Each man cursed in unison as the message circulated.
“It could be from a secret admirer, someone trying to scare you, kids playing Halloween pranks,” Dan rationalized.
“Or the killer,” Jac added.
Luke sighed deeply. “Or the killer.”
“What security do you have at your house?” Logan questioned.
“Deadbolts, the neighbor’s dog.”
“That’s it?” Luke asked incredulously.
“Bloomington isn’t a criminal hotbed,” she retorted.
Logan scribbled something on a pad. “I’m going to send someone over first thing tomorrow to install a security system.”
“Do you think that’s necess—”
“Get the top of the line,” Matt interrupted. “I’m paying.”
“Absolutely not,” Jac argued, shaking her head.
“You can afford to shell out over five hundred dollars while you’re renovating your club?” Matt raised an eyebrow.
“Five hundred?” She was funneling every cent into making Jumping Jacks a success. She should never have splurged on a makeover and clothes and sexy lingerie.
“Over five hundred,” Matt reiterated.
Jac gulped. “I don’t need charity.” She meant to sound rigid and unyielding. Unfortunately, the words came out weak and irresolute.
“I insist,” Matt stated firmly.
Jac didn’t want him to dole out money on her behalf, but at the same time, it would make her feel safer. “Only if you’ll let me pay you back.”
Matt leaned closer and whispered softly, “We’ll work something out.” Then he winked. Jac’s heart slammed against her chest.
Unwittingly, Luke broke the spell. “I have another solution.” He met Jac’s eyes. “Matt’s house is as secure as Fort Knox with electronic gates and state of the art system.”
“And Murphy.” Jac smiled.
Luke chuckled. “And Murphy. Matt generously offered the use of his guest house as our headquarters. He cleared his throat. “It would solve the issue of having an alarm installed at your house and it would help consolidate our efforts if you moved into Matt’s house as well.”
Jac’s eyes widened and she couldn’t help the tingle of excitement that sizzled through her at his suggestion. Her gaze shot to Matt and the tingle quickly faded at his panicked expression. Seconds ago, he was smiling and winking and now he looked as if a train was bearing down on him and he was tied to the tracks. She tried to wipe the disappointment from her voice.
“I would prefer to lead a normal life. I’m not afraid.” Well, not much. Maybe a little. Okay, she was flat-out terrified. But she refused to let it show.
Luke nodded. “We figured as much. Our initial strategy is to provide—” he made air quotes—‘loose cover.’ We will in essence, be your bodyguards, your shadows. Dan will be with Lauren, Logan with Jac and I’ll cover your back, Matt. We’ll take turns watching Jac’s house at night.”
Matt narrowed his eyes at Dan but spoke to Luke. “I want to make sure my daughter has the best protection possible. I don’t want to worry about her being alone with her bodyguard. I don’t want to trade one problem for another, if you get my drift.”
“Mr. Dianetti, I can assure you I’m a professional,” Dan remarked solemnly.
“I’ll vouch for that as well,” Luke added instantly.
“As will I,” Logan concurred. “Matt, you have my word that Dan is as capable and competent as Luke or I. Brother or not, I wouldn’t have hired him otherwise.”
Luke continued with the explanation. “We paired him with Lauren because he looks younger than twenty-five and we can arrange for him to sit in on her classes as a student teacher or something along those lines. It would be harder to explain Logan or my sudden appearance in a high school classroom. We don’t want to tip off the killer and have him do something rash.”
Matt reluctantly accepted the rationalization and nodded brusquely.
“We need to head back to the office and pull some things together.” Logan clutched his briefcase and stood. Luke and Dan followed his lead. “We’ll be in touch first thing tomorrow morning to start our assignment. In the meantime, be extra careful.”
The three men left, leaving Matt and Jac alone together.
“How about a cup of coffee?”
“I shouldn’t…” she hedged, hesitant to leave but unsure of Matt’s mood after his minor panic attack earlier. He walked over to her and ran his hands up and down her arms.
“One cup,” he coaxed.
She relented, allowing him to lead her to the kitchen. She didn’t relent as much as Matt’s nearness short-circuited her brain.
Standing a few feet away and nursing a mug of coffee, she searched for a conversational topic. She had to get a grip, act the smart, sophisticated woman she knew herself to be. “I like Luke and the Bradley brothers.”
“Luke is great. I trust him with my life. I don’t know Logan, and I’m a little leery of Dan, but if Luke says they’re good, they are.”
Jac smiled. “I don’t think you have to worry about Dan. I believed Logan when he said he wouldn’t have hired him if he wasn’t capable.”
“Maybe. Still, I wanted to beat that cocky grin off his face when he looked at Lauren,” he groused.
“I think you better get used to it, Matt. You have a gorgeous daughter.”
“Yeah,” he grumbled, taking a sip. “She does look just like her mother.”
Oookay. She didn’t want to think about the woman Matt married, created a baby with, and obviously still thought attractive.
“She was Miss Florida, you know. First runner-up in the Miss America pageant.”
No, she didn’t know that. Could have comfortably lived her life without ever hearing that tidbit of information. Time to change the subject.
“Listen, Matt, this whole mess is completely my fault. I’ll pay the investigative fees.”
“I’ve got it covered.”
“Seriously,” she reiterated. “I want to pay. You’re already disrupting your…” Her eyes widened as he placed his mug on the counter and closed the gap between them, never taking his eyes from hers. “L-life by, um, a-allowing them to use your, uh, guest house.”
“It’s not a disruption.” He moved closer. “Damn, but your eyes are a kaleidoscope, changing from blue to green to gray with the light. I can’t tear my gaze away.”
She froze as he slid a hand under the fall of her hair and cupped her neck. He brushed his thumb across her lips in a whispering soft caress. “I want to fuse my mouth to yours and taste.” Slowly his head descended and his lips brushed hers. Gently at first but at her low moan, he dipped forward again and took charge, conquering, consuming.
Jac had been kissed many times in her life, but never like this. Explosions rocked each nerve ending in her body. She gave herself freely to the passion, draping her arms around his neck and holding on for dear life.
His mouth blazed a path across her jaw, down her neck and then returned to possess hers. He kissed her hungrily, greedily and when he changed positions and deepened the contact, tongues tangling, she had to clasp his neck to keep from sliding to the floor. As if sensing her dilemma, his hands skimmed down to her waist. He lifted her, twisted around and pinned her to the kitchen wall, pressing his erection against her belly. She thought she might die from the sensations.
Groaning, he grasped her head and tilted it until he was satisfied with the angle and then seized her mouth again. He shifted until his pelvis aligned with hers and he rocked against her, igniting flames at the contact point that spread through her limbs like a lit fuse. Just when she was about to shatter from his kiss alone, a sweet, young voice sent them flying apart.
“Please don’t tell me that was Jac’s car pulling away.”
Matt managed to wheel around and fumble with dishes in the sink. Jac hurried to a chair just as Lauren entered the room.
“Oh, good. I was afraid you left. We didn’t get to discuss our shopp
ing trip.” Oblivious to the currents zipping around the room, Lauren chatted away happily, making plans to power shop. Jac barely managed to keep up her end of the conversation and nod when appropriate. Happiness erupted when she realized Matt wasn’t trying to dissuade the trip. Either he was as affected by their kiss as she was or he’d changed his mind about her. Maybe both.
“Lauren, honey, we need to talk to you about something.”
Lauren’s eyes darted from Matt to Jac and back. “Okay.”
“Go ahead and take a seat.”
Matt briefed her on the basics: possible stalker; could be targeting Matt and/or Jac; Luke, Logan and Dan’s involvement. He didn’t mention the fourteen murders or the lists. Lauren accepted the news with maturity and vowed to be careful and accommodating to the investigation. She didn’t complain about having a bodyguard and only insisted that Matt and Jac be extra cautious as well.
After they finished explaining the situation to Lauren, Jac said her goodbyes and drove home by rote. Her mind kept replaying those amazing minutes in Matt’s arms. As she neared her home, nestled among charming cottage houses close to the Indiana University campus, she couldn’t help but compare the difference in her neighborhood and Matt’s. While Matt’s featured elegant mansions nestled in the woods bordering the lake, hers featured small, simple houses with nicely landscaped and properly maintained yards. Punching the button on the automatic door opener, she pulled inside the one car garage. Dropping her keys and purse on the kitchen counter, she padded through the darkened house without turning on lights. In the process of closing the living room curtains, her hands froze on the silk panels. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She sensed eyes watching her. Darting a quick glance outside, she scanned the area. Towering trees bent and swayed gently with the wind. There! A shadow passed from the glow of the street light into the darkened night. She dashed to the front door and flicked on the porch light to illuminate the area. Nothing.
She stumbled to the couch and collapsed. Not again. She couldn’t have imagined someone outside her window two nights in a row. The phone buzzed and she jerked, almost tumbling off the sofa.
Grabbing the receiver, she checked caller ID. Unknown number. “Hello.”
Silence.
A shiver of unease snaked down her spine. The machine blinked twelve missed calls. She hit play, her unease growing with each blank message. Whoever was calling, it was urgent enough to try twelve times, but not important enough to leave a message.
As a precaution, she grabbed the carving knife from the table by the door before she headed to bed.
Eleven
October 6
Jac arose well before the crew arrived to install her new security system. After the passionate encounter in Matt’s kitchen, sleep was elusive. She finally drifted off around three a.m., but dreams of him finishing what he started had her waking frustrated and unfulfilled.
She popped a bran muffin in the microwave and started a pot of coffee. She'd just swallowed the last bite when the doorbell dinged. She welcomed Logan and exchanged greetings with the two men sent to wire her house.
While the workers carted items back and forth from a truck, Logan withdrew a shiny silver object and handed it to her. “We’ll use these cell phones to keep in touch. They have a special two way radio feature that allows them to be used as walkie-talkies. They’re all programmed to the same frequency. If you punch this button—” he indicated the one he was talking about—“we’ll all hear the message. That way if something happens, we won’t have to waste time with several calls.” He explained the operating instructions and special features. He had already pre-programmed the other numbers into the phone as well as nine-one-one.
“It’s simple to operate.” He demonstrated by paging Dan through the walkie-talkie. Still speaking into the handset, he added, “We would appreciate it if you used the phones strictly for this operation. No calling, say…England.” He stressed the last word.
Dan’s chuckling cracked through the speaker. “Hey, it happened once and I paid for the call, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, after I docked your check,” Logan shot back.
“Well, it was worth it.” Dan’s voice conveyed a definite grin. “The chick was hot.”
Logan rolled his eyes and she laughed, accepting the phone when he handed it to her.
“It will take these guys a while to do the installation,” he said. “We don’t have to stick around. They can call when they’re finished.”
Jac gave the men her work number and Logan accompanied her to her club. She decided to pass him off as a computer programmer developing an accounting system so no one would question his reason for being in her office.
Darlene was at work when they arrived, her arms propped on the reception counter as she watched construction workers lift a heavy beam. She straightened and her eyes lit upon Logan as soon as he walked in the door.
“Darlene, this is Logan Bradley. He’s a software programmer.” She caught Logan’s amused smile from the corner of her eye. “He’s developing an accounting program for the club.” He coughed and she thought maybe they should have discussed her cover story prior to their arrival.
“Hello Logan,” Darlene purred as she extended a hand regally. “So nice to meet you.”
Logan tried to pull his hand away but Darlene refused to let go. Jac’s mouth twisted with vexation. Darlene just told her yesterday that she met a new man. What was with the nymphet act? Had she always been this bad and Jac just hadn’t noticed?
Reading Logan’s unease, Jac quickly stepped in. “Could you please get Mr. Bradley a cup of coffee, Darlene? We’ll be in my office.”
Darlene reluctantly released his hand but winked at him as she swirled to fetch the drink. Jac’s eyes rolled at her exaggerated sashay.
“She’s a little…” Logan paused, searching for the right word.
“Obvious?” she supplied over her shoulder.
“Yeah.” He laughed. “That about covers it.”
* * * *
Darlene practically vibrated as she poured hot coffee in a mug. Logan Bradley was gorgeous. She figured if Jac hired the computer programmer, he would be a major geek. This one was one hundred percent beefcake.
Yeah, she just met Marc yesterday and he seemed attentive. But it wasn’t like they were married. A girl had to leave the door open, didn’t she?
She checked her reflection in a mirror hanging in the break area and decided to brush on lipstick.
She located her purse underneath the counter and fumbled inside until she located a tube of gloss. She withdrew the wand and swabbed Sexy Scarlet over pursed lips and then rubbed a finger over her teeth. A quick mist of Glow by J. Lo, a gift from a former lover obsessed with the star, and she’d be ready. Well, she would have been ready except the pump on the bottle stuck. She kept pushing but nothing came out. She repeatedly struck the button with her palm and finally a generous stream squirted out. Unfortunately, she smacked it again before she could stop herself and was doused with a double dose of the feminine fragrance. Hacking, she fanned herself to lessen the scent. Satisfied with her appearance, she picked up the mug and glided into Jac’s office.
Jac arranged space at a table by the window and the hunk’s long fingers danced across a laptop keyboard. Jac looked up from her desk and smiled but her lips quickly curved downward and her nose wrinkled. Darlene ignored her. Jac had no fashion sense.
“Logan,” she hummed, “I brought your coffee.” She placed the steaming cup and made sure to graze his shoulder. She allowed her hand free range and glided down his back. All muscle.
He sneezed hard. Twice.
“Thanks, Darlene,” Jac said sternly. “That was all we needed.”
Darlene pursed her lips. Logan sneezed again. She spun on her heel, tossed her head and swayed out the door. The effect would have had impact if her hair was long and shiny, like Jac’s, not her short and spiky mop.
Forty five minutes later Darlene was still sulking when
the phone rang. She dog-eared the page she was reading in Cosmo and picked up.
“Ms. Sera, please.”
“Can I tell her who is calling?”
“Frank from Home Security Systems.”
Home security? “Hold, please.” Punching the button, she buzzed Jac over the intercom and announced the call. She tapped her pencil, chewed her lip and finally curiosity got the best of her. With her hand covering the mouthpiece, she carefully lifted the receiver.
“I’ve left the instructions on the kitchen table detailing the ADT Touchcenter Package with deluxe upgrades,” Frank explained. “And I set the code to the numbers you gave me. All you have to do when you get home is punch five-two-two-five and the star on the touchpad to deactivate the system.” He gave his number to call if she had questions and Darlene silently hung up.
Darlene waited until Logan left to refill his coffee before she confronted Jac. She knocked lightly on the open door and walked in. “Is something wrong, Jac?”
Jac looked puzzled. “No, why?” Nice act, but Julia Roberts she wasn’t.
“The call.” When Jac continued to look confused, Darlene prompted, “From a security company.”
“Oh, that.” Jac waved her hand in a ‘forget it’ sign and averted her eyes. “It’s nothing.” She shuffled papers on her desk and tapped them together, squaring the edges. “I just thought it would be good to have an alarm living so close to campus. You know how drunken college students can sometimes stagger to the wrong house.” She laughed but Darlene could tell she was uncomfortable.
“That’s the only reason?” she pressed.
Jac cleared her throat, rearranged the paper stack she just straightened and still didn’t meet her eyes. “Well, someone stuck a note on my car and it freaked me out a bit. I’m sure it was harmless, neighborhood kids playing a prank.”
Jac told her what the note said and Darlene reassured her that it was probably from a construction worker who thought she was hot.
Darlene left Jac’s office, a wide grin splitting her face.
The List Page 9