“Oh, thank goodness,” Cook said. “Jonesy is still alive.”
“I hope he’s not stupid enough to think he’s going to get any money out of me,” Carl Lee muttered.
Witnesses reported seeing two priests jump from the cab and run from the truck before the explosion. Shortly afterward, the priests were caught on camera entering a nearby convenience store, and one of them robbing the store. Police are presently reviewing the tapes and plan to show them to TV viewers.
“Turning to politics—”
“Shit!” Carl Lee hissed between his teeth and cut the radio. “It won’t take them long to figure out we’re the ones in the video.” He yanked off his priest’s collar and tossed it out the window.
“I can’t believe you did that,” Cook said. “You’re a litterbug. They put people like you in jail and give them a stiff fine.”
Carl Lee ignored him. “Put on your country-western shirt and cowboy hat. See if you can find something I can slip over this stupid shirt. And hand me the teeth and glasses.”
Cook reached to the backseat floor for the bag they’d stuffed their belongings into and shook his head sadly at the sight of his ten-gallon hat. “It’s smushed,” he said.
Zack found Maggie sitting on the sofa in the living room, feet propped on the old trunk, when he returned from checking the property. The house was dark; the only light in each room was provided by the night-lights that Zack had plugged in.
“You okay?” he asked, sitting next to Maggie.
She nodded. It was a lie. Her thoughts were spinning in her head like a child’s top.
“You’ve been crying.”
“It helps with stress.”
“So does sex.”
She heard the smile in his voice, but that didn’t stop the small flutter in the pit of her stomach. “So does chocolate, and it doesn’t hog the covers or snore.” She sniffed.
“That’s why I’m such a great bed partner. I’m warm-blooded and don’t like sleeping beneath a pile of blankets. And I’ve been told I don’t snore.”
Maggie decided it was best to ignore the remark, even as the flutter in her stomach suddenly turned into one gigantic quiver. He sat too close. It should have made her feel safe. Instead, she felt even more anxious.
“You know, I have a friend with a daughter close to Mel’s age,” Zack said. “From what I understand, it’s normal for them to rebel a little now and then.”
Maggie looked at him. “She put herself in danger. You and I both know what could have happened.”
“But it didn’t. She’s okay.”
“I’ve been too lenient with her. I should have put my foot down a long time ago, but I didn’t want to be like my parents. They were so strict. That’s why I preferred being around my grandfather,” she said, a hint of a smile on her lips. “He let me get away with murder.”
“How old were you when he died?”
“Seventeen. I was a senior in high school. I’d already lost my grandmother by then, and even though I was really sad when that happened, it was nothing compared to losing him.” She paused. “He was my best friend.”
Zack nodded thoughtfully. “I lost someone close shortly after I signed on with the bureau. It was tough. I got through it by focusing on my job.”
“I got through it by focusing on Carl Lee Stanton,” she said.
“You left out the part about what happened in your parents’ barn,” Zack said.
Maggie looked up. “What are you talking about?”
“How he drove to your parents’ house and hid his car in the barn. And waited for you to get home from school,” he added. “He wanted you to go with him, and when you didn’t he punished you.”
“It could have been worse. He could have shot me. I think I sort of halfway convinced him that I was afraid to go with him while he was running from the police, but if he could maybe go to Mexico or some other safe place I would agree to join him.”
“That would have taken a lot of convincing,” Zack said.
“I did this ‘Oh, I’m so terrified’ thing, backed it up with a lot of tears and trembling. Of course, I actually was terrified since he had a gun; but I still like to think I put on an Oscar-winning performance.” She paused. “Sort of like you do in your job,” she added. “So he grabbed the keys to my dad’s old truck and took off.
“Unfortunately, when my parents got home they just assumed I had taken the truck so, of course, nobody looked inside the barn until late that evening. I’m really too tired to go into the rest of it, but I’m sure you already know so why are you asking?”
“Would you believe it’s because I need material for the crime novel I’m writing?”
“That’s, like, so lame, as my daughter would say.”
“Okay, let me give you one of the lines I use to impress women.” He stroked the back of her hair. “It’s because the more I know you, the more I want to know you.”
Maggie looked at him. “That’s it? That’s your best line? Are there really that many desperate women out there?”
“I wasn’t finished.”
“It gets worse?”
“The other reason I asked you is because files tend to be impersonal, and I’m feeling like I’m sort of personally involved with you. Maybe even a lot,” he added. “Much more than the FBI manual thinks I should be.”
Maggie did not see the teasing light that she often found in his eyes. She saw hope and tenderness and what looked like uncertainty, although it was hard to imagine that Zack had ever doubted himself in his life. He was putting all his cards on the table, and she was holding a full hand.
“Zack, where are we going with all this?”
“I’m hoping it’s a good place.”
She shook her head in confusion. “Is it me or does this feel like bad timing?”
“Yeah, I’d have to agree the timing could be better.”
“I don’t know what to say. I have so much unsettled stuff going on in my head, and not all of it is about Carl Lee. I’ve got to get my kid under control, and then I’ve got to settle some business with her and it’s not going to be pretty.”
“Maybe I can help. Mel is crazy about me and with good reason.”
“No, you can’t help with this one, Zack. I’ve done Mel a terrible injustice, and I have to set it right, and there are going to be consequences.” Her eyes misted. “I’ve lied to her about things. I can’t even begin to count all the lies. I thought I was protecting her, but I was protecting me, too, and now Mel is going to hate me for the rest of her life. She’ll never trust me again. You don’t want to get involved with me, Zack. I’m a terrible mother.”
“Damn, Maggie, what did you do, shoot her favorite dog?”
“I kept the truth from her, Zack, and the truth is Carl Lee Stanton is Mel’s father.” Maggie was afraid to look at him and see the disgust on his face. Instead, he put his arm around her and pulled her against him.
“I know, babe.”
Chapter Ten
Maggie jerked back and stared at him. His expression was relaxed, laid-back. “You know?” she said. “How do you know?”
“There’s no marriage license or certificate of marriage to back up your marriage claims, Maggie. There’s no certificate of death on your so-called late husband, and no record anywhere of a man named Tom Davenport dying in a car accident around the time it supposedly happened. Not even for the entire year,” he added. “I did find records where you had your last name legally changed to Davenport, your great-grandmother’s maiden name.” He shrugged. “Other than that, all you have are newspaper clippings provided by Jamie and her father. Which I thought was pretty clever, by the way.”
“You left no stone unturned, as they say, when you checked me out. Is there anything you don’t know about me?”
He gave her a lazy smile. “Oh, yeah.”
“Don’t you think you went overboard, Zack? This isn’t about me; this is about Carl Lee Stanton. Unless you were just curious to know what kind of girl
would fall for a cold-blooded killer,” she added, feeling a little hurt and put off.
“Yes. And I apologize for that.”
“But why did that matter? You came here to protect Mel and me. Did you feel I deserved less protection because I was his ex-girlfriend?”
“Of course not! That’s a crazy thing to ask.” He shrugged. “I guess I wondered why your parents practically moved you out in the dead of night and why Queenie packed up and went with you.”
“I was sick a lot during the first few months of my pregnancy, that’s why. Queenie’s children were grown and had moved away so she decided to help me with the baby while I went to college and med school. But why does that matter?”
“I guess I wondered why Stanton picked this particular time to escape,” he said. “Was it a simple case of opportunity? It wasn’t that long ago that another prisoner managed to escape using a similar method; only he got caught on the run. Or was it the newspaper clippings that reminded him of how much he hated you? Or the young girl in those clippings who bore a strong resemblance to him?” Zack added.
“But you said there was no mention of that in Carl Lee’s psychiatric notes. Carl Lee would have said something.”
“I wasn’t impressed with McKelvey’s file on Stanton if you want to know the truth. He treated Stanton for three years, which is how long McKelvey has been with the prison system. The weekly visits were dated, but there were few entries.”
“Then we don’t know if Carl Lee suspects Mel is his daughter or not,” Maggie said, her body tensing all over. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“I wanted to do more checking after McKelvey called here. He has had some problems.”
“What kinds of problems?”
Zack hesitated. “He drinks. It cost him his family and his private practice. One or two patients filed complaints. Do you really want to worry about his troubles when you have enough of your own?”
They were quiet for a moment. Maggie thought about the call she’d received from McKelvey earlier, and she suspected he had not contacted the police and wouldn’t. She hoped he was getting help for his problems because she sensed he was genuinely concerned that Carl Lee might kill someone if he had no one to reach out to. Surely it was a good thing; police trying to catch Carl Lee and McKelvey trying to reel him in.
“Maggie?”
She looked up, startled.
He grinned. “We’re going to look back on this one day and laugh.”
She laughed just hearing him say it. “Madden, you need help, you know that?”
“You’re about thirty-six years too late, pretty lady.” He pulled her back into his arms, cupped the back of her head and fit it in the hollow between his shoulder and neck.
“You laugh and joke because it helps you deal with the hard things you see in your job,” she said softly.
“It was either that or get drunk a lot.” He stroked her hair and pressed his lips to her forehead. He kissed her eyelids. “Maggie,” he said, her name slipping between his lips on a sigh.
Maggie liked hearing her name whispered from his lips. Being in his arms wasn’t bad either. “Zack?”
“Yeah?”
“Is this, um, part of your job?”
“Uh-huh. How’m I doing?”
She looked up, and their gazes met briefly before he lowered his head. The kiss was slow and lingering. It reached down deep and awakened her tired muscles and weary nerve endings and even her organs; although she would have thought it medically impossible for a kiss to send her liver aquiver.
His tongue explored her mouth, his hand caressed her breast, and she felt the first wave of arousal. She kissed him back. She kissed him with meaning. She kissed him until her lips were numb. Warm stuff flowed through her body and met low in her belly as he stroked her with one hand.
She touched him back, and he moaned and reached beneath her blouse. Found her nipple; rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger.
He began unbuttoning her blouse. “Not here,” she whispered no louder than a thought.
“Where then?” he asked.
“Upstairs.” They stood, and she linked his hand in hers. “I’ll lead the way. I know this house like the back of my hand.” She started forward and immediately stubbed her toe on the leg of an armchair. She tripped and fell against it, and the chair scooted several inches, shoving the table beside it. The furniture scraped the wood floor; and the noise sounded as loud as a squawking parrot in the still house. Zack caught the lamp before it hit the floor.
They came to a dead stop; waited and listened. No sound from Mel’s room.
Finally, Maggie gave his hand a gentle tug. “Watch out for the chair,” she whispered. They moved to the stairs. “The fifth step creaks,” she warned.
“Is it the fifth step going up or the fifth step coming down?”
She shushed him, and they climbed the stairs slowly, using the night-light to guide them. In the guest room they undressed each other in the almost nonexistent glow of yet another night-light. Maggie was thankful for Zack’s no-lights rule since she hadn’t gotten naked in front of a man in longer than she would admit even to her reflection in the mirror.
Zack pulled the covers aside on the bed, and they sank onto it, hands and mouths searching. Fingers roamed intimately, skin touched skin. Bodies ached.
Maggie guided him inside her, and the pleasure was so incredible and intense that she felt her eyes cross. Every touch, every kiss, every movement was beautiful and sensuous and golden.
And then everything changed and became sexier and pulse-pounding. Kisses turned hot. Anticipation turned to urgency.
Ecstasy in its purest form.
Maggie exhaled a long sigh of contentment as they lay side by side. She had a smile on her face and a song in her heart. She felt sexy and desirable and feminine. She felt like buying a thong.
Propped on one elbow, Zack gazed down at Maggie’s seductive body and wanted her all over again. He noted her soft smile and smooth forehead, no longer creased with worry lines. She had one leg draped over his. “Another satisfied customer,” he said proudly.
Maggie punched him.
“So what do you think, Dr. D.?”
Maggie stretched and gave his body an appreciative look. “I think all of my five senses like you. And I think I was an idiot to give up sex.” She yawned. She felt warm, her arms and legs weighted and relaxed. “Well, I didn’t really give it up,” she corrected. “I just—” She looked thoughtful. “Refused to settle,” she said.
“And it’s not going to get any easier now that you’ve met me because I have been told I’m a hard act to follow.”
Maggie chuckled. She felt relaxed and playful. “And I discovered the world is not round after all because I think I went right over the edge.” She glanced up, noted the dark eyes and sexy mouth. She could feel the pull between them. She trusted him. With her daughter and her heart, she thought.
It had happened in just . . . two days!
“Uh-oh.” She frowned. “I thought I just had the hots for you.”
He frowned. “I thought you had the hots for me too. I could have sworn you had the hots for me. Like five minutes ago. Has the newness worn off?”
“I think what we have might be more serious.”
“That’s just good sex talking, Maggie. Hell, people get engaged over stuff like this. Tomorrow you’ll feel differently. I’ll just be an annoyance to you like before.”
“Are you saying you don’t feel anything special for me?”
He gave her an odd look. “You know, I think I do feel something more than just lust now that you mention it. Damn. I might be, you know—”
“Falling in love with me?”
“No way. Nobody falls in love in two days, Maggie. Only in movies with Jennifer Lopez does that happen.”
“You know what I think?” she whispered. “I think something very peculiar is going on here.” She looked about the room.
He followed her gaze. “Like what?�
�
“Magic.”
He looked at her, touched her cheek. “I agree.”
“Not that kind of magic. Queenie’s kind of magic. Think about it, Zack. What other explanation is there for me just falling into bed with you like I did?”
“Other than the fact I’m witty, intelligent, good-looking, and hung like a stallion?”
“There’s a crazed murderer out there,” Maggie said, “and we’re in bed.”
“Which is a good thing,” he said, “because that means we’re not standing in front of any windows. What does Queenie have to do with this, by the way?”
“She threatened to put some kind of love spell on us.”
“And you believe she’s capable of that?”
“I just know that I want you, Zack,” Maggie said solemnly. She curled her arms around his neck. “I want to be in your arms. I want to taste your lips. I want you inside of me.”
“Oh, babe.” He slipped his arms around her neck and kissed her deeply.
Maggie kissed him back, exploring his mouth with her tongue, hungry for him. She pulled him down on the bed and covered his body with hers, arching against him intimately. She raised her head. “See that? I can’t get enough of you!”
His eyes were closed. “Okay, so be it.”
She sat up. “I’m sorry, but I can’t fall in love with an undercover agent. What kind of life would that be for Mel and me? We wouldn’t see you for months at a time. Plus, your job is dangerous. I mean, look what happened on your last job. You could have been shot or knifed. You could have ended up a floater.”
He sighed. “Okay, Maggie, I know what you’re saying is important, but here we are, naked, in bed, and your daughter is asleep. Isn’t there something better you’d rather be doing than discussing my bleak and dismal future?”
Maggie stood and reached for her clothes. “I’m sorry, Zack, but I just can’t take any chances. I’ll talk to Queenie tomorrow and once she assures me she hasn’t cast some spell on us and we’re not going to fall in love, I will gladly have sex with you again.”
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