Cold Spite (Cold Justice: Most Wanted #5)

Chapter 68

CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT

FEbrUARY 15

Mon., 7:30 p.m. Local Bar

I t was only a day and a half since Joseph Scanlon had died a far too easy death. In his mind, Cas had replayed a thousand more satisfying scenarios to end him, but at least the man was no longer a threat to the woman he loved.

Cas sat in the bar and nursed his Dance of Days pale ale and wished he was with Delilah.

Yesterday, after she’d been checked out at the hospital and given the all-clear, she’d given her written statement and then insisted that she be allowed to fly out to the Bay Area to inform Valerie Strauss’s mother about her daughter’s death in person before she found out via the news media.

Cas had worried she was still in shock.

He’d wanted to go with her, had begged Novak and threatened to quit if he didn’t get the time off. But, as Novak had forcefully pounded into him, he’d needed to write up reports and follow procedure if they didn’t all want to be hounded by congressional committees looking to score political points off any perceived misdeeds for the next decade.

But he missed her .

The internet had gone into a frenzy over leaked details that one Scanlon brother had killed the other, and then a supposedly dead FBI Agent had taken down a former Navy SEAL with a pencil. The authorities hadn’t found the sniper rifle that had been used to kill Virgil Scanlon, and it was likely Joseph had dropped it over the side of the boat on the ride home. They had discovered Virgil had purchased a sniper rifle in cash, belonged to a gun club, and had been seen practicing there in the weeks since Joseph had been released.

The whole identical twin and fake death thing, along with such high-profile and horrific crimes, meant there was no hope of the furor dying down any time soon.

Holtz had been charged with an array of offenses, and it was likely the man’s days as a SEAL were numbered. They had little on Mark Johnson, but his actions over the past two years were being put under the microscope, and if there was anything to find, Cas was sure the analysts, including Yael, who refused to give up the search, would find it.

The admiral’s gold trident pin had been found on the scorched body of Pedro Alvarez. His sister had been scooped up on conspiracy charges.

Melody Scanlon had been escorted back to Seattle to be with her stepfather and grandmother. The kid was probably traumatized for life, but hopefully the family members could get the therapy they all needed.

Greg Trainer had been put on paid leave while an investigation went on regarding the way he’d run the task force and the fact he’d released an agent’s personal medical information during a meeting.

After making official statements and filling out reams of paperwork while still in Louisiana, Cas’s and other team members’ rifles had been sent to an independent lab for analysis. Then he’d flown back to Quantico with the guys. He’d cleaned up Quentin Savage’s place, so it was neat and tidy with freshly laundered sheets. He’d gathered Delilah’s belongings, along with his own, and taken everything to his apartment.

He was thinking about maybe making an offer on Savage’s condo, except that all depended on what Delilah wanted.

He had no idea what shape the future might take. He just knew he needed her in it with him—assuming she still wanted anything to do with him…

What if she decided he wasn’t worth the risk after all? Old fears and thoughts crowded into his mind.

Dionne Warwick sang, “I’ll Never Love This Way Again,” and Cas wondered miserably exactly how drunk he could get tonight without being fired in the morning. And maybe he needed to man up. Make the grand gesture and quit HRT, so Delilah knew exactly how committed he was to this thing between them. Every time he thought about what had nearly happened to her…

“Hey.” Ryan Sullivan leaned against the bar beside him. “You okay?”

Cas grunted. Did he look okay?

“You heard from Lilah yet?”

He swung around to glare at his teammate. “Don’t call her that.”

Ryan quirked a brow. “What? Lilah? Why, is that your pet name during?—”

Cas’s elbow thrust sharply into Ryan’s solar plexus. “Ryan, so help me God, if you say one more word, I will kill you.”

Ryan pulled a face as he regained his breath. “Got it. My lips are sealed.” He waited a beat. “So you haven’t heard from De-lilah yet?”

Cas scowled into his beer glass. “Not really.”

“She’ll be here.”

“Maybe she won’t.” That was his biggest fear. That she wouldn’t have enough faith in him or his promises—because he’d failed her in the past.

“She loves you.”

Cas took a sip of beer. “Maybe that isn’t enough. ”

“What else is there?”

What else, indeed? Cas stared at the guy for a long assessing moment. Although he shouldn’t be surprised. Ryan Sullivan was capable of great depth and insight, he just preferred to exist in the shallows whenever possible.

But love had never been the issue between him and Delilah. Communication, trust, and respect had been where they’d failed one another.

Laughter broke out and Ryan glanced over at the table near the jukebox that included Donnelly, Black, Griffin, and Crow.

“Is Birdman hitting on Donnelly?” Ryan’s eyes narrowed.

“Donnelly can take care of herself.”

“And I can take care of Birdman,” Ryan muttered darkly.

Donnelly frowned over at them.

Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” started on the jukebox next.

Cas groaned and rested his head briefly on his forearms. “Who chose this playlist?”

As he sat back up, he saw Krychek via the mirror behind the bar, alone at his usual table. His expression didn’t invite anyone to join him.

Ryan turned away from the others and slouched against the bar. “I hear the wedding went off without a hitch.”

Cas grunted. He shouldn’t feel resentful of other people’s happiness, not when they’d worked so hard to get there. The other good news was Patrick Killion was now the proud father of a baby girl named Daphne, and Audrey was doing well.

He was happy for the man.

Truly.

He was just so fucking desperate for himself not to mess this up.

Ryan checked his watch as if he were expecting someone.

“Date?”

“What?” Ryan startled. “Oh, no, just thinking it’s almost my bedtime. ”

“Losing your touch?” Cas hadn’t seen the guy out with a woman since Christmas. Which for this guy was a world record.

Ryan huffed out an annoyed laugh. “What do you think?”

The notion was ridiculous. Women loved the guy.

The barkeep winked as she sent Ryan a flirty smile.

“I rest my case.” Ryan dug into his pocket and pulled out four quarters. “Go put on a different song. This one makes me want to put my head in an oven.”

Because he didn’t trust Ryan’s taste, he took the money and walked over to the jukebox and tried to find a song that wasn’t about lost love. He chose Gloria Gaynor’s, “I Will Survive,” having forgotten the lyrics.

Resigning himself to the singalong that was sure to follow, he went back to finish his beer with the intention of heading home. His insurance company had provided him with a temporary replacement vehicle, which was a shitty sedan. Still, it would get him to and from work, which was all he needed this week.

Who knew what would happen next week or where he might be?

His teammates broke into song and Cas stood to leave.

“Have another beer.” Ryan tried to get the barkeep’s attention, but she was serving someone else.

Cas shook his head. “I’m gonna head back.”

“Hey, I need to ask you something.” Ryan sounded desperate.

“What is it?”

Ryan’s eyes were huge, but then he glanced at the entry and his expression relaxed. “Nothing.”

Shaking his head, Cas turned away and came to a dead stop. Delilah stood there with Yael and Shane behind her.

Her dark eyes were bright, and she wore an easy grin. The stress of the past week was gone from her face, though sadness lingered in the shadows of her eyes.

He had never seen anyone more beautiful in his life.

He strode over to her and lifted her up in his arms and swung her around. Then he placed her on her feet and kissed her like they were the only people in the room.

After a few moments, the whoops and hollers reminded him they weren’t.

He pulled back, taking her hands in his. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Sorry I didn’t let you know I was coming. I wanted to surprise you.”

He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now that you’re here.”

“I love you, Cas.”

“I love you. I’m going to spend every day proving it to you.”

“You don’t have to prove anything. I understand now why you did what you did.”

He rested his forehead against hers. “Because I was an idiot who was too scared to have an adult conversation?”

She touched his face. “Because you didn’t know how to accept unconditional love. Being on the Hostage Rescue Team, somehow, crazily, taught you that. Maybe it was the journey you needed to make so we could have this second chance.”

His throat squeezed so tight he couldn’t breathe. “I never wanted to hurt you. It still kills me to think about that, and how close Joseph Scanlon came to…”

“We don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

“Because you’re a goddamned bona fide badass.”

“I got lucky.”

He didn’t want to think it was only luck that had been at play two days ago. “You were trained and kept your cool under pressure. He underestimated you. I’ll never make that mistake again.”

“Neither will he.”

They shared a relieved look.

Ryan came over and introduced himself, followed by all of his teammates. Delilah was hugged and kissed and treated like a long-lost member of the family. Even Krychek made an effort and actually smiled.

Some clown put on Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up,” and everyone was singing and dancing around the two of them like it was a party. But suddenly Delilah was in his arms again, and they stood there staring at each other as if time had stopped.

“Are you really okay?” he asked.

“I am now.”

“Your parents?”

“They’re fine. I’m going to see them tomorrow.”

“I don’t want to be apart from you anymore.” He moved a strand of hair off her forehead. “I’m ready to resign from HRT and apply to be a case agent in San Diego.” The Bureau was good about giving former HRT operators their choice of assignment. “I haven’t done anything yet because I wanted to make sure that from now on, we make any important decisions about our future together. Last time, I didn’t talk to you, and I should have. I should have trusted you.”

“Oh, damn. Now I feel bad.” She swallowed tightly but her eyes danced. “I spoke to the Director yesterday—she called me—and I requested, and was granted, a transfer to be the lead agent in the Fredericksburg satellite office as they currently have a vacancy.”

His heart swelled to twice its normal size. “Truly?”

He had to wipe the tears from his eyes to see her nod.

“Lilah,” he whispered. “I will never let you down again.”

“I know, Cas. I know. That’s why I asked for the transfer.” She grinned and hugged him tight. He didn’t think he’d ever been this happy before. Never in his thirty-four years of life.

She laughed. “We’re going to figure out the happily ever after business, if only to spite Scanlon.”

“I’d rather do it because you’re the love of my life.”

She sniffed and blinked away tears. “That too.”

Over her shoulders, he saw the blonde from last week enter the bar. Montana’s daughter.

She scanned the room and looked stricken as she took in the party atmosphere. It brought the loss of her father crashing back down around his shoulders, and he glanced around still holding tight to Delilah .

The music stopped abruptly. The blonde took a nervous step forward. She cleared her throat and swallowed.

Krychek stood and took a step toward her.

She sent him a look.

“Ah, hmm. Sorry to interrupt. My name is Daisy Montana, and I know many of you worked with my dad.” She twisted her hands together, clearly nervous. “The thing is, I don’t think he’s dead. I think he’s still alive.”

Shock radiated around the room.

Cas took a step forward. “Why? Why do you think that?”

She never got the chance to answer. Jordan Krychek strode over and lifted her in a fireman’s carry over his shoulder and headed straight out the door.

All hell broke loose.

Thank you for reading Cold Spite .

I hope you enjoyed Cas’s and Delilah’s story. Ready for the next exciting installment of the Cold Justice?