by Karin Tabke
She slipped her hand into his. The contact was electric, the shock of it catching them both off guard. Jack’s green eyes blazed, but he didn’t say a word; instead, he wound her in the sheet. Probably for the best. If it dropped, she’d be in trouble. Again. This time she wouldn’t be able to blame it on the drugs.
“Put some clothes on, Doc’s going to check you out.”
“Doc?”
“Dr. Katrina Winslow.”
“One of your exes?”
“Does every woman in my life automatically get the ex-label?”
“No, just the gorgeous, sexy ones.”
Jack threw his back and laughed. “You might be on to something, Detective, considering you’re gorgeous and sexy.”
She scowled. “Yeah, except my label reads: Future Ex.”
Jack kissed her nose. “Don’t sell yourself so short, hot stuff.”
Fighting a smile, she pushed him away and said, “I don’t need an exam, I’m fine.”
“I know you’re fine,” he grinned raising his brows, “but I need to know you’re not hurt beyond some bumps and bruises.”
“Fine,” she exasperated, “let me throw on a tee shirt and sweats.”
Five minutes later a gorgeous, sexy woman entered her bedroom after knocking softly and getting permission to enter. Immediately Stevie geared up her defenses. Absolutely one of Jack’s exes.
Doc smiled warmly and if Stevie didn’t hate her so much she might like her, because her smile was warm and friendly, not a single shred of bitch attached to it.
Doc was Stevie’s height, with thick copper-colored hair, and big blue eyes. She was dressed casually in sweet strappy wedges, designer jeans that accentuated her svelte curvy body, and a deep blue lace tank top that made her big cat-shaped eyes look like burning sapphires.
She walked with the sexy confidence of woman well loved. Yeah, Stevie hated everything about her.
“I’m Katrina West, Detective, a friend of Jack’s. I hope you don’t mind that I’m here. He was rather persuasive. I could never deny Jack anything.”
Stevie had no doubt. Besides, Jack hadn’t denied that the sexy doctor was an ex. Yeah, he’d managed to slide right around that one.
“I’m sure you haven’t.” Stevie said, scowling. The motion made her head throb the more.
Doc set her little black bag down on the nightstand and, with her hands on her hips; she smiled so broadly that Stevie was blinded by the brilliance of it. She hated her even more now.
“I’m not the enemy, Detective Cavanaugh,” Doc said, amusement lacing her words. Stevie didn’t see anything so funny about Jack calling an ex to check out his current fling. “I haven’t slept with Jack. I have no intention or desire to sleep with him.” She winked. “Not that he isn’t a fine specimen of a man, but I have my own hot cop that keeps me plenty busy.”
The tension that had been generating at warp speed halted, and after Stevie gave a long exhale, it began to recede. If truth be told she felt a little sheepish. It wasn’t like her to jump to conclusions, but it seemed when it came to Jack she wasn’t her normal logical self.
Doc opened her bag and pulled out a stethoscope. “Please sit down, and let me take a listen.”
Stevie moved from where she was standing by the chair to the edge of the bed and let Doc take a listen.
“Deep breaths, please.”
Stevie obliged.
When the good doctor was done, she hung the stethoscope around her neck. “Contrary to popular belief, you do have a heart, and it’s working just fine.”
“Hrrmph, so Jack told you about us?”
“A little.”
Oddly, Jack discussing their relationship with the good doc didn’t bother her. Dr. Winslow had that inviting warm aura about her that was hard to resist. Besides, if he did talk about her, it meant she was on his mind and that was a good thing.
Doc took out the ear and nose spotlight thing and checked her ears, nose, and throat.
“Ears, nose, and throat look good.”
Then she touched Stevie’s temples eliciting a small moan. “That hurts?”
“It’s tender and I have a migraine at the moment.”
“Did you hit your head when you were run off the road?”
“I don’t remember. I may have.”
She looked at Stevie’s eyes with a light. “Hmm, you’re a little dilated. What medication have you taken?”
“Two hydrocodones at about one this morning. I wanted Tylenol, but Special Agent Neanderthal insisted on the narcotics.”
Doc’s lips twisted in a smile. “Yes, Neanderthal seems to be a prerequisite with them.”
“Them?” There were more?
“Jack, my husband Simon, Flynn, and the others.”
“How did you meet Jack?”
“He was part of a sting operation my husband was heading up. I was the bait, and Jack made sure I didn’t get hurt. It was very exciting and romantic, but nothing I’d like to experience again.” She looked at Stevie and smiled that gentle smile. “My hat is off to you, Detective. I could never do what you do.”
Stevie was warming up to this chick. “I could never be a doctor. How long have you been one?”
“I spent most of my career in a research lab, but since I met Simon and went through some ugliness with my former employer, I decided it was time to get back into the clinical side of medicine. So, in that respect, just a few months.”
“Kind of like riding a bike?”
“Sort of.”
When she had completed her exam, Doc said, “You have a mild concussion, Detective. I suggest you take it easy for a few days. Take Tylenol for the pain, but if your migraine gets worse, you call me or get to an ER. Sometimes bumps can produce blood clots and they can be deadly.”
“Don’t tell, Jack, he’ll go all caveman on me again. I don’t have time for that.”
“I’m sure he suspects—”
“Just don’t give him any more ammo, okay? Besides, there is that doctor-patient confidentiality thing.”
“Detective—”
“Please, call me Stevie, and I promise to take the Tylenol as ordered.”
“And—”
“I promise to call you if my headache doesn’t go away or gets worse.”
Doc snapped her black bag shut. “I’m going to take you at your word, Stevie. This is nothing to trifle with. Listen to your body.”
“Yes, Doc.”
“Call me Katrina.”
“Will do, Katrina. Now let me get ready for work, I have a lot to do today.”
Katrina shook her head and saw herself out of the room.
Less than a half hour later, Stevie strode out to the main area of the house. Deep male voices emanated from the kitchen, punctuated by Katrina’s distinctly feminine tone.
As Stevie entered the kitchen she stopped in her tracks. Whoa. When did Santa stop by?
Three of the hottest men in law enforcement sat at her breakfast bar, their testosterone levels so high she could smell it.
The newcomer, a tall, dark, and very handsome man, stood up from the bar stool he had been sitting on, his bright green eyes smiling.
He gave Jack and Flynn a serious run for their money in the hot cop department. Stevie caught Katrina’s beaming smile.
“You must be Simon?” Stevie said, approaching him with her hand extended.
“The one and only,” Simon said taking her hand in his much bigger, much warmer one. Wow. Where did they grow these guys?
“Thank God for that,” Katrina said, smiling.
“Detective Cavanaugh I presume?” Simon said. His teeth were straight and sparkled in the morning sunlight. Why didn’t they have guys like Simon and Flynn at her PD?
Stevie smiled, releasing his hand. “The one and only.”
&
nbsp; “Double thanks for that,” Jack said. He looked at Stevie. “I’m going to take a quick shower, give me twenty, and we’ll get going.” And he headed for the bathroom.
Stevie took her prescribed Tylenol, poured herself a cup of coffee, and directed her next question at Flynn. “So what did Jack bribe you all with to act as lookouts on your own time?”
He grinned over his coffee cup. “Not a damn thing.”
She turned to face Simon. “How long have you been here?”
He glanced as his watch. “About six hours.”
Stevie gasped and looked at Katrina. “You, too?”
“I arrived just before I saw you. I came as soon as I could after my shift at the clinic ended.”
Stevie swallowed. “But you don’t even know me.”
Simon smiled and shrugged it off as if it was no big deal.
“Jack and I go way back,” Simon said. “I love him like a brother.” He inclined his head toward Flynn. “Same for that guy. You’ll see for yourself once you get to know us, we’re each other’s eternal backup.” He pulled his wife into his tight embrace. “And mess with our women?” He kissed her on the top of the head. “Ask Jack what happened to the last guy who touched her.”
There was no denying Simon’s strong sense of possession for his wife. As caveman as it looked and sounded, Stevie liked it. She liked it when Jack took control. Liked it when he beat his chest in front of other males. Liked it when he forced her to submit. But she had also liked it last night when he submitted to her. He’d been gentle, and reassuring.
“I will,” she said hoarsely, looking away, but catching Flynn’s glittering eyes and half smile. Her nipples tightened. Not for Flynn specifically, but for the power of these men in general and their no-limit mentality when it came to having each other’s backs.
“Don’t let Simon scare you, Stevie,” Katrina said. “He barks a lot.”
Simon growled, pulled her back against his chest, and lowered his lips to her ear. “You know I don’t bark, Cinderella, I just bite.”
Warm shivers ran along Stevie’s spine. When Katrina looked up at her husband with adoration and desire in her blue eyes, Stevie’s heart pitter-pattered. She wanted that. To be cherished like that by a man. To look at him with so much love, he could barely stand it. She wanted that with Jack. Had last night been the beginning?
“Get a room,” Flynn groaned, rolling his eyes.
“No girl for you, Flynn?” Stevie asked.
The handsome special agent shook his head. “Haven’t found one willing to put up with me yet.”
“That’s a load of BS,” Katrina said. “They line up to put up with you; you’re just too picky and commitment-phobic to give any of them a chance.”
Flynn shot Simon a harsh look. “Wow, man, who’da thunk you’d break man code?”
“He didn’t break anything, Flynn,” Katrina interjected, having her man’s back. “I’ve seen you in action plenty of times and known you long enough to see how you are with the most gorgeous, intelligent women in northern California. You sample them, then put them back in the candy box half eaten.”
They all laughed at Katrina’s analogy.
“Picking on Ryker again?” Jack said as he strode into the kitchen.
Stevie’s heart and libido did a little giddyup.
He was showered, shaved, and looking ridiculously handsome in a black tailored suit, crisp white shirt, and jade-colored silk tie that was a dead match for the color of his eyes.
His hot gaze caught and held hers. As if there was no one else in the room, they stared at each other.
“Later, you two,” Simon said, dragging his wife behind him as she said her good-byes. Flynn, shaking his head, said, “See you back at HQ,” and followed Simon and Katrina out of the house.
They were alone, and a feeling of wanting to be possessed grabbed hold of Stevie. How had that happened? She was not all soft and kittenish like Katrina was with Simon. She was Detective Steven Cavanaugh the third who would one day be Oakland’s Chief of Police. She was hard. Demanding. Fearless. Yet with Jack, she was none of those things.
“What’s going through that mind of yours, Stevie?” Jack asked huskily as he approached her.
She could tell him the truth, but Stevie wasn’t ready for the truth.
“I was wondering how you can afford designer suits on a fed’s salary?” Looking for something to occupy her hands and an excuse to not make eye contact, she rinsed their coffee cups and dumped them into the dishwasher.
Jack grinned and tapped his temple. “I am not just a pretty face, Detective; I also have a brain, one that has a knack for the stock market.”
“Really?”
“Really. I have a few income properties to show for it, too.”
“You’re a regular mogul.”
“You have no idea. How about you? This house and that ride of yours aren’t indicative of a detective’s pay grade.”
She shrugged and reached for her purse on the counter. “I make decent money, and like you, I’ve made a few sound investments.” She grabbed her purse and opened it. “Dad left me a hefty chunk of money. I used it to buy this place.”
As Stevie dug through her purse for the evidence bag with Spoltori’s card in it, she scowled. It was gone.
“On its way to Quantico.”
She shoved the purse aside. “That wasn’t your call to make, Jack.”
“We can turn it around faster than you can.”
“I would have put a rush on it.”
“My rush is faster than your rush.”
Feeling stripped of power; she stood with her hands on her hips.
Jack exhaled and leaned against the edge of the counter. “Look, you were exhausted; I didn’t want to wake you and ask your permission to do what you would have done if our positions were reversed.”
“That was my evidence.”
“It isn’t yours or mine, it belongs to the case. Stevie, you need to be a team player here. I’m not the enemy. The FBI isn’t the enemy. I’m here to assist. When it comes to certain evidence we can process it quicker. Let me do what I do best and I’ll let you do what you do best.”
“I feel like the case isn’t mine anymore.” She practically pouted. Not that she knew how. Pouting was for girlie girls. Like the lovely Katrina.
“Of course it is. We wouldn’t have half the information we have if you hadn’t been the one to dig it up. But there’s more to be done.”
He leaned forward. Lowering his voice, he said, “Don’t make this about what’s going on between us personally.”
Raising her eyes to his, she stiffened. “There is nothing going on between us personally, so you can toss that notion out the window.” As if she believed her own words. He’d hit the nail on the head. She had no control when it came to her chemical reaction to him, but she was damned if she was going to give up control of her case, too.
“Deny it all you want, Detective, but you want me so bad it hurts to think about not having me.”
Stevie’s jaw dropped. “You’re conceited!”
He shook his head and acted as if he were going to lean in and kiss her. Ignoring her brain’s shrill warning not to, she found herself meeting his lean halfway. He smiled as his eyes dropped to her parted lips. “I’m just calling them like I see them, Stevie.” He moved back, leaving her hanging on the edge of the counter.
Embarrassed heat stung her cheeks. “I hate you, Jack Thornton.”
He grinned, grabbed his car keys off the counter, and started for the front door. Over his shoulder he said, “I’m driving.”
Snatching up her bag, she muttered, “Of course you are.” And followed him out the door.
Ready to hit the streets, they took off for Spoltori’s offices in downtown Oakland. First on their agenda was Jack taking a crack at Spoltori’s assis
tant, Joan Schillner, Spoltori’s alibi for each night of each murder. Oliveras had come away with exactly nothing except her statement that Mario was with her on those nights at the office. Stevie didn’t buy it for a second.
“I know you can charm a snake out of its skin, Jack,” Stevie said, “But I’ll bet you whatever you want that Spoltori threatened her and out of fear for her life she’s not going to recant her statement.”
“You may be right. But I dug a little last night. She’s a single mom of a seven-year-old daughter. Deadbeat ex who hasn’t paid child support in years.”
“I could have told you that.”
“Could you have told me she shipped the daughter off to her mother’s in Maine two months ago?”
Chills shivered along Stevie’s arms. “He threatened her daughter.” Then she asked, “How do you know that?”
“I ran her background, found out her mom lives in Bangor. An agent confirmed this morning that the little girl, Jenny, is enrolled in an elementary school there as of seven weeks ago.”
“What a piece of shit Spoltori is.”
As they rolled past the Webster Street address, Stevie said, “Lights are out, looks like they’re closed.”
Jack pulled in against the curb. “Sit tight.” Putting the car into park, he hopped out and strode up to the door. When he tugged on it, it remained closed. Stevie scowled. She watched him take out his shield and tap it against the glass. The door opened from the inside, then shut behind him.
It wasn’t five minutes later that Jack was getting back into the car.
“That was quick.”
“She’s scared.”
“What did she say?”
“Not a damn thing. Told me to either leave or arrest her. I told her I could protect her and her daughter. She wasn’t buying it.”
“Did you ask where her boss was?”
“Said he’s traveling and unless I had a warrant, I could kiss accessing that information good-bye.”
“Let’s bring her in for questioning.”
“For what crime?”
“Accessory, impeding a homicide investigation.”
“I gave her my card and told her she had twenty-four hours to call me or I’d be back with an arrest warrant for her.”
