by Burton, Mary
“He had another appointment with a client.”
Gage frowned as if the answer did not set well. “He left you.”
“No. I brought myself. I had to get here so early, it made sense for me to drive.”
He nodded. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
Even in her heels he was taller. “Sure.”
The doors opened and they stepped inside the elevator.
The walls were lined with mirrors and the floor carpeted in a deep blue. However, the compartment shrank when the doors closed. All night she’d made small talk and now she struggled to find words. “Thanks for coming. Was it what you expected?”
“Yes and no. You amazed me how you made some of the city’s toughest weak at the knees.”
“Who did you have in mind?”
“Burt Kline, for one.”
“He was sweet.”
Gage looked at her as if she’d gone mad. “He’s a barracuda in the courtroom. Tried to do a number on me a couple of months ago.”
She could picture that. Burt was no one’s fool. “Really?”
“I testified against his client, who was on trial for murder. Kline tried to rip at my credibility.”
“I’ve seen his snaps of temper.” She shrugged. “I know how to handle him.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Is that what you do with people? Handle them?”
The doors to the elevator opened. “Isn’t that what you do?”
“Point taken.” They stepped out of the elevator and walked through the parking lot.
“Were you planning to walk to your car alone?”
“Sure.”
“Next time get an escort.”
“It’s well lighted.”
“Don’t be fooled.” He peered into the shadows.
As they walked to her car, the click of her heels echoed in the lot. Lord, but she longed to take the shoes off. “Are you always looking for trouble?”
“It has a way of showing up.”
They reached her car and she unlocked the front door. She was sorry to see him go. She wanted to ask him out or something but realized how painfully out of practice she was when it came to this sort of thing. “Thanks.”
He rested his arm against her open door. He lingered but didn’t ask her for anything. She sensed that if something was going to happen it would have to come from her. But she didn’t ask. “Thank you again.”
He nodded and stepped back. When she swung her legs inside he closed the door, lingering.
She fumbled with her keys, managed to get them in the ignition and start the car.
Gage tapped on her window. She glanced toward him, surprised now to see the frown on his face. She rolled down the window.
“You have a flat.”
“What?” She shut off the engine and got out. The right front tire was completely flat. “It was fine earlier today.”
“Do you have a spare?”
She frowned. “No. I mean, I did, but I had a flat about a month ago and had to use the spare. I just never got it replaced.”
That answer didn’t set well with him. “I’ll give you a ride home.”
“I can call a cab.”
He pulled his keys from his pocket. “My car is right over here.”
She closed and locked her door. “Tell me it’s not too far. These shoes are killing me.”
He glanced down at her shoes. Appreciation sparked. “They look great.”
She fell in step beside him. “So the pain was worth it?”
“Yes.”
Craig watched from the shadows. His anger burned as Hudson escorted his Adrianna away from him. Tonight was supposed to be their night. Their time together. And now she was slipping from his fingers.
Hudson was taking something from her.
Maybe he should repay the favor.
Jessie.
She wouldn’t leave the hotel for hours, but he could wait.
As he moved from the shadows back to his truck, his cell buzzed in his pocket. Annoyed, he snapped it open. “What?”
“I have another job for you.”
“Really?” The day wouldn’t be a total loss.
“Janet Guthrie.”
“Why her?” He wasn’t so fond of the snooty bitch.
“She’s been talking to the press.”
“So what if she talks to the press? They haven’t talked about anything that can hurt us.”
“It’s a matter of time before she starts talking about those paintings.”
“She wouldn’t. That would hurt her.”
“We both know how the unexpected can change everything. If push came to shove, she’d turn on a dime.”
“I want something in return for this job.”
“Sure, you can take her to your little room. Keep her as long as you want.”
“I don’t want her. I want another one. One I can keep for a really long time. Maybe forever.”
“I don’t make bargains.”
“If you want Janet killed, then I get another one to keep.”
A long silence followed. “Who?”
Adrianna. But knowing that wouldn’t meet with approval, he said, “Jessie.”
Another pause. “I don’t want any trails leading back to me.”
“None have yet, have they?”
“No.”
“Fine. Just do it. Tonight.”
Craig closed the phone and put it in his pocket. He only had to wait fifteen minutes before Janet emerged from the elevators. The sound of his footsteps had her raising her gaze from her open purse.
Janet paused for a moment, her expression tight and frightened. “You scared the crap out of me.”
He liked seeing fear in her eyes. She needed to be brought down a peg or two. “Sorry about that.”
“It isn’t like me to be paranoid. What are you doing here?”
He shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Janet’s gaze narrowed. “What are you doing here?” she asked again.
Her silk blouse draped open just slightly, revealing a hint of her white breast. Janet had a good body and she liked to flaunt it.
When he didn’t answer, her annoyance grew. “Answer me or get out of my way.”
The challenge in her voice said more than words ever could. Wimp. Spineless. Twit.
Janet moved toward her car and clicked it open with the remote. She’d dismissed him like he was nothing.
“Don’t walk away from me.”
“Don’t waste my time.”
Rage bolted through his limbs. She was just like everyone else. Always underestimating him.
Damn her! Damn her!
He pulled the .38 from his pocket. “Don’t walk away from me.”
She turned, glanced at the gun. Lifting her chin, she met his gaze. “You don’t have the balls.”
His throat constricted. For just a split second she realized she’d pushed the wrong button and fear washed away the arrogance. He fired. The bullet hit her in the side.
The shot was a quiet echo in the garage. For a moment Janet stopped, her body still. They both glanced down at her side as the bloom of blood blossomed and grew. “What the hell?”
Excitement rolled through him. He fired a second and third time. These bullets struck her in the chest and she fell to the ground. She landed on her knees and then tipped sideways. She hit the ground hard.
Craig’s hands trembled. He’d let his anger get the better of him. He’d made a mess. But he didn’t care right at this moment. Later he would worry. “Don’t ever tell me I don’t have the balls to kill.”
Janet stared up at him, eyes filled with pain and fear. “Please.”
“Please what, Janet?” The fourth bullet struck her between the eyes and killed her instantly.
His rage deserted him and now only consequences rambled in his head. He had visions of Hudson coming after him. The guy was relentless and wouldn’t stop until he was finally dead. He ducked down and pushed Janet’s limp body under her car. Blood smeared his hands and
shirt.
The deck’s elevator doors dinged open. A group of hotel staff workers got out. Jessie was in the center, laughing with a coworker. One waiter lighted a cigarette.
Craig wanted to go after Jessie but with Janet’s blood on his hands, he didn’t dare.
He watched her and several friends get into her Jeep and drive away. Damn. This wasn’t fair. He’d earned her. He’d made a deal.
A car horn beeped and he glanced at his hands, dripping with blood.
The time had come to take care of Hudson, and then he’d go after Jessie and Adrianna.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Friday, October 6, 11:00 p.m.
Tess sat on the bar stool at the end of a butcher-block countertop. They were in Alex’s loft condo located in the heart of the city. She sipped her wine and watched with fascination as he chopped an onion at lightning speed. “So this is the best place to eat in town.”
“Absolutely. I generally don’t have time to eat out. Half the time it’s two in the morning when I do eat.”
“And you always cook?”
“Always.”
“Okay, so we’ve covered the food. And we could talk about the weather or we could discuss the elephant in the room.”
“What would that be?”
Alex’s gaze locked on her. Suddenly, she felt oddly warm inside. And she wasn’t thinking about him as Dr. Butler, Robo-Doc, or even Mr. Wizard. He was a man. A man who’d not be a rushed lover. A man who would move over her body slowly, carefully, inspecting every square inch of her.
Tess sipped her wine and worked to keep her voice steady. “The case, of course.”
Alex smiled and she sensed he read her thoughts. Challenge sparked. “What is it that’s bothering you?”
You, you pencil-neck geek. You have no business making me want what I’ve sworn off of. “The injuries aren’t consistent.”
He stared at her for a moment and blinked as if the pieces of the puzzle just came together. “The fractures on the faces of all three victims. The ones on the left were more pronounced than the ones on the right.”
“The bruising on Tammy’s face really brings this home. And you can also see bruises on her arms. Again some much darker than the others.”
Blue eyes blazed with excitement. “Two killers?”
She nodded, her heart racing. “Yes. One killer is strong. The other weak.”
His gaze darkened. “Or old and young?”
“Male or female.”
Gage noticed the FOR SALE sign in front of Adrianna’s house had been changed to SOLD.
Frowning, he escorted Adrianna up to the front porch of her house. Soft pale light from the iron fixture above shone down on her, giving her skin a luminescent look. She’d slipped off her shoes and was now barefoot, making her a good four inches shorter than him.
Adrianna opened the front door. “Want to come in for coffee? It’s the least I can do.”
Gage wasn’t ready to say good night. “Sure.”
She flipped on the lights and led him through the house into the kitchen.
On a butcher-block countertop there was a crystal cake stand filled with cookies. “So did you buy that to impress the buyers or did you bake them?”
Laughing, she dropped her shoes and purse in an overstuffed chair by a dining table. “They’re real. I bake.”
“I would have taken a bet against that one any day.”
She moved behind the center island and clicked on a preset coffeepot. Immediately it started to gurgle. “I bake when I can’t sleep.”
He glanced at the pile of cookies and the cake on another counter. “Not sleeping much these days?”
“I’ve had better months.”
“What’s keeping you up?”
“You asking as a cop?”
“No.”
She looked on the verge of opening up, but then shrugged those golden shoulders. “Doesn’t matter.”
It did to him. “You sold the house.”
“Just accepted the offer.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. For the first time in three years I have no ties. Maybe Paris. New York.”
“Faraway places.” Gage thought about the words she’d spoken to him here just days ago. I’m sorry. Simple words that had been rattling in his head since he’d heard them.
“So, what do you do when a case like this is solved?”
“Have a beer with my partner. Take a day off if I can and then get back to work on the next case.”
She removed cups from the cabinet and filled each with coffee. “The work never ends.”
“No.”
Gage’s fingers brushed hers as he reached for the cup. Energy shot through his body. He took her left hand in his and smoothed his thumb over her naked ring finger.
Suddenly, he saw himself at a crossroads. If he didn’t choose wisely, he feared he’d lose more than he could put into words. He released her hand and moved around the island.
Adrianna stood still, staring at him as if she didn’t know what to do. He moved to within inches of her, but not touching her.
He brushed a strand of hair from her shoulder. She looked up and moistened her lips. She made no move to touch him but didn’t retreat either.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“For what?”
“Four years ago. I made mistakes, too.”
“The past is gone.”
Slowly, he moved his hand up her arm, savoring the soft warmth of her skin. Fingertips skimmed over her shoulder and he cupped her face. Gage had never wanted a woman as much as he wanted Adrianna. He tilted his head down and kissed her on the lips. She tasted sweet, soft; and unable to resist, he leaned into the kiss. She wrapped her arm around his neck. Full breasts pressed against his chest.
Gage knew the point of no return approached like a runaway train. He wanted to make love to her. But the idea of loving and losing her again scared the shit out of him. He broke the kiss. “I’d rather not start something that can’t be finished.”
She stared at him a long moment, understanding he wasn’t just talking about tonight, but tomorrow and the next day. “I can’t make any promises, Gage. I wish I could.”
He traced her jawline. “At least you’re honest.”
“I owe you fairness.” She placed her hand on his chest.
The simple touch made his heart beat faster. No promises. She was offering just now. God help him, he prayed it would be enough. With a groan he took her in his arms and refused to think beyond right now.
When they broke the kiss, he could barely think. His voice was a rough, dark growl. “Where’s your bedroom?”
She guided him down the hallway to her room. As they entered, he didn’t notice lights or décor. He saw only the bed at twelve o’clock.
He slid his hand along her shoulders. Her skin felt like silk. Smelled of roses. He unfastened the halter strap behind her neck and let the dress fall. Her naked breasts glistened in the moonlight that streamed in through the window.
Gage cupped her breast in his hand and teased the tip to a hard peak as he kissed her on the lips.
Adrianna pushed his jacket from his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. He backed her up toward the bed and when the back of her knees pressed against the mattress, she fell back. She propped herself up with her elbows.
Breath caught in his throat. He lowered himself on top of her and kissed the hollow between her breasts. She moaned and arched as he kissed her flat belly.
“Gage, please.”
He smiled, liking the way his name sounded on her lips now. He wanted to tease her longer and savor this moment but he felt ready to explode.
Quickly, he shed his clothes and straddled her, savoring the sight of silk garters holding up silk stockings. Ripping her panties free, he pressed his erection against her moist center and stared down at her. She watched him with half-open eyes.
He pushed inside her and she wrapped her legs around him. She f
elt so deliciously tight.
They moved together in a frenzied dance. Soon their bodies glistened with sweat. And when they found their release, she called out his name as she arched her back. He collapsed against her and rolled on his side, spooning his body against her.
For the first time in a long time, he felt at home.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Saturday, October 7, 7:00 a.m.
Adrianna was in the shower when Gage’s cell phone rang. The sound sent a bolt of irritation through him as he rolled on his side and checked the display on the phone. It read: Nick Vega. He flipped it open.
“This better be damn good,” he muttered.
“A video arrived at the station.”
Gage picked up his watch from the nightstand and checked the time. “What about it?”
The sound of the shower turning on had him turning toward the bathroom. He imagined Adrianna’s nude body under the water.
“It looks like a snuff film. A woman chained to a wall. Looks like Kelly Jo Morgan. She’s crying into the camera and talking to someone.”
He swung his legs over the side of the bed. “Who?”
“She keeps saying, ‘I love you, Craig.’”
Jesus. Gage pressed fingers to his temple. “I’ll be right down.”
“Gage.”
“What?”
“The camera isn’t on a tripod. Someone else is holding it.”
“Two killers.”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll be right there.”
He dressed and moved into the bathroom. Adrianna was in the shower. Her eyes closed, she’d buried her face under the hot spray. He opened the shower door. “Adrianna.”
She stepped back, pushing the water from her eyes. Without make-up, she looked so vulnerable. “Hey. Join me.”
“I want to.” He shook his head. “But I’ve got to go. Something’s come up.”
“Bad news?”
“Yes.” He’d been called away so much when they’d dated the first time. “I’m sorry.”
She leaned forward to kiss him. “Don’t be. Go.”
His lips touched hers but he didn’t lean into the kiss. His thoughts were only to find the killer or killers and protect her. “I’ll call you.”