Tough Justice Series Box Set: Parts 1-8. Carla Cassidy
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and trying to recall how empty her refrigerator was, Lara Grant knew that thinking about Nick Delano would utterly distract her.
Yet another thing she couldn’t afford.
* * *
Victoria looked up from the desk but didn’t smile. The older woman wasn’t in the mood and neither was Lara. After getting back to her apartment the night before, she had tried to rest until finally falling into an uneasy sleep. One that had been interrupted by a call from her boss the next morning. Now Lara sat down opposite the woman, unsure of what it was she had been called in to talk about.
“I’ve tried to avoid this,” Victoria jumped in, interlocking her fingers on the desktop. “But I think it’s time you pay a visit to Moretti and find out what he knows about the Black Stamp Serial Killer. That’s what the newspapers are calling the killer.”
Lara felt her face contort into a blank slate. Thinking of talking to that man again made her blood run cold. Distancing herself from him and everything he had done was easy to do with him behind bars. Talking to Moretti in person—in prison, no less, thanks to her—was a different ballgame. He had become the head of a massive organization, running most of it off of fear. No matter her part in his and its downfall, seeing him was an intimidating thought.
“I’d send the others, but, firstly, I don’t think he’d talk to them, and secondly, I’m not sure I’d believe anything he did say since we know how well he lies. You know that better than anyone.” Her expression softened. It didn’t last long. “And because you do know him, maybe he’ll betray himself somehow, even by his expression, and you can get something from him.” Lara shifted in her seat just thinking of being across from Moretti again after all of this time...”Listen, you’re the only one who managed to bring down the son of a bitch and his entire empire,” Victoria added. “His reaction to you might be interesting. So, let’s see where it leads.”
“It’s leading to murder,” Lara reminded her boss. Victoria didn’t hesitate in her response.
“It could be him behind everything so far. It could be anyone remotely connected to his organization pulling the strings. Either way, we need to find out.” She pulled her hands apart and shifted her gaze back to the papers she’d been looking at when Lara had walked in. “Now, go.”
Just like that the conversation was over.
* * *
The farther she walked down the hallway, the colder her heart became. Whether it was fear or anger, she couldn’t tell. Each step closer to the meeting room, what made Lara, Lara became quickly encased by something she didn’t like. Something that made her want to stop following the guard in front of her and leave the federal maximum security prison in the dust. But she owed it to Tina Cole, Lara Bowman, Elizabeth Grant, Cass’s sister Allie and the many other victims to stop Moretti once and for all.
“Agent Grant?”
Lara’s gaze left her current point of fascination on the cinderblock wall beside them. She hadn’t realized they’d come to a door. The guard gave her a questioning look.
“Are you?” he prompted again.
“Excuse me?” Lara was so far into her own mind she’d missed what he’d said.
“Are you ready?”
The guard had no idea of who she was and how she was connected to the man he, among many others, was tasked with keeping locked up. He had no way of knowing the trepidation she was currently battling. His question was just a formality. So she gave him an equally formal reply.
“Yes, sir.”
The guard let her into a small room with stained concrete flooring and more badly paint-chipped walls. Horrible fluorescent bulbs buzzed overhead, doing nothing more than giving an already gloom-filled atmosphere more gusto. Lara took up a seat at one of three booths lining the wall.
“I’ll be right outside the door,” the guard said. “Yell if you need anything. They should be bringing him in any minute now.”
Lara thanked the man and watched as he shut the door behind him, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
You can do this. He’s just a man. One locked behind many, many bars. You can do this, Lara. Pull it together.
The sound of footsteps made her back go ramrod straight. For one wild moment she wondered how she looked. Would he see a difference now that she no longer was pretending to be Eve? Should she stand? Would that make her look more threatening? All of these questions were pushed out of her mind the instant the door opened. Lara held her breath.
Moretti was movie-star gorgeous and charismatic as hell. Even in an orange jumpsuit.
He was led in by a balding guard who probably had no real idea of just how dangerous his charge was. Dark, thick wavy hair and brown eyes almost black. In the right light it looked as if he had no pupil at all. Like peering into the eyes of a snake. Or maybe even the devil himself.
Moretti met Lara’s stare with his own.
The guard uncuffed him, and Moretti took his spot across from her. He didn’t sit down right away. Instead he lowered his gaze to her body before bringing it back up. A slow, calculating gesture that set Lara’s skin to ice. They each picked up their phones, the cord stretching as Moretti continued to stand.
“You,” he said, voice like velvet. Lara didn’t respond. With just one word, he’d managed to intimidate her. How could one man be that powerful? His lips were downturned, and his nostrils were flared. He was angry. “I expected you, but a part of me thought you wouldn’t show. Not after what you’ve done.” He slammed his fist down on the tabletop. Despite her resolve to stay firm, she jumped.
“Hey,” the guard warned. Lara could hear his voice through Moretti’s phone.
Moretti’s eyes turned to slits. For one long moment he stood still, hunched slightly over, fists balled. His stare was unrelenting. Lara willed her body not to shy away from him, to hold his eyes with her own. The guard didn’t warn him again. Maybe he did know a bit about the man known as Moretti.
He’s just a man, she told herself again. A man I ruined.
Moments stretched a bit longer until Moretti took his seat. The corner of his lips turned upwards. His eyes widened to normal. Even his fist unclenched.
“I have to admit, I’m glad you came,” he said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that pretty face of yours. I was afraid you’d forgotten about me, Eve.” His smirk turned deadly. “Or should I say Lara?”
A chill ran over every inch of her body. Moretti was rotating through a full range of emotions. It was unsettling and put her on edge. She needed to steer the conversation toward her own goals. Not his.
“Two murders,” Lara said, finding her voice. “A woman with my first name, and another with my last name. Both with the MM tattoo stamped on their cheeks.” She touched her own to strengthen the image. “Are you, or are you not, ordering these hits as some kind of payback?”
He didn’t flinch at the accusation. He didn’t even seem interested. Instead Moretti’s smile came back with force.
“Not the nice greeting I was hoping for,” he said. “A simple ‘How are you’ would have better suited the situation. I mean, really, at least the other agents eased into the conversation.”
That derailed Lara’s next response. Before she could keep her expression from changing, her eyebrow rose up in question. It made Moretti laugh.
“Oh, Lara, surely you’ve realized by now I’m an absolute treasure trove of knowledge,” he said, more factual than boastful. “Which means I’m a little bit more valuable than you’re giving me credit for... Others haven’t made that mistake.”
Lara couldn’t believe it.
“The FBI is trying to cut you a deal,” she stated, not asked. Moretti’s smile grew into