On top of that, Anna had no reason to be on that road.
The cops wouldn’t listen to him. It made sense that if she recognized DeLuna, he must have recognized her. And when the cops told DeLuna they had a witness, he must have remembered seeing Anna and gone after her.
Roberto told that to the cops, but they insisted he had no proof. No evidence. And DeLuna had an alibi. So there was no arrest. He walked away clean, and Roberto had lost everything.
Regrets. He’d done the right thing making her go to the police. Doing the right thing had gotten his wife and his son killed.
Right then he realized why seeing Sandy, Brad’s wife, had hurt so much. She had that look about her, like someone who had already lost someone they loved. Leaning his head to the side, he glanced at the clock on the wall. He had less than two hours before he had to meet Cruz and Luke, the crooked-nose goon. Two hours with nothing to do. Two hours to convince himself that if things went badly and this was the end, it was okay. He’d be with Anna and his son.
So why didn’t it feel okay?
His gaze went to the clock. Was Sara asleep? Had she expected him to call her tonight? Was she disappointed when he didn’t? He reached for the phone.
“No.” He dropped his arm over his eyes. Calling her was wrong. He’d managed to hang up last night without making promises. He didn’t think she’d let him get by with that this time. She’d figure it out, if she hadn’t already. She’d know that something was going on in his life. He considered being honest.
What the hell was he going to say to her? Hey, if I live through catching and killing the bastard that killed my wife and son, I’d like to maybe come out and see ya?
Yeah, that would go over like a fart in church.
All of a sudden his phone rang. Shit. Was it her? He shot up, his chest expanding with a kind of sweet excitement. He snatched the phone and checked the number. All the excitement deflated.
Tyler. He’d phoned earlier, too. Roberto almost took the call, but decided against it. Odds were Tyler had gotten wind of the other drug deals gone bad and wanted to confront Roberto about it.
Roberto was in no mood to be confronted. He let the phone go to voice mail, then set it back on the coffee table.
Not one minute passed when his phone rang again. Probably Tyler again. The man had a little case of OCD. To confirm it, he grabbed the phone.
Not Tyler. His breath caught. Sara.
When he didn’t pick up, Sara hung up. She didn’t leave a message. She even tossed the phone on the other side of the bed.
Why had she called him? She should move on. He’d told her it wasn’t happening. Why couldn’t she just accept it?
Seriously, how much time did she have to offer a relationship? She’d stopped playing Bunko with her neighbors, hadn’t met with her old high school friend in two months. The only thing fun she did was get together with Leah occasionally, like once a month, and share a bottle of wine and some commiseration. And see her mom.
Nope. She was done. Finished thinking about Roberto. Especially when… her gut told her that there was something she didn’t know.
She fluffed her pillow and was about to cut the light off, when her phone rang.
“Not answering it,” she said, and gripped two handfuls of comforter in her fists. Nope, not answering. Then she jackknifed up and desperately searched for the phone that had sunk in the covers.
“Talk me out of this,” Leah said as soon as Sara picked up. She’d left Austin’s apartment, come home, and put on her exercise video. She’d probably worked off the sandwich. She’d tried to work off the want, the need, the achy feeling deep in her belly, but it hadn’t worked. Never, ever had she wanted someone so badly. She wasn’t pretending it was love. But it had to be a really hard case of like, and lust.
“Talk you out of what? If it involves the neighbor, Mr. Oh-so-hot Brookshire, I’m probably going to talk you into it.”
“It’s not him—well, it’s his fault, but it’s not him.”
“Am I supposed to understand that?”
“No,” Leah said. “I think I was wrong.”
“Wrong about what?” Sara asked.
Her gaze went to her bedroom wall, the one that separated hers and Austin’s apartment. “Wrong about you being hornier than me.” She laughed, a nervous laugh. “I’m thinking of doing something that I know I’ll regret.”
“What’s that?” Sara asked.
“I pulled out the battery-operated boyfriend. I’m seriously thinking about letting this big guy have his way with me.”
Sara’s laugh came from the line, but Leah suddenly heard a noise from behind her wall, as if a chair had hit it. She remembered Austin always leaning his chair back on two legs. Had he fallen? Or had he slipped on the wet tiles… again?
The desire to run over and check on him bit hard. Nope.
“Wow, you are desperate,” Sara said. “I had to twist your arm to buy one. Not that there’s anything wrong with owning or using one. It’s not nearly as good as the real thing, but it cures the itch.”
Leah hit a switch, and the purple tubular thing started pulsating.
“Is that what I think it is?” Sara asked.
“Yeah. Why did I pick out a purple one? Do you remember?”
“You said purple was a party color.” Sara paused. “Are you drunk? I remember we were a little tipsy when we bought our boyfriends.”
Leah laughed. “What I can’t believe is that Evelyn was the one who took us there. But… no, I’m not drunk. Just desperate.”
“Her taking us there wasn’t what shocked me, it was when she started pointing out all the stuff there she’d already bought.”
Leah giggled.
“Do you think Evelyn’s exaggerating about… about her sex life?” Sara asked.
“No,” Leah said. “I think she’s just one of the lucky-in-love people.”
“You sound tipsy,” Sara said.
“I had one glass. I’m breathless because I did sixty minutes of aerobics. I’m not going to be able to sit down to pee tomorrow.”
“I’ve done that before.” Sara got quiet. “Okay, so explain to me why you can’t just play musical beds with Mr. Blond and Sexy.”
“He is sexy, isn’t he?” Leah flopped back on her mattress.
“So what’s stopping you? You’re willing. And I know he’s willing. You should have seen how he looked at you today, all concerned like.”
“I’m not ready. I think my body’s ready, but my heart… not ready. I think I’d go straight to rebound city. I’d probably fall for him. Do all sorts of sexual favors for him.” She laughed. “Who am I kidding? I’m already falling for him.”
“It’s been two years. I say it’s time to bite the bullet,” Sara said.
“I’m slow to recover,” Leah said.
“Or maybe our hearts won’t ever be ready. Maybe we should listen to our bodies.” Sara paused. “If we desire it, do it. To hell with the outcome.”
“You mean start acting like men?” Leah giggled.
“Yeah, pretty much.” Sara sighed. “Is it a full moon or something? I mean, we both seem to be in this same crazy romantic chaos.”
“I don’t know.” Leah looked at her alarm clock. “Damn, I just looked at the time. You were probably in bed.”
“I was, but not asleep.”
“Did he call you again?” Leah asked, remembering Sara telling her about the conversation she’d had the night before with Spooky’s rescuer.
“No, I broke down and called him.”
“And?” Leah asked.
“He didn’t answer. What does that tell you? I’ll bet if you called Austin, he’d answer.”
“I don’t know,” Leah said, but she remembered feeling the hard evidence pressing against her thighs, and she suspected he would answer. “Maybe the guy will call you tomorrow.”
“If I’m smart I won’t answer it. Something’s amiss with him. I’m getting a bad vibe.”
“Ugg,” Leah
said. She suddenly realized she wasn’t getting any bad vibes about Austin. She felt this crazy connection, a bond. Normally, a guy got within two feet of her, and she was second-guessing everything he said and trying to figure out his angle.
“I don’t know why we want them,” Sara said. “Well, besides giving us babies. And great sex.” She moaned. “Do you think I can raise Brian to be a decent man? I wish my father was here to help.”
“You’re a great mother. You have all sorts of powers.”
Leah’s thoughts went to Austin. Her heart ached remembering the pain she saw in his eyes when he talked about his mom.
“I hope so. I don’t want to think about him growing up and treating a woman bad.”
“He won’t,” Leah said. “There are decent guys out there. Few and far between, but… they do exist.” Her brother was good. And she really thought Austin was decent. So why couldn’t she take a chance on him?
The thought came back like an echo. Because he’s not the problem. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him. She didn’t trust love. How sad was that?
“Do you want me to bring you Starbucks in the morning?” Sara asked.
“Starbucks? Don’t tempt me.”
“It’s my treat.”
“No, I’ll stick with office coffee. When I add enough cream and sugar it’s not that bad.”
They talked a bit longer, then Leah said, “It’s late, I’d better let you go back to bed.”
“Why? Do you have a hot date with Mr. Purple?” Sara teased.
“I don’t think so. He’s not doing it for me.”
“You’re prejudiced?” Sara teased.
“Against what? Purple dildos?” They laughed and finally hung up. She stared at the bedroom wall and wondered if Austin was still at the kitchen table.
As crazy as it was, she liked knowing he was on the other side of that wall. Liked thinking he might be thinking about her. Maybe even a little sexually flustered like she was.
Something wasn’t right. There wasn’t a light on in the office. Roberto pulled his bike in the lot and pulled his phone out to check the time. Three minutes until midnight.
Had Cruz screwed up? The wrong night? The wrong time? Or was this a setup?
The sound of the motor seemed too loud for the cold night air. He cut his engine off. His Glock tucked into his waist holder gave him a little comfort. He sat straddling his bike, looking around for shadows that didn’t belong. Not that a lot of shadows were around. Glancing up at the telephone pole, he could barely see the light fixture at the top. Had someone purposely shot it out?
A stirring of cool wind brushed past, but he felt warm inside his leather jacket.
Should he try to go inside? Or was someone waiting to grab him? But why? Had his cover been blown?
The night’s silence split with the sound of an engine. Headlights sliced into the dark road. The sedan, one of three company cars, rolled forward. As if someone had turned up the volume, the sound of its wheels hitting pavement sounded too loud. Chills ran up his spine when the vehicle turned into the office parking lot.
It slowed down as if the driver was looking for something. For what? Him? The sedan headed toward him. The crunch of the rough pavement as the car slowly came forward sounded like an omen. A bad omen.
Reaching into the warm leather jacket, he wrapped his palm around his gun. He might go down, but not without a fight.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
ROBERTO HELD THE gun as the buzz of electric windows, accompanied by the sound of an engine, filled the night air.
“Hey, Rivera. You ready?” Luke’s bulky voice rose above the car’s engine.
Roberto’s heart pounded, the sound of blood rushing filled his ears. He needed to relax, stop thinking people were out to kill him. Then he wondered if Johnny, the kid who met his maker at DeLuna’s hand, had worried about that. Maybe worrying would keep him alive.
“Where’s Cruz?” he called back, but he didn’t put his gun away.
“He had to do some stuff out of town. I got our orders and the merchandise. Park the bike in the back. I left the gate open. We got to get our asses in gear. It’s a seven-hour drive. And we need to be there a few hours early to make sure the cops aren’t crawling all over the place.”
Seven hours? Where the hell were they going?
Figuring he’d get the lowdown later, Roberto started his bike and parked it around back. When he left, he shut the gate and locked it. If he lived, he’d like to have his bike back. Luke stood waiting outside his sedan, a lit cigarette in his hand.
He hated riding with a smoker. Maybe the goon only smoked out of his car. As Roberto neared, he got that bad feeling again. Not really like Luke was going to try to do him in, just that whatever was about to happen was going to change things. As if the shit was a lot closer to hitting the fan.
With a barely-slept headache, Leah hurried out of her apartment at six. She glanced at Austin’s door and imagined him still in bed. Did he sleep in pj’s or was he an in-the-buff kind of guy? Probably in-the-buff. An image filled her head—him in bed, the sheet hanging low on his waist, a sexy come-hither smile on his lips.
“Stop it!” She gave herself a mental kick in the butt.
Fixating on Austin only made things worse. Wanting to burn off her nervous, naked energy, she took the stairs instead of the elevator. Bad idea. She’d gone five steps when her thigh muscles screamed at her for doing too many lunges.
She grabbed the stair rail to turn around. It took one step for her thighs to scream louder. Up was worse than down. Taking a deep breath, she pulled up her big girl panties and continued down without moaning… too loudly.
Strolling at a no-pain pace across the parking lot, a gust of winter-scented wind blew past. Almost to her car, she saw something on her hood. The sun hung low, so it took her a few steps before she could identify the item.
A cup… a Starbucks cup? Had Sara…? She saw the gun.
Her water gun.
Or the water gun some low-life criminal had left at her place.
Seeing the thing shouldn’t make her smile, but it did. The smile brought on the memory of her and Austin acting like a couple of kids. Or rather, acting like a couple of hormone-crazed teenagers. She recalled with clarity the feel of his hand inside her panties, the feel of his mouth on her breasts. It was so wrong. She still didn’t stop smiling.
We’re having fun. His words played in her head. Could fun be wrong?
A note was lodged beneath the gun. She picked up the coffee. Palming the still-warm cup, she searched for him. He must have just left it.
The parking lot appeared empty. She grabbed the note.
Good morning. Wanted to say I’m sorry. Won’t let it happen again. I swear. I won’t kiss you. Won’t let you kiss me. But, please, let’s not stop having fun.
Austin
P.S. The coffee isn’t a gift. It’s a bribe.
“Damn!” Emotion thickened her throat. Why did he have to be so sweet?
Dropping the gun in her purse, she clicked her car door open and slowly got in. Obviously, the same muscles used to go upstairs were used to climb into a car.
Finally settled, the scented steam seeping from the cup filled the car. She pried off the top and stared at the caramel-colored liquid. She took a sip, the warm, sweet taste dancing on her tongue.
How did he know I took my coffee with cream and sugar?
She sat in her car savoring the coffee and lingering happiness. Why can’t I just let it happen?
What was the worst thing that could happen? They’d break up? She’d feel like shit for a while? Wouldn’t whatever they had, for whatever time they had it, be worth it?
Maybe Sara was right. Leah’d never stop being afraid. Maybe she had to dive right into the deep end to move past the fear. And if there was a deep end where relationships were considered, Austin was it. Sweet. Sexy.
But maybe. Just maybe.
Austin hid behind a van. Hiding seemed immature, but he wasn’t
sure she wanted to see him. Or maybe he was still reeling from the conversation he’d eavesdropped on last night.
A conversation about purple dildos and sexual favors. He’d hardly slept a wink. And yet he felt strangely energized—as if he’d downed a six-pack of Red Bull.
Half the night he’d spent thinking of her with her purple toy and considering all the different sexual favors she’d provide… and those he’d feel obliged to offer in return. He’d had to take two showers.
He hadn’t done that twice in one night in forever. Not by himself. She had him acting like a teenager.
When her car left the parking lot, he came out of hiding. The sun was only pushing away the darkness. Had she really been smiling when she read his note? For certain she’d sipped the coffee. A good sign.
He was all into good signs.
He headed back to his apartment, pleased with himself. A little too pleased.
Managing to convince her not to push him away for letting things get carried away was one thing. Figuring out how to stop from repeating the same mistake was another.
He was not going to sleep with her.
Not until he came clean.
That’s what he’d done with the other half of his night… tried to figure out how to salvage the chemistry they had, and still do what he had to do. There had to be a way of getting past this so they could explore this thing between them.
Not that he saw the thing as serious. It would be a long-distance thing, but a hell of a lot of fun. Long weekends, cooking for each other, laughing, and making love. Running around his apartment naked, squirting each other with water guns.
Hell, they were already having fun. How good would it be when they added sex to the equation? The only negative thing was her cats. But he could continue to lease the apartment and they could hang out there.
He ran a finger behind his ear. He’d probably have to be around them some. Hell, maybe he’d take Tyler’s advice and buy a book about overcoming phobias. If there was one good reason to overcome… what was it Tyler called it? Ailurophobia. Well, Leah Reece was that reason.
Texas Hold 'Em Page 20
