Sweetest Obsessions - Anthology

by Anthony, Jane

  He had a brooding expression—an intense, do-not-mess-with-me one.

  The loud, obnoxious man sitting at the bar a few feet from where they stood waiting for Lincoln Tallont to come speak with them hadn’t noticed either of them yet. He almost wished the guy would, so he could lay into him. With a fist. Or nasty words. Anything. Something to unleash the tension coiling tightly inside him.

  This was no big deal. They were simply speaking to a friend of Evelyn’s. He had nothing going on with Rose. He couldn’t. Because he had a date with her tonight, and Rose didn’t seem like the type of woman to play games.

  Well, he’d know soon enough because the sharp-dressed man with perfect brown hair and a face he imagined most women took pause to take a second glance—was headed their way.

  Lincoln Tallont.

  He hated him already.

  “Cool it. Loosen your fist,” Jade whispered softly.

  Blowing out a deep, slow breath, he relaxed his fist and his stance. Brushing a hand through his hair and taking another calming breath, he tried to get his head into detective mode.

  He couldn’t believe he was acting this way to begin with.

  He was getting jealous over a woman. That never happened to him.

  Until he met Rose.

  “Detectives, good afternoon. I apologize I haven’t made it to the precinct yet; it’s been so busy here. I’m Lincoln Tallont.”

  He held out his hand to Jade first. His cheeks held a light shade of red as she shook his hand. Either because he found Jade attractive, or his cheeks were already a little red before he approached them. Then Lincoln turned to him. Carter couldn’t determine what to make of the guy yet, but he knew he didn’t like him just because Rose talked about him way too much.

  He shook his hand quickly, noting Lincoln didn’t try to overemphasize his strength, as some guys liked to do. If anything, his handshake was quick and light. Perhaps he wasn’t a threat after all concerning Rose.

  He could only hope.

  “We appreciate you taking the time to speak with us. You made the missing persons report with Rose Gowan. How close were you with Evelyn?” Jade asked in her sweet, soft voice she used when she wanted to make a person feel at ease.

  Which she obviously wanted since he hadn’t removed the scowl from his face. He released another breath to calm his agitation.

  “Pretty close. We grew up together. We’ve been friends a long time. She also works …” He paused, his eyes watering slightly. “I mean, she worked at the bar. Everyone loved her here. She was great with the customers and always got along well with her coworkers. It’s terrible what happened to her. Do you have any leads yet?”

  “We’re working hard on her case,” Carter said with a tone of voice meant to encourage and keep the hope they’d solve it soon. And he would. For Rose.

  The intense jealousy, he would now admit to, started to slowly evaporate. Lincoln appeared friendly and sincere and seemed genuinely distraught over Evelyn’s death. Not that he expected otherwise. He couldn’t say what he expected.

  “Please.” Lincoln’s voice hitched a little, then he coughed. “Please find who did this. She was like a sister to me. I hate thinking about what she must’ve suffered.”

  “We’re trying our best,” Jade said before he could reassure him once again. Perhaps he wasn’t as reassuring as he first thought.

  “She was like a sister to you? Like Rose?” Carter asked, ignoring the warning glare from his partner.

  “Of course. They’re both like family. We survived some … growing up in foster care wasn’t easy. We got through it together.”

  “So, she would’ve told you if something was wrong? If someone was bothering her? Like another customer, a guy she dated. Did she tell you anything that concerned her?” Carter figured his original question helped lead him into these questions. It’s not as if he were fishing for Lincoln’s feelings toward Rose. That would mean the jealousy wasn’t gone. And it was.

  He shouldn’t be worried. Rose said yes to a date. If she liked Lincoln, they would’ve started dating by now, especially knowing each other as long as they had.

  “I would like to think so. We talked sometimes about relationship issues. She knew she could always come to me if she needed anything. I would’ve helped her without a problem. Rose, too. She knows that. I can’t think of any problems she was having, though. If she was, she didn’t mention it to me.”

  A loud crash echoed behind them.

  A concerned, yet calm expression crossed over Lincoln’s face. “Excuse me for a moment. I’ll be right back.” He walked away toward the doors that looked like they led to a kitchen.

  “Do you feel better interrogating him on his feelings for Rose?” Jade asked with a sly grin.

  “I do, actually.” He couldn’t help but grin back. Those threatening feelings that Lincoln could take Rose away from him, even before he had the chance to have her, didn’t feel as strong after speaking with him.

  “Evelyn Marshall. Beautiful, sexy Evelyn Marshall.”

  Both he and Jade turned to the insolent voice of the man sitting at the bar. The same man he wanted to unleash his anger on a few minutes ago for his belligerent words of nonsense. Obviously, the guy was drunk already, and it wasn’t even the middle of the afternoon.

  “Did you know her?” Carter decided to take the lead before Jade could pipe in.

  The man stood up. “Know her? She was like a sister to me, too. A very beautiful sister.”

  “And you are? How did you know Evelyn?” Carter planned to run this guy’s name as soon as they left the bar. He already didn’t like him.

  “She was one of the many foster kids that stayed with us. She always had a smile on her face. Such a beautiful face.”

  “Your name.” Carter wouldn’t mind bringing this guy down to the precinct for questioning.

  “Nathan Insoll. Didn’t I mention that?” He stepped closer. “Lincoln doesn’t always pay attention, being the busy boss man he is, but let me tell you. Some guys liked to hit on Evelyn, and they didn’t always take kindly to no.”

  “Really?” Jade said with a cool smile. “Do you have any names you could give us?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “They weren’t regulars or anything.”

  Carter almost rolled his eyes at this guy’s idiocy. “Did you take kindly to no?”

  Nathan’s eyes narrowed. “What makes you think I ever asked that tease out? And that she would say no?”

  “Tease?” Jade lightly laughed. “That seems like a derogatory term for someone you considered a sister.”

  “Well, she was a sister. A foster sister. A big tease. Teased men all the time. I imagine the suspect list will be very high because of that.”

  “When’s the last time you saw Evelyn?” Carter would definitely be running this guy’s name. He just earned his way to the top of the suspect list.

  And they needed a good lead. They needed to solve this case.

  He needed to do it for Rose.

  Nathan shrugged. “Don’t know. A few weeks, maybe. She looked like her normal self. A big old tease.”

  A throat cleared.

  Carter met Lincoln’s gaze. His cheeks were a lot redder than the last time he approached them, as if embarrassed. He would be, too, if he let such trash into his bar. Carter wondered why Lincoln did.

  “Nathan, I think your lunch is almost up. You’ll be late getting back to work if you don’t leave.”

  Nathan laughed as he slapped a hand on Lincoln’s shoulder. “See, what a great brother. Looking out for me. See you later.” Nathan winked at Jade, completely ignored him, and walked away.

  “He’s a friendly guy,” Jade said with a snicker. “Did Evelyn ever have issues with him?”

  Lincoln rubbed the back of his neck. “Sometimes. But he’s harmless. We’ve known him a long time. He acts like the annoying older brother. That’s it.”

  “Does he act like that with Rose, too?” Carter had to know. He had to keep Rose saf
e, from any potential danger, especially a man like that from her past.

  The surprise that entered Lincoln’s eyes wasn’t hard to miss. “Why? Do you honestly think Nathan would hurt her? That he hurt Evelyn? Is Rose in danger?”

  “Of course not. She’s fine.” Carter gestured toward the way Nathan walked away. “But if he acts that way with one woman, why not others? Did he ever have an argument with Evelyn? Did she ever express concern or worry or fear about him?”

  “Not that I can recall. Nothing where she thought Nathan would hurt her. You know, normal stuff like complaining how he gets too loud sometimes in the bar or saying inappropriate things. Stuff like that.”

  “Why do you continue to let him come in here if he acts like that?” Jade’s brow rose.

  Great question. Carter wanted to know, too.

  “Because … he’s like family. His dad comes in, too. I can’t exactly shut the door on their faces. They let me in their home.”

  “Was it a good one?” Carter couldn’t help but ask. Because the subtle melancholy look in his eyes didn’t portray it was all that great. Which meant, Rose endured the same treatment.

  “It was okay. Jude, Nathan’s dad, had a bit of a temper sometimes.” Lincoln cleared his throat. “Is there anything else I can help you with? I need to get back to work.”

  “Thank you for your time. If we have any other questions, we’ll contact you.” Carter held out his hand. “Here’s my card. If you think of anything, call me.”

  Lincoln nodded as he grabbed the card, then with a small smile he walked away.

  Jade led the way out of the bar. As soon as they were in the car, she pulled her phone out. “I’m starving. I’ll call an order in for that Chinese place close to the precinct. We can eat at our desks while we check out Nathan.”

  “I’m definitely liking him as a suspect. We should add his father to the list as well. Lincoln mentioned he had a temper. Like father, like son. Maybe Nathan didn’t like to hear the word no from Evelyn.”

  “That’s an interesting angle. We’ll check them both out.”

  Somehow, he’d tell Rose to stay far away from Nathan. Regardless if he killed Evelyn or not.

  He was angry.

  So angry.

  Who did this man think he was?

  He couldn’t just go around knocking over beautiful young women. Did he think that just because he was an older guy that it was appropriate?

  Well, it wasn't.

  No one touched his Rose and got away with it.

  No one.

  Certainly not some disgusting old man who wanted to go after a woman more than half his age.

  Not going to happen.

  Not while he was around anyway.

  Rose was his. She was special to him. She was his heart and he would do whatever it took to make sure she was safe and happy. How could she feel safe when there were old men around trying to take advantage of her?

  His Rose was so sweet. She was naïve. She didn't date much, and he liked to believe it was because she was saving herself for him. She didn't know what men were really like. She didn't know that the man who had tried to knock her over as she had been minding her own business and just walking down the street wanted to take advantage of her.

  She was lucky he’d been there.

  He would take care of her.

  One day he would for real. He would marry her and provide for her and she would have everything she’d ever dreamed about. One day. For now he would at least do this for her.

  He watched as the man came walking down the street.

  After this old man had nearly knocked Rose over earlier, he had followed him and found out where he lived. Now he was lying in wait.

  He took a step back, making sure he was completely hidden behind the large oak tree in the front yard as he watched the man walk down his front path and then stop and hunt around for his key in his pocket.

  This was going to have to be timed perfectly.

  One second too fast and he would tip his hand.

  One second too slow and the man would already be inside the house.

  Going with his gut, he counted to five and then made his move.

  Because his motives were pure, fate dealt him a good hand and his timing was spot on. As he rushed up behind the man, he was just sliding the key into the lock and opening his front door. He came right up behind him, pressing the gun to the back of the older man’s head and shoving him inside.

  “Make a sound and I will hunt down every single one of your family and friends and make sure they suffer a horrific death,” he snarled as he flung the door closed behind them.

  The man let out a terrified whimper, but nothing else.

  Satisfied that this disgusting man wasn't going to cause him any trouble, he ordered, “Move over there by the piano.” He waited until the man complied with his instructions. “Now get down on your knees and put your hands behind your head.”

  Now that he had the man where he wanted him, he relaxed.

  This was all going to work out.

  The man would pay for what he had done.

  Rose would have the justice she deserved.

  “You should have stayed away from her,” he told the old man.

  “Fr-from who?” the man stuttered.

  “You know who,” he growled. He didn't want denials. He wanted this man to admit that he had tried to knock Rose down on purpose. That he had wanted to bring her back here and take advantage of her. That he had wanted to hurt her.

  “I-I’m sorry,” the man continued to splutter like a baby. “I d-don’t kn-know what y-you're talking a-about.”

  “Rose. I'm talking about Rose. You put your filthy hands all over her.” This man was making him angry and that didn't bode well for him.

  “The g-girl? In the street? The one who bumped into me?”

  “Are you blaming her?” he screamed. What was wrong with this man? He had been planning on defiling Rose and now he was trying to place the blame on her.

  “No! No, of course not. It was just an accident. We just bumped into each other. I didn't want to hurt her. Why would I?”

  “Lies!” he yelled. “Stop lying. I saw you. You walked right into her; you put your hands on her. You touched her. You wanted to do a whole lot more.”

  “I didn't. I swear. I—”

  The gunshot surprised him even though he was the one to pull the trigger.

  The hole in the man’s forehead settled him.

  It was done.

  The man was dead.

  He hadn't been able to take another second of the man’s lies and excuses. He knew what he had seen and what he had seen was this man touching Rose. He had protected her. He had stopped this man from implementing his nefarious plans.

  He was a hero.

  He was Rose’s hero.

  6

  Leaning casually against the wall outside the Italian restaurant, he tried to appear nonchalant and like everything was okay.

  But nothing was okay.

  Nothing would be okay.

  Unless this date went off without a hitch.

  All day, besides the times he had to focus on work, his mind had been on Rose and their date.

  He arrived a few minutes early to compose himself. To tame down the anxiety racing through his veins. He couldn’t even believe he was stressing over a date. He never stressed this much when he went out with a woman.

  Carter blew out a deep breath, rotated his shoulders, and forced himself to relax.

  He liked Rose. A lot. He didn’t want to screw up this date in any way. And let’s face it, he sucked at relationships. If he could even call the few women he dated relationships.

  The longest one he had was six months, and she accused him of being closed off and “cold” right before she ended their relationship that he knew would never last.

  How was he cold? What did that even mean? Although he was tempted to ask her, he didn’t. Sometimes it was better not to know.

  Sure, he mad
e it known up-front he wasn’t in the market for children. Protection was always a top priority. Even if he never got married, he didn’t want kids. Not one. He never wanted to risk the chance he would outlive his kids.

  Jerking up from the wall, he tried to shake off the terrible memories that threatened to surface. Why was he thinking such depressing thoughts?

  He needed to think positively and ways to get Rose to smile. He loved her sweet, shy smiles.

  A light touch to his shoulder had him jumping slightly and turning to his right. The beautiful, yet tentative smile that gazed at him calmed the racing nerves flowing through his veins instead of doing the exact opposite, making them even crazier. Her hand still on his shoulder helped as well.

  “Hi. I said your name, but you didn’t … you looked lost in thought,” Rose said in her quiet, soothing voice that always rocked him to the core. Then her hand slipped away from his shoulder.

  His heart instantly started to pound.

  No.

  Her touch calmed him. It made him wish, hope, and want so much more from her. He couldn’t explain the need to have some sort of contact with her. Anything. Even to hold her hand.

  “You look beautiful.” Like an angel sent from heaven. And he missed her.

  He was going in.

  For a hug.

  That was perfectly acceptable to do on a first date when you greeted the other person, wasn’t it?

  He leaned forward. “I’ve been looking forward to this all day.” He wrapped his arms around her in a light embrace. In a friendly way, so he didn’t scare her off.

  To his erratic, beating heart, she wrapped her tiny arms around him. Her head rested against his chest, almost as if she needed a hug, too. That she needed the contact, like him. Just the lightest touch from her had his nerves lessening once again. Which was crazy. He figured they should be shooting off like a rocket with her in his arms.

  “Me, too.”

  What? Me, too? He couldn’t even remember what he said to elicit that response from her. But he didn’t care, because they were still hugging.

  Did she have a bad day? Was that why she hadn’t let go yet?