by Kat Martin
“I’d appreciate it, Heath. There’s no way to prove it was more than a drunk driver, but in my book, it looks like April was right about Dean. Whoever killed him wanted her to cop to the murder, say it was self-defense. When she wouldn’t do it, they got worried. Maybe they figured if she had some kind of accident, all of it would go away.”
He nodded at whatever the police detective said. “This afternoon she went to see Mayor Rydell. Clearly he didn’t want her digging around.”
She couldn’t hear what was being said on the other end of the line, but Jonah finally ended the call and walked toward her.
“There’s no way to prove it was more than a careless drunk who didn’t want to wind up in jail, but the police are putting an extra patrol in your neighborhood.”
“That’s good.”
Jonah took the sheet from her hand. “Why don’t you go to bed? You’ve had one helluva night.”
She nodded, but didn’t move. She kept thinking that Jonah had risked his life to save her. That she would be dead if it hadn’t been for him. She thought how safe she had felt when Jonah had his arms around her.
“Thank you for what you did,” she said softly.
“You’re my client. It’s part of my job.”
She looked up at him, into those dark, intriguing eyes. “Is that all it is? Your job?”
His jaw subtly tightened. Reaching out, he gently touched her cheek. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.” He was staring at her mouth. He looked like he wanted to devour her.
Against every instinct for emotional survival, it was exactly what she wanted him to do.
He must have read her thoughts because he started shaking his head. “We can’t do this, April. Not tonight. I need to keep you safe.”
Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She felt like a fool. Again. “You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m sorry. I’m just...after what happened, I’m not...not myself.” She started to turn away, but Jonah caught her shoulders. His eyes locked with hers and she couldn’t look away.
“Don’t be sorry,” he said. “You’re more than a job to me. I tried not to let it get personal, but it is. When this is over...” He drew her against him, his hand sliding into her hair, tipping her head back to hold her in place while his mouth came down over hers.
Everything inside her went still. Jonah deepened the kiss and heat surged through her, floated out through her limbs. April clutched his shoulders. Bands of muscle tightened in response, and dampness settled in her core. April moaned and Jonah growled low in his throat.
The kiss went on and on, wet and hot and so intense her knees nearly buckled beneath her. His chest felt like steel where the hard muscles rubbed against the peaks of her breasts through her lacy black bra. She could feel his erection against her belly.
It was Jonah who broke the kiss—long before she wanted him to.
“I want you, April,” he said gruffly. “When this is over, we’ll start where we left off, explore this thing between us.” His hand came up to her cheek. He brushed a last soft kiss on her lips. “In the meantime, you need to get some sleep.”
Gently, he pushed her toward the hall. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Her lips tingled. She forced herself to back away. She knew better than to get involved with a dangerous man like Jonah Wolfe. Knew the consequences, the heartache. And yet part of her was willing to risk the danger, eager to fan the fire that burned in his eyes.
“Good night.” Turning, April headed down the hall to her bedroom. Though her body still tingled with arousal, she was exhausted. And still frightened. Someone had tried to kill her.
Still, as she pulled on a short nylon nightgown and slid beneath the covers, she wasn’t thinking of speeding cars and her close brush with death. She was thinking of the hottest kiss she had ever tasted.
She was thinking of Jonah Wolfe.
* * *
JONAH HEARD THE knock at the front door the next morning. He walked over and checked the peephole, saw Chase Garrett, his boss and one of his closest friends, standing outside on the porch. Jonah opened the door.
“I got your message,” Chase said as he stepped into the condo. “I’d already heard about the hit-and-run.”
“Word travels fast.”
“Maddox always has an ear to the pavement. What can I do to help?” Chase was as tall as Jonah, at thirty-five, three years older, with dark blond hair and whiskey-brown eyes. A short-cropped beard ran along his jaw. Chase was good-looking—and rich as Croesus. And he didn’t give a damn about either of those things.
All Chase had ever cared about was law enforcement, first as a cop, then a detective, now as the owner of the top private security firm in Dallas.
“I could use a little feedback. Thought maybe we could brainstorm, figure out where this might be headed.” He hadn’t wanted to leave April alone or he would have just gone down to the office. “You want some coffee? I just made a pot.”
“Sounds good.”
Jonah led Chase into April’s sparkling white kitchen and poured each of them a mug of the French roast he had found in the cupboard and brewed. They filled their mugs and carried them over to the high, round white Formica-topped table and each sat down on a stool.
“Your client still asleep?” Chased asked.
Client. Sometime during the seconds between life and death, April had become more to him than just a client. Maybe that was the reason he had kissed her. Or maybe he just couldn’t resist temptation any longer. Whatever the reason, he meant to keep her safe.
“She’s asleep. She didn’t get much rest last night. I heard her moving around pretty late.”
Chase sipped his coffee. “Nothing new on the hit-and-run?”
“No, and I don’t think there will be. No plate number, not even a decent vehicle description.”
“No way to prove what happened had anything to do with the murder.”
“No.”
“But you’re convinced it’s connected. What’s the motivation?”
“Whoever killed Dean wanted April to roll over, just let things play out. Dean would be dead and the case would be closed.”
“But April wouldn’t go along with it.”
“That’s right. I have a hunch they figured if she was out of the picture, the whole thing would just go away.”
“If they’d managed to make it look like an accident, they might have just been right. With April gone, there’s no one to keep stirring the pot.”
“She never believed she killed David Dean and last night makes me pretty sure she’s right.”
Feminine footfalls sounded, padding down the hall in their direction. “Good morning,” April said, walking into the kitchen in jeans and a Dallas Cowboys’ T-shirt, all that luscious red hair curling around her shoulders. “I didn’t realize you had company.”
Jonah flashed back to the taste he’d had of her last night, the way her curves fit him so perfectly, and fought to control the tightening in his jeans.
“April, this is Chase Garrett. He’s the owner of Maximum Security and also a friend. Chase, meet April Vale.”
“Pleasure,” Chase said.
“Nice to meet you, Chase.”
“You want some coffee?” Jonah asked.
“Love some,” April said.
Jonah rose and poured her a cup and they joined Chase at the table.
“You’ve got a problem,” Chase said, sipping from his mug.
Jonah grunted. “Which one?”
“Unless you force these guys out in the open, they could just lie in wait until they’re ready to create another ‘accident.’”
“That’s what I’ve been thinking,” April said. “They want to be rid of me, but if they just shoot me, the cops will immediately link my murder to David’s and start digging deeper—exactly what the killer
s don’t want.”
“Depends on how much is at stake,” Jonah said. “If the problem is big enough, they’ll do whatever it takes to protect themselves.”
April sipped her coffee. “Aside from killing me, there’s another way they could get my cooperation.”
“What’s that?” Jonah asked.
“If they want me to take the blame for killing David, they could pay me.”
Chase looked impressed. “Blackmail? Interesting idea.”
“We can be pretty sure one of the people I was with at the Derby drugged me. Jonah doesn’t think it was either of the campaign volunteers or the employees at the bar. That leaves the mayor’s staff. I could talk to them, hint that I can be bought and see who takes the bait.”
“Wait a minute.” Jonah set his cup down on the table. “You aren’t thinking of setting some kind of trap?”
Chase shifted on his stool. “Until whoever killed Dean is caught, she’s a target, Jonah. You have to face that.”
Jonah shook his head. “If she tries to blackmail these people, instead of agreeing to pay her, they might just kill her.”
“They’ve already tried to kill her,” Chase reminded him.
“We have to do something,” April argued. “I can’t keep looking over my shoulder, checking my drinks for drugs or waiting for another car to run me down.”
“You need to be patient,” Jonah said. “Sooner or later something will break and I’ll get a lead. I just need a little more time.”
April gently touched his arm. “I’m going to a fund-raiser Thursday night. Being there is part of my job. The people who were with me at the Derby will also be there. I’ll talk to them, let them know I’ve had time to think things over. I’ll tell them I’m ready to cooperate, accept the story that David tried to rape me and I killed him in self-defense—if enough money is involved.”
“No,” Jonah said flatly. “It’s too dangerous.”
“It’s not a bad idea,” Chase argued. “I supported Rydell in the last election. I’ve got an invitation on my desk. I wasn’t planning to go, but plans change.”
Jonah shook his head. “I don’t like it. Not even a little.”
“If both of you are there, I’ll be safe,” April said. “I spread the word I can be bought and we see who offers to pay me.”
Jonah thought of his dead partner, Jenny Stevens. She’d thought she would be safe with him, too.
“We’ve got to do something, Jonah,” April said. “This could work.”
He clenched his jaw. He didn’t like it. But they needed to take the fight to whoever was involved in this before something else happened. Something that might prove fatal.
He blew out a long breath, raked back his hair. “Fine, but you and I go together and you stay close to me every second.”
“So you’d be my date?”
The ex-cop and the college girl. It seemed such a stretch something grim shifted inside him. “I know I’m not what you’re used to, but—”
April flashed him a brilliant white smile. “I’d love for you to be my date.”
Jonah blinked, tried to wrap his head around it. He shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. No way could that smile be anything but sincere. He wished he wasn’t so relieved.
He returned his attention to Chase. “Looks like I’m taking April into the wolf’s den—so to speak. Long as I can count on you for backup.”
“Not a problem.”
“You fit in with that crowd. No one will spot you as personal protection.”
Dealing with wealthy clients was Chase’s specialty. He was comfortable moving in upper-class circles. And it paid big money. His connections were part of the reason he was so successful.
“I’ll call Reggie Porter,” Chase said. “Ask him to drive you. He doubles as a bodyguard.”
“Reggie’s good. I’ve worked with him before.”
Jonah felt April’s gaze on his face. “You don’t think they’d actually try to kill me at the fund-raiser?”
“They’re more likely to agree to pay you,” he conceded, since the idea was, in fact, a good one. “Killing you would only make the cops more suspicious about what happened to Dean. But blackmail is dangerous. And anytime you’re setting a trap for a killer, things can go wrong.”
“Which,” Chase said, “considering what’s happened so far, is way more than a remote possibility.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
APRIL DRESSED WITH care for the mayor’s black-tie fund-raiser. Choosing a long, off-the-shoulder chiffon gown in blush tones, she stood in front of the mirror admiring the way the fabric flowed over her curves, showing off her figure while still looking elegant and sophisticated.
As she walked, a split in the skirt allowed a glimpse of her legs. Strappy silver high heels peeped from beneath the hem.
If she managed to forget the task ahead of her, she was excited to be going. The posters she’d helped design would be plastered all over the ballroom. Her staff had been responsible for the decorations—with only a few frantic phone calls to her.
As the time for Jonah’s arrival drew near, her nerves crept up. He hadn’t spent any more nights in her town house. He was working the case, trying to dig up information, but he’d insisted a security guard be parked in front of the house round the clock.
Since she knew how to handle a pistol, he’d brought her a Colt .38 revolver for protection. April didn’t tell him David’s bloody murder was enough to last a lifetime—there was no way she was pulling the trigger.
At least not unless she had absolutely no choice.
Instead of a knock, the doorbell rang, setting the formal mood. April checked the peephole, saw Jonah on the porch and pulled the door open.
Oh, dear God.
Black leather suited him, but the man looked entirely edible in a gleaming black tuxedo. Her mouth went dry. Her attraction to this man was way over the top.
“You look gorgeous,” he said, sweeping her with those long-lashed, hot dark eyes. “You ready for this?”
“I’m ready. And you look pretty gorgeous yourself.”
His mouth edged up and his eyes smoldered.
She took a deep breath. “Let me get my purse.”
Grabbing the silver clutch that matched her shoes, she walked in front of him out to a black stretch limo waiting in front.
The driver, a big muscular African-American with impressively-sized biceps, opened the door. “This is Reggie,” Jonah said. “He’s a friend and a colleague. Reggie, meet April.”
The introduction surprised her since she wasn’t used to chauffeurs being introduced as friends. She liked it.
April smiled. “Nice to meet you, Reggie.”
“You, too, April.” He grinned. “Don’t you worry about a thing. I’m gonna take real good care of you.”
April believed him. She slid across the red leather seat and Jonah followed her in.
Reggie drove sanely to the Westin Dallas Downtown, and the limo pulled up at the entrance. Reggie walked around and opened the car door. Jonah slid out and helped April out, and she walked into the building on his arm.
Jonah paused a moment to speak to hotel security. He showed his ID and the weapon in his shoulder holster, and they continued on, heading down the hall into the ballroom.
The place looked spectacular, sophisticated yet welcoming. Organized and supervised by April and her staff, a small army of volunteers had done the decorations. Wispy lengths of white chiffon draped from the ceilings. Tiny lights glittered overhead and along the walls, and bouquets of white chrysanthemums marched down the center of the linen-draped tables.
Along the hall leading into the ballroom, campaign posters in the red, blue, white and gold colors of the Dallas City flag read, Keep Dallas Moving. Reelect Mayor Mark Rydell.
The event was already in full swing when they got
there. Chase, who had arrived ahead of them, spotted them and started striding in their direction.
“You look stunning,” Chase said, leaning in to brush a light kiss on her cheek.
“Thank you.”
In a white dinner jacket, with his thick dark blond hair, the short-cropped beard along the edge of his jaw, and broad-shouldered, solid build, the man was an eyeful. But it was Jonah’s hard masculinity and brooding dark looks that appealed to her.
She caught him watching her, his sexy mouth faintly curved, and desire washed through her. She thought of the heated kiss they had shared and wondered if they would be as good together as she imagined in her fantasies.
“I want you to introduce me around,” Jonah said. “I want to get a read on the people you work with, especially the ones who were with you at the Derby.”
“The cocktail hour is the best time for that to happen. We’ll wander. Then I’ll go back and talk to Peggy, Brad and Collin later. Mark, too, if I get the chance.”
A muscle tightened in Jonah’s cheek. He wasn’t happy with this whole blackmail idea but that was just too bad.
They made the rounds, April introducing him as a friend of a friend, namely to Maddie and Ross Townsend, but said nothing about him being a private investigator. Jonah conversed more easily than she would have guessed. He was especially interested in Peggy, Brad and Collin.
With time slipping away, she needed to execute her plan. “I have to go,” she said, picking up a glass of champagne off a passing waiter’s tray.
“I’ll be close by if you need me,” Jonah said. “So will Chase. You may not see us, but we’ll be able to see you.”
“Good to know.” April wandered off in search of her quarry. She had already worked out what she planned to say, at least the general drift, and gone over it with Jonah.
She spotted Collin near the bar. He had just finished talking to an older woman April recognized as a big contributor to Mark’s campaign. April walked up and stopped right in front of him.
“I know you’re busy,” she said. “Have you got a minute?”
“Of course.” Collin looked good in a tuxedo. He was an attractive man who wore clothes well and he knew it.