by Tara Thomas
Hell, whom was he fooling? He’d never even think about complaining to The Gentleman.
“You see, sir.” He should explain his thinking; that way he wouldn’t appear incompetent. “I could exterminate her anytime I wanted to. But I want to do more than that. I want to scare her, to become her worst nightmare. To become the shadows she sees in the middle of the night. And only then, when she’s out of her mind in fear, will I take care of her.”
The Gentleman chuckled. “You sound almost diabolical.”
“I take that as a compliment coming from you, sir.”
“Yes. Quite. The only thing I’d be careful of if I were you is being too sure of yourself. Brent Taylor is a powerful man and he will be a challenging adversary, especially when paired with her.”
He snorted. “He can’t be any worse than the Charleston PD.”
“Ah, there it is. The cockiness. The Charleston PD is a disgrace. They have botched up more cases than they’ve solved. Why do you think I’ve stayed in this god awful climate?”
“I always assumed it was a fondness for the food, sir.”
But The Gentleman wasn’t laughing. “You would be wise to treat this assignment with a bit more respect. Don’t think that just because you’re out of town means I don’t know exactly what you’re doing.”
His mouth grew dry. Clearly, he’d lost his head to even think about joking with The Gentleman, much less to actually do it. “I would never think that, sir.”
“Excellent. And just so you know, I’m keeping an eye out on our mutual friend as well.”
There was a mocking tone to his voice when The Gentleman added, “I’ve been thinking. I’ve changed my mind about killing her if you screw this up. I think she would fit well in my collection.”
He closed his eyes against the thought. She’d fare even worse then. Most women The Gentlemen selected for his personal collection didn’t last two months.
“I won’t fail, sir,” he ground out.
“See to it that you don’t,” The Gentleman said, and then hung up.
* * *
Brent whistled when Janie stepped out of the bedroom later that night wearing the gown he’d surprised her with. “You look divine.”
She flushed slightly, which he thought only added to her charms. “Thank you.”
He held out his arm. “Shall we?”
A private car waited for them and though she didn’t say anything, he enjoyed watching her eyes dart back and forth as she took in the sights. After a while, she leaned back and took his hand.
“It’s been forever since I’ve been in Washington,” she said.
“How long?”
“I think I was a senior in high school.”
“Class trip?” he asked, curious as always to learn more about her.
“Yes. I think that trip in part helped me decide I wanted to be in law enforcement.”
He tried to picture a young Janie Roberts and found he couldn’t. He’d have to ask her to show him her old school pictures.
“We went and toured the FBI building.” She looked at him. “They used to do that, you know, let you tour. It was fascinating. Or at least it was to me. I remember seeing everything the agents did and thinking, ‘I want to do that. I want to be someone who puts the bad guys away.’”
“And now you are.”
Her expression changed immediately from wistful to sad. “I used to.” She turned to look out the window. “I don’t anymore.”
“You know that’s only temporary, don’t you? You’ll get your job back. Or maybe you’ll find a new one. In DC.”
Her surprised reaction smacked him upside the head. What was he thinking, dropping that like that? The plan had been to suggest she move to DC with him after the weekend together. Not before.
He took her hand. “It’s only something to think about. Nothing you have to decide right now.”
She nodded, but she bit her bottom lip. He’d learned that she only did that when she was nervous or in deep thought. He hoped it was the later in this case and not the former.
“Look.” He stroked her hand. “Forget I said anything and let’s enjoy the night.”
She gave him a weak smile. “You still haven’t told me where we’re going.”
He couldn’t help but laugh. It was so like her. She wanted to know every detail, every fact. It was probably one of the things that made her a great cop, but it totally sucked the life out of trying to surprise her.
“You’ve waited this long,” he said. “Don’t you think you could wait another five minutes?”
“I’m sure it’ll be more like ten in this traffic.”
Out the window, traffic was horribly gridlocked. It would probably be more like twenty. “You really don’t want me to tell you, do you?”
“No,” she finally admitted. “But it’s so much fun to tease you about it.”
“Tease is you in that dress.”
“Well, you only have yourself to blame for that one.”
“I did bring that on myself, didn’t I?”
Her only response was a raised eyebrow and he couldn’t help not to laugh.
Minutes later, ten to be exact, they pulled in front of the restaurant he’d made reservations at. Much like the gown, he cherished her reaction.
“Plume?” she asked in amazement. “You made reservations at Plume?” She didn’t wait for him to answer, but continued. “Alyssa said Mac tried to get them reservations for here once and they were booked for months. It was a spur-of-the-moment long-weekend trip, so he hadn’t been able to plan that far out.”
“It helps when you know the right people. If you like, you can tell Alyssa and Mac to let me know the next time they’re in DC and I’ll see what I can do.”
She simply squeezed his hand and for the next few hours, they got lost in each other. For those few precious, almost stolen hours, there was no talk or worry about threatening notes or lost jobs. There was only Brent and Janie.
After dinner, he surprised her further by taking her to an upscale nightclub, where they danced until the early hours of the morning. Brent has happy to see Janie’s good mood continue. He truly believed after their night out that not only was her moving to DC a good idea, but that she would also agree.
When they made it back to their suite after finally deciding to leave the club, she turned to face him as he closed and locked the door. He barely had time to realize what she was doing before she put her arms around him and whispered what a great time she’d had.
* * *
Janie stretched against Brent with absolute contentment. Beside her, with his arms wrapped around her, Brent also appeared to be the very definition of bliss.
She shifted slightly and he stroked her arm. They didn’t speak, but rather, let the silence communicate for them. There was an intimacy, Janie had discovered since dating him, that could only be found in silence. The communication of their bodies, even when they were doing nothing but enjoying the peace that came after making love, often spoke stronger than words.
It was there in his arms that she realized she was being an idiot when it came to moving in with him. In that moment, she couldn’t think of one reason not to move to DC with him. What did she have keeping her in Charleston? There was no job, no family, and she couldn’t see staying for friends. Not when she could have a future with Brent.
Once she gave serious thought to moving, she felt even better. It was almost as if everything clicked into place. She belonged here, in this city, with this man. Not only that, but she probably had better job prospects in DC than she did if she remained in Charleston.
The only downside would be the winters, but even that didn’t seem so bad wrapped up in the warmth of Brent’s arms. Actually, the more she thought about it, the more snow sounded fun. If nothing else, it would be a nice change. Besides, Brent was keeping his Charleston home.
She rolled to her side, rose up on her elbow, and smiled at him.
He cracked one eye open. “You’ll have to
let me rest. I’m not as young as I used to be.”
She laughed and gave him a playful swat. “That’s not what I was thinking.”
“Well, damn.” He had both eyes open now. “I certainly was. Way to crush my ego.”
“I’m sure your ego is fine. I was actually thinking about what you’d said.”
He yawned. “I’m too tired. Remind me?”
“About me moving here with you.”
With those words, he no longer appeared tired. His eyes flew open and he pulled them both up so they were sitting in bed. “What? What are you thinking?”
His excitement at the fact she’d been thinking about the possibility proved she was making the right decision. “I’m going to move with you.”
No sooner had the words left her mouth, then he pulled her to him and covered her lips in a big kiss.“This makes me so happy,” he said, pulling back just a bit. “What made you change your mind.”
A sense of peace settled over her, leaving her more content that she’d remembered feeling in a long time. “I don’t know if I actually changed my mind. I never said I wasn’t going to move in with you, just that I needed time to think.”
“Ah, well, that was me then. Just thinking the worst.” He kissed her again, but briefly this time. “I’ll rephrase. What was the determining factor that made the decision for you?”
“Several things. There’s not much for me in Charleston anymore. I mean, I’ll always love the city, but I don’t have a job . . . you’re moving . . .” She shrugged. “And I want to spend every night like this and wake up in your arms every morning.”
“I feel the same.” He brushed her cheek softly. “We have a lot to do to get both of us moved. And not only do we have to find a place to live, but you’ll be wanting to look for a job.”
“Mmmm.” It was much too difficult to think about practical things like packing and jobs when his lips were right there and looked so kissable. “Later.”
“Later?” His forehead wrinkled.
“Later.” She pushed him on his shoulder back down onto the bed and then straddled him. “I hope you had a chance to rest, because sleep is the furthest thing on my mind at the moment.”
There was no need for him to answer; his hands were already moving across her body, speaking with his touch. For the next little while, they allowed their bodies to communicate for them. And when they finally fell back to the bed, exhausted, Janie could easily picture her future in this city and with this man.
Chapter Three
Brent took her to his favorite brunch place the next day before they went house hunting. Though they slept in, neither of them had gotten very much sleep the night before and he wondered how long they’d be able to look at places before they decided to call it a day and schedule the remaining properties for another time.
As he suspected, Janie had a sharp eye and was able to look beyond the current state of the places they viewed to see the space they could become. His agent had booked four penthouse apartments for them to visit. They toured the first two and Janie quickly pointed out things he would have to change. They were on the way to third when his phone rang. He frowned at the unknown number, but answered it anyway.
“Hello,” he said.
“Mr. Taylor?” someone asked.
“Yes.”
* * *
Ahhh, the hotel. He probably had a package waiting for him or something.
“Yes, Herb. How are you?”
“Mr. Taylor,” the man from the hotel said, and Brent wondered if he was making it up that the man seemed slightly irritated. “We need you and your guest to stop by the front desk when you return.”
“Is there a problem?” Brent asked. Odds were it wasn’t a package if it was requested they both stop by the desk.
“I don’t want to get into specifics over the phone.” This time Brent was certain there was something off in the man’s tone. After hanging up the phone, he told Janie they were going to have to cut the house hunting short. She seemed disappointed until he told her he’d ask the real estate agent to reschedule the showings for the next day.
“What do you think it is?” she asked, taking his hand as they walked into the hotel lobby.
“I’m not sure. Honestly, I’ve never been asked to stop by when it wasn’t to pick up a package or something.”
“I hope it’s not . . .”
He squeezed her hand in understanding.
He thought about going up to their room and stopping by the front desk later, but the hotel employed several off-duty cops as security guards. Looking toward the elevator, there was one in his usual spot. He and Janie might slip by, but why take the chance?
Besides, if the reason they were asked to stop by the front desk had anything to do with the threats on Janie in Charleston, he wanted her to hear as well.
“I have a gut feeling it’s not a package,” she said.
“I know,” he said softly and squeezed her hand. “Me, too.”
As they approached the front desk, one of the employees working picked up the phone and called someone. All the while watching them. Beside him, Janie held on to Brent’s hand tighter. Before they could approach anyone, a woman Brent recognized as a manager rushed over to them. By the time she made it to the front desk, Brent had had more than enough.
“I’ve been a loyal customer for years, Mrs. Hall,” he said to the manager. “I’m not sure what’s going on now, but I’d appreciate it if someone would tell me what’s going on.”
The manager appeared unruffled. “Yes, sir, Mr. Taylor. I do appreciate your patience.”
He nodded and glanced around the lobby. He was starting to think the delay at the front desk had nothing to do with him and everything to do with Janie. And if that was the case, he didn’t want her out in the open of the public lobby.
“If you and Ms. Roberts would step in here, please.” The manager waved to a small office to the right of the front desk.
Brent took a deep breath and kept his hand at the small of her back as he walked with Janie toward the open door the manager indicated.
Though the manager motioned to two chairs in the office, Brent remained standing. He crossed his arms as he waited for an explanation of why the perfect day he’d planned had taken a turn for the worst.
“I apologize for any inconvenience,” the manager said. “But we wanted to keep this as quiet as possible.”
He’d reached the end of his patience. “Pardon me, but exactly what are you wanting to keep quiet?”
She reached into the desk and pull out a sheet of paper. “Our staff went into your room to prepare it for the evening and they found this had been slipped under the door.”
Brent took the paper, his eyes recognizing the image in front of him at the exact moment he heard a cry of despair come from Janie. He flipped the picture over, but it was too late. The image of Janie, naked and above him in bed, with the words “Time is up, police bitch,” written in red would stay with him forever.
How he managed to keep his temper under control, he wasn’t sure, but his voice sounded eerily calm to his own ears when he replied, “Yes, I can see why you wouldn’t want other guests to know that the possibility of someone taking pictures of them exists.”
The manger flushed. “We haven’t contacted the authorities. We thought it best to talk to you first.”
Brent stood, picture in one hand and reaching for a pale and shell-shocked Janie. “Thank you. I have a feeling we know who this is, or at least what it pertains to. Be sure to keep us informed going forward.”
Janie stood and took his hand, but her movements were robotic. He led them quickly to the elevators and he was surprised that she made it into their room before breaking down.
“Oh, God.” She crumpled to the couch, covering her face and sobbing. “He knows I’m here. I’m not safe anywhere.”
He held her close, not saying anything, but rubbing her back and plotting in his mind different ways he could kill the bastard behind this.<
br />
“He knows we’re here,” she continued after a few minutes. “Which means he’s somehow followed us, scoped out a place where he could watch us, and then took those pictures.”
Listening to her talk had brought up a new question. “How the hell did he know what room we’re in? We haven’t told anyone.”
“It’s not like we were exactly careful, you know,” she said in a deadpan voice. “The room has those huge windows near the bed. Chances are he just got lucky.”
“I’d like to get my hands on him.”
“Stand in line.” She looked up at him with a grim expression. “He’s probably still here.”
He looked up and cursed under his breath. The curtains weren’t drawn. Whoever it was, might be watching them now.
“I’ll be right back,” he promised Janie, shifting her so she sat on the couch.
* * *
He walked to the large widow, his eyes searching for anything out of place. Not seeing anything, he moved so he could observe the tall office building across the street. Most of the rooms were dark, so it didn’t take long for him to spot what he was looking for, high in the building. A man stood, staring out his own window and though they were too far to tell with any certainty, Brent was almost positive he was looking his way.
Brent cursed under his breath.
“Do you see something?” Janie asked, coming up beside him and slipping her hand him his.
“Three o’clock. Almost eye level.”
He knew as soon she saw him. Her body tensed and she squeezed his hand. “It’s him, isn’t it?”
“More than likely.”
They stood for several long minutes, watching the man partially obscured by shadows. As they did, Brent started to feel uneasy. He couldn’t put his finger on exactly why, until Janie nailed it on the head.
She reached out as if touching the window would somehow sweep the shadows away. “Something about the way he stands looks familiar.”
“Yes,” he said, realizing she was right.
“It’s somebody we know.” She shivered and he wrapped his arm around her.
He wanted to protest and tell her she was wrong, but deep inside, he knew she wasn’t.