Bride On the Run

by Leann Harris

  Luke had the strangest feeling that George didn’t want to face his daughter. Interesting.

  Running outside, Luke flagged down the officer in the car. “Gary, can you give me a ride over to Swiss to get my car?”

  “Sure, Luke. What’s your car doing over there?”

  “I left it there when I went to dinner.”

  “That wasn’t a smart move. The trouble we’ve been having over there, it might not be in one piece when you get back.”

  “That’s not what I’m worried about. I left it parked in front of J.D. Anderson’s house. She’s angry with me, and I’m afraid she just might set the thing on fire.”

  Gary glanced at him, then chuckled. “I wouldn’t put it past her.”

  “Yeah, I know. And that’s what worries me.”

  * * *

  Luke breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted his car intact, but his relief didn’t last long. As they pulled up in front of J.D.’s home, they heard a shot. Instantly Luke was out of the car, running toward the side door, followed by the patrolman.

  “Take the front door,” Luke yelled over his shoulder.

  A moment later, two men tumbled out the side door, cursing and looking worse for wear.

  “Stop,” Luke ordered. “Police.”

  Startled, they faced Luke.

  “Run,” the taller suspect yelled at his partner. He raised his right hand, and Luke saw the gun in time to duck. The man fired once, then turned to follow the other man down the alley.

  “Luke, you all right?” Gary called from his position.

  “Fine.” He didn’t give a second thought to the suspects. J.D. was inside and he needed to find her. Fear, like nothing he’d ever known, wrapped itself around his heart. She had to be all right.

  He moved through the kitchen and down the hall, prepared to disarm anyone else who might be lurking in the shadows. A soft moan came from the room directly before him. He glanced around the doorway and spotted J.D. in the corner, slumped against the metal filing cabinet.

  In three steps he was at her side. “J.D., are you hurt?” Kneeling before her, he helped her settle back against the wall. He ran his hands over her face and through her hair, checking for cuts and lumps.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, batting away his hands.

  “Checking for injuries.” He continued his inspection, feeling her arms and legs.

  “Stop it, Luke. I’m fine. I was only momentarily stunned when that creep knocked me into the cabinet.”

  “Luke, they got away,” Gary announced as he entered the room.

  J.D. looked up at the uniformed patrolman. “My, Dallas’s finest are on their toes today.”

  “Gary drove me here from the restaurant. Aren’t you lucky?”

  “Too bad you weren’t here ten minutes ago, when I walked in on those two.”

  “If you hadn’t stomped off like you did, I would’ve been here with you.”

  J.D. leaned forward. “So it’s my fault that you’re a lying snake? You knew where Gwen lived and didn’t tell me.”

  Luke threw up his hands.

  She glanced around. “Where’s my dad?”

  “He decided not to face the tiger he baited. He’s on his way to the airport.”

  “Just what’s that crack supposed to mean?”

  “Whoa, you two.” Gary stepped into the fray. “If you’ll recall, we’ve got a crime here. Could I get some information from the victim?”

  Luke stood and moved across the room, his back to her. His heart was still thudding and the taste of fear was sour on his tongue. He heard the rustling of cloth and J.D.’s moan.

  “Here, let me help you to the couch,” Gary told her. “Can you give me a description of the two men?”

  “They were in their twenties. Both had brown hair. They were in jeans and dark T-shirts. There’s a bullet in that wall over there.” She pointed. “Maybe that’ll help.”

  Luke held out his hand and watched it tremble. He wrapped it around his middle.

  “No distinguishing marks?”

  “No, but one of the men shouldn’t be hard to find.”

  “Oh? Why is that?”

  “I bit him on the wrist. Right wrist. I lost my hold on him when he backhanded me into the filing cabinet.”

  Gary’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding me?” He turned toward Luke. “Is she kidding me?”

  Luke glanced over his shoulder. “No,” he said, his voice deadly calm. “If she said she bit him, she did.” Luke was torn between shaking J.D. until her teeth rattled, and holding her and giving her the comfort and protection she’d never gotten from the males in her life.

  Shaking his head, Gary said, “I’ll call in these descriptions.”

  Luke waited until Gary was out of the house. He turned and pinned J.D. with his eyes. “Who do you think you are? Some kind of super woman?”

  Her spine straightened. “I beg your pardon?”

  “You ought to do a hell of a lot more than that. That was a stupid thing you did, lady. Those creeps could’ve seriously hurt you.” He didn’t understand the anger that was raging through him.

  “I can take care of myself, Detective. I’ve got a brown belt in judo.”

  “Oh, a lot of good it does against a bullet.” With each word, he took a step toward her. “I’ve seen cops, good men, trained to defend themselves, experts at a dozen martial arts, die with one bullet.” He towered over her, shaking with his wrath like some vengeful god.

  She couldn’t keep eye contact with him and looked down at the sofa cushion. “McGill, I haven’t gone looking for trouble. It’s found me. And since the Dallas Police Department doesn’t seem to want to help—” she pointedly looked at him “—I’m going to try, to the best of my ability, to protect myself. And the only way I can see to do that is discover who killed Gwen.”

  “How do you know these break-ins are connected with Gwen’s murder?”

  “Give me a break, McGill. It’s obvious the killer thinks Gwen gave me some sort of damning evidence. This guy will try again, so before he gets me, I plan to nab him.”

  “And just how do you plan to do that?”

  “I’m flying to Austin tomorrow, and the first thing I’m going to do is open the phone directory and look for Gwen’s address. Then I’m going to the capitol building and start asking questions, sticky questions, and see how many toes I can step on until something shakes loose.”

  The woman was a pain—a royal pain—but she had a point. He didn’t think the break-ins would stop until the killer got what he wanted. “You won’t find many people in their offices on Sunday.”

  Her blue eyes turned nearly black with her anger. “I’ll stay until I get answers,” she said through clenched teeth.

  The lady was a formidable force, and he’d rather have her working with him than against him. “Why don’t you come with me on Monday.”

  “Why would I want to do that?”

  “Because the authorities will be more inclined to cooperate with me than they would with a loose cannon like you.”

  She looked like she wanted to kick him. “All right, McGill. I’ll go with you on Monday. But if I find out that you’ve been holding out on me about anything on this case, the deal’s off.”

  * * *

  The nightmare woke J.D. Her skin was wet with perspiration, her heart racing. She’d dreamed the men had broken into her house again. This time they held a knife to her throat, demanding to know where the evidence Gwen had given her was hidden. Luke had barged into the room, his gun drawn, his eyes wild with rage. When the man with the knife told Luke to throw down his gun or he would cut her throat, Luke did.

  She woke, stunned at McGill’s actions. Throwing back the covers, she slipped from the bed. The long lace-and-satin gown flowed around her legs as she walked across the room. Wouldn’t Luke and his cronies in the department be surprised if they saw her in this nightgown from the lingerie shop? They probably thought she went to bed in iron sheeting.

 
; J.D. froze. What was she thinking? And when had she started thinking of Detective McGill as Luke? Suddenly she felt the need for a chocolate fix. Pulling her purse from the corner chair, she pawed through it, looking for a candy bar.

  Nothing.

  She turned it over and shook out the contents on the bureau. Three wrappers but no candy. Then she remembered the bag of candy-coated chocolates stashed in the kitchen.

  She padded downstairs and, in the dark, forgot about the trunk on the landing. Her left foot caught the corner of the monstrosity.

  “McGill, this is your fault,” she grumbled, holding on to the banister, waiting for the pain to pass. She hobbled to the kitchen, snatched the large bag from the pantry and ripped it open.

  What was the matter with her to let a dream rattle her? she wondered, munching on a handful of chocolates.

  “It wasn’t the dream,” she argued to the empty room. “It was Luke’s behavior. I never thought he’d surrender his weapon—even in my imagination.”

  She threw another candy into her mouth. As a matter of fact, Luke’s behavior last evening was even more puzzling. Why had he been so angry? His attitude reminded her of her dad’s the time their house in Midland had been broken into—outraged that anyone dared endanger his loved ones.

  She shook her head. That couldn’t possibly be right. Luke had no feelings for her except disdain for the people she defended. No, she had to take that back. After their impassioned kiss this afternoon, she definitely knew Luke McGill had other feelings for her. But lust had nothing to do with caring. So why had he been so mad?

  She plucked a green candy from the bag and popped it into her mouth. Something else was bothering her. Luke’s easy capitulation over the issue of her going to Austin. Why hadn’t he argued harder against her going? Why had he offered to let her accompany him? Had he finally realized that she was right and the break-ins were connected with Gwen?

  No.

  Funny, now that he had changed his mind, she discovered she really didn’t want to be within a hundred yards of Luke McGill for any reason. He stirred too many painful emotions she thought she’d buried when she divorced Allen. She didn’t want any part of the roller-coaster ride that those feelings brought.

  And if she wasn’t around Luke, then those twinges would never have a chance to come to life again. She was tempted to call him and tell him she wasn’t going on Monday.

  “That’s the coward’s way out, Anderson, and you can’t do that. If you can stand your ground with your father, you certainly can take on one measly police detective with one hand tied behind your back.”

  Sure you can, a little voice mocked. Just as long as McGill keeps his hands and kisses to himself.

  CHAPTER 6

  Luke enjoyed flying. He liked viewing the world from thirty thousand feet, where everything seemed beautiful and perfect. Why, even the part of West Texas he was from seemed like a wonderland from the sky.

  The normal glitches that bothered other passengers didn’t bother him—that is, until today.

  The small space the airline crammed three people into seemed to have shrunk since the last time he flew. Every time J.D. turned a page of her magazine, her arm brushed his. Each time she crossed her legs—which she could do without any trouble, he noted sourly—and wiggled her hips, he felt it.

  He tried to ignore her by reading the airline magazine in the pocket in front of him, but suddenly all he could think of was how good she smelled. And how much he wanted to lean over and kiss that spot right behind her ear.

  He didn’t know what insanity had seized him last Saturday, but kissing J.D. was one of the biggest mistakes of his life. It was one thing to lust after a woman from a distance, never quite knowing what you were missing. It was something else to have tasted that forbidden fruit and be left wanting. Before, he’d been able to rein in his fantasies. Now, his imagination ran wild, with no restraints and plenty of sensations to build on. He hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep since.

  “Are you finished with your drink?” the flight attendant asked J.D.

  “Yes,” J.D. replied, leaning across him to pass her cup to the stewardess. Her breast brushed against Luke’s chest. His eyes drifted closed and his teeth clenched to keep back the scream tearing at his throat.

  Forty minutes—that’s how long the flight from Dallas to Austin took—sitting next to her, and he was reduced to a sniveling idiot with his hormones raging out of control.

  His mood was rotten by the time the plane touched down in Austin.

  Without a word to J.D., he rented a car and drove them to the Austin address on Gwen’s driver’s licence. The exclusive apartment building looked out over Townlake. Only the rich and powerful lived at this address. A security guard in the lobby stopped them.

  “You can’t get on the elevators unless you’re a listed guest on my sheet,” the man said.

  J.D. felt anger radiating off Luke, like heat from a stove. He reached inside his sports coat and pulled out his badge.

  “I’m with the Dallas Police Department, investigating the murder of one of your residents. I’d like to speak with the manager of this building.”

  The guard picked up his phone and within two minutes a slender man appeared in the lobby.

  “I’m Donald Hays. May I help you, Detective McGill?”

  “I’d like to see Gwen Kennedy’s apartment.”

  “Do you have a search warrant?”

  “No,” Luke said, “but I can get one if I have to.”

  “Well, go ahead if you want, but it still won’t do you any good.”

  “And why is that?” Luke’s harsh tone caused the security guard to visibly flinch. But not the apartment manager. Luke bristled.

  “Because,” Mr. Hays said with an air of authority, “Ms. Kennedy moved out about three weeks ago.”

  Luke rubbed the back of his neck. “Do you have a forwarding address?”

  “Yes.”

  “Would you mind getting me the new address, or do I need to call the Austin police to obtain your cooperation?”

  “Wait here,” the man curtly ordered.

  Luke whirled around and mumbled something under his breath about the man’s parentage. J.D. turned her head to hide her smile.

  “Was Gwen really murdered?” the security guard asked J.D.

  “Unfortunately, yes.”

  He shook his head. “I can’t imagine anyone hurting her. She was such a nice girl. Of course, I didn’t understand when she split up with Mr. Weston. They were such a perfect couple.” He leaned forward and added with a conspiratorial whisper, “If you ask me, Ms. Kennedy should’ve made him move out, instead of the other way around.”

  “You mean Gwen was living with a man, and he’s still here in this building?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  J.D. glanced over at Luke. He was staring out the glass doors, rocking back on his heels. If she called him over here to further question the security guard, she had the feeling the older man would clam up. “What’s Mr. Weston’s full name?”

  “Hal Weston.”

  “Do you know what he did for a living?”

  “Yeah. He’s the co-owner of a PR firm, Weston & Odell, over on Congress Avenue.”

  J.D. winked at the man. “Thanks. You’ve been a big help.”

  “You won’t tell Hays I told you anything?”

  “It will be our little secret.”

  Donald Hays reappeared in the lobby. “Here it is,” he said, handing Luke a piece of paper. “If you want anything else, get a court order.”

  Luke slipped the paper into his coat pocket. “I’d be careful if I were you, Mr. Hays. A person with an attitude like yours makes lots of enemies and few friends.”

  “Are you threatening me, Detective?”

  “Of course not, Mr. Hays. Why, the good counselor here would report me to the ACLU and hang my hide out to dry. Isn’t that so, J.D.?”

  She didn’t bother answering Luke. “Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Hays,
” J.D. smoothly said, taking Luke’s arm and leading him to the door.

  Hays glared at them until they left the building.

  Luke slammed the car door closed and shoved the key into the ignition. “I’d like about five minutes alone with Mr. Hays.”

  J.D. shook her head. “You amaze me, McGill.”

  “Why is that?” He pointed to the glove compartment. “Hand me the city map.”

  She retrieved it and gave it to him. He pulled Gwen’s address from his pocket and checked it against the map. “There are times I don’t think you could charm the skin off a molting snake. And yet, you usually get enough evidence to convict your suspect. It’s amazing.”

  He flashed her a chilly smile, one calculated to intimidate. “There are other ways of getting information than using charm.”

  Her brow arched. “Oh? What method did you use on Mr. Hays?

  Luke threw the map down onto the seat. “That little weasel? His kind only understands brute force.” He put the car in drive and shot out of the parking lot.

  “C’mon, Luke, he was unpleasant, but—”

  His head whipped around and he pinned her with a stare. “What did you call me?”

  Frantically, she searched her mind. What had she called him? Luke. How could she have been so stupid? This morning she’d resolved to go back to calling him Detective in an effort to distance herself from him.

  “Forget it.”

  With his right hand he reached over and grasped her arm. “No. You want to know why I didn’t like Hays? Lots of funny stuff goes on in that building. Hays sees it, helps it and knows who to call to get those rich, powerful people off the hook when they get in trouble.”

  She tried to concentrate on his words, but all her brain registered was the feel of his strong, warm fingers manacling her wrist and the pounding of her blood under the pressure of his hand. What would those hands feel like on other, more sensitive, parts of her skin?

  That thought brought her imaginings to an abrupt halt. “Let go, McGill.”

  He glanced at her, then back at the road. “McGill, huh?” His fingers trailed up her arm in a slow caress before he released her.