Step Into My Web

by Cynthia Eden

  Richardson swallowed. “Because you and Chloe had a plan. You went in there together, and you both got the confession.”

  “It’s what we do.” Cedric shrugged. “Case closed.”

  Richardson stormed for the door. But stopped. Glanced back. “My profile wasn’t completely off,” he said as his eyes slid back to Chloe. “Dane Ambrose was the right age. He was intelligent. He wanted to punish the ones he blamed.”

  “The one he wanted to punish the most was himself.”

  “How do you figure that?” The question seemed as if it had been pulled from Richardson.

  “Because he wanted me to stop him. Because he told Coreen Miller that he wanted me to come and get him. Dane knew that I hunted killers. He knew—deep down—what he was doing was wrong. He wanted to be stopped. And the way he kept attacking even after Cedric told him to stop…” Her words trailed away.

  Death by cop? Joel suspected that had been the case.

  “He wanted to be stopped,” Chloe concluded. “And he was.”

  Richardson ran a hand through his hair. “Detective Coleman, I’ll expect you at my side when we do the press conference.”

  “Ah…as to that…” Cedric rolled back his shoulders. “You can be at my side. Better check in with your boss. Something tells me that he’s going to find out exactly how all of this went down. And he’ll know all about how you were outside the hospital, trying to arrest Chloe’s brother, when the real bad guy was attempting to kill another man.”

  Richardson flinched. “Chloe…” Richardson’s voice had gone hoarse. “Did you already call him?”

  “No, but he is on my contact list.”

  Richardson grabbed his phone and rushed out.

  “Not gonna do him any good,” Cedric murmured. “I think that special agent is burning far too many bridges.”

  Joel realized that Chloe was staring steadily at Cedric.

  Cedric just shrugged.

  “There.” Nancy gave Joel’s arm a pat. “All done.” She collected her supplies. Hurried off to the next patient.

  Chloe lifted a brow at Cedric.

  “What am I missing?” Joel wanted to know.

  “The detective just lied,” Chloe informed him.

  He had? Joel let go of Chloe’s hand long enough to pull on the t-shirt that had been provided to him. Plain white. V neck. His bloody shirt had been taken into evidence.

  “The plan wasn’t for Cedric to stay outside and listen.”

  Joel stood up. Caught Chloe’s hand again. “It wasn’t?”

  “The plan was to split up. Which we did. Because there were dozens of rooms down there.” She inched closer to him. “Because I knew we had to find you fast.” Her head tipped back as she looked up at Joel. “There were too many places to search and not enough time. We split up.”

  “And you came in armed with just a scalpel?” It had been so much better for his nerves when he’d thought that she had a cop on her six.

  “I would have come in with nothing at all if it meant Dane would be distracted and you’d survive.”

  Breathe. She’s all right. Breathe. “He was going to kill you, Chloe. He lunged across that table—”

  “And you stopped him,” Chloe reminded Joel.

  “Because you cut through my straps!”

  She smiled. “I think that means we make a pretty good team.”

  He wanted her mouth. Joel bent his head to kiss—

  “Right. So, I have things to do. Press conferences to give—once the reporters crawl out of bed. Paperwork to file. Crime scenes to check. You know, important detective stuff.”

  Joel kept one hand twined with Chloe’s and offered the other to Cedric. “Thank you,” he told him sincerely. “You saved our lives tonight.”

  Cedric shook his hand. Held on. “Why didn’t you take my advice?”

  “What advice?”

  “When I told you to forget Chloe on that very first day. Why didn’t you listen to me?”

  “Because it was already too late.” He looked back at Chloe. His Chloe. “I was hooked.”

  “I think you were more than hooked. I think you were in love.” Cedric let go of Joel’s hand. “Welcome to the team. Can’t wait to see what kind of case we work next time.”

  Next time?

  Whistling, Cedric strolled from the room.

  Joel didn’t move. He couldn’t look away from Chloe’s bright gaze. “Next time?”

  She nodded. “There’s always a next time.”

  “Should that scare me?”

  “Are you scared?”

  His head was lowering. “Baby, there’s only one thing in this world that scares me.” And that was the truth. He’d thought that he feared being helpless again. But he’d been strapped down. Been promised death. And yet…

  He’d just been afraid for her. Worried that he couldn’t protect her.

  “What scares you?” Chloe asked.

  “The idea of losing you.” Truth. She’d changed everything for him. There was no going back.

  Forget Chloe?

  Hell, no, that option had never been on the table. Never had. Never would be.

  His mouth took hers.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Almost twenty-four hours later…

  “Joel, do you want to talk about it?”

  He was stripping off her clothing. One piece at a time. Kissing her.

  “Joel…?”

  The last twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind. After the events at the hospital, she’d just wanted to slip away with him. But slipping away hadn’t been possible. Not with a dead doctor to deal with. Not with a serial killer being zipped into a body bag.

  Their escape from the limelight had been delayed.

  Cedric had done his press conference. Chloe and Joel had needed to answer questions. So many questions. She’d had to go back to see Ruben. Had to talk about Portia.

  Had to even deal with Richardson more.

  But it was over. The cops were handling things. She and Joel were finally clear.

  And since she’d forced him to get yet another checkup before going back to their place, she also knew that he now had the all-clear to resume normal activities, all post-concussion as he was.

  His mouth slowly lifted from hers. “Do I want to talk? Baby, I want you.”

  And she wanted him. She’d needed him desperately, and she’d tried to stay close to him since the attack.

  “I nearly went insane.” He stilled. Glanced up at her. “When he went across that table with his scalpel…when he went at you.” He put his hands down on the mattress, moving them to either side of her body. Caging her. He kept his weight off her, though, and his mouth came down on Chloe’s in a warm, passionate kiss. “Can’t lose you,” he rasped against her mouth.

  You won’t.

  He was already naked. She could feel the heavy length of his arousal pushing against her. “We have to be careful,” Chloe told him even as she bit his lower lip. “I don’t…want to hurt…your arm. Or your head. Maybe we should stop—”

  “God, no. Stopping will hurt a million times more.” He ditched the rest of her clothing. “I’m a doctor. Trust me. My head’s fine. So is my arm. My neck. Everything. Besides, you heard me get the all clear.”

  Yes, she had. “Joel…”

  He spread her legs. Pushed his cock at the entrance to her body.

  But he didn’t thrust inside of her.

  A feverish intensity had been fueling him—and her—ever since they’d walked into Joel’s home. His eyes had glittered. Tension had rolled from him. And as soon as the door had shut behind them, she’d known they wouldn’t make it long before they were fucking.

  “I don’t ever want to hurt you, Joel.” She meant it. With all of her being. Joel mattered so much to her. Chloe would never forget what it had been like to search for him. To throw open door after door after door…and find empty rooms. To know that Joel was somewhere, and he needed her.

  And she hadn’t been able to ge
t to him.

  She’d known—with cold, brutal clarity—that if Dane had killed him, she would make sure that Dane died, too.

  A savage realization. She didn’t want to be that person. That person scared her. But…when it came to Joel…

  I will protect him at all costs.

  His tongue thrust into her mouth. His fingers slid over the curve of her breast. He teased her nipple. Pulled her out of the darkness of her own mind and back into the moment with him.

  Joel isn’t dead. I opened the right door. I saw him.

  And Dane had still died.

  “I want you so much,” Joel breathed. “Will never have enough of you.”

  She’d never get enough of him, either. Her hand slipped between them. Her fingers curled around the length of his cock. Stroked. Pumped.

  Another kiss. Deep. Sensual. She arched up to him.

  He spread her wider.

  Sank into her.

  There was no more talking. The need was too intense. Her hips surged toward each thrust of his body. They strained together. Her nails started to rake over his arms—

  No, his wound!

  He caught her wrists. Pinned them to the bed. Put his mouth to her throat. Kissed her.

  Thrust.

  Her eyes squeezed shut as the orgasm rocked through her. Her legs clamped around his hips, and she held onto him with all of her might.

  He licked her neck. Sucked sensually. Her eyes opened as his head lifted, and Chloe was staring at him when he came. Pleasure flashed across his face. His body jerked. She just tightened around him even more.

  His ragged breathing slowed down. So did hers. He was back to propping up on his hands as he stared down at her. She licked her lips. This was one of those important moments. She should say something meaningful. Something… “I want to sleep with you.”

  “Chloe, baby, you just did.” His grin flashed. “But I am more than ready to go again—”

  “No, I mean sleep. I want to sleep with you tonight. In this bed. In your arms. Is…is that okay?”

  His expression softened. “It’s more than okay.”

  “I might wake up. Scream.” Only fair to warn him. “And if I should punch out—”

  “I can defend myself, don’t worry.” He feathered a kiss over her cheek, and she felt him getting thicker inside of her. “But if you don’t mind,” Joel murmured. “How about we put off sleeping a little while?”

  He wanted to go again? Chloe smiled at him. “I’m not even a little bit tired.”

  “Me, either…”

  ***

  She hated hospitals. Chloe marched smartly down the corridor and ignored the sting of the antiseptic smell in her nose. When she reached the patient’s room, she gave a friendly wave to the cop stationed at the door.

  He recognized her and motioned Chloe inside. After giving him a quick smile, she headed for her target.

  Cinnamon—Coreen—was propped up in bed. A large bandage was wrapped around her head. When she saw Chloe, her eyes widened with alarm. “Please! I’m so sorry! I was scared out of my mind, and Dane made me say—”

  “He offered you money to turn on Joel, didn’t he?” Crisp. Cold.

  Miserably, Coreen nodded.

  “How did you meet Dane?”

  “Donnie…one night, he beat me up pretty badly. Dane patched me up. Said it wasn’t right. That someone should stop him.” A shuddering breath. “Then he did. He stopped Donnie. I-I saw him that night in the alley. I recognized Dane, but he was helping me! How could I turn on him when he was helping me? Or at least, I thought he was…and I…God, I am so sorry!”

  “You’ll have to tell the police everything.”

  A nod. “I’ll…go to jail.”

  Chloe cocked her head. “Probably not. See what sort of deal they will give you.” She studied the other woman. “Cedric has your bag.”

  “My…what?”

  “Your bag, you know, the one with all of the money in it? Cedric has it. You wanted to run, didn’t you?”

  “I just wanted to go someplace and be somebody new.”

  “You don’t have to go to a new place to be someone new. You can be someone new right here.” She put her card—with her address—on the tray next to the bed. “After you talk to the police, if you want help with that new life, come to me.” She’d gotten her questions answered.

  And she really did hate hospitals.

  Her heels tapped as she made her way for the door.

  “Why would you help me? I lied about your boyfriend.”

  Chloe considered the question. “I’m not the kind of person who wants payback. That kind of thinking just leads to a circle of pain that never ends.” If Joel had been killed…No, she wouldn’t think of that. Joel hadn’t been killed. He was alive and safe, and she intended to keep him that way, thank you very much. Chloe looked over her shoulder. “I want something different. Sounds like you do, too.”

  A tear trickled down Coreen’s cheek. “Yes.”

  “Then let’s just see what we can make happen, shall we? Be sure you ask for Detective Coleman when you speak with the police. He’s the best detective on the force.”

  With that, Chloe made her exit. She wasted no time leaving the hospital. She’d slipped away from the house first thing that morning. Joel didn’t know that she was gone. But…

  If she didn’t get back soon, he would.

  Dane Ambrose.

  She’d thought that he’d gone to Miami. Shortly before she’d started the investigation into Gregory Guidry’s murder, she’d heard of Dane’s departure. Now she realized that the Miami job had been a trick. A ruse to provide him with an alibi, at least for the first two killings. By the time he’d gotten around to eliminating Donnie Adams, he’d been letting people know he was back in New Orleans.

  Probably because he’d felt safe then. Or because…

  Come and get me.

  He’d been ready for things to end.

  It was Judith Key’s death that bothered Chloe. The three men had been obvious targets. Dane hadn’t wanted to blame himself for Portia’s murder, so he’d taken out the rage he felt on them. But Judith?

  That was why he didn’t paralyze her. He hit her with his bat. Then stabbed her. But he didn’t kill her at the scene. Maybe he couldn’t, not like that. Or maybe they’d interrupted him. But Chloe did think he had done something to Judith in the hospital. Perhaps that air bubble in her IV, as she’d suspected before. Ruben would help her find out when he completed his autopsy. Ruben tended to be very good with details.

  But why go after Judith?

  Chloe was afraid that she might have led Dane to Judith. If he’d been watching her…and she knew that he probably had…he might have seen her go to Judith. He’d gotten Judith to tell him what Chloe wanted. And once he’d confronted Judith, perhaps there had been no going back for him?

  Come and get me.

  They had gotten the bastard. He wouldn’t be hurting anyone else. And Portia? She wouldn’t be tossed into an unmarked grave. Chloe and Cedric were making arrangements for her. They were planning a big procession for her. They even had the brass band scheduled for the second line. It seemed fitting that Portia have the special New Orleans tradition. Her funeral procession would be something special. She deserved that.

  The hospital’s doors opened for her. Chloe took a deep breath as she stepped outside. She made her way to—

  “Would you like a ride? I know you took a taxi this morning, but I thought you might enjoy going back with me.” Joel straddled his motorcycle. Smiled at her.

  Her breath caught.

  He was so different, now. The shadows didn’t haunt his eyes. His smile was wide and warm. His gaze gleamed. Looking at him, you’d never know the man had faced death so recently.

  If she hadn’t known better, Chloe would have believed that the encounter with a killer had actually energized Joel. But she did know better. He wasn’t looking so fit and good because of what had happened.

  But because
of what he’d realized.

  Joel knows there is more to this life than darkness. He’d survived, and he’d fought to protect her. Chloe had told him that he would love her.

  She knew now that he already did.

  Just as she loved him. With every bit of her being. She loved him more than she’d ever thought it was possible to love someone.

  “You thought I didn’t notice when you slipped out of bed?” He offered her a helmet.

  She took it. Held it in her hands. “I tried to be quiet.”

  “I heard you tip-toeing.”

  “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Figured you were tying up some loose ends.”

  Yes.

  “I tailed you, though, in case you needed help.” His head turned as he studied the parking lot. “Also, I don’t know where your crazy ex is, so there’s that.”

  “Is he a problem for you?” Why was she even asking? Morgan was a problem for everyone. She slid the helmet onto her head.

  “Nothing we can’t handle.” He caught her hand. Brought it to his lips. “Am I right?”

  “I think we can handle anything.”

  His face had gone tender. “You still have secrets, don’t you?”

  Her heart squeezed. “One day, you’ll know every secret that I have.” Her words were a promise.

  Another kiss to her hand. “Good. I look forward to that day. Until then, I think I’ll just have one hell of a time figuring them out.” He let her hand go. Tapped the helmet. “Make sure it’s strapped on well. You know we both like to go fast…”

  Yes, they did.

  She checked the strap. Slid in place behind him. He revved the engine. She held on tight.

  Fast.

  That was how everything had been since she’d met Joel. She’d intended to pull him into her world, but he’d wound up making her fall for him. Fall so very fast. Now they were tangled together, and there was no going back. She didn’t want to go back. She wanted Joel. She wanted a partner—a real one—who understood her.

  Fast. That was how things would keep coming at them. More cases. More criminals. Enemies in the dark.