by Mary Burton
Tess Kier poked her head in. ‘I heard you were still here.’
He nodded. No secrets here.
She moved into the conference room, letting the door close behind her. She had long legs, and large breasts for a woman with such an athletic build. Dark hair framed her oval face and she had bright eyes that were so much like her brother’s. ‘Zack still here?’
‘I sent him home an hour ago. He should be home with his wife.’
Tess nodded. ‘I’m glad. She was exhausted after today’s opening.’
‘She’s doing all right?’ He didn’t begrudge the time Zack’s wife needed. If he were honest, he was a touch jealous. He talked a mean game about not needing family, but there were more and more moments when he was sorry he had no one.
‘She’s sick to her stomach every morning. But otherwise she’s doing well.’
‘Good.’
She moved beside him and sat on the table. She stared at the board in front of them. Her shoulder brushed his. ‘Any leads on the case?’
‘Not one. Not one.’ He swallowed an expletive. ‘The killer doesn’t want to be found.’
Her brow knitted as she stared at the photos. ‘What’s Kendall’s picture doing up there?’
‘I don’t know. Just a hunch.’
‘Theories?’
‘Lots. We first thought the case was domestic. Then when the second victim was found and we discovered her record, we thought it was all drug related. But both wore those damn charms.’
‘Ruth and Judith. C.C. thinks it’s a religious thing.’
‘The killer sees something in them that we don’t.’
She narrowed her gaze. ‘They do look alike. In fact, they look like Kendall.’
He didn’t like hearing his worst fear spoken out loud. ‘I know.’
‘She got any obsessed fans?’
He rubbed the back of his neck. ‘She’s got a strong following, but there’s no sign of any nuts stalking her. The station saves all her fan e-mails and copied the backlog to me. New ones are being forwarded here. I’ve been going through them. Lots of folks admire her. A few didn’t like some of the stories she did, but none have made any threats.’
‘Any repeaters? Fans who e-mailed or wrote her excessively?’
He gripped the table, his frustration palpable. ‘Three. We’re backtracking their e-mails and we plan to visit them if we can find them.’ His gaze bore into the eyes of the first victim. ‘Who the hell would do something like this?’
Tess laid her hand over his tense fingers. ‘Jacob, you need to take a break, if only for a few hours. You’re not going to figure out anything if you don’t get some sleep.’
‘I can’t sleep.’
Her lips curled into a seductive smile. ‘Maybe we could find something more interesting to do.’
His gaze dropped to her long, warm fingers draped over his hand. Her thumb drew small circles on his wrist. He thought about Kendall and realized he wished it were her touching him now.
‘We could go back to my place,’ Tess said.
For a moment the words hung in the air. ‘I’m not sure what to say about that.’
‘How about yes?’
His ego liked the attention. ‘Sleeping with you could lead to a lot of complications.’
She shrugged. ‘I’m a big girl. My brother stopped worrying about whom I dated a long time ago.’
‘Don’t count on it.’
She rose and moved in front of him. She laid her hands on his shoulders. Her thigh rubbed his. He felt the first stirring of desire. Still, he held himself at bay.
Tess Kier was a warm, seductive woman. And he sensed making love to her would be pleasurable. Without warning, Kendall’s face flashed in his mind. His erection pulsed hard. It frustrated him that the woman had invaded his thoughts. He didn’t owe her anything. Hell, she’d rejected him.
Jacob needed to prove that Kendall didn’t hold anything over him, so he grabbed Tess by the wrist. He pulled her between his legs and his hands settled on her narrow hips.
Smiling, she dipped her head, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him hard on the lips. Her sweet taste intrigued him. Her firm breasts pressed against his chest. She smelled of clean soap and a hint of roses clung to her hair.
The scent wasn’t right. It wasn’t Kendall’s.
He thrust his tongue into her mouth and savored the feel of the soft contours. A soft moan rumbled in her chest. She matched him thrust for thrust.
Jacob had tried to kiss Kendall, but she’d pulled away from him. He was a fool to think he and Kendall had any kind of chance. She moved in different circles, different worlds.
Annoyed with his thoughts, he broke the kiss. For a long moment, he stared into Tess’s eyes, wishing they were Kendall’s eyes. ‘Thanks, but no.’
His abruptness cooled the desire in her eyes. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘It’s not you. Just bad timing.’
‘You kissed me like you wanted me.’
His gaze wavered.
And in that instant she seemed to read him. ‘It’s not me that you want.’
Jacob didn’t speak.
Tess released a weary smile.
‘I’m sorry.’
She shook her head. ‘Don’t be. Believe it or not, I do understand.’
His male ego absorbed the punch. She had another man on her mind. ‘Who is he?’
Unsteady laughter rumbled inside her. ‘I’ll tell if you tell.’
Jacob shook his head. ‘Point taken.’
She moved away. ‘Better get back to work.’
‘Yeah.’ He shoved his hand through his hair, relieved she wasn’t angry. ‘Thanks.’
Shaking her head, she reached for the door. ‘Any time.’
Jacob moved back to the pile of e-mails. A few minutes passed before he could really concentrate again. When his mind and libido calmed, the words came into focus. He’d read six more e-mails when he lifted his gaze to her picture on the dry-erase board. Smiling eyes stared back at him.
The woman had gotten under his skin. ‘Damn it.’
It was late Friday night when Allen returned to Rachel’s apartment building. He parked, got out, and stood in the shadows and stared up at her window. Light peeked through the edges of the curtain that covered the window. She was home, as he expected. Now all he had to do was wait until someone opened the locked apartment building door and he could slip inside.
If he took her now, they’d have the weekend together.
He had to wait another twenty minutes before a car pulled up in front of the building. He watched as a man and woman got out. They walked hand in hand up to the front door. Allen followed. The man pressed a four-digit code into the keypad. 1-9-7-1. The door buzzed open and the couple vanished into the building.
She is yours for the taking.
Ducking his head, he moved to the door and punched in the code. The door buzzed open. He went inside.
Smiling, he bypassed the elevator and took the stairs to the third floor. The long, carpeted hallway was quiet, and all six apartment doors were closed.
Quickly, he moved down the hallway until he reached 3-A. He knocked gently on the door.
Footsteps sounded inside the apartment. His heart raced. Rachel was within inches of him. Soon she would be his. He shoved his hands into his pockets so she wouldn’t see his erection.
The door snapped open.
She stood before him and for a moment he was awestruck. Blond hair framed a pale oval face and accentuated blue eyes. She was an anomaly in his Family. A blonde with blue eyes among brunettes. But she was Family. She was his.
Rachel seemed surprised to see him. But, like Jackie, she was ever polite, wanting to please. She managed a smile. ‘Can I help you?’
His throat felt dry. Silly, but he was tongue-tied or nervous. ‘Yes, you can.’
‘What do you need?’
He stared at her unable to tear his gaze away. Why was he sexually attracted to her and not the others?
Why was his control slipping? It didn’t make sense.
Her smile faltered. And he knew his hesitation and lingering stare set off alarm bells in her. She started to close the door. ‘You must have the wrong person.’
Allen knew if he didn’t act now the element of surprise would be lost. He shoved his foot in the doorjamb. The next seconds unfolded quickly. His reflexes were quicker than those of most skilled hunters. In one fluid move, he shoved open the door, barged into the apartment, and slammed the door behind him. Before she could scream he cupped his hand over her mouth and shoved her against a wall. Her head popped back and her skull hit the wall hard. The impact left her dazed, stunned, and pliable.
He pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and shoved it into her mouth. He dragged her across the room to a couch. She started to struggle. He slapped her hard across the face and used his full weight to press her body into the cushions.
‘Don’t say a word, Rachel. Not one word.’
The menace in his words further ignited the fear in her pale eyes. Tears welled inside.
He pulled a needle from his pocket and shoved it into her arm. She flinched and whimpered. Power surged in his body and desire lighted up every nerve ending. With her under him, her heart beating hard and fast against him, the world felt right. She couldn’t join the Family until Sunday.
They had forty-eight hours.
But there was plenty they could do together.
Plenty indeed.
Chapter Sixteen
Saturday, January 19, 7:10 A.M.
Jacob awoke with a start.
Sunlight streamed into the room, and for a moment he felt disoriented. He glanced to his right and left, as if he expected Tess to be there. And then he remembered that he’d turned down a sexy, willing woman. Why? Because of Kendall.
Dumbass.
Jacob realized his phone was ringing. He snapped the cell off the nightstand and flipped it open. ‘Warwick.’
‘Did I wake you?’ Zack’s voice sounded bright, alert.
He cleared his throat. Big brother. ‘What’s up?’
‘We got a hit from ViCap.’
Jacob had taken several hours filling out the forms for ViCap and submitted them to Quantico. He’d not expected a response so quickly.
His heart started to pump. ‘I didn’t expect to hear back so quickly. What did he say?’
‘The agent left a message on my phone at work. Briefly, he said there were two similar murders in Anchorage, Alaska, five years ago. The women looked like our two victims and were approximately the same age. Both women were strangled. Their bodies were dumped, and it appeared as if they’d been held several days before they were killed.’
Jacob rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Were the victims wearing charms?’
‘No.’
That was a major difference, but he couldn’t rule out the link yet. He checked his watch. It was too early to call Anchorage right now. ‘I’m going to the gym and then the office.’
‘I’ll meet you there.’
‘Don’t. Enjoy the day with your wife.’ Plus he didn’t want to face Zack right now. He’d been a nanosecond away from sleeping with the guy’s sister.
‘Okay.’ Zack would need no arm-twisting to convince him to stay home. ‘But if you need something, call.’
‘Will do.’ Jacob closed his phone. Then stared at the other side of his bed.
He thought about Kendall and wished she was there curled up on her side with nothing on but the white cotton sheets of the bed. Opposites did attract. They also exploded like matches and gasoline.
Jacob was sexually attracted to Kendall, but long term anything between them was a long, long shot.
He thought about Tess’s breasts pressing against his chest. God, but she’d tasted good. And he’d said no.
‘Dumbass.’
Cole Markham stamped his feet to ward off the cold that had seeped into his bones as he’d waited outside Kendall’s house. He’d tried to look busy, like he was just out for a morning stroll, but he was growing tired of the cold. Sooner or later she had to come out.
And then, just after nine, she emerged from her house. She’d donned jeans and a white parka with a fur-trimmed hood, tied her hair up in a ponytail, and wore large dark sunglasses. Even dressed down, she was dressed up, and she moved with an elegant grace that set her apart from most. She was a fine woman and given a different set of circumstances he’d have tried to hook up with her.
But he wouldn’t.
She was too valuable.
The other night he’d caught her by surprise and she’d freaked. Understandable. Smart even. He was glad he’d taken the time to put a few boxes in the trash. They’d been enough to convince the cops that he was legitimate.
He didn’t want a scene this time. So he’d waited for daylight.
The morning air was cold, but he hardly noticed it as he crossed the street on an intercept path.
When she reached the corner she looked both ways. That’s when he caught her attention with a wave of his hand. ‘Howdy, neighbor.’
Kendall paused and then smiled. ‘So we meet again. But then, I guess that stands to reason.’
Cole’s shoulders tensed. ‘Why’s that?’
‘We’re neighbors.’
‘Right.’
‘What has you out so early on a cold Saturday?’
He shrugged. ‘Breakfast. Care to join me?’ When she hesitated, he added, ‘Come on.’
She shook her head. ‘In the last few months I’ve been working so hard I’ve barely gotten out at all. It’s been a while since I’ve done more than grab a meal to go.’
‘Then you must come.’
Kendall shrugged. What would it hurt? ‘A friendly breakfast with a good-looking man is just the distraction I need.’
He flashed even, white teeth. ‘Great. There’s a diner on the corner that’s become my home away from home.’
‘O’Malley’s? Good strong coffee and great omelets.’
They walked across the street, took a right, and headed up to the corner. The O’MALLEY’S red neon sign blinked in a large glass window frosted by the morning chill. The place was open twenty-four/seven and served a steady stream of customers. This morning was no exception. Over half of the restaurant’s thirty tables were filled with patrons.
Cole opened the door for Kendall. Bells on the doorjamb jingled above. He escorted her past the PLEASE SEAT YOURSELF sign to a table in the back. A few patrons recognized Kendall, a couple gawked, and one pointed. She’d grown used to being recognized and he could tell she enjoyed it.
The top of each square table was covered in pictures of Richmond and sealed with resin for quick cleanup. There was a jukebox in the corner and a bar in the back.
A redheaded waitress arrived at their table. She glanced briefly at Kendall and blasé recognition flickered in her gray eyes. That told Cole she saw Kendall here regularly.
When the waitress shifted her gaze to him, a genuine smile warmed her face. ‘Here again?’
Cole leaned back in his chair as if he were a veteran patron. ‘Can’t resist your smile, Faye.’ It always paid to be nice to the help.
The older woman rolled her eyes at the blatant flattery in a way that showed she enjoyed it. ‘You want what you had for breakfast yesterday?’
Cole didn’t even glance at the menu. ‘You’ve got it.’
‘I’ll have tea, dry toast, and an egg-white omelet,’ Kendall said.
Faye’s smile faded. ‘Will do.’
Kendall waited until Faye left before saying, ‘So, it looks like you’ve made quite an impression.’
‘I like to talk to people. Faye and I struck up a conversation a few days ago.’
Faye delivered Kendall’s tea and a coffee for Cole. The waitress hesitated a moment as if hoping Cole would say something else. When he didn’t, she moved on to another table.
Kendall swirled her tea bag around in her porcelain mug. ‘So how do you like Richmond so far?’
‘Settling in at work?’
He sipped his coffee and noticed a gold watch that looked vintage hugged her left wrist. ‘You know how it is in a new job. There’s always a period of adjustment.’
‘I know.’ Her accent was neutral and he’d not have guessed she was from the south if he’d not done some asking around.
‘How long have you been at the station?’
‘A few years, but I’ve only been the evening anchor for a couple of months.’
‘That a big shift?’ He rested his elbows on the table and wove his fingers together. He stared at her with intensity because he wanted her to believe she was the only person in the world.
‘Yes.’
‘I’ll bet you’re a huge hit.’
She shrugged. ‘I can’t say everyone was thrilled about the change.’
‘Why?’
‘Ex-model turned anchor. Some don’t think I have the chops for the job.’
‘Does that bother you?’
‘It has spurred me to work harder than everyone else. And I’m good at what I do. I’ve worked hard for what I have. The doubters will come around eventually.’
She was just as intense as he’d suspected she’d be. ‘I have no doubt you’ll win them over.’
Faye appeared with Cole’s French toast, bacon, and eggs and Kendall’s egg-white omelet and toast. ‘Anything else I can get for you?’
Cole picked up a slice of bacon. ‘We’re good, Faye. Thanks.’ Kendall was a beauty, even more attractive than her publicity shots and the on-air interviews he’d screened. ‘So are you from Richmond?’
‘Born and bred.’
‘No hankering for the big-city lights?’ He popped the bacon in his mouth.
She sipped her tea. ‘There was a time when that was all I could think about.’
‘And now?’
‘I like it here. I can’t promise I’ll be here forever, but for now it works.’
There was more behind her words. More of a reason why she’d chosen to stay in town, but he didn’t press the issue. ‘I saw that piece you did Friday on those murdered women. Tough stuff.’
Kendall frowned. ‘It is, and very unsettling.’