by Rita Karnopp
“Bullshit.”
“You just might be right, Reynolds.”
Cooper shot Dallas Fortune a surprised glance. “I’ve been expecting you, Ms. Fortune.”
“Dallas. Is the crime scene the same? Well?”
Cooper suddenly realized he’d been studying how the double-breasted jacket hugged her ample breasts, small waist, and shapely hips. He pulled his fingers through his hair, then cringed as he realized he still wore rubber gloves. “It’s the same.” As she rolled a strand of red hair around her finger, he tucked his notebook into his pocket.
“You should have told me you guys were coming here.”
“Why? So you could observe our reaction to a murder we solved years ago?”
“You must realize, Mr. Reynolds—“
“Cooper.”
“You must realize, Cooper, that an investigation of your actions is no light matter. You could even face prison time.”
“You do what you gotta do … and I’ll do what I gotta do. Don’t expect me to babysit you, Dallas, because I won’t. You want to be my shadow, fine, but keep up.”
“Being hostile won’t help your case.”
“I’m not being hostile, Dallas. I’m being honest. I’ve got a job to do, so let me do it.” The back door slammed and he suddenly realized Josh has left without him. He walked past Dallas and had just cleared the door when he heard her release a stifled gasp. No one should have to see human body parts cooking on a stove. He felt bad she had, because he knew first hand it would haunt her for years to come.
* * *
Naked, Megan walked past the mirror. She knew she looked damn good for thirty-two. She’d had one large pregnancy, but no one would guess it by the firmness of her stomach and breasts. She’d hated being pregnant as much as she hated being a parent.
Incredible things were happening now. People were lining up at book stores to get an autographed copy of Malicious Intent. She loved the attention more than anything else.
“It’s probably not in your best interest right now to go and talk to him. If I know Coop, he won’t have anything to do with Kari Winslow’s talk show.”
Megan glanced at her lover. What he lacked in brains he usually made up for in bed. “You think I still look good?” She moved her palms over each breasts and tweaked the nipples seductively.
“Christ, Megan, you’re one good looking woman. When you wiggle your ass down the street there isn’t a man who doesn’t have a hard-on.”
“I love it when you talk dirty to me.” She giggled then dived onto the bed, straddling him. He roughly sucked a nipple before quickly rolling her under him. He slammed into her without the gentleness of a lover.
“You’re good and tight tonight, Meggy Love.”
She couldn’t help thinking of Cooper’s long and loving foreplay, his teasing kisses and slow lovemaking. He’d always been more aware of her needs than his own. She missed the tenderness. Did she miss the man?
He’d finished already and she hadn’t even climaxed. “Roll over, you’re suffocating me.” She usually enjoyed his power and urgency. What on earth made her think of Cooper?
“What’s wrong with you tonight?”
“I’m sorry. I’m worried Copper is going to make a fool of me tomorrow. I can’t seem to think of anything else.”
“Maybe you should go over to his place and convince him it would be a bad idea. If he discredits you enough, maybe people will stop buying the book. Then again, this copycat killing has made you an over-night super star. No matter what Cooper says, it’ll just fuel the public into wanting to read your book. Honey, you can’t lose. Forget Cooper.”
“Did I tell you I’ve already received calls to appear on Jay Leno and Good Morning America? Can you believe that?”
“See, who cares what Cooper says.”
“I’m excited … but … what if they start blaming me for this new murder? I can’t believe so many people are accusing me of inciting this killer. I just wrote a book.”
“Ignore all that bullshit. You think King or Koontz worry about an idiot out there doing the things they describe in their books? No. You’re going to sell more books than you ever dreamed of. We’re going to be rich.”
“I’m going to be rich.”
“Shit, Megan, don’t do this to me. You couldn’t have written that book without my help. You know that. I could easily backup Cooper’s story, then where would that leave you?”
“Rich.”
“Don’t you get cocky with me. Get one thing straight in that pretty head of yours, you don’t want to cross me.”
“You know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt our relationship. We’re made for each other.” She snuggled up against him. She had an uneasy feeling her lover was holding back. He betrayed Cooper, would he betray her, too?
* * *
Megan woke with a start. 1:15 glared back at her from the alarm clock. Slipping out of bed, Megan grabbed her jeans, shirt, socks and shoes.
Once in the living room, she hastily pulled on her clothes, then quickly stripped them back off again. Cooper was a sucker for her naked body. Slipping into sandals and a silver trench coat, Megan grabbed her purse and keys.
CHAPTER FIVE
Deep in thought, Cooper threaded his fingers through his hair as he headed up the walk to his apartment. It’d been a long day and tomorrow promised to be an even longer one.
“You usually stroll in at midnight?”
His heart skipped a beat and adrenaline pumped through his veins. In one smooth motion, he reacted with gun in hand, pointed at Dallas Fortune. “Damn, woman, never do that to me again. What the shit you doing here?” He shoved the Beretta back into place. His actions didn’t seem to affect her in the least. She sat on the stair landing, her back against the wall and her legs crisscrossed in front of her. It appeared she might have been sleeping.
“We found out about your interview on Ms. Winslow’s talk show. I’ve been sent to go over what you can and can’t say tomorrow.”
“You have got to be kidding. First of all, no one—and I mean, no one—is going to tell me what I can or cannot say. You getting this?” He loomed over her as she attempted to get to her feet.
“It’s my job to inform you of your options. What you do with them is your business.” She dropped back to the carpet. “Damn, my legs have fallen asleep.” She slapped at them, pain evident in her expression.
“You do realize it could have been dangerous to be sleeping out here in the hallway, don’t you? Have you heard of the cell phone?”
“I could have called, but my hotel is only a few blocks from here and I needed a walk … so I just came over. I wouldn’t have stayed so late, but I guess I dozed off—“
“Let’s get inside. We’re waking up the whole place talking out here.” He waited while she rolled to her knees and made another attempt at standing. Once she dropped to her stomach, he couldn’t help laughing. “I’m sorry, but you look like a mermaid trying to walk on land.”
Contagious, her laughter spurred him on until they both rolled on the carpet in front of his apartment. “Hurts like hell, doesn’t it?” Her expression sent him off to another fit of laughter.
“Stop, my stomach hurts as much as my legs. Stop it!”
Cooper stood and scooped her into his arms. “Can’t exactly leave you sitting out here until you can walk.” She didn’t answer, and he didn’t offer more explanation. He expected her to be light in his arms, he didn’t expect the wave of seductive eucalyptus and spearmint. Clean, enticing and sexual all whirled into an unexpected epiphany. Dallas Fortune excited him … and it had been a long time since he’d found any woman interesting.
“Keys are in my pocket, can you reach them?”
“I’m hardly going to put my hands in your pants pocket.”
“Didn’t ask you to. They’re in my jacket pocket.” He tipped her slightly to his right side.
“Why didn’t you say so?”
He remained still as she moved her palm d
own his rib cage and waist, then pressed over his hip bone before finding the pocket. As she fumbled around to retrieve the keys, he found it somehow intimate and stimulating.
“I’ve got them.” She dangled them high above her head.
Chuckling, he stepped closer to the door. “You think you could manage to unlock it before I grow old?”
“Why, Mr. Reynolds, I do believe you’ve got a sense of humor.”
Once he heard a click, Cooper pushed the door in with her feet. “Reminds me of carrying Megan over the threshold on our wedding night. Biggest mistake I ever made.”
“You don’t really mean that, do you? Dang, it’s dark in here.”
“There’s a lamp by the couch. I know exactly—” He heard the keys hit the floor before stepping on them. “Ow, damn that hurt!” he shouted, then hopped twice before losing his footing with Dallas in his arms. Two more wobbly steps brought him crashing into, then onto, the couch, settling on top of her. “I’m sorry … I’m damn sorry. Let me find the light.” Reaching around, he finally felt the cold metal of the end table beneath his fingertips. A quick reach up brought breaking glass. “I found the lamp, not sure it’ll work now.”
Her laughter told him she didn’t think him the complete fool he not only felt like, but knew he looked like. Of course no one could see him, thank God. “I promise you I didn’t do this on purpose. Let me turn on a light in the kitchen.”
“You sure you can find it before you kill yourself?”
The tease in her tone made him smile. Several strides in the dark, some simple fumbling brought the switch beneath his fingers. He flipped it on. “Ta da,” he shouted, opening his arms wide.
“You sure know how to show a girl a good time. You’re a regular Indiana Jones.”
“I’m definitely not without skills.” He laughed before wondering when the last time he’d let go like this. Longer than he cared to admit. “How are your legs doing?”
“Actually, they’re coming to and I must admit they burn and tingle like hell.”
“You want a beer or a glass of wine? It’s old fashioned Pabst Blue Ribbon or a Columbia Crest Chardonnay.”
“A glass of wine sounds fabulous. I think your lamp is totaled. I think I owe you.”
“Not really. I’ve hated that beaded disaster the day Megan brought it home. She left it for me because she knew how much I hated it. You did me a favor.” He grabbed an open bottle of wine and two glasses before sitting on the couch next to Dallas.
“Sorry your marriage didn’t work. I’m sure you had some good times.”
“At first it was great. The best part was the twins. I love being a dad.”
“How old are they?”
“Tina and Tucker are three. They’re great kids and I hate not seeing them every day. As soon as this case is behind me, I’m going to take Megan back to court and get full custody this time. All I need to do is prove she’s an unfit mother, and that shouldn’t be too hard.” He handed her a glass of wine.
“No chance of reconciliation?”
The distant light cast softly on Dallas. Her long red hair complimented the many freckles that spread across her cheeks. She was beautiful. “Being a detective’s wife isn’t easy, but she could have tried. She hated being pregnant, and even more, she hates being a mother. Staying faithful might have helped.” Usually private, he didn’t mean to pour out his marriage secrets like a confession.
“I draw the line at infidelity, too.”
“You married?” He hadn’t meant for the question to sound cold and accusing … but it did.
“Once. A hundred years ago. Three years of fighting whose job was more important. Then I wanted kids and he never wanted any. Now he’s remarried with three kids, a cat, and a dog. Go figure.”
Absently, Cooper rubbed her foot. He didn’t remember pulling her legs across his thighs. It somehow seemed comfortable, even natural. She didn’t seem to mind and he found it relaxing. “I question if there really is such a thing as a good marriage.”
“I’m fool enough to believe if two people really love each other, they can make it work with laughter and passion.”
“I think the key word there was fool.” He smiled back at her.
“You always this pessimistic?”
“No, actually I’ve always been the optimist! I saw the glass half full, the bright side of things, and believed if there’s a will, there’s a way. Need I go on?”
“What happened?”
“Megan and I happened. I got a call from the emergency room. My wife was hemorrhaging after trying to abort her baby.”
“Oh, my God, how awful.”
Cooper slipped Dallas’s other shoe off, then absently messaged her foot. “The baby wasn’t mine. We’d been distant for some time. I never asked her who the father was. I really didn’t give a shit by then. For me, we were over.”
The front door swung open, slamming hard against the inside wall. Cooper jumped. “What the hell are you doing here?” He glared at his ex-wife.
* * *
The last thing Megan expected was for Cooper to be with another woman. She stared him down, pissed the woman was knock-out gorgeous. This had been a mistake. She snugged her coat tight against her naked body.
“You going to speak, or just stand there and watch?” He made no effort to move.
“I … I didn’t know you had company. We need to talk.” She wished he’d stop rubbing the woman’s foot. It revealed they were intimate. Megan didn’t like it one bit. Jealousy gripped her and fury rose.
“You ever hear of knocking? How’d you get in here?”
“The door wasn’t locked.”
“I had my hands full, guess I was preoccupied.”
Their joint chuckle made it difficult for Megan to hold it together. “For a detective, that’s not exactly smart.”
“Flip the lock as you leave. You are leaving, aren’t you?”
She hated that strained, controlled tone of his. He always used it when he struggled to keep from unleashing his temper. Turning, she took several steps, then turned back. “This can’t wait. I need to talk with you now, Coop.”
“I believe we’re all talked out, Megan. There’s absolutely nothing I need to talk with you about.”
Maybe she did deserve this cold shoulder from Cooper. It had been years since she’d been honest with him. The ultimate price was losing the only man she truly loved. He could have given her a second chance when she offered. He’d turned her down flat and for that she took the kids from him. “We can talk in private … or in front of your girlfriend. But we need to talk.”
“So you say. Well, let’s hear it. I’m sure it’s nothing that needs privacy, hell the whole world knows all about your ex-husband and his badge-on-the-line status. If that’s what you came to discuss, then we’re through talking.”
So, he didn’t deny the woman was his girlfriend. Megan hoped that he’d scored a one-night-stand. She took a few steps into the semi-dark room and closed the door. Staring at Cooper, she straightened her back and walked toward them. Her heel caught something on the floor and she stumbled slightly before catching her balance. Their laughter shot anger through her veins.
“Refuse to be a guest on Kari Winslow’s show. If you don’t, you’ll pay dearly.”
“If that don’t beat all. You came here to tell me what I can’t do. Are you threatening me, Megan?”
“I’m warning you. The future of the kids is at stake here.” Finally he stopped rubbing the redhead’s feet. Now Megan had his attention.
“Future of the kids, is it? Does that mean you’re putting all the earnings from this book in a trust fund for the kids? Now that is one heck of a gesture on your part. Didn’t think you had it in you, Megan.”
She hated his games. “I didn’t say that, Cooper, and you know it. You always try reading into things. I didn’t … I do have a responsibility to the kids, and so do you. What I make on this book can very well set up their college funds. I … we … have a hot book h
ere. The more revenue it brings in, well, the more secure our lives will be.”
“Your life, Megan. I would expect that by the time the kids are in college, you’ll have spent all your earnings as well as theirs. You don’t fool me with this attack on my conscience. I don’t believe you. You have a hidden agenda and I just haven’t figured it out yet. I don’t trust you. Can’t really blame me, can you?”
“I have apologized for the past. I’ve offered reconciliation. It was you who got the divorce, Cooper, not me.” She adjusted her coat and glared beneath false lashes.
“Yes, and it’s you who got the kids. Tell you what, you go to your attorney tomorrow and draw up a new custody agreement. Give me full custody of Tina and Tucker and I’ll cancel my guest spot on Kari’s show.”
“You bastard! Think you’ve got all the winning cards in your hand? Well you don’t.” She took several steps back, struggling with the temptation to agree with Cooper’s offer. She hated the responsibility of the twins. She never wanted them in the first place, but they were a great pawn to get back at Coop. If he appeared on the Winslow show, he could destroy her and upcoming revenues.
“I’m holding the winning hand and you know it. You willing to gamble with me?”
Megan remained motionless while staring Cooper down. She gave his girlfriend a quick glance. The bitch hung on their every word. His eyes spoke of contempt and disgust. Megan didn’t really care who he slept with. Losing everything wasn’t in her cards, though.
“If I … I will see James Airhart first thing in the morning. I’ll have him give you a call.” She opened the door and walked through it, her heart pounding. She turned and glared at the man she still loved. “I wish there was another way of stopping you, Cooper.” She gripped her jacket tight. “Someday the twins will find out how you tricked them from me.”
“They have names, Megan. Tina and Tucker will know the truth, and you can be sure they won’t feel tricked by anyone but you. Have Airhart call me by nine so I can cancel the interview.”