by Terry Spear
“Yes, sir.”
“Anything else?”
“I’m concerned that we should move the two of them to a safe house.”
“Only if we deem it’s necessary.”
“Yes, sir.”
The phone clicked dead in Dave’s ear, and he took a deep breath. Headquarters had to know what they were doing. He would continue to serve as before.
After closing and locking the glass patio door, he walked back to the couch and pulled his jeans off. Sleeping on a crinkling leather couch all night didn’t appeal half as much as sleeping with the blond in his bed. Things could have been worse. He could have been staked out in an unmarked car in the parking lot with Bill. He frowned. Why hadn’t Bill caught the man?
An hour later, Dave shifted again on the couch facing the back of it this time, the leather turning his skin sweaty wherever he chanced to touch the material, the sheets he’d thrown on it, hanging half on the floor now. As hard as the floor was, he considered making a bed down there. Then he thought he heard a noise. Like a click.
He turned to face the room, his eyes focusing on the dark.
He hadn’t realized how black the place was until he needed to see. Every move he made on the leather-crinkly noise was sure to warn the prowler.
His patio door whooshed open in slow motion. He grabbed his gun and jumped from the couch.
The black drapes shuddered in the light warm breeze. His heartbeat pumped with fresh adrenaline as he jerked the fabric aside.
With the cloak of darkness still blanketing the city, Deidre stood on his patio staring out at the night. The breeze tugged at her long blond hair drifting over her shoulders. The strap to her chemise slipped down her arm.
He reached over to pull it up.
“Deidre?”
Chapter 6
Deidre didn’t respond to Dave, just stared into the night sky where lights twinkled against black velvet. He turned her to face him and frowned. “Deidre?”
She was so beautiful…her full pink lips parted slightly, beckoning to be kissed. But her brilliant blue eyes stared right through him.
He took her hand and led her back inside. Shutting the door, he considered it for a moment and muttered under his breath, “Need to get a safety bar, first thing.” He faced her again. “What’s wrong?”
Her nightie dipped at the bodice and her breasts rose with each light breath she took. He touched her cheek, and she didn’t react. For a moment, the hair stood up on the back of his neck. What was wrong with her?
Then his lips curved up slightly. “You’re walking in your sleep.” He chuckled as he pulled her back to bed.
Tugging the covers aside, he said, “Go to bed, Deidre.” Like a small child, she did as she was told, slipping onto the mattress as he held the coverlet for her. He caught sight of the black panties she wore, and he smiled again, then pulled the blanket over her. She licked her lips and closed her eyes.
More than anything else in the world, he wanted to snuggle close to her. He hadn’t dated in a good long while, but none of the women he’d ever met came close to intriguing him like she did. Because she was forbidden fruit? Conflict of interests?
He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. How could he not become personally involved with a woman like this? He’d never expected the woman to be tantalizing in the least.
His face darkened. Nor how dangerous the case could get.
To Dave’s surprise, the phone rang before he reached the couch. He glanced at his watch. Four A.M. “Hello?”
“Hi, Dave. Is everything going all right over there?” Marilyn asked, the night owl of the bunch.
Dave looked over his shoulder at his bedroom. “She had a break-in and is staying with me.”
“Should I keep Charlie—”
“Yeah, keep him occupied the rest of the day. I’ll be sure to keep an eye on his sister. And lighten up on her a bit. She’s already suspicious about you.”
“Can’t help it. You know me. I don’t get along with women, never have.”
“Well, try. We don’t want her breaking your cover. No telling where Charlie will run to next if he thinks he’s endangering his sister and—”
“All right, enough with the lecture. Call you much later.”
Dave hung up the phone and smiled. Good, Charlie’s out of the way for the day…that means just you and me, Deidre. And Bill. But he’d be on shore waiting.
***
Deidre stretched her arms above her head early the next afternoon, then opened her eyes and gasped. Disoriented for a second, she studied the black bed linens, then groaned. She was at Dave’s place, without a thing to wear. No makeup, her hair must be a matted mess, and she definitely couldn’t breathe on a soul before she brushed her teeth.
She pulled her coverlet aside and frowned to see she wasn’t wearing Dave’s shirt any longer. Poking under the covers, she couldn’t find any sign of it. She peered over the bed.
It lay in a crumpled mess on the floor. She slipped out of bed and pulled the shirt on as pans rattled in the kitchen.
Sneaking into his bathroom, she closed the door behind her. Expecting the worst, she gritted her teeth and stole to the mirror.
A glimpse of light blue shadow filled the crevice of her eyelids. To her surprise, her blue eyes were clear and bright, not bloodshot after her wild night. She ran her fingers through her silky hair. Movie makers who showed women looking sexy the morning after were a bunch of knuckleheads.
She pulled a tube of toothpaste out of a drawer and dabbed a large blob on her finger, then squished it around her teeth. Ugh, they still felt terrible. Searching under the cabinet-enclosed sink, she found a bottle of mouthwash. She gargled and swallowed half of it when Dave rapped on the door.
Choking and coughing, she managed to spit the rest out.
“Deidre?”
“I’m all right, Dave. I’ll only be a moment.” She wiped the cherry drool from her chin.
If she could have found a secret tunnel from his place to hers, she would have crawled back home in a heartbeat. She didn’t want anyone to see her looking like this—not even a dog, if she’d owned one.
“I’m fixing omelets. Do you like cheese and ham on them?”
The cowboy cooks. “Yes, that would be fine. Do you think I might return to my apartment and get dressed first—”
“Charlie’s not home yet. And the eggs are almost done.”
She searched through his cabinet drawers as his footsteps faded away. A comb…wouldn’t do a lot for her hair, but maybe a couple of rakes would help. She studied her eyelashes still darkened with mascara. At least she didn’t look totally pale and washed out.
“Food’s ready!”
When she walked into the dining area, she smiled to see fresh flowers on the table. She turned as Dave cradled two plates of omelets garnished with freshly sliced oranges. She studied the dishes. “Were you a gourmet cook in another life?”
“Nah, my mother always said if you’re going to make a meal, do it with a special touch.”
Deidre slipped into one of the chairs. “I want you to know I don’t normally eat breakfast with a neighbor dressed like this.”
His impeccable appearance, washed, shaved, ready to tackle the day in his red T-shirt and denim shorts, made her cringe to think how he saw her.
His cheeks dimpled as he considered her appearance. “Loveliest breakfast companion I’ve ever had. Coffee?”
“Be great…with a lot of milk and one teaspoon of sugar.”
He brought the cups to the table and waited while she sipped hers.
“Just right.” Poking a fork into her eggs, she said, “I hope you didn’t have too rough a time last night.”
“Slept like a bear in hibernation.”
“Good.” She looped her finger around the cup’s handle. “You say Charlie’s not home yet?”
“Yeah. I ran over there this morning to see if he had returned. But he hadn’t.”
“Shoot. Do you have my
keys?”
“Grabbed your purse while the police were fingerprinting your room. Should have mentioned it. It’s lying over there by the couch.”
“Oh.” She’d been so busy taking note of the policemen’s appearance, she hadn’t noticed Dave with her purse.
“Did you sleep all right?”
“Considering.”
His gaze remained intense. “Did you have any nightmares?”
“Don’t recall. Guess I must have been so exhausted, I slept the night through.”
Dave looked over at the patio.
“I should have gotten that woman’s phone number so I could call Charlie.” She sighed. “He should know what happened—”
“We’ll leave a note for him at your place.”
“But, don’t you think we should wait for him—”
“It’s nearly three.”
“All right, but I’ve got to take a shower.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“That won’t be nece—”
“I’ll park myself on your sofa. While you’re showering, if Charlie calls or drops by, I can let him know what’s up.”
She nodded. She’d never figured in a million years, the day she’d spent with Dave would turn in to an all-nighter and then continue the whole rest of her weekend. “The eggs are delicious. I couldn’t have done a better job.” She fingered a slice of orange.
“How’s your hand feeling?”
“Much better, thank you.”
She finished her breakfast, then waited as Dave drank the rest of his coffee.
“Want another cup, Deidre?”
“No, thanks. Listen, are you sure I can’t return to my apartment alone? I mean, you could open my door for me and I’d dart across the open landing so nobody would see my strange attire, and—”
“Nothing doing.” He touched her bandaged hand. “Wouldn’t want whoever nicked you to do something worse the next time.”
Deidre studied her lightly polished pink fingernails. “I don’t think he had the right place.”
“Maybe it’s something that your brother had…”
She turned quickly to Dave. Charlie. What could he have that someone might have wanted? Her heart raced. What had Charlie been up to the last several months? She rubbed her temple as she stared at the table.
Dave touched her fingers as if trying to coax something out of her. She shook her head. “The man broke into the wrong place.” She rose from the chair. “Maybe I ought to hang around for Charlie.”
“We’ll leave a note.” Dave grabbed the dishes and crossed the floor to the kitchen.
She walked across the living room and reached for her purse, then turned to see him watching her. “Did you want to do the dishes while I’m taking my shower, and then join me later?”
“No. Wait a minute.” He hurried over to the couch and pulled the gun from under the pillow he’d been sleeping against.
She wasn’t sure whether he just acted paranoid or really believed someone wished her harm. Then again, being in the military police probably made him wary of situations like this. She handed him her keys and waited while he unlocked her door. As soon as he motioned to her, she slammed his door shut and dashed across the landing.
He grinned at her, then peeked out the door. “Not a soul saw you.”
“Thank goodness for that. Just across the complex lives one of the guys I work with. It wouldn’t do for word to get around post I spent the night at my neighbor’s apartment.”
Dave smiled broadly. “Just being neighborly.”
Deidre grabbed up a cushion to the couch lying on the carpeted floor, then noticed Dave studying her legs. “Uh, I guess you can tidy the cushions, while I get ready.”
He grinned. “Certainly.”
If his past performance was anything like how he normally acted, it wasn’t like him not to rush to help her. She assumed he enjoyed the view way too much.
After a welcome shower, she slipped into her bathing suit. She pulled on shorts and a T-shirt.
Dave placed her phone book back in its drawer as she walked into the kitchen.
“Do you want to take an ice chest, Dave?”
“Ice chest?”
“Sure, for cold drinks.”
“I’ll get the ice out.” He pulled the tray from the automatic icemaker.
She grabbed the ice chest out of her coat closet. “Soft drinks or spring water?”
“Water’s fine with me.”
He hurried to fill up the ice chest while she applied lipstick to her lips. “I’ve got sunscreen and a towel, plus a change of clothes.”
“I have a bag waiting.” He hesitated to leave her alone.
“I’ll be fine, Dave. I’ll scribble a note to Charlie.”
“All right, but don’t—”
The phone rang, and she glanced down at the Caller ID. Marilyn Johnson. She grabbed up the phone. “Hello?”
“Hi, Deidre, it’s me checking—”
“Charlie! I was worried—”
“Sorry, Deidre. I planned to spend the afternoon with Marilyn. Take a drive around and show her some properties.”
Right. “Okay, Charlie. I’m going boating with Dave. Did you want to come, too?” She just couldn’t ask if Marilyn wanted to go also.
“No, I’ll take a rain check.”
“Charlie…” She wanted to tell him what had happened but fearful he might have something the thief wanted and with Dave listening in, she hesitated. Turning her head away from Dave, she said, “Somebody broke into my apartment this morning.”
“Are you okay? Did you want me to come home?”
“No, I’m all right. I don’t think the thief’s going to be feeling really well for a while.” She lowered her voice. “Charlie, the police think the man was after something. You didn’t have anything here that he might have wanted, did you?”
“No, not me. I mean, I ran into a bit of trouble on my last job, but I don’t have anything anybody would want to steal. I’ll talk to you about that later. Marilyn’s coming.”
“Charlie—”
“Got to go, Sis.”
Deidre hung up her phone and sighed deeply. Knowing her brother, he had no clue as to what kind of a mess he was in now. She had to find out what his previous job entailed. Was this Marilyn Johnson in cahoots with the thief? Deidre had assumed her brother was safe away from her place. Now she wasn’t so sure.
“Is everything all right?” Dave asked.
His concerned look made her realize she’d been puzzling over the matter, deep in thought for several seconds. “Do you think this Ms. Johnson could wish Charlie harm?”
***
Dave tried to conceal his feelings. Here his partner was attempting to protect Charlie, just as he served as Deidre’s guardian angel. How could he ease her mind, concerning Marilyn without giving their case away? He sensed she hadn’t liked Marilyn from the beginning, but he hadn’t realized she’d come to the conclusion Marilyn wanted to harm her brother.
“She probably wants to get a head start on looking for some commercial property.” He grabbed the ice chest and led Deidre to the door. “It would be good money for him and a nice start to his new job.”
She nodded. “That’s what Charlie said. I’m really glad he has a job with the real estate office in town. With a first sale nearly under his belt, he’ll do all right.” She muttered under her breath, “Sure, as if she’s the real thing.”
Dave secured his bag from his apartment, then walked with her to his truck. She shook her head when she saw the red super cab. He smiled. “Don’t like pickups? No bucket seats…that’s what I like best about them.” He pointed to the seatbelt next to him and patted the seat. “Pickups are more sociable.”
She chuckled. “So that’s why men like these rigs…for pick-ups.”
Dave laughed. She sure was the genuine thing. Funny, gorgeously sexy—totally unattached—and for the moment, all his. He cleared his throat. Better get his mind on business.
He
was dying to find out what Charlie said about the break-in, but he worried he’d scare Deidre off. She was protective of her brother, and he knew handling the matter would require kid gloves.
Still when he proposed the question, he knew at once he hadn’t managed the situation well. “Did your brother have any clues about the break-in?”
***
Deidre stared out the windshield in silence. Her thoughts focused a million miles away. A man dripping wet and frightened out of his wits filled her vision. Something deadly circled him, and he waited for death.
“Deidre?” Dave patted her hand, waking her from her trance.
Deidre learned long ago, she could still concentrate on her driving although a vision distracted her mind. It was as though she had two minds working at once—one in a daydream while the other sorted out reality. If anyone had asked her what she had passed on the road during one of her visions, however, she wouldn’t have a clue.
She faced Dave. He must have asked her a question. “I’m sorry, what did you ask?”
He cleared his throat. “You mentioned the break-in to Charlie. What did he say?”
“He was just concerned for my safety.” She knew he wanted more of an answer, but she wasn’t willing to go any further.
“Did he have a clue as to what the man was looking for?”
“No.” She hadn’t lied. Charlie said he didn’t have anything anyone would want. Her brother wasn’t a prevaricator. She believed him. The problem was, he probably did have something that somebody desperately wanted, only Charlie didn’t know it. She had to find out what he’d been involved in before he dropped back into her life.
“You hadn’t seen Charlie for several months. Are you certain he might not have gotten hold of something that somebody might want—”
“Who, what, when, where, and why.”
“Huh?”
“You’re a reporter. I keep forgetting.”
Dave scratched his temple. “Sorry, I guess I do sort of sound like a reporter. No, I’m trying to help figure out what the man would have been looking for. I’m concerned the thief might return—”
“He was at the wrong apartment.”