“Yes.” David told him. “But there’s not much you can do with it unless he’s at home, so I thought I’d check it out first and let you know.” David eyed his friend. Dan paused and considered the proposition.
“Good idea. By the way, Rick already spoke with the mayor. You’ve been given a reprieve, but he made it clear the future of the program is entirely resting on this case.”
“So what does this all mean?” Grace looked from one man to the other. David caressed her back to reassure her with his award-winning smile in place.
“For you, it means nothing. But thanks to your positive identification, as soon as we find the man Dan can bring him in and charge him, and hold him for a long time to question him.”
“Is the case wrapped up then?” She looked excited.
“No,” he and Dan spoke at the same time.
“Oh.” She deflated.
“We’ll need more evidence to attach him to the murder.” He didn’t mention the rest of the smuggling organization that they needed to find and deal with. “Did the crime scene guys get anything?” David asked Dan. Dan shook his head.
“I didn’t think they would. Everything points to a professional operation. Oscar is right that Arturo is…not alone.” He had to choose his words carefully. “Probably hired someone to kill Lester,” David said, and Dan grunted in understanding.
“Oh,” Grace said with knitted brows. “Then how are we going to catch them?”
David caught an alarmed look on Dan’s face and gently turned Grace to finally go out the door. With a kind voice he told her.
“You aren’t going to catch anyone. Your help has been invaluable, but now it’s up to the police.”
They stepped into the hall and he punched the down button for the elevator.
“And you. You’re still in charge of the case,” she said, but she didn’t sound too happy.
“Yes, I am. I suppose I should count Oscar as my consultant—maybe I’ll pay him a fee for his services,” he said and stepped into the elevator with Grace, still holding her proprietarily with his hand on her lower back. He intended to keep his hand there for the duration. He vowed never to be farther than arm’s length from her until this mad soccer player was caught. He smiled into her upturned face with the lovely almost pout on her lips. He supposed he should be concerned about why she might be pouting, but he was too bemused by the picture she made to care—for the moment.
“If you’re still on the case, then I am,” she said and folded her arms. “And maybe you should put me on the payroll as a consultant too—after all, I found Lester Lump and Dr. Doris for you, didn’t I?”
“And all this time I thought you were helping for the pure enjoyment of it,” he said. She bopped his arm.
“I was—I am. I don’t really want to get paid. I just want to be appreciated. After all, you have to admit, I’ve contributed to the case. Haven’t I?”
He had no chance to do more than nod in agreement before she continued.
“I don’t want to be shut out now,” she said. The elevator doors opened and he guided her out, back to the street and to her parked car, which, he was astounded to see, did not have a parking ticket on it.
“Home, James,” he told her as he opened her door for her to get in, all the while his eyes sweeping the area for anything or anyone out of place. He quickly got in his side.
“Well?” she whispered the word and didn’t bother starting the car. He realized he would not be able to gloss over the danger. She was too smart.
“You can’t be involved with the case any longer. You’re not a trained professional, and it’s gotten very serious and dangerous.” He kept his voice firm without any gentling of the nasty truth. His smile was automatic.
She didn’t speak for a moment, but her face spoke volumes. He was not surprised to see not an inkling of fear. She was concerned and adoring and serious.
“I repeat, if you’re in danger, then I’m with you,” she said in the same soft whisper as before with no hint of flirtation or fluff.
“That’s actually my line, sweetheart. You are in danger. So I’ll be sticking with you—literally. You may consider me your bodyguard.” He reached over and turned the key in the ignition for her, winked and put his seatbelt on.
“Home, James,” he said again. She hadn’t said more but opened her mouth, which then formed a slow smile. He had a feeling she’d be okay with him as her bodyguard. He reminded himself to redouble his efforts to not take romantic advantage of the situation. She was far too vulnerable. And Oscar would kill him.
Chapter 15
THEY walked into his townhouse to the sound of loud equipment, the clanking of pipes and several men shouting, cussing and otherwise carrying on. David banged the door closed and preceded Grace into the hall toward the bathroom, motioning for her to stay put. He shouted to the men, announcing his presence, and some of the noise stopped. One of the men followed him back down the hall, where they found Grace sitting on the barstool at the kitchen counter with a perky smile on her face and one long shapely leg crossed over the other.
“Hi, Frankie. How’s the job going?”
“On schedule. We start on the kitchen tomorrow. Should be out in two days,” Frankie said.
David didn’t know how Frankie found the strength to tear his eyes from the vision of Grace, but he did and turned to David. “Can you find somewhere else to stay until then or will you be back to sleep here at night? I can have the fellers clean up a bit for you and turn the water on at night for the kitchen faucet…”
“No, that won’t be necessary.” He looked at Grace with anticipation on his face.
“Mr. Young has a place to stay,” she confirmed. She glanced at David and then caught him in the pull of her gaze. Frankie looked back and forth between them. It was not David’s imagination that the very air had become heavy with anticipation.
“Okay, then. I’ll get back to work.” Frankie took off back down the hall.
“I, uh, need to check…” Grace slid from the stool, still with her eyes on David. He nodded and watched the sway of her shapely hips as she walked down the hall. He didn’t know what she was checking—probably something to do with decorating. Brilliant detective work, he chided himself. He used the moment to reign himself back in and resolved to sleep on her couch no matter what.
David was alarmed to find, upon walking in Grace’s door to the yapping greeting of Noodles, that the only place to sleep in her entire apartment was on her couch. He hadn’t realized she lived in a tiny studio—not far from him. He realized she was talking to him as she fluffed Noodles’s fur and picked him up to cuddle him close to her breast. Lucky dog.
“I pay extra for the parking, but I’m lucky to have it. This is a perfect location even if it is tiny.” She grinned at him and waved an elegant, creamy-skinned arm around as she spun in a circle. “My place.”
“It has charm, naturally. As everything associated with you must.” He meant it, taking it all in and forcing the professional in him to take over. The worst thing about her apartment was its accessibility by fire escape, even though it was on the top floor. It had an abundance of windows. That may be great for the sunlight and escaping from fires, but it was bad for security. The décor was colorful, bright and warm and made him smile, like she did. He could see everything except the bathroom from where he stood in the middle of the room. He could probably not walk more than ten paces in any direction without hitting a wall.
“Would you like to see my roof deck before taking a shower?”
“Perfect,” he said, but he meant anything but. One more point of entry for a potential security breach. He followed her to a door, up some narrow stairs and out another door onto a small cedar roof deck. Wrought iron railings surrounded a charming compact space complete with seating, table and a grill. There wasn’t much room for walking around, but he checked the perimeter and was pleased to find the likelihood of access from other rooftops to be remote.
“Lovely. Like ev
erything about your home—and about you,” he said. He knew he’d said too much when he heard her breath catch. She stood no more than a foot away. He stepped closer so that he was almost touching her. He drew his arm around her and pressed her in.
“I’m glad you like it,” she said in the most breathy voice he’d ever heard.
“How could I not? I am very serious about protecting you, Grace. It’s no secret that I’m rather…fond of you. Even if Oscar is right and I’m too old for you, I believe you are precious and deserve a lifetime of love and happiness. I am making it my mission to see that you have that.” With someone else, he thought. But he wasn’t courageous enough to say those words out loud right now.
She tilted her head up and pressed her lips to his. They were pliant and moist and the scent of her was heady enough to cause him to part his mouth in return, to taste her at length. Her satisfied sigh mingled with his and he felt his blood temperature rising at the soft sound. This was the time to regain control and remember his promise not to take advantage of her affections.
Of course, he thought, it would be decidedly helpful if she were to refrain from taking advantage of his affections. He gently separated himself from her and took a deep breath of the sooty rooftop air.
“That was intoxicating,” she said in that new whisper that was bound to drive him crazy. He knew better than to lecture her about how they mustn’t do it again because they were all wrong for each other. Even thinking those thoughts made the notion seem silly, much as he knew how serious the problem really was. So he went for a different tack.
“I now know why Oscar is so smitten with you. But we’ll have to behave lest he have a fit of jealousy.” He held her arms and kept them separated. It didn’t stop him from feeling her heat or stop him from wanting to lift her from her feet and carry her down to her, er, couch.
“Oscar and I have been over for a long time,” she said with a smile. It was as if she knew he was casting for an excuse.
“That may well be, but it won’t stop him from feeling jealous. Besides, I’m on the job and I’d prefer to behave professionally. If you don’t mind,” he said. It was his turn to smile. “I believe I’ll take that shower now.” He turned and waited for her at the door to the stairs back down into her tiny room. It couldn’t even be called an apartment.
“I bet,” she said and walked by him, arching her brow and swaying her hips as she climbed down the stairs before him. What sweet torture, he was thinking when he heard her dog yapping as they re-entered the room.
“What is it, Noodles?” She knelt before the bouncing dog as if it were going to answer her.
“Does your dog get excited randomly or might there be a disturbance I should check out? Never mind, I’ll look around and check anyway,” he said.
“She’s way too excitable for her own good—kind of like me.” Grace stood, holding the boisterous pooch. “Noodles, calm down before the landlord finds out about you,” she said.
“What?” David stopped mid-step. He’d been on his way to a window, but he couldn’t possibly have heard correctly.
“What what?” she answered.
“You don’t want your landlord to know about Noodles?” he asked. He was incredulous on two points. “Aren’t you allowed to have dogs here? And aren’t you at least the owner of this tiny space? I’d assumed you were a homeowner,” he finished lamely.
“No and no. No dogs and I don’t own—I’m waiting to put down my real roots when I get married someday and begin a family of my own.” She didn’t meet his eyes.
It was the proverbial lead in the pit of one’s stomach, the ender of all conversations about them as a couple. She was still waiting to start her life, and he was looking to wind his down. If there were ever two people more like trains passing in the night—well, then he felt sorry for those other two people.
He checked all the windows and doors and all looked well.
“No landlords lurking or any other dangerous types. Maybe you should get a muzzle for Noodles.” He came and sat on the couch next to her.
“Are you ready for your shower now?”
“I’m well past ready—you’ll have to forgive my earthiness.” He sat back into the cushions. “I suppose this couch pulls out and doubles as your bed?”
“I usually sleep on it the way it is. But tonight I’m unfolding it for you.” There was a decided sparkle of mischief in her eyes.
“You’re a very dangerous young woman. Didn’t you just say you were saving yourself for your husband to be?”
“Not exactly. But that’s a very interesting interpretation of my words.” She folded her arms across her ample chest. He couldn’t help dwelling and shook his head.
“I believe I will have that shower now. Show me the way.” He stood. She merely pointed toward one of the doors.
“I’ll get us some dinner while you’re cooling off,” she said without moving.
“This should be fun. Like playing house when we were kids.” He ducked into the bathroom. It was surprisingly roomy for such a small apartment. Luckily.
Once she got her heart pounding under control, she managed to rush to the kitchen area and throw open the fridge, the freezer and every cabinet door she had—which admittedly weren’t many. She confirmed her fear that whatever food she had, although maybe adequate enough for her and Noodles, fell woefully short of what she wanted to serve the most important guest she’d ever have in this tiny excuse for a home. She felt like she was now out of the closet about living in a closet.
She’d been putting off making a real home for so long, she forgot where she lived. And now that David was here, filling up the space to bust-out capacity, it was all so clear to her. She’d put her life on hold waiting and waiting for fate to drop a family on her.
She bent over, trying to check the very back of her freezer for any hidden treasures that weren’t too old, but old enough for her to have forgotten about. Of all times to have an epiphany—and not your average, run-of-the-mill epiphany, but a major life-changing, mind-altering epiphany—this had to be the worst. It threw her mind into a mass of confusion about what to do with the possible love of her life—she couldn’t say he was absolutely the love of her life, because she couldn’t say for sure that it was mutual.
It had to be mutual, or it didn’t count at all. But since David held everything back as if his life depended on it, Grace had only her instincts to go on. But she possessed the best instincts about people, she was sure.
She grabbed her cell phone and punched in the number for her corner pizzeria. She’d impress him with her cooking another time. Tonight they would feed their hunger with take-out food—and each other’s company. It would be heaven.
She would have at least one night of heaven. Her stomach felt lighter than the rest of her for a second. She finished ordering the pizza and collapsed back on the couch, clutching Noodles to her chest.
While they ate, Oscar called in to see if they’d arrested the soccer player yet, but he called her cell phone and not David’s. David snatched the phone from her, and she listened while he told Oscar that Dan’s men would handle that later—after he did some reconnaissance. That worried her. He ended the call and gave her phone back.
“I’ll be going out for a while—after dark.” David wiped his mouth with the napkin. “After the police detail gets here.”
“We won’t need a police detail if you take me with you,” she said. She took their paper plates and the box, got up from the couch where they had eaten and brought the trash to the kitchen.
“Now that would be trouble,” he said. He’d dismissed her.
“I can’t blame you for not wanting to take me along. I don’t know what I’d do. Normally I’d be scared to do such a thing,” she admitted, “purposely going to the seedy motel where a killer was staying.” She sat back down on the couch, closer to him than before. He studied her.
“Then why do you want to go with me, Grace, if you know it’s a foolish thing to do?” His voice was gen
tle and knowing. But she told him anyway.
“I can’t explain it. I have a compulsion to protect you—don’t laugh—I know it’s ridiculous. How could I protect you? But I can’t stand the thought of you being in danger and me not being there with you.” She looked away from his kind, smiling eyes, at the hands folded in her lap. She felt a tear at the corner of her eye and she had no idea why she should suddenly feel so emotional. Except maybe because she just bared her soul to this man, told him the most insanely ridiculous secret from her heart, and he understood.
And it didn’t do a bit of good. He would go without her tonight, and when the case was over, he would leave without her forever. All for her own good, of course. She studied his eyes. They were dreamy. She refused to sulk and not enjoy every moment she had with him.
“Where did you get the pizza? It was delicious, and I’m somewhat of a connoisseur.” He sat back into the cushions and kept his hazel eyes on her, his crooked grin in place.
“Regina’s Original North End Pizza. My favorite,” she said.
“Some people say it’s too oily, but in my estimation it’s perfection. I missed it mightily when I was in exile in England. Can’t get good pizza in London,” he said.
“Forget the light banter, it’s not going to work.” She jumped up to stand in front of him.
“Work?”
“It’s not going to distract me from wanting to…to…”
“To do what?” His grin was now more mischievous and all the more charming. She did what she always did when she was flustered and couldn’t think what to say besides a cuss and she didn’t cuss—not ever. She reached out her hand meaning to pat his face in a mock slap. Instead she slapped him.
She never thought she would see such a surprised expression on the king of aplomb. She immediately bent forward to caress the reddening cheek. It wasn’t a hard slap, but still. Her blood felt like it came to an instant boil from the charge of excitement. A blushing sensation raced through her body.
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