by Rebecca King
Vanessa shuddered and, not for the first time, forced herself to turn her thoughts away from Justin. Squaring her shoulders, she stared somewhat militarily at the house and forced herself to contemplate what she was going to do now that she was here. Having not been out of the house at such an ungodly hour of the morning before, she had no idea how to judge the hour, so had no idea what time it was.
All she could do now was sit and wait for Curtis to leave.
Justin paused a few feet away from the now motionless figure. He had yet to see a face beneath the voluminous hood and was intrigued to find out who it was, and what they had been doing at Vanessa’s.
I wonder if it is Curtis? He mused as he studied the narrow shoulders and small stature. He doubted it given Curtis was supposed to be a burly farmer.
Justin squinted at the figure, wondering if it might be Geraldine. Whoever it was, had a definite interest in the farm; Geraldine’s farm. The more he contemplated that it might be the missing farmer’s wife, the more his gut warned him he was wrong. He didn’t know why. It was just a gut feeling he had, and he had learned from early on in his life with the Star Elite, never to ignore his gut feeling about things. It had rarely led him astray and had saved his life on more than one occasion.
One minute passed. Then two. Then three.
Justin propped a shoulder against the tree beside him and folded his arms. His attention was drawn to a flicker of movement beside the farmhouse. Together with the cloaked figure, he watched someone leave the property. The dull thud of the door slamming closed behind the man made the cloaked figure jump in alarm, but it didn’t waver from its position hidden within the trees. Together, they watched the farmer leave the house, lock the door, and drag his jacket on as he marched across the yard toward the stables. It didn’t take long for the farmer to cinch his horse to the stays of the cart and clamber aboard, or disappear down the long, winding track toward the village and, Justin suspected, the town beyond that where the farmer’s market was held.
Unsurprisingly, no sooner had the farmer gone than the cloaked figure began to move toward the house. Justin, with one hand resting on his gun, followed. He had a sneaking suspicion in his gut that the person before him wasn’t Geraldine. It wasn’t Graham who, he suspected, wouldn’t be able to walk this far and certainly wouldn’t walk with such a sure-footed gait. It wasn’t any of his colleagues, or any of Weeks’ men. The only person who could leave Vanessa’s house at dawn and head toward the farm was none other than Vanessa.
“Damn it all to Hell,” Justin growled beneath his breath. He kept a careful distance but didn’t allow too many feet between them as he followed her through the trees, and down a narrow slope to the cart track.
Once there, she paused and studied the road, as if to make sure Curtis wasn’t returning. When she was sure he had gone, she hurried toward the farmhouse.
Justin’s hands twitched with the need to grab her and demand she return home, but curiosity warned him not to. He wanted to see why she was in the one place she had been warned to stay away from. Given the furtive way she was behaving he had to wonder if she had something to do with her sister’s disappearance.
Strangely, that thought made him want to rage at something – or someone. He wanted to grab her and shake her, and demand to know what in the Hell she thought she was doing. Instead, he narrowed the distance a little and prayed she wouldn’t glance over her shoulder and see him.
Thankfully, she didn’t, and he was able to follow her right up to the back door of the farmhouse where she carefully fumbled around under a loose cobble to the right of the back window and withdrew a heavy iron key. Impatience was jabbing him harshly as he waited for her to put the key into the lock. Before she could turn it, however, he grabbed hold of her hand.
Vanessa’s scream was stifled by the heavy hand that slammed over her mouth. She was immediately encased in large, masculine arms that seemed to encompass her and made even the slightest movement impossible. Panic and fear took hold. She began to struggle – against the hand over her mouth and the arms that held her still. It took a moment or two to recognise that while the arms held her steady they weren’t painfully tight, and while the hand over her mouth prevented her scream from escaping, it wasn’t clamped so tightly that she couldn’t breathe. Even so, she didn’t stop struggling. At least, not until she heard that now familiar masculine voice rumble in her ear.
“Just what in the Hell do you think you are doing?” Justin growled in disgust. “Are you into breaking and entering now for God’s sakes?”
Vanessa slumped with relief, and almost wept as the panic that had rendered her numb only a few moments ago vanished instantly. Unfortunately, it gave way to a budding anger at the unnecessary fear and worry he had caused her. It was strong enough to make her claw at his hand and glare at him with every ounce of her rising temper.
“What are you doing here? Are you in to following people now?” she demanded in a hushed whisper.
“I came to see what you are doing breaking into your sister’s house,” Justin snapped.
“Did you follow me?” Vanessa challenged, slamming her hands on her hips with a disgruntled frown.
Not one to be cowed by anything that challenged him in life, Justin squared up to her. He stood close enough so that she had to tip her head back to look up at him. He scowled deeply, just so she knew he was annoyed with her. To his disgust, she didn’t seem to notice, or care because she merely tipped her head back and glared malevolently up at him.
“I saw someone leave your house. Now, correct me if I am wrong but I do believe you were told to stay inside where it was safe,” Justin snarled. “What part of that didn’t you get? You do remember what has been going on around here lately, don’t you? What happened to your sister?”
“Well someone has to find out what happened to her seeing as you seem to be happier spending your time watching innocent people,” Vanessa growled back.
“What are you going to do if he is a killer? What would you do if he comes home and catches you in his house? This is his home, Vanessa. He has every right to call the magistrate and have you arrested for breaking into his house,” Justin warned.
Vanessa snatched the key out of the lock. “I don’t call this breaking in seeing as I am unlocking the door and going through it, not climbing through the window. Besides, I don’t think Weeks will be able to call it breaking and entering seeing as my father owns this house. You know, my father, the man who I share the house with? He has authority over this property, not Curtis.”
Justin mentally swore and planted his fists on his hips as he lifted his brows at her. “Does your father know you are here?”
Vanessa mentally cursed. “Someone has to find out what happened to my sister,” she declared, carefully avoiding answering him.
Great, she doesn’t lie worth a damn, Justin thought with a heavy sigh.
He was so incredibly angry that, for a moment, he didn’t trust himself to speak. The danger she had so belligerently put herself in was ridiculous, especially given she was trying to prove the guilt of a killer.
“What do you intend to do if Curtis saw you in the trees but pretended he didn’t? Eh? What would you do if he then parked his cart further down the lane, around the corner out of sight, and then came back through the trees just like you did and returned to the house? He could have stood in those trees and watched you enter the house and then come after you. Once you are inside, Vanessa, anything could happen to you and he could cover his tracks in just the same way as he has with Geraldine – if, and I re-emphasise the careful use of the word ‘if’ here, he had anything to do with his wife’s death or disappearance? What then Vanessa; when you are at the mercy of a cold-blooded killer who may have already dispensed of one person? Telling him you are going to report him to the magistrate will do you no good will it? What do you expect him to do, argue with you?” Justin knew he was going too far, especially when she paled and took a hesitant step back, but he didn’t stop.
He had to make her worry, if only to prevent her from doing anything as stupid ever again, so he could retain some peace of mind throughout the rest of his stay in the area. Once he was gone then she was someone else’s problem, damn it. For now, he couldn’t allow someone he had publically been seen with as recently as yesterday, to vanish today.
Vanessa opened her mouth to speak only to widen her eyes in shock when Justin clamped his hand over her mouth again, and suddenly backed her against the wall. Her breath left her in a whoosh of disbelief as she found herself suddenly pressed nose-first into the broad expanse of his very hard chest. Pressed so intimately against him, she felt every breath he took. She would have protested but was painfully aware of his sudden tension.
“What is it?” she mumbled around the heady scent of sandalwood and soap.
“Someone’s here,” he whispered. “Shut up.”
Vanessa huffed, but had no choice in the matter. Her mind had turned to mush because of his proximity.
“Who is it?” she muttered, desperate for something to think about other than the hard ridges pressed intimately against her.
“Curtis,” Justin warned, his voice cold and hard.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Justin knew they couldn’t be in a worse position. They were outside, trapped in a confined yard with walls on three sides, and an empty house before them, he suspected the destination of its occupier. If they were caught it was highly unlikely Curtis would leave the property at all. God only knows what would happen then.
Vanessa, pushing roughly against him, managed to gain the ability to draw in a deep breath. Her relief was absolute when Justin stepped to one side. To her surprise, he swiftly unlocked the door and hastily shoved her into the house before him. He closed the door with such speed that she barely had time to do anything more than blink before she was pushed through the kitchen and into the main body of the house.
“Where?”
Vanessa gasped as her mind raced. For a moment she couldn’t think straight, everything had happened so fast. It was only the sound of Curtis’s cough directly outside that snapped her out of her daze and filled her with an urgency that made her actions jerky as she waved toward the stairs.
“The spare room upstairs. It isn’t used, I don’t think,” she whispered.
Justin nodded, and ushered her up the stairs. He was painfully aware that they had barely nudged the door closed before the creaking of the kitchen door closing shattered the deathly stillness of the house. They tensed and waited. Justin put his mouth to Vanessa’s ear, wilfully ignoring the surge of attraction that swept through him when the delicate scent of strawberries and vanilla teased his nose.
“Stay perfectly still,” he mouthed. Without thinking, he placed a hand on her hip to keep her still, and nudged the door closed a little more. He could only hope Curtis hadn’t seen them enter the property.
Quietly, he removed his gun and cocked it in readiness.
Vanessa had never been so terrified in her life. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was the guilt of being in someone’s home without their permission that made her tremble. It certainly couldn’t be the sight of Justin’s gun seeing as she had seen her father’s on several occasions, and never been shaken by it. Seeing a gun in Justin’s hand, though, was a completely different experience, and gave him a significantly more sinister appearance she wasn’t sure she liked.
“Where is he?” she breathed, daring to stand on tip-toe so she could breathe into his ear. Her voice still sounded overly loud. She winced when Justin frowned at her, then cast a furtive glance toward the door.
The house was too quiet. He didn’t like it one bit. There was no footsteps downstairs, or rustling sounds of movement one would expect. The longer they listened, and waited, but heard nothing, the more Justin began to suspect Curtis knew they were there and had come back to find out what they were doing.
Aware that Vanessa was looking at him, Justin shook his head, silently willing her not to speak. He tipped his head toward the door. He wondered if he should creep out onto the landing but couldn’t risk the sound of his own footsteps alerting the man downstairs to their presence.
“Hello?”
Vanessa jerked when she heard Curtis’s deep voice. She closed her eyes on a prayer that he wouldn’t come upstairs. Her eyes popped open again when she felt Justin move. Their eyes met. The intimacy of the moment was a little bizarre given the situation they were in. The tense atmosphere seemed to draw them together, and create a unity that was somewhat startling, and a little unwelcome. Vanessa didn’t want to rely on anybody for anything, especially having recently witnessed what had happened to her sister when she had expected to rely on her husband. The last thing she wanted to do was rely on the man before her because he wasn’t going to stay in the area and was incredibly dangerous to her peace of mind. In only a day, he had started to make her feel things she had never experienced before, especially when he looked at her the way he was looking at her now.
She had never felt so, well, devoured before. The urge to step back, away from that somewhat predatory look in his eye, was so strong that for a moment she found herself leaning back but then, with her head tipped back she lost her balance, and found herself leaning toward him instead.
“Stand still,” he urged gently.
When he shuffled infinitesimally closer, he wished he hadn’t because they were far too close for his sanity. He could feel every dip and hollow of her gently rounded curves, even beneath the thick cloak she wore. Shockingly, his body responded with a readiness that startled him. So much so that for a moment he forgot all about the man downstairs.
“What do you think he is doing?” Vanessa whispered to try to break the uncomfortable silence, and heightened awareness that made her feel gauche and uncertain.
Justin wondered if she wanted Curtis to hear them. Shaking his head, he placed a gentle finger over her lips, well aware of the shiver of awareness that rippled through him when he felt the warmth of her breath sweep over his digit. He stared at her. Everything within him was screaming at him to step away from her and keep a healthy and respectful distance. It was impossible, of course, without one of them moving and risking making noise. So, he was stuck far too close to her, staring down into her limpid eyes while waiting for something – anything – to happen to break the now sensual tension.
Who moved, he couldn’t quite be sure. One minute they were staring at each other, the next she was flush against him without an inch of fresh air between them. He had no idea if she leaned up to meet his lips or he dipped his head toward hers. Whatever happened, he was shocked when he felt the warm brush of her lips against his. In an instant, everything around them faded. At first, tension hovered in the unmoving lips held firmly against his. Eventually, as the seconds ticked by, she softened and relaxed into his embrace. Taking full advantage of the situation, Justin gave in to temptation and kissed her.
A small voice warned him that he had to make it harsher than it needed to be, if only to scare her away from doing anything so foolish again in the future. The last thing he wanted, or needed, was to have to fight temptation while he was there. But when it came down to it, he just couldn’t bring himself to be deliberately cruel. Not now he had tasted the sweet nectar of her succulent lips and felt her delectable curves against him.
“Damn it,” he growled huskily when the loud bang of the back-door slamming drew them apart. He stared blankly at the woman in his arms and suspected that if he released her as he wanted to, she would fall to the floor in a heap. Rather than step back, he remained in place, and waited for the dazed look to leave her eyes.
“What was that?” she whispered in confusion.
“Don’t move,” he growled in a desperate plea for self-control.
Vanessa winced. She couldn’t have moved even if she wanted to. Her knees shook. Every inch of her trembled with a need she had never felt before. It was shocking. It was shameful. It was worrying. It was addictive. So addictive in fact, she could ha
ve stayed where she was for the rest of the day. She was safe. Warm, and had never felt so protected in her entire life. Yet there was still a worrying hint of something deep in the back of her mind that dulled the sparkling shine of this special moment – her first kiss.
I can’t get used to this, but I am now not sure if I can ever forget it. I don’t think I can ever forget him, she thought miserably.
Justin tugged his ear when she looked at him. His gut was warning him that the back door had slammed far too loudly to be Curtis leaving. He sensed they were being tricked.
“He hasn’t gone,” Justin breathed. “Just stand still. I can see the road from here. Neither of us moves until I have seen him walk back down that cart track.”
Vanessa nodded, and fought to keep her face impassive. Deep inside where it mattered, a veil of hurt swept through her. She had just experienced the most profound moment of her life and was awed and a little shaken by it. He, meanwhile, seemed to be completely unperturbed and had forgotten it instantly. She felt an utter fool for having gotten carried away in the moment, and forced herself to close off her raging emotions, and focus on more practical matters – like how she was going to get out of the room without making a fool of herself any more with either Justin or Curtis.
Suddenly, a floor board directly outside the door creaked alarmingly. Vanessa began to pray. To her horror, the door moved. Thankfully, standing behind it as they were they didn’t see Curtis and knew he couldn’t see them thanks to there being no mirror in the room.
Justin wished he could turn around and face the door, but he daren’t move. His heart thundered. He did look over his shoulder, though, and watched the door open a little. Silence. Slowly, it closed again, this time to, until there was a quiet click of the latch settling back into place.
