11
THE NEXT MORNING, they entered the building and went through security, Katie was careful to watch everything around her. A few students said hello on their way to the classroom, and Mac always gave them his winning smile.
He genuinely seemed well liked by everyone they came in contact with, and she began to question her hunch about someone at school being the culprit.
“Mac?” A dark-haired man with a comb-over hair-style and a lab coat stopped Mac in the hallway outside his classroom. He was about five inches shorter than Mac and a good ten years older.
Katie stood back so that she could observe without being overt about it.
“Phillip, good to see you made it out of your lab. We were beginning to think your project had eaten you alive.”
Katie wondered what the man could be working on that could eat a human, but then realized Mac was joking.
“You’re one to talk.” Phillip gave him a quick smile.
“You got me there.” Mac took the file folders the man handed to him. “Did you get those reports I sent you about the drought-resistant behavior of B1 and B2?”
The other man nodded. “That’s what this is.” He pointed to the folders. “I made some notes for you about certain bacteria you might want to try in the test trials.”
“Ah. Good work here,” he said as he flipped through the papers. “I appreciate the time you took to look this over. I know how busy you are.”
“No problem,” Phillip said. “Well, I’ve got to get back to the lab. I’ll see you at the party later?”
Mac nodded, and as he turned to the classroom door he didn’t see the strange look on Phillip’s face. But Katie did. She made a mental note to check out the professor. Could be he was worried about something unrelated to Mac, but her gut told her she should check him out.
Katie had decided to observe one of his classes, since this was a teaching day for him. Maybe she’d pick up on something the students said, or the way he interacted with them. Back in the States students had done everything from pipe bombing teachers to egging their houses over bad grades. She wouldn’t put it past someone to do the same, especially in a high-stress environment like this university, which was known for its excellence in academics.
Katie searched for the best vantage point to observe the class. Making her way up the stairs, she sat on the last row of the seats. With her jeans, jacket and knit cap no one would suspect how old she might be. Hell, there were times when she was still carded in restaurants in Texas.
The students filed in—noisy at the door, but as they reached their seats there was silence. They opened their notebooks and wrote down what Mac put on the white board in front of them. Earlier, on the way to the university, he had told her that he was one of the few professors who didn’t allow laptops in the classroom. He found the finger tapping distracting, and half the time they were chatting with friends online instead of taking notes. He liked his students fully engaged. There was respect in the room—she could feel it. That made her curious. The absentminded professor obviously had some fans.
Mac busied himself writing things on the board while the kids settled down. Today he wore a cream-colored cable sweater and jeans, again making him look like a male cover model. If Katie were in his class, she most certainly would have a crush on her professor. Okay, she knew she was way past the crush stage.
In all, there were about twenty students. He’d said this was his largest class. Freshmen. Most of the professors hated teaching the underclassmen, but Mac told her he liked getting the young minds before they became too jaded about science. He saw this as his opportunity to bring them into his world.
A pretty blonde walked in just as the class was starting. She stood by the professor and tried to talk to him. He gave her a thumb motioning for her to sit down. When she turned toward the seats, there was no mistaking that expression. She was furious.
Katie chewed on her thumbnail, curious what that was all about. The girl huffed into her seat and slammed her books on the desk. She saw one girl turn and roll her eyes at her friends. The girl’s lips read “Drama Queen.”
Katie smiled, but had to find out what Mac had said to the girl to make her so angry. Pulling out her notebook, she wrote down the color of the girl’s clothes and hair, and made a note to ask the professor.
Mac moved to the front of the long table he used as a desk in the front of the classroom.
“Good morning. I hope you did your reading for today. We have a great deal to cover before we get to your review on Friday. Let’s talk about population density and food production.”
As he launched into his lecture she expected to be bored to tears. But that turned out to be far from the truth. He was passionate about his subject and the kids were into it. They asked questions. Those who were shy he’d draw in, prodding them until they became involved. The whole thing made her respect him even more. She was so caught up in what was going on, she almost forgot her job was to observe.
The only person he didn’t actively engage, and who didn’t bother to participate, was the young blonde.
Katie’s mind went to a bad place.
What if they have history? Would Mac date someone so young?
She and Mac had had a glorious two days, but what did she really know about him? In truth, he hadn’t shared any more than she had, preferring to live in the moment. Pulling out the laptop that had arrived along with her new phone, she opened it and tapped the keys—gently, to keep from disturbing the class.
The computer had a satellite card, so she didn’t have to worry about the university’s wireless codes. The Stonegate Agency used a specific satellite company for security reasons. Opening the databases they used for research at the office, she typed in Professor Macon Douglas.
His file came up. He’d done undergraduate studies at Harvard and moved to MIT for his graduate work, where he’d earned three separate doctoral degrees. She did a home search and discovered he had one in Surfside, California. That was where he grew up with his mother and father. And three sisters.
Interesting. He’d mentioned the mother of his nephew, but she’d forgotten there were more sisters, that he’d grown up in a houseful of women. That might explain why, even though he was a bookworm of a professor, he still had a romantic side.
She’d grown up with brothers, so she could relate. That was probably why Mac was so good at getting his way with her. All those women—he’d had a lot of practice in the art of persuasion. His résumé read like a Who’s Who list. He’d met with diplomats around the world. There were even pictures of him with presidents in the U.S. and numerous dignitaries around the world. The man had certainly made a name for himself.
The research he worked on was top secret, but she perused several journal articles written about how universities around the world had wooed him. Mac had been wanted by the best.
The class was wrapping up and she needed to ask Mac about the blonde. Something about the girl didn’t sit right with her. Stuffing everything into her bag, she made her way down the steps.
The girl took her time loading up her gear as if she were waiting for the classroom to clear so she could talk to the professor again.
The girl hadn’t noticed Katie, so she slipped behind a small partition that stuck out on the third row to watch what would happen next.
“Professor?”
Katie saw Mac’s shoulders tense.
He shook his head. “Megan, I’m not going to change my mind. I’m sorry. I have two lab assistants and that’s all I need right now. I tried to make you understand, but it’s not going to happen.” He erased the board without ever turning to face her.
“I know,” she said sadly. “It’s just, well, I’m worried about this midterm coming up. I was wondering if I could come by for some tutoring.”
Mac still didn’t face her, even though the board was clean. “Sara McKinley has set up a study group that meets Thursday nights here. She’s the teaching assistant for this class, and helps
me in the lab. That’s your best bet for tutoring. But I’ll be stopping by to answer any questions any of you might have.”
She huffed. “I can’t be here Thursday.” Her nasally whine grated on Katie’s nerves. “If you don’t want to help me, I get it.”
The girl hustled out the door, her shoulders hunched over the books she carried in her hands.
Oh. Crush. Katie knew what that felt like. She’d had a crush on one of her instructors at the academy. He was one of the reasons she’d done so well. Katie would have done anything to please the man.
“How about me, Professor? I could use a little one-on-one tutoring. Do you have time for me?” Katie teased.
Mac chuckled. “Yes, Ms. McClure, I will teach you whatever you wish.”
“Who was that? The blonde.”
His smile turned into a frown. “Megan. I turned her down as a lab assistant, but she’s persistent. I made sure the application stated graduate students would be considered only, but she refuses to understand. Obstinate thing. She makes the other students uncomfortable at times. I seem to have one of those every semester.”
“She has a thing for you, and she’s just looking for a way to spend more time with you.”
Mac scoffed, and the action made her laugh. “Well, I actually tried to fix her up with her classmate, Ian. He’s a brilliant young man, and I have it on good authority from my TA that he’s what the girls call hot. But Megan would have none of that. I see her everywhere I go. I don’t want to say stalker, but sometimes…”
This time it was Katie who frowned. “You don’t think she’d be angry enough to hurt you, do you?”
Mac’s head popped up from behind the desk where he’d leaned down to pick up his pen.
“Oh, no. She’s not the type. Annoying, yes. Attempted murder? I don’t think so.”
“You never know. We do stupid things for love,” Katie said. She made a mental note to do some checking up on Megan all the same. Crimes of passion were the number one cause for murder in… Hell, in most of the world.
“So what’s next?”
“I need to work in the lab for a few hours, and then I have a faculty party tonight at the dean’s home. I don’t suppose I could talk you into being my date?”
She sat on the edge of the desk. “Actually, I have to be there no matter what. While you’re in the lab, I think I’ll see if the dean is in. I don’t think he’d appreciate me asking my questions during his party.”
Mac agreed. “He does these silly theme parties. For morale, he insists. But I think he has a thing for dressing up in costumes.”
Costumes. Yuck. Katie hated that kind of thing. “What’s tonight’s theme?” she asked, praying she didn’t have to find some awful outfit before the party.
Mac pulled an invitation out of his backpack.
He snorted.
“What is it?” Katie was afraid to know.
“Cops and robbers.”
That she could do.
Mac’s phone rang.
“Hey, Hunter. Tonight? Sorry, I’ve got a faculty party.”
Katie remembered Hunter was the toy guy. She pulled out her phone to check messages, but she couldn’t help but listen in.
“Yes, as a matter of fact I do have a date.” Mac laughed. “Yes, she’s gorgeous.”
Katie’s cheeks grew warm. No one said those kinds of things about her. Dependable, maybe, but never anything close to gorgeous.
“I probably won’t be able to play tennis Sunday, but maybe next week? Tell your mom and dad I said hello.”
Mac hung up and stuffed the phone back into his pocket.
“You play tennis?” Katie crossed her arms against her chest.
“A couple of times a month and usually with Hunter. In the summer we also play soccer, though they call it football here. Do you play tennis? We could—”
“Not really my thing.” She cut him off. As much as she would like to play all kinds of games with Mac, she was here to do a job. “I’m off to talk to the dean.”
“Oh, well, I’ll see you later, then.”
Yes, he would. Katie couldn’t get those words out of her head. She’s gorgeous.
She might just take a little extra time with her makeup tonight.
12
THE DEAN PLANNED his parties down to the last detail. The foyer and formal living and dining areas of his huge town house in Notting Hill were dressed to look like an old-fashioned American police precinct. Faculty members stood around trying to look as if they were having a good time. Some were dressed as police officers or criminals in prison jumpsuits and stripes.
At every single function there was at least one idiot in the crowd who drank too much and said impossibly rude things. Usually it was some poor fool up for tenure, who knew he was doomed.
Thankfully, the fool had never been Mac. Though a few of his colleagues were swilling cocktails so fast, the party was sure to be lively in less than an hour.
Tonight Mac was on his best behavior. Katie had lectured him about keeping a professional distance at the party, especially in front of the dean. There would be no sexy moves on his part. She’d made him swear on the Bible in her hotel room. Standing next to her without touching her proved to be the hardest thing he’d done in a very long time.
He’d worn jeans and a T-shirt with a leather jacket, which was about as robber as he was willing to get. Katie, on the other hand, was the hottest cop he’d ever seen. He wondered how criminals had reacted to getting cuffed by her when she’d worked as a cop in the Bronx.
The woman was nothing short of perfect.
Only he could see the tiny line of tension around her eyes. She wasn’t comfortable in this environment, but he couldn’t figure out why. From the time they walked in the door, she’d been observing. He’d catch her checking out someone with a discerning look as if she were making mental notes of the guests. She spoke only when someone asked her something directly.
The dean approached their spot in the dining room, where they’d been talking about the food. There were piles of doughnuts, hamburgers and hot dogs.
The dean smiled. “I’m so happy you could join us, Katie.”
For the most part Mac liked the man, and he certainly had no complaints about the funding he provided or the incredible facilities the university paid for that had been placed around the world under Mac’s direction.
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate you allowing me to tag along with Mac.” She gave him a sweet smile, and for a split second he felt a tinge of silly jealousy toward the older man.
“Yes, yes, well, who better than you to tell me if I’ve done this correctly.” He waved to the spread on the table.
“The doughnuts are an inspired touch,” she said. Then she placed a hand on his arm. “Remember, we don’t want people to know about—well, you remember, right?”
She smiled at him, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Something had happened in her meeting with him, but she hadn’t discussed it with Mac. He had to admit he was curious. The dean seemed charmed by her, but she didn’t care for him. Mac could tell by her cautious tone.
“So, what is our cover story?” The dean lowered his voice to a whisper.
“I’m simply a friend of Mac’s,” Katie said softly, but there was an edge to her words.
“Yes, of course.” The dean put a finger to his lips.
“Katie’s my friend visiting from the States,” Mac chimed in. “She’s a security specialist, and we met at a conference. Katie says it’s best to stay as close to the truth as possible.”
“Bloody good,” the dean said. “Do you have any suspects in the crowd? I don’t think anyone here is on the list I gave you.” He glanced around the room. “I can’t imagine the faculty would want to harm our dear professor, but as you said earlier, one never knows.”
“I’ve been observing,” Katie said, “but so far no one seems to stand out. Though I am curious about the woman in the jeans and red T-shirt. She keeps looking over here.”
The dean rubbed his hands together. “Oh, I feel like one of the detectives on those American television programs. Did I tell you I was fan of—”
“Yes.” Katie cut him off. “Yes, you did tell me your favorites.”
Mac coughed to cover his laugh. He also thought he’d better come clean with Katie.
“That’s Caroline,” Mac whispered. “We used to date.”
The dean’s eyes widened into giant pools behind his gold-rimmed glasses. “I didn’t know you dated Professor Carson. Oh, but you needn’t worry about her,” he said. “She’s one of our finest faculty members…well, besides Macon here, of course.”
“Why didn’t you mention her before?” Katie asked without turning to face him. She kept her eyes on Caroline.
“I’m embarrassed to say I’d forgotten,” Mac said. “We went to dinner a couple of times and for coffee, but she’s as anal about her work as I am mine. We never seemed to get past talking about our jobs.”
Katie glanced up at him. Her eyebrow rose, and he knew he was in trouble. “It was a very casual arrangement. A few dates over a couple of weeks. I promise that was it.”
He didn’t know why he felt he should explain himself to her, but he didn’t want her to misinterpret his relationship with the other woman.
“When was this?” Katie asked.
Mac shrugged. “I don’t know. About six months ago?”
The dean rubbed his chin with his forefinger and thumb.
“What is it, Dean?” Katie had noticed the troubled look on the other man’s face.
“We had a complaint from a female student during that time concerning Professor Carson.”
“What was the nature of the complaint?” Katie crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“Well, it was unfounded. The girl had nothing to back up her claim, and the inquiry panel decided she was upset about her grade and made up the story. In the end after a good dose of questioning, she recanted her tale. As to the nature of the complaint, that is confidential information.”
She Who Dares, Wins Page 8