Jack wrote down the phone number on a pad next to the computer. “You think they’re into swinging?”
“A threesome?” She shook her head. “It’s more likely the wife knew about his cheating and was keeping track.”
“What for?”
“So he couldn’t hit her for a big divorce settlement?” she guessed. “I wonder if there are other women and she knew about them. If only we could copy this book.”
“Just keep it.”
“That’s stealing.”
“Borrowing. If it makes you feel better, we’ll mail it back when we’re done—anonymously, of course.” Jack went to an Internet site and typed in Baby Cakes’s phone number. “We now have an address.” He wrote it down on the pad.
“Are you about done?”
“Yeah. I’ve altered the .exe file on this computer.”
“Which means?”
“That I can now get into his system from your house.”
“We can leave?”
He powered down the machine. “Yes.”
“Jack.”
He reached over to unplug his electronic device. “Just a sec.”
“Jack.”
“What?”
“There’s a car coming down the street.”
“So?”
“It doesn’t have any lights on.”
“Almost done.”
“Hurry.”
“Why?”
“Because the car is now turning into Leroy’s driveway.”
“Shut off your penlight. Get behind the desk.”
She expected him to say he would handle the intruder. Instead, he hunkered down beside her. “Shouldn’t we go out the back door?”
“Shh.”
“We should go while we can.”
“Shh.”
She lowered her voice, her body pressed close to his, her lips next to his ear. “What the hell are we doing here?”
“Seeing who shows up.”
JACK DIDN’T BELIEVE that a thief had just happened to pick Leroy’s house while they were inside. And he’d bet his Mercedes that Leroy hadn’t come home early with his family at four in the morning.
When a key scraped in the lock of the front door, Jack tensed. He heard a steady beeping sound, a footstep in the tiled hallway, then nothing but more incessant beeping. No doubt the intruder had stopped to turn off the alarm and was puzzled, since it was already off. But what the hell was that beeping? It sounded like…
“Get your clothes off,” he whispered. “Now.”
Jack pulled his shirt over his head, kicked off his shoes and was peeling off his pants before Piper began to move.
“What?”
He put a finger to her mouth. Shook his head. And prayed she’d follow his lead. He whispered, “Come on, Pest. I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
They didn’t have much time. Jack peeled off his briefs, rolled his clothes into a ball and tossed them as far as he could into the living room. He pushed his shoes in the opposite direction. Now he was totally naked, except for his gun in one hand and his car keys and his pad filled with notes in the other.
Beside him Piper had taken off her shirt and slacks. She was fumbling over her bra.
“Make me a happy man, woman,” he whispered, then placed the pad and keys down to unsnap her bra hooks. “Get them off fast.”
Bless her. She followed his lead and peeled down to nothing, balled up her clothes and tossed them.
He scooped up his keys and notes. Smelled gasoline. Whoever was in the house knew they were there. And they weren’t coming to get them. They were setting a fire to burn them alive.
They had to get out. Fast.
Hopefully the arsonist was working alone and no one was waiting outside.
Grabbing Piper’s hand, he squeezed hard, then bolted toward the garage, tugging her with him. They leaped into the car.
“Get your seat belt on, now.” Jack started the engine, revved it. Rammed the car into Reverse. Crashed through the fiberglass door.
Beside him, Piper screamed. “Are you insane?”
Jack concentrated on driving. He jammed on his brakes and burned rubber as he spun the car into a controlled one-eighty. He shifted into Forward and squealed out of the neighborhood. Behind him flames were already leaping out of the downstairs windows and doors. And he had caught sight of a silhouette darting away through the bushes.
He glanced at Piper. “You okay?” She wasn’t covering her breasts with her arms. Even when he turned his head and looked, she didn’t flinch from his gaze. Although it was dark, he got more than an eyeful. Piper was built. And half of him felt as though he were peeping at his kid sister. The other half felt on fire. He forced his eyes back on the road.
“Tell me you had a reason for making me get naked.”
He had no problem teasing her. “You mean other than wanting to see your big, beautiful—”
“Jack, don’t start. I’m not feeling particularly heroic running around bare-assed, and you’d better start explaining before I—”
“Before you what?”
“Come unglued.”
She didn’t sound as if she was losing it. In fact, she sounded sexy as hell, but perhaps the huskiness in her tone was because she didn’t drive naked in a getaway car every day. Or perhaps she was as stimulated by the adventure as he was. Either way, he had no intention of indulging himself with Piper—even if she looked like his perfect fantasy.
Think about the case—not her breasts, damn it. “It’s odd that someone showed up at the house so soon after we got there.”
“Were we tailed?”
“I would have picked up on a tail. But remember that beeping?”
“Yes.”
“It came from a tracking device. Someone planted a bug on us. I’m hoping the bug isn’t in my car. But probably it was on you.”
“So that’s why we ditched our clothes.”
“Was your wallet in your fanny pack?”
“Yes, but I left my identification at home, so we don’t have to worry that arson investigators will know we were there.”
“Good.”
She shifted in her seat. Her flesh must be sticking to the leather. She couldn’t possibly be trying to draw his attention, could she? If she had been anyone else but Piper, he would have thought she might be receptive to a little… Naw. He was letting the nudity situation override his common sense. And while he was thinking thoughts he shouldn’t be, she pulled together the facts. “You said all those double entendres so it would sound as if we were about to make love because someone might have been listening?”
“Yeah.”
“Suppose I had taken you up on your offer?”
He ignored the teasing in her tone. “I couldn’t say anything conspicuous in case the bug transmitted sound as well as our position. Thanks for doing what I asked. I appreciate it.”
“I’m sure you do.” Her tone was wry, but he heard a lilt of humor in her voice. “Next time, before you drive through a garage door you might warn me.”
Fire engines with their sirens blaring passed them going the other way.
“Sorry. All I could think about was getting out fast.”
“To avoid the fire?”
“Yeah.”
“What else?”
She knew him too well, as if she knew he hadn’t told her the whole story. But she was entitled to know what he had been thinking. “I drove out fast in case the intruder had a friend waiting outside.”
“A friend ready to pick us off?” She sighed. “This was a disaster.”
“How so?”
“We almost got caught. We didn’t find out enough to tie Leroy to Vince and we’re sitting here naked.”
“But it was fun, and naked isn’t so bad when you consider the alternatives.” He kept his eyes on the road and tried to keep a grin off his face. “Besides, we learned a lot.”
“We did?”
“Sure. This operation has just become much more interesting.
”
“Because we’re naked? Really, Jack, I thought you could think of better things to do when you took your clothes off than crashing through garage doors and speeding.”
“I’m not speeding.” He chuckled. “Your case is more complicated than I figured. Someone is trying to hide evidence that would prove you didn’t take any bribes—and they’re desperate.”
“Seems to me we’re the ones who are desperate. My house keys were in my fanny pack. And I don’t fancy ringing my parents’ doorbell dressed in my birthday suit.”
“Don’t sweat it. We aren’t going to your house.”
“Why not?”
“We don’t want anyone following us. Someone planted that bug on you. We have to assume they know where to find you at your folks’ house.”
In his rearview mirror Jack noted the police car on his tail. He checked then double-checked his speedometer.
Piper picked up on the black and white following them. “Damn it, Jack. Are you speeding?”
“No.”
The cop car flashed lights and siren.
“Then why is he pulling us over?”
“My guess is that I smashed out my taillights on the garage door.” He stepped on the gas.
“What are you doing?”
“Protecting you.”
She glanced at the speedometer that was already up to ninety miles per hour. “Protecting me? At this speed, you’re more likely to get me killed.”
Jack eased off the gas, just a tad. “You want me to stop? I’ll stop. But let me remind you that neither of us has identification and that we’ll be arrested for indecent exposure. The choice is yours.”
DAMN. DAMN. DAMN.
Tonight had been a disaster. Not only had the plan to do away with Donovan and Payne failed, they’d found the bug that ordinary civilians would never have discovered.
Although the idea of them running through the night naked could have been amusing, that they had disposed of the tracking and listening device was a major setback.
Think. You know what they want. You know where they are going.
Eventually they would find Leroy. Leroy could be the key to ending this series of mistakes.
A message flashed on the computer screen and the program automatically decrypted the terse sentence.
“We cannot do business until you solve your problem. Take care of it.”
Just great. The deal of the century going down the drain. But that wouldn’t happen.
Tomorrow they would die.
Chapter Five
Piper had always thought that if she ever took her clothes off for Jack, they’d make wild passionate love—not be a hairbreadth from being arrested.
“Do you think the arsonist called in our license plate number or the make and model of the car to the police?”
“I doubt it. We left too fast. It was dark. And arsonists don’t usually think of calling the cops to pinch-hit for them.”
Jack had a point. She, too, doubted that the police had a reason to connect them to the fire. And she didn’t want him to stop the car. She’d already suffered enough humiliation with the department over her firing. If they were stopped by the cops, she’d probably know the officer, and he or she might let her go—but she’d be a laughingstock. If she ever won her job back, she wouldn’t be able to face her co-workers. And besides, the Clearwater police department had a no-chase policy unless the offenders had committed a felony and were considered dangerous to the public.
“Okay, Jack. Speed up, carefully.” Now in addition to getting her naked, he’d reduced her to talking in oxymorons. Speed killed. Every cop knew that. At least at this time of night the roads were relatively empty, and Jack was a professional behind the wheel.
Jack stepped on the gas, and she steadfastly refused to look at the speedometer. Instead she watched telephone poles blur past, and watched the flashing lights recede into the distance.
“You okay?” Jack asked.
“Sure, I’m just peachy. In one night I’ve broken in to and entered a private citizen’s house, escaped burning to death in an arson fire that I may get blamed for starting, and run from the police—not to mention…”
“Not to mention?”
“Nothing.” She would not admit to him how insulted she was that he had barely looked at her. Jack, the biggest woman chaser of all time, had no interest in her when she was sitting next to him without a stitch of clothing. She wasn’t embarrassed, but angry. What was wrong with her? She knew she wasn’t Britney Spears, but she was attractive. The old joke flashed in her head that all it took to please a man was to show up naked with beer. But if Jack needed a buzz to want her—then the fault was his.
What was wrong with him?
Surely if he had a woman in his life, he would have brought her with him on vacation? She glanced at him. He’d turned off the dash lights, but streetlights occasionally shone in and she glimpsed his sex, erect and jutting. Ah, he did want her—at least physically. So why was he holding back?
“Jack, are you hooked up with anyone special?”
He shook his head. “Why?”
“Just wondering.”
“Why?”
“Just wondering if you have to explain our current clothesless situation to anyone,” she lied, unwilling to point out to him she’d clearly seen what was pointing up from his lap.
“That reminds me.” Jack dialed his cell phone.
Surprised, she frowned at him. “Who are you calling in the middle of the night?”
“My boss.”
“He won’t appreciate being awakened—”
“He doesn’t sleep.”
“Everyone sleeps.”
“What’s up, Jack?” Logan Kincaid had a deep sexy voice—an American version of Sean Connery, husky, manly and alert—that practically sizzled through the speaker phone. He certainly didn’t sound as if he’d been sleeping, but rather as if he’d been interrupted from a dinner party.
“I’ve got you on speaker phone, and I’m with Piper Payne,” Jack said, and his polite way of letting his boss know their conversation wasn’t private intrigued her.
Piper spoke up. “Hello, Mr. Kincaid. Thanks for taking my case.”
“No problem. Please call me Logan. Is Jack treating you all right?”
She looked at Jack and grinned. “Actually, he made me take off all of my clothes.”
“That’s why I was calling.” Jack inserted himself into the conversation without missing a beat.
Logan chuckled. “You need instructions about what to do next?”
“It’s not like that. We’re in my car. I just eluded the police.” Jack explained what had happened at Leroy’s house.
Logan didn’t hesitate. “Go to the private airport. I’ll have clothes, cash and additional equipment waiting in the chopper.”
“The lady’s a size eight, 36C. Shoe size, seven. Oh, and we need fake ID.”
So Jack had noticed her body, and he’d gotten her measurements exactly right. She wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or annoyed.
“Give me an hour.”
“Thanks, Boss.”
“And I’m going to send a file over to Adam Knight. That okay with you?”
“Sure. We can use all the help we can get.”
“Right now Adam’s helping Kirk Hardaker on another case, so he may not get back to you immediately.”
Jack ended the connection.
“Who’s Adam Knight?” she asked.
“An expert profiler and new member of the Shey Group. One of the best in the business. I’ve seen him nail a criminal’s background, right down to how his mother treated him when he was a baby. The guy’s good. Amazing, really.”
“I think you’re amazing.”
Jack didn’t say a word. He didn’t look at her, just kept driving.
“Jack.”
“Yeah.”
“We’ve got an hour to kill.”
“Yeah.”
An hour in the car with Jack. Her
pulse raced at the thought. As a teen, she’d always wanted to lose her virginity to Jack. She’d put that down to a crush, and she hadn’t been ready back then. She was more than ready now. He was the most experienced guy she knew. He’d take care of her—make sure her first time was good.
But he would never make the first move, not when he kept calling her Pest, clinging to some little-sister image from the past. She would have to say something to indicate her willingness. But what? She had never thought saying a few simple words would be so enormously difficult.
But she might never have a better opportunity.
Say something.
Her tongue almost refused to cooperate, but she forced out the words. “We could make the most of the hour.”
He didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “Not a good idea.”
“Why not?”
Even in the dark, she could see the irritation on his face. “Because I don’t keep condoms in my glove compartment.”
If he thought he could discourage her so easily, he didn’t know her well. “We could at least park by the beach and get to know one another better. A few kisses, a little touching, stroking, caressing. Some friendly exploration…”
“No.” He practically growled his refusal.
“You don’t find me attractive?”
“I wouldn’t be male if I didn’t find you attractive.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“We need to keep moving.”
Was he making excuses to avoid her? Because he really wasn’t interested? Or for some other reason?
She placed her hand on his warm bare shoulder. He flinched and swerved, then jerked the car back into their lane.
“Stop that.”
She let her fingers trace tiny circles on his shoulder. “We could be good together, don’t you think?”
“No. I don’t think.”
“So you never mix business with pleasure?”
He brushed her hand off his shoulder. “I don’t mix pleasure and you.”
He really was cute when he was annoyed. No wonder she’d gotten such a kick out of pestering him as a kid. It was even more fun now. She placed her hand on his bare knee, enjoyed the feel of his muscles tensing.
Jack swore. Long and loud and using words in several languages she didn’t even recognize. “Haven’t you ever heard that no means no?”
Saving the Girl Next Door Page 6