CHAPTER 22

Much to Monica’s relief, the makeup and the lighting served its purpose. Beth had asked her no questions, though the little angel was certain that the young woman had looked at her curiously more than once. Her wrist was still giving her some grief in serving drinks, but the bandage that Paul had bought was helping and as long as she favored it, she seemed to get along just fine.

The night had been going rather smoothly, with no sign of David, which brought her more relief than she wanted to admit, but beings she was where she was supposed to be, his absence was not accompanied by any guilt on her part. The hours had ticked by uneventfully, other than the headache that was forming in the area of where she had banged her head the previous morning and she was grateful when Beth informed her to take a break.

With neither Paul nor Andrew to talk to, Monica chose a quiet table in the corner, along with a glass of water and some aspirin. After taking the pills, she pressed her fingers to her temple and closed her eyes briefly, relieved that the bar was not as crowded during the week and that the noise seemed to be at a minimum. Despite her relatively decent night’s sleep last night, she was beginning to feel tired and surmised that it was due to her ordeal from yesterday.

She still felt sick to her stomach whenever she thought about David’s attack on her, almost as if she were reliving those terrifying moments physically as well as emotionally. In the few quiet moments, she went over and over the progression of her assignment thus far, trying to decide where she could have made more of an impact on David so that yesterday could have been avoided and she was finding more than she was comfortable with, starting with her very first night. She had not been prepared to deal with this assignment and it was David who was suffering for it, and she had to find a way to turn that around.

Monica’s thoughts were interrupted by a voice she would recognize anywhere and she remained frozen in place, realizing just how close David was and wondering how long he had been here without her knowledge.

“Did you bring the money?” David asked, his voice holding a bit of suspicion, knowing this deal was really too good to possibly be true.

Monica listened as the other man chuckled and replied, “I take it you have made your decision then?”

“You didn’t answer my question. You answer mine and I’ll answer yours,” He stated a bit harshly. He had no time to waste on formalities. Kristin was gone and time was of the essence, lest he never find her again and that was not something he was willing to consider.

“Yes, I brought it. Ten grand, just like we discussed.”

Monica raised her head slightly and risked a glance at the man David was speaking with and her eyes widened at the fact that he was familiar to her as she struggled to remember how she knew him.

“Good, so all I have to do is take care of the guy and the rest of it is mine as well,” David stated, wanting to make sure that Mike didn’t have any hidden surprises in store for him.

“That’s right and you cannot have any mistakes. We can’t afford them.”

The night of the fight, the little angel realized. He was the man who had helped to break things up along with Paul and now she wondered if he was the man Paul had been meeting with to discuss her case as well as Lauren’s.

“No mistakes,” David confirmed assuredly, “I just need to get rid of your bad seed and after that punch he threw at me the other day, that will be a pleasure, I assure you.”

Monica covered her mouth with her hand as her eyes widened and her heartbeat quickened. Paul. They were talking about Paul. They were talking about killing Paul.

Typing was not one of Paul’s greatest skills, and he hunt and pecked his way through queries and cross-checks. If he was honest with himself he would admit that he was actually going slower on purpose. He was finally running the checks on the information he had discovered in Mike’s office, and he was in no hurry to learn that his friend was also his enemy.

He checked his watch as the computer searched. Nine o’clock. Monica was half-way done with her shift. He had wanted to go there to support her. He had also wanted to go there to make certain that David saw him and had a healthy dose of fear injected into his brain. He had wanted to go, but he had held himself back. He didn’t want to make her feel like he didn’t think she could handle herself. Andrew’s presence was one thing. They had known each other for years… maybe decades... but if he had insisted on skulking around it would have smacked of protection and it was obvious that she was sick of having to be protected.

The screen flashed and a new window opened, listing all of the information he had requested. He wished that he didn’t have to look, but he scrolled through it, his stomach twisting at each connection. Every time one of the witnesses had been murdered a large sum of money had been transferred to Mike’s account. He didn’t have the ability to trace where the money had come from, but one search warrant and they’d have that information too. He rubbed his hand over his face, eyes suddenly much tired than they had been just five minutes before.

He went through the information again and noticed that the only time there hadn’t been a transfer of money was during Monica’s case. Rather than making him feel better it made his heart sink even more. Josh had done more than prosecute MacArthur. He was part of a grand jury investigation into some other leaks in the Bureau. There had been more than revenge behind that murder. Mike had probably ordered it to hide yet more indiscretions.

Paul’s fist came down on the desk, narrowly missing the keyboard. Mike had known about Lauren. He had known about their engagement and he had still allowed her to be killed. Paul wanted to run up the flights of stairs to the other agent’s office and confront him right then. He wanted to dare him to deny it right before he showed him the proof and beat him within an inch of his life.

But it was late. Mike wouldn’t be there. And if there was one thing he had learned in the last day it was to control his temper. Monica hadn’t asked him not to hurt anyone else, but he didn’t want to risk seeing that disappointment in her eyes again. He hit the print button and waited for the pages to clatter their way through the old printer. He was actually glad for the chance to calm down.

Paul still had some evidence to compile before he could go to a federal prosecutor with enough for an indictment. By this time tomorrow, Mike would be in jail. That would have to be soon enough. He grabbed the printout and wearily trudged out of the office. He hoped that Monica was having a better night than he was.

Monica shrank down in her seat as she watched Mike stand up. She was still in shock, and had no idea what to do. His back was to her, but she saw his profile as he turned to David and withdrew a thick envelope from inside his jacket and placed it on the table.

“You’ll get the rest when it’s done,” he said, and then quickly made his way out of the bar.

Thankfully he didn’t notice her pushed into the corner of her booth. She slipped out and hurried back to the bar, heart pounding. Her eyes moved back to the booths and followed David as he moved to the bar.

Beth was quick to go to him, and Monica was surprised to hear him order coffee. Even from a distance she could tell that he was sober. His eyes were clear and his hands had stopped their usually constant tapping. Maybe… maybe she still had a chance.

“I’ll bring that over,” she said as she intercepted Beth on her way back from the coffee pot.

“Monica…” Beth looked doubtful. She may have held her tongue, but she wasn’t’ blind. She had a feeling that Monica’s wrist was only the beginning of what David had done to her.

“Really. It’s okay.”

Reluctantly the woman handed the mug of coffee over and sighed. “I’ll be right here,” she said firmly.

Monica nodded and hurried over to David with the coffee. “Here you go,” she said as she carefully set it down in front of him.

He looked up, taken aback at the sight of Monica standing before him in place of Beth. She was the last person he had expected to see. For an instant his eyes flashed anger, his expression one of contempt. Then as he stared at her he noticed her carefully concealed bruises, bruises that he had caused. His thoughts drifted to Kristin hiding in some hotel. Lowering his eyes he felt an unfamiliar stab of guilt.

“About your face…” he gestured vaguely, not exactly sure what to say. The whole situation was foreign and uncomfortable for him.

“It will heal,” she replied quietly, knowing for the first time that it really would, and so would the injury to her heart and soul. God could heal anything, and through her he could even heal David. She opened her mouth to say more, but he held up his hand.

“Look… Maybe you think you know all the answers, lady, but you don’t. Okay? So just for once, could you please just leave me alone?”

“But David…”

“I said, leave me alone!” his voice was loud, thundering over the other noises in the bar and instantly bringing fear to Monica’s eyes.

Before she could react she felt a soft hand on her arm. “We’re leaving, we’re leaving,” Beth said. “C’mon, Monica.”

Beth led the angel away, gently propelling her to the other side of the bar. She could feel Monica trembling and shook her head. “Why do you keep doing that? He’s a lost cause, Monica, and you’re going to get hurt,” she stared into the Irish angel’s dark eyes, “if you haven’t been already.”

“You have no idea how much I want to, but I can’t. I wish I could explain it, but I can’t.”

“Yeah, well I wish you could explain it to me too, because right now I see a sweet girl who’s already been hurt just throwing herself in front of a Mac truck’s worth of trouble.” Beth was older. She had seen more than one woman come through the bar and leave it a few pounds lighter and a few bruises heavier. She couldn’t understand why Monica would set herself up for that kind of pain. “You know you just have to say the word and I’ll kick him out of here so fast it’ll make his head spin.”

Monica shook her head. Her mind was still reeling. She needed to call Paul and warn him. She needed Andrew. She needed to stop David. Beth walked away slowly and the angel turned back to David. Her heart stopped beating. He was already gone.

Panicking, she struggled to remember the name of the hotel where Paul was staying, knowing he had mentioned it more than once. The mere thought of anything happening to him was enough to make her heart stop. He was her friend, the first true human friend she had ever had for any length of time. David was her assignment and there was no way she could allow the two paths to cross in such a violent and potentially fatal way.

“Beth, I need to leave,” She heard the words before she realized she was the one saying them.

“Are you all right?” Beth looked at her closely, seeing something resembling sheer terror in her eyes.

“Yes. No. I just have to go, but listen to me. My friend, Andrew, will be here soon to walk me home. Tell him I went to Paul’s hotel and that it was important. He’ll understand. Tell him to meet me there,” Her words were rushed, panic stricken, and Beth nodded her head, sensing the urgency.

After getting directions to Paul’s hotel from Beth, who insisted it was within walking distance, but that Monica should still take a cab, the little angel bolted out the door of the pub and into the muggy early morning air. Her prior exhaustion was forgotten as she jogged down the block, having not noticed any cabs in sight and not willing to risk taking the time to wait.

Her fear of the darkness was temporarily forgotten in her haste to warn Paul. David was taking money from Paul’s friend to kill him. The words echoed inside of her mind as she quickened her pace. But why? Paul must have been to close to finding out how suspects had been finding the agencies witnesses; how McArthur had found her. How someone had found and killed Lauren.

“Please, Father,” She whispered breathlessly, “Don’t let this be Your will. Let me get there in time.”

Moments later, she burst through the doors at the hotel. The lobby was lavish and beautifully decorated, but Monica didn’t talk the time to notice as she approached the desk.

The young man looked at her questionably, noticing her flushed cheeks, and bruises she had obviously been trying to hide, “May I help you?”

“Paul Gatlin,” She gasped, trying to catch her breath and her racing heart, which had little to do with having run the entire way to the hotel, “I need to know what room he is in.”

The clerk checked the computer, the action taking far too long, even though he was trying to hurry, sensing the young woman’s distress, “715…Seventh floor…”

Monica barely took the time to nod before she bolted away from the desk and to the elevators in the far corner of the lobby. She pressed the button repeatedly, almost wanting to break into tears at how long it was taking. David could be up there right now. Paul could be dead…

“Please…please…” She whispered desperately, and nearly cried out with relief the ding of the elevator sounded to announce its arrival. She hit the number seven and her anxious eyes watched as the display moved in time with the elevator. Four, five, six…

As the doors opened on the seventh floor, she scanned the room numbers and bolted up the hallway until she found his door, which she banged on furiously, “Paul! Paul! It’s Monica…please, open the door!”

Getting no reply, her hand moved to the knob, both surprised and distressed to find how easily it turned and she pushed the door open and entered the room, hearing it close behind her. Paul had a suite, and the light was on in the living area, though it was strangely quiet, but she knew he never would have gone out without locking the door. Not Paul. Not safe, detail oriented Paul.

Blinking back frightened tears, she walked through the living area to the bedroom, where her eyes met with those of the agent. She could clearly see his distress at seeing her shining through the anger in his hazel eyes. The little angel’s eyes moved from Paul’s to the other side of the room.

They weren’t alone.

Andrew opened the door to O’Reilly’s at just after one o’clock in the morning and his eyes scanned the room for any sign of Monica or David. With not seeing either one of them, a sinister feeling slowly crept over him; a feeling that something was just not right and the uncomfortable sensation seemed to be growing with each beat of his heart.

“Are you Andrew?”

He turned to see Beth. Though they had never been formally introduced, he knew who she was and her eyes flashed with familiarity as they fell upon him.

Seeing him nod his head anxiously, she breathed a small sigh of relief, “I’ve been waiting for you as I’ve been worried to death about Monica. She told me to tell you that she had gone to Paul’s hotel and for you to meet her there.”

“Did she say why?” His brow furrowed, as his anxiety rose a notch.

“No. It was actually a bit strange. She was fine until she came back from break, when she looked rattled. She tried to talk to that jerk, David and he snapped at her and a moment later, he was gone and she was telling me she had to leave.”

“Was he drinking?” He hated to ask the question but he now knew that the feelings that were creeping over him were an indication that the little angel was in trouble.

“That’s the other weird thing,” Beth replied thoughtfully, “He was stone cold sober tonight…first time I had ever seen him drink coffee…”

Andrew suddenly knew he had to get to Paul’s hotel and quickly. Whatever this was had to do with David, of that much he was certain, though he could not begin to understand why Monica would go the whole way to the hotel for help with him only a few blocks away.

Whatever it was didn’t feel good in his heart and he could only pray that he could get to her before David did.