by Sandra Owens
She smiled at him. “Thanks. I was worried it would all somehow go south on me.”
When she walked away from him, he wanted to grab her back and keep her in the safety of his arms. Instead, he crammed his fingers into the pockets of his jeans. Whatever it was she needed to do, it wasn’t his right to stop her. No matter how much he wanted to. She stared down at Tompkins.
“You want to hear something?” Without waiting for an answer, she said, “I’m sorry you had to watch your mother die. I know how hard that must have been for you, but you had choices. The same as me. I find it sad that you chose to be a pathetic excuse for a man.”
Nate wanted to yell, “You tell him, tiger!”
The man looked back at her with the eyes of a petulant child who had just had his favorite toy taken away. “You tricked me.”
Idiot. Still staying out of what was going on between Taylor and the man who’d killed her mother, Nate watched as she picked up her gun. Pulling out the magazine, she held it out for Tompkins to see. “Empty. Did you really think I’d give you a loaded gun, asshole?”
Alex and Rand had freed Court and Nichole and were helping them up the ladder. With his brother and the woman out of harm’s way, Nate kept his attention on Taylor. Pride swelled in his heart for her, and damn if it also didn’t feel something like love there, too.
Rand climbed back down the ladder. “The EMTs are here. Can they come down, or should we let him suffer a little longer?”
Nate glanced at Taylor. “Up to you.”
She looked from Rand to him to Tompkins. “Yeah, let them in.”
“You heard the lady,” he said. “Is Court okay?”
Rand nodded. “Yeah, a few stitches and he’s good to go. Alex is going to the hospital with him.”
That was a relief. Seeing his brother with his chin on his chest, almost looking dead, had sent Nate back to when Alex had almost died after being shot. He was getting too old for this shit.
There would be numerous conversations with Tompkins after he was released from the hospital and returned to their custody. He wanted answers, and for sure so did Taylor. But it had been a long day and night, and he knew Taylor was exhausted. All he wanted to do now was get her out of there and take care of her.
“Stay with him until the hospital releases him, and you can book him,” Nate said to Rand. “I doubt it will take long to sew him up and stick a bandage on him. Tell Rothmire no one talks to him until Taylor’s present. We’ll come in after lunch.”
She shot him a grateful smile that he understood, both her need for answers and that she was in dire need of sleep. He put his hand on her back, giving her a push toward the ladder.
“Bitch!”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tompkins pull the knife out of his arm, then rear up. Nate’s first reaction was to step in front of Taylor to protect her, but she shoved him aside. Damn, his tiger was fucking fearless. He grinned at her as he moved behind her. Maybe some men would have to do the macho thing and take care of her, but she’d hate that. Yeah, that was how well he knew her.
As Tompkins came at her, the knife raised high, she twisted her body, kicking back. The heel of her shoe caught him in the chin. He grunted as he recoiled, but he didn’t fall. He started for her again, aiming the knife for her chest. She dropped and rolled, taking him down at his knees. He fell, face down, and she straddled his back, grabbed his hair, and slammed his face into the floor. Blood poured out of his nose.
She put her mouth next to his ear. “You still want to play with me, turd face?”
Nate snickered.
“Well, he is,” she said, looking up at him.
“I’m going to have to teach you some bad words to use in situations like this,” he said. “‘Turd face’ doesn’t quite get it.” He held out some plastic ties. “I assume you’d like to do the honors?”
“Absolutely.” She took them from him.
“You broke my nose,” Tompkins said.
Nate bent down and stared in his face. “You’re lucky she didn’t put that knife between your eyes. You have the right to remain silent, so shut up.”
When he stood, he held out his hand. “Let’s blow this joint, tiger.”
She put her hand in his. “Best idea I’ve heard all day. Since his prints are now on the handle, make sure the knife is bagged as evidence he tried to kill me.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Rand said.
As Nate walked to the ladder with her, he said, “For the rest of the night, I’m in charge.”
The smile she sent him went straight to his heart, and strangely, he was good with that.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Nate took Taylor to her apartment. She’d fallen asleep within minutes of putting on her seatbelt. He was used to late hours, but three in the morning was way past her bedtime. She’d been magnificent tonight, but that hadn’t surprised him. She trained as hard as any of them and was as lethal. He figured his brain was warped for thinking that was pretty damn hot.
They had some talking to do, but not tonight. She didn’t wake up when they arrived at her place. He grabbed her purse and eased out of the car. As he walked to her door, he took her keys out. After dropping the purse and keys on her kitchen counter, he returned to the car and scooped her into his arms. She mumbled something unintelligible, then snuggled her face into his neck.
On reentering the apartment, he kicked the door closed. In her bedroom, he eased her onto the mattress, holding her up in a sitting position as he dropped to his knees in front of her.
“Wake up, Taylor.”
She blinked her eyes, then kept them open. “What’s happening?”
“A few things, the first of which is to get you out of these clothes.”
“Just like a man, trying to get a woman naked.”
She smiled, but he saw the exhaustion on her face. He guessed that her fatigue was as much mental as physical, considering that she’d faced her mother’s killer.
“Yep. That’s the only thing we ever think about. But tonight, we’re just getting you out of them so you can have a shower. Unless you’d rather crawl under the covers right now. Even then, you need to undress.”
“I definitely want to bathe. I feel grimy.”
“Can’t have that. Jacket first.” He slid the jacket down her arms, then folded it, and set it on the floor next to him. “Now the holster.” That and her gun, he set on the end table. When she fumbled with the buttons on her blouse, he brushed her hands away. “I’m taking care of you tonight.”
For the next few minutes, he removed the rest of her clothes, doing his best not to become aroused. No such luck, though. With each piece he took away, he grew more aroused. It was impossible not to whenever he got anywhere near her. But tonight wasn’t about him. His dick disagreed.
Down, boy. No Taylor for you tonight. And now he was talking to his dick, something he’d never done before. It was disturbing. When she was down to her bra and panties, he scooped her up, smiling when she gave a little yelp.
“I’m not helpless, you know.”
Since he didn’t know how to explain—much less understand—his need to take care of her, he didn’t answer, just kept going. In the bathroom, he set her on her feet, then reached into the shower and turned on the water. She blushed when he unsnapped her bra, letting it fall to the floor.
“Seriously, tiger? I’ve seen you naked, so why are you blushing?” His gaze fell to her breasts, then reluctantly lifted his eyes to hers. “You’re so beautiful. There’s no reason for you to be embarrassed.” Although the woman who could take him down on the mats was adorable with pink cheeks.
“It’s just that we’re back to friends only, and you shouldn’t be seeing”—she waved a hand down her body—“um, me like this now.”
He swallowed a growl at her friends only. “We’re going to talk about that, but not tonight. Panties off.”
“Close your eyes.”
He snorted at the absurdness of that order, instead she
dding his clothes, all but his boxer briefs. If he took those off, he’d end up inside her before their shower was over. Since her panties were still on, he took care of that task, stripping them off her.
“In you go.” He patted her ass, resisting the urge to let his hand linger there. As he followed her into the shower, it occurred to him that this was the first time he’d ever bathed with a woman. Bathing together was too much like romance, so he’d avoided this particular intimacy.
She glanced over her shoulder. “Oh, you’re coming in, too?”
“How else can I take care of you?”
Her eyes lowered to his briefs. “But you still have your underwear on.”
“Consider them a chastity belt.” At her puzzled look, he winked. “I’m trying to be a good boy here, Taylor.” Which was next to impossible with her naked in front of him. “Stick your head under the water.”
“I don’t think it’s normal for friends to give friends a bath,” she said, then stuck her head under the shower.
There wasn’t a normal thing about either of them—not their childhoods or who they were as adults—so he let her comment pass. He poured shampoo into his palm. “Close your eyes.”
“You really are bossy.”
He chuckled. “Both my brothers’ wives say the same thing about their husbands. Must be a Gentry trait.”
“The key word there is husband. You’re not one, so you’re not the boss of me.” She moaned as he massaged her scalp. “God, that feels good.”
No, he wasn’t one and he never would be, but the thought put a weird tug in his chest that he didn’t understand. His brothers were outrageously happy in their marriages. Had either one ever worried they’d be like their father? It wasn’t something they’d ever talked about, but now he wondered if that had been an obstacle they’d had to overcome.
“Lean your head back so I can rinse the shampoo out.” Maybe he’d ask them if that had ever been a concern. First, though, he had to finish what he’d started, find out what had happened to their mother. Then he might or might not sit down with his brothers and dredge up their past and whether they had any reservations about getting married.
He eyed the bottles on the shelf. “Conditioner?”
“Yes, please.”
When he uncapped the conditioner, the aroma he always associated with her wafted up. Curious, he read the label. Lemon verbena. He brought the bottle to his nose and sniffed. “I like this scent,” he said.
“Thanks.”
So far, he’d done well ignoring that she was naked, but once he was finished with her hair, it was time to move on to her body, and that was going to be impossible to ignore.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, hoping if they talked, he would be able to rein in his desire. She’d been unusually quiet, and he was starting to worry.
“I miss my girls.”
Interestingly, so did he. More than he ever would have expected. He poured a generous amount of body wash into his palm, then rubbed his hands together. Listen up, dude. When you touch her, remember that tonight’s all about her. No play time’s on the agenda.
“We’ll call them in the morning, tell them to come home.” He gritted his teeth as he soaped her body, but when she turned and looked up at him with those blue eyes filled with desire, he came within a hair’s breadth of losing control.
“I don’t understand you,” Taylor said. Not since her mother had anyone bathed her, and it was hard to keep her walls up when he was being so considerate and gentle with her. She wanted to sink her tired body into him, but he was keeping a foot’s distance between them.
“What don’t you understand?”
“Why you’re here. I thought we agreed that we didn’t have a relationship.”
“I didn’t agree to anything of the sort.” He stepped in front of her and made a quick job of washing himself. After he rinsed off, he turned and faced her. “I told you we have to talk, but not tonight.”
Their shower done, he grabbed the towel and dried her off, then himself. A few minutes later, she was tucked up against him in bed.
“I forgot to feed Henry Too.”
“Already did. Go to sleep.”
He caressed the sensitive spot under her ear with his thumb, making her want to purr. What a weird night was her last thought before drifting off.
“He won’t talk to anyone but you,” Rothmire told her as she stood with him and Nate, watching Tompkins through the one-way mirror. The man stared straight into the glass, letting them know he was aware they were there.
Again, she was struck by how next-door-neighborly he appeared. Killers should look deranged. Even better if they had a big X on their foreheads. But Wayne Tompkins was a nice-enough-looking guy, although there was nothing outstanding about him. He wasn’t a man you’d remember an hour after passing him on the street.
“Well, let’s get this over with,” she said.
Nate frowned as he studied the man. “Want me to come in with you?”
“No, he’ll just refuse to talk until you leave.” Nate grunted his displeasure, but remained where he was as she headed for the interrogation room. With her back to him, she smiled. He’d been so gentle and caring as he’d taken care of her last night. And when she’d thought there was no way she’d be able to sleep with everything that was on her mind, she’d slept like a baby in his arms.
This wasn’t a time to be thinking about Nate, though. She needed her wits about her when she sat across from Wayne Tompkins. Pausing for a moment, she cleared her mind, then walked into the room.
“I hear you’ve been asking for me.” She pulled out the chair, sat, and then looked him in the eyes.
“Hello, Taylor. I trust you slept well since we last met?”
“Like a baby.” She rested her arms on the table and leaned forward. “Not the answer you wanted to hear, is it, Wayne?” He was trying to toy with her, but they were going to play this game by her rules.
His lips thinned for a second, then he lifted his arms as far as the chains wrapped around his wrists and then his waist would allow. “If you take these off, I’ll answer any question you ask.”
“How about I don’t, but you answer my questions anyway?”
“I don’t think so.”
“So be it.” She stood. “Someone will come shortly to escort you back to your cell.”
“Wait.”
She sat back down, but didn’t say anything.
“That was a mean trick you played, giving me a gun without any bullets.”
“I thought it was rather clever, myself. Did you really want to kill me? I ask because I remember you leaning over my bed and telling me I was such a pretty girl.” He was creeping her out with the way he stared at her mouth as she talked. “So I have to wonder if your original plan was to kidnap me, take me someplace where you thought no one would find us.”
“You belonged to me, pretty little girl. If your mother had married me like I wanted, we would have been a family. I even bought her a beautiful white dress for our wedding, but she refused to put it on. Then I saw you, so pretty in your fear, and I knew you were mine. If that bitch hadn’t come in with her baseball bat . . .”
Interesting. His voice had risen until he was almost shouting before he clamped his mouth shut. He wants to think he’s in charge and didn’t like losing control.
She leaned closer to him, keeping just out of touching range. “I was never yours, Wayne. Whether you’d taken me back then or found a way to do it today, I would have fought you with every bone in my body.” Okay, now she was losing her cool, and she could almost hear Nate whispering in her ear, “Easy, tiger.” She pressed her back to her chair. I never knew how much I owed you for saving me, Rosie.
Tompkins’s smile was pure evil, and the cunning in his eyes reminded her of the way Hannibal Lecter had looked at Clarice in The Silence of the Lambs. She suppressed a shudder.
“I would have liked you fighting me, Taylor, as a little girl or the woman you are now.”
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If he knew how close she was to pulling the gun out of her shoulder holster and shooting him, he’d be the one shuddering. It was time to throw him off balance.
“How did you feel when you watched Doug Emmitt strangle your mother, Wayne? Do you relive that moment each time you put your hands around a woman’s throat? Do you—”
“Shut up!” He banged the chains on the table. “You don’t talk about her.”
“Okay, then let’s talk about the women you killed.”
He closed his eyes, and when he opened them moments later, all expression was gone from his face. “You have no proof I killed anyone. I’d rather talk about you. How did you feel when you saw your pictures on my wall?”
There was no reason to lie to him. “I was angry. And a little sad for the boy who had to watch his mother die, and what you became because of that. But you’re wrong, Wayne. We have plenty of proof that you killed those women. Confess or don’t, doesn’t matter. You’re going away for the rest of your life.”
“You’re lying. I never left any evidence or DNA behind.”
“Not even when you fucked them?”
Rage filled his eyes, and red creeped up his neck. “Don’t say that word. I never did that to them. I saved them. Made them angels.”
Gotcha! Not that they needed his confession. They had shown Delaney photos of a group of men, and she’d picked him out. They had his wall with all the pictures and his hair souvenirs. Along with the murder charges, they’d add kidnapping and assaulting a federal officer, in addition to Delaney and Nichole.
“You tricked me. I want a lawyer,” he said, apparently realizing he’d just confessed.
“You were read your rights when you were brought into this room. Remember the part about anything you say can be used against you? But sure, we’ll get you a court-appointed attorney. Have a nice day, Mr. Tompkins.”
When she walked out of the room, Nate was waiting. He gave her a high five. “Well done, tiger.”
“Thanks.” She was just glad it was over.
It hadn’t been easy keeping her cool in front of the man who’d killed her mother and those other poor women. What she wasn’t expecting to feel was empty. Finally seeing Tompkins behind bars wouldn’t bring her mother back, and he was such a pathetic excuse for a man that she couldn’t even bring herself to hate him.