by Rebecca York
In the distance she heard a siren.
“Fire department,” Brady said.
He helped her across the window sash, and she began climbing down the ladder, holding the rungs in a death grip, looking up to make sure Mack was following. Another man was holding the ladder at the bottom, and she recognized Hunter Kelley.
They made it to the ground, and she saw she was in the front yard of a gray Victorian mansion.
“Washington Street,” she wheezed. They were smack in the elegant part of town.
Firemen rushed toward them. “Are you all right?”
“We are now,” Mack answered.
“You were in there?”
“Yes. We need to call the police. The man who’s been dumping bodies in the mountains is inside. He kidnapped Ms. Shepherd last night. Then me. Tell the cops we’re safe.”
Jamie wanted to be alone with Mack, but she knew they had breathed in a lot of smoke, and Mack had hit his head. They needed to see a doctor. She also knew the police were going to have some questions about how they’d gotten involved with Fried. As she thought back over everything that had happened, she took her bottom lip between her teeth.
Mack was immediately on the alert. “What’s wrong?”
She leaned toward him. “Maybe…” She paused a moment and whispered, “Don’t tell them about the dreams. I don’t want to get into that.”
He nodded. “Yeah. The cops will have the same questions that I did. But how did we get dragged into this?”
A plausible answer leaped into her mind. “The newspaper articles. I was checking on cases involving Craig. I saw Lynn and Jeanette’s names.”
“Good thinking.”
They had no more opportunity for private conversation because paramedics were rushing toward them.
In no time, Jamie found herself on a stretcher. And then EMTs were checking her and Mack out as they rode to the hospital.
She was glad she’d had the chance to talk to Mack at the house, because the police interviewed them separately in the emergency room, asking questions about how they’d ended up in Fried’s funhouse. Their stories matched well enough to satisfy the authorities.
Three hours later, she and Mack were finally released by the cops and the medical staff. She thought they’d get to have a private conversation, but she’d forgotten about Hunter and Brady, who were waiting for them, along with Max and Jed.
“You’re cleared to go?” Jed asked.
“Yeah,” Mack answered. “And the cops are satisfied with our account of what happened with Fried.”
“We’ve pieced it together from your files,” Hunter said. “But you need to write it up.”
“I will,” Mack said. “But I’d like to wait a few days. I’m still too close to being a rat in Fried’s maze.”
“Nobody else got out of it alive,” Brady said.
“The others were alone. Jamie and I worked as a team,” Mack answered. “And we surprised the bastard by knocking down one of his walls and using the plywood as a shield.”
“To keep acid from falling on us,” Jamie added.
The other detective winced.
“Acid?” Jed asked.
“Yeah. I guess that was his desperation move when he saw we were smarter than he thought.”
“I can see why you’d like to distance yourself from it,” Hunter said.
Jamie looked from him to Brady. “Thank you both for getting us out of the fire. I know you risked your lives to do it.”
“I was just holding the ladder,” Hunter said.
“Do you want to go to the Randolph Research facility?” Max asked. “It’s not too far from here. And you could relax there.”
“If it’s okay, I’d rather just go back to our hotel,” Jamie said.
“Sure. We’ll give you a ride back and have Mack’s car brought to the lot,” Hunter offered.
“Thank you.”
“Your purse was in your mother’s house,” Brady added, holding it out to her.
Jamie felt her chest tighten as she took her bag. “I wasn’t thinking about that. How…how did we get checked into the hospital?”
“We took care of it. Your information was at Light Street.” Hunter shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Your mom was worried about you.”
Jamie sucked in a sharp breath. “I wasn’t thinking about her, either.”
“We told her you’re fine.”
“Thanks so much.”
Brady turned to Mack. “I’m afraid anything you didn’t bring out with you burned up in the house.”
“Better my wallet than me.”
Jamie reached for his hand and clasped it tightly. She wanted to hold him in her arms, but not until they were alone. And he must be having similar feelings about wanting privacy.
Max and Jed left to drive back to Baltimore. Brady and Hunter drove Jamie and Mack to the hotel.
They were silent in the back of the car. Silent in the lobby and silent in the elevator. Jamie used the key card in her purse to let them in. As soon as Mack had closed the hotel door behind them, she thought he would pull her into his arms. Instead, he stood with his hands at his sides and asked, “Are you trying to hide our relationship from our friends?”
She drew in a quick breath. “No. Of course not.”
“But you didn’t want to go to the Randolph facility with me.”
“I…didn’t think I could handle it yet.”
“Because you still think it’s wrong to be with a guy who…was in love with you when you were still married.”
“Were you?”
His fists clenched as he gave her a fierce look. “Yes. But I never would have done anything about it while Craig was alive.”
“Oh, Mack.” She reached for him, clasping her arms around him, holding him tight, pressing her head against his shoulder. It was wonderful to hold him again. Wonderful to know that he belonged to her now. “I love you. So much.” She blinked back tears that stung her eyes. “It’s hard to say the rest of it, but I’ll do it. I was attracted to you for a long time. And I felt guilty about that, even though I never would have—”
“I know.”
“But that’s why I had so much trouble admitting that it was all right to love you.”
“Jamie.”
His arms tightened around her, and they clung together.
Her breath hitched. “One more confession. Maybe I fell in love with Craig because I wanted to. I mean, partly because I knew he could take me away from Gaptown. I feel guilty about that, too.”
“Don’t second-guess yourself.”
She nodded, then raised her head, looking him in the eye. “I’ve got to ask. Do you still think my dreams are weird?”
“No. I know they’re part of who you are. And they saved our lives. We never would have gotten out of that funhouse if you hadn’t had some idea of what to expect.”
He dragged in a breath, then laughed.
“What?”
“You smell like a smokestack. But that gives me an excuse for taking you to the shower and washing you off.”
“You think you smell like petunias?”
Smiling, he reached for her hand and led her into the bathroom, where he turned on the water, and they faced each other, each removing their own clothes.
“This stuff needs to go in a plastic bag,” she said.
“Or the trash. Later.” He adjusted the water, and they stepped into the tub together, reaching for each other. Under the running water, they clung together, swaying in each other’s arms. The mood turned quickly from happy to erotic.
Her hands stroked his strong back and shoulders, then his butt and powerful thighs. She touched him everywhere she could reach.
“Thank you,” she said in a throaty voice.
“For what?”
“For not giving up on me.” For pushing past the barriers that she’d erected between them.
“I couldn’t. Even when I didn’t know how it was going to come out.”
“Thank you,” she said again. He ended the conversation by covering her mouth with his. They clung together under the pounding water, his erection wedged between them.
Reaching behind her, he grabbed the soap, slicked his hands and began running them over her skin, sending tingles over her body.
He handed the bar to her, and she lathered her own hands, sliding them over his skin. Her pulse quickened as she felt the effect on him.
“You are wicked,” he muttered.
“I’m trying to be uninhibited.”
“Yeah. But we’d better get clean, before we forget what we’re supposed to be doing.”
They washed quickly and when neither could wait another minute, he braced his back against the wall and lifted her up in his arms. As he held her he entered her, slowly yet commandingly.
Heat infused her with each thrust and she rode him in wild, frantic movements. All too soon he brought both of them to a rocketing climax.
When he eased her feet back to the tub, she leaned against him, her breath coming in hard gasps.
“Thank God I’ve got you,” Mack whispered. “I was scared spitless when he took you.”
“I know. I never should have gone out alone.”
“He studied you. He knew how to lure you somewhere he could grab you.”
She nodded against his shoulder, then sighed as reality invaded.
“What is it?”
“We’ve got to go back to Mom’s and make sure she knows I don’t blame her.”
“We will. After I get some more quality time with you.” He stroked her shoulder and dropped kisses on her face.
“You need to know it was Landon who went after you in the parking lot. He said you didn’t belong up here, and he was trying to chase you away.”
She winced. “He’s not real nice. Or real smart. I mean, trying to run me down was a pretty stupid move.”
“Well, he was loyal to your mom. When he came in and found her tied up and me standing over her, he thought I’d done it and attacked me.”
Jamie gasped. “Oh no. I didn’t know about any of that. I can’t imagine what you must think of my family. That first visit with Mom was bad enough.”
“I told you, mine’s not real conventional either.” He dragged in a breath and let it out. “We both had it tough as kids. Which is why we’re going to make our marriage work.”
“Marriage?”
He went still. “I guess I’m getting ahead of myself. Jamie, will you marry me?”
“Yes,” she breathed. “Oh yes.”
He held her tighter. “I want that. I want to share my life with you.”
“Oh yes!”
She leaned up for a kiss and when she could breathe again said, “When we go over to Mom’s, don’t beat up Landon.” She smiled at Mack.
“I won’t. He’s a creep, but he’s not all bad.”
“You picked an odd way to find that out.”
“Just tell me we don’t have to spend the holidays with them.”
She laughed. “The holidays? No way. You wouldn’t want to eat my mom’s burnt gravy. I think we’re going to make our own holiday traditions.”
“Lots of traditions,” he agreed.
She clung to him, so thankful that her life had taken this turn. Mack Steele had given her a second chance at happiness, and she was going to make the most of every moment they had together.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-7971-5
SOLID AS STEELE
Copyright © 2011 by Ruth Glick
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*43 Light Street
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen