“You’re wrong.” He smiled down at her. “I’ve never met a woman as strong and determined as you.”
“I don’t feel very damn strong.”
“Anytime you need to punch somebody or just scream bloody hell, I’m here. Let me have it.”
Chris’s throat clenched, tears she’d refused to shed for years threatened and then vanished. She was fine. Her nerves were steady as a rock, and she knew why. “I can’t take credit for being strong. It’s you. I draw strength from your quiet, easy way of taking things in stride. How do you do it? Don’t you ever just lose it? Go over the—”
He interrupted her with a brush of his lips. Soft, warm, and sexy. She wanted to ask for more, but couldn’t find her voice. He leaned his head back, stared into her eyes as if he could see her soul, and then kissed her again. Longer and harder. Deeper and more sensual. Every nerve ending in her body fired like a barrage of Fourth of July bottle rockets.
He ended the kiss, leaving them both breathing hard. “By ‘it,’ if you’re referring to my temper, I try not to ‘lose it.’ It’s not a pretty sight. On the other hand, if you meant my emotions. The answer is, not very often.”
Was he saying what she thought? Was she the exception? There was only one way to find out. Chris rose up on her toes and kissed him back. Strong hands cupped her cheeks, cradling her head and pulling her closer. His tongue slid across her bottom lip, and she opened for him. The strength of the kiss deepened, and their tongues warred for control. She clutched his shoulders and held tight, because without something to hold on to she feared her legs would give out.
“I put on a fresh pot... Oh, shit. I’m sorry.”
Marcus released Chris from the kiss but not from his embrace. His hand wrapped around her waist and tugged her close. “No problem. We were just taking a break.”
Chris fought the blood rushing up her neck to her cheeks. She dislodged Marcus’s hand and almost ran from the room. “I’ll get the coffee.”
She made a quick trip to the restroom and splashed some cool water on her face. Talk about liquefying insides. She’d been kissed many times. None had ever affected her like Marcus’s. She’d lost her mind, thought only of her body and its needs. Totally forgotten the circumstances that had brought them together and that she’d known him only a few days.
Chris came out of the restroom to find Kay leaning against the counter. She held up her hand to silence Chris.
“Please, don’t apologize. You’ve nothing to be sorry for. I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. Especially when you think the other one won’t notice.”
“Really?” Chris shook off her curiosity. “This is a place of business. It was out of line.”
“It’s Marcus’s business, too. After Tyrell came home from Colombia, he and Marcus bought a third of Lost and Found. Besides, you two aren’t the first to kiss in these offices.”
“Yes, but you and Nate are married.”
“We weren’t then. He kissed me right here next to the coffeepot. I was too stupid to admit I was still in love with him at the time. We lost precious time together because of my stubbornness. Marcus of all people knows how quickly fate can change your life.”
“He loved her very much. I saw the shrine in his living room. I don’t think I could share him with a ghost.”
“He probably doesn’t know it, but the fire may have set him free.” Kay caught Chris by the hand and squeezed. “If you want him, you’ll have to fight for him, but I think you can do it.”
Kay poured two cups of coffee and handed them to Chris. “Thanks,” Chris said, stopping at the door and looking back. “For everything.”
A few short steps away, Marcus sat with the notepad in front of him. His hand zipped across the page. What had he heard? Maybe he was just looking for a way to steer the day back to business. Did he regret kissing her? Wish she hadn’t initiated a deeper kiss? God, she hoped not. She took a deep breath and marched right into the room.
“Thanks,” he said, reaching out to take the cups from her.
“You’re welcome,” she said.
He patted the chair next to him. “Let’s talk about the phone call.”
“Other than the jerk is nuts, what did we learn?” Chris dropped next to Marcus. He slid one hand under the seat of her chair and pulled her closer as if she weighed nothing.
“For starters, he knows you came to us. In fact, he knew you were here, and we were listening. Which means we should relocate soon.”
“Well, don’t I feel stupid.”
Marcus hit her with his thousand-watt smile again. “Don’t. You talked with him. It’s my job to catch and analyze everything that was said.”
And wasn’t that something for her to remember? She was Marcus’s job. “And we need to figure out where he picked up that piece of information.”
“Exactly.”
“Are we safe staying here?” she asked. “He could set fire to the office.”
“He’d be pretty brazen to launch that kind of attack in the daylight. The risk of showing himself is too great. While Nate checks your cell phone, I need to look through your purse. The killer knows too much. Somehow, he put a tracker on you.”
Chill bumps raced up her back and across her chest. The thought the crazy bastard had gotten close enough to put something on her phone sent the Chinese food in her stomach to churning. She dumped the contents of her purse on the table and handed it to Marcus.
“Tear it apart if you need to.”
He inspected each item carefully. He picked up her billfold, paused, and caught her gaze as if asking permission. Chris nodded. There was nothing he couldn’t see. She’d started carrying the bare necessities long ago. The corners of his mouth twitched when he got a look at her driver’s license.
“Go ahead and laugh.” She gave his shoulder a playful but firm shove. It didn’t surprise her when he didn’t budge. “It was particularly windy that day.”
“I like your hair loose and curly, like it is today.”
“I call it the light socket look.”
Apparently satisfied a tracer hadn’t been hidden in her lip gloss, he rolled every inch of her handbag through his fingers. His gaze was intense as he slowly separated the lining from the leather and inspected it.
Nate rejoined them. “Find anything?”
“Nothing here. You?” Marcus asked.
“The phone is clean.” Nate handed her phone back.
“Thanks for checking,” Chris said as he sat across from her.
“No problem,” Nate said, pulling his notepad in front of him.
“Back to analyzing what we learned from the killer,” Marcus said. “The killer believes you know why he wants to kill you. He said Wayne’s death was your fault.”
“Well, that makes two of us who think that.”
“Bullshit,” Marcus snapped. “We had this discussion. None of this rests on your shoulders.”
Chris thought back over the phone conversation. “He got really upset when I said he needed help. Said that train left a long time ago. What could it mean?”
“To be exact, he said that train left years ago.” Marcus’s eyes darkened. “Is he saying at some point in his life he needed help but didn’t get it?”
“From me?”
“Not necessarily.” Marcus lifted his cup to his mouth. He blew on the hot coffee, and a swirl of steam caressed his face. “I’m just looking for something that will give us some insight into this bastard’s personality.” He took a sip then stared into the dark liquid.
“Could he be someone from your past? Beyond two years ago?” Nate asked.
“No way.” She shook her head in denial. “Maybe his mama was a blonde. Maybe she abused him. Maybe he kills her every other time.”
“There’s definitely a method to his madness,” Marcus said. “Our job is to put the puzzle pieces together.”
“There’s nobody from my past who hates me.” Nate’s assumption that it might be someone she knew was ludicrous, an
d her temper flared at his suggestion. “After Chelsea moved to North Riverview, we weren’t close enough to have made a mutual enemy.”
“Then let’s dig a little deeper into the victims’ families,” Nate continued as if she hadn’t disagreed.
“Okay.” Chris reached for the files. “What are we looking for?”
“You got me to thinking when you said that everyone you’d ever loved was dead,” Marcus said. “Made me wonder if the other women had lost their families, too.”
Nate had been staring at her purse. “Not to change the subject, but you searched that handbag thoroughly?”
“I did. But there’s a tracker somewhere. He knew we were here, and I don’t believe we were followed.” Marcus stabbed his fingers through his hair. “There’s only one place left.”
“Where?” Chris asked.
“My car.” He stood and stormed out the door.
Chapter 13
Marcus and Nate barely slowed their steps as they passed Kay’s desk. Marcus forced his clenched hands to relax. He ignored the tension in his neck.
“We’ll be in the parking lot,” Nate said, matching him stride for stride.
She nodded. “I’ll be here if Chris needs something.”
Marcus hit the remote, turning off the alarm. He raised the hood and began his inspection. Nate opened the front door and slid across the seat, checking under the dash. The two of them slowly inspected every inch. “I got nothing,” Marcus said.
Nate raised his head. “Me either. I’ll take the rear.”
Dressed in expensive slacks and a white shirt, Nate didn’t hesitate to roll up his sleeves and hit the pavement. Time and again, he’d proved his friendship. A more reliable man had never drawn a breath. If that made Marcus’s respect for Nate a bromance, so be it.
Marcus dropped to the pavement and slid under the left wheel well. He ran his hands over every surface, scooted even farther under the car, and found nothing. “Anything?” he called out.
“Not yet,” Nate answered.
Marcus moved to the other side. He’d barely slid under when he saw the magnetic tracker. “Got it.”
“Don’t pull it,” Nate said. A second later, he crawled next to Marcus. “Son of a bitch likes to know every move you make. Let’s keep him informed.”
“What are you thinking?” Marcus and Nate pushed out from under the car.
“That you have things to do. Deal with the fire department, insurance company, and most important, salvage what you can of your belongings. You can’t do that and look over your shoulder at the same time.”
“I hired someone else to take care of that stuff. I’m not leaving Chris unattended.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Nate’s eyebrows pulled together. “But you can accomplish everything you need to if you leave your car right where it is and take Kaycie’s. Tomorrow, I’ll drive it to my appointment with the feds and then pick up Kaycie for Wayne’s funeral.”
“And if the killer decides to take a shot at you?”
Nate’s furrowed brow shifted to a slight smirk. “If he shows up, he’ll figure out we outsmarted him. He’s not going to fuck with me while I’m at the FBI office or the funeral. He’s probably monitoring from a distance, and my stops will make him curious as hell.”
Marcus thought about it for a minute. “There are things Chris and I need to do without worrying about somebody shooting at us. She’s wished for a hairbrush all day.”
The corner of Nate’s mouth lifted into half a smile. “I heard about the kiss.”
“Figures. I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking.”
“She’s a beautiful woman, and for reasons unknown to me, she apparently likes you. Let Kaycie make you a reservation at a hotel for the night. She’ll find one with a suite. Take Chris out for a nice dinner. She deserves a break from all the tension, and you could use one, too.”
“I’ll agree to some of that. She’s mentioned needing to get a few personal items from her place. I’d like a team of professionals to scour every inch. If the nervy bastard put a tracer on my car, he might’ve bugged her house.”
“Leave me her key. I’ll get somebody over there. If it is bugged, maybe I can do a little tracing of my own. But for the next few days, we’ll move you two around. Make it harder to track you. Be good for you to relax and get to know her.”
“Don’t start playing matchmaker,” Marcus warned, hoping to end the conversation.
“I give up.” Nate threw both hands in the air. “The only person who’s going to drag your ass back into the land of the living is you.”
Marcus snarled but made no comment. Nate was hitting too close to home. Truth was, Chris was the first person in years who’d made him think about living again.
“We better get back inside before Kaycie busts out the door.” Nate chuckled. “She’s never been good at staying out of things.”
“And aren’t you glad?” Marcus knew how proud Nate was of his wife’s strength and independence. “We can swing by here tomorrow afternoon and swap vehicles. Our telephone friend will have figured out by then we found his tracker.”
“No hurry. We’ll keep Diablo. You concentrate on keeping Chris safe.”
“I don’t like leaving him.”
“He’ll be fine with Kaycie and me. It’s Chris you should worry about.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“She likes you. So be careful.”
“Yes, dear.” Marcus ground out the words and led the way back inside. “If I need romance advice, I’ll write Dear Abby.”
“Hey, I did okay in the romance department,” Nate said, closing the door behind them.
“What department?” Kay asked.
“Never mind.” Grateful she’d heard only part of Nate’s comment, Marcus continued walking toward the conference room. Behind him, he heard Nate ask Kay to pick an extra nice hotel in downtown Dallas and reserve a suite.
He stopped at the doorway, absorbing the scene playing out in front of him. Diablo was sitting in his chair next to Chris. His head was tilted, and he appeared to be in a trance. Chris’s hands were buried in the fur behind his ears. Marcus could barely hear her, but the tenderness in her voice was unmistakable. The bond forming between her and his dog filled his lungs with warmth.
The connection pleased him. Yet, in an odd way, he felt left out. Shit. He was too old for schoolboy crushes.
“How’d you get him on the chair?” he asked.
“I patted the seat, and he jumped right up.” The smile on her face complemented the sparkle of her eyes. “Tell me the rest of his story.”
“There’s not much else to say. A drug lord’s kid had him attack an old woman. An evil old woman who had sliced me across the chest. Anyway, he’d killed her before I could pull him off. I had to bring him with me. No way was he going to be put down for following orders. So I smuggled him into the country and went to work teaching him to be a dog.”
Chris reached up and put her hand on his chest. “She cut you?”
“Not bad. It wasn’t deep enough to leave a scar.”
“You really are one of the good guys. Not many people would have taken him on.”
Marcus had to look away for a second. Her eyes had filled with admiration. Admiration he didn’t deserve. “He’s not a success story, yet.” He motioned for Diablo to get down, and then Marcus sat in the same chair.
“Did you and Nate find anything on your car?”
“Yeah,” Marcus said. “Bastard’s been tracking our every move.” Marcus explained where the tracker had been found. “We’re borrowing Kay’s car for the night, but first we’re going shopping.” Her face brightened. Chris’s smile was contagious, and he caught himself grinning like a fool.
“Now?” She lifted her eyebrows in question.
“Might as well. Let’s find out from Kay where she’s putting us for the night. Nate’s going to have a crew go through your place to make sure there are no cameras or bugs hidden.”
>
The pink drained from her cheeks. “You think he’s been watching and listening to what goes on inside my home?”
Marcus fought back the urge to take her in his arms and offer comfort. He wanted to tell her no, but he’d only be guessing. “There’s only one way to be sure. The team Nate’s calling will search and, if they find anything, destroy.”
She nodded, a slight movement of her head, indicating she understood. “Then I’m ready to go if you are. I’ve used a lot of excuses to go shopping, but this removes my need to go home.”
“I thought any reason worked for a woman.” He tried to ease her tension.
“Normally, that’s true.” She stood and scratched Diablo’s head. “What about him?”
“Kay and Nate will keep him. I don’t like it, but he’ll think he died and went to dog heaven.” Marcus gathered the stack of files and shoved them in a briefcase. He knelt in front of Diablo and ruffled the scruff on the back of his neck. The dog looked Marcus in the eyes as if trying to communicate. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”
“He’s so smart. I’m glad he has you.”
“Me, too,” Marcus said honestly, following Chris to Kay’s desk.
“You be careful with my car. No bullet holes,” Kay said then bit off a laugh. “Sorry. Bad joke.” She handed him a printout of the hotel reservation and her car keys. “I’d say have fun, but if you’re like Nate, I’d be wasting my breath.”
“You’re right,” Marcus agreed. “Shopping is about as much fun as stepping on a rusty nail.” He was faced with an unavoidable task, so he straightened his shoulders and walked into the fray. “First, we take care of a little business.”
****
The insurance adjuster waved goodbye and drove away, leaving Marcus and Chris standing in front of the pile of brick and charred lumber he’d once called home. Not much was salvageable, but the construction company had people who would sift through the pile of rubble before starting the rebuild. Any memorabilia found would be cleaned, boxed, and saved for Marcus to pick up.
“I’m so sorry this happened. Your things, your memories, they were important.” Her blue eyes had clouded with a layer of anguish. She suffered for his loss, and somehow it lessened his pain.
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