ENTANGLED PURSUITS (MEN OF ACTION Book 1)

by Brenda Jackson

  He had enjoyed spending time with her and not just in bed. He’d looked forward to their weekends together where they would sit and talk, catch up on things that had happened since the last time they’d seen each other. But she had laid down the law in the beginning, and he had agreed to adhere to it.

  She’d come up with the rules of their relationship on that last night of the seminar. They had shared a bed every night, and he hadn’t been ready for things to end. They had been in her bed, and he decided to go for broke and suggest they do something he figured she would be totally against—continue their no-strings affair beyond San Diego.

  He remembered that conversation just like it had been yesterday…

  “Toni?”

  It took her a while to answer. She was out of breath. They had gone five rounds of lovemaking without sleep, and she was exhausted. So was he, but this was a subject he had to broach with her. It was now or never. When they parted in the morning, chances were they would never see each other again. He would have no way to contact her unless he called the police station where she worked.

  She finally shifted her body to glance over at him. “Hmm?”

  “I don’t want this to end.”

  A smile spread across her lips. She always looked the most beautiful after they’d made love. Afterglow definitely suited her. “I don’t either, but I doubt if I can push myself for a sixth time tonight. I have a plane to catch at seven in the morning, and I need to get you out of here so I can start packing.”

  She’d misunderstood what he was suggesting. “I’m not talking about tonight, Toni.”

  The smile faded from her face. “Then what do you mean, Drew?”

  He’d heard the curt edge in her voice. More than likely she would shoot down his suggestion. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see she had commitment issues, but then, so did he. He’d never wanted a long-term relationship with someone...but he wanted one now.

  “I mean, you owe me, Toni,” he said, deciding to use that angle.

  That obviously got her attention because she shifted in bed and narrowed her gaze at him. “What do you mean I owe you?”

  The one thing he’d discovered in the five nights they’d slept together is that she would dominate if he let her. He never let her. He had agreed that they would make love only in her bed because it was some hang-up of hers. Up until now, he hadn’t really cared, as long as he was in a bed with her. But now it did. At least he would convince her it did.

  “I want to make love to you in my bed.”

  “We don’t have time, Drew.”

  “I’m talking about my bed in Alexandria.”

  It took her a minute to figure out what he was saying, then her gaze narrowed even more. “That means continuing what we started here, and I don’t do that.”

  “You don’t do what?”

  “Continuations.”

  It was his turn to narrow his gaze. “You said you didn’t do anything beyond one-night stands, but you did. With me.”

  “And now I see that was a mistake.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  And before she could give him the blistering reply he’d figured she had ready on the tip of her tongue, he captured her mouth and gave her the kind of kiss she’d come to enjoy. In no time, she was moaning and pressing him back in the covers to straddle him.

  They’d made love again, and when he had broken down her defenses, he had asked her again to visit him in Alexandria. When she still wouldn’t commit, he’d told her that he would leave it up to her. But he’d made sure to leave his address and phone number—just in case.

  He had left her hotel room that night, not knowing what she would do or if he would ever see her again. He didn’t hear from her for three weeks and then, out of the blue, she called him one Friday morning to let him know she was coming for the weekend. She hadn’t even bothered to ask if he’d already made plans. It would not have mattered. He would have changed them for her. When he had picked her up from the airport, on the way back to his place, she made sure he understood that all they would ever be were sex-buddies until one of them decided to end things.

  “Ready to go, Drew?”

  He blinked, and realized while his thoughts had drifted to the past, they had eaten their lunch in silence and were now finished. He glanced around for their waitress to get their check.

  “I’ve already taken care of it.”

  He glanced over at Toni. “You have?”

  “Yes.”

  He didn’t recall the waitress returning to their table. “When?”

  “Moments ago. It’s no problem, Drew. You can take care of it the next time. Besides, you seemed deep in thought about something.”

  “I was. I was thinking about the Tindal case. God, I hope we get the bastard who did that to her,” he said. There was no way he would tell her what he’d really been thinking about.

  “I think we will. I have confidence in us.”

  He stood. “Really? Since when?” Not waiting for her to respond, he walked toward the door.

  “MARIA IS DEAD?”

  Both Toni and Andrew studied Johnnie Underwood’s shocked expression as he dropped down in the chair behind his desk. If he was acting, he was doing a good job of it. At least, Toni thought so. She had a feeling Drew wasn’t all that convinced. They had arrived at Underwood Travel Agency just as he was coming back from lunch.

  “How did she die?” he asked.

  “Her wrists were slit. She bled to death,” Drew answered.

  “Jesus.”

  Toni thought he looked like he was about to throw up. “When was the last time you saw her, Mr. Underwood?”

  It took him a minute to answer, as if he was having a hard time believing what they’d told him. “I haven’t seen her since our breakup.”

  “And when was that?”

  “A few months ago.”

  “Could you be more specific?”

  “We broke up about six months ago. Right before Labor Day.” He reached for his phone and pulled up the calendar. “It was September second.”

  “Why?” Drew then asked.

  “That’s personal.”

  “Not in this case,” Drew said harshly, “A woman was murdered. And we need all the information we can get to find the person responsible. I’m sure you want that as much as we do, right?”

  “Yes, of course.” He was quiet for a minute before saying, “We broke up because I met someone. Well, actually, I hooked back up with an old girlfriend from college.”

  “When was the last time you talked to Maria Tindal?” Toni asked.

  “Yesterday.”

  “What about?”

  He met her gaze. “I’ve called her a few times to apologize, but she wouldn’t pick up the phone. But I felt bad—the reason we broke up was my fault. So I was surprised when I saw a missed call from her yesterday, and I called her back. She wanted me to know she had found a cufflink I’d left there, and that she’d trash it if I didn’t come to get it. I was supposed to drop by last night.”

  “Did you?” Drew asked.

  Johnnie Underwood shook his head. “No. When I mentioned Maria’s call to my girlfriend, she got upset. She thought Maria was just using the cufflink as a ploy to get me over there. She suggested that I have Maria mail it to me. I tried calling Maria back to ask her to do that, but she never returned my call.”

  “And you used your cell phone to call her all those times?”

  He met Toni’s gaze. “Yes. My phone record will verify all the calls I made to her, as well as the one she made to me.”

  “Where were you last night between the hours of eight and midnight, Mr. Underwood?” Drew asked.

  “With my girlfriend, at her place.”

  “The entire time?” Drew asked.

  “I arrived there around eight and spent the night. I didn’t leave her house until this morning around seven. That was just enough time for me to go home, shower, and dress and open up this place at nine.”

&nbs
p; “And where is home for you, Mr. Underwood?”

  “I live in the Marigold Heights area on Helms Street. The Regency Condos.”

  “Can you tell us your girlfriend’s name and where she lives?” Toni asked.

  Underwood frowned. “Surely you don’t think she or I are in any way involved with what happened to Maria?”

  “Until this case is solved, Mr. Underwood, everyone is a suspect.”

  The man released a disgusted sigh. “Her name is Jamia Roundtree. And her address is 534 Commodore Lane.”

  Drew, who’d been jotting down information on a note pad, lifted his head and looked over at Underwood. “Commodore Lane?”

  He smirked at Drew. “Yes, Commodore Lane.”

  “And is that where you spent the night?”

  “Yes.”

  Toni wondered what the bit with Commodore Lane was about. “Do you happen to know the names of any of Maria’s friends?” she asked, continuing the interrogation.

  “Very few. I would suggest you talk to her former roommate, Pamela Larkins, about that. I honestly can’t think right now. I’m sure you can understand. Maria meant a lot to me.”

  Toni lifted a brow. Really? So much that you were sleeping with someone else behind her back? She was tempted to ask him that, but instead, said, “How did you know Maria Tindal and Pamela Larkins were no longer roommates?”

  “When I talked to her yesterday, she mentioned that when Pamela moved out, she decided to rearrange furniture. She found my cufflink behind the sofa. Now if you two don’t have any further questions, I have work to do.”

  “I do have one more. I understand Maria Tindal gave you a key to her home.”

  “Yes, she did.”

  “Do you still have it?”

  “No, I gave it back to her.”

  “When?” Toni asked.

  “I believe it was the same night we broke up. I’m almost certain of it.”

  Toni lifted a brow. “That’s odd.”

  Johnnie Underwood lifted a brow, also. “What’s odd?”

  “According to Pamela Larkins, you didn’t give the key back to Maria right away. In fact, Maria told her that she tried getting it from you a couple of times.”

  Johnnie Underwood frowned. “I can’t recall exactly when I gave it back, but I know that I definitely did give it back.”

  “Are you certain of that?” Toni asked. He suddenly seemed nervous. Why?

  He met her gaze. “Yes, I am sure, but I can’t recall exactly when I gave it back to her. Please forgive me, but I hope you understand that I can’t think right now. This is just too much to take in.”

  Toni fought the urge to roll her eyes. Drew leaned toward the desk and held Johnnie Underwood’s gaze. “That’s all for now, but we would advise you to stick around, in case we have more questions.”

  Underwood narrowed his gaze at Drew. “Meaning?”

  Drew stood and glanced around at the various travel posters on the wall. “Meaning, I wouldn’t advise you to jump on a plane anytime soon.”

  “You are kidding, right?” Underwood asked, suddenly looking a tad uncomfortable.

  “Do I look like I’m kidding, Mr. Underwood? Good day.”

  “We’ll be in touch,” Toni decided to add.

  When they had gotten back to the cruiser, Toni snapped on her seatbelt and said, “Funny how certain he was about returning Maria Tindal’s door key, until I mentioned what Pamela Larkins had said.”

  “Yeah, I made note of that. There was no forced entry, so whoever killed her had been let in, or they had their own key.”

  “I can’t believe she didn’t have an alarm system or security cameras.”

  “You heard what Pamela Larkins said. Low crime area,” Drew responded.

  “Yes. But in that case, I find it odd that Maria would feel the need to get a gun. Where to now?”

  “To pay Maria’s stepsister a visit. She should have been notified by now.”

  Toni nodded. “What’s with Commodore Lane?”

  He was about to answer when the intercom in the cruiser released several beeps. Drew pressed a button. “Yeah, dispatch?”

  “Detectives Logan and Oliver. You are needed at 690 Williston Boulevard. There was a robbery at a convenience store. The suspect is dead, shot by the store clerk working behind the counter.”

  “We’re on our way.”

  While starting the ignition, Drew glanced over at her. “Commodore Lane is in one of the ritziest sections of town. Williston Boulevard, on the other hand, is the total opposite.”

  “Sounds like Underwood’s girlfriend has money.”

  “Yes, it certainly sounds like it,” Drew said.

  • • •

  As Andrew left the convenience store, he wished all his cases were that easy. The unfortunate thing was the would-be thief had only been sixteen, and the store’s video camera had clearly shown it was self-defense. The cashier had given the kid the money out of the register, but he’d evidently thought she was holding out, so he raised his gun to shoot. Unfortunately for him, she’d gotten to her revolver first.

  He glanced at his watch. “It’s after four. If you’re hungry I can take you back to the precinct and drop you off. I can do this one alone.”

  “No, I’m fine. I ate a nice lunch. The chicken salad sandwich was good, by the way. Thanks for taking me there.”

  “No problem. I had wanted to introduce you to the gang at headquarters, but by the time we get back, most will have left for home. I guess that means we’ll do it tomorrow.”

  “That’s fine,” she said, opening the car door to get in.

  It occurred to him that while they’d been together, he had never allowed her to open the door for herself. He’d always considered it an honor to open the door for her. It was just one of Shep’s rules about how to treat people, especially a girl you thought was special.

  “If you ever need me to drive, let me know,” she offered, leaning over to adjust the volume for the speaker on the console.

  He wished she didn’t do that. Her scent had been driving him nuts all day. He loved that fragrance on her. That had been one of the first things he noticed about her. No, it really had been the second thing. The first had been her beauty. “I prefer driving.”

  “Suit yourself. Just thought I’d offer, but you know I’m not crazy about being behind the wheel for long.”

  Yes, he knew. And yet, every other month, she would make the seven-hour drive from Miami to Savannah to meet up with him. They would engage in phone sex all the way, and then when they reached their destination, they would make good on their talk. It had been a seven-hour drive for her, but an eight-hour drive from Alexandria to Savannah for him. However, because he knew the back roads and short cuts, he would get to Savannah first, check into the hotel and be naked in bed when she got there. He wondered if she ever remembered those times. If she thought about them as often as he did?

  When the cruiser came to a traffic light, he glanced over at her. She was looking straight ahead, seemingly deep in thought. Like he’d been at lunch. Was it the murder case they were working on...or something else?

  “So, when did you move to town?” he decided to ask her.

  She glanced over at him. “A week ago. I’m still unloading boxes. I hired a property manager to rent out my house in Miami, and decided to get an apartment here for the time being. I hope I’ll be able to return home in a year or so.”

  “So, the move here is only temporary?” he asked. If so, he’d better not get too used to having her as a partner.

  “I don’t really know, Drew. I could have stayed and taken the heat, but the negative newspaper articles about me were taking a toll on my grandparents’ mental health.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Thanks.”

  Drew didn’t say anything for a minute as he changed lanes that led to the expressway. Then telling himself he was only asking out of curiosity, he said, “What area of town did you move to?”

&nbs
p; “I’ve got a place on North Pit Road. I like it. It’s a pretty quiet area. I miss the beach, though.”

  He figured she would. The beach had been just a short walk from the place she’d lived before. Living in Miami had spoiled her.

  As they sat in silence again, he figured they’d run out of things to say to each other, at least for now. That didn’t bother him—it gave him a chance to digest what she’d told him.

  Andrew knew Toni. She was one gutsy cop, and normally, she wouldn’t run. Things must have gotten pretty damn bad. Although, he had no doubt she could have taken the heat, it must have been hard for her grandparents to deal with the defamation of her character and her ability to do her job as a police officer.

  He glanced at the clock on the dash. It was after five. This would be their last interview for today. Then they would return to the office and go their separate ways. Not too separate, though, since they lived on the same side of town. Not within walking distance, but he crossed Pit Road to get to work every morning.

  Had she known that? There was no way she could have, since he’d moved last year. He was no longer living in the condo she used to visit those times she came to town for their hook-ups, but had bought a house a stone’s throw from the Potomac.

  He had to remind himself that Toni had been out of his life for close to five years. The only reason she was back now was because she’d needed a job and he’d needed a partner. Too bad the result had ended up being one in the same. However, as partners went, she wasn’t bad.

  Other than that alibi crap she’d pulled earlier, and questioning how they did things with the ME, she had been okay. Of course, she wasn’t Norm, but then, nobody was Norm. The man had kept him in stitches most of the day with his jokes. But Toni was turning out to be a pretty good partner, too. He figured as time went on, she would get used to Alexandria’s policies and procedures, which might be different from those in Miami.

  But whether they would get used to each other as something other than sexual beings? That was the question. There had never been a single time when he’d seen her that by the end of the day, he hadn’t had her naked. Today would be the first. And then he wondered if he was the only one of them thinking about that.