ENTANGLED PURSUITS (MEN OF ACTION Book 1)

by Brenda Jackson

  Every night while in San Diego they’d made love, and whenever she visited him here or he visited her in Miami or their Savannah trysts in between, they made love. Every single day. That had made the breakup especially hard on him.

  It had been months before he had finally bedded another woman, and even then, he’d compared her to Toni. And the next one. And the one after her. The woman’s scent would be different. The texture of her skin wasn’t as soft, and he didn’t enjoy kissing her as much as he did Toni. Nobody could kiss him and leave him groaning like Toni would. She’d been a rare find, and when she ended things, the memories tormented him for months.

  “Looks like we’re here.”

  Her comment tugged him from his thoughts. “Yes, we’re here,” he said, pulling into the yard of the upscale house that was in the Woodlawn section of town.

  When he brought the car to a complete stop and turned off the ignition, Toni unsnapped her seatbelt, opened the door and got out. When she walked in front of the car, his gaze was automatically drawn to her ass. Even in slacks, it was nice, round, and shapely. As delectable as it could get. Perfectly toned cheeks his fingers used to love skimming over, squeezing and gripping. Hell, he’d even kissed them more than once. He had left his brand on them many times.

  He hadn’t missed seeing more than one officer checking out her rear at the Tindal crime scene. Hell, they’d done more than checked out her ass—they’d checked her out, as well. Even with her hair in a ponytail, the contours of her face and her features left no doubt that she was a very attractive woman. There were a number of single men at the precinct who would jump at the chance to get to know her, take her out and wiggle their way into her bed. He needed to get prepared for that...though he wasn’t sure if he could.

  Other than Norm, who’d met her one weekend by chance, none of the guys he hung out with at headquarters had known he was involved in a long-distance relationship. Some started suspecting it when he’d begun going out of town a lot. But when they would question him about those frequent trips, he would brush them off, refusing to be forthcoming with any details. Still, even if they’d guessed something was up, they definitely hadn’t had a clue she was a cop.

  As he got out of the car, he was glad he’d never introduced her to any of them. Otherwise, this situation would definitely be fodder for gossip. The fewer people at the station who knew of their past history, the better. What had been between them once was their business and nobody else’s. Although, he figured Chief LaNeer had figured things out, he knew the man wouldn’t say anything.

  Andrew released a deep sigh. The first thing he intended to do when he got home was down a shot of scotch, maybe two. Then he would take a cold shower.

  Today had been one hell of a day, and it wasn’t quite over yet.

  • • •

  “I honestly don’t know what I can tell you people. Although I regret Maria is dead, she and I never got along. The less I saw of her, the better.”

  You people? Toni would have to admit that Pamela Larkins had been right on the mark about Maria’s stepsister. Jennifer Evans was definitely a piece of work. They’d been inside the woman’s home for thirty minutes, and she hadn’t even invited them to sit down. When Drew had gotten tired of standing, he’d taken a seat in one of the woman’s posh chairs, and Toni had done the same.

  She was glad Drew had finally sat down. Watching the woman’s gaze roaming up and down his body, from head to toe, with feminine appreciation in her eyes, was getting really old.

  “And why was that?” she asked the woman. “Why didn’t the two of you get along?”

  The woman rolled her eyes. “I told you. My father married her mother.”

  “People marry all the time. Had the two carried on an affair while he was married to your mother or something?” Drew asked.

  “Of course not. There is no way my father would have had an affair with Constance while my mother was alive. Mom died when I was twelve. Constance went to work for him when I was in high school.”

  “So why did that bother you so much? Didn’t you want him to be happy?” Toni asked.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Drew glance over at her and she knew why. In the early days of their affair, she’d admitted that she didn’t believe in love or marriage. He was probably wondering if her thoughts on that had changed, or if she was feeding Jennifer Evans a line just to keep her talking.

  “Constance only married my father for his wealth. He owned several car dealerships in town, and Constance worked at one of them. She had a child at eighteen and didn’t finish college. Yet he hired her as part of his management team.”

  “How long after that did they marry?” Drew asked.

  “Less than a year. He moved her into our house—Constance and that homely looking daughter of hers.”

  Homely looking daughter? Granted, Toni hadn’t known Maria Tindal while she was alive, but even dead, it was clear to see she’d been very attractive. Although Jennifer was good-looking enough, with light brown hair and dark eyes, Toni thought Maria had been far more attractive than the woman sitting with them.

  She glanced over at Drew and guessed that he was thinking the same thing. “How long were they married?” Toni asked.

  “Five years too long. I tried to get him to divorce Constance, but he wouldn’t. He claimed he loved her in a way he hadn’t loved my mother. Can you believe that?”

  Toni appreciated Drew sparing her the need to answer the woman when he asked, “I understand they were murdered during a home invasion.”

  Jennifer rolled her eyes. “That’s what a couple of lazy detectives determined. Had they done their homework, they would have discovered my father was deliberately murdered.”

  Lazy detectives? Jennifer Evans definitely didn’t have a problem stating her opinion about anything. “Deliberately murdered?” Toni asked, frowning.

  “Yes. I’ve never believed that home invasion story.”

  “Why not?” Drew asked. Toni fought back a grin. She recognized that Andrew Logan look. He was eyeing the woman as if he expected her to grow fangs and pointed ears at any moment.

  “Because I knew what was in the will. In order for Constance to inherit any of my father’s money, they had to be married at least five years and one month. They were married five years and fifteen days. I figured she paid someone to bump Dad off so she could get her inheritance.”

  “If that was the plan, why did she die that night, as well?” Drew asked.

  “She was not supposed to be in town that night.”

  “Then, why was she?” Toni asked. They were here to investigate the Tindal murder, yet now, because of Jennifer Evans’s bizarre imagination, they were wasting their time discussing a cold case.

  “I figured she somehow discovered she was getting rid of my father two weeks too soon and rushed back home to try to cancel the hit on him. It was too late. Both of them were taken out.”

  Neither Toni nor Drew said anything. They quickly glanced over at each other, and again Toni figured they were thinking the same thing—this woman had read one thriller novel too many.

  Drew cleared his throat. “Back to Maria Tindal’s murder.”

  Jennifer smiled. “Yes, back to Maria. The only good thing about my father’s death was that since her mother wasn’t married to Dad for the allotted time, Maria didn’t inherit anything either,” she said almost gleefully. “I got it all and didn’t share a dime with her. Not one red cent. She had to get a student loan to pay for college, and was made to move out of that sweet little apartment Dad had been footing the bill for. She’d lived off my father’s charity five years too long.”

  Had Toni ever met such a horrid human being? She didn’t think so. “Ms. Evans, where were you last night at around ten o’clock?”

  “I was here with a couple of girlfriends. We were having a party, sort of a celebration.”

  “And what were you celebrating?”

  “My upcoming wedding. My bridal gown was delivered th
at day. I’m getting married in May to Todd James. I’m sure you know who he is.”

  Toni shook her head. “No, sorry, I don’t.”

  Jennifer Evans looked at Toni in surprise. “Todd is CEO of one of the largest lobbying firms in the nation.”

  “Congratulations,” Toni said.

  “Thanks. I’m excited about it. Anyway, the three of us were here together until around two this morning.”

  “Two? Nobody had to go to work?” Drew asked.

  “Of course not. None of us work. We’re what some would call rich bitches.”

  Toni stood. She had heard enough. “We need the names of those other two women, Ms. Evans.”

  “Certainly, Detective Oliver.”

  “And by the way, I know you said you and Maria didn’t get along, but do you recall when the last time you talked to her was?”

  “Yes. A few weeks ago.”

  Drew lifted a brow. “Why?”

  Jennifer shrugged. “She heard I was getting married and called to congratulate me.”

  “That was nice of her,” Toni said.

  “I figured she was going to ask for something, so I hurried her off the phone.”

  “Like what?”

  “Maybe an invitation to be a part of my wedding party. But that wasn’t happening. In fact, I hadn’t even sent her an invitation to the wedding.”

  Toni couldn’t help thinking that if Maria hadn’t been killed, she would have dodged a bullet.

  “WHAT DO YOU THINK about that group, Toni?”

  She glanced up at Drew and shook her head. “Rather interesting.”

  Before leaving Jennifer Evans’s residence, her friends—the other two rich bitches, Amy Stamper and Monica Wright—had shown up. The trio had known each other since high school, and had even attended college together in Boston. Amy and Monica looked like fashion models. Amy had red hair and green eyes, and Monica was a blonde with blue eyes. They were attractive women, but it didn’t take long for Toni and Drew to see they were just as self-centered as Jennifer. Toni thought dealing with Jennifer had been bad enough, but the two other women, both of whom had that same air of entitlement, had been too much to deal with. But at least they’d verified Jennifer’s alibi.

  After leaving Jennifer Evans’s place, they had called it a day and returned to headquarters. That had been an hour ago. Drew had dictated his notes for the clerk to transcribe. Because she had recorded her notes in her phone, all she’d had to do was send them to herself as a document. Since her technique was less time consuming, she had dropped it in the electronic file when she finished, keeping a paper copy for her records. Now she was back to setting up her desk. It was something she was determined to finish before leaving for the day.

  Drew had been right. Most of the other detectives had already left for the day. He had introduced her to two men who’d stayed late to work files. Both were veteran detectives who’d been on the force for over thirty years and were looking toward retirement. They were friendly and welcomed her to the team, telling her if she ever needed anything to let them know.

  She had also met Joanie Felder, the dispatcher, in the ladies’ room. The woman, who appeared to be in her mid-forties, welcomed her on board...and then proceeded to talk her ear off. It soon became obvious she was the department’s gossip—she knew something about everybody. After making sure the six stalls were empty, Joanie filled Toni in on everything Joanie felt she needed to know. There was no doubt in Toni’s mind that Joanie would have eventually given her the scoop on Drew if another woman hadn’t entered the bathroom.

  “How did your first day go?” Drew asked her, interrupting her thoughts.

  “I thought today went well. However, I feel I should be asking you that since I’m technically on probation for thirty days.”

  He lifted a brow. “Only thirty? Better not let anyone hear you say that. Standard around here is sixty, and on some occasions, even ninety.”

  She smiled and pretended to zip her lips. “Mum’s the word.”

  Toni decided now was a good time to bring up something she’d noticed. “When you introduced me, you didn’t say anything about us knowing each other before today.”

  She saw his mouth tighten; a clear indication she had broached a subject he’d rather not discuss. “It’s best for our working relationship that nobody knows. This is a nice place to work, but like anywhere else, there is a rumor mill. I’d prefer it if we didn’t give them anything to grind.”

  She nodded. “I understand there’s not a fraternization policy.”

  “True. Several of the detectives are dating beat cops, and some of the detectives are dating each other. However, none of them are partners.” He paused a minute, then added, “Although we aren’t dating, we used to. If anyone gets an inkling of what we used to be, they’ll start digging—first to find out what happened, and second, to uncover the reason I kept you a secret when we were together. I don’t like questions because I don’t intend to provide answers, so I’d prefer what was between us stay in the past. Nobody has to know.”

  Toni nodded again. She didn’t have a problem with that and agreed with his line of thinking. Technically, she was a newbie. She didn’t want anyone thinking that Drew was the reason she was here, or that there was more to their relationship than a professional one. “I agree. Nobody has to know.”

  He glanced at his watch again. “I’ll be going. I hope you don’t intend to hang around here too much longer.”

  She shook her head. “No. I want to finish setting up my desk and then I’m out of here, too. What time do you usually arrive in the mornings?”

  “At eight. I sent you an email with tomorrow’s agenda. Usually Norm and I took turns putting it together. That way we know how our day is planned and what interviews we need to cover. Of course, the agenda can change—and it usually does—if dispatch sends us an assignment.”

  She chuckled. “Never a dull moment.”

  He smiled. “Yeah, never a dull moment. I’ll see you in the morning, Toni. Have a good night.”

  “Same to you, Drew.” Then, he was gone. She stood and watched him until he was no longer in sight. A part of her had hoped, just a little, that he would look back. He didn’t.

  Toni sat back down and glanced around. She had managed to get through day one with Drew. It had been a challenge, but she’d managed. Considering everything, they had gotten along pretty well. There had been a couple of tense moments, but overall, she thought things had gone rather smoothly between them.

  Now he was her partner and cubicle roomie. In a way, it made sense for their desks to be set up next to each other. She just hadn’t expected it. In Miami, her partner’s desk was on the other side of the room. Also, the detectives’ section of the precinct had been tight, and the desks were crammed close together. That had been an issue when several of them were on the phones at the same time. Voices tended to carry, and some of the guys spoke louder than necessary, which made phone calls difficult for the other detectives in the room.

  At the Alexandria Police Department, things were different. She actually liked the set-up here. The detectives were housed on the same floor as their lieutenant in the Criminal Investigation Unit. The Special Investigation Unit, was tasked with handling organized crime type cases, and was located on the other side of a glass partition. Toni hadn’t met the lieutenant yet, since he was out on vacation. According to Drew, the man had taken a three-week trip to Scotland, the place where his parents had been born. Drew had assured her that she would like Curtis McPherson. Her friend Joy, who was a police lieutenant in Charlottesville, had met McPherson last year and had said the same thing.

  Even the cubicles were set up differently than the ones in Miami. Drew’s desk was opposite hers with a walkway of approximately six feet in between, enough for her to feel as if she had her own space. They shared the same coat rack, and because they worked the same cases, they had a pull-down suspect board. She wasn’t sure how he’d gotten lucky enough to be the last one on
the aisle, but she was glad of it. Nobody would come into their cubicles unless they needed to see them specifically. There was also a window behind them that looked out into the parking lot.

  Drew said the only downside to having the window was that, on sunny days, it was sometimes hard to see their computer screens because of the glare. Thankfully, there were screen shields in the supply cabinet if the situation became too irritating. She also liked that there were several small conference rooms the partners could use when discussing cases without interfering with the work being done by those in the cubicles around them.

  Toni heard her stomach growl, and suddenly remembered she hadn’t eaten since lunch. She decided to go downstairs and grab something out of the snack machine and then return to finish up. Standing, she stretched her muscles, turning slightly to glance out the window.

  She went still when she saw Drew down in the parking lot talking to a woman and recognized her as “Natalie,” the television reporter who had been at the Tindal crime scene. She was the one who’d called out to him earlier that day. The same one he’d said he would see later.

  Toni guessed this was later, and from the smile on the woman’s face, and the fact of the way she stood so close to Drew, touching him so freely on his arms and chest, she suspected that they had been intimate…or still were.

  A deep pain settled around her heart. This just wasn’t fair. The reason she had broken up with him was to avoid the same pain she was feeling now. Deciding she couldn’t watch Natalie and Drew any longer, she turned away and headed toward the snack machine. She refused to think about the possibility that he would likely share Natalie’s bed tonight. It suddenly dawned on her that this was the first time she and Drew had spent a day together—a day that wouldn’t end with them spending the night together, as well. It was unsettling.

  • • •

  Andrew entered his home, and after tossing the keys on the table, he walked straight to the wet bar. That was one of the things he’d loved about this house. It wasn’t that he drank a lot, but whenever he did, he liked being comfortable. The wet bar was located just outside the family room, and was in an ideal spot whenever he entertained.