Dyeing to be Loved (Curl Up and Dye Mysteries, #1)

by Aimee Nicole Walker

  “How’d you get my number?” I asked him once I got past my surprise.

  “You gave it to me, and I kept it all this time,” he said, meaning that he had pulled my card out of his trash can after I had left. The tone of voice he used implied that I should’ve been flattered.

  “Look, I’m not interested in hooking up with you if that’s why you’re calling me,” I said. Nate inhaled sharply on the other end of the phone. The jackass probably wasn’t used to being turned down.

  “That’s a little presumptuous, don’t you think?” Nate asked.

  “You’re the one calling me so I think I can act however I want.” I didn’t owe the guy a damn thing.

  “Look, I need your professional advice on a matter. This isn’t a booty call,” Nate said in a humored tone. “Your virtue is safe with me.”

  I had nothing else better to do on a Saturday night since I went cold turkey from Josh. I made the hour drive with zero expectations in mind, but I wasn’t at all surprised when Nate came onto me once I sat down at the bar. He flirted with me like he had the first time and nodded his head toward his office. However, there was a tenseness about him and stress lines around his mouth and eyes that weren’t present the first time. I realized right away that he was putting on a show for the club patrons and went along with it, even though the feel of his hand on my back felt all wrong to me.

  Nate’s demeanor changed the minute we stepped inside his private office. He dropped the suave seducer act and sat down behind his massive desk. Instead of being bent over the desk, as I had been during my last visit, I sat across from him on the other side.

  “What’s going on?” I asked Nate.

  “I think someone wants me dead.” Nate gripped the edge of his desk hard enough to turn his knuckles white.

  I don’t know what I expected to hear from him, but it sure as hell wasn’t that. He had my full attention. “What makes you think that, Nate?”

  He leaned forward and lowered his voice to almost a whisper and said, “Things have been happening to me that I can’t ignore, no matter how much I want to.” I found his actions odd at first because we were alone in his private office. Hell, the walls were so thick that I could hardly hear the hard thumping from the club. Then I realized his actions were a sign of fear, not the need for privacy.

  “What kind of things, Nate?”

  He had released a shaky breath before he began. “I chalked up the first incident to vandalism. I went out to my car to leave one night, and someone had slashed all four tires on my Mercedes. I figured I pissed off a guy when I didn’t want to hook up with him for a repeat performance or something.”

  “And then,” I prodded when he went silent for a few moments.

  “Then I received an email about a week later, and it basically said I was the scum of the earth and I had to die. The email address was generic, and the reply email I sent was returned with an error message. He’s tech savvy, whoever he is.” Nate looked away, as if deep in thought.

  “Is that all?” It seemed to me like he had more to say, but getting the story from him was like pulling teeth. I had to keep nudging him to tell me what was going on. Hell, he was the one who called me and asked me to meet him, not the other way around.

  “I’ve received a few more emails since the first.” Nate paused and swallowed hard before he reached inside his desk and pulled out copies of the emails he received. “This is when I started to get freaked out. I didn’t even connect the first two incidents until I received this.”

  The first email included a picture of Nate checking out the damage to his tires. The email message stated: I could’ve killed you then, but what would be the fun in that?

  The second email showed a picture of Nate walking buck-ass naked through his house holding a coffee cup in one hand and his phone up to his ear with the other. There was a second picture of a naked Nate looking out his French door in the direction of the photographer. The email message read: Such a beautiful cock wasted on a piece of shit excuse for a man. I’m going to cut it off while you’re still breathing and shove it in your mouth. I’m going to laugh as you choke to death while deep-throating your own cock.

  “Wow.” I slid the emails back across the desk to Nate. “That’s some serious shit, Nate.”

  “That’s why I called you. What the fuck do I do?” He ran his hands through his hair, causing the strands to stick up in several different directions. His looks had changed from a confident man to a scared boy.

  “You need to call the police here in Cincinnati, Nate. I’m outside your jurisdiction and can’t legally help you.”

  “I know you can’t legally help me, but I was hoping to hire you to do it privately. I need to keep this from going public.” His dark eyes pleaded for help, but I instinctively knew it would be a mistake to get tangled up with his problems. There was no way to keep that private, even if he did hire a PI to track down the person sending the emails. What then? Was he going to have the guy killed instead of pressing charges against him? A cold chill ran down my spine as I realized there might be truth to my random speculating. “For old times’ sake.” He had changed his voice to a seductive pitch, but I wasn’t biting.

  “I’m sorry, Nate, but I honestly can’t help you. The CPD can and will, so I strongly recommend you get a report started right away. I’ll go with you if you…”

  “No!” He spoke loudly and emphatically, leaving no doubt in my mind that he never intended to handle this within the law.

  I was not willing to help him skirt the legal process and kill the person threatening him. If he’d spoken his intentions out loud, then I would’ve been obligated to report the incident to the police myself. All I had to go on was gut instinct and speculation. “Okay,” I said throwing up my hands. “I’m not sure what you expected out of me, but I’m about to disappoint you.” I pushed my shoulders back, made strong eye contact with him, and carefully enunciated my words so that there would be no confusion about my unwillingness to assist him. “You have no idea who this person is who seems hell bent on seeing you dead. You have no idea about their abilities to carry out their threats. The only course of action you should be considering is calling the police and allowing them to help you. They have a team of tech people who can trace the IP address of where these emails came from. They sent the emails at the same time. Maybe they’re using a public computer at one of those cyber cafés, and they have video feed or, if not, the staff might recall the person. Whatever alternative you’re considering is probably going to end in a fatality—yours.”

  Nate pressed his lips firmly together as a stony expression formed on his face. “I guess we’re through here.”

  “I guess we are.” I rose to my feet and didn’t bother offering him my hand to shake, as I knew he’d reject the offer. He didn’t get his way, and his displeasure was plainly etched on his face. “Good luck, Nate.” I turned and left his office without a backward glance.

  A week later, and the conversation still replayed in my mind. I was wound tighter than a drum and needed a healthy way to get rid of the stress that had my shoulders and neck knotted up. Sally Ann had purchased a gift certificate for a massage for my birthday, but I hadn’t planned on using it. I’d only ever had a sensual massage given to me by a lover, so I associated massages as an intimate thing. Plus, the gift certificate was for Curl Up and Dye, and I wasn’t sure that I wanted to see Josh so soon after his rejection. It had been a few weeks since then, but I still craved him and his touch. I didn’t trust myself not to embarrass us both in his salon if I got close enough to touch him.

  I caved in after a few days of popping ibuprofen every six hours to relieve my tension headaches. I called the salon and spoke to Chaz, who got really quiet when he discovered it was me calling. His professionalism kicked in, and he scheduled an evening appointment for me to see their massage therapist, Josi, that same night. I wanted to call and cancel the appointment as soon as I hung up the phone then realized I was acting foolish.

&n
bsp; I was bound to run into Josh in our small town; it was a miracle that I hadn’t already. I could continue with the way things were and constantly wonder when it would happen, or I could take the situation into my hands—like I did with my frustrated cock each morning—and be mentally prepared to see him. I reasoned that I would be in better control of my hands and mouth if I had the upper hand. That was my story, and I was going to stick with it.

  I returned to my desk after I made the call to the salon and found Adrian looking dazed and confused. He was staring at his computer monitor as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. I felt a tingling sense that Adrian might’ve found something that broke open Georgia’s case, which we needed badly. Nothing had panned out in the weeks after her death, and we desperately needed something to shake loose in our case. I sat down at my desk and waited for him to say something. I didn’t have to wait long.

  “I can’t believe it.” He ran his hand over his face and returned his attention to the computer. “The gas station finally sent us the video of the gas pumps for the timeframe on Rocky’s receipt.” Adrian shook his head in disbelief. “I just can’t believe it.”

  “Is she someone we know?” I assumed his shock had to do with the identity of Rocky’s second girlfriend. It still amazed me that the little weasel had a wife and two girlfriends. I slid my chair back after Adrian continued to stare at his computer without answering me.

  “Him,” Adrian said about the time I rounded his desk. “We know him.”

  “What?” I leaned over the back of Adrian’s chair and stared at the monitor. Adrian rewound the video, and I saw a familiar person pumping gas into Rocky’s SUV. “So they went hunting together,” I said.

  “Keep watching,” Adrian replied.

  The video played on and Rocky came out of the gas station after a minute or two with his arms laden with snacks and drinks. He walked around to the driver side of the vehicle where the man was pumping gas. Instead of getting in the car as I expected, he walked up to the man and kissed him full on the mouth.

  “What?” I stood up straight and watched as Adrian replayed the video after he zoomed in so we could be sure of the other man’s identity. “Adrian, isn’t that…”

  “County Commissioner Jack Wallace,” he said before I could.

  “Rocky has a wife, girlfriend, and a boyfriend?” I asked in awe—but not the good kind.

  “It would seem he’s just down to a wife and a boyfriend now,” Adrian replied. “What we need to find out is how long it’s been happening and whether Jack knew about Rocky sleeping with Georgia again. Maybe he was willing to share Rocky with his wife because he’s a married man too, but drew the line at sharing him with a girlfriend also.”

  “I think we need to pay a visit to the county commissioner’s office.” I walked to my desk and retrieved my jacket. “Let’s bring the captain up to speed first.”

  “Let’s do this, partner.” Adrian sounded peppier than he had in days unless he was talking about Sally Ann.

  I had a strong feeling that we were finally on the right track to solving the case. For me, it had nothing to do with our closing rate and everything to do with getting justice for Georgia Beaumont. Her friends mourned her loss and having the case go unsolved would only stoke the fires of misery. I knew that bringing her killer to justice wouldn’t make the pain go away, but it would help to know that he or she didn’t still walk among them.

  MY BODY TOLD ME Gabe was in my salon before I even saw him or heard his voice. Yes, I was able to hear his voice over the din of hair dryers, music, and gossip. Luckily for me, I was on the very last foil for my client or I might have lost track of the color pattern I’d been working on. I loved doing multi-dimensional colors, but I had to pay close attention so that I didn’t fuck it up. The last thing I needed was Detective Distraction waltzing in without an appointment and…

  I saw Chaz show him to the sitting area between the salon and massage areas. Gabe happened to look in my direction and our eyes met in my mirror. I narrowed my eyes in speculation and he winked at me. Then my brain chose to function and recall that Sally Ann purchased a gift certificate for Gabe’s birthday. That meant he was in my building about to get naked with only a sheet between him and Josi.

  Damn that man and all his distracting yumminess!

  I turned my focus back to my client because no man was worth fucking up a woman’s hair and my reputation. “All right, Mary Beth, you’re ready for some time beneath the dryer.” I walked her over to a free chair and lowered the dome over her head. “Would you like something to drink or a magazine to look at?”

  “Oh, you’re such a dear. Could I have the latest HGTV magazine and some sweet tea? Stan and I are planning a kitchen remodel and I’d love to get some ideas while I process.”

  That meant I had to go into the sitting room where he was to get the magazine that Mary Beth wanted. I looked around the salon and hoped that one of the earlier clients had already snatched it up and set it aside, but it just wasn’t my day—week, month, or even year. I smiled at Mary Beth who was looking up at me expectantly. “I’ll be right back.” I turned on her dryer, dug up my courage, and went into the sitting room.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gabe look up from his magazine and lock his focus on me. Please don’t say anything. Please don’t say anything. I willed him not to speak to me so that I could maintain my focus. I began sorting through the magazines on the coffee table in search of the latest HGTV that came in the day before and couldn’t find it anywhere, which probably meant…

  “Looking for this one?” Gabe wiggled the magazine in front of his chest when I turned my head and looked at him.

  “Yes, actually.” I was proud of how cool my voice sounded when I spoke because I felt anything but calm on the inside. “My client is getting ready to do a kitchen remodel and would like to look at the magazine.”

  “What will you give me for it?” The arrogant look on his face and tone of his voice set my teeth to grinding while I dug deep for patience. Too bad I had none for him at that point.

  “Not a goddamned thing,” I replied vehemently. “I’ll just tell Mary Beth that the magazine is gone. She’ll think Donna Sumner stole it like she has in the past.” I turned and was just about to the doorway of the salon before he caught me. Gabe pressed his body against mine, one arm held me tight against him, and the other held the magazine up in front of me.

  “I was only teasing.” The heat of his breath tickled my ear, and it was all I could do not to react. “Give this to your client.” I took the magazine from his hand then he dropped his arms away from me and stepped back. “Are you going to be around later? I’d like to talk to you.”

  “We don’t have anything to talk about,” I replied, hoping he didn’t see the small shiver that worked its way down my spine as my body missed his heat.

  “Liar.” He chuckled as I walked away from him with my spine stiff as a board. The nerve of that asshole.

  I retrieved a bottle of sweet tea out of the refrigerator in the small kitchen and then presented the tea and magazine to Mary Beth, who clapped her hands gleefully before she accepted them. I turned my attention to cleaning up my station so that it was pristine and ready for her haircut after her shampoo. I tried my hardest not to think about Gabe being there by focusing on that traitor Chaz. I knew damn well that Gabe wasn’t on the schedule that morning when I looked, which meant he called the salon to schedule an appointment earlier in the day and Chaz worked him in without telling me.

  I whipped out my phone and sent Chaz a quick text. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me that Gabe called and scheduled a massage. I looked over and watched as Chaz pulled his phone out of his back pocket. I could feel his humor at my discomfort from across the room.

  He smiled the entire time he typed a reply. Since when have I been required to alert you to a client scheduling an appointment?

  I bit my lip to keep from growling out loud. Gabe’s not a client, jack wagon. He’s the enemy, a
nd you should’ve let me know he was coming into my territory so I could prepare.

  Chaz started laughing in earnest then. And where’s the fun in that? I was so happy that he was entertained at my expense.

  You’re fired! I typed and hit send.

  Chaz only laughed harder. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He totally wasn’t worried about losing his job.

  I slid my phone back in my pocket then grabbed the empty hair dye bowls and headed to the prep room right off the kitchen. I had just walked into the room when I felt, instead of heard, Gabe enter the room behind me. He moved like a ninja for such a big man. Gabe took the bowls from my hand and put them on the counter before he turned and backed me up against the door.

  Gabe pressed the length of his body against mine and lowered his mouth to my ear. “How long before your client’s dome-looking thing goes off?”

  “I’m not doing this with you now or ever, Detective.” Too bad he could feel the way my body betrayed me by trembling with want.

  “Why so formal after we’ve been so intimate?” he asked hotly against my ear before he peppered my neck with kisses. “I’ve had your dick in my mouth so I would think we should be on a first-name basis.” He pulled back and looked into my eyes. “In fact, we’ve been as intimate as two people can be except for having my tongue in your ass.” I swear to God that I nearly whimpered. “Is that what it would take for you to go to dinner with me? I’ve missed you, Josh.”

  I wanted to believe him, but the memory of his rendezvous with the club owner was still burning in my mind. It gave me the strength I needed to resist him. “You didn’t look very lonely last weekend.”

  Gabe straightened to his full height. His furrowed brow formed a deep V over his dark eyes, and he frowned as he looked down at me. “What did you just say?”

  “I said that you didn’t…”

  “I heard what you said,” Gabe told me.

  “Then why’d you ask me to repeat myself, dumb ass?” There was no mistaking the annoyed sarcastic tone of voice I used on him, and I could tell he didn’t like it at all.