by Cynthia Eden
Warmth spread through his chest. Did it look as if he wanted to get away? Hell, no. What he wanted…
Odin wanted to figure out a way to keep Maisey. For as long as he possibly could.
I had one night. I want one hell of a lot more.
***
“So the plan is to just confront him?” Maisey paced in her den. “We have zero evidence. He’ll laugh in our faces.”
“He wasn’t laughing earlier. And either we confront him, or Ramsey does.”
She rocked back on her heels. “That sounds bad. Is it as bad as I think it is?”
He peered through the window to stare over at Clay’s place. “Sweetheart, I suspect it’s a thousand times worse.”
“Great. Wonderful.” She began pacing again as she tried to work off some of the nervous tension making her stomach quiver. “Okay. So am I the good cop? Or the bad one?”
He looked back at her. “I’ll be bad enough for us both.”
Maisey swallowed. “I don’t see him confessing.”
“We just need to trip him up. Get him to say one or two things that can help us to nail his ass to the wall. When we do that, we’re golden.”
If only. Maisey wasn’t exactly feeling golden at the moment. She turned and walked toward him. Stopped when she was right in front of Odin’s towering form. “I didn’t thank you.”
“You don’t have anything to thank me for.”
Uh, yes. She did. “What about being a human shield? Can I thank you for that?”
His jaw hardened. “I’m bigger. It only made sense for me to get on top when the shelves came down. You want to know what didn’t make sense?” He reached for her hand. “When you tried to shove me out of the way. If that move had worked, you would have been the one getting the brunt of that weight as the shelves rained down on you.”
“I-I know that.”
“You know?” He pulled her ever closer. “Then why the hell would you do something so dangerous?”
She thought it was obvious. “To keep you safe.”
Shock flashed on his face. But in the next instant, he’d schooled his expression. “You don’t need to do that.”
“I think I do.” On this point, she wouldn’t back down. “I think you need someone watching your back, and I’m not just talking about Jinx.” She wanted the job. If possible, she’d like to put in an application, please.
“Jinx.” The faint lines near his mouth deepened. “You know he’s outside right now, keeping an eye on Clay’s place? He’s gonna make sure Clay doesn’t leave—or have any unexpected visitors—before we’re done with him.”
She actually hadn’t known that. Jinx had kind of disappeared when she and Odin had gone to talk with Sandy. Maisey figured Jinx must be well hidden because she hadn’t seen him when they’d driven home. A faint sigh escaped her. “It’s a miracle you weren’t hurt when that stuff fell on us.”
His gaze cut away from her. “Yep. A miracle.”
Red flags started flying. “Odin? Odin, are you hurt?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
Hell. That meant he was hurt. “Show me. Right now.”
He let go of her hand. Marched for the door. “Let’s get this interrogation scene moving. The sooner we can toss Clay’s ass in jail, the better.”
“Odin! If you’re hurt, I want to help you!”
He glanced back at her. “Just some bruises. Nothing I can’t handle.”
She rushed to him. Shoved up the back of his t-shirt. Saw the already darkening bruises that mottled his skin. “Oh, Odin…”
“Not a deal. Don’t even feel it.”
He was such a liar. Maisey leaned forward. Her lips feathered over the skin. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t.”
She pressed another kiss to him. “I’ll do what I want. You’re hurt. You got hurt protecting me.”
“And what are you doing?” His whole body was taut. “Kissing it better?”
“Yes,” she said simply. Another press of her mouth against his back.
Odin shuddered. Then he spun around. “You make every damn thing better.” He caught her hands. Pulled her against him. Crashed his mouth down on hers.
You make every damn thing better. That might just be the nicest thing anyone had ever said to her.
But she didn’t get to linger too long on that because his tongue was driving into her mouth and, as always when Odin kissed her, need and lust seemed to burst to life within her. Her mouth met his eagerly, greedily, and she pressed as close to him as she could possibly get.
“Fuck.” Odin ripped his mouth from hers. “See—this is what happens if you put your mouth on me. Anywhere on me.”
She gazed up at him.
“You’re dangerous,” he accused.
She was? He was the first person to ever say that.
“We have a job. A suspect we need to push, before a crime boss comes along and tortures his ass.” His eyes blazed. “We have that shit happening, but I want to fuck you up against the wall.”
That was an option?
“But we have to go. Dammit.” His gaze cut to the wall. She could tell he was considering his options.
And she thought he was about to go for the wall when his phone rang. He whipped it out of his pocket and pushed it to his ear. “Jinx, tell me the bastard isn’t on the move…”
Her shoulders tensed.
“What? You’re shitting me.” A pause. “Huh. Yeah, that is interesting. We’re on the way. You hold your position.” He ended the call and glanced back at her. “Your neighbor just got a surprise visitor.”
She would not look at the wall. She licked her lips and still tasted him. “Do not leave me in suspense.” Her voice was way too husky.
“Heather Blass.” His voice was like gravel.
Heather was at Clay’s house? Right then?
“She and her boyfriend broke up,” Odin mused still in that gravel-rough voice that sounded like rough sex. “And now she’s at her professor’s house. Not hard to connect those dots.”
He was saying—Heather and Clay?
“You ready for this?” Odin asked.
She was more than ready. And the wall was apparently not an option now. Right. Of course. They had a job to do. The sex could wait. But I will so come back to it. Her head moved in a jerky nod.
“He could be dangerous,” Odin warned. “If he does or says anything that seems like a threat, get back. I’ll deal with him.”
They’d deal with him.
They raced over to the house next door. As they approached, Maisey could hear the raised voices from inside. Heather and Clay were having an argument.
“I did it for you!” Heather cried out. “Can’t you see that?”
Odin slanted a fast glance back at Maisey. Then he reached for the door.
It yanked open before he could knock. “You need to leave!” Clay bellowed. His head was turned away from the door so he didn’t see Odin and Maisey. “Go now, before it gets worse—”
Now his head turned and he could see them. His mouth gaped open.
“Before what gets worse?” Odin asked, tone ever so cold. “Because from where I’m standing, things are definitely bad enough.”
A gasp came from Heather.
Clay’s stare jumped from Odin to Maisey. “This isn’t what it looks like.”
Odin advanced, and Clay seemed to automatically step back—or retreat—for him. Maisey slipped right inside after Odin.
“It’s not?” Odin’s voice was mild. “What do you think it looks like? That a professor is having a personal relationship with his intern?”
“I’m not—” Clay said.
Just as Heather cried out, “I love him!”
Maisey schooled her expression. Sure seemed like those two were not on the same page.
Clay spun toward Heather. “For the last time, there is nothing between us! I was helping you on a project. I don’t know how you got the idea that we were romantically involved, but we are not.
”
Forget being on the same page. From the sound of things, they weren’t even in the same book.
Heather’s lower lip trembled. “But I broke up with Steve. I’m free now. I did that so we could be together.”
“It’s not happening, Heather.”
Her eyes flashed with fury. “Is it because they’re here? Are you just saying this in front of them?” She rushed to Clay. Grabbed his hand. “Because you were different with me last night. You felt the same way, I know you did.”
“You need to go.” He pulled his hand away from her. “Before this gets worse. You are an intelligent, beautiful young woman, but I cannot give you what you need.”
She sucked in a pained breath and jerked back, as if he’d hit her. Then she bolted for the door. Maisey hurriedly stepped out of the way so that Heather wouldn’t careen into her. As Heather ran out, Maisey caught the gleam of tears behind her glasses.
Heather slammed the door. The slam was so hard it seemed to shake the frame.
Clay cleared his throat. “That’s—it’s not what you think.”
Maisey wasn’t sure what to think.
Odin, apparently, was. He said, “You mean you aren’t screwing your intern?”
Maisey wrinkled her nose. Obviously, Odin was not going to be coy with this interrogation. But then again, he hadn’t been coy even once during their association.
Clay flushed. “I am not screwing her. Heather developed a-a crush on me recently. It happens sometimes with students. I just needed to set her straight.” He rolled back his shoulders. “I certainly didn’t expect her to show up here.”
“Sometimes, people just don’t live up to our expectations.” Odin crossed his arms over his chest.
Alarm flashed on Clay’s face. “Look, I am not in the mood to deal with more of your madness.” His attention shifted to Maisey. “How about you take your crazy boyfriend out of here?”
“How about you don’t call him crazy?” Maisey fired back. She took a quick step toward Clay.
Clay’s jaw dropped. “Maisey, the man attacked me and basically accused me of murder earlier! It doesn’t get crazier than that!”
“Oh, it could get a lot crazier,” Odin assured him. “Especially if you’re the killer we’re after.”
Clay blanched. “Killer? Are you for real?”
Maisey made sure she stood at Odin’s side. “We are. We have questions for you.”
“Oh, for shit’s sake.” Clay threw his hands into the air. “Maisey, you’re cute, so I’ve let you get away with some crap, but it ends, okay? I’m over it. I get that you do your little podcast and you talk about killers, but this is going too far.” His hands dropped. “You’re in my house now? Accusing me of—of—”
“What happened to Hannah Martinez?” Maisey asked. She was going right to the point.
Anger flashed on Clay’s face. “I knew you were talking about her.” But his words weren’t directed at Maisey. They were thrown at Odin. “Back on campus today, when you were talking about making people disappear, I knew you were talking about Hannah.” His breath heaved out. “What? Did the two of you dig into my life? Is it because of those break-ins that Maisey had? You thought her only neighbor must be the culprit, so you tore into my past?”
Odin just stared back at him.
“She left me.” Clay swallowed. “We were freaking kids. It wasn’t some big, epic romance. Hannah broke up with me. Said she wanted more out of life than to stay in some tiny, Tennessee town forever. The next thing I knew, she was gone. I thought she’d run away. I told her parents that. I told the sheriff. Hannah wanted more than she could get in that town.” He raked a hand over his face. “But then she never came back. She never contacted anyone. Everybody started looking at me suspiciously, like I’d done something to her.”
“Did you?” Odin asked.
“No!” A yell. Then, softer, “No.” Adamant. “I’ve been accused of hurting her so many times now, you’d think I’d be over it.” A shake of his head. “Let me be clear. I did nothing to Hannah Martinez.” A muscle jerked along his jaw. “I liked her, okay? I didn’t love her. We weren’t soul mates. I didn’t go into some jealous frenzy because she broke up with me. That’s the most popular story, by the way. The old jealous rage.” He puffed out his cheeks and exhaled. “After a few years, her family decided she was dead. Not missing. Dead. And maybe she is—I don’t know. I have never known what happened to her.”
Emotions vibrated in his voice. Rage. Pain.
“If that’s all,” Clay snapped, “how about you get out of my house?” He jerked his chin toward the door.
“Jenny Lynch.” Odin didn’t move. His arms were still crossed over his chest.
Clay’s face hardened even more. “You are not seriously suggesting—”
“You took her job when she vanished,” Maisey noted as she continued to carefully watch him.
His gaze cut to her. “What the fuck am I?” he breathed. “A podcast for you?”
Maisey didn’t flinch. “Three women tied to you have vanished. There is no overlooking your connection to them.”
He stalked toward her.
Odin moved into his path. “Jenny Lynch,” Odin said again.
“Get the fuck out,” Clay ordered.
“Were you involved with her?” Maisey asked as she shifted to the left in order to get a view of him around Odin’s massive form.
“Yes. So the hell what? Jenny and I hooked up a few times at conferences. No big deal.” He had a sneer on his face. “Oh, wait, was that the wrong answer? Should I have said…we hooked up and then she broke up with me. In a rage—because, you know, apparently, I suffer from jealous rages—I killed her. I took her body out on my boat and I weighed her down and I dumped her.”
Odin’s hands dropped to his sides. “What kind of boat do you have?”
“Get out of my house!” Clay snarled as his face mottled. “I am two seconds away from calling the cops.” His hand lifted and he pointed at Maisey. “The only reason I haven’t is because of you. I thought we were friends, Maisey. But all along…what? You just figured I was killing women? First Hannah, then Jenny, and—”
“Whitney,” Maisey supplied as she held her ground. “You took Jenny’s job, then Whitney’s. Both women disappeared. Just like Hannah disappeared. I couldn’t ignore what happened to them. Whitney was my friend.”
Disgusted, he shook his head. “And here I thought there might be a chance for more between us.” A rough exhale. “Guess we were both wrong.” He drew himself up to his full height. “Let me be clear. I did not kill Whitney Augustine. I have no idea what happened to her.” His lips pulled down. “Just like I didn’t kill Hannah or Jenny. Now, that’s all I’m going to say. You two aren’t cops, and I don’t have to answer more of your BS questions.”
Maisey glanced at Odin. His intent stare was still on Clay. They hadn’t learned anything new, and Clay’s anger seemed more than real enough. “Let’s go.” Because she knew that if they didn’t leave, Clay would be calling the cops on them.
Odin turned with her. She reached for the door.
“I know you were in my house.”
Her hand froze in mid-air.
“When I left town? I know you were here. At first, I thought maybe I’d had a break-in, just like at your place, Maisey. But then I realized nothing was taken. Just some things knocked over in my closet. Like someone was searching the place.”
She looked back at Clay.
His stare was locked on her. “Didn’t find anything, did you?” Almost a taunt. “Because there is nothing to find.”
“We have no clue what you’re talking about,” Odin said, sounding bored. “But if you had a break-in, I think you need to be calling those cops you keep mentioning. Maybe they can come out here, check every inch of your property, do a thorough search, and see—”
“I’m not calling the cops. For Maisey’s sake. But my good will only goes so far.” He glared at Odin. “I blame you for this mess. Som
e wannabe PI. Yeah, I can dig, too. And I did. All you are is a burned-out soldier who thinks he can get a second shot at your buddy’s PI business. You have no clue what you’re doing. Maisey made the worst mistake of her life when she hired you. And that’s what happened, isn’t it? She hired you to find Whitney. Then you seduced her. Now you’re just stringing her along. You can’t find her friend. Can’t solve the case. All you can do is screw Maisey over—”
She grabbed Odin before he could take a step back toward Clay. “Rule one, remember?”
His eyes glittered down at her. But he wasn’t lunging at Clay, so she took that as a win. And they were gonna make their exit. Definitely. After she got a few things straight. “He’s not a burned-out anything, just for clarification.” Maisey gave Clay a brittle smile. “He didn’t seduce me. I pretty much jumped him.” She’d definitely been the one stripping in the hallway.
Clay’s face twisted in a mix of shock and anger.
“As for Whitney, we will not stop. Odin isn’t the kind of man who gives up, and I am certainly not that type of woman. My friend is out there, and we will find her. We will make certain that the person who took her is caught and spends the rest of his life in jail.”
Done. Her fingers wrapped with Odin’s. Or, rather were swallowed by his giant grip. She kept her spine straight and her head up as they left. She was conscious of Clay moving to the doorway. Of his gaze following every single step that they took.
She didn’t look back. Her steps were slow and steady. As if she didn’t have a care in the world, when she really had about a million of them. Maisey waited, pretty much biting her lower lip in two as she held back the words that wanted to tumble from her. As soon as they were safely inside her house, as soon as the door was closed and locked behind them, she whirled to face Odin. “He didn’t give us anything—”
“He has a boat, Maisey.”
Her eyebrows shot down.
“I searched—had one of my contacts dig, too, but there was no boat registered to him. But the guy just told us he has one. That means he’s got it registered under another name. He was hiding it from us.” Odin pulled his hand from hers and yanked out his phone. “I’m finding it.”