by J. D. Faver
Oz tried to contain the grin. “My girl is making something special for lunch.”
“Oh,” he said and then again, “Oh,” when he gathered Oz’ meaning. He beamed at Oz. “I sure do miss being young and in love.”
Oz blushed sheepishly as Qualls slapped him on the shoulder again.
“Sir, anything on Jason Best, the dead guy?”
“I was headed for the lab. Walk with me.” Qualls started off at a rapid clip and Oz fell into step beside him.
When they arrived Aida was in her office, arranging papers on her desk.
“It’s unusual to find you here, Aida,” Qualls said. “You’re usually working in the lab.”
“You caught me. Even I have to play housemaid occasionally.” She closed a file folder and slid it into a drawer.
“Anything yet on the spa guy?” Qualls asked.
“The coroner said he died between eleven yesterday evening and three this morning. He was killed by a .25 caliber hollow point bullet that entered just behind his right ear and he died instantly.”
“Luka’s in custody so that lets him out. It’s not his style, anyway.”
“Do we know what Luka’s style is?” Oz asked.
“No we don’t. I guess he could do the up close and personal thing, except that he’s cooling his heels in a cell.”
“That Luka guy gives me the creeps,” Oz said.
“Actually, he’s very attractive,” Aida said. Both men turned to look at her. “I mean, I find his moral values totally reprehensible, but he is a hot guy.”
Oz raised his brows and Qualls shook his head.
Aida turned to each man in turn, fixing them with her clear, no nonsense gaze. “If it was an equally hot woman, every cop in the shop would have his tongue hanging out, so don’t give me any grief.”
“Alright, alright. We get your point.” Qualls waved her off. “Any lab results to report?”
“Only the scuff marks on his shoes. His cash and watch are missing, but I’m guessing that was for show. This looks like an execution. Or it could have been a gang-banger, judging from the angle the weapon was held to the head. There’s a mark from the muzzle showing it was held sideways. The bangers think it’s so cool to hold their guns like that, but it isn’t nearly as accurate for shooting at any distance at all.”
“That lets the Jobes out, too.” Oz said. “Security cameras in their private elevator show that they both went up to their penthouse and didn’t come down until after the time Jason Best was being murdered.”
“Damn!” Qualls said. “I thought it would be linked to them.”
Oz shook his head. “I can’t imagine Hobart Jobe committing a crime of passion.”
“Nah, me neither. But I can imagine him ordering an execution without batting an eye.”
“He didn’t know we were going to pick him up,” Oz said. “If he was planning an execution he had time to plan an alibi, and he knew the cameras would provide a good one.”
“We’ll see how this plays out.” Qualls turned back to Aida. “That’s it?” Qualls asked.
“So far,” she said. “Check back later.”
#
Micki opened the door to a frowning Oz.
“Don’t do that,” he said.
Micki raised her brows and gave him a long look. “No hello?”
“I’m serious. Don’t ever open the door without looking out the peephole. You never know who might be lurking out here to ravish you.”
“Yeah, I can see that.”
“Speaking of which, you’re not naked.” Oz dropped his jacket on the back of a chair.
“I was kidding,” she said.
Oz removed his tie and began unbuttoning his shirt. “No, you weren’t.” He grinned at her.
“Yes, I was. I was just teasing you.”
“That was your mistake,” he said. “Some things are way too beautiful to be taken lightly.”
Micki grinned as she visually cruised the length of Oz’ body. He’d shed his shirt, shoes and socks and was down to his pants. The feathery feeling around her heart made her lightheaded.
“I’ve never noticed before that you held nudity in such reverence.”
“Well you were wrong,” he whispered, unsnapping her jeans. “I hold your nakedness in extreme awe and reverence.” The jeans slid to the floor and Oz cupped her bottom in his hands.
Micki gasped as he squeezed her rear affectionately. “I can’t believe you came home in the middle of the day to...”
He silenced her with a kiss. “I can’t believe you can’t believe. You know how I feel about you.”
Micki ran her hands over his chest and shoulders, appreciating the firm muscles upholstering his torso. “Yes, well, ah...”
His fingers unhooked her bra so deftly she didn’t even feel it, just the loosening of the band and the straps slipping off her arms.
Standing before him wearing only her panties, she gave him a quirky smile. “I’m unarmed, Officer.”
He made a noise in the back of his throat. “Baby, you are never unarmed and you’re always dangerous.”
“You seem to be pretty well armed yourself.”
Oz enfolded her in his arms and lifted her against him. “Let’s go,” he said, his voice smoky with desire. “I only have about forty minutes left.”
“I guess you’re not eating lunch.” she said.
“Who says?”
#
CHAPTER TWENTY
Micki laughed, hearing the doorbell ring a few seconds after Oz had left. She’d gotten her jeans back on and was about to button her shirt.
She threw the door open wide. “Forget something?” A gasp of fear died in her throat as she stared into the eyes of Philip Luka.
He glanced down at her open shirt and smiled. “I’m glad to see you were expecting me.” Something feral flickered in his hypnotic gaze.
Micki took a step back. “You’re out of jail?”
“No thanks to you, Chickie.” He stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. He gave her an intense, totally untamed look before turning slowly to twist the deadbolt into place. “I wouldn’t want us to be disturbed.”
Micki swallowed hard against the taste of bile in the back of her throat. “How did you get out?” she asked in a whisper.
“I had a good lawyer. He arranged my release.” He slowly walked toward her.
“You’re out on bail?” She took a step backwards.
“Yeah, somethin’ like that, but they don’t got nothin’ on me.” He stepped toward her and reached out his hand, touching a finger gently to her neck and running it down to the snap of her jeans. “So, you wearin’ a wire wasn’t any good at all. The only thing I did was sell you a very expensive CD.”
“But whose money was it?”
He quirked a smile at her. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Yes, I would.”
He grunted and circled his fingers around the back of her neck, softly stroking her skin and raising gooseflesh at the same time. Luka lifted her chin with his other hand, all the while gazing intently into her eyes.
Her heart beat a drum solo against her ribs as she gazed into his dangerous green eyes. He’s come to kill me.
Hypnotically he stared as he lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers.
Against her will, Micki closed her eyes and surrendered to the seductive power he held over her. As his tongue invaded her mouth, Micki felt like she was falling. A tiny moan escaped her throat as he pressed her against his lean, muscular frame. He kissed her like he was devouring her.
He pulled back from the kiss, but held her, gripped against the length of him.
“I see you got you a pretty ring now. Did your cop come through for you?”
Micki nodded her head, unable to tear her gaze away from the yellow flecked eyes that held her in thrall.
“He’s a lucky fellow but, just in case it don’t work out. . .remember this.” He kissed her again with a hunger that spoke of his loneliness.<
br />
When his lips left hers, she took a deep breath and slowly released it. “You’re not mad at me?” she asked.
“Nah, Chickie. I’m not mad. You did what you had to do.”
“Why are you here?” she asked, in a breathy voice.
He grinned at her and kissed her cheek close to her mouth. “I wanted you to know you got options.”
“Options?”
“Yeah.” He cast a glance around the apartment. “Chickie, you deserve a lot better than this. I can give you so much more.”
“I...I don’t want more,” she said.
“Oh, yes you do. You an’ me are the same. You want to travel and see what’s out there.”
Micki nodded, unable to speak.
“I want to show it to you. I want to buy it for you.” He brushed her jaw line with the back of his fingers but his other arm held her in a vise.
“No, I...”
“Don’t worry, Chickie. I don’t expect you to come with me now, but when you’re bored with all this and wonder what else there is, remember me.” He flipped a card from his shirt pocket and held it up with two fingers. “You can always reach me here.” He tucked the card inside her bra, allowing his fingers to linger against her soft skin. He kissed her mouth again, and then her neck, his lips pressed against her rapid pulse.
“Why me?” she asked.
“Intense physical attraction,” he whispered against her ear. “And you’re not afraid of me. You know who I am and what I do, but you’re not afraid of me.”
“Who says I’m not afraid?”
He chuckled, deep in his chest. “What you’re feelin’ isn’t fear,” he said. “I excite you and you excite me, Chickie. You make my heart beat just as fast as I make yours.”
“Why do you call me Chickie?”
“Because nobody else does. I want to be different.”
Micki felt a gurgle of laughter roil up from her belly and out her throat. “You’re all that.”
Luka was grinning at her. “See, you can relax with me. I’ll take care of you and show you the world.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“You do that.” He released her and then leaned back to kiss her softly. “Good bye, Chickie. I’m leavin’ town but I’ll come for you anytime, anywhere, any place you name.” He slipped quietly out the door.
Micki swayed gently and then turned the dead bolt into place, leaning against the door with her eyes closed.
She removed the card from her bra and slid down to the floor, clasping her arms around her bent knees and dropping her head on them. She remained, crunched into a tight ball, not even breathing. After a moment, she raised her head and looked at Luka’s message. In bold print, it read Extermination Services and listed an eight-hundred number. On the back, Luka had written in neat, squared block printing, I’ll be waiting for you.
A shiver ran down Micki’s spine. A nervous giggle burst forth, followed by a laugh. She laughed until tears ran down her cheeks.
#
When Oz got back to the station, Qualls was grinning at him. “How was lunch?”
Oz grinned, a blush creeping up his neck to betray his deeds. “It was delicious, sir.”
“Glad to hear it. You may not be so happy when you hear that Phillip Luka was released a few hours ago.”
“He was released?” Oz asked. A sick feeling curled in his gut. “I don’t understand.”
“The lawyer got him released on bail.”
“He assaulted me,” Oz said.
“Half million dollar bail.” Qualls looked at him speculatively. “Now who would have thought he’d have that kind of cash available?”
“He only had to come up with ten percent,” Oz said.
“But still, that’s fifty thou.”
“He’s in the wind, sir,” Oz said. “He’s not coming back.”
“Why should he. What does he have to come back to?”
“Oh, my God! Micki.” Oz reached for his cell and when she answered he sighed in relief.
“Oz?” Her voice sounded strange.
“Are you alright?”
“Funny you should ask,” she said. “I had a visitor right after you left.”
“Is he there now?” Oz headed for the exit.
“No, he left.”
“Did he hurt you?” There was a long silence.
“No,” she said finally. “Luka didn’t hurt me exactly.”
“What exactly did he do?”
He heard her take a deep breath and expel it. “He made me an offer.”
“I’m coming home,” he said.
“I’m okay, Oz,” she said.
“A murderer--no, an assassin was alone in our apartment with you and you’re okay?” Oz was in his car and turned on the motor.
A slip of paper sat on the dashboard. Oz turned it over and read the neat engineer’s style block printing. I could get you anytime. Don’t ever hurt her because I will make you sorry you were born.
A cold prickle of fear brushed the back of his neck. Visions of a car bomb or having his head explode by a high velocity sniper’s bullet momentarily paralyzed him.
“Oz? Are you there?”
He let out a long breath. “Yeah, Micki, I’m here.”
“I thought I’d lost you there for a moment.”
“Yeah, me too.” He drove to the apartment as quickly as he could get through traffic.
#
When Oz burst through the door he looked like a charging bull.
Micki was sitting on the sofa waiting for him. She half rose from where she’d been but Oz snatched her up into a fierce bear hug.
“I’m alright,” she whispered, clutching him in return.
“Please don’t tell me you opened the door for him.”
“He...He rang the bell right after you’d left. I thought you’d forgotten something.”
“Phillip Luka is a dangerous man. He kills people for a living.”
“He didn’t hurt me,” she said.
“What did he do?” There was an odd tone to Oz’ voice.
“He kissed me.” Micki felt every muscle in Oz’ body tense against hers.
“He what?” He pulled back, his face a picture of rage.
“It was only a kiss. He could have killed me, tossed me out the window or kidnapped me.” She watched as her words sank in on him.
He released her abruptly. “What happened? Tell me everything.” Oz paced back and forth, massaging the muscles in the back of his neck as she looked on.
Micki sighed and led Oz to the sofa, where she did tell him everything, heavily edited. She didn’t tell him that Luka kissed her a lot and that it wasn’t entirely repulsive to her.
“He’s not coming back,” she said.
“It sounds like he’s really into you,” Oz growled.
“But, I’m really into you.”
“Micki, I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost you.” He held her face in both hands. “I mean, I know what it feels like to lose you and now you’re telling me that some psycho has a crush on you.”
“You’re not going to lose me.” She buried her face in his jacket.
“You bet your sweet butt, I’m not.” Oz lifted her off her feet. “Because I’m going to buy us a house with a lot of land and dig a moat all around it.”
“Dragon in the moat?”
“Big one.”
Micki was laughing, but the house with the moat was beginning to sound suspiciously like a box.
#
Reluctantly, Oz returned to the station house. His fingers gripped the steering wheel as he drove and he kept glancing in the rear view mirror.
No reason to get spooked. My fiancé has a crazy stalker who could take me out any time he wants. No reason to worry.
Oz turned into the parking area behind the station and parked where his car could be seen. He locked his car and vowed to have the electric lock on the driver’s side repaired.
“What’s up, Oz?” Vinnie asked when he walked inside.
“You and Micki on the outs again?”
“No. No, we’re good.”
“Something’s wrong, man. You can tell me.”
“It’s Luka. He went to my place and scared Micki. He told her he was leaving town, but I feel like I’m looking over my shoulder.” Oz slammed his fist into a nearby door jamb, causing several people to jump. “The creep left a note inside my car.”
“I can’t believe they let him out on bail. Apparently it’s no big deal to assault a cop.”
“I’m not hurt. That’s probably why.” Oz shook his head. “I should be grateful to the guy for not shooting me in the head.”
“What about the body behind the spa? Do you think Luka did him?” Vinnie asked.