by Nina Bruhns
He nodded slowly. “I see.” He put his hands on his hips. “This is about that woman’s picture, isn’t it?”
She narrowed her eyes. “No. Why would it be about her?”
“It spooked you. Bad. Talk to me. What are you afraid of, Luce?”
“Nothing.” She set her jaw. “And it’s really none of your business, anyway.”
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “All right. Whatever. See you around.” With that, he turned on his boot heel and made for the Jeep.
She watched him, a riot of emotions surging through her. Emotions that would do neither of them any good. There was no place in a life like hers for a man. Not even one like Philip.
Especially not one like Philip.
She stepped back through the door and closed it. But she couldn’t get her feet to move away. Dropping the briefcase on the floor, she leaned her forehead against the door frame.
Her mother’s words came rushing back to her, echoing in her head. Promise me you won’t push Philip away.
Silently, she groaned. Damn her mother’s meddling, anyway.
Damn, damn, damn.
Luce yanked the door open again, and called, “Philip, wait!”
He was about to climb in the Jeep, but paused in the motion, looking none too happy.
She meant to walk, but her feet had other ideas. They ran to him as fast as they could. She threw her arms around him, hugging his stiff torso close.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ll miss you.”
She felt him loosen up, just a little. “I’ll miss you, too.” But she could hear the reluctance in his tone.
“And thanks.” She looked up. “For checking on me.”
She gave him a kiss. She hadn’t meant to do that, either, but her mouth was just as disobedient as her feet. And it lasted a lot longer than she intended.
After a moment he deepened the kiss. Catching her up in his arms, he made a sound deep in his throat, a cross between a purr and a growl. It made her insides shiver.
Her head told her to pull away from him. She couldn’t.
Wordlessly his mouth showed her everything she wouldn’t let him say aloud. That he was there for her, for whatever she needed. That he’d listen. And take care of her.
Which scared her even more than the picture of the woman had done.
“Don’t go tomorrow,” he murmured. “Whatever’s wrong, I’ll fix it.”
“Nothing’s wrong,” she insisted, confused as hell. “I’m just…”
“A chicken?” he suggested with the barest hint of a smile.
“And you’re a smart-aleck,” she softly retorted, pushing at his chest.
He just held her fast, regarding her hopefully. “Don’t go. At least wait until we’ve chased down this plane angle. We could still find Clyde.”
She closed her eyes, feeling his strong arms hold her, the warmth of his breath caressing her temple. The sensual scratch of his beard on her cheek, which she loved most of all.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, and kissed him one last time. “I can’t do this. Any of it. I have to go.”
Before she could change her mind, she slid from his embrace and ran for the door.
“What about your perfect record?” he called after her. “Your professional reputation? What about that P.I. business you wanted so badly?”
She shook her head vehemently, turning for one last look as she went inside. “None of that matters. Goodbye, Philip.”
She slammed the door behind her and leaned her back against it, fighting to keep her composure.
There. That wasn’t so hard. Cut all ties. That’s what had to be done, and she’d done it. It was all good. Now she was free to continue her life the way she liked it. The way she wanted it. There’d be other skips and other paychecks. No hurry for the P.I. business.
There’d be other men, too. Maybe not as perfect as Philip. Maybe not as handsome or sexy. Or as tuned in to her every need.
She took a deep breath to calm herself, and nearly cried when the sagey, piney smell of New Mexico invaded her senses. That wild, piquant, strange-familiar scent that she’d come to associate so intimately with Philip and his wild, piquant kisses.
The sooner she got out of this state the better. Because she’d never be able to smell its exotic scent without wanting Philip O’Donnaugh.
But giving in to those impossible feelings would do nothing but wreak disaster on her life.
She marched to the bathroom and grabbed the can of lavender-scented air freshener under the sink and sprayed it liberally throughout the motel room. If she couldn’t smell sage and pine, maybe she’d forget Philip. And if she forgot him, she might actually have a prayer of driving off tomorrow morning and leaving this place far behind, forever.
And maybe, after about a thousand cans of the stuff, eventually she’d spray away the memory of him completely.
Over his dead body.
Exhausted, Philip rolled into bed earlier than usual that night. Alone.
Damn! He wanted Luce with him.
No way he’d let her leave town before getting her here at least once. Preferably about a hundred times.
What the hell had happened tonight? Why her sudden urgency to get out of town?
It was because of what Ted had told her. That’s when it had all started, when she’d seen the uncanny resemblance between her and Maria Hidalgo. Something about that woman had triggered Luce’s desire to flee. It was weird.
It was also weird that Ted’s old murder case was connected to their two new cases by none other than good old Clyde Tafota.
Philip grimaced in the dark. He should set aside his mind-numbing craving for Luce and instead try to untangle the growing knot of coincidences surrounding Clyde. Attempt to make some sense out of them. If he found those answers, he’d have the ammunition to get her to stay with him. At least long enough to track down Clyde.
He closed his eyes, struggling to relax and do his job, to do what he did best.
Unfortunately, try as he might, nothing came to him. Hell, even if he could concentrate, he realized he just didn’t have enough facts to make the puzzle pieces fit.
Tomorrow he’d take a drive down to Hidalgo Industries in Santa Fe, dig around a little there. See if anything popped up about Clyde and that missing plane. He couldn’t imagine Tafota was involved in stealing military weapons technology, but hey, he would never have pegged him as being involved in a robbery or a St. Louis drug shooting, either.
Yeah, tomorrow that’s what he’d do. But before hitting the road south, he had one other stop to make first. At the Lakeview Motel.
He thought about the handcuffs hanging from his rearview mirror and set his jaw determinedly. He’d hate to use them on her. He really would.
But he had no intention of leaving her behind for this little excursion. She’d just have to wait another day to make her escape.
Tomorrow she was going nowhere—not without him.
The next morning on the way to the motel, Philip prayed Luce hadn’t taken off at the crack of dawn. Well, actually, it still was the crack of dawn. He wasn’t taking any chances.
He patted the back waistband of his uniform slacks, where he’d clipped the handcuffs.
She’d still be there. She had to be.
“Ready?” he asked without preamble when she answered on his second knock. Better to play this cool.
She eyed him and his full uniform warily. “Come to arrest me?”
She was already up, dressed in jeans and a sleek red sweater, and her suitcase and briefcase were sitting by the door. He’d gotten there just in time.
“I thought we’d drive down to Santa Fe today,” he said removing his hat, “and pay Hidalgo Industries a visit.”
“Philip, I told you I was leaving this morning.”
“You didn’t mean it,” he informed her implacably.
“Is that so?”
He walked past her into the middle of the room, turned and regarded her, hands o
n hips. “That’s right.”
She licked her lips. He could tell he’d surprised her this time.
He decided to go the logical route. “You keep saying you’re not afraid. Of me or that newspaper photo. If that’s really the case, then why run away?”
“I’m not running away.”
He hiked his brows at her packed suitcase. Standing in the doorway, she mirrored his hands-on-hips stance—though hers lacked the added authority of his side-holstered pistol.
“Look. This is a perfectly reasonable business decision. It has nothing to do with you, or a twenty-eight-year-old murder.”
“No? Seems to me the guy you’re hunting is still at large. And we just got a major clue to tracking him down. What part of that is not running away?”
They stared at each other for a long moment. He got the depressing feeling he was going to lose this discussion. Luce was not a woman easily pushed or intimidated. Not that he was trying to do either.
Okay, maybe he was trying to do both, but he couldn’t help himself. He wanted her too badly.
Just then her cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her back pocket. “Yeah?” she said without taking her eyes off his.
After a few seconds she said, “Still on the milk carton. He may have a plane and skipped the country.”
For a minute or two she listened wordlessly to what the caller was saying. Philip figured it was her boss with some kind of update.
She had a pretty good poker face. If he hadn’t been watching so carefully he’d have totally missed the flash of reluctance, then disgruntled acceptance that zipped across her face.
“Okay, Arthur,” she finally said, jaw tight. “I’ll let you know.”
Good old Arthur. Philip wanted to hug the man.
“Shall we?” he asked, strolling back to her. He held the door open as she snatched up her briefcase, then closed and locked it securely behind them before getting the Jeep door for her.
She looked angry.
No, it wasn’t anger. More like worry…creeping toward panic.
Secretly, he smiled to himself. Panic was good. Because he knew damned well she wasn’t the type to feel panicked about her job. Her job was her life. So only one thing he could figure, it must be him she felt panicked about.
Because she wanted him as much as he wanted her. And she’d just lost her best chance for escape.
Oh, yeah. She was as good as his.
“So. Hidalgo Industries,” she said as she tossed her briefcase in the back and stowed her weapon in the strong box. One thing about the woman, she bounced back quickly. “You’ve got a plan?”
He turned the Jeep south. “We need to find out the connection between the missing plane and Clyde. If the Hidalgo people think he took it. His possible motive, destination, etcetera.”
“Right.” She leaned her head on the seat back.
“Bad phone call?” he ventured after a bit, curious as to what had changed her mind. He was man enough to admit it hadn’t been him. This time.
She puffed out a breath. “My boss calling to remind me there are only four days left before he has to pay out on Clyde’s forfeited bail.”
“How much?”
“Thirty-five thousand.”
“Ouch.” Philip put two and two together. “And he’s counting on you to save his skin.”
“I don’t get paid, either, if I don’t bring Clyde in before the deadline. Besides, I hate letting Arthur down. He’s like family to me.”
That last would neatly explain why she was still here. And the worried look on her face. “I trust it works both ways.”
“It does.”
“Good.” Hopefully more like a kindly uncle than a kissing cousin. Better yet, a portly grandfather.
Philip glanced at his watch, shaking off a momentary stab of jealousy. “It’s still pretty early. I thought we could stop in Taos for breakfast.”
She rolled her head and gave him a dry smile. “Good thing we’re doing so much walking on this case, or I’d gain about a hundred pounds the way you’re feeding me all the time.”
“I like feeding you,” he admitted. The memory of her eating from his fork last night drifted through his body, making his throat ache. “I suppose it’s a guy thing.”
She chuckled. “You Tarzan, me Jane?”
“Something like that.” He slanted her a look. “Don’t you like me taking care of you?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Why not?”
Her gaze slid downward, avoiding his. “I should take care of myself. I’m perfectly capable, you know.”
“Yeah, I know. But…?”
Her tone turned reluctant. “It’s kind of nice. As a change.” She lifted a shoulder. “And you seem so determined to do it.”
He checked his side mirror to hide his smile. “Then why not enjoy it? What’s the problem?”
She studied her feet. “I’m worried about what you want from me in return.”
“You mean your body?”
Her eyes widened at his bluntness.
He reached out and took her hand, bringing it to his lips. “Luce, if you share your body with me, I want it to be because you want to,” he said. “Not because you feel obligated. I’m not like that.”
“I know you’re not,” she said, and fell silent.
He didn’t push it, because he believed she really did know that about him. And, despite his earlier handcuff fantasies, he truly wanted her to make up her own mind. He just wanted her to choose to be with him.
He didn’t know what he’d do if she decided not to. He may have to reconsider those cuffs….
He wasn’t too worried, though.
After all, he had the whole day to convince her.
Chapter 8
Having a plan always made life easier.
Too bad Philip couldn’t formulate a rational one concerning Luce Montgomery.
After breakfast they sped toward Santa Fe and their appointment with Hidalgo Industries. As he drove, Philip waffled between two different options. Option one: mount an all-out campaign of seduction on Luce, or option two: take his time and insinuate himself deeper into her feelings, eventually winning her that way.
The last option was probably the more honorable, but he might not have enough time to make it work. They could find Clyde in the meantime, or she could change her mind again and leave at any moment.
Not to mention the fact that he’d tried that strategy before, with the woman back in California, and it had backfired on him big-time. Her new lover had used the first option and succeeded in just two days, where it had taken Philip months to fail miserably at the second.
He was even less certain what he’d do with Luce’s feelings if he actually managed to swing them in his favor. The very least he could do was take them seriously.
Was he ready to get serious with a woman again? Any woman? To take the chance that once again it might all go south? Nurse another broken heart as he watched her wave and take off to parts unknown at the next emotional crisis?
The whole thing scared the scrap out of him. Maybe seduction was the way to go, after all.
Yeah, option one. Seduction was the best plan.
Philip had deliberately worn his full-blown police uniform to this interview because Hidalgo Industries was used to dealing with the military, and regardless of his qualifications they would probably disregard a law enforcement official wearing jeans and a T-shirt. He also thought it might offset any misgivings they had for him bringing along a bounty hunter on an official inquiry.
He just hoped going to Hidalgo Industries wouldn’t upset Luce any more than she already was about Maria Hidalgo. With any luck, they’d run into some of the rest of the family, and she’d see for herself any resemblance was purely coincidental, putting to rest any residual worries she might still harbor about that.
And if not… Hell, he’d just have to ask Ted to look at the lost toddler situation a bit more carefully. He didn’t believe the little girl could possibl
y have survived, let alone have ended up in St. Louis. But he knew crazier things had happened in this world.
The uniform strategy worked. They got in immediately to see Senior Vice President Anna Hidalgo.
He could see Luce was trying not to stare, but was having a hard time of it. Anna Hidalgo was younger than he’d expected for a VP, maybe midthirties, and dressed in an expensive-looking business suit that had to have come from New York, if not Paris.
She also had light-brown hair.
After introductions she ushered them into her plush office, and said, slightly puzzled, “Please, have a seat. This is about our missing Beechcraft airplane? I thought the Taos County Sheriff was handling the case.”
“Well, we’re actually here about the airplane’s mechanic, Clyde Tafota.” Philip quickly outlined what he and Luce were after. “And we’re interested in your opinion as to whether Mr. Tafota was involved in the theft of your plane.”
Anna Hidalgo leaned back in her stylish office chair and steepled her fingers. Philip didn’t see a striking resemblance between her and Luce, but they didn’t look strikingly different, either. He wondered what relation the VP was to the dead woman.
“Naturally, we believe the shipment of missile guidance chips was the real target of the thieves,” she said, “and the plane just went along for the ride, if you will.”
“How bulky was the shipment?” Philip asked.
“There were four packing boxes of components, each measuring two feet by two feet.”
“Were they heavy?”
She tipped her head. “About twelve pounds each. Why?”
He glanced at Luce. His gaze seemed to jerk her out of some disagreeable inner thought. “Not very big or heavy,” she remarked, surprising him that she’d actually been following the conversation.
“No,” he agreed, and turned back to Ms. Hidalgo. He’d better keep the lead. Luce looked like she was about to bolt at any second. “Those cartons would be easily transportable without taking the plane,” he observed.