by Lori Leger
“Do you honestly care what she thought?” Her face registered slight surprise.
“Of course I care. Feedback is always good.”
“Even if it’s negative feedback?”
Judging by her sudden outburst of laughter, his expression must have shown his horror at her answer.
“Relax, Tanner. We didn’t discuss your abilities. I am a little surprised that the great Tanner Collins has his own insecurities, though.”
He wiped a hand over his face. “It’s a guy thing, okay? You didn’t have to do that.”
She giggled. “I know, but it was fun to catch your vulnerable side. Besides, if you want to hang with me, you’ll have to loosen up some.”
He shook his head, finally able to join in her laughter. “You can be pretty fun to be around when you’re not being a pain in the ass. I think I could get used to having you as a friend.”
CHAPTER 5
It was Wednesday before she saw either of her suitors again. She got home at six forty-five after running errands and checked the message on her voicemail.
“Angel, it’s Nash. I thought I’d take you to supper tonight. I’ll be there a little before seven to pick you up unless you call to let me know you can’t make it.”
She checked her watch, accepting that it had to be better than the frozen pizza she would have eaten tonight.
She had just enough time to hang up her dry cleaning and place the various items she’d purchased throughout her house, before the doorbell rang. She pulled out her compact and dabbed quickly at the shine on her face and nose then snapped it shut and threw it back into her purse.
The smell of roses reached her as soon as she opened the door. Liam stood in her doorway, looking so damn sexy in his black jeans, crisp white shirt, and dark gray blazer with the same color Tony Lamas.
He brought his hands out from behind his back, revealing an arrangement of fragrant red roses, mixed with baby’s breath and greenery in a gorgeous hand blown vase.
Angelique smiled and shook her head. “They’re beautiful, but you didn’t have to do that, you know.”
He shrugged and gave her a crooked grin. “I know, but I wanted to. I hope you’re hungry for seafood; I have a table reserved at that new restaurant on the lakefront.”
“You got reservations to Chez du Lac? It just opened up two weeks ago, and it’s nearly impossible to get in right now.”
Liam’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “That’s what happens when you have connections. We have one of the best tables in the house. Speaking of which, are you ready to go?”
She looked down at her tailored suit and sensible pumps. “Do I have time for a quick change of clothes?”
“You’re beautiful just like that,” he said, giving her outfit serious appraisal.
“Thanks, but I really don’t want to wear this to a four star restaurant,” she explained.
He looked at his watch. “Can you do it in ten minutes?”
She gave him a nod on her way toward her bedroom. “I can do it in five.”
He nodded. “Don’t forget your coat. That front will have moved in by the time we leave there.”
Twenty minutes later, they were seated at their table in front of large windows that made the most of the panoramic view of Lake Coburn.
“This place has great ambiance as well as an excellent view.” She stared out at the water.
Liam seated himself across from her and studied her profile. “Yeah, I’m enjoying the view right now.”
She met his gaze and sighed. “Please don’t look at me like that. I told you I couldn’t promise you anything more than friendship right now.”
He nodded. “So you did.”
A young woman walked up to their table with crystal goblets of water and two menus. She lit the votive inside a delicately cut crystal holder situated at the center of the table, and asked if they’d like a drink.
“What do you say, Angel? White wine?” She nodded and he ordered for them both before sipping from his water before speaking again. “I meant what I said earlier, I won’t pressure you. I’m fully prepared to treat you as a close friend. It’s been a whole year for you, and I can appreciate how you must be feeling.”
She cocked her head to the side. “And how long has it been for you?”
He watched as the fractured candlelight danced, casting flickering shadows over her face and bare neckline. “Not as long as you,” he replied, noncommittally, as she shook her head.
“Men … ” She let the comment trail off.
“Dogs. Each and every one of us, right?” he asked, determined to let her think what she wanted before turning his gaze to the lake view. Just since their arrival, the icy winds had picked up, now thrashing frigid waves over the top of the bulkhead. Due to the elevation of the property, the water receded as quickly as it appeared. Neither the restaurant nor the parking area, were within reach of the icy waves of Lake Coburn.
“Maybe not all of you,” she murmured quietly.
Nash kept his silence, thinking he’d give his left nut to know if she was thinking of him or Mike at that moment. She didn’t need to know that, apart from a one night stand a week after he’d left her, he’d been without it as long as she had. The interlude had occurred during a particularly heavy night of drinking whiskey. He couldn’t deny that he’d enjoyed it at the time, dog that he was. But he could testify to how low he’d felt after waking up with a woman whose name he didn’t know, and didn’t care to know. He’d made it a point to stay out of the bars from that night on, preferring to spend his nights at home, alone, or with friends, old co-workers, and clients when they extended invitations.
She interrupted his thoughts with her next query. “Have you worked any interesting cases this past year?”
He waited until their wine was poured before answering. “Most of the stints were just a week or two. Inexperienced types stalking little rich girls who wouldn’t give them the time of day, or who didn’t return their feelings of undying love. Hell, one of the stalkers turned out to be a woman’s old college roommate. Another woman.”
Angelique looked up from her menu, in surprise. “Really? Did she threaten her?”
Nash raised an eyebrow in amusement. “She was quite creative, actually. Bordering on psychotic, I guess you could say. She had that poor vic terrified to leave her home until I got there.”
“Did you know you were looking for a woman?”
Nash shook his head. “Not for the first few days. Then she let something slip; a comment in a note that tipped me off. Once I figured that out, all the pieces fell into place.”
“I’m curious. What did she say to tip you off?”
Nash sucked in his breath through his teeth. “I’m not saying. You’re bound to use it against me.”
“I won’t,” she drawled, focusing her feminine gaze on him.
He snorted, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. “The hell you won’t, but I’ll go against my better judgment and tell you, just so you’ll know how sincere my intentions are toward you.” He took a sip of wine and put his menu aside, after deciding what he wanted to order. “It was something to the effect of her admitting to having the temperament of a pit bull with a toothache.”
Angelique let her mouth fall open in shock. “That statement made you think it was a woman?”
He took another sip of wine. “This is an excellent wine, don’t you think?”
“Nash,” she drawled, still waiting for an answer.
He grinned at her. “Well, she actually added the words ‘this month’. I put two and two together and came up with PMS or PMDD or whatever the hell new name doctors have come up to describe man’s worst nightmare.”
Angelique’s eyes sparkled with laughter even as she admonished him. “That’s a hell of a sexist remark if I ever heard one.”
“It’s not sexism talking, it’s experience. I was married for over two years to one of the sweetest, best natured women I’ve ever had the privilege to know. But every month,
for two or three days, I avoided Kimberly like she had a head full of poisonous snakes for hair. What was that mythical chick called?”
Angelique did her best not to crack a smile. “That ‘chick’ was a gorgon, and her name was Medusa.”
He gave an enthusiastic nod. “That’s it! Medusa! I swear to God, one look from Kim when she was pre-menstrual could turn a mere mortal man to stone.”
Angelique laughed, in spite of herself, thinking how relieved he must be to be able to speak of things like this and laugh about them. “Honestly! You should be ashamed of yourse—” She stopped, realizing what she’d nearly said, and blushed with her own shame. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
Nash smiled and reached out a hand to cover hers. “It’s fine, Angel. It was actually Kim who started calling it the ‘Snake Lady Syndrome’. She’d actually warn me to stay out of the house when she’d feel it coming on. Of course, when I did, she’d get pissed and give me the third degree about where I’d been, and we’d get into a huge argument.” He looked down at his menu, keeping his next thought to himself about the outstanding make up sex they’d have after the smoke cleared.
Angelique smiled wistfully at the man she’d once fantasized about marrying. Here she was, one year later, just hearing about a part of his life she hadn’t known existed.
She looked down at the menu as their waitress came back to see if they were ready to order. “I think I’ll have the broiled snapper with lemon butter sauce, along with a small spinach salad. House dressing on the side, please.”
Nash handed his menu to the woman. “I’ll have the twenty four ounce Porter House, medium rare, the steamed asparagus, and a side dish of baby carrots.”
Angelique watched the other woman’s eyes scan discretely over Liam’s face and upper torso in silent appreciation.
The woman reached for Angelique’s menu, gave her a barely perceptible nod, and smiled as she spoke. “Enjoy your view.”
Angelique returned the smile. “Thank you, I will.” As the woman left, she looked over at Liam to see him watching her quizzically.
“What the hell was that?”
She gave a throaty chuckle. “It was about you. She was congratulating me on my ‘catch’, in a sense.”
Nash emitted a sudden laugh. “You’ve got one hell of an imagination.”
She dipped her fingertip in her wine and circled it along the rim of the wine glass. Her wine glass emitted a crystal clear ringing with every revolution of her finger. “Sometimes it’s the subtle messages that come across the loudest, Liam. You just have to be in sync with them. Women are better at subtlety than men, obviously.”
He watched her finger, thinking how it would feel to have her touch him like that again. “You play that thing like a pro, hon.” He finished his wine in one swallow and looked up to meet their waiter’s gaze. He lifted his glass an inch and gave a slight nod of his head. Within moments, the man had refilled his wineglass.
Nash met Angelique’s amused expression. “You see? Guys can do that, too. But only when it involves alcohol, food, or the check,” he added.
She smiled, then sat back in her chair and crossed her long legs. “Where are you staying?”
“Annie and Drake asked me to stay with them in their new place. Have you seen it yet?”
Angelique sipped at her wine then nodded. “I went to the house warming party her family threw for them and got the tour. It’s a beautiful home. Annie’s due next month, isn’t she?”
“Sometime around the end of March,” he agreed. “They’re putting the finishing touches on their nursery to get ready.”
She watched the smile come over his face as he spoke. “Is it difficult for you? Seeing that, I mean?”
He blinked and picked up his wine glass. “Not anymore, Angel. I can remember now, without feeling sad about it.” He raised his glass. “Life goes on, you know?”
She nodded and smiled. “They still don’t know what they’re having, do they?”
“Nope; she insists on them being surprised. Annie told me that Red and Tiffany have a new baby at home.”
“They sure do; a beautiful little girl, named Briana. She’s almost five months. I take it you haven’t seen her.”
“No, but I was hoping to sometime soon. I’m not sure how to get to their place, though.” He turned his hound dog expression on her. “Maybe you could come along with me.”
She sipped her wine, her green eyes twinkling mischievously up at him from above the rim of her crystal glass. “Or I could just give you good directions.”
An hour and a half later, Angelique let Liam walk her to the door of her apartment and thanked him for the wonderful meal.
He stood fidgeting, tracing the brim of his gray Stetson. Clearing his throat once for good measure, he leaned toward her, hoping to get at least a good night kiss out of the evening. He groaned, when she turned her face at the last second so that his lips brushed the corner of her mouth.
She laughed as his chin dropped dejectedly onto his chest. “I guess you were expecting a little more bang for your buck, huh?”
He met her gaze with his own. “Maybe…just a little.”
Angelique gave him a wicked grin. “Sorry, Mr. Nash; if you’re looking for a value meal, next time go to Mickey D’s.” She closed the door softly on him as he struggled for a comeback.
CHAPTER 6
Mike crossed the threshold into the cramped apartment, his gut tightening at the sights and sounds greeting him. Three EMT’s worked diligently on two screaming infants as a fourth tried unsuccessfully to coerce a severely beaten woman onto a gurney of her own.
“Please, are they going to be all right?” She pleaded with the medics, pushing away one more set of hands trying to get her to lie down.
“Yes ma’am, your babies are fine—” the older male emergency tech insisted, “—but you need to lie down so I can take care of you now.”
“Sarah?” Mike asked at the sudden shock of recognition. “Sarah Richard?”
The woman whipped her head around, locking her wildly panicked gaze onto his.
After twenty years in law enforcement, not many things shocked Mike, but the sight of the woman’s battered and bruised face was enough to cause a hitch in his breath.
The last time he’d seen this woman was the hit and run incident with the spoiled rich kid. The cracked ribs and facial scratches she’d sustained in that accident were nothing compared to the injuries she had now. “Can you tell me what happened to you, Mrs. Richard?”
“Don’t!” she screeched. “Don’t ever call me that again! Sarah—I’m Sarah!” Her tone defiant.
“Sarah…” Mike tried to soothe her with the sound of his voice. “Absolutely. Who did this to you, Sarah?”
Her blackened eyes narrowed, then grew angrier as she seemed to come to a personal revelation.
“You did.”
His hand froze on his pocket as he reached for a notepad and pen. “Excuse me?” Several other heads ratcheted in their direction.
“Troy Richard—my husband—he did the physical damage. But your department led him straight to me and my babies.”
“Wh…What do you mean?” He couldn’t ignore the gnawing pain developing deep in his gut.
Sarah shook off the tech’s helping hand as she hobbled closer to Mike. “Two months, Detective Harper. Yeah, I remember you, also. Two months I was able to hide from that monster, until someone from your department notified him because his name was on the registration of the car. The car I paid for with money my dad left me. Was it you?” she demanded.
Mike took a deep breath before tackling the subject. “Honestly, I didn’t make the call, but I’m sure I ordered someone to do it. It’s stand…”
“Standard procedure!” she spat. “I’m fully aware of the police department and its standard procedures. They’ve allowed Troy to walk free, while my babies and I have to hide like criminals in the local women’s shelter, depending on everyone else to keep
us safe, warm, and fed. I can’t even work to earn a living because of him.”
Mike felt himself nodding, sick that he and the department had played any part in her misery, while simultaneously enraged at the man who’d done this. “Can you tell me what happened since the hit and run accident, Sarah?”
“They called him,” she said. “And he showed up at the hospital just in time to bring us here. Then he left us, but not before doing his best to teach me a lesson. It was all for my own good, though. And he did show some mercy,” she sneered. “When I told him I thought my ribs were cracked on one side, he kicked me on the opposite side.” She grabbed her ribs and leaned forward. “So he wouldn’t break them. God forbid I should die when he gets so much satisfaction out of making my life a living hell.”
She straightened and lifted one arm slowly to encompass the apartment’s tiny bedroom and bathroom. “So this was our home for four days—or was it five? I lost count at some point. Nice view, huh?” She pointed to the window, boarded up from the outside. “It came with a matching door.”
Mike turned, seeing the boards and framing nails that had been painstakingly removed from the bedroom door by someone. “Who got you out?”
“Concerned neighbors called the landlord when the babies wouldn’t stop crying.” She dropped her eyes to the floor. “I ran out of milk.”
“Canned formula?” He jotted down some notes on his pad.
“No, I was breasting feeding them, and I-I quit producing.”
Mike took in her gaunt appearance and already tiny frame then looked around the room. No signs of any kind of food wrappers, containers, or waste.
“He locked you up in here with no food?”
She shrugged, wincing at the apparent pain it caused. “At least I had water.”
Mike pulled up the number and hit the call button, eagerly anticipating the dulcet tones of Angelique’s voice. He wasn’t disappointed.
“Hey Mike.”
He smiled at the immediate easing of the tension in his shoulders as he took a deep breath to answer. “Hey Angel. How was your day?”