The Perfect Murder by Kat Martin

FORTY-ONE

The jet landed at the Dallas Executive Airport late in the afternoon. Reese’s cell phone started ringing as he descended the metal stairs onto the tarmac. Hawk’s name appeared on the screen.

“Good news,” Hawk said. “Good for Kenzie. Not so good for Jeremy Bolt.”

“What’s going on?”

“Bolt’s dead. Better yet, the narcissistic bastard left a room full of trophies, one for each of his kills. He had Lee Haines’s photo, a photo of Kenzie, and a spent shell casing from Kenzie’s pistol that he used to kill the guy. All we have to do is wait for the cops to find it, which hopefully has already happened. It shouldn’t take too long for Kenzie’s name to be cleared.”

“I can hardly believe it. That’s really good work. Thanks, Hawk. If there’s anything you ever need—and I mean anything—you call me. Okay?”

“I’ll keep it in mind. I heard what happened on the boat. You okay?”

“Fine, considering how much seawater I drank. Kenzie saved my life. And from what I’ve been told, she damned near died trying to do it.”

“She’s a keeper, bro.”

“I know,” Reese said gruffly. The call ended and he caught up with Kenzie near where Reggie stood next to an SUV limo. “That was Hawk. He took care of your problem. The cops have to work things out, but it shouldn’t take long before your name is cleared.”

“Oh, my God, really? Are you sure?”

“Bolt’s dead, but he left plenty of evidence behind, trophies of the kills he made—including Lee Haines. If it goes down the way Hawk thinks, it won’t take long.”

Kenzie threw her arms around his neck. “You did it! Thank you! Reese, I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”

Reese’s drew her snugly against him. “You’re welcome, but you should be thanking Hawk.”

“True, but if it weren’t for you, I never would have met him, and I’d probably be in jail.”

The notion chilled him. I love you, baby, he thought. I love you and I’m not letting you go.

He wanted to say the words, but he wasn’t sure what Kenzie would say when he did. And with Ryker walking a few feet behind, now was not the time.

Add to that, there was his old nemesis, Troy Graves. If he was right and Graves was behind the accidents—including the two that had very nearly killed him—the bastard was going down.

From the airport, Reggie drove the limo toward Kenzie’s town house. He hated to leave her, but she had been through enough, and he had Graves to deal with. There was no evidence, just his suspicions, but deep down his certainty was growing.

He considered confronting Troy in his office, getting it all out in the open, hearing what the guy had to say. But as CEO of Black Sand, Troy would have too much control in the workplace. Employees, clients, security people—better to catch him off guard somewhere else.

“I’m heading in to work,” Reese said as the limo pulled out to pass a slower vehicle. “I can shower and change in my office. I’ve got a couple of things I need to do.”

“You’re recovering from a concussion,” Kenzie reminded him, as if the headache throbbing at his temple wasn’t enough. “You shouldn’t be going to work. You need to stay home and rest.”

“The doctor said the head injury was mild, and I won’t stay long.” Just long enough to dig up as much information as he could on Graves. He needed something to connect Troy to the Poseidon. With luck and Tabby Love, he might be able to find it. “I promise to call as soon as I get free.”

She flicked him a sideways glance. She knew him well enough to know there was more going on than what he was telling her.

“If you’re going in, so am I,” she said. “I’ve got as much work to do as you. I assume Jax will be going with us.”

He tried to keep it light, smiled at the back of Ryker’s head where he sat up front with Reggie. “Sure. Got to keep my brother happy.”

Kenzie cast him another skeptical glance as the limo pulled up in front of her town house. Reese carried her overnight bag inside and while she ran upstairs to change, he chatted with Flo. Griff was in school. Reese was happy the boy seemed to be moving forward without too many scars from the trauma he suffered.

From Kenzie’s, the limo took them to the office.

“We’ve got plenty of security,” Reese assured Jax as they walked into the multistory lobby. “The executive floor isn’t even accessible without signing in at the desk, so there’s no need for you to stay. Why don’t you come back at closing, make sure we get home safely?”

Amusement touched Jax’s lips. “I don’t think that’s what Chase had in mind, but I promise to be discreet. You won’t even know I’m here.”

Reese felt a trickle of irritation. He’d been taking care of himself since he was fifteen. He studied Jax’s determined features and a sigh of resignation whispered out. As Kenzie had said, his brother just wanted him safe.

“Okay, fine, whatever. We’re headed upstairs. I’ll be in my office.”

Jax nodded, rode up with them to the executive floor, then disappeared, presumably to check out building security.

Looking forward to getting out of the clothes Kenzie had scrounged from his Houston apartment that morning and brought to the hospital, Reese showered in his private bath and changed into a white shirt and navy blue suit.

While Kenzie worked on his schedule for the coming week, Reese spent the afternoon digging into Troy Graves, his lifestyle, groups he belonged to, articles written about him or Black Sand Oil and Gas, everything he could find on the internet.

He learned the basics, but nothing that could help him. Reese phoned Tabitha Love. “Tab, it’s Reese. I need a little more help.”

“Sure, chief. What can I do for you?”

Reese filled her in on his suspicions about Graves, and half an hour later, Tabby called back.

“What have you got?” Reese asked.

“Just some small stuff so far, but you never know what might help.”

“I’m listening.”

She ran through his biography, born and raised in Dallas, went to Texas University, where Reese had originally met him. “Never married,” Tabby said. “No kids. Inherited half ownership of Black Sand Oil and Gas from his father.”

Nothing new there. “What else?”

“After his dad died, Troy moved into his father’s house, a palatial residence in Bluffview. Two days after his partner, Arthur Haines, was killed, he turned in his old Porsche and leased a new one. Oh, and he’s seeing a woman named Delia Parr, the late Lee Haines’s fiancée.”

Delia Parr. Reese remembered her. Didn’t take her long to get back in the game, he thought. From his impression at the funeral, he wasn’t surprised.

“What about Graves’s finances?”

“Troy’s not the best credit risk. In the last six months, he’s developed a habit of being late on his bills. His mortgage is a couple of months behind. For a while, his spending slowed down, but recently there’s been an uptick. He must think he’s going to have money coming in from somewhere.”

“Yeah, and I think I know where. Anything else?”

“I can dig deeper if you want.”

“That’s enough for now. Thanks, Tabby.” Reese hung up the phone. It was almost closing time. He hadn’t made much progress but tomorrow he’d start again. He was tired, his headache returning, but he was looking forward to his evening with Kenzie.

He was thinking about the things he wanted to say when his intercom buzzed.

“Troy Graves is here to see you, Reese.” He could hear the tension in Kenzie’s voice, felt the same tension settle between his shoulders.

He’d tossed his Nighthawk after the shooting in Shreveport. The Beretta he’d used as backup was in his right-hand top desk drawer.

He reached over and unlocked it. “Send him in.”

The door opened and Kenzie walked into his office, personally escorting Troy into the room. She closed the door behind her, gave him a look that dared him to send her away. She wanted to be there, wanted to hear what Graves had to say. He didn’t like it. He had no idea what Troy might do. But she had saved his life. He figured he owed her that much.

Reese rose behind his desk. “I’m surprised to see you here. You know my assistant, McKenzie Haines. I’d like her to sit in on our meeting.”

Troy’s dark eyes ran over her, took in her stunning figure and softly curling mahogany hair. A knowing smirk lifted the corners of his mouth. “Same old Reese.”

Reese clamped down on a surge of temper. “Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, unfortunately for you I’m still alive.”

Troy’s pupils flared an instant before his expression hardened. “I came to talk to you. Figure things out, you know? CEO to CEO. That’s what we do, right?”

Wariness slipped through him. Men were dead. Graves was involved. How far was Troy willing to go to get what he wanted? “Sometimes.”

Troy’s glance strayed to Kenzie and returned. “You always win, don’t you?”

A sound came from Kenzie’s throat as Troy reached beneath his suit coat and pulled out a semiautomatic pistol, aimed it at Reese’s chest.

Rage burned through him. “I thought you just wanted to talk.”

“It’s past time for that.” Troy kept the gun leveled at Reese, then turned it toward Kenzie. “Get over by the window. You, too, Reese.”

Neither of them moved. Reese considered the gun in his desk. If he could distract Troy long enough, he could reach it.

“Are you sure you want to do this? I can still sign the platform over to Black Sand Oil and Gas. You’d get the rig, and we could pretend none of this ever happened.”

Troy chuckled. “So I guess you haven’t heard. My inside man got busted. The fool kept the money I’ve been sending him under his goddamn bed. I don’t know what the idiot did to get caught, but whatever it was, he promptly spilled his guts. Coast Guard picked him up. They transported him from the Poseidon to the Galveston sheriff’s station. By now there’s a good chance the cops are looking for me.”

“How did you find out?” Reese asked.

“It’s always better to have one spy keeping track of another. The second guy’s job was to keep me informed.” He zeroed in on Reese. “I won’t be needing either one of them anymore.”

Reese glanced at Kenzie. She knew the Beretta was in his desk drawer. As long as he kept Troy talking, he could probably reach it, but he had already killed one man and he was determined not to do it again. If he did, he might lose the only woman he had ever loved.

Kenzie’s eyes questioned him as he ignored the pistol and rounded the desk, putting him closer to Troy.

Troy’s gun hand wavered. “What are you doing?” His grip tightened. “I told you to get over by the window.”

“There’s still time to talk,” Reese said calmly. “You’re an important man in Dallas. With a good attorney—” Reese lunged and Kenzie screamed as the two men flew through the air and landed hard on the floor. Reese gripped Troy’s wrist, fighting for control of the pistol, and Troy pulled the trigger, sending shock waves across the room.

Reese squeezed harder, banging Troy’s wrist on the floor until the gun fell from Troy’s hand, but Troy jerked free and rolled to his feet. Reese followed, kicking the gun out of Troy’s reach.

The door swung open as they faced each other, circling now, taking each other’s measure. Jax stood in the opening, gun drawn, but Reese just shook his head.

Troy moved in and swung a blow Reese ducked, then straightened and hit him with a left-right combination. Reese counterpunched, hitting Troy hard in the jaw, but Troy stayed on his feet.

“Looks like your skills have improved since college,” Reese said.

“It’s all about motivation.” Troy flashed a feral smile. “I’ve always wanted to kick your ass.”

Reese’s jaw clenched. “Come and get me.”

Taking the bait, Troy stepped into the trap Reese had set. Troy swung, Reese ducked and threw a series of punches that drove Troy back against the wall. A framed photo of Reese with his brothers hit the floor and glass shattered as he moved in to finish Troy off, knocking his head back again and again, then throwing a last hard punch that rang Troy’s bell and sent him crashing into a table, knocking it over. He landed unconscious on the plush gray carpet.

Ryker rushed into the office and in seconds, Troy was cuffed and sitting on the floor, his back against the wood-paneled wall.

“Cops are on the way,” Jax said.

But Reese was already walking toward Kenzie, then pulling her into his arms. “I’m not the same man,” he said to her. “I hope you believe that.”

Kenzie looked up at him, emotion in her face. “You’re the best man I’ve ever known, Reese Garrett, and I love you.”

The last of the ice in his heart melted away. “I love you, too,” he said. And then he kissed her, in front of half the staff clustered at the door. And his bodyguard.