Pam sagged in defeat. She had no one. No money, and yes, no shoes. Then a thought hit her. “Where’s my brother?”
“He’s in custody,” Drake said.
“No, he’s not. He spoke to Vadim when I called you.”
This time, Pam didn’t have a chance to move when Drake grabbed her and started hauling her out of the store.
“Don’t say another word until we’re in the car. You’re putting lives at risk,” he said.
“I am not getting in the car with him,” she said, struggling against his iron grip.
“Yes, you damn well are. Otherwise, I’m going to handcuff you and book you.”
“For what?”
“Disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, and resisting arrest.”
Any answers Pam could come up with would make her sound like Oksana. And look what had happened to her. She let Drake put her in the back seat of a beat-up sedan.
Mark claimed the passenger seat as Drake slid into the driver’s seat.
“I’m not a dirty cop,” Mark said, turning to look at her.
“You were passing false information from a murderess to your partner.”
“Oksana never killed anyone.”
“Stefan killed your godfather, Drake,” Pam said and felt a stab of remorse when he went white knuckled on the steering wheel. “Vadim told me, after he killed them. He said Stefan lost his temper and hit him too hard. Stefan and Oksana had to use the bats to cover it up.”
“Vadim was chatty,” Mark said. “How did you get away?”
“I threw up,” Pam said. “All the blood and gore. I just lost it. Vadim couldn’t take me being sick. He could kill two people in cold blood, but a little puke crippled him. He ordered me into the bathroom, and I climbed out the window and ran.”
“Smart girl,” Drake said.
She met his eyes in the rearview mirror and saw a sheen of tears in them. Not knowing how to handle that, she looked away.
“Please take me to the hospital. I have things to get.”
“Like your purse? Or the shattered nesting dolls? What was in them, anyway?” Mark asked.
“Oksana told me Nikolai was fencing stolen museum pieces. She smashed the dolls, looking for proof. She found five medallions, little metal squares with pictures of dead Russians on them. If Vadim didn’t take them from her, they’d still be on her body. Or Stefan’s,” Pam rubbed her head. “I can’t remember who had them.”
“Why did you run?” Mark said.
“Vadim was going to kill Darren and me.”
“You don’t know that,” Mark said.
“He’s a psychopath. He thinks Darren and I crossed him. We’re dead if he catches up to us.”
“Not going to happen,” Drake said.
Pam leaned back in her seat. “I hope you’re right.”
The detectives shared a look, but Pam was too worn out to try to figure it out. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that she realized they weren’t going anywhere near the hospital.
“Where are you taking me?”
“A safe house until Vadim is caught.”
“Absolutely not.”
“What’s the alternative, Pam? He knows where you work. Where you live,” Drake said.
“I was going to hop a plane.”
“To where? He will find you. Him or another one of his degenerate friends.”
“I don’t want this,” Pam said, clenching her fists.
“You think I do?” Drake roared.
“I don’t know what you want,” she snapped back.
“Oh, great,” Mark said. “I’ve always wanted to be in the middle of a lover’s spat.”
“Shut up,” Drake said. “You’re in enough trouble.”
“Where’s my brother?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why did he have your phone?”
“I gave it to him,” Drake said.
“Why would you do that?”
The detectives looked at each other again, but this time, Pam was ready for the argument, spoiling for it.
“Darren loves you very much,” Drake said.
Pam snorted. “We just met again after many years.”
“He went to jail for you. He worked on the inside, gave up his childhood and most of his adult life, all to keep you safe.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Pam, your brother is a mole in the FBI. He was recruited just out of high school to be planted into the vor to help stop them from gaining a bigger foothold on the East Coast.”
“What?” she said.
“He’s a cop,” Drake said.
“You arrested him,” Pam said.
“Yeah, well, he’s a good undercover agent, and his cover is pretty much blown now.”
“Why?”
The detectives exchanged a look again.
“Will you two stop that?”
“Pam, when you ran, Vadim got away,” Mark said gently. “Darren was coming to arrest him and save you. If you had just waited—”
“Stop,” Drake said. “She’s not to blame. This whole thing is a clusterf—”
Their radio crackled. “Logan, you there?”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
“We spotted Vadim by her apartment.”
“Get him,” Drake said, then turned to Pam. “You’re the only witness to a double homicide. The only witness who he told what happened to Nikolai.” Drake turned to Mark. “And that’s why she was right to run. He would have killed her before letting Darren take him.” He looked back at her. “You’re going to the safe house, and you’re staying there. Vy ponimayete menya?”
“I understand,” she said. She understood that her life was never going to be the same.
Chapter Fifteen
Mark left them alone at the safe house and said he’d call if he heard anything new.
“Hey, at least we’ve got cable,” Drake said, trying for a lame joke, but Pam had her arms crossed and she was pacing the floor. “Look, why don’t you go take a bath? The bedroom already has some clothes and stuff for you.”
“How?” Pam turned to look at him.
“When I couldn’t get you on your cell phone, and your receptionist said you went to lunch with your uncle and Oksana, we thought the worst.”
“That I was taking off with my partners in crime? I don’t see how that warrants my bags being packed by the Harding Police Department.”
“We thought you were dead,” Drake said, and the anguish in his voice took the wind out of her sails. “Dmitry went ballistic.”
“Is that where you got the fat lip?”
“Yeah.”
“You deserved it.”
Drake nodded. “I did deserve that and more. The reason Dmitry was in your office this morning is he was going to try to get Oksana to incriminate herself and give him information about Nikolai’s death.”
“It was Stefan,” Pam said. “I still can’t believe it.”
“I can. Stefan had been walking a fine line for years. From what your brother told us, Stefan was chafing at being under his mother’s thumb. His father had been vor, and he wanted his birthright, but his mother wouldn’t let him. Although, she allowed him to associate with Vadim. Dmitry actually was introduced to Vadim by Stefan.”
“They never suspected him?”
Drake shook his head. “His cover was too good, too deep. Because he was bilingual, your brother got the attention of a local FBI recruiter while Dmitry was still in high school. He’s been theirs ever since.”
“He never told me. Never tried to contact me before now.”
“He did it to protect you. He saw you getting involved with Stefan and Oksana, and he didn’t want to see you get involved with them—like your father had been.”
“How was getting tossed in jail supposed to help me?”
“He was able to start in on the ground level and erode their power base. If it wasn’t for your brother and men like him, the vor would have a stronger presence in America. And it made your parents wake up, didn’t it?”
Pam considered it. “Yeah, better late than never.”
“What happened after he got arrested?”
“They moved down South, and I finished high school there. Then I took out a ton of student loans and never looked back.” Pam blew out a large sigh. “And I was so mad at him. Mad at everyone. Where is he?”
“He’s hunting Vadim.”
“Is it safe?”
Drake’s eyes slid away. “It’s possible that his cover is blown, but he’s our best chance of getting close to Vadim. When you called me, we were all in the conference room trying to figure out what to do next. I put the call on speaker phone, just in case, and when Vadim came on, Dmitry took over.”
“Did I really blow it by running away?”
Drake shook his head. “You did the right thing. You’re safe.”
He held out his hands, as if he was going to hug her, but Pam stepped back. “I’m going to get changed. How did my suitcase get here?”
Drake dropped his hands and put them in his pockets. “We sent a car to the hospital and a car to your apartment. When he found your purse in your office, they brought that back to us. I had a female cop pack you a week’s worth of clothes.”
“Why a week?”
“Doesn’t matter,” he said, not telling her about his vacation plans to the Caribbean. She wouldn’t go to McDonald’s with him right now. “Go take your bath and try to relax. I’ll be here if you need me. You’re safe here. No one knows we’re here but me and Mark.”
“Do you trust him?”
Drake nodded. “Yeah. He just was not being smart about who he was sleeping with.”
“There’s a lot of that going around.”
Drake winced. “I deserved that too. I’m sorry for being an ass and accusing you of being involved in all this.”
Pam nodded. “Whatever.” She walked into the other room, leaving him running his hand through his hair.
There was a decent-size tub, and she filled it up with the hottest water she could stand. She put her clothes in the garbage can and sank into the water, hissing a little at the sting from the cuts and scrapes. She should be used to that by now. She had to remember to ask Drake to let her know the name of the officer that packed for her. She’d like to send her a thank you note. Just having her special bath gel made the tightness in her spine relax.
