by Raine Miller
As soon as she’d gone upstairs to change, he made a call. By the time she returned, dressed in form-fitting black capris and a loose pink top that kindled the lust he’d tried to keep at bay, he’d given the car’s description to Jimmy’s cop friend, Caz, who promised to have a list for him in the next couple of hours. Hopefully, he’d track this guy down by Monday.
“I called in a favor. We’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
Annie showed no surprise over his pronouncement. Glass of wine in hand and a beer for him in the other, she sank into the couch and put up her feet. “And where are we going?”
His gaze narrowed. She sounded much too calm. He figured she’d throw a fit but then realized Annie never threw a fit. Caution was probably the better part of valor right now. “Out of the city. Not far but secluded.”
She nodded and took a sip of wine. “How long do you think we’ll have to stay away? I do have two jobs, you know.”
He shook his head as he paced. “Hopefully, we’ll be back by Monday. If we aren’t, I’m going to have to tell Mom and Dad. They’ll know something’s up for sure if we’re both gone.”
She paused before asking her next question. “Do you really think this is necessary?”
“Yes. I’m not taking any more chances. I should’ve done this a week ago.”
Her head cocked to the side. “If you had, I wouldn’t have been able to compete.”
“Damn it, Andrea. You could’ve been hurt tonight!”
Setting her wine on the table, she crooked her index finger at him. Summoning him. When he moved toward her without thinking, he realized she had him wrapped around that finger.
Amazingly, he knew he liked it.
Sitting next to her, he pulled her onto his lap, tucking her head under his chin and wrapping his arms around her.
“Sorry.”
“You get a pass tonight because I know you’re upset but try that again and I’ll castrate you.”
He laughed, not sure if he should but unable to help himself. “I don’t doubt you would, sweetheart.”
Threading his hands through her now-short hair, he tugged until she looked up at him. “Thanks for the beer.”
“You need to relax or you’re going to wind up with an ulcer.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” He scrubbed a hand over his face, trying to rub away the weariness. “Finish your wine and try to get some rest. I’m going to wait up for the list from Caz. Hopefully that’ll give me a lead.”
“When do you think you’ll get the list?”
He downed a quarter of the beer before he answered. “No idea.”
“So you have some time to kill.”
He looked down into those beautiful green eyes that burned into him. He felt it all the way to the pit of his stomach and lower. His blood began to pump slow and hot.
“And do you have a suggestion for how I should pass the time?”
“I’m sure I can think of something.”
She moved, repositioning herself until she had a knee on each side of his thighs. When she sealed her mouth over his, he sank into her like he was drowning.
And she let him.
She let him devour her, let him pull her tight against his body and absorb her heat. And she gave back as good as she got until they were tearing at each other’s clothes.
When he had her naked from the waist up, he lifted her until he could suck one of her firm, tight nipples into his mouth. Sighing, she arched her back, pushing herself farther into his mouth. Her fingers sank into his hair, nails scraping against his scalp and making him burn.
With one arm wrapped around her back to hold her against him, the other dropped to her pants. When he couldn’t get them off without ripping them, he stood her on her feet.
She gasped, swaying as he shoved her pants down her legs, her hands latching onto his shoulders. Now naked, Annie felt excitement bubble like champagne in her veins.
They’d been here before, done this before and still it felt like the first time.
And when Nic leaned forward and put his mouth on the skin just above her mound, she thought she might melt into a puddle at his feet.
Instead, she locked her knees and gave herself over to him.
With his fingers and his mouth, he kept her on the edge of orgasm, never letting her fall over. He bit and licked and stroked until she grabbed his hair and yanked. She felt his lips curve against the inside of her thigh, felt the tip of his tongue flick against her clit one more time before he began to work his way up her body again.
When he stood before her, she could barely breathe. And when he put one arm around her and lifted her off her feet, she held her breath. Not out of fear that he might drop her. Nic would throw himself off a cliff before he’d drop her. No, she was just so freaking turned on.
But when he walked to the side of the couch and set her down, she had a moment of confusion before he turned her to face away from him then bent her over the arm of the couch.
She went willingly, bracing herself with her hands as Nic parted her legs and fitted himself to her. With one thrust, he sank deep.
Annie moaned as ecstasy raced through her. With his hands on her hips, he held her steady. The position might have been uncomfortable but Annie felt nothing except excitement as he took her. His hands tightened on her hips, the hair on his thighs scratching against the smooth skin of her buttocks, heightening her senses.
He felt huge and hard inside her. She tried to hold out, tried to extend the moment, but she couldn’t and came with a sharp burst.
As she cried out his name, Nic followed her over.
***
When her eyes opened at six, Annie realized Nic wasn’t there.
He’d carried her to bed after the episode on the couch and crawled in beside her but she knew he’d gotten up earlier and obviously hadn’t come back.
Since he wouldn’t have left without her, she headed for a hot shower, trying to ease the slight pounding in her temples.
Standing under the steaming water, she let last night’s memories replay. God, she loved him. Every macho, infuriating, protective inch of him. But he still hadn’t given her the words back. And that bothered her.
She wanted him to say it. Wanted to hear him say them to her in that husky voice she’d dreamt about since she was sixteen.
The one that had told her how beautiful she was last night.
With a sigh, she finished her shower, dressed and headed downstairs.
Nic wasn’t in the living room so she headed for the kitchen, drawn equally by her desire to be with Nic and coffee.
He sat at the table, hunched over his laptop, but he straightened when she walked in. Looking into her eyes, he made no move to rise, simply watched her, as if dissecting her every move.
Determined to ignore his hands-off vibe, she walked over and kissed him, put everything she had into it and sighed in relief when he returned the kiss with enough heat to buckle her knees.
Then he pulled back and stood, turning away to pour her a cup of coffee.
She watched his usually deft hands nearly spill the hot liquid. “Did you get any sleep?”
“Did you?” he countered.
She shrugged. “Some. I’ve gotten kind of used to sharing my bed.”
He shot her a quick glance as he placed a mug on the table in front of her. When he didn’t say anything, she nodded at his laptop.
“Did you find anything?”
He paused, his gaze narrowing.
“Nic?”
He sighed. “Honestly, I’m not sure.”
“So what did you find?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he spun the laptop around so she could see what he had on the screen.
“Caz came through with a list of car registrations. I’ve been going through them for a couple of hours. I’ve knocked out a lot of them but there’s still more than a hundred to go. I want—Would you please go through the list and see if any of the names pop out at you?”
“You think
I know who’s doing this?”
He shook his head. “I just want you to go through the list and see if any of the names pop out at you.”
She noticed he hadn’t answered her question but he had asked for her help. “Okay. Let me take a look.”
There were almost two hundred names on the list. Taking a healthy swig of coffee, she dug in.
***
Nic watched Annie read through the names with the same, focused concentration she gave her dancing.
It was just one of the many things he loved about her. There were so many others. The way she felt curled against him in sleep. How she cried out his name when she came. The look she gave him when she was pissed at him. The look she gave him when she wasn’t.
Hell, he just loved her. He needed to tell her. And he would. As soon as he got rid of this bastard on his ass.
Since it was going to take her a while to go through the list, he stood, grabbing his phone off the table. “I’m gonna give Janey a call in the other room so I don’t disturb you. Let me know if you find anything.”
“Okay.”
She barely noticed him leaving.
“Hey, Janey. You find anything?”
“Yeah, that your ass is grass when this is over and Mom gets hold of you. You know how angry she gets when she’s the last to find out about things.”
“How about you tell me something I don’t know, brat. Did you get that list I sent you?”
“Yep. And I started through it. Nothing yet.”
“Just keep looking.” Maybe they’d get lucky but he really didn’t think Janey was going to come up with a connection. He didn’t honestly think Annie would either but he wasn’t going to overlook anything. And Janey and Annie both had razor-sharp minds. If any of the names on the list rang a bell with them, they’d recognize it and tell him.
“How’s Annie?”
Janey didn’t bother to hide her teasing tone and his gaze narrowed out the front window and across the street, as if Janey could see him glaring at her from inside Annie’s house.
“She’s looking over the same list.”
That shut her up. For about five seconds. “Gee. I guess you’re singing a different tune, aren’t you? Just don’t let this screw with your head too much, Nic. Although your head’s never been screwed on right where Annie’s concerned.”
“You think that’s news to me, brat?”
Janey laughed and Nic felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. “Well, you are kinda old. Maybe you’re not as smart as you used to be.”
“Don’t worry, Janey. I’m smart enough to take out this asshole.”
Seconds later, he head Annie call out.
“Nic, I think I might’ve found something.”
“What is it?”
He walked back into the kitchen and bent over her from behind, looking at the name she was pointed to on the screen.
“Candace Trudeau.” He thought about the name for a few seconds. “I don’t recognize it. Why do you?”
She shook her head, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. “I’m not sure I do but the name is hitting something in my memory.”
“That’s good enough for me. Look her up and see who she is.”
When she glanced up at him with a slight smile and raised eyebrows, he knew exactly what she was thinking. And to some degree, it was true.
He sucked with computers. Sure, he knew how to use them but, unlike an engine or a security system or a gun, computers didn’t follow normal rules of logic. If he didn’t know better, he’d think they had it in for him.
When she finally turned back to the computer and began to type, he allowed himself to grin.
He watched her eyes narrow as she typed, watched the intense concentration draw lines on her forehead. It took a few minutes, the only sound the click of her nails on the keys but finally she said, “Hmm.”
“Hmm, what?”
“I can’t find anything on a Candace Trudeau in Philadelphia or the surrounding area.”
“Is that unusual?”
“Yes. Unless she lives completely off the grid, which obviously she doesn’t because she has a car registered in her name.”
“So maybe she’s seventy or eighty and isn’t plugged into the internet.”
Annie shook her head. “Registration lists her as fifty-five. These days, it’s odd that there’s no mention at all, at least not any that are within a three-hundred mile radius and within the right age range.”
His gut tightened. “What’s the address? I think I need to pay Candace Trudeau a visit.”
***
The address listed on the registration was located on the newer end of the Main Line.
Nic figured this was going to turn out to be a stolen car situation. Still, his gut said there was some connection here.
After he pressed the doorbell, silence descended for at least a minute before he heard footsteps then a pause. Someone was looking at him through the peephole. Just the fact that it took several seconds for the door to open made him suspicious.
Finally, the lock disengaged and an attractive, older woman opened the door. Nic couldn’t recall ever meeting her but there was something familiar about her face. Maybe he’d seen her in the papers. But then why hadn’t Annie come up with anything on the Google search.
“Ms. Trudeau?”
Her perfect brows lifted over intense blue eyes, as if surprised he could think she was anyone else. “Yes?”
“My name is Dominic DeMarco—”
“I know who you are. What do you want?”
Nic had a hard time controlling his surprise but he was now at a disadvantage and that was never good. “I’m investigating a case, one that’s led me here—”
Folding her arms across her chest, she broke in. “Is there something you want to ask me?”
Okay, no more small talk. “Do you own a 1999 Cadillac Seville?”
“I don’t believe I do.”
“Then the one registered to you wasn’t reported missing a week ago?”
The woman didn’t so much as blink an eyelash. “Obviously you didn’t do enough research, Mr. DeMarco. You don’t recognize me, do you? But then, you wouldn’t, considering we’ve never been properly introduced.”
This woman despised him. He felt it coming off of her in waves. But why?
Had he worked a case that had implicated her boyfriend or husband in a crime? Had the guy done some time? Had his parents had some dealings with her?
He was pretty sure she hadn’t been behind the wheel of the car. The driver had seemed much larger but he couldn’t count her out because he hadn’t seen the driver’s face.
And he was pretty sure the calls had been made by a man. But he was certain this woman knew about those calls.
“Then maybe you could enlighten me, Ms. Trudeau. Do you know who’s been annoying me with those phone calls?”
He deliberately added a sneer to his tone, dismissing the calls as nothing more than a nuisance.
The woman tensed and her eyes narrowed, no longer hiding her disdain. “You’ll be too late, you know. She doesn’t stand a chance. Rich little bitch had everything in the world, but she wanted my husband and then she ruined him. I actually had to divorce him and change my name to get away from the scandal. But love will make you do foolish things, won’t it, Dominic?”
Her words made every hair on his body bristle as his hands curled into fists at his sides. “Who made the calls? It wasn’t you, was it? You wouldn’t dirty your hands like that.”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course not. But Jason won’t hesitate to do what needs to be done. What he should have done last year.”
His heart began a heavy beat and fury made his jaw clench.
Jason Carlson.
Nic had met the man only once, the day he’d told the man to stay away from Annie or he’d put him in jail. Or the hospital. The guy was scum.
Annie had worked for a law firm a few years ago. When Carlson had joined the firm, he’d taken o
ne look at Annie and decided he wanted her. He’d gotten the firm to assign her as his assistant and began to pursue her with cold-blooded ruthlessness.
One night, Carlson cornered her in his office and nearly raped her. Luckily, Annie had kept her head and remembered her self-defense training. She’d kneed the bastard before he’d hurt her. She’d told Janey, who’d encouraged her to tell Frank. Frank had taken care of Carlson with the firm’s senior partners. Janey had let it slip to Nic one night.
He’d wanted to beat the guy senseless. Janey had talked him off the ledge and he’d managed to restrain himself until Carlson gave comments to the press that made it sound like Annie had come onto him then gotten him fired when he’d turned her down.
And Nic had snapped. He’d confronted Carlson. Actually, he’d told him he’d make Carlson regret the day he was born with a few anatomically impossible threats.
Damn it. This wasn’t about him. At least, not completely.
This was about Annie.
The look he now leveled on Candace made her shiver and now she finally looked frightened. Good.
“I suggest you take a good, long vacation, Ms. Trudeau. One where I won’t be able to find you after I take care of your husband. If you don’t, I’ll ruin you without ever laying a hand on you. And you’ll never see it coming. If anything happens to Annie, you won’t be able to hide. I will find you.”
She stiffened, trying to project disdain but he sensed her fear beneath it. “Are you threatening me?”
“I don’t have to threaten. There are easier ways to take care of people like you. When I’m finished with you, no one in Philadelphia society will be seen with you, much less mention your name except as a cautionary tale.”
By the time he finished, she’d gone as pale as the paint on the walls behind her.
“Goodbye, Ms. Trudeau. You better hope we don’t see each other again.”
Then he turned and ran for the car, pulling out his cell phone as he went.
***
Annie heard her front doorbell ring as she headed back down to the first floor.
She wasn’t expecting anyone. Nic would’ve let himself in. Janey would’ve called to say she was coming, as would her mother or Colin or anyone else she knew. Fed Ex or UPS would leave a message and Girl Scout cookie time had passed.