Dangerous Temptations

by Kelly Elliott

  Sydney

  I flipped over the page, but there was nothing else. The desperation to know what happened was tangible.

  Quinn was in trouble. But where was the danger coming from? Were the Alchemists trying to kill her? Or was it something else? I assumed it had something to do with them because of the coin. But maybe it was a rival group? Questions, questions, and more questions. This was the part of the scavenger hunts I loved. Unraveling the mystery.

  I wondered if Grandpa had thought I could find the journal when he’d come across the letter.

  The thrill of the chase hummed through my body. I jumped around, unable to contain it. “Mike, do you know what this means?”

  “You have a lot of research on your hands.”

  I grabbed his arm and squeezed while bouncing like a maniac. “Yes! I have names! Lots and lots of names! I don’t know what I’m looking for, but I have names!”

  A deep rumble of laughter resonated from him. He laid his hand on top of mine, causing the opposite bicep to bulge, straining the T-shirt that clung to it. If I’d had a genie in a bottle, I’d wish to be his shirt.

  Hello, sexiness.

  “You are so strong. Like whoa strong.” My eyes widened again, and his grin grew bigger. “Why do I keep doing this?”

  My cheeks heated. And like an idiot, I kept my hands on his arms. Release him, Sydney. Let go of him. Don’t be a freak.

  When I had calmed myself down enough to actually hear myself, I pulled back, but his hand held one of mine in place and he said, “Have dinner with me.”

  “Dinner? Like food?”

  Gah, like food? Am I for real?

  I had a doctorate, for Pete’s sake, and when I was around this man, I acted like a preteen girl with a crush.

  “People do eat. I figured we could do it together.”

  I dropped my head and gave it a shake. “With my luck, I’d probably end up accidently stabbing someone with my fork or causing a fire somehow.”

  “Or we could have dinner and sit on opposite sides of the restaurant?”

  I pushed against his chest playfully with my free hand. Yes, yes, yes, his chest feels as amazing as I imagined. Hello, sexiness overload.

  The air grew tense as Mike’s gaze pierced mine. And damn it, my lady parts tingled. They screamed for a workout. Down, girl. I wanted him. Badly. Like crazy bad, but I wasn’t a one-night stand kind of girl.

  The heat of his body seeped into mine. My nipples hardened.

  “Have dinner with me. Let’s explore what this is.”

  Unconsciously, I licked my lips. “Explore?”

  “Are you going to answer every question I ask with another question?”

  We moved closer together. I responded, “Maybe?”

  When barely an inch separated us, I held my breath and prayed he’d close the gap.

  Crash!

  A loud noise outside the window made me jump, and Maggie Maye barked.

  Mike was instantly on alert. “Grab the dog. Go down the hall.”

  My pulse skyrocketed. “Mike, what’s going on?”

  His hands went to my face. “Let me check it out, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  I grabbed Maggie Maye and took her into the hallway. She whimpered and wiggled to get down. “Shh… it’s okay. Your daddy is checking it out.” I stroked her fur and murmured to her softly.

  Mike appeared from around the corner. He shook his head, clearly agitated. “Damn cat.” I remained frozen. “Shit, I’m so sorry, Syd. A cat knocked over your plant outside. I saw the culprit on the sidewalk before he ran off.”

  I let out a breath and leaned against the wall. Maggie Maye squirmed until I released her, and she settled at Mike’s feet.

  He stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets, looking a little embarrassed. “Some habits die hard. The area I worked in Chicago was kind of rough, and I was constantly on edge.”

  That made sense. His initial reaction had seemed a little over the top. “It must have been pretty bad.”

  “It was.” There seemed to be more to that statement. For a moment, his eyes seemed haunted.

  I took a step closer. “Is everything okay?”

  He blinked and the sadness was gone. “Yes. Glad the place is behind me.” He picked up Maggie and turned her to face me. Hiding behind her head and speaking in a cute puppy voice, he said, “Have dinner with Mike. Please.”

  Those puppy dog eyes undid me. I put my hands on the sides of her face. “He better give you an extra treat when I say yes.”

  She licked my face, and I laughed.

  “She approves.” Mike’s pager went off, and he scowled before reading it. “I need to go to the precinct. Do you mind watching Maggie Maye? If not, I can run her home.”

  I petted her soft head. “She can stay the night with me. I have some supplies in my car. I’ll bring her into the clinic tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, I don’t know how long I’ll be.” His pager went off again. Mike kissed the top of Maggie Maye’s head, and instantly, I was jealous of the puppy. Like really jealous. Would it be weird to intercept the kiss? I only pondered that craziness for about half a second before I mentally slapped myself.

  “Lock the door after me, okay? I’ll see you tomorrow. You girls sleep good.”

  “We will.”

  I closed the door and peered through the peephole. Mike stood there until I set the lock. It was sweet that he was so concerned. He wanted me safe. That thought made me wonder what had happened in Chicago.

  Maggie Maye whimpered. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Your daddy is going to pick you up tomorrow. We get to have a sleepover tonight.”

  A lick and wagging tail told me she approved. After turning off all the lights and taking the dog outside in the backyard one last time, we headed to bed. Figuring Maggie Maye would feel safer in a strange place next to me, I put her on the bed. She cuddled up to me.

  My phone vibrated.

  Unknown Number: Hi. It’s Mike. Everything okay?

  Me: How’d you get my number? Everything is great. We’re about to go to bed. Maggie Maye is snuggling with me.

  Mike: I may have bribed Lou with coffee and donuts for your number.

  Oh man, Lou was a sucker for donuts and coffee. Before I was able to respond, another text appeared.

  Mike: It’s official. I’m jealous of my dog.

  I giggled and saved his number.

  Me: I felt the same way earlier this evening.

  Mike: When?

  Me: Oh no, I’m not divulging. It looks like I can control myself via text.

  My phone rang. I smiled when Mike’s name flashed across the screen.

  “Hey there.”

  I heard the sound of a blinker in the background. He must have been driving.

  “Hey there. I thought I might see if I could get you to tell me. Texting doesn’t work. Maybe my voice will.”

  Little butterflies danced around my stomach. “It seems I’m immune to your charm over the phone, too.”

  Not really. I was sixty seconds away from cracking. Remain strong.

  “When were you jealous of Maggie Maye tonight?”

  I bit my lip to stifle the giggle. “Night, Mike. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Forty-five seconds. Keep your filter on, Sydney.

  He let out a deep chuckle. “I see how it’s going to be. I’ll be prepared.”

  Thirty seconds. I’ve got this.

  “We’ll see. Bring your A game. I’ll bring mine.”

  Oh yeah, I can feel the crack in my defenses widening with his sexy voice.

  “Oh, I will. You’ve been warned. Night, Sydney Burch.”

  Fifteen seconds.

  “Night, Mike Murphy.”

  The line clicked off and I squealed, shaking my legs excitedly from the feelings coursing through my body. Maggie Maye looked up at me like I was crazy. “It’s your daddy. He does this to me.”

  She wagged her tail three times before closing her eyes again. I petted her soft hea
d. “He’s something else, Maggie Maye.”

  Mike

  I couldn’t hold back the smile on my face as I put my phone into my pocket.

  “That’s an awfully big grin on your face, Officer Murphy.”

  Lou stood before me, her arms crossed over her chest and a knowing grin of her own on her face.

  “I’m in a good mood. Nothing wrong with that.”

  Her brow lifted. “Mmm-hmm. It doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that you got Sydney’s number from me five minutes ago?”

  “No, it does not.”

  Lou’s husband, Bill, came around the corner, a grim look on his face. “Murphy, we need to check out this call. Someone called in stating they think they heard a girl screaming from the old witch house.”

  I was instantly on high alert. “The old witch house?”

  “Oh yeah. Sorry about that. Old habit. The address is 310 Essex Street.”

  “The museum?”

  Bill nodded, kissed Lou on the forehead, and motioned for me to follow him.

  As Bill and I headed out to our squad cars, Lou called out, “I am not letting this go, Officer Murphy.”

  Lifting my hand in a wave, I replied, “I didn’t think you would.”

  Bill and I pulled into the parking lot of the museum. The place was pitch black, but I swore I saw something move across the window. Pulling out my gun, I spoke into my radio to Bill, who was now walking up the steps of the museum.

  “Movement in the upstairs window.”

  “That’s probably one of the ghosts.”

  I stopped walking and stared at him as he tried the door. From his lack of entry into the house, it had to be locked.

  “Did you say ghosts?”

  “Go around back, take the left side of the house. I’ll go right. And yeah, Mike, haven’t you done any research of the area like Doug said? The old Corwin house is haunted. Very haunted.”

  I rolled my eyes as I made my way around the house, listening for anything unusual.

  “Sorry, Bill. I don’t believe in that sort of stuff.”

  “Trust me, you will.”

  We met up at the back of the house. I reached down and pulled on the doors for the cellar. They were locked.

  “Back door is unlocked,” Bill said quietly. I quickly made my way over to him so we could enter the house together.

  “Do we know who called it in?” I asked.

  “Not yet. Lou, can we get more info on the caller,” he said into his radio.

  “Ten four. The alarm company said the alarm hadn’t been activated.”

  Bill and I exchanged a look before I stepped into the house.

  “Salem PD!” I shouted.

  Bill came around my side. “This is the police. Come out slowly with your hands up.”

  A loud crash came from around the corner. Bill motioned for me to head in that direction. With our guns drawn, we turned the corner and found a black cat sitting on the dining room table. I breathed out a sigh of relief.

  “Where the hell did that come from?” Bill asked.

  “Does the museum have a house cat?” I asked, shining my flashlight around. My eye caught something in the far corner of the room, up in the exposed beams.

  “I seriously doubt it with all the antiques here. Let’s go upstairs and check it out.”

  “Salem PD! If you’re in the house, you need to make yourself known.” Bill shouted as I walked closer to the beams and shined my light there again.

  “Mike, you find something?”

  “No. No, sorry.”

  I quickly headed to the steps and searched the entire second floor only to come up with nothing. The black cat followed us the entire time we were in the house.

  “Do you ever have kids break in here and start trouble?” I asked as we made our way back down the stairs.

  “No, not since they put in the alarm system. Someone must have forgotten to set the alarm and lock up.”

  I nodded. “Pretty big mistake with all this expensive furniture and historical artifacts.” I pressed the mic on my radio. “Lou, any information on the person who called in?”

  “No. She said she was afraid to give us any more information.”

  “What was the number that came up?” I asked.

  “It was a cell phone.”

  “Shit. Maybe it was a prank.” Bill said.

  I pressed the mic and spoke again. “Lou, we’ve got a cat here in the house. We need to find it again and get it out if it doesn’t belong here. Not sure how it got in.”

  Lou replied, “Maybe some teenagers brought it in there? I wouldn’t think the museum would have a cat.”

  “Maybe it went out. I’ll search outside; you look around in here. It was all over us upstairs,” Bill said, heading back out of the house.

  I walked back into the dining room and shined my light around to see if I could find what had fallen and broken. Then I heard something, and I swung my flashlight. The black cat was sitting on top of the old fireplace, looking up at the beams. I remembered something had caught my eye earlier. I walked over to get a better look at it. There was something carved into the wood. I pulled out my phone, held the flashlight up to the wood, and snapped a picture. The cat meowed and took off running.

  “Hey! Come here, kitty, kitty!” I said, following it through the dark house.

  “It ran out of the house!” Bill called.

  “I can’t find what broke,” I stated as I pulled the door shut behind me. “We aren’t going to leave it open, are we?”

  As I said the words, a car pulled up in front of the house.

  Lou’s voice came over the radio.

  “Wesley is there with the keys to lock things back up,” Lou said.

  I gave Bill a questioning look.

  “He’s the chairman of the Historical Society board of directors. He would have access to the house.”

  “Maybe he knows why the place was left unlocked,” I said.

  Wesley came walking around the house, his flashlight marking the way for him.

  “Good evening, officers.”

  “Evening, Wes. Sorry to drag you out. It looks like everything is okay. We heard a crash but didn’t find anything broken.”

  Wesley smiled and said, “It’s most likely Elizabeth.”

  “Elizabeth?” I asked.

  “The wife of Sam Corwin.”

  I sighed. “A ghost? That’s what you’re saying made the noise? Was she also the one doing the screaming?”

  Wesley laughed. “This is one of the advantages of living in Salem. You’ll get used to it, Officer Murphy. Did anything else look disturbed?”

  “No, with the exception of the cat. Lou said the museum did not have a cat. Are you keeping a cat in the museum now?”

  Wesley frowned. “No. There shouldn’t be a cat. The woman who manages the museum is allergic.”

  “Well, there was one in there, but Mike got it to run out.”

  “I very much appreciate that,” Wesley said as he headed up the steps. “I’ll take a look around to ensure nothing is missing. I’ll advise if anything is disturbed after I lock up and set the alarm.”

  “Why wasn’t the alarm set?” I asked.

  “Probably the last employee forgot to turn it on. It happens every now and then.”

  Bill seemed to be happy with that answer, so I was as well.

  “Let us know if you find anything out of place, Wesley.”

  Wesley raised his hand and gave us a wave as he called out, “I certainly will. Have a good evening.”

  Bill and I headed back to our squad cars.

  “I’ll write the report once I get back to the station. You gonna head out?” Bill asked.

  “Yeah, I’ll take a drive around the area, make sure everything looks okay.”

  He smiled. “See you back at the station.”

  Once I got into my car, I pulled up the photo I had taken inside the house and stared at it in disbelief.

  It was the same symbol that was on t
he coin Sydney had showed me earlier that evening.

  Sydney

  “Looks like you had a visitor last night,” Marie said as I walked into the office and set Maggie Maye down. Marie waggled her eyebrows repeatedly, and I rolled my eyes and giggled.

  Maggie Maye sniffed around the office. The cleaning crew had been there last night, and the smell of bleach permeated the air. She sat in front of the fish tank and watched Ragnor swim around in his lazy circles. A little growl grew in the back of her throat.

  “That’s Ragnor. He’s the office mascot.”

  She looked at me with her big puppy-dog eyes while she cocked her head. “Do you want to be an office mascot, too?”

  I received a bark in reply. She was too cute.

  Amazingly enough, she’d slept through the night and we had no accidents in the house this morning. I took out a rawhide and tossed it to her. So far, no one had contacted me about Maggie Maye. Once a full week passed, I imagined it would be safe to assume the likelihood of anyone showing was slim.

  Marie asked, “Well, did someone come by?”

  Nonchalantly, I shrugged. “Mike dropped by with a pizza. That was it.”

  “Pish posh. There’s more to it, and you know it.”

  I loved Marie, but she was also a huge gossip. She and her Red Hat Society women, which included Lou and Peggy, met every month and compared notes. If I revealed too much, I’d be featured in their conversations.

  “I watched Maggie Maye for him last night when he got called away. We’re friends.”

  The door chimed, and the little puppy took off. Mike gave me a million-dollar grin, which I returned. The Salem PD T-shirt was black this time. Why, cruel world, why? The material was thin, showing off every muscle, and I took a steadying breath.