“You’re right—I’m not. I just wish this creep would make another move.” She took a sip of her coffee and then set the cup back down on the table. “You know I can’t stay here forever.” Her gaze held his intently and then she stared down into her coffee cup.
“Do you know how much longer we’ve got with you here?” His heart suddenly felt too big for his chest and he had to talk around a lump that rose up in his throat.
He’d known she was here only temporarily, but in the past week or so he’d somehow buried that fact deep in his mind. It had been easier to not think about the time she’d have to go.
“I spoke to my director last night and he’s giving me another two weeks and then it’s time for me to go back home,” she replied.
“Here we are,” Joan said as she entered the dining room carrying two plates of scrambled eggs, toasted English muffins and strips of crispy bacon.
Two weeks. It wasn’t a lot of time. Gabriel picked up his fork even though his appetite had fled. They had fourteen days to catch the killer.
And he had two weeks to try to stop falling deeper in love with her.
* * *
JORDON SAT IN the center of her bed and stared at her laptop monitor. It was just after nine and the frustration of another fruitless day burned hot in her belly.
That wasn’t all that burned inside her. She was in love with Gabriel and she wished he was beside her right now, in her bed...in her life forever.
The night that they’d slept together she’d thought he would just be a fling, a warm memory for her to embrace on lonely nights. Gabriel in her bed had been exciting and wonderful, but Gabriel out of her bed was everything she had ever wanted, everything she had ever dreamed of in a man.
But she knew he wouldn’t settle for anything less than marriage and she wasn’t willing to go through that again. He was terrific husband material and she was nothing more than mistress material. And to believe anything otherwise would be a disservice to them both.
With a deep frown, she got up from the bed, refusing to think about all the things she wouldn’t allow in her life. She knew who and what she was, and whether Gabriel knew it or not, he deserved much better.
She’d almost been grateful when Director Langford had told her he was pulling her off the case after another two weeks. All she had to do was hang on to her heart and remember she was a lone wolf for the next fourteen days.
What she needed now was a cup of coffee from the guest shed and then a good night’s sleep. She wrapped on her gun belt, pulled on her coat and stepped out of her room.
The temperature had dropped again but not before the last couple of warm days had melted the snow left by the night of the blizzard.
As always when she left her room at night, she kept her hand on the butt of her gun and her senses on high alert. The night was silent around her, but she scanned the area with narrowed eyes.
There was no way she was going to let somebody get a jump on her. She was ready for anything that might come out of the darkness. She would never be taken by surprise again.
She reached the guest shed and opened the door. Instantly every nerve in her body electrified and her muscles tensed. There had been no welcoming tinkle of the bell. In fact, the small silver bell that had hung over the door was gone.
Her breaths became shallow as she yanked her gun from her holster and fell into a crouch. Was he inside here with her, or was he just outside and had hoped she wouldn’t notice that the bell was missing.
Was he just waiting for her to turn toward the coffee machine and watch a drink fill a cup and then he’d come at her and stab her in the back like he had Rick Sanders?
She twirled toward the door and then pivoted to face both the laundry room door and then the storage room door. Her heart ticked like a time bomb in her chest. Despite the cold of the night, her fingers grew slick with sweat on the gun handle.
Where was he? She turned sideways so both the laundry room door and the entry into the shed were in her vision. She pulled the laundry room door open and released a frantic gasp of air.
Nobody there.
She refused to give in to the shudders of fear that attempted to possess her. She still had to clear the small storage room and watch her back for anyone coming in from outside.
Heart still racing, she grabbed the storage room door handle, turned it and then kicked the door open. Despite the relative darkness of the room, it was easy to see that nobody was inside.
She whirled to face the door that led back outside. Any desire she might have had for a flavored coffee was gone, vanished by the sick knot of nerves that twisted inside her.
The bell over the door had been there two nights ago when she’d come inside to get coffee. It hadn’t just dropped off to the floor and there was absolutely no reason Ted and Joan would have had it removed.
She stepped back outside, her gaze frantically shooting in all directions. She got back safely to her room and sank down on the edge of her bed, and only then did her heartbeat begin to slow.
It was him. The killer had taken down the bell. He was toying with her. Had he been someplace nearby? Watching her search the room? Laughing at her fear?
Her stomach clenched, this time not in fear, but rather in anger. He was so close...so damn close. He had to have known about the bell over the door. He had to know that about every other evening she made the trek to the shed for a late-night cup of coffee.
Had he hoped she wouldn’t notice the missing bell? Had he hoped that she’d be unaware enough to go into the shed, stand in front of the coffeemaker and be attacked from behind?
If that was the case then he must think she was stupid. She frowned. And why wouldn’t he believe that? They hadn’t caught him yet even though apparently he was moving around right under their noses.
She carried her simmering anger with her the next morning into the dining room, where Gabriel was already seated at a table, chatting with Joan.
“Good morning,” she said curtly. “The bell over the door in the guest shed is gone,” she added before either of them could reply.
“What do you mean gone?” Joan asked in surprise.
“The bracket is still there but it looks like the bell was torn off.” Jordon stalked over to the coffeemaker.
“Who would have done such a thing?” Joan asked.
Jordon turned to look at her.
Joan raised a hand to her mouth. “The killer. He didn’t want anyone warned of him coming in behind them.”
“Give the little lady a stuffed bear,” Jordon replied as she poured herself a cup of coffee. Once she was finished, she walked back to the table and sat across from Gabriel.
He gazed at her with a deep frown. “When exactly did you discover this?”
“Last night it was just after nine when I decided to get myself a cup of coffee from the shed. The minute I stepped through the door I realized the bell hadn’t tinkled.”
“How often at night are you leaving your room to get coffee?” he asked, his voice holding a wealth of disapproval as his gaze bored into hers.
“I’ll just go see to breakfast,” Joan said and quickly left the room.
“Every other night or so,” Jordon said in response to Gabriel’s question.
“Tell me, Agent James—on those nights do you really want a cup of coffee or are you taunting the killer to make a move on you?”
He was definitely angry. As if calling her Agent James wasn’t enough to let her know, the deepening frown across his forehead and the taut slash of his lips was a sure sign of his ire.
She smiled at him. “I told you when we first met that if you hung around me long enough you’d get irritated with me.”
“This isn’t funny, Jordon,” he replied. “I have nightmares about something happening to you.”
&nb
sp; She looked at him in surprise. “You dream about me?”
He shook his head. “Don’t change the subject. Answer my question.”
“I forgot what the question was.”
He leaned back in his chair and released a deep sigh of obvious frustration. “Have you been intentionally taunting the killer to come after you?”
She thoughtfully stared down into her coffee cup and then looked back at him once again. “I don’t know,” she finally answered truthfully. “I mean, I’m definitely a coffee freak and I like to drink a cup in the evenings, but maybe subconsciously I was hoping the killer would come after me.”
“You aren’t alone in this. We’re a team, Jordon. It’s bad enough that you’re staying here. The last thing I want is for you to take any additional chances that put you in greater danger.” His gaze softened and his mouth relaxed a bit.
“I won’t get coffee at night anymore,” she said quickly, afraid by the look on his face that he was going to say something stupid...something that might twist her heart.
“That only makes me feel a little better,” he replied.
Joan came in with their breakfast plates, thankfully ending that particular conversation. “I’ll have Ed hang another bell in the shed as soon as he comes in this morning.”
Jordon exchanged a pointed gaze with Gabriel and she knew he was thinking the same thing. It was very possible that the man who would be replacing the bell was the same one who had yanked it off.
Was she mistaken in her belief that her attacker on the night of the snowstorm hadn’t been Ed? In retrospect she really couldn’t be sure. It had all happened so very fast.
Or had he taken down the bell to clear the way for one of his brothers to make a move on her? The idea of three of them working in concert was so disturbing.
The day had barely begun and already a dull throb pressed tight across the back of her skull. She had a deadly man to find and a wonderful man to forget.
Chapter Twelve
Ten days.
And tomorrow it would be nine more days and Jordon would be gone. Gabriel turned around at his desk and stared out the nearby window where another day had ended and night had fallen.
When the bell had gone missing in the guest shed, he’d added a tail to both Kevin Rollings and Ted Overton, but over the past couple of days neither one of the men had gone anywhere or done anything suspicious.
Gabriel knew he couldn’t justify the tails remaining in place for too long, especially not having any concrete evidence to tie them to the crimes other than Kevin’s vocal hatred of Diamond Cove.
A knock on his door turned him around in the chair. Mark entered the office and sank down in the chair in front of his desk. “Another frustrating day, huh,” he said. “Maybe the killer is done. Maybe he figures the three murders have already ruined business for Diamond Cove and he’s finished.”
Gabriel smiled. “Thanks for trying to inject a little optimism into my heart, but we both know he isn’t finished.” His smile fell. “And right now it appears that we’re stuck just waiting for his next move.”
“He’s marked Agent James as his next victim, but so far he’s been unsuccessful in getting to her. Let’s just hope he doesn’t change his mind and decide to go after somebody else, like a member of the Overton family.”
“There’s been no indication that the family is at risk, which makes Ted even better as a potential suspect,” Gabriel replied. “However, I have warned them all to not be on the property alone, especially at night.”
“I know Agent James is leaving town soon. What happens when his target goes away?”
Gabriel’s gut tightened, and he didn’t know if it was because Jordon would be gone or knowing that the killer would probably find another target.
“I don’t know,” he finally replied. “I can’t stop Ted and Joan from reopening their business and that means any of their guests could be potential victims.”
“If they have any guests.”
“Oh, they’ll have guests. If nothing else they’d get stupid people who want to stay in a place where murder has taken place.” Gabriel swallowed against a bit of disgust.
“So, I guess the only thing we can hope for is that our man comes after Agent James within the next week or so,” Mark said.
That was the last thing Gabriel hoped would happen. He wanted the killer caught but he didn’t want Jordon involved. He was torn between being a chief of police who trusted that an FBI agent could take care of herself, and being a man who wanted nothing more than to protect the woman who held a big chunk of his heart.
“I guess I’m out of here,” Mark said and got up from the chair. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Good night, Mark.” Gabriel shut down his computer and then stood. It was time to get Jordon back to her suite. He put on his coat, left his office and then walked down to the conference room where she had been working alone for the last hour while Gabriel caught up on all the other crimes in the area.
He opened the conference room door and her fresh, floral scent instantly assaulted his nose. She looked up from whatever she’d been reading and her smile warmed him to his very soul.
“Another day is done,” she said. She slid the paper into one of the manila folders on the table and then stood.
“Another day of more dead ends,” he replied.
She pulled on her coat. “Don’t beat yourself up, Gabriel. We both know we’re at a point in the investigation where the ball is in the killer’s court.”
“Don’t remind me,” he said drily. “Are you hungry? Want to grab something before I take you back to Diamond Cove?” They had eaten a late lunch, but he’d much prefer the final meal of the day spent with her than alone in his kitchen.
“I’m really not very hungry. I’m good just going to my room,” she replied.
He nodded despite his disappointment. She’d been rather distant with him all day. During lunch she’d been quiet, far more introspective than he’d ever seen her. It was as if mentally she was already moving on and putting him and these crimes behind her.
She was quiet as they left the building, got into his car and left the station. “The weather report says more snow coming in sometime tonight,” he said to break the silence.
“Hopefully it isn’t going to be another blizzard,” she replied.
“Nah, right now they’re just calling for an inch or two.”
“That’s good.” She stared out the passenger window and the silence resumed.
He tried to think of something inane, any light topic that would draw her out, but the things he really wanted to talk about with her weren’t light or inane.
Tonight the depth of his feelings for her begged to be spoken out loud. They filled his heart with a fullness that was difficult to hold in. As crazy as it was, he knew in his very soul that she was the woman he wanted not just for the next ten days, but rather for the rest of his life. And until this moment he’d believed that she was falling in love with him.
They reached Diamond Cove and they both got out of the car. As always, he drew his gun as she unlocked her suite door. Once the room was cleared, they took off their coats and he sat on the chair next to the fireplace.
“How about a cup of coffee before I take off?” he asked.
“Okay, I’ll make a pot, although this isn’t as good as the flavored ones in the guest shed.” She walked over to the vanity where the little coffeepot sat next to a small basket that held coffee packages, creamers and sugar packets.
He watched her covetously as she poured the water into the back of the machine, set the coffee packet inside and then turned it on to brew.
She was so beautiful and seemingly so unaware of her own attractiveness. It wasn’t just her physical charm that drew him to her, but also the spirit and beauty t
hat shone from within.
As she turned around to face him, he got up and flipped the switch that made flames jump to life in the fireplace. He sat back down in the chair and knew this night wouldn’t end without him speaking exactly what was in his heart.
“Long day,” she finally said when the coffee was finished and she’d poured them each a cup. She set hers on the nightstand and moved aside what appeared to be a red nightgown that was on her bed, along with a can of hair product and a tube of mascara, and then sat down.
“They’re all long lately,” he replied. When he’d worked as a cop in Chicago, he’d once faced down a man high on PCP and armed with a machete. He and his partner had gotten into a firestorm of flying bullets with a handful of dangerous gangbangers.
However, nothing he’d ever experienced before in his life had made him as nervous as he now was as he faced a woman with soft curls and green eyes and a spirit that made him smile.
“You’ve been terribly quiet all day,” he observed.
She nodded. “I guess I’ve just been trying to figure out where we go from here.”
“I know where I’d like us to go from here.” He set his coffee cup on the table and ignored the sudden dryness of his throat as he held her gaze intently.
“Where is that?” she asked. She picked up her coffee cup and took a sip.
“Jordon, I’m not talking about these cases. I’m talking about us...you and me.”
Her eyes became guarded as she set her cup back on the nightstand. “Gabriel, there is no you and me.”
“Jordon, I’m in love with you and I think you feel the same way about me.” His heart thundered in his chest as he spoke the words that had been burning inside him.
She averted her gaze from his. “You just feel that way because we slept together.”
“Jordon, I loved making love with you, but my feelings for you certainly aren’t just based on a physical level. I love the way your eyes light up just before you say something funny. I adore how they narrow when you’re deep in thought.”
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