by Lynne King
“Yeah, Detective, I get your drift.”
Jack took hold of the man’s collar, pulling him away from the door as he opened it, then pushed him out and carried on until he shoved him out into the corridor. He slammed the apartment door shut.
The danger now over, Liz unfolded her legs and finally moved out of the wicker chair she had remained fixed in the whole time. Joining Jack in the living room, she went up behind him and placed her arms around his waist, molding her body against his. She felt his hands take hold of hers and release the hold she had on him. He allowed her arms to drop to her sides as she stepped back and then he turned around and faced her.
“I think it’s about time I remembered what this is all about and why I’m here, don’t you?”
He refused to look at her, but that coolness in his voice matched the stony expression as he walked past her into the kitchen area. Turning on the cold tap, he placed the knuckle he had punched with under the running water.
Had the pimp’s accusations turned him against her so he now no longer desired or trusted her? Was it simply he’d had his fun and now she held no appeal to him except for bait in catching the bad guys? Her mind whirled. No one could be that passionate and intense without it being real and not an act of some sort. He hadn’t said he loved her or even came close to it, but the way he caressed and held her, made love to her, it had to mean something.
“I didn’t sleep with Shaun O’Riley. We never had sex.” Her voice came out soft and clear.
“It makes no difference, either way,” he replied without looking at her.
“Well it does to me. Didn’t last night mean anything to you?” She walked over to him and watched as he leaned over the sink and splashed the cold water over his face. He threw his head back, droplets of water flying off the tousled hair. Grabbing some paper towels, he dabbed his face and hands dry.
“Answer me, damn it.” Liz could feel her voice shaking with emotion.
“Don’t read into what went on between us more than it was. It was sex, good sex admittedly, but nothing more.”
Liz stormed into the bathroom and slid the lock across. Her anger kept the tears at bay. Disrobing, she turned the shower on and stepped under the warm spray. Determined fingers drove the shampoo through her hair. Rubbing vigorously, she soaped the rest of her body, covering herself from head to toes in suds. She wanted every trace, every reminder, his scent, his touch eradicated, but no matter how hard she rubbed, what she felt within couldn’t be washed away.
Wrapping a towel around her head and a large bath one around her body, tucked under her armpits, she silently undid the bolt. Pulling the door slightly ajar, she peered through the gap so she could see if the coast was clear. Jack was in the kitchen recess, with his shirt on and shoulder holster complete with gun back in place. He had his back to her, his cell phone up against his ear.
She stepped out and halted on hearing the subject being discussed.
“No, she’s not under arrest. Tell her boss to say if anyone asks, she’s on sick leave and nothing more.”
He paused and Liz guessed the caller was speaking now. Well, at least it had answered her question about work. Not that she could have faced going in, but hearing those words and wondering what Michael and Eve must be thinking about her was further punishment.
“The main man won’t be paying a visit here. He’ll know the place will be under surveillance from us and Gandini’s lot. He might try reaching out by other means, but in truth, we don’t know what the hell to do with her,” Jack spoke into the receiver.
Liz drew back behind the door in case he turned around and saw her. She wanted to hear what else he had to say about the burden he now saw her as, and his next words made her realize this even more.
“Banging up an English national for a major bank heist where all the other players are dead and nothing recovered won’t exactly win praise for the department. The captain wants her kept under wraps until we find something concrete to go on.” He listened for a few minutes and then added, “Yeah, I’ll be in shortly and, Dan, good to have you back. There is no way I’m working with Reid on this one and the captain knows it.” He started pacing the kitchen area. “No, listen. Let him follow his own dead end leads because that’s all they are.”
Whatever was being said, he didn’t seem happy about. Liz could tell by the way he was shaking his head and tapping his free hand impatiently on the countertop. “Yeah, she’s a looker, but Reid’s mind belongs in the sewer. There’s nothing going on, she’s not my type and besides, you know me, I don’t mix work with pleasure.” He immediately walked out of the kitchen recess and into the living room. “Yes, I’ve only got her word for it what went down in that apartment, but Gandini’s men were there so I believe her until something proves different.”
Liz stepped back. He had noticed the door ajar and was striding straight toward her.
“Dan, get the squad car stationed outside and I’ll be there in an hour. I’ve got to drop back to my place first, feed the cat and freshen up.” He placed the phone in his shirt pocket and stood there on the other side of the door.
Though she had stepped out of view and was pressed up against the wall, Liz could hear his breathing and knew he was there.
“You can stop eavesdropping now and come out.”
Taking a deep breath, Liz pulled the door open fully and marched out past him and into the bedroom. It was too late. His hands had pushed the door back open, preventing it from slamming shut, and he now filled the doorway.
“Look I don’t know what you heard but it’s not how it sounds. My job is to keep you safe. That’s what I’m going to do, but to make sure you get your life back, I need to get back to that job.”
While he spoke, Liz kept her back to him and towel dried her hair.
“All I ask is you stay in here and don’t venture out anywhere, and contact me right away if you receive any calls. A squad car will be stationed in the street outside and they will keep an eye on the entrance and the fire escape.” He paused as if expecting her to say something.
Standing in front of the mirror now while she pulled the comb through tangled wet strands, her glance fell on his reflection and as their eyes met, he lowered his gaze and stared down at his feet.
“I’ve got to go now. Have I your word you will do as I ask? I will leave you your cell phone and will check back on you every hour.”
“Great, I look forward to that,” she answered sharply.
He went over to where he had left his jacket the evening before, hanging in her closet, and slipped it on. “Bolt the door after me. That lock of yours is too easy to pick.”
She followed him out to the entrance door and when he paused in the open doorway, she found herself wanting, praying even, he would take her in his arms. Despite everything she knew if he touched her, all resolve would diminish.
“I’ll call you in an hour.” He walked toward the stairwell and didn’t look back at her.
Pushing the heavy bolts across, Liz leaned back against the door and closed her eyes for a few minutes as she tried to summon up the courage to do what she knew had to be done. Going through to the bathroom, she found her kimono draped over the towel rail and felt in the pocket. Withdrawing her hand, she unfolded her fingers to reveal the key lying in her palm and the piece of paper with Gandini’s contact number. Getting that key back had been so easy and yet so hard. She hadn’t lied or tricked Jack. No, she had been a devious cheat and gone to his jacket pocket while he slept. That he still had it on him and in the pocket she had watched him drop it into the previous day proved he had kept the discovery to himself so far. Besides, if he started testing all the boxes to see which one it fit, it wouldn’t help in finding out the main man. He let slip when she had asked him about it. There was also the question of legality—he would need a court order to open a safety deposit box. That brief period of intimacy and trust seemed a distant dream now.
Stretching out on the sofa, she started flicking through the
TV channels, finally settling on a morning talk show. It was going to be a long drawn-out day cooped up within these walls with only her thoughts for company. She had done too much thinking of late and it was driving her crazy, not knowing which way to turn. It was beginning to make her feel she was a victim of her own making. All those years she wasted with Simon because it was convenient. The wake-up call came when she found out she had been living with a stranger. His gambling, the debts he had accumulated, and the mistress he kept on the side she knew nothing of until it was splashed all over the papers. How naïve could one be, and now the mess she was in. Liz glanced over at her cell phone wanting so much to ring her sister. What could she say to her, that she had screwed up yet again and this time was risking all of their lives?
When the phone started ringing, she leaped off the sofa and rushed over to it. The hesitation came when her finger pressed the receive key. Slowly she brought it up to her ear.
“Liz, you okay? It’s Jack.”
Glancing at her watch confirmed it was the promised hourly check. “Yeah, fine, I’m stuck in here with 90 degree heat, watching daytime TV, and waiting for I don’t know what.”
“I’ll ring back at eleven.” The connection ended.
Liz slammed the phone down hard. How can he switch from that passionate and so gifted lover of last night to the cold indifference displayed in his manner now? Simon betrayed her trust and injured her pride, but Jack Willis was guilty of a far greater crime. He had stolen her heart.
Her familiar ringtone sounded again, making her jump. She recognized the number displayed and pressed the connection.
“Liz, is that you?” Lorraine sounded hesitant.
“Yes, where are you?” Liz replied.
“I’m at work, so where are you?”
Liz hesitated. She didn’t know what Lorraine had been told. “I don’t feel so good. Been poorly all weekend.”
“Well, after what went down on Friday, I should think you aren’t the only one. The cops are still all over the place and a few accounts have been closed. It’s manic.”
“Mark Hunter was murdered, Lorraine.” Saying those words made it all so real again. So much had happened in three days, so many killings and all she could do was wallow in self-pity.
“Yes, I know. Listen, Liz, do you want to talk? I’ll take an extended lunch break and come round.”
“No, meet me at twelve-thirty in Central Park, the spot where I sketched for hours while you sunbathed. You know the place.”
“Okay,” replied Lorraine. “See you there.” The line clicked dead.
Angel leaned back against the passenger window, his feet stretched across the driver’s seat, and drew heavily on the joint. He didn’t hear the approaching footsteps until the passenger door was sprung open and he nearly fell out, head first.
“What the fuck…” He tried to bring his torso back up, but a leather-gloved hand pushed on his chest forcing him back. The blood rushed to his head as he stared up at his tormentor.
“Hey, Reid, I did what you asked and got my ass kicked by one of your lot, a sonofabitch called Willis, but then you knew he’d be there, didn’t you? Look, this isn’t my thing, man. I stuck around and the cop’s left her place, so she’s alone now. We’re even.”
“We sure are.” The silencer pressed into Angel’s forehead.
Chapter Fifteen
As what was usual on Monday mornings, the precinct was a flurry of activity. The bank heist wasn’t the only thing that had gone down since Friday—gangland killings, a jewelry heist, and several homicides. Jack approached his shared desk and saw that Danny Stone, his usual partner was seated with his back to him and talking to Reid who was standing over him. Reid glanced in Jack’s direction as he approached and walked away.
“Good to have you back, partner.” Jack gave a friendly slap to Dan’s broad shoulders. “What that creep want?” He sat himself down opposite Dan.
“I think he shares the same sentiments. I told him it takes a certain type of level-headed genius to understand the workings of a mind built like a labyrinth.” He smiled. “He didn’t comprehend. Forensics has matched up the only prints found in the dead guy’s apartment to a newcomer to this great country of ours and an employee of the bank. No surprise there. I think it goes without saying we have our witness.” Stone leaned across the desk, his voice low. “How can you be certain she didn’t put a bullet in her lover and is in league with Gandini’s mob.”
“Hey, Willis,” a fellow detective called out. “What’s this chick like from the bank? She must make out pretty good seeing lover-boy kept her around. He wiped out practically everyone else, so I hear. Perhaps she got wise and finished him off before he could take her out. It would certainly make her one rich bitch.”
Jack’s lack of response prompted a woman officer to join in. “The DA must be fixing her up some kind of deal seeing we haven’t pulled her in yet.”
He could feel the jibes getting to him. Usually he could give back as much as he took, but this time it was too personal. They weren’t talking about some perp they were trying to build a case against. This was someone he had held in his arms and made love to. No matter how hard he tried to dismiss what happened between them as pure sex, he knew it was much more. How far he could tread down that path was what frightened him the most. The way he was with her after Angel’s forced entry was his way of fighting back and putting up the barriers. The way she looked at him, the hurt in her voice, he hated himself for it.
“Jack, are you okay?”
He looked across at his partner. “Let’s get out of here.”
“The captain wants a report on his desk about yesterday’s events.” Stone raised his eyebrows and looked over to where the captain stood talking to Reid.
“What was Reid saying when I arrived?” Jack asked, his gaze still on the captain and Detective Reid.
“He seems to think you’re not a team player and there’s more going on. For a start he thinks you’ve gone soft on this woman.” Stone snorted in derision. “I told him he was right about you being the Lone Ranger, but as for going soft, I told him the only person Jack cares about is himself. As for having a heart to break, you haven’t got one. Christina can testify to that.” He fell silent and stared across at Jack. “Hey, by the look on your face, I would say Reid might not be talking bullshit after all.
Jack flung a report down that he was casting a cursory look at. He stood up. “You coming?”
They managed to leave the building without the captain seeing them, but as soon as they got into Stone’s car, his call sign was sounding on the radio. Jack knew he had to answer it and snatched up the receiver. He knew the captain couldn’t say much over the airway and he was right. The request was that he return to base.
“I’m trying to do my job by following up on a lead. Filing a report on what’s already gone down won’t bring in any results.” Silence was broken by crackling. “Keep me informed, Willis.”
Jack replaced the radio receiver and leaned back in the passenger seat. “Elizabeth Saunders is on the level. I don’t get taken in that easily, as you should know by now.”
“Maybe you’ve met your match.” Stone looked at him questioningly.
Jack turned away and stared out the car window at the crowded sidewalk. What was his match, someone who from an early age learned trust and love rarely live happily ever after? He glanced at his watch and removed his cell phone.
“Well, that was short and sweet,” Stone commented when Jack replaced his phone back in his pocket. “I’ll take back what I suggested earlier. You’ve still got a heart of stone.”
Not forgetting Jack’s idea of protection sitting in the car outside, Liz climbed out the window at the end of the corridor and went down the fire escape. It ended in the alley between her building and the next one. There was no one around but she kept to the shadows at the end of the alleyway and watched for an opportunity to slip by the police car parked opposite. Her luck was in, as a group of youths start
ed kicking a can about in the street. They were obviously trying to provoke the officers and they certainly had their attention. Liz slipped out of the alley and walked in the opposite direction, not daring to turn around to see if she had been spotted. No shouting and no police car drawing up next to her made her finally slow down to a fast walk rather than a jog. Rounding a corner, she entered the subway.
Arriving at the designated place where she was to meet Lorraine, Liz found an empty bench and waited. The area was teaming with people, office workers eating their lunch on the grass as others lay back soaking up the sunshine. Kids lined up for ice creams and the burger stand was doing a roaring trade. A group of students filed past laughing, making her feel envious of the merriment and relaxation surrounding her as once again she glanced at her watch. Jack would have made his hourly call by now and would have got her answering machine. She had brought her cell phone along, but it wasn’t switched on. Now he was no longer in control, she wondered how he would react. It was her perverse way, she guessed, of finding out what he cared for the most, her or the case.
Stripping off her thin lace cardigan, she exposed her bare shoulders to the sun. She had decided to dress for a casual relaxing day out at the park and not as a fugitive. A white camisole top and above the knee, cerise crinkle skirt and heeled sandals meant at least on the outside she could keep the pretense going, even if she felt damaged goods within. A straw sun hat and a magazine on her lap completed the picture. She was beginning to think her friend wouldn’t turn up when a figure resembling Lorraine caught her eye from a distance. Standing up to get a better view confirmed her assumption as she drew nearer. Then on seeing Liz, Lorraine stopped as if hesitating. Confused by this action, Liz took her hat off and waved it in the air to signal she had seen her. It prompted Lorraine into hurrying forward, a strained look clearly visible on her face the closer she got. Sunglasses hid her eyes.