“Don’t be.” She rolled her head to the side, planted a kiss on the shoulder she could reach.
He left her dozing again while he went to shower. As he was stepping out of the bathroom, with wet hair and a towel around his waist, she looked up at him and smiled.
“Yum,” she murmured in appreciation. “You could model that look on TV, then nobody would want to wear pants anymore.”
He grinned and struck a pose. “You think?”
“But then you’d also have women chasing you down the street trying to tear it off you, so it’s probably better if you don’t.”
He stood there for a moment, trying to think about how to bring up what they needed to discuss, until she finally asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Look, Heidi, about what just happened…”
She nodded. “Oh. That conversation. It’s okay, Jake. I know it just happened, and that it didn’t really mean anything in the grand scheme of things. Thank you, though. Having something—someone—to hold onto for a while, well, that did mean a lot to me. But rest assured, I’m not going to be picking out china patterns or anything.”
“Umm, good, I guess.” He pulled on a T-shirt. “But that isn’t where I was going here.”
“Oh, sorry.” She turned to look at him, those pale-blue eyes anything but icy. “Go on.”
“I was going to ask about birth control. We didn’t use any. Either time.”
“Oh!” Her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes widened. “You’re right. Oh God, now I am embarrassed.”
“So, then. How about the timing? What kind of odds are we looking at?” His heart was squeezing in his chest, like a twenty-ton weight was holding it beneath the sea.
“No problem there,” she said, shaking her head, shooting him a quirky half-smile. “I get those three-month shots. I got a fresh one right before we went to Ensenada. It was a little early, since I was going to be in Mexico, where I didn’t want to rely on anything local. I’m safe for at least another six weeks. Disease-free too, just in case you were worried. Shots or not, I’ve always been careful. I’m not usually a jump-his-bones sort of girl. This was the first time I’ve ever done it without a condom.”
The relief crashed over him so fast it almost made him dizzy. He blinked hard several times and gulped in three deep breaths. “Whew. Thank you.” He was just going to ignore that little niggling voice that said, aww, too bad. He was not disappointed, by the gods. He was not.
“And…” She let her voice trail off, as if expecting him to complete the sentence.
“And what?”
“And you’re supposed to return the favor. Assure me you’re not contagious.”
“Oh fuck! Of course.” He turned, gave her a sheepish grin. “My first time too, I’m afraid. Not very macho to admit it, but I’ve never gone bare before either.” At least not in human form, and not without magic.
Her shoulders relaxed, as did the little lines that had bracketed her pretty mouth. “Well then. Good.”
Jake nodded. “And now, as delicious as I think you look lying there in nothing at all, I’m afraid you’d give Marinucci a heart attack. So you might want to get dressed.”
“That time already, huh?” She looked over at the clock, saw that it was after eleven. “You don’t leave a girl much time to primp.”
“You don’t need it.” And she didn’t—not at all. “And if time wasn’t of the essence, I wouldn’t let you out of bed. But since it is, I’ll make you breakfast.”
“I thought I was supposed to cook today?” She took the arm he extended and let him haul her out of the bed. He gave her a quick, hungry kiss, then smacked her on the butt as he pointed her toward the head.
“Okay, take your shower, then I’ll let you toast the Pop-Tarts,” he agreed.
“Fair enough. But you get to make the coffee.”
Chapter Five
He had. By the time she emerged, dressed in a new pair of khaki shorts and a black tank top, the rich aroma of the coffee filled the galley, a small but tidy space that was open to the comfortable lounging area of the salon. She loved the way he’d added modern improvements to the boat, she noticed again, like the microwave and plasma screen TV, without sacrificing the gorgeous pre-war character of the wooden yacht.
“How long have you owned the Siren?” she asked, nibbling on a fresh strawberry.
“About six years now,” he told her. “Bought her from the son of the original owner, who was a minor movie star back in the thirties. The Siren was his retreat, then his retirement home, so he kept her up.”
“The son didn’t want to keep her?”
“The son was in his eighties by then. Couldn’t maintain her anymore, so he was moving to Europe with his daughter.”
“Wow. Have you lived on her the whole time?”
“Pretty much. I’ve never been one to need a lot of stuff, and living by the water is pretty much a necessity for me.”
“I know what you mean,” she agreed. “I can’t imagine ever moving back to Minnesota and leaving the ocean behind.”
“Don’t you have family back there?”
“Not really. My parents died in a car wreck when I was an undergrad. They were both only children. I’ve got a second cousin who’s an archaeologist. I think he’s in Scotland this summer.” She shrugged. “We e-mail once in a while, but we were never close.”
“No siblings?”
“Nope. Just me.”
“That’s too bad.”
“It just is,” she replied. “I’ve never known any other way. What about you?”
“It’s a sort of messy situation,” he said with a rueful little grimace. “My mother is still living, and I have a younger sister, Leta, but we’ve been—estranged for many years.”
“Now that’s sad,” she returned. “Brad’s family was like that. They could never accept his lifestyle.”
“Lifestyle?” He lifted one eyebrow.
She nodded. “They really hated the fact that he was open about being gay, that he refused to hide in the closet. And then he refused to join the family steel business and went into marine biology instead. That really pissed them off. They’d have cut him off without a penny, except for one of his grandfathers.”
Jake’s lips twisted in an enigmatic smile for a moment before his expression turned serious again. “It is always a tragedy when parents refuse to let their children grow up.” He looked so sad and broody that she had to resist the urge to go hold him. She was pretty sure he didn’t want sympathy, and that whatever had happened, he blamed himself as much as his mother.
“Anybody home?”
Footsteps on deck followed the words. Jake snapped out of his reverie and went to hold the door open for the DEA agent, who was looking warm in a tan checked suit.
“I brought doughnuts.”
“Can’t resist pandering to the stereotype, eh?”
“Yeah, well, some stereotypes are worth it. You got coffee?”
Jake grinned, shaking the agent’s hand as he came into the salon. “Always.”
“Dr. Eriksen,” Marinucci set down a white paper bag that was giving off marvelous smells. He ran an assessing gaze down Heidi’s bare arms and legs, probably taking in the colorful collection of bruises. His lips had a wry twist when he said, “You’re looking better today.”
“Sleep and new clothes always help,” Heidi admitted, though she still felt pretty rotten. The sex had probably done more to keep her sane than anything, but she wasn’t about to mention that. Jake handed Marinucci a mug, then filled it from the pot. He topped off his and Heidi’s as well, then slid in next to her so the agent could have the other side of the booth-style dining setup.
The bag proved to contain an impressive selection of baked goods, including some truly decadent-looking éclairs. Heidi opted for maximum chocolate and placed one of the éclairs on a napkin in front of her while Marinucci pulled out a notebook and pen, and then helped himself to one of the muffins.
With calm, logical que
stioning, he led her through the horrific events one more time, then again once more. With Jake right beside her, his thigh pressing against hers on the bench, she got through it without breaking down, but it was a close thing. Last night’s dream had brought it all back, and her nerves were still raw. At least this time she wasn’t getting waves of disbelief from her interrogator. That helped a lot too. When they were finished with the recap, the agent got right to the point.
“So neither of you actually saw the body, or saw Dr. Van Dorn being injured?”
“No,” Jake answered. “And I hunted for a good hour.”
“But it was dark.”
“Full moon,” Heidi reminded them. “That’s why we were out dolphin-watching in the first place.”
“So your partner could still be alive.”
Heidi nodded, unable to speak over the lump in her throat. She was trying not to hope too much, but she just didn’t want to think about Brad being dead. It was bad enough that he might be alive somewhere, needing help, and she wasn’t able to get to him.
“I gotta tell you, I spoke with his parents last night,” Marinucci informed them, sipping the last of his coffee. He offered a dry smirk. “They were real quick to blame everything on you. Made me wonder just how they figure you’re responsible for their son being gay.”
Heidi laughed, which she thought was a good thing, although it sounded a little forced, even to her. “I never quite understood that one myself.”
“So, for the record, there was never a romantic relationship between the two of you?”
“Never,” Heidi assured him. “He was—is—my best friend. After his parents cut him off, and mine died, we pretty much became each other’s family. Spent holidays together, fed each other chicken soup when we were sick, that sort of thing. But Brad never had any interest in women, and frankly, I prefer guys I don’t have to bend over to kiss. There was never anything remotely sexual between us.” Brad was only about five foot eight with his cowboy boots on. Heidi wasn’t a snob about height, but it would have been awkward. And he was way prettier than she was, which would have driven her even more nuts. She loved Brad like a brother but she knew they would have made an awfully strange-looking couple even if Brad had been straight.
Marinucci flicked a wry glance at Jake. “Yeah. I can see that he wouldn’t have been your type.”
Jake smirked back, then narrowed his gaze and spoke seriously. “Steve, we’d like to ask you to focus some effort on finding Dr. Van Dorn. If he is alive, he’s probably in rough shape, and he’s definitely in danger from the shooters.”
“Will do. But I’m going to keep it unofficial. In fact, I intend to be notoriously bad at filing reports ‘til we’ve figured out if the bad guys have any contacts in U.S. agencies. I hate to think one of ours was involved in the break-in at Ms. Eriksen’s apartment, but that’s always a possibility. Every agency has rogues, damn them to hell. Off the record, I’m doing everything I can.” Heidi was stunned that he was going so far out of his way to help her, and she knew she had Jake to thank.
Jake, however, seemed to take everything in stride. “Thanks,” he told Steve. “Anything you think we need to do to keep Heidi safe, let me know.”
“Well, definitely try to fly under the radar for a while. I didn’t put the name of your boat on any reports, but you never know what will come out. For now, I’d advise you to make sure that someone you trust sets up every meeting.”
“Will do. I’ve also got another favor to ask. I know a few people in the Ensenada area. I’d like to make a run down there, check out a few places myself, without getting shot as a fugitive by the Coast Guard.”
“The local cops and the other Feds aren’t going to like it.” He finished his muffin, then folded up his notebook and slipped it back into his breast pocket.
“Probably not. But if we stay still, Heidi could be a sitting duck too.”
“True enough.” He thought for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll do what I can.”
“Thanks.” Both Heidi and Jake spoke at the same time, then grinned ruefully at each other. Steve snickered and shook his head.
“One more thing,” Jake interjected. “Were you guys at the University asking about Heidi and her partner yesterday?”
Marinucci raised one eyebrow and shook his head. “Not me. Don’t know about the local cops.” He made Heidi explain the phone call she’d had with her colleague the day before.
“And I do have to go into the office today,” she added glumly, drawing a surprised look from Jake. Had she forgotten to tell him about that? Oops. “Apparently the boss wants to talk to me in person, which can’t be a good thing. Plus, I want to pick up some stuff from my office.” Yeah, her duplicate copies of the research that had been lost. She also figured her office was a good enough place to store her few remaining possessions.
“I’ll drive you over,” Marinucci offered. “It will give me a chance to find out more about whoever was asking questions.”
Jake agreed, so Heidi didn’t bother to argue. She hated to admit it, but she was glad she’d have them at her back when she had to face her department chair. He’d never approved of her, had only ever agreed to allow the research because Brad had funded the project. And Dr. Kress was a big fan of the Van Dorn millions.
Heidi took a minute to change into the one pair of khaki capri pants she’d bought and a plain green polo. No need to upset the boss unduly by showing up dressed like a student. She started to collect the box she’d put her rescued belongings into, but Jake stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Leave them here.”
“But my office…”
“They got into your apartment. Your office may not be any safer.”
“Jake, you live on a boat. There’s not a whole lot of space.”
“I’ll find room. Don’t worry about it.”
She wasn’t up to fighting with him about something so trivial, so she let it go.
It was a short trip in the back of Marinucci’s nondescript sedan. Walking into the university flanked by the two men, Heidi wasn’t sure if she felt more like a movie star with an entourage or a prisoner under guard. Marinucci might be the one who was armed, but Heidi had no doubt that Jake was the more lethal of her two escorts. He was also, however, the one who drew hungry looks from pretty much every co-ed they passed on the way in.
“Heidi!” The department secretary looked up as she walked in, then stood and came around to the side of her desk. “Oh my God, Heidi, are you all right?”
“I’ve been better, Sara,” Heidi admitted, submitting to the older woman’s comforting hug.
“Is there any word on Brad?” the other woman asked. “I’m so sorry, honey, I know how close you two were.”
“Are,” Heidi insisted, her voice thick. “There’s still a chance.”
“There is? That’s wonderful! You wouldn’t think so by the way his highness was stomping around here yesterday. What happened?”
Agent Marinucci cleared his throat.
“Oh!” Heidi jumped, startled. “I almost forgot. This is Jake Delos, a friend of mine, and Agent Steve Marinucci, from the DEA. Gentlemen, this is Sara Thomas.”
Sara gazed appreciatively at Jake, but shook hands politely with both men, then returned to her seat behind her desk.
“Is Dr. Kress available?” Steve asked the secretary, laying on a smoother charm than he’d used with Heidi. It almost made Heidi laugh, but it obviously worked on Sara; she beamed back at him.
“He’s in his office, but I was supposed to send Heidi in as soon as she got here,” Sara told them unhappily. “He’s in a really, really rotten mood.”
“I’d rather talk to him first,” the agent replied firmly.
“I’ll be in my office,” Heidi offered. “Then I can go talk to Victor as soon as they’re done.”
Sara grimaced. “There’s a teensy-weensy little problem with that.”
“Oh?” Jake spoke for the first time, one eyebrow raised.
“Yeah.” Sara glanc
ed at him, sighed, and then turned back to Heidi. “Victor had security come in yesterday afternoon and change the locks. He said everything in your office was sealed, pending investigation.”
Heidi’s mouth dropped open, and she tried to speak but couldn’t get any words out.
“He said that the Van Dorns were sending someone to claim their belongings, and that since you were a suspect, you weren’t to be allowed access to anything.”
“But I have stuff in there!” Heidi replied, her voice rapidly rising in both pitch and volume. “Books, supplies, even personal things.” Including, she was sure, her favorite denim jacket. After losing all the rest of her clothes, a jacket could come in handy. “Not to mention all my research. He can’t do that!”
“We’ll take care of it.” Jake’s voice was low and confident, and his hand squeezed her arm as if warning her to curb her incipient hysteria.
“Maybe we should all go see Dr. Kress,” Steve suggested softly, but with a hint of steel underneath. Jake nodded and Sara looked relieved. “I’d like to take a look at your office anyway, Heidi, and then I see no reason why we can’t collect any personal belongings.”
“I’ll let you announce yourselves,” Sara added. “Heidi, you know the way.”
“No problem.” She could certainly understand Sara wanting to stay out of the line of fire. She had to work with Kress on a daily basis. At least Heidi spent most of her time out in the field.
She led them through the twisted corridor of the office suite to the back corner, where the department chair’s corner office could overlook the beach. When they reached the heavy, oak paneled door, Heidi stepped aside to let the men enter first. Jake drew back with her, allowing Steve to take the lead in his official capacity.
He did knock, but he didn’t wait for a reply. After one sharp rap, he opened the door and stepped inside, and strode straight to the thin figure who was rising from his desk.
“Excuse me?” Heidi’s boss barked at the interruption. He raised an imperious eyebrow at the agent, but dropped it and glared when he saw Heidi. “Dr. Eriksen. What is all this about?”
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