Trev grabbed Sophie’s arm and pulled her away from her friends to a newly cleaned booth. The waitress took one last swipe with a cloth as they approached. Thomas started to follow but Trev saw Callie catch his arm and say, “Leave the lovebirds alone, T.”
Thomas growled something back at her, downed his drink, and headed to the bar. Trev pushed Sophie into the freshly wiped seat of the booth and slid in across from her. He was instantly disappointed she was no longer pressed against his chest and chastised himself for even thinking that. She glanced longingly back at the table they’d just left, where her friends remained talking. “You can go back in a minute.” He sensed her desire to get away from him. “Tell me about this stalker person.”
“That has nothing to do with what I need your help on. It’s an isolated incident. Besides, there’s nothing to know, really. I came here with everyone after work several weeks ago and stayed late visiting with Callie and Thomas. This guy came up and started talking to me. He wanted to buy me a drink. I said no thank you because I was leaving. He asked if I needed a ride. I said no to that, too. He disappeared so I assumed he got the message. Later when I left, Callie and Thomas went out with me but they parked on the other side of the building so we said goodbye and split. When I got to the car, he popped out of nowhere.”
“And?” Trev waited for her to go on.
“He said something like, ‘Listen, you rich bitch, you’re going with me whether you like it or not,’ and he grabbed at me. It had been raining and I had my umbrella so I brought it up and whacked him across the face with it.”
Trev smiled inwardly as he remembered that gigantic umbrella and wondered how badly she pummeled the guy. A small snicker escaped.
“What!” she blurted. “You don’t think I can take care of myself?”
“No. I just, well, I’ve seen that umbrella and I wondered what kind of damage you did to the poor guy.”
“Poor guy, my ass. Look at my wrist, it’s still bruised.” She held up her arm for him to see the brown and yellow marks that were faded. He slid a finger across the discolored skin.
“Christ, it must have been completely black and blue then!” He surveyed it, then added, “You reported it right?”
“Yes, or at least I tried to, but I don’t know who he is. I never got a name. So, there wasn’t really much they could do. You can’t really file a complaint against an unknown guy who grabbed you in the parking lot.”
“Hmmm.” Trev digested the information. He couldn’t really determine whether it was just a random incident or associated with the other things. “When did you last see him?”
“He showed up here again the following Friday, but he just stood at the bar watching.”
“What did you do?”
“I told the bartender about it and while I talked to him, the guy left. I half expected him to be waiting outside but he wasn’t. He just left. Thomas offered to take me home just to be safe. Insisted on it, in fact.”
“Good old Thomas. When we leave I want you to show me where you parked that night.” He was matter of fact and didn’t listen for a protest. “Do you still want to go back to your friends?”
“Not really, but it would be rude not to. If you need to get the reports and go, I can get them for you now.”
“I’m not in a hurry. Besides, this is getting pretty interesting. Come on, let’s go celebrate your buddy’s birthday. By the way, he’s really got a thing for you.” He waited for her to rise out of the booth.
“Ancient history,” she answered.
“So, you were with him?”
“Yes. No! Not like that. Not with him really. Like I said, ancient history.”
“Don’t be so sure about that.” She might’ve seen it that way, but Thomas still thought otherwise. Trev followed her back to the table and stood behind her or next to her the remainder of the evening while he listened to the chatter and participated as infrequently as possible.
Thomas seethed as he watched Trev. Like one lion might watch another, both stalking the same prey. Trev pretended not to care. He found it humorous and Sophie seemed oblivious. He smiled at Thomas as if in complete control of the situation. At one point, Trev even touched his hand on the small of her back just to piss him off. Unfortunately, he hadn’t expected her skin to feel so blazing hot and as soon as he did it, he dropped his hand back to his side. But not so soon that it wasn’t noticed.
Thomas’s eyes narrowed as he lifted his drink to his mouth. Sophie felt it, too, and shot a glance at Trev before returning to her conversation with her friends. She didn’t smile, but she didn’t slap him either, which intrigued him. God, he was enjoying this.
Sophie looked at her watch and leaned down to pick up her bag on the floor under the table. “Well, I need to get going, guys. I’m afraid I’m done for the day and there’s something I need to take care of.” She went around the table hugging everyone and stopped at Thomas.
“Thanks for coming, Soph.” He hugged her.
“Happy Birthday, Thomas. I hope it was a great day for you.” She pecked him on the cheek and gasped a short “ugh” as he grabbed her tighter and kissed her cheek, too.
“It was. Thanks so much for doing all this for me.” He let her go and she started for the door, waving to everyone.
Trev wasn’t really sure what to do. Should he follow her? Should he stay here a little bit then go?
“Are you coming, Trev?” She smiled, holding out a hand to beckon him. He thought the others would likely imagine a different type of invitation in her words. He sauntered after her, feeling like the cat that ate the canary. He didn’t look back but he knew the daggers in Thomas’s eyes would surely cut him in two if he turned around. It was just stupid competitive male pride, wanting everyone to think he attracted this gorgeous lady in front of him, but still he savored the feeling while it lasted.
“Why did you do that?” he asked pointedly when they moved outside. He slid his hands into his pockets as he followed after her.
“Do what?”
“Let them think I was with you.”
“I didn’t know I did.”
“Don’t play games with me, lady. That’s exactly what you did, and you know it.”
“But you were, weren’t you? With me. Not for reasons that they know about, but you were still there because I invited you, right?”
“Yes, but you let them think it was something else.”
“No I didn’t. I just didn’t make them think it wasn’t.”
“Back to my question. Why did you do it?” He pulled his hands out of his pockets and rested them on his hips. He stopped and waited for an answer in the middle of the parking lot, not following her. When she saw he wasn’t moving, she turned back.
“Because I want them all to leave me alone for a while, okay?” She sounded exasperated. “Callie is always trying to set me up with guys. I can’t tell you how many jerks I’ve gone out with just to make her happy. It’s irritating as hell … and Thomas is a hoverer — don’t you see it? Always around, pressuring me to do this or that. I don’t need everyone trying to run my life. To fix me or fix me up. I like the way I am. I don’t want to be in a relationship right now, and if they think I already am, then maybe they’ll just leave me alone.”
“Oh, well … ” He digested what she’d said, then broke into a slow grin. “Glad to be of service, then.” Trevor scratched at his chin for a second. “Just curious. How far am I supposed to take this so your friends are convinced?” He teased her a little, but it was frustrating. Did she really think he was that harmless? That she could use him to run off the others?
“What do you mean?”
“Well, are we done now? Or am I supposed to show up again?” He frowned as he considered the implications of what happened. “Don’t you think it’s wrong to use someone to make others stop trying to run your love life?”
He looked down at her. Even with those beautiful legs in heels, she still stood a good four or five inches shorter than he was. Her e
yes blazed, full of fire right now. He’d hit a nerve.
“I’m not using you,” she spat.
“Yes, you are.” He matched her anger in his retort as he put his nose within an inch of hers and glared back at her. “And I walked right into it without a clue. Maybe you could have warned me, huh?”
As they stood there, facing each other down, the birthday party group burst out of the door behind them. They laughed as they stepped into the parking lot, arm in arm.
“Okay, missy. Game on. You wanted a show, you got it!” he muttered under his breath.
Trev put his hand behind Sophie’s neck and pulled her to him, kissing her hard and quick, or at least he intended it to be quick but it wasn’t. His mouth pressed against hers, forcefully burning into her own. Surprise hit him hard as he felt the need to search every section of her mouth, exploring and enjoying the moistness of her lips. The scent of her skin up close intoxicated him. He trailed his other hand up her side, resting it briefly against her rib cage then grasped her tightly as the kiss ended. “That should do the trick,” he whispered against her mouth. Reluctantly he released her, turned, and started walking toward her car. She stood still and watched him move away.
Then he did exactly what she had done to him inside. He turned with a smile and said, “Are you coming, Soph?” Her mouth opened and she stared at him, her breathing short. Behind her, Callie let out a loud wolf whistle. Sophie’s eyes burned into him. He was amazed at how much bigger they got when she was angry. He walked toward her car and stopped. His hands shook and his lips burned. He waited for her to follow.
“I have a question for you, Mr. Trevor Adams.” Her voice was low and husky as she approached. She waved her car keys, and added, “Did you think that was funny? And … ” She hesitated as she noticed their location. “How did you know this was my car?”
Trev surveyed the royal blue charger she pointed to, then glanced around the parking lot. He ignored the first question. He grabbed the keys she waved in his face and dangled the silver Dodge emblem on them in front of her. “I guessed. It’s the only Dodge in the parking lot except for that truck at the back.” He pointed at an old truck with the grill half-missing, and one fender a different color than the other. It looked like it wouldn’t move. “You don’t seem the type to drive something like that so this made sense.”
“That’s pretty observant of you.” She reached for her keys.
He lifted them out of her reach. “Nope. Sorry. You don’t need to be driving right now. There’s a gas station two blocks over that’s open all night. They have coffee and food, and a little room to sit. Let’s go there and you can show me those reports you talked about.” He glanced around, noticing that her friends were all gone. The streetlights splashed silver streaks across her hair and cheeks and she looked even more beautiful standing there challenging him.
“I don’t really feel like it, Trevor. I just want to go home.” She sighed and let her shoulders drop.
“Then I’ll drive you.”
“No!” She flashed another angry look at him.
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t even know you. I’m not getting in a car with you.”
“It’s your car,” he reminded her.
“Yes, but. Oh, okay, let’s go get the coffee.” She started walking toward the street corner to cross.
“What about the reports? Do you still want me to look at them? Or would you rather we just drop it now?”
“You have the keys. They’re in the back on the floor.”
Chapter Five
Gas stations in downtown Houston can attract all sorts of interesting people at late hours, basically the kind of people one should stay away from. For the general public, it’s not a safe place to be after dark. The gas station was lit up like a circus, making it easy to manage.
In the far corner, two people argued … apparently a lovers’ spat. They tried to keep their voices down but not very successfully. After a minute, the girl stormed out and the guy followed. At one of the tables in the small dining area, a guy, the only other person left in the place, had his head down. He looked to be sleeping — or passed out. The gas pumps outside had no customers. The attendant, a very thin man with dark, receding hair watched them warily from behind a Plexiglas window over the counter.
Trev purchased two large coffees and moved to a table as far away from the sleeping guy as possible so that he could keep an eye on him. Sophie followed.
Trev looked at the reports and listened as Sophie explained what she found and why it didn’t seem to make sense. Nothing surprised him. Except her. She wasn’t at all the person he thought. The bureau thought.
“I see what you mean. It sure doesn’t look right to me either, but I can’t really tell anything without looking at the database and seeing the transactions in data form. Can you get me a copy?”
“I don’t know.” Her voice was tired and drained. “Maybe this isn’t necessary. I’m sure it’s just a mistake. Let’s just forget about it, okay? I don’t want to waste your time anymore.”
He glanced nervously out the window as a white Toyota pulled up to one of the gas pumps. The loud thumping of the music in the car reverberated such that he could feel it in his bones. He dropped one hand into his lap. His firearm fit snugly in his ankle holster. If he had to, he wanted to be ready. He bent his leg back under him. It frustrated him not to carry the firearm as he normally would. A young Hispanic man stepped out and started pumping gas. Trev watched him as he spoke to Sophie. “Are you sure? You seemed pretty concerned about it before.” He switched his eyes to her face so that he could observe her expression. She wanted to be rid of him.
“That was before … ” She mumbled. Her eyes fixated on his mouth. If it weren’t for the guy outside, he’d find it fun, perhaps.
He continued to watch her intently and waited for her to finish her sentence. Her face changed to a rosy red and she looked away from him, gazing out the window to the street. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the young man slide back into his car and leave. He’d only pumped a few dollars of gas. Probably just enough to get him home for the night. It reminded him of high school and his first car. He’d done that at least a hundred times. Pumped just enough to get home, burning up his last few dollars. Trev relaxed and pulled both hands up to the tabletop.
Sophie let out a weary sigh. “You know, I’m pretty tired. Let’s just call it a night for now, please?” She got up from her seat, gathered up the papers, and walked out.
Trev rushed out to step in beside her. He held her keys out to her. She reached for them without looking at him. He slipped his hands into his pockets and they walked the two blocks to her car silently. A brown Chevy Malibu whizzed by with two people in it, rushing to make the light as it turned yellow, then red. Once it passed, the streets remained empty as they strode back toward her car. She walked like it was a foot race. That was probably a good thing for this time of night. Best to get off the road as fast as possible.
“Sophie.” He broke the silence when they reached the parking lot where her car sat alone. “You’re upset and it’s late, but you need to keep this in perspective. Forget all the other things tonight that led up to now. They don’t matter. What you found in those reports could be pretty serious.” He kept his voice low, but sincere.
“No, it’s probably just a mistake.” She dismissed him with the wave of a hand.
“It’s not a mistake. At least, I really don’t think so. If what I think is true, you could be in trouble. Don’t take it lightly. Get me the data.” No asking this time. If she didn’t get it to him, he’d find another way. It wouldn’t be the first time.
“Okay. Okay.” Her voice was exasperated as she unlocked her car. She didn’t look at him when she stepped in. “I can get it to you when you get back from your trip next week. I’m beginning to wonder why I got you involved in this to begin with.”
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my profession, it’s to stick with your inst
incts. Too late for regrets now. I’ll be back in town Thursday afternoon. I’ll pick you up at five outside your building, unless you still have a problem getting in a car with me?” He tried to smile.
Sophie ignored his attempt at humor. “I’ll see you Thursday.” She left.
He wanted the data now before anything else went wrong, but it would wait. He watched her drive away and turned to walk toward his apartment. He didn’t want to hear Nate or the others ranting about the kiss right now, so he didn’t bother to check in, but he appreciated the car trailing after her from a distance. After what she told him and what he knew happened to Bob, if she wasn’t part of it, then danger trailed her. From everything he’d seen so far, she wasn’t involved.
Chapter Six
The jacket draped over the back of the chair unleashed a gentle smile from Sophie as she brushed her fingers across it. Yes, it wasn’t the most flattering color or style — she preferred bold and classy, whereas this jacket was more rumpled and comfortable. However, the sentiment behind it embodied her transformation over the past couple of years since her mother passed.
She reminisced about the bright red coat worn throughout her mother’s illness. It had been unseasonably cold in Chicago and that jacket became a staple of every visit to the hospital as the cancer progressed. At the time, she considered it not just utilitarian, but a symbol of bravery and resiliency. Afterward, it became painful to look at. She remembered the discussion with Callie vividly a few months post-funeral. A new staff member, Callie and Sophie had yet to find a comfort with each other. Sophie needed to talk though, and Callie just happened to be present at that moment.
“I can’t even open my closet without seeing the red coat I wore to the hospital every day. It’s a constant reminder of how different she became from the strong, dynamic woman that raised me. I doubt I’ll ever wear that beautiful coat again.”
“Then we need to do a wardrobe intervention!” Callie exclaimed as they stood in the hallway at work. “I’ll be at your house tonight at seven and we’ll take care of that coat. It’s time for you to get a new start.” She wasn’t referring to the coat but that was a good beginning.
Numbers Never Lie (Crimson Romance) Page 6