Pulse Points

by Mary Lynn Baxter

  Kasey groaned inwardly all the while wanting to grab her son and shake some sense into him.

  “Look, Mom, we’re not getting married for a long time, so stop wigging out. I just wanted to tie her up so no one else would. You can see for yourself how beautiful she is.”

  It was true. Nancy was indeed an eye-catcher with her dark wispy hair, dainty features and peaches ’n’ cream complexion. However, Kasey suspected she was short on brains, though she hadn’t had any time alone with Nancy to verify that. Once they left the office, she had taken them out to eat then back to the apartment where Brock hadn’t left Nancy’s side. They had watched movies until bedtime.

  “She likes you, Mom. She thinks you’re cool.”

  Unimpressed, Kasey took a breath, then asked, “Are you two…intimate?” God, she hated this, but like Ginger had told her, she had to know. She couldn’t keep her head buried in the sand, only to regret it later.

  Silence.

  “Mom, I can’t believe you asked that.”

  “Don’t ‘Mom’ me. If you are, I hope you’re using protection.”

  “I am.”

  Her baby making love.

  No.

  She hadn’t heard that.

  She didn’t believe it.

  Tomorrow she would wake up and find this all another terrible dream.

  Kasey struggled for a decent breath to continue, trying to mask her fear and her disappointment.

  “Come on, Mom, everybody does it.”

  She felt her face grow hot. “That doesn’t make it right.”

  “You want my friends to think I’m gay?”

  “Stop it, Brock,” she cried out. “I don’t care what your friends think. I only care what’s best for you.”

  A shutter seemed to fall across his features. “Don’t ask me to give her up, Mom, because I won’t.”

  “So that’s the way it is, huh?” she asked, fighting back tears.

  “Yeah, that’s the way it is.”

  “Just promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”

  “Like get her pregnant?”

  “That for sure, or run off and get married.”

  “I promise I won’t do, either.”

  She reached across the table and grabbed one of his big hands and squeezed it. “I love you, you big oaf.” Tears trickled down her face. “You’re all I have.”

  “Aw, Mom, give it a rest. It’s gonna be okay.”

  Her smile caught on a sob.

  “Aw, Mom,” he said again, “you’re making me feel real bad.”

  “Sorry, son. It’s just that I had such big dreams for you.”

  Brock’s face blanked out. “Do you mind if we change the subject?”

  “It’s fine with me,” Kasey responded in an uneven voice.

  “I finally got Mr. Hart on his cell.”

  Kasey forced herself not to react, though another scream wanted to break through her throat. “Oh?”

  “He wants us all to have breakfast in the morning.” Brock cocked his head to one side. “I told him that was okay. Hope you don’t mind.”

  Thirty-One

  Sweat oozed from every pore in his body. He felt like he’d been sitting in a sauna for hours. But that was nothing compared to what he was going to feel like when he got to hell. And burned forever.

  Don Hornsby bit down hard on his lower lip. Even after tasting blood, he didn’t let go. Frightened and desperate, he shook all over like he had the rigors.

  Yet he couldn’t stop himself. It was the desperation that drove him, making him attempt this disastrous deed. He’d run out of options. He had no other way to get the money to feed his habit. He’d stolen from his sister until she had nothing left except her government check, and she’d beat him to it. She had already cashed her check and spent it.

  Breaking into a stranger’s house and stealing something worth pawning was the only way out of this earthly hellhole. Without the drugs, Don simply couldn’t function. Snorting up and getting that incredible high was what he lived for, what he got out of bed for each morning.

  If he couldn’t have his fixes, he didn’t want to live.

  He hovered in the darkness barely able to breathe. The smothering heat and humidity gave him the feeling of being covered in a wet blanket. Otherwise, the weather was in his favor. No stars lit the sky. No moon, either. Only clouds and they played to his advantage.

  Splayed against the fence, Don tried not to move a muscle. He wanted to listen for human sounds. Unfortunately his body wouldn’t cooperate. His need for a snort of cocaine made his limbs twitch and his stomach pitch.

  “Holy shit,” he muttered before bending over and dumping the contents of his stomach.

  After lifting his head and swiping the back of his mouth with a hand, he slumped against the fence. God, he felt awful. He could swear millions of ants were crawling over his insides. He massaged his arms. He wanted to scream. He wanted to run.

  He did neither. He forced himself to remain where he was and stared at the back door of the house while trying to clear his head. If he was going to pull this off and not get his ass arrested, he had to clear his mind and force himself to concentrate on nothing but getting in and out of that house without being detected.

  Could he do it? Did he have the guts to do it?

  Damn straight he did.

  Piece of cake.

  His intended victim was his sister’s elderly neighbor who lived alone. And had more money than she had sense. According to his sister, Agnes Cargill supposedly kept wads of cash stashed in the house.

  If Flora was wrong, he swore he’d wring her scrawny neck.

  Don took several deep, sucking breaths and made his way onto the rickety back porch. Fearing he’d step on a rotten board that would squeak like a pig in distress or snap under his weight and wake the old lady, he walked very gingerly until he reached the door.

  There he relaxed, suddenly remembering old Agnes was almost deaf. Another factor in his favor since he planned to pilfer through her house until he found some of that cold cash.

  Picking the lock turned out to be a no-brainer. Once inside, the musty stench that assaulted his nostrils reminded him of Flora’s pigsty. Pushing that aside, he tiptoed deeper into the shadows. First thing he located was the old lady’s bedroom. She was apparently sound asleep with the covers pulled over her head.

  He eased the door shut, then flicked on his low-beamed flashlight. Once in the living room, he looked around. An old secretary-like desk caught his eye right off. A perfect place to stash some cash, he told himself, feeling his adrenaline kick in.

  Placing the flashlight on the desk flap, he rummaged through the nooks and crannies. Moments later, he struck pay dirt. His hand came in contact with a wad of bills.

  “Praise Jesus,” he muttered under his breath after licking the sweat off his lips with his tongue.

  That was when he heard a noise. Fear froze him, rooted his feet to the sticky linoleum. Then, with his heart pounding out of his chest, he grabbed the light and slunk into the shadows.

  “Is someone there?”

  That was when he saw the old woman, standing in the doorway, her robe askew and her white hair standing on end. But that wasn’t what held his attention and further immobilized him, causing spittle to gather at the corners of his mouth. She was wielding a sawed-off shotgun.

  “Hey, Don, got a minute?”

  Don pulled up short on the way to his office and whipped around. “What’s up, Red?”

  “I’m about to get some coffee. You want some?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  They made their way into the small kitchen where the smell of fresh coffee filled the air. The thought of partaking made Don’s stomach roil again, but he didn’t say anything. Instead he reached for a cup and filled it, then sat across the table from the artist.

  “What’s up?” Don asked.

  “I’m glad to see you looking better.”

  That comment triggered an alarm inside Don, but he
didn’t let it show. He sat as stoic as possible. “Thanks.”

  “For a while I thought you were about to tip over the edge, and I was worried.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, really. You’ll have to admit that lately your behavior has been pretty squirrelly.”

  “Just some personal problems I had to get straightened out,” Don replied in what he hoped was a nonchalant manner. But his insides were wound tightly.

  “I know your sister—”

  “Have I screwed up somewhere and don’t know it?” Don interrupted. “Is that what this conversation’s all about?”

  Red’s face mirrored his name. Then he muttered, “You know better than that. You’ve been working your ass off like the rest of us and it shows. I just thought maybe you might need someone to vent to.”

  “Since I don’t, I suggest we both get back to work.” Don kept his tone light, though it was hard when his insides were a tangled mess of nerves. He was definitely having difficulty walking that fine line.

  He couldn’t continue to come to work looking like hell one day and a crown prince the next. Today was crown prince day, since he’d managed to buy enough coke to get high. In fact, he felt goddamn superhuman, like he could walk on water.

  “My wife and I are having a little get-together at our house this weekend, a pool party to be exact. I’ve asked Kasey and most of the staff. Are you interested?”

  “Thanks. I’ll let you know.”

  Once he was back in his cubbyhole of an office, Don sat down and opened up a file. But he couldn’t concentrate or remain seated. He was too full of energy. But he knew this euphoric feeling wouldn’t last beyond his money, and that panicked him.

  He wasn’t about to repeat last evening’s desperate move. Hell, he was lucky to be upright and breathing. That crazy old bitch could’ve blown his freaking head off. He lunged out of his chair, sweat pooling in his armpits.

  You would think after he’d had the guts to shoot Shirley at point-blank range, an old lady wouldn’t have held him hostage.

  But she had the gun.

  The only thing that had saved his ass was that she turned out to be almost as blind as she was deaf. When her crackling voice had demanded to know who was there, he’d almost messed in his pants.

  Thank goodness, he’d had enough discipline to remain splayed against the wall without so much as breathing. She had stood there for a few minutes longer, peering into the darkness. Then she’d lowered the gun, and mumbling to herself, turned and went back into the bedroom.

  Trembling, he had snuck out of the house.

  Now, in the light of day, he couldn’t believe he’d actually pulled off that stunt. He wouldn’t have to stoop to that level if he was getting paid more money at the agency, he thought bitterly.

  Suddenly a switch went off in his head, his thoughts turning to Kasey. He’d ask her for a raise. The agency’s financial situation had vastly improved, thanks to his getting out and pounding the concrete. Kasey owed him big time. Besides, she seemed to like him. Even better, he liked her.

  Another thought struck him. Maybe after he’d snorted another high, he’d ask her out. He hadn’t had any since the last time he’d screwed Shirley.

  Wouldn’t that be a hoot if he ended up inside his new boss’s pretty panties. Hell, no telling where that would lead.

  Don’s chuckle burgeoned into full-blown laughter.

  “You have a great kid, Kasey.”

  She hesitated. “I think so, but then I’m prejudiced.”

  “He’s exactly what I needed on this project.”

  “So you two worked through the problems with the Web site.”

  “That we did. It’s up and running great guns.”

  “Good.”

  Kasey felt Tanner’s piercing gaze on her, but she chose to ignore it. If she had her druthers, any discussion about Brock would be off-limits. Under the circumstances, however, that was impossible. She still couldn’t believe how fate had played such a trick on her by bringing Brock and Tanner together.

  Since she didn’t want to raise questions she wasn’t about to answer, then she’d had to keep her mouth shut and endure. Thank goodness, Brock and Nancy had returned to Waco. Until another problem arose, her son was out of harm’s reach. At least where Tanner was concerned.

  “You’re worried about him, aren’t you?”

  “Yes,” she admitted before she thought.

  Once they had finished breakfast, which had gone much smoother than she’d ever imagined it would, and Tanner and Brock had talked business, the kids had piled in the car and headed back to Waco.

  She and Tanner had come to the office where he was in the process of assessing the agency’s latest work on his behalf.

  “I agree he’s much too young to tie himself down to one girl.”

  “I tried to talk some sense into him, but my advice fell on deaf ears.”

  “I’m not surprised. When I was his age, I was as headstrong as they came.”

  Like father, like son.

  “Even if I’d had a mother who gave a damn,” Tanner continued, “I wouldn’t have listened. That’s just part of growing up.”

  “But what if he does something stupid and marries her?”

  “He won’t.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because he respects you.”

  “But he loves her,” Kasey responded from the depths of despair. “Or so he says.”

  “He’s in lust.” Tanner paused, then added in a low, thick voice. “Just like we were.”

  Her stomach bottomed out and her lips parted.

  “Sorry,” he muttered, clearing his throat. “That was out of line.”

  Recovering her composure, she turned her back on him.

  “Kasey, I know how you feel about that night, but until we talk about it,” he stressed, a strident note in his tone, “it’s going to continue to keep us apart.”

  She swung back around. “There’s no us, Tanner.”

  “It doesn’t have to be that way.”

  “Yes, it does.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it just does.”

  “That’s no reason.”

  He closed the distance between them, his eyes burning down into hers. “I’m crazy about you and I think you feel the same way.”

  “No, I don’t,” she denied fiercely.

  He grabbed her and kissed her hard. When he let her go, they were both breathless.

  “Your lips say otherwise,” he said huskily.

  Thirty-Two

  If only he’d stop fingering that mole.

  More to the point, if only she hadn’t accepted Don’s invitation to lunch, she wouldn’t be sitting across the table from him. Kasey shifted her gaze while taking unusually long sips of her iced tea.

  Apparently, when he’d issued the invitation, he had caught her in a weak moment. And she felt sorry for him, too, though she couldn’t say why. Maybe it was the situation with his sister that often made him come to the office looking like he’d been run over by a truck.

  Whatever the reason, she was here and she had to make the most of it. The deli he’d chosen was bursting at the seams inside so they had opted for a table in the outer courtyard in order not to have to wait.

  Now, Kasey was sorry. No amount of lush plants and flowers could detract from the smothering heat.

  “This wasn’t such a great idea, was it?” Don asked.

  She faced him and put her glass down. “I’ll survive,” she said lightly. “You’re the one with the coat and tie on.”

  He shrugged. “I’m okay.”

  They had ordered and were waiting for their salads. It was all she could do not to squirm under his sudden penetrating gaze. She liked Don, though she didn’t know him all that well and didn’t care to. As long as he did his job that was all that mattered.

  “How ’bout some more tea?” he asked eagerly, reaching for the pitcher.

  She held out her glass. “Thanks.”r />
  “I appreciate you doing this.”

  “No problem,” she responded, beginning to feel really weird in addition to experiencing bad vibes.

  The waitress chose that moment to bring their food. They ate in silence for a while, then Kasey pushed her plate aside. Food was the furthest thing from her mind. Ending this ordeal was all she could think of, though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He’d been the epitome of good behavior.

  “Was your food not good?”

  “It was delicious.”

  “You sure? Feel free to order something else.”

  “It’s okay, Don. I’m fine.”

  He flushed as if he realized he was pushing a tad hard. “I guess you’re wondering what’s going on.”

  She gave him a lame smile. “That did cross my mind.”

  “Hey, apparently they’ll let anyone eat here.”

  Kasey spun around, grinning widely, then stood and hugged Ginger. “I’m so glad to see you.”

  “Me, too.” Ginger’s glance landed on Don before coming back to her, a question mark in her eyes.

  Kasey quickly made the introductions. Though Don smiled and held out his hand, he didn’t appear overjoyed at the interruption. But she was delighted.

  “Are you alone?” Kasey asked.

  “Not for long.”

  “Too bad. I was hoping you’d join us. Don and I are just having a boring business lunch.”

  “Thanks. Maybe another time.” Ginger paused. “I’ll call you later.”

  “I’ll talk to you then.”

  Once she had left both Kasey and Don sat back down. For a moment an awkward silence followed.

  Don was the first to break it. “I like you, Kasey, and I think you like me.”

  “That’s true,” she said with cautious reluctance. “I have no complaints with your work.”

  “That’s what I’d hoped to hear.”

  When he didn’t embellish on that statement, she became more confused. What was going on? What did he want? If he had something to say, she wished he’d just spit it out so they could get back to the agency. She didn’t have any more time to waste.