As Reggie drove away, she decided that Todd Marks really was the man of her dreams but was way too young…as usual, her timing sucked.
Chapter 14
Reggie drove by Chase’s place before heading back to Bennett House. His battered old truck was parked in front of the bungalow. He was still home. She pulled into the driveway. She’d been to Chase’s house once or twice before with Sam or Travis, so it wasn’t completely unfamiliar to her. She was anxious to find out what he’d been able to uncover about Vincent. She rapped sharply on the front door.
“It’s open,” Chase called out from inside.
Seeing him at the computer, Reggie thought, Ah, the glasses again. Damn he has that sexy, geek look nailed. He looked distracted and absent-minded professor-ish. She loved it. The sight of him gave her a familiar feeling of excitement.
His welcoming smile made her warm inside. “Hey there, Crash. I’ve found some information about Vincent Bennett. I don’t know if it’s going to help us, but it’s a start.” He was all business as he motioned with his hand to bring her to his side. He stood when she moved closer and absently picked up a stack of papers. Smiling, he swooped down and kissed her lingeringly. He didn’t stop until she was breathless.
He licked his lips and said, “You taste fruity. What have you been eating?”
“Blame it on the Bahama Mama at the ice cream shop. I just dropped Todd off.”
“How’d it go with our criminal mastermind?”
“Oh, he made a much smarter choice, bubble gum and chocolate fudge.” She smiled at him happily.
Chase humored her instead of responding as she’d expected. “I’m glad he’s showing at least some good judgment after his foray into a life of crime.”
She smiled and shrugged. “He described pretty much the same sense of loss that I felt in the library. We were right. He was under Vincent’s influence.”
“Did he say anything about the other boys?”
“Yeah, I don’t think we’ll have further trouble from them. Apparently, the ring leader is a kid named Aidan.” Reggie frowned. “I wonder what his story is.”
Chase unfolded the list of names John Marks had given him. He pointed to one of the names. “Aidan Scott, here’s his phone number.” He passed her the sheet of paper.
“Thanks, but I’m not sure I want to go through the parents on this one. John said that some of them weren’t so concerned about what their sons were doing. Maybe Todd can point Aidan out to me. I want to see how the other boys relate to him before we meet.”
Chase frowned. “Clever, but be careful. Your actions have to be above reproach.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “We’re talking about children here.”
“Exactly. I have to tread lightly. I want to get a feel for the kind of kid he is before talking to him.”
He nodded. “Sounds reasonable.” With a hopeful tone, he said, “I don’t suppose you thought to bring me any ice cream.”
“Ah-ha! That’s where you’re wrong. I’ve got a tub of Rocky Road in the car. I’ll go get it.” He stopped her by putting a hand on her back and saying: “I’ll get it.” He handed her the papers he’d been holding. “You take a look at these. I’ll be right back.”
Distracted by what was printed on the page, she said, “Yeah, thanks.” She sat on the chair he’d just vacated.
After Chase left the room, Reggie, engrossed in the papers, heard rather than felt an unfamiliar vibration. She stopped reading and looked around the room. Nowhere was anything that could have been causing the strange sensation. She pushed the chair away from the desk slowly.
She heard an inhuman growling sound and a large weight landed on her. The flash of quick movement shocked Reggie, and she cried out as sharp little needles pierced the fabric of her jeans.
Chase came running when he heard her cry. He froze in the doorway. Reggie sat pinned to the chair, her lap overflowing with thirty pounds of purring cat. She looked crossly at the feline and pulled his claws out of her thighs with annoyance.
She cast a glance at her host. “My God, Chase, you should warn a person. I almost had a heart attack.” She tentatively stroked the huge cat’s back. “I didn’t know you had a sabertooth. What do you call him?”
“Inconvenient,” he said with irritation. “Or how ’bout Pain-In-the-Ass?”
She looked the cat in the face and spoke softly.. “So you don’t have a name, huh? Figures, men just don’t understand that sort of thing. Maybe you should have selected a female companion to bond with.” She scratched behind his ear, and the purring grew louder as he closed his eyes and pressed against Reggie’s hand. She looked at Chase standing in the doorway. “Pain in the ass, huh? Well, P.I.T.A. it is then.” Addressing the cat, she said, “No complaints Pita. You have no one to blame but yourself…you’re the one who picked him.”
“He’s not my cat. He just showed up one day and never left.”
“Did you try to locate his owner?”
He rolled his eyes at her, “Of course I did. I’m still trying in fact.”
“He’s a Maine Coon cat, I think, the largest and heaviest breed. You should be honored. You’re no outsider. You know better than to take an animal’s spontaneous attachment so lightly. Be grateful he chose you.” She shifted under Pita’s weight and declared, “He belongs here in New Crescent. He belongs with you. He knows it, even if you don’t. I like your cat Chase. He’s a beauty.” She laughed as he walked into the kitchen. “I want a bowl too,” she called out.
After a few moments, he returned carrying a bowl and two spoons. He opened the ice cream tub and handed her the spoon.
“Since when do you use a bowl?”
“Mmm.” She closed her eyes with pleasure after her first spoonful of ice cream. Nodding at the papers on his desk, she said, “You’ve done a lot of work here. Man, you’re set up. I look at this computer system, and I want to ask, how do you fly this thing?”
Moving a chair next to hers, he said, “It works.”
“You don’t say?”
He ignored her. “I’ve been able to access the Bennett Family archives in England. That’s where Vincent was born. Records show that his parents died when he was six, and he was sent to live with a distant relative. According to this, he grew up in London and took over his adopted father’s shipping business.”
“How’d he end up in America?” Reggie asked, looking over his shoulder.
“That’s unclear. But I suspect he came for business reasons. He arrived in Boston when he was twenty-nine.”
“That would make him at least eleven years older than Constance. Women married young then. Eighteen would have been a perfectly respectable age to wed.”
“Yeah, that was normal for the time, but here’s the creepy thing. Get a look at the cargo Vincent profited from.”
“Oh my God…slaves.” Reggie wanted to be sick.
“We really shouldn’t be that surprised. It makes sense. The slave trade wasn’t so profitable in Britain at that time. He went where the money was, the United States of America. It says here he trafficked in Asian, African, and Native slaves. Our guy didn’t discriminate, it seems. He was an equal-opportunity sociopath.” Chase’s voice dripped with disgust. “A man with his wicked ways would have had a field day trading in human beings. The hell he’d undoubtedly visited upon those poor souls is unimaginable.”
Reggie read on. “It looks like the Bennett family didn’t approve of his dealings because, here it is, he was disowned. Hmm, that kind of explains why no Bennett ever claimed the house here in America…ill-gotten gains. Maybe somebody had a conscience.”
“He’d traveled widely. There’s no telling where he picked up the dark magic Constance referred to, could have been anywhere.”
Reggie shrugged. “Maybe that won’t matter. If we approach Constance as if we already know all about Vincent, she’s bound to let something slip.” She sat back in frustration. “I feel like we’re wasting time. I want to do something.”
Chase cupped h
er chin with his hand and said, “Patience. We’re making progress. Let’s get back to Bennett House and try to contact Constance with what we’ve learned.”
She nodded. He bent and kissed her lips. Pita complained by digging a claw or two into Reggie’s thigh. She pulled away from Chase. “Oww, ow…”
Chase looked confused, then smiled. “For a second there, I thought that was my fault. ‘Ow…ow’ is not the usual response to my kisses.”
“Oh yeah? And just what is the usual response, rock star?”
He picked up the cat and put him on the floor. Standing up, he pulled her into his arms. “Let me show you.”
He started slowly, taking her mouth with his, gently touching her lips with his tongue then pulling back and doing it all over again. She groaned, and he kissed her with passion. He cradled her head in one hand and paid homage to her neck. She shivered in response and dug her nails into his back. He moved his hips against hers. His hardness, her softness made a perfect balance as he found a multitude of sensitive spots on her body.
She unbuttoned his shirt and nipped his chest. He liked it and let her know it by mimicking her action and pressing his teeth against her shoulder. Desperate to feel skin against skin she helped him pull her t-shirt up and off. The pleasure she felt when her naked belly connected with his, made her want to scream. She rubbed up against him like a cat. And just like a cat she wanted to purr and dig her nails into him. He didn’t seem to mind. He unsnapped her bra with ease and cupped a breast in his hand. She was perfect for him and he licked, and sucked and bit her with exactly the right enthusiasm.
Completely lost in him, she responded instinctively. Leveraging herself on his shoulders with each hand, she wrapped her legs around his waist. He held her as if she weighed nothing. Reggie liked that. She tugged desperately at this hair. He looked up, and she smashed her mouth against his, kissing him as if her life depended on it.
Distantly, they registered a gentle vibration and chiming music. They both froze. Their eyes locked. Both their cells phones were ringing. In silent, but oh-so-reluctant agreement, Chase released Reggie, and she put her feet on the floor. At the same moment, they each took a steadying breath and reached for a phone.
If their urgent replies were any indication, they had the exact same conversations. After they hung up, they looked at each other helplessly. Chase was the first person to speak.
“Sam.”
She nodded. “We’ll probably make it to the hospital just as they do.” Grabbing her discarded t-shirt she pulled it over her head. She ignored her bra, picked up her car keys and threw them at Chase. He caught them easily.
She said, “You drive. My nickname is Crash, not a good omen right now.”
They rushed out of the house. Chase’s unbuttoned shirt flapped in the autumn wind.
In the car, they shared information. There’d been another accident at Bennett House. Somehow, Sam had fallen off the roof and landed on the iron gate in the garden. He was unconscious. Chase had been told that it looked like Sam had broken his back. Reggie had been told he may have broken his neck. Neither option was acceptable to them as they hurried to the hospital.
Reggie said, “How is it possible that he landed on the iron gate? If that’s so, then he couldn’t have fallen. The trajectory is wrong.”
“Yeah. Either he jumped or was thrown.” Chase said grimly. “You’ve always wanted an excuse to use the word ‘trajectory’ haven’t you?” He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. He took his eyes off the road just long enough to gently smile at her.
“Yeah, but I could have gone the rest of my life without using it in this context.” He squeezed the hand he still held.
* * * *
When they rushed into the emergency unit, they were met by Duncan and four of his guys. Sam was Duncan’s friend, too. He looked gray with worry. So far, they’d received no word and he looked at Chase and Reggie helplessly. The hospital had called his next of kin and left a message. It didn’t matter. Sam wouldn’t want to see his family anyway. His true kin were Reggie, Travis, and Chase.
When the doctor came out, he recognized Chase and Reggie. He walked over to them and said, “Bennett House again?” They nodded, and he said, “Your friend is stable but still unconscious. His leg is badly broken and will need surgery, but right now, we’re more concerned about his head injury. I’ve called in a specialist, and we’re doing tests.”
Reggie put a hand on Chase’s forearm and said, “Gillian’s specialist, Doctor Smythe, I wonder if he could help?”
They stepped outside to use her cell phone. Reggie’s conversation was brief. “Gillian’s calling him. She’s pretty sure he’ll come.”
“Yeah, Smythe has been in New Crescent quite a bit these days, helping the rape victims from last summer.” Chase’s voice was pitched low.
“That’s good of him,” Reggie said.
“Yeah, he thinks the world of Gillian, so in my book, that puts him in the good column.” Chase opened his arms to her, and she stepped into them.
With her cheek resting against his chest, she said, “This is the last. No more work at Bennett House until we deal with Vincent. I’ll call and let Jackie Blake know in the morning.”
Shaking his head, Chase said, “Don’t worry. Leave it to me.”
Chapter 15
Finally back at Bennett House, Reggie flopped down on the couch in the finished living room. It gave her comfort to see what she’d accomplished here. She’d restored its beauty. Fortunately, she’d been able to find the perfect pieces to complement the furniture Pat Somers had selected. Pru was ecstatic to see her, and Reggie apologized for neglecting her that day. After leaving the hospital, she’d dropped Chase off at his house. She knew he’d be right behind her. She didn’t even look up when he entered the room.
“You have no one to blame but yourself,” he said in an irritated voice as he dumped Pita on her lap. “Figures, the first time he sets foot outside in months, he stows away in my truck. You asked for it.”
Reggie laughed and hugged the cat with enthusiasm. Pru looked insulted and walked over to Chase. He bent and patted the little dog. “Don’t worry, girl, you’ll always have me.”
Unconcerned and secure in Pru’s devotion to her, Reggie said, “What good is a familiar if he’s not with you all the time? Of course Pita wanted to come here. It’s his duty to be near you. You’ll see.”
He gave her a long look and then blinked. “I’m going to make some hot cocoa. I won’t bother asking you if you want some. Think you can manage to light the fire while I’m gone?”
“Trust me, baby, I’ve been lighting fires since puberty.” Her provocative glance made him wince.
He cleared his throat and said a pathetic, “Uh, yeah…”
Reggie laughed throatily as he retreated. It was his last line of defense, and she knew it.
He made her dreams come true when he returned with two cups of hot chocolate and fist-sized chunks of Gillian’s homemade banana bread.
They sat in silence watching the fire. It felt wonderful curled up to Chase, touching him at will. The indulgence made her sigh. He turned and looked down at her face as she rested her head on his shoulder.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I’m okay. I’m glad Sam’s going to be fine. By the sounds of it, he was lucky in a way.”
“If we call breaking a leg in three places and severe concussion getting lucky, I agree.”
“He’s alive Chase. I choose to think that’s on the full side.”
“Me too.”
“We need to find out what happened. Sam is no more likely to throw himself off a roof than you are.”
“And I can’t imagine what it would take to pitch him off. Sam’s tough, no one ever stole his lunch money,” Chase said.
“Hopefully, he can tell us something when he regains consciousness. Gillian’s Dr. Smythe promises to see him first thing tomorrow.”
“I’ve called all my guys and reassigned them to other
jobs for the time being. I’ve asked Duncan to put his work on hold for now. And I’ve alerted Jackie.”
“You are an army of one, I swear. When did you get time to do all that?” She yawned, exhaustion finally wafting over her.
“I’m good. Very, very good.” He had his own version of provocation, and for a second, Reggie regretted her dissipated energy level.
Chase seemed to understand because he leaned forward and helped her to rise. “I think it’s time you got some rest. You’re dead on your feet.” He helped her up the stairs, his arm around her shoulders.
In the doorway to her bedroom, Chase paused and turned her face to him. He kissed her gently. This was a kiss of tenderness and support. He was a magician.
“Call if you need me,” he said as he turned toward the stairs.
Reggie couldn’t bear to see him go and reached out. He stood completely still, waiting for her to speak.
In a tentative voice, she said, “I don’t know if it’s fair to ask you this, but I’m going to anyway. Please feel free to say no.”
He waited.
“Would you stay with me tonight? I don’t want to be alone. Can you just hold me through the night?”
He smiled at her with complete comprehension. “I think that can be arranged.” She frowned when he turned to leave again. He shook his head. “I’ll just go get something to sleep in. I think tonight might call for it.”
She smiled and nodded.
* * * *
She slept well that night. Her dreams were like those she’d had as a child, light and friendly. She smiled in her sleep.
“There. Now you’ve had some sleep.” Reggie could hear Constance’s voice so clearly, but she wasn’t sure if it had been a dream. She opened her eyes and looked around the room. Chase was still with her. His warmth had made its way into her body and feeling blissful, she wondered if she’d ever feel chilled again.
Spirit [New Crescent 2] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) Page 11