by Tara Thomas
“I’m sure you have your reasons.” Janie knew Alyssa always had a reason for everything she did, but she hadn’t shared the reason she was hesitant to marry him. “If you don’t hear your biological clock ticking and if you’re completely happy living in sin, then by all means, keep it up.”
Alyssa looked sideways at her. “You’re kidding me, aren’t you? I hate that I’ve known you for so long and I still can’t tell.”
“I kid. I kid.” At least, she was half kidding. She really didn’t think she’d be able to turn a man like Mack down.
“Back to you and Brent Taylor,” Alyssa said.
“There is no me and Brent Taylor.” She said the words, but if that was the case, why did her stomach get all excited just speaking his name? And why was she actually looking forward to going back to work in the club tonight just in case he happened to be there?
Which he wouldn’t be. Last night was the first time she’d seen him in the weeks she’d been working there. And there was no way possible she’d have overlooked him.
Alyssa looked at her with that you can’t fool me look, but she didn’t say anything.
“You still think it’s for the best you went in as a bartender instead of a dancer?” Alyssa asked.
When they had first set everything up, the original thought was that Janie should be a dancer, but after a few nights spent observing, it was decided she’d work behind the bar. She was glad, too. Not that she would have minded dancing, but the dancers didn’t have the opportunity to see and talk with customers the way a bartender did.
She was thankful as well that it was an upscale gentlemen’s club. Though the crowd ran anywhere from college boys to middle-aged men, for the most part they were well behaved and not scummy like she’d feared.
“Definitely for the best,” Janie said. “After all, Brent Taylor wouldn’t have even seen me last night if I’d been a dancer. He spent all his time at the bar.”
The corner of Alyssa’s mouth quirked up in a slight grin. “I think that was because he was smitten with you. If you’d been dancing, he’d have still found you.”
“Smitten.” Janie rolled her eyes. “Really?”
“What time do you go in tonight?” Alyssa asked, instead of answering.
“Eight.” Twelve hours to go, she thought, looking at her watch.
“Text me when he shows up.”
“He’s not going to show up.”
Alyssa crossed her arms. “How about we make it interesting? He shows up, you owe me dinner at the new farm-to-table.”
Just to call her bluff, Janie added, “And if he doesn’t, we go shopping for wedding gowns.”
But Alyssa didn’t falter. She stuck out her hand. “Deal.”
Holy hell, he was going to show up.
* * *
The first few hours of her shift passed by in much the same way as every other night she’d tended bar at the club. It started out slow, with a sparse crowd that gradually grew over time. As the clock neared midnight, she excused herself for a quick bathroom break. She stuck her phone in her pocket, planning to text Alyssa and ask her what day she wanted to go wedding-gown shopping.
She tried to plan her text in her head. She wanted it to be snarky with an I told you so attitude, though she wasn’t in the mood at the moment. It pissed her off how much she’d actually wanted Brent Taylor to show up.
No. Scratch that. What really pissed her off was how much she’d been looking forward to seeing him again.
This was why she shouldn’t get her hopes up, she told herself as she turned to head down the hall leading to the restrooms. Because she always felt like warmed-over, day-old hell when nothing lived up to her expectations.
“Janie?” the seductive voice that haunted her fantasies all day asked.
She shook her head. It must be her fantasy this time, too.
“Janie Roberts.”
It was the addition of her last name that made her stop. Interesting. There was no need for her fantasy Brent to use her last name. Even so, she turned slowly, wanting to draw out the feeling that he had returned to see her.
She’d done such a great job at convincing herself he wouldn’t show up, it took her brain a few seconds to comprehend that yes, he had returned and yes, he sought her out.
Well, damn.
CHAPTER THREE
“What are you doing here?” she asked and then cringed, because out of all the things she could have said, out of all the things she’d planned to say, that wasn’t one of them. The only reason she could think of was she’d just convinced herself he wasn’t coming.
It obviously wasn’t what he’d expected, either. His smile left and the light that was in his captivating eyes dimmed.
“I’m sorry,” she managed to stammer out. “That was horribly rude.”
“I caught you off guard,” he said. “It’s fine.”
But he didn’t look like he was fine and he wasn’t smiling. Two things struck her at once. One, she didn’t want him to leave, and two, if he was the man she was looking for, she couldn’t allow him to leave.
She placed a tentative hand on his arm. “Let me get you a drink.”
Something in her words or demeanor must have struck a chord, because the tension left his body.
“I’m not myself tonight. I didn’t sleep well,” he admitted, and she wondered if he tossed and turned the way she had. “I can’t stay long, either. I have to get home. But I wanted to know if you’d like to go to dinner with me sometime?”
“You want to have dinner with me?” She hoped he didn’t hear the croak in her voice.
“Yes. It’s not every day I find someone who will quote Aristophanes at me, especially someone as bewitching as you.” His tone sounded normal, but his eyes danced with mischief.
He thought she was bewitching? She suddenly felt like she had in high school when the boy she’d had a crush on admitted he liked her. But she couldn’t allow herself to act like a schoolgirl whose crush just asked her to prom.
“Thank you,” she said. “But I think it was actually you who quoted. I merely inferred.”
“Semantics.”
At least he said the latter with a smile. But looking over his shoulder, Janie noticed the manager on duty did not have a smile on his face.
“I have to get back to work,” she said. “Boss is watching.”
Brent nodded and took his phone out. “I have to be going, too. Why don’t you give me your number and I’ll call you. Tuesday night sound good for dinner?”
She nodded as they walked back to the bar and she gave him her number. Seconds later, her pocket vibrated.
“That’s me,” Brent said at her slight jump. “Now you have my number.”
She waited until he left to check and then, with a shake of her head but wearing a smile, she sent a text to Alyssa.
Dinner is on me.
* * *
On Tuesday morning, Brent called to tell her the dinner they’d planned for that night had to be postponed.
“I feel like such an ass,” he said. “Believe me, I tried everything I could to get out of this, but I have to fly to Manhattan for the day.”
His voice still carried the easy confidence she’d noted before. She didn’t think he was trying to get out of the date, but she’d be lying to say she wasn’t disappointed. She’d been looking forward to spending time with the man she was just starting to get to know. More importantly, she was looking forward to getting to learn more about him and see if he was potentially the kidnapper.
Not for the first time, she asked herself what the hell she was doing getting involved with a potential suspect. In the past, she’d always thought such people needed professional help. So what did that say about her?
“I’ll be right there,” he said to someone. “Give me three minutes. Yes, go ahead and get it ready.”
“I won’t keep you,” Janie said. “I can tell you’re busy.”
“I swear I’ll make it up to you. How does Thursday night so
und?”
Thursday was her night free from the bar. “Thursday will be perfect.”
There were voices in the room with him, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying.
“Great. I’ll call you when I get back.” He hastily said good-bye and then disconnected.
Janie stared at her phone for several long seconds, shocked at how much his change of plan had affected her. And the worst thing of it all was she really didn’t want to spend the evening by herself.
She called Alyssa to tell her about the change of plans and to see if she happened to be free.
“I don’t know,” Alyssa teased. “I’m not sure I like being your second-choice dinner companion. But as it just so happens, Mack has to work late and I’m free.”
“Which makes me your second-choice dinner companion.”
“That makes us even.”
Janie rolled her eyes at the phone, smiling. “Let’s do easy. You want to come over here, watch a chick flick, and order pizza?”
“Best idea you’ve had today.”
It wasn’t too often Janie and Alyssa were able to get together for more than a hurried meal. Janie tried to think back to the last time they were both off and able to get together for girl bonding, but she couldn’t. They were seriously overdue.
Alyssa said the same thing when she arrived hours later, holding up a brown paper bag that Janie knew would contain her favorite ice cream. “I so need this tonight.”
They ordered the pizza to be delivered and turned on their favorite Jane Austen movie. It didn’t take long for the rest of the world to dissolve into hot men with accents and horse-drawn carriages.
They were getting ready to open the ice cream when Alyssa’s phone rang. With a huff, she pulled it out of her purse and frowned when she read the display. “Damn it. I told them not to call me if it wasn’t an emergency.” She hit the answer button. “This better be good.”
It obviously wasn’t good news judging by how fast her face went pale. In a tight voice, she replied to whomever was on the other line, “I’ll be there in ten.”
She hung up with a sigh and stood up. “There’s been a body found. No identification yet. Young female.”
“You better go,” Janie said, giving her friend a hug. “We’ll do this another time.”
When Alyssa left, Janie felt bad knowing the night her friend had ahead of her. Death was never easy. Especially in the case of a young person killed before they had a chance to live. But she also knew that Alyssa wouldn’t have to deal with the aftermath alone. She had Mack and he’d seen her through rough cases before. He’d be there again this time.
Janie turned the movie off and planned to get to bed early, but all that changed when Alyssa called her with a shocking update.
“It’s your case,” she said. “The body is the last girl who went missing.”
Janie didn’t need Alyssa to go into details. Though several women had been reported missing before now, there had never been any further trace of them. The assumption had been they were being trafficked. But now that one had been found murdered, they would have to relook at their entire investigation. It also meant Brent might be more than a kidnapper. He also might be a killer.
Janie didn’t sleep hardly at all that night. The thought kept running through her head that she could be dating a murderer.
* * *
His hands trembled as he opened the letter. His name, written in a flowing script on the outside of the envelope, told him who it was from. Surely, though, if they were going to kill him, they would have sent an assassin instead of a letter.
The paper inside was made of a pure white linen without a speck of dust to mar the finely handcrafted stationary. He dropped the letter on the table when he realized his hands were sweating. Idiot. It’s just a letter.
He wiped his palms on his thighs and looked around to make sure no one was watching. They weren’t. As always, everyone was too caught up in their own world to notice his. Taking a deep breath, he unfolded the paper and read.
My instructions were clear.
The only reason you’re still breathing is because she was so decomposed when they found her, there will be no evidence.
Mess up one more time and I’ll deliver the next letter by hand.
In his mind, he saw it happening. He’d open the door and The Gentleman would be standing there waiting, a strange combination of pity and pleasure on his face as held up the weapon. Would it be a knife or a gun? Probably a knife. A gun would have everything over much too quickly.
He shot up from his desk and ran to the men’s room as his stomach flipped and his lunch reemerged.
CHAPTER FOUR
Thursday night, Janie and Brent met in the historic district since that was where he’d been working. She’d spent her time window shopping, strolling along the cobblestone streets, trying to enjoy the near constant buzz of tourists, and peeking into windows. The truth was, she was a wreck of nerves. She stopped in front of a high-end clothing shop and admired the cocktail dress in the window, trying to imagine ever going somewhere that would justify wearing such a gorgeous gown, while at the same time taking deep breaths to calm down.
“You should try it on,” a familiar voice said.
She jumped at the sound of his voice, but forced herself to smile when she turned. “You’ve vastly overestimated my social life.”
He chuckled softly, but didn’t mention the dress again. “I thought tonight would never get here.”
She couldn’t help but notice the looks of admiration he received from a group of women walking past them. Looking at him through their eyes, it was hard to imagine him as evil.
“I agree,” she said looking up at him. “How was New York?”
“Busy, like always.” He pointed to a nearby seafood place. “This okay?”
“Sure.” She recognized the place, but had never been in it.
They walked up to the hostess stand and Janie inhaled the mouthwatering taste of perfectly grilled fish and fresh baked bread.
Brent dropped his head as they waited for the couple in front of them to give their name. “If it wasn’t so hot outside, we could sit out here.”
Delightful shivers traveled down her spine from the way his warm breath tickled her neck. “That’s too bad,” she agreed. “I love to people watch.”
“Me, too.”
The hostess quickly led them into the restaurant where the air conditioner kept it blessedly cool. Brent pulled out her chair for her and she covered her surprise. She didn’t know guys still did that except in movies.
They made small talk while looking over the menus. It wasn’t until they ordered that Brent turned his brown eyes to focus exclusively on her.
“Tell me about yourself,” he said. “Besides the fact that you’re a bartender who reads Aristophanes.”
She shrugged. “There’s not much to tell. I’m working the bar at night, while looking into other opportunities during the day.”
That wasn’t much of a lie. In fact, if you stretched it, it was sort of the truth. She had a feeling Brent Taylor wasn’t going to reveal much of himself, either. Which meant she had her work cut out for her.
“Any family?” he asked. At the shake of her head, he added with a smile, “Dog, cat, goldfish?”
“None of the above, but I’m looking into getting a dog.” Since turnabout was only fair, she asked, “How about you?”
“Neither,” he said. “I’m allergic to both dogs and cats, but I have strongly considered a goldfish.”
She laughed at the image of someone like Brent Taylor considering getting a goldfish. “Just one?” she asked. “I would have thought you’d get a huge saltwater aquarium.”
His eyes danced with a playfully naughty look. “Maybe there’s more to me than you read about in the society column.”
She started to protest that she didn’t read the society column, but quickly closed her mouth as she felt her face heat. No doubt he knew the effect he had on women an
d guessed from the way she’d reacted to his name when they first met that she did read those columns.
“I’m sure there is, Brent Taylor,” she said. “After all, aren’t we all more than mere words on paper?”
He raised his wineglass. “Touché.”
“Now it’s your turn,” she said. “Tell me about yourself.”
“I have one half sister. She’s younger than me. My father died when I was four and my mother married a pastor. Shocked the hell out of everyone. I mostly stayed with my dad’s family.”
She nodded. All of that were things she could gather from reading about him in the paper. She wanted more. She wanted the Brent Taylor who was known to very few. “Boring. Tell me something that will never be printed in the papers.”
“I’m considering a move to Washington, DC.”
Her glass of wine stopped halfway to her lips, and before she could reply, their entrées were delivered. After the waiter left, Brent sat across the table, silently watching her.
But was he watching her as a man who wanted to get to know her or as a hunter studying his prey?
Had he guessed she was a cop? Or had he invited her to dinner because he suspected something? Dinner might not have been the best decision.
Her mind spun trying to unravel the tangled ball of yarn the investigation had become. If he was the man they were looking for, would he be thinking about moving? Maybe the discovery of the last girl’s body had scared him and he’d decided to change locations.
Or maybe, he was just your average guy, looking to expand his horizons.
Like Brent Taylor could ever be called average.
“You’re thinking about something awfully hard,” he said.
“Sorry, it’s hard to shut my mind off sometimes.”
“I do the same thing,” he assured her. “The trick is, I need to get your mind on something else so it doesn’t wander away.”
She tilted her head. “Why Washington?” she asked, not ready to give up control over the conversation yet.
“I’ve been approached to head a joint committee with the government and several special interest groups on transparency in food labeling. It’s something I’ve always been passionate about.”