Wiping a tear from her eye, she sat back. “Well, I can see why you don’t like to talk about him. I don’t think Johnny knows about the suicide.”
“He knows, but Dad’s death went on record as an accident. The department managed to keep it quiet, so nobody discusses the matter.”
Nodding, she released a deep breath, causing her hair to flutter away from her forehead. “You’re nothing like your father, Cody. Don’t ever think that you are.”
“I’m glad you feel that way.” He smiled at her, amazed she’d hit on the very thing that had bothered him for too long: that he’d end up bent like his dad. He knew plenty of people in the department waited and watched, thinking the coconut doesn’t fall far from the tree.
She squeezed his hand. “Thanks for telling me. It means a lot.”
He closed his hand over hers, admiring her slender fingers, warmed by her concern. “It’s hard to talk about my dad. I guess I want to bury that part of my life, pretend it never happened.”
“But you can’t,” she said with a nod. “Because he was your father.”
“Right.”
“Believe me, I understand about wanting to pretend the past didn’t happen.”
“I thought you might.”
“Focus on the good times,” she said. “That’s what I try to do. I know there have to be some. And for sure don’t let your father’s mistakes become your own.”
He didn’t respond, thinking it was too bad they couldn’t both start over and leave painful memories behind.
“Don’t you feel better for telling me about it?”
Glancing up, he found her studying his face. “Should I?”
“Whenever I talk to you about my family, I always feel better afterward,” she said. “It’s like...I don’t know, getting rid of a huge weight. At least for a while.”
He knew she wanted him to feel better. Well, hell, maybe he did. He’d known telling her would somehow change things between them. Or maybe his attitude came from being around her. She was obviously pleased he’d shared his secret.
“I always feel good when I’m with you,” he said, surprised to hear his voice so husky, and even more surprised at the truth of his words. “I’m not sure what magic you work on me, Merl, but when I’m around you...” He trailed off, unsure of how much of his feelings to reveal, unsure of how he felt about her. Confused, mostly.
“When you’re around me, what?”
“I’m in big trouble.” Always wanting to believe her, wanting to trust her, but always hearing his lieutenant’s warnings in the back of his head. Warnings he’d chosen to ignore but couldn’t quite manage to forget.
“Big trouble, huh?” she murmured.
“Yeah.”
She grinned that heart-stopping smile. “Me, too.”
Her gaze dropped to his mouth, and she nibbled at her lower lip. He ached to feel the nip of her white teeth against his flesh. He knew he’d forget everything with the taste of her quick tongue in his mouth.
Her chest rose and fell with a deep inhalation. “Why couldn’t you be my guard tonight? Why does someone else have to come?”
His groin tightened at her soft, wistful words. “Not a good idea, Merl.”
Their eyes met. “I think it is,” she said in a seductive whisper.
“But remember I’m the detective with more training.”
Eyes narrowing, she shifted away from him.
“Hey, that was a joke,” he said, catching her hand. “I can’t stay with you because my lieutenant won’t let me.” Cody groaned inwardly. What would Merl think if she knew Montoya considered her a suspect?
Wrinkling her nose, she said, “Your lieutenant is a pain in the ass.”
He pulled her against his chest and nuzzled her hair. “You must know that I’d rather stay.”
“And how would I know that?”
How would she know it? She couldn’t know that his heart squeezed every time he saw her, or how he thought about her when they were apart, that he’d placed his career in jeopardy by trusting her. Merl had gotten under his skin like no other woman ever had.
How could she know when he was with her he felt like he’d come home? He didn’t understand that emotion himself.
“Because I’m telling you,” he said.
With a sigh, she wrapped her arm around his waist. “Hurry up and catch Neville Feldman. D.J. isn’t feeling well. I need to get out of here and help him.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Dismissing thoughts that Merl could be in league with her client, they shared a smile interrupted by two knocks at the front door. Cody stepped to the window to confirm the arrival of her bodyguard for the night.
After making brief introductions, Cody stepped into the humid midnight air. He turned, looking back to catch a final glimpse of Merl, and found himself staring into huge gray eyes begging him not to leave. The closing door cut off his view of her face.
He heaved a deep breath as he glanced around, checking out the surroundings for the tenth time, searching for something unusual, anything out of the ordinary for ten o’clock on a weeknight.
No traffic. No citizens around but one fortyish Hispanic woman walking her boxer. Cody listened hard and could barely discern the sound of a television program in the house next door. Sounded like early news.
Definitely a quiet neighborhood, similar to hundreds of residential areas in the South Florida area. Montoya’s team had chosen the location for the safe house well.
Yeah, then why did he feel so strangely disquieted? He moved toward his car wondering why he didn’t want to leave. He’d told Merl she’d be safe here. Why didn’t he believe it himself?
He paused. Well, no. Maybe he didn’t. Merl wasn’t exactly high on Montoya’s list of best-loved suspects. His lieutenant hadn’t assigned a specially trained unit to protect her. Hell, her guards were old men, officers treading water on the job until cashing in their first retirement check. Honest men, all of them, no question. Good officers.
But how proactive would any of them be if Neville Feldman burst through the front door with a team of his own intent on eliminating Merlene?
If woken out of a sound sleep, he doubted Johnny could draw his weapon in time to even protect himself.
Cody glanced back to the house. He knew how these assignments worked. With only one guard on duty, on the night shift there would definitely be some dozing. Human nature. Plus, no one truly expected an attempt on Merl. Montoya was performing his due diligence just in case.
But what if Feldman really did have accomplices in the area? What if the leak in the department had communicated the location of the safe house?
Cody rotated his left shoulder then leaned over to survey his front seat. Looked like a great place to spend the night. He’d spent many an hour on long, lonely stakeouts in this fine police vehicle. He could do it again.
He opened the driver’s side door, deciding to grab some coffee at the closest fast-food joint, maybe even a burger. It was a long time before morning.
He’d be back within minutes and remain until the guards changed shift. Then he could catch an hour or so of sleep, take a hot shower before going in to the office.
He’d promised Merlene she’d be safe. He intended to make damn sure he kept that promise.
* * *
THE NEXT AFTERNOON Merlene dipped a spoon into chicken noodle soup and decided she was going as stir-crazy as the tasteless noodles. She’d spent the morning catching up on her reading for class and hoping Cody would call. He hadn’t. She couldn’t reach D.J. since he was out in the field doing her surveillance work. She hadn’t heard a human voice all morning except a few mumbles from Arturo, today’s guard. Regretting her lack of female friends, she wished she had someone to talk to.
Her excitement for the day had been watching Arturo
open a can, dump the contents into a bowl and slide it into the microwave. Instant lunch. Exactly the way her mother used to make it. At least this wasn’t tomato. After so many cans of tomato soup, she couldn’t stand the stuff.
Steam rose from the thin broth, making her wish she had some of the delicious homemade soup Cody’s sister had sent via Cody to her stakeout. What was her name? Annie. What was her last name? Merlene thought back to the brother-in-law’s fishing cabin in the woods. She’d seen the name there. Gallahan? No. Gallagher. That was it. Mark Gallagher.
Merlene glanced at the phone on the wall. She ought to give Annie Gallagher a call and thank her for such a yummy meal. Maybe Annie would give her the recipe. And maybe she could learn something about Cody.
Directory assistance gave her the number in less than a minute. Annie answered with a cheery hello on the third ring.
“Hi,” Merlene said, momentarily at a loss. She’d done this so spontaneously, she hadn’t planned what to say to the woman. “I’m a friend of Cody’s,” she blurted. “My name is Merlene Saunders.”
“Of course,” Annie said. “I saw you at Charlie’s game last week. How are you?”
“To tell you the truth, Cody’s got me stashed in what he calls a safe house, and I’m going a bit nuts.”
Annie laughed. Merlene liked the sound. Cody’s sister had a nice, open laugh.
“I heard,” Annie said. “Is it a male fantasy to keep their girlfriends locked away from the world?”
Merlene’s cheeks warmed at the idea of being Cody’s girlfriend. “I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe.”
“Definitely make him pay for it when you get out.”
“Any idea on how to do that?”
“We’ll think of something,” Annie said. “In the meantime, is there anything I can do to help?”
“Well, actually, I was calling to thank you for that fabulous soup you sent with Cody. You’re a great cook.”
“You’re very welcome.”
“Do you share recipes?” Merlene asked, feeling a bit awkward, realizing this was a first. Never in her life had she asked anyone for a recipe. It wasn’t so much that she didn’t cook, but she’d never had the opportunity to actually make friends to ask. Not while hiding from the authorities as a kid, not waiting tables in Branson when underage and certainly not with the snooty wives of Peter’s colleagues. She doubted they cooked much, anyway.
“The secret is enough garlic,” Annie confided. “Have you got a pen handy?”
As Annie talked, Merlene jotted down ingredients. She found Cody’s sister easy to talk to, maybe because she liked to talk about Cody. Merlene couldn’t help but notice the affection in Annie’s voice and that she was worried about her brother. Merl thought of her own brother and wondered what it would be like to have a sister.
When Arturo entered the kitchen with a questioning look, Merlene told Annie she had to go. “Thanks. You’ve really cheered me up.”
“Call me anytime.”
* * *
CODY ARRIVED AT the safe house that evening with ice cream, a DVD and the intention to have a serious discussion with Merlene.
Thanks to his mom, he’d grown up immersed in the code of the Old West, and he intended to start Merlene’s education. No one should go through life without a thorough understanding of trail drives, wagon trains and gunfights over honor. And afterward, they would talk.
Montoya’s doubts were driving him crazy. He wanted to make sure in his own mind that she wasn’t involved in any sort of shady business with Pat.
“The Magnificent Seven?” Smiling, Merlene raised sparkling eyes to meet his. She’d pulled her hair back with a clip, giving her face a fragile appearance. She wore a cobalt-blue blouse that had grabbed his attention in her closet.
“What’s it about?” she asked.
“You’ll love it,” Johnny said. “My all-time favorite movie.” He grabbed the disk and shoved it into the slot of the DVD player.
Merlene raised her brows as Cody sat next to her on the couch.
Damn. He’d expected Johnny to leave so he could have a few hours alone with Merl. He needed to talk to her, reassure himself about her honesty.
“Uh, Johnny, you can go on home now. I’ll wait here with Merlene for—”
“I appreciate that, Cody, but Cora is at some crazy yoga class tonight.” Johnny relaxed in the brown leather recliner and raised the remote. “So I got nothing better to do than enjoy this movie with you two.”
He adjusted the volume as soaring music sounded and the opening credits began. “But you don’t have to stay if you got things to do. Merlene and I get along just fine.” He winked at Merlene. “I let her beat me at cards.”
She laughed. “Yeah, right, Johnny.” Catching Cody’s eye again, she shrugged.
Cursing the old-timer’s apparent intention to hang around, Cody loosened his tie and sat back. Merlene grinned at him, seeming to know exactly what he was thinking. He shook his head. No way to get rid of her guard.
Maybe it was for the best. Being alone with Merl would prove a difficult temptation, seeing as how he wanted nothing more than to kiss her into eager arousal, peel away her clothing and feel the way she came unglued when he made love to her. He shifted, vividly remembering the night in the cabin.
Her uninhibited enjoyment of their lovemaking had resonated deep inside him, her passion pulling him with her to a place that he’d long wanted to visit, a place where love could easily grow and flourish.
What the hell was wrong with him, thinking about making love to her? Merlene was a suspect, a woman full of puzzles—like how she didn’t behave like an experienced woman who’d been married for years. She acted more like someone new to lovemaking. Could it all be an act? What could she hope to gain?
His cooperation, he realized, if she were involved in murder. Suspicion made him unsure how to act around her. He hated that.
And now she was sitting too damn close. Close enough that he smelled the citrus scent of her shampoo, felt the slight movement of her chest with the rise and fall of each breath. He wanted to touch her more than he wanted to breathe. Knowing that she wanted him just as much didn’t make his desire any easier to control.
Or was that all an act, too?
He tried to watch the movie but instead watched Merlene twirl a lock of hair around her finger. He imagined the hair against his palm, soft, silky, smooth. She caught him staring and dropped her hand. Smiling, she laced her fingers into his and squeezed.
He returned his attention to the television screen. He couldn’t just sit here and gawk at her, but damn if he didn’t want to. With regret, he disengaged their hands.
How vulnerable was he to Merlene? He needed to watch himself. He was a seasoned detective. He knew how to handle himself around suspects.
The initial findings from the crime lab indicated the video had not been altered, but even after Cody reported he’d found nothing in Merlene’s home, Montoya refused to dismiss the possibility that she might be dirty, that the whole recording might be a setup.
Cody wondered if his decision to trust Merlene would come back and kick him in the ass. Of course, that would only happen if she turned out to be guilty.
He glanced at her again, wishing he could banish the questions that played with his head.
His partner hadn’t yet found anyone to vouch for Pat Johnson’s whereabouts the night of the murder. Plus, Merlene’s client had already filed a claim for the life insurance policy on her husband. Still, so far the investigation hadn’t turned up any concrete evidence linking either Pat or Merl to any murders. God knew he wanted to trust her, but—
Johnny flipped up the recliner and paused the DVD with one fluid motion. “Bathroom break,” he said, disappearing into the hall.
“I wish I’d never rented that movie,” Cody mutter
ed when the door to the bath latched.
Her dimples deepened in two smooth cheeks. “He would have stayed anyway. I think your lieutenant told him to.” She kissed him quickly, lightly, on his mouth. “I guess I’m a bad influence.”
He stopped her before she could move away, holding her mouth close to his with a hand on the back of her neck. With his other hand, he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. His eyes searched hers. If he only understood what lay hidden in those mysterious gray shadows.
She stretched her graceful neck and closed her eyes. “Don’t,” she whispered. “It only makes it worse.”
His gaze traveled a sensuous line from her beckoning lips and got lost in the opening of her blouse. Her chest rose and fell agonizingly close to his, the creamy skin flushed pink. As he hardened, he fought the need to crush her to him and never let go.
He tensed when the toilet flushed.
The tip of her tongue flicked moisture quickly across her lips.
Cody stood and moved into the kitchen to scoop chocolate-chip ice cream and hide behind the counter until he got himself under control.
He was about to cross a line here. The distrust was tearing him apart, the doubt constantly creeping into his thoughts, wondering if Merl was being honest with him. He couldn’t stay away from her, even though he knew he should.
While she remained in the safe house, he’d keep their relationship on a strictly professional level. She’d notice the difference, of course, and call him on it. He jammed the spoon deep into the soft ice cream. That was Merlene. She wouldn’t back down.
It’d help if he’d quit coming in to see her at night. He’d just wait out in his car while he kept watch. She need never know. He’d fill her in on the latest case developments during the afternoon. Even better, maybe he’d phone in any reports to her, force himself to stay away from her completely.
She’d be pissed, but it was for the best. He met her questioning gaze and tried to smile. In his heart he still didn’t believe she was dirty, but Montoya was convinced, and he had to respect that. God, but he hoped the man was wrong.
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