Luc raised an eyebrow as he brought the glass to his lips. “Those are pretty harsh words, darlin’.”
“Believe me, he deserves it.” She set the glass down on the counter, wishing she’d accepted Luc’s offer of a driver. If ever she’d needed another drink, this would be the time.
“Regardless of your personal feelings toward him, this is my call. I’ve made my decision, and Mike is the man I want on this case.”
Tori crossed her arms. She wasn’t one to go down without a fight, but she didn’t see how she could win this battle. It looked like her boss already had his mind made up. “I can’t believe you don’t give a damn what I think or how I feel about this.”
“I care about your safety more than your feelings right now, darlin’.” He poured himself another shot of scotch as Tori licked her lips, wishing she could indulge. She knew she could hold her liquor, but her boss was a stickler about his one-drink rule whenever she was driving.
She knew Luc was only doing what he thought was best for her where this stalker was concerned, but it didn’t make the pill any easier to take. “Why can’t we just find another cop with his credentials... someone with the same kind of experience?”
“We don’t have time for that. We hit the road on Wednesday. Besides, Josh just texted me to tell me that Mike’s agreed to do it. It’s a done deal.”
“I can’t believe he’s doin’ this.” She knew Mike was callous and insensitive, but she’d never imagined he could be so vindictive. He was just taking this case to punish her. In her mind, there couldn’t be another reason. “Why him?” She started pacing across the limestone floor, wishing she could say or do something to change Luc’s mind. “Why the hell does it have to be him?”
“Listen, I don’t have time to debate this anymore. I’ve got work to do. It is what it is. You’re just gonna have to deal with it.”
She recognized that tone of voice. Luc was warning her not to push him any further. “Fine.” She raised her chin, hoping he couldn’t read the fear in her eyes. “I hope he’s as good as you think he is. I just want my life back.”
Luc gripped her head between his hands and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “You’ll get your life back. Just give Mike everything he needs to find that S.O.B., okay?”
Oh God, she hadn’t considered how much personal information she would have to divulge. Mike would want to know the intimate details of her sex life, every man she’d slept with... Her stomach roiled in protest. She couldn’t imagine having that conversation with him. “This isn’t gonna work.”
Luc scowled as he let his hands fall to his sides. “It has to. I don’t intend to go to your funeral if and when that bastard snaps.”
Tori felt a shudder move through her as she watched Luc walk down the hall to his office. She wanted to believe Luc was just blowing smoke to scare her, but that was a risk she couldn’t afford to take. She had to assume the worst. If she let her guard down for even a second, it could cost her her life.
The cellphone in her pocket buzzed and she quickly retrieved it. One glance at the screen had her gripping the counter for support. Mike. Damn, she thought she’d have a little more time to prepare herself before she had to deal with him. “What do you want?”
“Well, hello to you too, princess. Long time, no talk.”
“Yeah, and that’s just the way I like it.”
“Too bad. Since we’re gonna be workin’ together now, you best get used to havin’ me around.”
She would never get used to the idea of seeing that smug face every day. It was bad enough his image still appeared in her dreams far too often. “I’ll ask again... What the hell do you want?”
“I need to see you.”
“No.”
“Look, I’m not playin’ around. I need to get all of the info I can get on this dirtbag if I’m gonna catch him. Where do you want to meet?”
Even after all this time, she still didn’t trust herself to be alone with him. “Jimmy’s. Half an hour.”
“You really think meetin’ in a noisy, crowded bar is a good idea? Why don’t we just meet at my place?”
“Are you crazy?” She took a deep breath and counted backward from ten. If she overreacted, he’d know that her memories of their night together held more weight than they should. She just had to keep reminding herself it was a casual one-night stand. It meant nothing. That was the only way she could get through the next weeks or months. “Look, I’m goin’ to Jimmy’s. If you want to meet me there, be my guest.”
“Do you have a goddamn death wish? There’s some twisted loser out to get you, and you wanna walk into Jimmy’s like you don’t have a care in the world?”
“It beats the alternative,” she muttered. “You carry a gun, don’t you?”
“Yeah, but—”
“Good, then I have nothin’ to worry about. I’ll be there in thirty minutes. Don’t even think about keepin’ me waitin’ on you.”
Chapter Two
Mike was waiting by the entrance to Jimmy’s exactly twenty-seven minutes after Tori hung up on him. He was hyper-aware of anyone and everyone passing through the doors, lingering in the parking lot, or loitering by the nearby coffee shop. He wasn’t paid to be Tori’s bodyguard, but he’d be damned if he let anyone get within five feet of her on his watch.
It had nothing to do with his personal feelings, he told himself. He was just doing what any good cop would do, but no matter how many times he tried convincing himself of that, it still didn’t ring true.
A black stretch SUV pulled up to the curb and a uniformed driver jumped out.
Mike rolled his eyes as a little blond head popped out of the backseat, flashing a big grin at the middle-aged driver trying to take her hand.
Tori laughed. “I don’t need your help just yet, Ralph. Now, when you come back to pick me up, I just might.”
He dipped his head to hide his smile. “Text whenever you’re ready, ma’am.”
She wrinkled her pert little nose at him, as though she sensed a foul odor lingering in the humid air. “You know I hate it when you call me ma’am.”
He chuckled. “Sorry, force of habit.”
Mike cursed when he saw a group of curious onlookers eyeing Tori’s ride with interest. He beckoned her with his finger, hoping she was going to follow orders for once.
She strutted up to him and fisted her hands on her hips before looking way, way up at him. “I know you’re not expectin’ me to run when you come acallin’.”
Mike smirked. He’d take her insolent attitude over the silent treatment any day. He had to admit he’d missed her smart mouth. “Yet here you are.”
She pressed a finger into his chest as she glared at him. “No, here you are. I told you where to be and when and...” She snapped her fingers. “Viola. Here you are.”
Mike grabbed her upper arm, shifting her toward the entrance. “I’m not gonna stand out here arguin’ with you all damn night. I’ve got a job to do, and I’d just as soon get started.” Before those shiny, full lips tempted him to do something crazy, like kiss her.
“Fine by me.” She allowed him to take her hand so he could lead her through the crowded bar to a small, empty table in the rear corner.
As soon as people realized Tori Warner was in their midst, the air seemed charged with energy and excitement. Mike had to put his body between her and overzealous fans countless times before he finally whipped out his badge and started asking people to step aside to let the lady through.
“Jesus,” he muttered, sinking into a chair across from her. “I don’t know how the hell you put up with that day after day. It must be exhausting.”
She shrugged. “You get used to it after a while.”
Mike didn’t think he could ever get used to it. Nor could he get used to the idea of all of those rowdy drunks trying to manhandle his woman. Good thing his relationship with Tori was strictly professional. “You want somethin’ to drink before you start fillin’ me in on this case?”
; “Yeah, a dry martini would be great.” She smiled at the look of surprise on his face. “What? You thought I only drink beer and the hard stuff? I’ve even been known to enjoy a nice glass of wine or champagne a time or two.”
He’d be willing to bet this woman would be full of surprises if he allowed himself to dig deeper. But he couldn’t go there. Their relationship had to remain professional, cordial if possible, but nothing more. After the last time they’d been together, he’d almost put his fist through a wall when he turned on his TV to see her on the arm of some boxer at a charity event not more than twenty-four hours after she’d left his bed.
She turned around, as though she was looking for a waitress.
“Do me a favor. Just try to keep a low profile. As it is, everyone’s watchin’ your every move, just waitin’ for an opportunity to pounce.”
Tori rolled her eyes. “They’re just fans, Lieutenant. They’re harmless.”
He smiled in spite of the warning bells going off in his head that told him to hold on to the anger and frustration that had been helping him keep his distance from her for the past two years. There had been dozens of times when he knew she was in town, he’d had a few too many beers with the boys, and he’d been tempted to pick up the phone and ask her how the hell she’d been able to walk out on him without thinking twice. He wanted to know if she ever thought about him when she was winding down from a crazy day, alone, in her bed, in the dark...
She snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Hello? You still here?”
“Yeah, I was just...” Fantasizing about having you back in my bed. “Thinking about our best course of action.”
“I don’t know about you, but I do my best thinkin’ with a stiff drink in my hand.”
Tori was unlike any woman he’d ever met. She didn’t try to be someone she wasn’t because she seemed genuinely satisfied with who she was. And he couldn’t deny that confidence was sexy as hell.
Mike raised his hand to beckon the waitress. He wasn’t surprised when she was at their table, pen poised above her notepad, in record time. Tori was a V.I.P, and he was certain she got preferential treatment wherever she went.
She smiled up at the waitress. “Hey, hon. Busy night?”
The poor waitress’s mouth dropped open as she struggled to string a complete sentence together. “I… uh... yeah... I guess.”
“I know what that’s like. I was a waitress at a burger joint in high school. It was always rockin’ on Friday and Saturday nights. I’d go home whinin’ about my poor achin’ feet, but of course I didn’t get any sympathy, just a list of the chores that still had to be done.”
The pretty brunette smiled as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Man, do I know what that’s like. I’m a single mom, and it seems the list of things to do is never-ending. Between laundry, grocery shopping, ballet...” She blushed when she realized she was rambling on to a superstar who probably earned more in the time she’d spent bending her ear than a waitress like her would earn all week.
Tori propped her chin in her hand, as though she had all the time in the world to listen to this stranger’s life story. “How many kids you got?”
“Two, a boy and a girl. He’s ten, she’s twelve.”
“What’re they up to this summer?”
“A whole lotta no good if I believe everything the neighbors tell me.”
Tori laughed. “Sounds like me and my brothers when we were kids. Don’t worry, they’ll outgrow it.”
She blew her long bangs out of her big, brown eyes. “I sure hope so.”
“They like country music?”
“Sure.”
Tori reached into her pocket for a piece of scrap paper. “Can I borrow your pen?”
“Sure.” The waitress shot Mike a quick sidelong glance, as though she thought he might be able to give her some insight into what Tori was up to, but he was as clueless as she was.
“Here’s my email. Send me your contact info. I’ll make sure you get tickets and backstage passes for you and your kids to our hometown show.” She handed the woman the pen and slip of paper, almost thrusting it into her hands when she seemed too stunned to accept it.
“Oh my God, thank you so much. My kids are going to die when I tell them about this.”
“My pleasure.” She looked at Mike, as though she’d almost forgotten he was there. “What are you gonna have to drink?”
He was almost as speechless as the waitress. Not only was she gorgeous, sexy, smart, and incredible in bed, but he’d just found out she was a really good person. For the first time, he felt like he was in over his head. “Just a Coke.”
Tori shrugged. “Suit yourself.” She looked at the waitress. “One spicy Caesar, one Coke, and I’d just about kill for a bowl of those barbeque peanuts.”
The waitress giggled. “Comin’ right up, Tori. And thanks again...” She touched her arm as she looked into her eyes. “Seriously, it means a lot.”
“My pleasure.”
Mike waited until the waitress walked away before he asked, “Why’d you do that?”
“Because I can.” She propped her feet up on the chair next to him before she said, “Listen, I’ve been so damn lucky in my life, it oughta be a sin.”
“I think talent and hard work had somethin’ to do with it.”
“Sure, it did, but the talent was God-given. I had nothin’ to do with that.”
Mike almost wished she would stop talking, because with every word she spoke, he was starting to like her more and more. He didn’t want to like her. He wanted to despise her, resent her...
“Sure, I’ve worked hard to get where I am, but we all have. There isn’t a person in the music business who hasn’t paid their dues. If you wanna know the truth, I kinda feel like I snuck in the back door.”
Mike was sure some of her fellow musicians would probably agree with that statement, but he knew she’d taken the opportunity she’d been given and run with it. He respected that, and her. More than he should.
He looked into her eyes and felt the past come flooding back... images of her tongue dancing with his, her body writhing under him, his name on her lips. Damn, he had to get his head back in the game.
The waitress returned with their order, setting the glasses on the table between them. “Can I get you anything else?”
Tori glanced at the nametag pinned to the front of her white cotton blouse. “No, we’re good. Thanks, Debbie.”
“Okay, just holler if you need anything.”
Tori popped a peanut in her mouth. “You know I will.”
Mike couldn’t fight the urge to say something to her about the night he kicked her out of his apartment. “Listen, I think we should talk about what happened between us.”
She was taking a sip of her drink when he made the comment, and she had to cover her mouth to keep from spewing liquid across the table. “Hon, I’d say you’re a day late and a dollar short.”
He shouldn’t care that she was telling him it was too late for them, too late to make amends for the mistake he’d made back then, but he did care. “I just think it would make it easier for us to work together if we put our cards on the table.”
“You want me to tell it like it is?” She laced her fingers behind her head and glared at him. “Fine. I don’t like you. I don’t respect you. And I sure as hell don’t wanna work with you, but Luc told me I don’t have a choice. So, here I am, tryin’ like hell to make the best of a bad situation.”
He hated that she had the power to hurt him with a few well-aimed insults. No one had ever been able to cut him down so effectively with so few words. “It doesn’t have to be this way, Tori.”
She smirked. “Don’t tell me you wanna be friends?” She reached her hand across the table as she tried to keep a straight face. “Come on, take my hand. Isn’t this the part where we start singin’ ‘Cumbaya’?”
He wanted to reach across the table and kiss that smug smirk right off her face, but instead he whipped his leather
-bound notebook out and glared at her. “Let’s get down to business, shall we?”
“Finally.”
Tori was trying hard to act as though she didn’t have a care in the world, but with an international tour looming, a madman out to get her, and an ex-lover glowering at her, it wasn’t easy to maintain the façade.
She took a sip of her drink before asking, “What do you need to know?”
“My dad tells me this guy has been sending you letters?”
“Yeah.” She tried not to think about the most recent one. They seemed to get more graphic and disgusting with every passing day.
He scribbled something in his notebook. “How often are you receiving them?”
“Daily.”
Mike raised an eyebrow. “When did this start?”
“About three weeks ago.” Tori took another sip of the alcohol to coat her dry throat. She could only imagine how he made his suspects feel during an interrogation. She was the victim in this case and still he made her feel like she’d done something wrong.
“The police have been investigating?”
“I guess so. Luc tried to use his influence to get them to step up the investigation, but Derek told them he didn’t have the resources to put another man on it.” She shrugged. “That’s when Luc decided to hire you.”
Mike frowned. “I’m surprised it wasn’t given higher priority. Derek knows you, he likes you, and the department sure as hell wouldn’t want to deal with the backlash if something happened to you on their watch.”
Tori took a bite of celery and chewed before responding. “To tell you the truth, I got the impression Derek thought we were all overreacting.”
“Why would he think that?”
There was no way to sugarcoat the situation, and she knew he would find out the dirty details sooner or later, so she might as well come clean now. “I think he just assumes it’s a jilted lover tryin’ to scare me.” She took another bite of celery, trying to buy a little more time. “He’s probably right.”
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