The List

by Velvet Vaughn

  Twelve

  October 7

  Two days passed without a single incident except more blank messages. Sixteen last night alone—all blank. It rang three more times but she screened and got three hang ups. Caller ID listed all from an unknown number.

  Aside from the calls, which she still hadn’t divulged, Luke and his men spent hours researching different angles. With his connections, Luke managed to get his hands on police reports from each incident and came up empty. Each death appeared to be exactly what the police determined—an accident.

  Searching for Nicole Southern proved futile as well. Logan located hits on her social security number numerous times over the last few years, mostly tax files. She didn’t use credit cards, didn’t have any outstanding loans and apparently didn’t use a bank either. Attempts to locate her through the several jobs she held over the years led to dead ends. She didn’t stay with one job long. The last hit was four months ago in California but still no trace of her current whereabouts.

  Thankfully, nothing linked her to the heinous crimes.

  Jac stuck the key into the door as she scanned the mail. Nothing but bills. She tossed the pile on the table and kicked off her shoes. Her thoughts drifted back to the call she received as she was leaving work. Matt invited her to dinner tomorrow night. Saturday. Universal date night. He didn’t say if Lauren would be around and she didn’t ask. How pathetic would she look if he thought she thought it was a date when it wasn’t?

  The phone buzzed and she stiffened, reaching for the receiver with dread. Unknown number.

  Here goes nothing. “Hello?”

  Silence.

  She repeated her greeting with force. No response. She hurriedly dropped the handset into the cradle. Someone had been on the line. She could hear faint breathing and muted noise in the background.

  It was time to tell Logan about the calls.

  * * * *

  October 8

  Logan held the door open as they entered Jac’s house, having just returned from an early workout at Jumping Jacks. When she mentioned last night that she planned to go in this morning to swim, he asked if he could tag along. She had no idea he was an excellent swimmer. Actually, excellent didn’t begin to describe his ability.

  After watching his proficiency in the water, she decided to challenge him to a race. Sometimes she was too competitive for her own good. He not only beat her—a former collegiate record holder—he blew her clear out of the water.

  It would have been nice to know going in that he was a former Navy SEAL.

  The man was more comfortable in the water than on land. He might as well have fins. He could swim under water on one breath for what seemed like ten minutes. He totally impressed her.

  She also hadn’t realized he was so built. She knew he was strong and fit, but when he stripped off his shirt, her breath caught in her throat. He was heavily muscled, completely ripped with the most impressive eight pack abs she’d ever seen, lightly dusted with dark hair, deeply tanned with no visible lines and the red and white board shorts he wore rode low on a narrow waist and hugged a rock solid butt. He’d lost absolutely nothing from his days in the military. Even peppered with scars, he had the best body she’d ever seen, and she’d seen many working in the health industry in California.

  She might only be interested in him as a friend, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t look—and appreciate.

  The phone rang as she stepped into the kitchen. She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at it. Unknown caller.

  “What’s wrong, Jac?”

  She shook herself and plastered on a smile. “Nothing.”

  But it wasn’t nothing. It could be the no-talker. She meant to tell Logan about the calls, but hadn’t had the chance yet. Blowing out a breath, her heart raced as she snatched the handset from the base and forced a cheery, “Hello?”

  “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

  Her eyes closed with relief and her heart skipped a beat. Matt, not the stalker. “You didn’t,” she assured him. “How are you?”

  “Well, I’ve been better.”

  She could hear the unmistakable rumble of traffic in the background. “Are you on the road?”

  “Yeah. Listen, I have to cancel tonight.”

  Her heart dropped. He was breaking their date/non-date.

  “A project in Evansville developed a major problem I need to handle in person. I don’t know when I’ll get back. Luke is with me, so if you could let Logan know we’d appreciate it.”

  She swallowed hard at his tone. He didn’t sound regretful. She shoved the disappointment aside and poured on the sugar. “I completely understand. No problem at all and I will certainly let Logan know just as soon as possible. Drive safely.”

  God, could she be more Suzy Sunshine?

  “Oh, and Jac?”

  “Yeah?” she groused, annoyed with Matt and herself.

  “How about Monday instead?”

  Wings popped out on her heart and it took flight. “Monday?” she parroted. “I think that would be fine.” Like she wouldn’t skip a meeting with the President to be with Matt.

  “Great.”

  She danced a little jig.

  “I’ll let Lauren know. She’s been pestering me to invite you to dinner again. I thought she would wring my neck when I had to cancel.”

  So much for a real date.

  “I mean, she was upset—”

  Jac rubbed at a sudden stabbing pain in her temple and interrupted him. “I look forward to seeing you both Monday.”

  After she hung up, she laughed at her stupidity. Matt Dianetti had no feelings for her. He was only asking her over for Lauren’s sake.

  The phone hummed again and her hopes soared. Maybe he was calling to amend his words.

  “Hello?”

  Silence.

  She slammed the phone down.

  “Jac?” Logan instantly appeared and grabbed her shoulders. “What is it? What’s going on?”

  He wasn’t going to be happy. “I’ve just been getting weird calls.”

  “What kind of weird calls?”

  “Hang ups or no-talkers.”

  “When did this start?”

  She winced as his grip tightened. “Monday.”

  “How many?”

  “About four—”Logan narrowed his eyes—“ty-three,” she amended.

  “Forty-three?”

  “Give or take…twenty.”

  “Sixty-three calls and you’re just now telling me about this?”

  Wow, his voice was loud. “The calls have been mostly on the machine and non-threatening. They seemed harmless.”

  “Harmless? You think the utter terror on your face when the phone rang is harmless?”

  Her brows formed a deep V. What was it with men today? “You don’t need to yell. I would have told you if the caller spoke or left threatening messages.”

  Logan unloaded a string of colorful and inventive curses. He stamped to the living room and whipped out his cell phone. Just as he punched in a number she said, “Luke and Matt are on their way to Evansville. They don’t know when they’ll be back.”

  Logan looked at her, scowled harder, muttered under his breath, and returned his attention to the phone, getting Dan on the line.

  She tuned him out and dropped into a chair. What started out as a day brimming with promise and possibilities turned into one laced with distress and disappointment.

  * * * *

  Matt signaled and pulled in the passing lane. Why did he just tell Jac that Lauren had been bugging him to invite her over? Yes, it was the truth, but not the whole truth.

  Not even a fraction of it.

  He’d wanted to invite her over as well. Had thought of nothing but seeing her again since that mind-blowing kiss in his kitchen. In fact, he originally planned to ask her to attend Lauren’s game with him last night in Indy. They could have stopped at a nice restaurant for dinner. He chickened out asking her because it would have been a real date and he wanted
that too damn much.

  Although he should stay away from her, he needed to see her, so he’d asked her over when Lauren would be around to chaperone. He didn’t have to worry about his control, or lack thereof, with his daughter present.

  When he should have been focusing on information he needed from his office this morning, he’d been preoccupied with thoughts of Jac. He hated to do it on a Saturday, but he had to call his receptionist and his secretary to ask if they’d meet at his office to retrieve a needed file since they only had their individual keys. He offered to have Dan and Lauren meet them, but Ms. Jones told him she’d be out running errands and would take it to his house. He thanked her profusely, gave her directions and called Lauren to let her know she’d be stopping by later. With that resolved, his thoughts again drifted to a sun-kissed blonde with kaleidoscope eyes. He didn’t want to want Jac, but he did. He knew nothing could happen with her and as soon as the killer was caught, she would disappear from his life. But selfishly he didn’t want to give her up just yet.

  Thirteen

  October 9

  Jac shook her head in awe at the machinery the Bradley brothers assembled on her kitchen table. How Logan managed to lay his hands on sophisticated equipment in less than twenty-four hours amazed her. Her phone was hooked into a box that attached to a laptop. Two headphone sets plugged into the system allowing Logan and Dan to listen in on her conversations. When the unknown caller phoned again, they hoped to be able to trace it.

  “Hand me that cable.” Logan held out his palm and Dan smacked a cord into it.

  “Watch it,” Logan hissed. “Did you remember the adapter?”

  “Do you think I’m stupid?”

  “Did you pull up the program on the screen?”

  “Do you see me typing?” Dan retorted.

  “No, I see you sitting on your ass, letting me do all the work as usual.”

  “Maybe that’s because you’re good at it, big brother.” Dan pulled out the chair next to him, hefted his feet on the seat and clasped his hands behind his head.

  Logan shoved his shoes off and rumbled in a lethal voice. “The program. Now.”

  “Yes sir.” Dan saluted him.

  “Cut the sh—”

  “Coffee?” As Jac refilled mugs, she smiled at having successfully distracted the constantly-bickering siblings. Despite the arguments, it was obvious they shared a closeness, a special bond. If someone messed with one of the brothers, they messed with both.

  She studied the tall, dark-haired, handsome men. Dan’s face was still young and fresh, while Logan’s was chiseled by maturity that only came from experience. Both had amazing dimples, but where Dan was quick to flash his, Logan usually kept his hidden. But when they came out—whoa, devastating.

  Logan possessed dark, bottomless brown eyes; Dan’s were tinted with amber. Both were tall and athletic but where Dan’s body was strong and wiry, like a runner, Logan’s was strong and muscular, like a warrior.

  She couldn’t help but consider the other missing bodyguard, Matt’s childhood friend Luke. Also strikingly handsome, he held his own among the group. Logan had told her Luke was one of the best detectives in the entire country, with an incredible solve rate. She didn’t doubt it a bit. With his brooding looks and flashing blue eyes, he was intelligent and intense and she bet few people ever outsmarted Luke Colton.

  She sighed, staring at the two gorgeous males in her kitchen. She put her life in their hands and trusted them to keep her safe. Only a special man would be willing to lay his life on the line protecting a virtual stranger.

  Logan sat back and sipped his coffee. “We should be up and running.”

  On cue, the phone jingled. Jac tensed.

  “It’s Matt,” Dan announced.

  She scrambled for the receiver with relief.

  “Keep him on the line until we make sure the system is working,” Logan instructed.

  She nodded and picked up. It was Lauren, not Matt, inviting her over for coffee with some friends and their mothers. Since Dan was with Logan working on the phone tap, Lauren couldn’t leave the house.

  Tears sprang to her eyes at the thoughtful gesture. She thanked her but politely declined, requesting a rain check.

  “Matt’s address came up,” Dan said once she disconnected.

  Logan tossed the headphones on the table. “Great. The system works. Now all we have to do is wait.”

  The mysterious caller made them wait until late afternoon. The trio lounged in Jac’s living room watching the Indianapolis Colts beat the 49ers in San Francisco. When the phone rang, Logan and Dan sprang into action. Dan muted the TV while Logan raced to the kitchen and slipped on the headphones. Dan slid beside him and donned his headgear. Logan nodded and she took a deep breath and answered.

  “Hello?”

  Silence.

  “I can hear you breathing,” she taunted. “Who is this?”

  A disembodied voice rolled over the line. “I’m your worst nightmare.”

  Her widened eyes flew to Logan’s. He made a circular motion with his hand, encouraging her to continue.

  “Why are you doing this? What do you want?”

  Silence.

  “I’m not afraid of you,” she lied.

  “You should be.” Click.

  That couldn’t have lasted longer than fifteen seconds, not enough time to trace it.

  Logan’s gruff shake confirmed her suspicions. “Nice try, though. You got him to talk.”

  “The voice sounded mechanical, fake.”

  “You can buy voice changing kits pretty easily and for less than fifteen bucks,” Dan pointed out. “It adds a vibrato sound to disguise the voice.”

  After issuing his frightening warning, the caller didn’t call back.

  Fourteen

  October 10

  After the lone phone call yesterday, nothing unusual occurred. Jac spent a restless day going over paint samples, finding it hard to concentrate on the task at hand.

  Tonight she was having dinner at Matt’s house.

  So what if it was Lauren’s idea? She didn’t care. She just wanted to see them again. Had it been five days since that kiss in his kitchen? Would it be repeated tonight? Excitement fluttered in her belly but reality soon intruded. They couldn’t indulge in encores. Matt’s daughter would be home and although Lauren was trying her hardest to instigate a relationship between the two adults, Jac didn’t want to harm the friendship they had formed.

  Scrutinizing her closet, she debated on what to wear. She chose a ribbed crew neck sweater from The Gap in light blue heather. It was actually a men’s sweater, but she loved the fit of the extra small. She paired it with flat front, side zip, tapered leg pants in black, also from The Gap. Scrounging around in her closet, she found her black suede Manolo Blahnik sling-backs, leftovers from her California days, and slipped them on. She ran her hands through her hair, trying to fluff it up. A rogue piece broke loose and slanted across her eyes. She blew the lock away and frowned. How come she couldn’t make it look as stylish and chic as Jean Luc?

  Rummaging through her jewelry box, she found her diamond earrings, poked the studs through her ears and fastened the backs. After spritzing Blue by Ralph Lauren on key spots, she grabbed her purse and headed to the living room. She was greeted by a low wolf-whistle.

  “My, my, don’t you look lovely tonight, Ms. Sera.”

  “Why thank you, kind sir.” She curtseyed.

  “May I have the distinct honor of escorting you to your chariot?” Dan extended his arm in true gentlemanly form.

  She laughed and threaded her arm through his, allowing him to lead her to the car. Dan was her assigned house watcher tonight and he was accompanying her to Matt and Lauren’s home. He would meet with the other two investigators while they ate dinner and then drive her home.

  They chatted companionably and the trip passed swiftly. She made a mental note to tell Matt how sweet Dan was and to reassure him Lauren was in capable hands.

  They�
�d barely parked the car when Lauren bounded out the door, Murphy on her heels. “I’m glad you’re here.” She wiggled her fingers at Dan, hugged Jac and looped her arm around hers, leading her to the house. “I was just about to tell Dad about my date.”

  With her long, blonde hair secured in a ponytail and wearing a tight-fitting, long sleeve t-shirt adorned with an American Flag and low riding blue jeans, she thought Lauren could pick any boy in the entire state.

  Murphy pranced around their feet, demanding attention. Jac scratched his head and he promptly dropped to the ground and presented his tummy. He twisted back and forth, his legs flaying. She laughed and obliged, running her fingers across the shiny coat. He squirmed at the contact, and when she removed her hand, he leaped to his feet and woofed.

  Matt met them at the door wearing a Miami Knight’s sweatshirt, faded blue jeans that flawlessly hugged his muscular body, and a sexy smile.

  “Glad you could make it.” His deep voice sent pleasure singing through her body. He tipped his head in greeting to Dan and stepped back to usher the women inside.

  “Thanks for the invitation.”

  “We chose a Mexican theme,” Lauren explained. “I’ll grab the chips and salsa and then I can tell you all about my date.”

  A low growl followed them down the hall and it wasn’t coming from Murphy. She smiled over her shoulder at Matt, who resembled a storm cloud threatening to burst. His hand glided to her back and he guided her to a couch facing the glowing fireplace. Soft music hummed in the background and again she felt an emotional pull at the wonderful house and its occupants.

  Lauren hurried back carrying a tray loaded with goodies, including three salt lined margarita glasses filled with light green liquid. She noticed Jac’s concerned stare and laughed. “Don’t worry. These two are real.” She handed one to Matt and one to Jac. “And mine is a nada-rita. No alcohol. Jorge, the chef my grandma hired to teach me how to cook Mexican, showed me how to make them. He said ‘Lauren, jou cannot ave an autentic Mehican denar witout a Marharita’.”