by Jane Blythe
“Does that mean if I'm on my best behavior, you’ll say yes?”
“You are impossible,” she said but didn't pull her hand out of his. “If you came by my apartment to offer me a ride, why were you standing watching me in the window? And why didn't you say something when I came out? Why were you following me down the street?”
“I wasn't standing watching you in the window,” Eli said, stopping and releasing her hand so he could place both of his on her shoulders. “When my driver pulled up you were walking down the street. I didn't want to scare you so I was just going to catch up with you and say hi. Was someone watching you?”
Uncertain now that she had to discuss it, Florence wavered. “I thought someone was watching me earlier when I was on the phone, but maybe I just imagined it.”
“I don’t like it.” His brow furrowed, and the charming smile was gone.
“Don’t like what?”
“Someone watching you. Let me drive you to work, Florence, just in case whoever it was is still here somewhere.”
“You do remember that I'm the cop, right? I have my gun on me.”
“Like I'd forget,” he said, a small smile curving his lips up. “I'd just feel better if you weren't catching the subway on your own. I saved your life, remember? That means I'm responsible for your safety.”
“You're going to protect me?” she asked dubiously. “Have you ever even held a gun before?”
“I'm a guy, I know all about shooting.” The grin on his face and the teasing tone of his voice coaxed a laugh out of her.
“I don’t mean that kind of shooting,” she said with a pointed look at his groin. “I really have to get going, I'm supposed to be at a crime scene in ten minutes.”
“Then let me drive you. My driver can get you there quicker than the subway can. Come on, Florence,” he coaxed. “This isn’t a date, it’s just one friend helping out another friend.”
“When did we become friends?”
“When I pushed you out of the way of that car that wanted to mow you down. Someone tried to kill you that night, and now you think someone was watching you. Someone who knows where you live. I'm worried about you. Please, let me give you a ride to your crime scene so I know you get there safely.”
It wasn't his logic that got to her.
It wasn't the fact that he probably would be able to get her there quicker than the subway.
It wasn't even that he was asking her rather than telling her, and asking politely.
It was that he’d said he was worried about her.
No one but her brother had ever worried about her.
Her brother and now apparently Eli Lennox.
* * * * *
5:47 P.M.
He was getting impatient.
Waiting wasn't something that Eli was good at.
Or used to doing.
When he wanted something he got it, the only thing in his life that he hadn't been able to get was something to save his family. His brother had died while he was off at a party with his friends. While he’d been having wild sex with his girlfriend of the moment, his brother had been struggling to breathe as his allergy squeezed the life out of him.
Although Eli had only been twenty at the time, his brother a decade older, that moment had changed his life. His course turned in a completely different direction, and as he walked a different path, bit by bit, he himself changed. That easy-going kid who still carried that air of immortality was gone, replaced by someone who had to learn how to survive in the cutthroat world of billion-dollar businesses.
Watching his mother waste away as she valiantly fought the cancer that was invading her body, and then his father die slowly of a broken heart having lost his other half, he’d been filled with a desire to find his other half. When he had pictured what that woman would be like it was nothing like Florence Harris, and yet she was the only woman he’d ever met who had consumed him.
She was all he could think about.
All day he’d been unable to concentrate, while he usually spent hours at the office, there was always something needing attention no matter how many people he had working for him, today he’d been counting down the hours until he could leave.
Florence hadn't told him when she’d be done for the day when he’d offered to come and pick her up after work, but since he knew which precinct she worked out of, he’d decided he would simply sit and wait for her to leave. Knowing it was unlikely that she would leave any earlier than five, he’d had his driver pick him up at quarter to and drive him over there so he could wait.
Which he was still doing nearly an hour later.
It took every single ounce of his self-control not to go barging in there and demand that she come with him.
If he wasn't trying to win her over and convince her to go on a date with him then he might have done it. But he knew for a fact that if he went all alpha controlling on her, all he would be doing was pushing her further away.
Eli had no idea why it was so important that he convince her to give him a chance, but he wasn't going to argue against how he felt, he was just going to go with it. He’d heard enough times growing up about how it had been love at first sight for his parents, and while he didn't think he was ready to claim that he was in love with Florence, he was intrigued and consumed enough to know that this could actually go somewhere.
The possibility was thrilling and terrifying.
Was he really ready for a serious commitment?
Was he ready for marriage and kids?
Was he ready to put someone before the company his father had built from the ground up, the company that he had sworn to make the most successful in the world?
Florence stepped out of the building, and he was shoving the door open and stepping out in seconds like he was a magnet drawn to her by the universe.
Just as he was crossing the street, she turned. When she noticed him, her eyes grew wide before her brow scrunched, it seemed she was not happy to see him.
Eli put on his most charming smile and was about to make a witty comment when a man stepped out from behind Florence.
A man.
A ridiculously good looking man with wavy black hair and piercing green eyes. The guy was taller than he was and was built like a rock.
A jealous haze descended on him.
“Who are you?” he asked, his voice a deep growl. Did Florence have a boyfriend she had failed to mention? Was that why she had been so reluctant to agree to go on a date with him?
The idea that Florence belonged to another man left him feeling bereft.
“This is Jake,” Florence told him. “Jake, this is Eli Lennox. You know the guy from the other night who pushed me out of the way of the car.”
So she’d told this Jake man about him, but hadn't said a word to him about Jake, for some reason that infuriated him.
“Nice to meet you,” Jake said, holding out a hand, a friendly smile on his face.
Eli ignored the other man’s hand. “Are you dating her?” he demanded, pleased to hear that he sounded as ferocious as he felt.
Jake laughed, and even Florence was smirking. That only served to add further fuel to his anger. He had no idea why he was acting like a possessive jerk, he’d only known Florence for a couple of days, and he hadn't even been able to convince her to go out with him yet, if she was involved with this man then he should turn and leave before he made a fool out of himself.
His feet didn't get that memo though, so he stood there and glowered.
“Something amusing?” he ground out.
“Kind of,” Jake said.
“Jake and I aren’t a couple so you can tamper down that caveman act before you make even more of a fool out of yourself,” Florence informed him. “Jake is my partner. My married with a four-month-old baby at home partner.”
At her words, he relaxed. “Nice to meet you then, Jake.” He held out his hand, and the other man shook it with another laugh.
“I’d ask what the caveman act was abo
ut, but I was there when Florence got the flowers the other day and managed to pry out of her that you were the one who saved her life and that you asked her out. I told her to go for it by the way,” Jake added with a wink.
“See,” he turned to Florence, “even your partner thinks you should go out with me.”
“Yeah, well, he’s been trying to marry me off for at least a year now, ever since his wife got pregnant.”
That Florence hadn't gone out with anyone else made him exceedingly pleased. “Don’t worry, I’ll wear her down sooner or later.”
“I'm counting on it,” Jake told him. “I better get going, I have to pick up diapers and formula on the way home. See you in the morning, Florence. Nice to meet you, Eli, and good luck, this one is stubborn.”
Florence rolled her eyes at her partner’s retreating back, then asked him, “What are you doing here?”
“You really have to ask that? Are you obtuse as well as stubborn?” he teased.
“I’ve already said no a million times,” she reminded him like he could forget.
“I know, but I came all the way here, and I thought that since I made two gestures today you might feel disposed to reward me.”
“Reward you for stalking me and finding out where I lived then showing up at my work?”
“Reward me for my thoughtfulness in offering you a ride,” he corrected. “You can keep saying no, Florence, you can keep pretending that you don’t feel what I feel, you can keep pretending that there isn’t something between us, but it won't change the facts. I feel it, and I know you do too.”
Taking a chance, Eli stepped closer, curling an arm around her waist, he drew her up against his body. She didn't fight him, but he felt her sharp intake of air, and he knew that what she was feeling scared her just like it scared him. The only difference was he was willing to embrace it, and she wanted to fight it.
“You’re beautiful, smart, strong, and ridiculously sexy. I can't stay away from you, and I don’t want to. I'm going to kiss you now so you better stop me if you don’t want it to happen.”
He gave her a moment to back out, and although he could feel her nervousness, her fingers curled into his shirt, and her lips parted, the tip of her pink tongue darting out.
Taking that as his cue, Eli dipped his head and feathered his lips across hers. The moment they touched heat exploded between them, it was like a fire ignited, searing every inch of his body.
Since they were standing in the middle of a busy street he couldn’t do what he wanted, which was to throw her down, rip off her clothes and taste every inch of her to see if she tasted as delicious as her mouth did, reluctantly he ended the kiss. He only possessed so much self-control, and he was already reaching the end of it, dragging her to his car, and acting out his fantasy was not going to win Florence over.
“You tell me that kiss didn't make you feel things you’ve never felt before, and I’ll walk away right now and never turn back,” he challenged her.
Florence blinked slowly, her big blue eyes giving away what she was feeling without her having to say a word. “I've had good kisses before …”
Eli touched a finger to her lips. “Not only do I not want to hear about you kissing other men, I don’t want to hear you lie.” He moved his finger to her neck where her pulse was fluttering wildly, then to her chest where her heart was thumping. “Your body gives you away. You felt it. Florence, tell me you felt it too.” He needed to know he wasn't crazy, that this thing between them was real.
“I felt it,” she said softly. “I just don’t know what to do about it.”
Brushing his knuckles across her cheek, enjoying the feel of her soft, smooth skin, he smiled. “That’s okay. I do.” Tilting her face up, he kissed her again.
FEBRUARY 12TH
6:02 P.M.
“You think it could be him?” Florence asked her partner as they stood outside the interview room looking at the angry man sitting inside it waiting for them.
“His girlfriend seems to think it could be,” Jake replied.
If the man’s partner thought that there was a possibility that he was the Dumpster Killer, a man who had killed fifteen women now since he’d dumped a body the night he’d tried to run her over, then it was something they needed to look into. The sketch from the owner of the car yard that had rented the car under the table had been plastered all over the news. Of all the calls they’d received from people saying they thought they knew the man in the sketch, this one had seemed to be the most promising lead.
Justin Bates was twenty-nine years old, he had an ex-wife who was the mother of his four children, worked as a plumber, and was currently involved with his high school sweetheart who he’d reunited with after his divorce. His wife had moved across the country after they’d split up to be closer to her family, and had full custody of the children. Not only had Justin not fought to keep his kids in his life, he was currently around ten thousand dollars in arrears in child support.
There were several drunk and disorderly, drunk driving, and assault charges on his record. When they’d spoken with his boss when they’d gone in to pick Justin up to bring him in for questioning, they’d learned that the man had a major problem with women.
Complaints filled Justin's personnel file. Almost every house he’d gone to do work in where there was a single woman home alone at the time his boss had received a phone call complaining that Justin had been inappropriate with them.
Of course the first thing she’d asked was why Justin hadn't been fired. The answer was that the company was owned by his uncle who felt obligated to keep Justin employed, given that he had four children who needed food, and clothes, and a roof over their heads. His uncle had been surprised that Justin had found a woman to marry him, and even more surprised that he’d gotten back with his high school girlfriend, and seemed to share her concerns that Justin—who clearly had a violent streak and a problem with women—could be the killer.
Right now, they didn't have anything that would get them a warrant to check out Justin’s apartment, or his computer, phone, or bank accounts, they would have to hope that they could get him to slip up and say something incriminating or for CSU to find some forensics that would connect him to the crimes.
“Let’s go in and see if we can get him to give anything up,” she said as she pushed open the door. “Good evening, Mr. Bates. I'm Detective Harris, and this is my partner, Detective Zeus, we’re here to ask you some questions.”
The look Justin gave her was dripping with condescension, it was clear the idea of being interrogated by a woman did not sit well with him. Since she and Jake had been working together for years now, they didn't have to verbalize anything for them to decide that they would get more out of him if she led the interview. He would be so busy trying to prove that he was smarter than her that he’d be more likely to slip up and say something he shouldn’t.
“What kind of questions?” Justin addressed his question to Jake.
“Do you own a car, Mr. Bates?” she asked as both she and Jake ignored his question.
“This is Manhattan, hardly anyone owns a car,” he snapped, still refusing to look at her when he spoke.
“So, if you needed a car, you'd have to rent one, correct?”
“Why would I need a car?”
“For argument’s sake, let’s just say you did need a car, you’d have to hire it from somewhere, correct?”
“I suppose,” Justin huffed.
“Have you rented a car lately, Mr. Bates?” she asked.
“No,” he replied. But he answered a little too quickly for her liking.
“Where were you three nights ago, Mr. Bates?”
The man gave a disinterested shrug. “Home with my girlfriend, I guess.”
“That’s not what she said,” Florence informed the man. “According to her, you left after dinner and were gone until the early hours of the morning. Where did you go?”
“I was home,” he insisted. “If Kyla said differently, then sh
e’s a liar.”
“Why would she lie about you not being home three nights ago?” she pressed. “What was so special about three nights ago that she would bother to lie about that night in particular?”
“I don’t know why women do the things they do, but I do know they lie,” he growled, throwing a glare her way.
“Let’s say you were out somewhere that night,” she continued, unfazed by his outburst. It certainly wasn't the first time a suspect had yelled at her, in fact she’d been on the receiving end of much worse. “Where would you be?”
“I wouldn’t be anywhere. You suggesting that I'm cheating on my woman?” Justin looked like the thought was outrageous.
“Personally, men who cheat are pretty low in my opinion, right up there with men who abandon their kids, but no you’re not here in a police station being interviewed because you might be cheating on your girlfriend. You’re here because we want to know if you killed anyone. So, Mr. Bates, are you a cheater, or a killer, or just a child abandoner?” Men who made children but didn't stick around to look after them were one of the things she hated the most. Her own father had skipped out on her, her brother, and her mom before she was even a year old. Because of that, her entire childhood had been a living nightmare.
One thing she had learned in her career as a cop was to be prepared for anything.
That was the only reason that she reacted in time.
Justin Bates launched across the table, which was thankfully bolted into place, or it probably would have connected with her before she could move out of the way, and lunged for her.
She and Jake reacted simultaneously, she grabbed Justin’s arm and twisted it up behind his back, eliciting a howl of pain from him, and slammed him into the wall as Jake snapped a pair of handcuffs on.
“You think you can talk to me like that, woman?” Justin bellowed as they opened the door and dragged him into the hall, fighting against them every step of the way. “You’re what’s wrong with the world. Women like you who don’t know their place. You think you can tell a man what to do. Women belong in the house, cooking and cleaning and taking care of their man. I bet you don’t even have a man. Who would want a woman like you?”
