by Vella Day
Had the place not been so well alarmed he might have climbed up the oak tree near Tessa’s bedroom window and greeted the little bitch with a quick hello. Kind of a I’m-going-to-get-you-when-you-least-expect-it kind of hello. Maybe another time.
Not that he’d get caught if the alarms did sound, of course. He was too smart for that. He’d be long gone before any security arrived. The detective would probably race upstairs to check on Tessa before he stole outside. Ralph decided it best to have a more precise plan to scare the crap out of her.
As he turned to leave, Ralph reached into his pocket. He wanted Tessa to know he was watching—always watching. That way when he did show up, she’d be prepared for what he had in store for her.
He couldn’t wait until he and Tessa were alone, and he could do things to her she never would imagine. The only perk of doing time was learning every conceivable way to fuck and torture a woman.
Three years was a long time to wait for revenge, which was why he had to make it worth his while.
After he deposited his little surprise, the urge to brag bested him.
Tessa awoke to a strange noise. Sweat had bathed her sheets. Maybe it was her recurring nightmare of gunshots that made her think she’d heard a noise.
Ping, ping.
She bolted upright in bed, her pulse skyrocketing.
The noise was not her imagination. It had come from something hitting the window. Was someone tossing pebbles at the glass, or had a woodpecker mistaken the pane for wood?
She glanced at the glowing clock. It was in the middle of the frigging night. Who’d be outside at this hour?
Oh, God, no. Ralph? Or Charley? Dread sparked a chain reaction that sent pain first to her eyes, then squeezed her chest, and finally, dropped straight to her stomach. Rationally, she knew he couldn’t have found her. Not this fast. She was safe here. Dominic had assured her.
“Tes-sa,” came the voice from outside.
She froze. Her breath whooshed out of her lungs, and her muscles wouldn’t move. Tessa concentrated on the timbre and tried to remember if Ralph’s voice was that deep. She couldn’t recall. How could she not recognize the voice of the man she’d been married to? Good Lord. His courtroom threat was never far from her mind. Could it be him?
Maybe she’d imagined the eerie call.
“Dominic?” she called. Fear had dried up her throat so much that her voice floated no further than a few feet.
Tessa swallowed and tried again. “Dominic?”
Her weak voice would never reach his bedroom.
Move, Tessa, move.
Perhaps Dominic had gone out to investigate, found no one, and locked himself out of the house. Yes, that could be it. Her muscles relaxed, and she crawled out of bed.
On tiptoe, she padded over to the window. Not wanting to be seen from the outside, she skirted the curtain and pulled back the sheers.
As if she were standing under Niagara Falls, her pounding blood blocked all sound. Calm down. Tessa tried to take a deep breath to slow her heart, but the blood pumped to its own rapid rhythm.
No more stones hit the window, and no more voices sounded from below.
Tessa reached across the window to unclasp the sash. If she could open the window, maybe she’d be able to hear better.
Jittery, she clamped down on her jaw to prevent her roiling stomach from erupting like Mount St. Helens. Sweat dribbled down her back despite the chill in the room. Her fingers slipped on the lock. After three futile attempts to open the damn thing, she wiped her hands on her gown and tried again. This time the window budged. The second she threw up the sash, an ear shattering alarm sounded.
As if electrified, Tessa scurried back from the window, her heart ready to burst. She raced toward the bedroom door holding her hands over her ears.
Guilt and fear collided. She’d only been trying to see who was out there calling her name.
She reached the door just as it swung open. The hall light illuminated a big hulking body. Tessa screamed.
Relief shot through Dom upon seeing Tessa was safe. He flipped on the light switch, and her eyes widened. A split second later she was plastered to his chest, but he didn’t recall who’d moved first. He pressed his face to her hair. She smelled sweet, like strawberries and sunshine.
“Are you okay?” he asked, shouting above the alarm.
She nodded. “I’m sorry. I opened the window and the alarm went off.”
“That’s it?” He’d feared an intruder had tried to get in.
“Yes.”
Dom held her away at arm’s length and checked her over. She appeared fine. “Wait here. I’m going to turn off the alarm.”
Tessa looked up at him with tear stained cheeks, which did nothing to calm his racing heart. He let go of her shoulders and sprinted down the hall. He punched in his security code and the screeching stopped. He let out a deep breath, reveling in the ensuing silence.
His phone rang. Damn. It must be the alarm company checking to see if he was safe.
“I’ll be right back,” he yelled to Tessa as he raced to his bedroom to grab his cell.
After giving the security team his code and password, he returned to Tessa. She hadn’t moved. “Why did you open the window? It’s cold outside,” he said.
“Someone was throwing rocks at my window and then called my...my name,” she choked out.
Dom studied her face. “Are you sure you weren’t dreaming?”
“No. I swear to you, someone was outside. I went to the window to check if maybe you were stuck outside and forgot your key.”
“Oh, Tessa, I’m so sorry. Crawl back into bed, and I’ll have a look to make sure no one’s out there. Okay?”
Her smile faltered. “Okay.”
Dom closed the window and locked the sash. “Let’s leave this closed. I’ll be back as soon as I’ve checked the perimeter.”
He didn’t want to leave her alone in her fragile state, but he certainly couldn’t take her outside.
Dom dashed to his bedroom, threw on a pair on jeans, a shirt, shoes and a warm jacket. He grabbed the flashlight he kept by his nightstand. At the last minute, he stuffed his revolver in his waistband. He didn’t want to chance Ralph hadn’t found Tessa. The guy had located her once. He had no reason to believe he couldn’t do it again.
The crisp November air held a damp chill, but Dom ignored the cold. Sweeping the area with his light, he proceeded to scope out the area under Tessa’s bedroom.
Dom halted halfway to her window. The dewy grass was matted down in several spots. And they weren’t caused by animals either. Damn. Tessa hadn’t been dreaming.
A pyramid of stones drew his attention. Light from his flashlight caught an object resting on top of the pile. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, bent down, and picked up a ring.
“Christ.”
Tessa’s nickel ring. He’d seen her wear it on numerous occasions. Had Charley found her? Was she his next victim? Or was it her ex?
With his revolver drawn, Dom scoured the area. Depression colored his steps. Tessa had done nothing to deserve this treatment. He checked behind the bushes and canvassed the whole property but found no other incriminating evidence.
Convinced the intruder was gone, he slipped back into the house. Running up the steps to the second floor, he eased into Tessa’s room in case she’d fallen asleep.
Tessa was standing near the window, still as an angel with the lights off. She must not have heard him enter.
“Tessa?” He used his softest voice before turning on the light by her bed.
She whipped around, her face frozen in fear. “I found no one,” he said.
“No one?”
“Who ever was here is gone. You can go back to sleep.”
She inched her way toward him. “Okay, but I don’t know if I can sleep.”
“He won’t be coming back. The house is a fortress.”
He tamped down the urge to hold her, caress her, make love to her. The timing sucked
. Her frame of mind was still too fragile. When they did make love again, he didn’t want her to worry her life was in jeopardy.
Besides, he couldn’t chance losing his focus. Tessa had the ability to make him forget everything about the do’s and don’ts of protection.
Before Tessa could convince him to stay, Dom left. Once he reset the alarm, he trudged back to bed. He knew he wouldn’t sleep, but he certainly didn’t want to be near temptation. Tomorrow he'd tell her about the nickel ring he'd found.
Tess had watched every soap opera and design show possible during the day. As far as she was concerned, Dominic had basically abandoned her again. All the man did was work, work, work. Yes, he had a killer to find as well as her ex-husband, but he wasn’t the only one employed by the precinct. He could have asked for some time off.
The worst part of her exile was in not being able to leave the house. That’s right. Dominic had actually forbidden her to go out for any reason. Jeez, he acted as if she were a recalcitrant child who’d been grounded. Although, truth be known, she was afraid to leave the premises.
To make sure she followed his orders, Dominic had hired a uniformed policeman to sit outside in his squad car. Oh, sure, Dominic said it was to keep the riff raff out—read Ralph—but from his tone, it was more to keep her under house arrest.
She’d asked if the policeman could escort her to the mall, but Dominic said someone might spot her. Didn’t her ex already know where she was holed up? Of course, that was assuming the footprints Dominic had found in the grass belonged to Ralph. They could be Charley’s, but her money was on her ex.
Bored out of her mind, Tessa called Annie.
“Hello?” said the comforting voice.
“Hi, Annie, it’s Tessa. How’s my adorable niece?” she asked with false happiness.
“Tessa, I’ve been worried about you. Are you okay? I called your house a few times and left messages, but you never called back.”
“I fine. I’m staying with...a friend. Call me on my cell next time.” For some reason, Tessa didn’t want to say she’d agreed to stay with the terminally attractive detective when only a few days ago she’d told Annie she didn’t trust the man.
Muffled screams of joy emanated from Annie’s end.
“Jeremy, don’t hit your sister, please. Sorry about that,” Annie said. “Please don’t worry about Mandy, she’s fine, but you’re the one I’m concerned about. How are you, really?”
“Good, I guess.” Tessa didn’t want to burden Annie with what had happened last night, and she didn’t want to spread the word that Charley was a serial killer until Dominic had absolute proof the man was a murderer.
“I’d really love to I see Mandy. I miss her so much.”
“Tessa, I don’t think it’s such a good idea. What if Ralph is watching you? You can’t take any chances.”
Now her friend sounded like Dominic. Ralph already knew where Tessa lived, but he didn’t know where Annie lived.
“You’re right. I know Judd would love to see the baby too, but I realize this stalker might already know Judd’s in the hospital and wait for me or you there.”
“This mess will be over soon,” Annie said with reassurance. “Judd will be healthy in no time, and Mandy will be reunited with her father.”
Annie’s cheeriness lifted her spirits. “Thanks, Annie. I owe you a big one.”
Tessa swiped her cell closed and slumped down in front of the television. Why hadn’t she asked Annie if she could stay with her? Tessa didn’t like the general shelter or trust the place could keep her safe.
She wrapped an arm over her face, upset that had no one else to call. The police had yet to release her father’s body, so making funeral arrangements had to wait. And being confined to the house meant she couldn’t visit Judd either, not that he wanted to see her anyway.
Dominic wouldn’t be home for another few hours, and she was plain bored. If he hadn’t taken his laptop with him to work, she’d have played on the Internet.
With little to do, she turned her concentration to the type of man Dominic appeared to be on the surface. The fact his floors were hardwood and covered with oriental carpets, and his counters were granite, it did not bode well for him being a straight arrow cop.
The only way to find out would be to look in his office. Yes, it would be snooping, but a girl had a right to learn what kind of man lived in such an expensive home.
She’d taken art history in school and recognized the Marc Chagall painting above the fireplace that had to be worth a mint. Even if a few of the other masterpieces were replicas, the frames alone were worth several hundred dollars, far more than your average cop could afford.
Tessa knew the signs of a man on the take. First came the nice truck, and then the toys for him and the presents for her. She’d even believed Ralph when he’d told her his aunt had died and left him money.
Before she knew it, Tessa ended up in Dom’s study. The thick, Damask drapes, leather high-backed chair and mahogany desk indicated the man had expensive tastes. But then, she already knew that about him.
Pulling out Dom’s top drawer, she found a pay stub and studied it. Her shoulders sagged. He didn’t make much more than Ralph had. So where had he gotten the money to decorate his house, or buy the house in the first place?
Now that she’d crossed the ethical line, she might as well be thorough. The file cabinet in the corner contained his bills, organized alphabetically from Automobile to Water Company. No surprise there. Nothing, however, suggested any kind of illegal activity. Not that she expected to find a file labeled, “Bribes.”
“Hello?” came the familiar voice from the front of the house.
Her pulse sped up. Dominic was home early. Tessa closed the file drawer, raced from his office, and ducked into the half bath. Heart pounding, she flushed the toilet and ran the tap, hoping he wouldn’t notice her blotchy face.
Tessa strolled to the foyer. “Hi,” she said, straining to keep the guilt from her voice.
“I’m glad you behaved yourself. Ron said you didn’t step outside.”
Hello to you too. His chilly attitude had intensified since she’d set off the stupid alarm. It wasn’t as if he’d warned her or anything about his high tech system.
He waved the two bags in his hand. “Dinner. Would you mind heating up the food? I have an important call to make.”
Dom brushed past her, strode into the kitchen, and set the bags on the counter. She followed behind.
Oh, God. Maybe he’d found something out about Ralph. “Is there something you aren’t you telling me?”
He whipped around, and his gaze seared right through her. “No. Don’t worry. Everything will be okay.”
He patted his pockets, jammed his hands in, and drew out a handful of change. An object dropped from his fingers and pinged and rolled on the floor. His eyes widened for a split second. Simultaneously, they squatted to pick up the fallen item, but Dominic beat her to it.
As he slipped the object in his pant pocket, she recognized the ring.
“Dominic. That’s the ring my mother gave me. Where did you get that?”
He pulled it out and blew out a breath. “I’m sorry. I found it outside last night. I didn’t want to tell you. I knew you’d be upset.”
“Damn right, I’m upset. How could you keep this from me?” Tessa’s heart sped up. “You know what this means? Ralph wants me to know he knows I’m here. Now that I have proof he was the intruder, I can’t stay here.”
He stabbed a hand over his short hair and took a step toward her. “Tessa, I understand how frightened you must be, but you’ll be safe here. I promise. I’ll hire someone twenty-four seven if that’s what it takes to make you feel secure.”
“You’d do that?”
“Of course.”
“And I’m to trust you? One well-placed bullet to the head of the hired man would put all of us in jeopardy.” Tessa’s gaze darted around the kitchen. “How could Ralph have found me?”
He placed his warm palms on her shoulders. “I don’t know, but that’s all the more reason why you can’t leave.”
Tessa wasn’t convinced. She stepped out of his grasp and held out her hand. Dominic withdrew the ring from his pocket and placed it in her palm.
“My mom gave me this ring for my tenth birthday. The nickel in the ring turns my finger green, but I’ve never had the heart to throw it away.”
The fact he’d hidden evidence of Ralph’s presence ticked her off. She took a step back.
“Listen, I’ve got to make that phone call,” he said. “Are you going to be okay?”
“I’m fine. I’ll start dinner. You go make your call.”
Dominic’s face hardened, and he stalked off.
What did he expect? Gratitude he’d found her ring? If he wanted to protect her as he claimed, he should have stayed home and not left her with a rent-a-cop.
The wonderful aroma of chicken permeated the bags and halted her musings. Her stomach grumbled. Tessa read the store name on the side. Ooh, Wright’s Gourmet. How fancy.
Tessa unwrapped the meal. The instructions said to warm the casserole in a 325-degree oven for twenty minutes. Easy enough. She’d eat first and then figure out what she wanted to do.
While she was waiting for the oven to warm, she wanted to know if Dominic had been in contact with the hospital today. She needed some good news to keep her mind off the maniac who was after her. Tessa prayed Chelsea would pull through.
As she neared his office, Dominic’s deep voice filtered through the slightly open door. She stopped and was about to turn around when Dominic used the word, “bank account.” She stilled, and then crept closer.
“Deposit the eighty grand in account number 46209845... And remember, don’t use my name. Got it? I don’t want to get caught by you know who.”
Tessa fell against the wall. Eighty thousand dollars? He had that much money from a cop’s salary? Her heart beat so fast, blood pounded in her ears. She didn’t want to listen to another word. Her nightmare awoke all over again. What was he into—drugs, extortion, or was he taking bribes, like Ralph?