Abruptly, Younger let go. But not completely, which was good because she would have absolutely fallen to the floor. He kept hold of her arms, gently keeping her upright. Laurie felt her breathing sort of even out and she was lightheaded.
“Sorry, darlin’,” Younger murmured. “I don’t like the idea of hurting you. I’m just making my point.”
“No. It’s good,” she said quickly. “So, what do I do then? I can’t budge you with my hands.”
He lightly twirled her back into his embrace. His scent comforted her. Somehow it made it easier to be held too tightly. There was no fear. Not a single bit. She could do this.
“Okay. Now, I’m holding you again. Same thing. Face to face. We’ve just come back from a date. I’m not letting go. My grip gets to be too much. Stop and think this time,” Younger coaxed. “Last time you automatically put your hands up on my chest, right? Was that actually the best way to proceed?”
With her mind clearer this time, Laurie ignored her first instinct and tried to be logical. What was the best escape route? It was like a maze or one of those silly puzzles where you had to get the ring off the bent nails. The path of least resistance.
Aha!
Laurie dropped to her knees with so much speed and such force that she actually fell backwards onto her butt. She felt stupid, but he was clapping.
“Yes!” Younger said excitedly. “Great instincts, Laurie! You’re exactly right. The first order of business is to create space between you and him. The is why technique doesn’t matter. Don’t waste time trying to make sure your arm is at the right angle. Just get away. Get away. Get help. That’s it.”
“Really?”
“Yes!” Then he winked. “And I may be really sorry later for telling you this, but it would not be amiss in that situation for you to go ahead and punch me in the nuts while you’re passing that general area. It would give you another few moments head start to get away or scream for help. Right?”
Laurie felt her cheeks heat up with embarrassment. “I would never hit you in the nuts!”
“This is not about me,” he reminded her. Then he stuck his tongue out at her. “But for the record, I’m glad to hear it.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Teaching Laurie Talcott was a pleasure and Younger was still feeling kind of high about it on Monday morning. He’d spent all of Sunday wandering around the Landing keeping an eye on the cameras and trying to see if the stupid message board had changed. Laurie hadn’t been at work. She had taken the day off. She needed to take the day off. Maybe that had been good. If she had been at the Landing, then Younger probably would have been following her around like some kind of idiotic puppy waiting for her to play with him. Throw him a bone, or something.
He had to force himself to go fishing that morning, which was really weird. Fishing was his thing. He loved to fish. It was his Zen moment. The way he started his day out right and in a good frame of mind. But this morning he was totally distracted as the light lapping of the waves made his red and white striped bobber go up and down. He wasn’t even paying attention to the line. He had mental images of fish carrying away his bait time and time again as though he was just one of those old men who went out to throw a line in the water and sleep.
But Younger wasn’t sleeping. Far from it. His mind was going at a fast and furious rate. By the time he got to the office Monday morning at ten o’clock in order to do his check in, his time card, and his expense reports, his brain was going in overtime.
Of course, a lot of that was probably the necessity of walking into the office and knowing Caroline was there. Fortunately, Ash was back from his vacation. That was good. Ash was a welcome distraction. Well, sort of.
“Dude!” Younger groaned as he sat down in his chair. “You’ve been back for what? Two hours? And look at my desk! I think your drawers barfed on the desktop.”
Ellie was laughing from across the room. She and Duke Dunbar had been leaning in close, deep in a conversation that did not sound as though it had anything to do with work. It had something to do with dancing violinists actually. Whatever that was about.
Ash offered Younger a droll stare. “I’m obviously doing this just to piss you off. More like, I cleared everything off a month ago to stop your bitching the entire time I was gone and now I’m back and I can’t freaking find anything.”
Younger laughed. It came out a little more boisterous than he would have intended and Ash raised an eyebrow in response. Of course, the other person who seemed to notice Younger’s big laugh emerged from behind her computer screen and she gave him a very cow-eyed expression of… well, Younger didn’t know what that was.
“Younger, what’s up with you?” Caroline stood up and to Younger’s horror, she came sashaying over in his direction. “Ash, you really need to have a chat with this boy. He’s been acting really odd lately.”
“Odd, huh?” Ash looked from Younger to Caroline. “And what exactly does odd mean?”
“All of this ridiculous worrying about that stupid mall job, that’s what,” Caroline said with a little pout of her lips. “He’s been paying so much attention to that mall job that he hasn’t even been coming into the office!”
“The mall job?” Ash looked highly amused. “Are we rent-a-cops in our spare time now? Has the financial stability of our company gone that far down the road?”
Younger cleared his throat. “No. The security manager at the Branson Landing asked for our help in sorting out a gang of skateboarders who have been terrorizing their customers for the last few months.”
“No way. There is a skateboard gang in Branson?” Ash gave a little fist pump. “That should be fun. Can I help? It’s not like I’m doing anything else.”
“Sure,” Younger drawled. “You just sit there and figure out who would stand to benefit from the Landing seeing less customer traffic. Because that’s the one that I can’t figure out.”
Caroline frowned. “That’s not possible.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that I cannot imagine how a bunch of skateboarding idiots are really going to make a dent in the mall’s retail success.” She rolled her eyes in dramatic fashion and once again Younger had the uncomfortable and irritating feeling she was playing cat and mouse with him. “Honestly, the Landing is one of the most innovative mall concepts here in Branson. You have everything. Easy access to parking and quaint little downtown shops, all of those mid-range stores that are so popular right now that they could literally anchor a strip mall.”
“Anchor a strip mall?” At least it was Ash who asked the question and not Younger. Younger was still trying to figure out how Caroline knew all of this stuff.
“Oh honey,” Caroline said in a lofty voice filled with enough self-importance to sink a boat. “You could put a third of those stores in a little strip mall next to some out of the way two lane highway and it would be crowded day and night.”
It occurred to Younger that this could be true or not true and they would really not know the difference. Then Caroline turned and gave Younger a catty look. Reaching out to him, she cupped his cheek in her hand and then patted his face. He pulled back because he didn’t like being treated like a dog.
“You know what, sweetheart,” Caroline crooned, “I know a lot more about retail than you do. Ask Ellie. I know more than any of you give me credit for.”
Ellie did not look up from her desktop when she answered. “That is a true statement. She was very helpful to me on that last case involving the Ozark Star Stalker.”
The Ozark Star Stalker. Sometimes Younger thought it was silly how their cases seemed to take on names of their own, almost like they were trying to come up with a title for a soap opera episode. Or maybe one of those mystery series with the detectives and their bumbling assistants.
“Younger, this really isn’t your thing.” Caroline actually managed to make that insult seem affectionate. “I would love to help you. It would be no trouble at all. I’m done with my work for today. I c
ould ride with you on over to the Landing and we could walk around a bit. Maybe shop. Just a little. I could show you a few things about retail stores and we could talk motivations for ruining a mall. It would be fun.”
Her hand moved to his shoulder and then down his arm. Younger pulled his hand away from hers. “Yeah, no thanks, Caroline. This case isn’t about retail. You just told me that yourself. Right?”
“She kind of did.” Ash looked amused. “But I don’t think Caroline is actually talking about the case anymore, Younger.”
Ellie grunted. “Would the two of you just go and get a room? Seriously? Caroline, you’ve been mooning over him since the minute he started working here. It’s getting sad. Just go and get it over with so the rest of us can stop waiting for it to happen.”
Younger twisted his head around to stare at Ellie. “I don’t appreciate that one bit.”
“What are you talking about?” Ellie frowned. She made a twirling gesture that seemed to indicate him and then Caroline. “I know you’ve been kind of oblivious, but she’s really into you.”
“Oh? And so it follows that if I’m nice to her, that must mean that I want to be with her like—like that?” Younger fumed. He shot to his feet and glared at the entire room in general. “That’s not how it works, Ellie. Do you really think that I’ve been oblivious? Or was I just not acknowledging the attraction and keeping things totally professional so that Caroline might one day get the message?”
Ellie looked absolutely dumbfounded, but then so did Ash, Duke, and even Caroline. Younger shook his head and put up his hands. His brain was fumbling around, trying to remember the conversation he’d had with Laurie Talcott such a short time ago. “I am not interested in Caroline in any other way than a professional one and I do not have any interest in going out with her. Ever. It’s nothing personal, Caroline, but you’re not my type.”
“Excuse me?” She looked down her nose at him, standing straight and putting her hands on her hips as though she were about to address a bug. “You don’t get to say that about me.”
“Yes. I do. Because someone just suggested that we go and get it over with and I find that offensive!” Younger felt like someone had just opened the floodgates. “I have never put a foot out of line with you. I have never been inappropriate. I don’t even flirt with you.”
“You did!” Caroline accused.
“Yeah. Once.” Younger snapped the word out and then glared at her. “And right after that you asked me where I was from. When I told you, you froze me out. You told me you were from a wealthy family and that meant something. So I don’t know if something changed your mind or if you’re just slumming and I don’t care. I don’t want a piece of that. And as far as I’m concerned, that’s final!”
Caroline’s lips formed a round O of surprise as she stared at him. “That was rude!”
“No ruder than Ellie’s comment!” Younger fired back.
Ellie was already waving her hands. “You’re right! Totally inappropriate, Younger. I didn’t have any idea that you weren’t interested. I just assumed you didn’t have a clue. Sorry!”
“Younger is right,” Duke mused. “Women always think that.”
“That’s because men never just come out and say it!” Ellie kicked him under the desk.
Duke snorted. “Oh, so you think we should lead every conversation with the words, ‘Hey, I just thought you should know that I’m not into you?’ Yeah, that would go over really well I’m sure.”
“Well, no.” Ellie looked thoughtful. “Okay. So, you’re kind of right. We do tend to think that men either don’t know their minds or can have them changed.”
“Exactly!” Younger shouted. He felt as though he was about to crawl out of his skin! “That’s the entire problem. And just so you know, Caroline. I’m interested in someone else. It’s not personal. It’s just that you aren’t my type and she is and I would rather stick with that. And if you want to get pissed off at me for being true to what I feel, then you’re the biggest hypocrite on the planet.”
Caroline curled her lip and snarled. “How so? When have I ever said anything about being true to how anyone feels? That is such a load of crap! It’s all just sex anyway. You find a guy who can really push your buttons, you take him home, you use him until you get tired of him, and then you send him home.”
“Whoa!” Ellie drew back in surprise. Of course, Ellie had just found the man of her dreams and was so happily in love that it gave Younger a toothache just listening to her talk about her sweetheart. But Ellie was being serious right now. “Caroline, that’s not healthy and you know it. I hope you get tested for STDs regularly if that is your dating strategy.”
“Oh, puh-lease,” Caroline muttered. Then she turned and seemed to decide she didn’t like all of the attention she was receiving. There probably wasn’t enough adoration in it. So, she held up her hands and waved them at Younger. “You know what, if you can’t enjoy a little no strings attached sex, then I’m not interested anyway. You’re probably one of those guys who wants to put a ring on it all the time.”
Younger actually wasn’t like that. At least he hadn’t been in the past, and right now wasn’t the time to start thinking about whether or not he was going to think about possibly getting to that point in the future. Now was the time to walk away from this conversation having learned a few very important things.
Number one, Laurie was right. If you didn’t like a woman like that and she was coming on as though she thought that you should, it was far better to politely explain the score early on and avoid this. Number two, this case at the Branson Landing with the skateboard mafia had absolutely nothing to do with retail wars, business, or anything of the sort. Good. At least he had learned something important.
“I’m out of here,” Younger told the rest of his coworkers. Then he turned and he looked right at Caroline. “And the next time I see you, I will be polite. I will be professional. It does not mean that I’m changing my mind about wanting to screw you. It doesn’t mean I’m interested in a relationship. Is that clear?”
“Oh, crystal clear you Ozark hillbilly,” Caroline sniffed. “I wouldn’t have given you more than a few rides anyway!”
“Caroline!” Ellie gasped, her eyes wide open with shock. “That’s an awful thing to say.”
“Why, he deserves it!”
“No, about yourself,” Ellie told Caroline. “You’re better than that. You just try your hardest to make sure nobody knows it!”
The women started arguing back and forth then. Ash and Duke seemed absorbed in the verbal cat fight, but Younger was done. It was time to get out of there and go find something productive to work on.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Midnight was Laurie’s favorite time on the Landing. The colored lights of the fire and water show were still glowing along with the twinkling fairy lights scattered about the condos and throughout the promenade. They were strung between light poles and wrapped around plants and topiary trees. It created a wonderful world of light and shadow punctuated by the soft lapping of Lake Taneycomo against the River walk. There were very few people out at midnight during the week. Even the bars had closed at eleven. The last of the closing employees had already locked up and headed home. The piped in music was off and there was nothing but the few cars heading by on the two-lane highway on the other side of the Landing and the distant honking of horns from Route 76.
Laurie settled into her chair with a cold glass of white wine and a bowl of strawberries because she felt like she deserved a little spoiling tonight. All in all, it had been a good day. She’d had a staff meeting for as many people as could attend. She had explained to them that Josh was on a leave of absence and she had been pleasantly surprised that not a whole lot of them were sorry about that.
Sipping her wine, Laurie reached for a strawberry and popped the ripe fruit into her mouth. She savored the sweetness and thought about Josh. She had already requested a review of Josh’s recent performance from Elena. That was the beg
inning of the firing process. The beginning of the end of Josh’s tenure on the Branson Landing security staff. Laurie felt good about that.
Movement down below caught her attention. She was not on the corner directly above the fire and water show since that was an extremely pricey unit. Instead, Laurie was on the inside corner of the central courtyard not far from her office and within a slanted and somewhat obstructed view of the message board kiosk.
She wasn’t sure what made her think about the significance of Monday night. But there was significance. If the attack was scheduled for Tuesday, then perhaps Monday night was the most likely night for the “skateboard mafia boss” to sneak to the message board and write down his plan.
Laurie nearly knocked her wine glass over in her haste to get back into the house. She always had a pair of binoculars handy because people watching in this place was particularly juicy and interesting at any given time. Once she emerged with the binoculars, she tried to focus them on the kiosk down at the very end of the sidewalk. It wasn’t easy. The darkness down there was pretty pronounced. The building overhang created deep pools of shadow that not even the bright street lights a few yards away could penetrate.
She had almost decided that she could see the outline of something that might possibly be human when she heard movement right below her balcony. Laurie lowered the binoculars so quickly she nearly dropped them and peered down into the shadowy corner just beneath her. The pounding of her heart almost made it difficult to strain to hear movement in the darkness. The breeze and the lapping of the water were suddenly too loud.
Then she heard something louder. A voice. “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair.”
Wait. What?
Laurie drew back in shock. Who in the hell was down there and why were they playing games with her? She tried to remember to breathe as she struggled with what to do. Her mobile phone was on the patio table. She could try to text Younger and see if he could come and check this out with her but it was late. He might not get the text or he might show up and there might be a stray dog down there. The voice might be all in her mind. She could be imagining this whole thing!
Rock Wolf Investigations: Boxset Page 65