by Kat Martin
Every muscle in Jase’s big body tightened. The heat was back in his eyes as they headed out the door.
* * *
Jase managed to talk Kate into letting him do his job on his own—at least until he had the info they needed on Zepeda. No way was he going to be able to track the guy, follow his movements and find his lair, with a sexy blonde bombshell glued to his side.
He dropped Kate off with a vow not to go after Zepeda without her. He didn’t want to take her into a dangerous situation, but he understood her need for justice—he had lost three friends in Afghanistan. He’d gotten justice for his brothers on the battlefield. It wasn’t as personal as he would have liked, but at the time, it was the best he could do. And ending a bunch of terrorists in some way balanced the scales between right and wrong.
Jase spent the rest of the afternoon prowling the bars in Old East Dallas, talking to people without being too obvious. Amazing how many answers you could get with a few greenbacks scattered here and there.
Once it was dark, he was able to move around more freely. He spotted Zepeda outside the Sunshine Motel, but Eli didn’t stay long. He was driving an older model cherry-red two-door Cadillac convertible, pretty much a pimp cliché, which made following him almost too easy. Jase wondered how many hours his women had spent on their backs to pay for it.
Jase tracked him to the low-rent apartment building where he lived a scumball’s idea of the high life in a two-bedroom flat on the fourth floor. He discovered that Eli parked in the rear parking lot and went in through the back alley entrance with two other men. Jase was tempted to go in and just get it over with. But as much as he’d like to end the guy, he wasn’t ready to commit murder—unless it was self-defense.
He ignored the rush that thought gave him.
Armed with the info he needed, he drove back to Kate’s. It was way too late, nearly two in the morning. It was beyond rude to wake her at this hour, expect her to welcome him into her bed. He tried to convince himself to just go on home, get some sleep, call her in the morning.
Instead, here he was, standing in the lobby, probably making a fool of himself.
“You’re Maddox?” the guard behind the front desk asked.
“That’s right.”
“Just go on up. Ms. Gallagher left word you’d be coming by late.”
His pulse jumped. Kate was expecting him. He didn’t know if that was good or bad. Sure he wanted to see her, but he didn’t want her to think it meant more than it did. He wasn’t a commitment kind of guy, never had been. Until Chase and Harper, he’d never really seen it work.
It’s not a problem, he told himself as the elevator door slid closed and the car swept up to her tenth floor apartment. They were in lust, and both of them were okay with that. Besides, he had news. Tomorrow night, if they could formulate a workable plan, they would deal with Elijah Zepeda.
In the meantime, he would be spending the night in Kate Gallagher’s bed. The simple truth was, Jase realized, there was no place he would rather be.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Kate’s stomach contracted when she heard the buzzer on her front door. Jase was here. Slipping out of bed, she grabbed her pink silk robe and slid it over the matching sheer nightgown she had put on just for him.
She tried to calm her nerves as she crossed the living room. As the night had lengthened, she’d figured he’d decided not to come.
She pulled open the door and stepped back to invite him inside. “I’m glad you’re okay. I was worried.”
“Were you?” His eyes ran over her sexy lingerie. “I’m fine. Didn’t run into any problems.” He moved closer, until their bodies were touching full length. One big hand slid into her hair, and he tipped her head back. “I’m glad you waited up.” Then his mouth came down over hers.
No man had ever kissed her the way Jason did, as if he couldn’t get enough, as if she were part of him, as if he could go on kissing her forever. She gripped his muscled shoulders and clung to him, kissed him back with the same hungry need.
The kiss changed, deepened, turned her insides to mush. She felt his lips on the side of her neck as he lifted her into his arms and strode down the hall to the bedroom, her nightgown draping over his arm like something out of Gone with the Wind.
“Jase...” His name whispered out as he set her on her feet beside the bed and began to take off his clothes. She just stood there watching, mesmerized by the sight of all those glorious muscles, hypnotized by the way they flexed and moved. Naked and fully aroused, he turned to her, stripped off her robe, but left on her sheer pink nightgown.
His eyes ran over her, hot and a darker shade of blue. Hungry. “I love looking at you.” He reached out and wrapped a thick blond curl around his finger. “All that golden hair, those long legs and that pretty little tattoo on your ass. I could just eat you up.”
She whimpered. Jase eased her nightgown off her shoulders, and it pooled at her feet. His hand cupped her breast; he bent and took the fullness into his mouth. Her mind went blank while her body burned.
She didn’t remember much after that, just the constant rush of heat, the need scorching through her, the feel of his mouth on her most sensitive places. Pleasure that seemed to have no end.
She moaned as he moved on top of her, drove deep, took and took and gave and gave. Hours later, relaxed and boneless, she fell asleep beside him. When she awoke the next morning, the bed was empty, just as before. She didn’t like the way it made her feel.
Then she heard sounds in the kitchen and her heart leaped. Jason was still here.
Something warm unfurled inside her. She didn’t want to think what it might be. Instead, she grabbed her terry-cloth robe—not the sexy one she had worn last night since they had work to do—made a quick bathroom stop, then hurried into the kitchen.
“Morning,” Jase said. His short dark hair was slightly mussed, his jaw rough with a night’s growth of beard. He looked amazing.
“Good morning.” She glanced away, not sure what he would say about last night, what she might read in his face.
He caught her chin, lifted her mouth to his and pressed a soft kiss there. “Thanks again for waiting up,” he said.
Her cheeks warmed. “I...ahh...wanted to hear what happened with Zepeda.”
His smile was sexy and slightly arrogant. She’d wanted him—there was no point in denying it.
“I got the info we need,” Jase said, pouring her a mug of coffee and setting it on the counter in front of her. “Zepeda lives in a low-rent apartment house not far from the motel. I’ll get hold of Bran and the two of us will recon the place, figure the best way in and out. Once we settle on a plan, we’ll fill you in. If we think it’s safe, you can go with us.”
She opened her mouth to tell him she was going no matter what, but he held up his hand and just shook his head.
“That’s the only way this is going down, Kate. If it’s safe for you to go in—or at least as safe as we can make it—you can come with us. Otherwise we go in by ourselves or this is over.”
There would be no arguing this time. She could tell by the look on his face, the tone of his voice, that his mind was made up. And if he didn’t go in after Zepeda, the bastard would get away with cold-blooded murder.
“All right, we do it your way, but I want you to know I understand the danger. Anything can happen with a guy like that. There’s no way you can completely guarantee my safety.”
“No, there isn’t. But I plan to do my best.”
Since that was all she could ask, she said nothing more.
Jase finished his coffee. “I’ve got things I need to do before tonight.” He set his mug on the counter, and Kate walked him to the door. “I’ll call you later.” He leaned across and kissed her, then disappeared out into the hall.
The apartment fell silent. Kate felt as if the color in the room had suddenly faded. Hawk Maddox
was such a powerful presence that without him, the energy seemed to have been sucked out of the air.
She thought of the butterfly tattoo that so captured his interest. She’d had it done after Andrew had ended things and she had begun to take her life back. Like the butterfly, she had come out of her cocoon, spread her wings and started to fly.
Maddox was exactly the opposite of Andrew. Instead of holding her back, trying to cage her in, everything she did with Jason made her feel stronger, more powerful.
Tonight they would confront Elijah Zepeda. They needed to find some kind of evidence that would prove his guilt without implicating Holly. Kate hoped they could find it. She refused to think what else could happen. She needed to stay positive.
Her phone rang just as she headed for the bathroom to shower and dress for the day. She grabbed it off the nightstand. “Good morning.”
“Kate Gallagher?” a woman’s voice asked.
“That’s right.”
“I’m calling from the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office. Your sister’s body has been released. You can arrange for pickup whenever you’re ready.”
Her throat tightened. “Thank you for calling. I’ll take care of it right away.” She hung up the phone and sank down on the bed. Her sister was dead. The reality of it struck her again and her heart throbbed, an ache deep in her chest.
She took a steadying breath and dialed the number for the mortuary. It was Sunday. They would be getting ready for funeral services.
“Rockdale Mortuary,” a woman said. “How may we help you?”
“This is Kate Gallagher. I talked to one of your people last week...a Mr. Bromley. He helped me make arrangements for my sister, Christina.”
“Yes, Mr. Bromley gave me the details. I’m Mrs. Conroy. I have the information right here. Let me see...yes...here it is. Are you ready for us to pick up Christina and bring her home?”
Home. Rockdale hadn’t been Chrissy’s home for the last two years yet hearing the words felt right. “Yes, thank you.”
“All right, we’ll take care of it. You’ve done everything you need to do, Ms. Gallagher.” Some of it she had handled over the internet. “I see you’ve chosen the flowers, the headstone. You just need to pick a date for the service.”
Kate closed her eyes. The day didn’t really matter. Not to Chrissy. Not anymore. “Would Wednesday work?”
“Let me check our calendar.” Mrs. Conroy came back on the line. “I’m sorry, Wednesday is fully booked, but Friday would work. You’d requested a ten o’clock graveside service, is that correct?”
Her chest clamped down. She could barely force out the word. “Yes...”
“Reverend Wilcox is available that day, as well.”
“Friday, then.”
Mrs. Conroy’s voice softened. “We’ll take care of everything, Ms. Gallagher. You don’t need to worry about a thing.”
Kate managed to swallow. “All right. Thank you. I’ll see you Friday.” She hung up the phone and just sat there with the phone in her hand.
She started to call her father, give him the day and time. Instead, she decided to text him. He said he wanted to come, but she wasn’t really sure he would make it. She was even less sure she cared.
Kate walked into the bathroom, turned the shower on very hot, took off her robe and climbed under the scalding spray. She wished Jase were there. Jason could make her forget about Chrissy. Make all the sadness go away. He had a way of knowing exactly what she needed.
The thought occurred she was coming to depend on him way too much. After Andrew, the notion was frightening. The last thing she needed was another man. She had sacrificed her independence, become a completely different person to be with Andrew.
And it wasn’t the first time.
After college graduation, she had fallen for the young, aggressive owner of a software development company. David had big plans for them as a couple. He expected her to charm his business associates, help him build his company. He expected her to be the woman of his dreams.
She had a knack for business, he had said. Which was probably the reason she had managed to get herself into the same situation with Andrew. Both times she had been sucked into a relationship that caged her in. Tried to change her in some fundamental way. She refused to let it happen again.
By the time she stepped out of the shower, Kate was feeling better. Being Sunday, the office was closed for the weekend, but she had talked to her assistant on Friday, and Laura had assured her everything was running smoothly.
Though she wasn’t completely sure not being needed was a totally good thing.
With a long afternoon in front of her, Kate went into her home office and woke up her computer, clicked up Google, typed in New Hope Rehabilitation Center and started digging.
She’d been thinking about the rehab facility ever since talking to Holly and the Lockwoods. A dozen links popped up. She was surprised by the number of articles praising Reverend James Lockwood and his wife, Vera. The home had had tremendous success with the prostitutes who came there for help.
But the center relied on donations. Several organizations had held minor fund-raisers, but the home was at full capacity and the Lockwoods didn’t have the money to open another facility.
If Eli Zepeda hadn’t forced Chrissy to leave, would her sister have been able to conquer her addiction? Would she have left the dark world of prostitution and begun a new life?
Kate didn’t know Tina Galen, but she knew Chrissy Gallagher. Her sister had been stubborn, difficult and spoiled, but she was also smart, hardworking and determined. Whatever Chrissy put her mind to, she would ultimately achieve.
Kate believed, with the help of the people at New Hope, her sister would have succeeded in making a new life for herself. And Kate would have been there to help her.
She leaned back in her chair. She hadn’t been able to help her sister, but maybe she could help girls like Holly and other women in the home.
Kate wasn’t a psychologist or any sort of counselor, she was a businesswoman. Which meant the best way to contribute to the center was to help them raise money, possibly enough to open another home somewhere else.
An image arose in her mind of Eli Zepeda standing outside the Sunshine Motel, big and dark, hard-faced and mean, slapping the young prostitute, punishing her for some imaginary wrong.
Kate had to find justice for Chrissy’s killer before she could move on, but with luck, that would happen tonight. They would deal with Eli Zepeda—and Chrissy’s soul could finally find peace.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
They rendezvoused that night at Kate’s. Jase still didn’t like the glass-walled apartment, though the rational part of his brain told him that ten stories up they were safe.
The first time he’d been with Kate, the night he’d taken her on the sofa in the living room, he’d been too damned hot, too hungry for a taste of her to worry about it. He almost smiled. At least there were curtains in the bedroom.
At the moment, he sat across from her and Bran in the kitchen where at least there were actual walls. A diagram, a hand-drawn layout of the Hickam Apartments, showed the front entrance, where the elevator was located, rear exit into the alley, parking lot, and an outside fire escape that descended from the roof.
Jase had also drawn a map of the fourth floor, showing the location of Zepeda’s apartment, which as near as they could figure included two bedrooms and a bath. The fire escape ran next to the living room window, providing an emergency exit. The kind of scum Zepeda ran with, he didn’t stay alive by being stupid.
“The fire escape gives him a way out,” Bran said. “But it’ll work for us, too, if things go south.”
Jase pointed to his drawing of the fourth floor, focusing Kate’s attention there. “The inside stairwell is down at the end of the hall. An easy way to get in and out, unless for some reason we get tr
apped in the apartment.”
“So what’s our plan?” Kate asked. She wore black jeans, black sneakers and a black T-shirt, her long hair plaited into a single braid. She was ready, and after he and Bran had spent the afternoon reconning the building and the surrounding neighborhood, so was he.
“We wait and watch,” Bran said.
“From what I could find out, Zepeda usually gets home at night a little after 2:00 a.m.,” Jase said. “About the time the bars close. Sometimes he’s alone, sometimes he’s with a couple of his scumball friends. Once in a while, he brings in women to entertain them. He likes to keep his buddies happy and in his debt.”
“If that happens tonight, we postpone,” Bran said. “We don’t have a deadline, and we don’t want the women getting hurt.”
“We can handle a couple of his drugged-up pals,” Jase said. “But the less people involved the better.”
Kate looked up at him. “What happens once we get inside the apartment?”
“The first thing that happens is you stay out of the way,” Jase said. “We need to focus on Eli. It puts all of us in danger if we have to worry about protecting you.”
Kate’s chin shot up. “You won’t have to worry about me.”
Amusement slipped through him. She was so damned independent. He liked that about her...most of the time. “That’s good. Just don’t forget it.”
“I can see the blood lust running hot in both of you,” Bran said. “You want this guy and I don’t blame you. But we need to be sure the bastard’s guilty. I know it looks that way, but we need to be sure.”
Jase nodded. “With any luck, he’ll tell us something that’ll connect him to the murder. Information we can give the police.”
“What happens if he won’t talk?” Kate asked.
Jase’s gaze swung to Bran, and a silent communication passed between them. “That’ll be up to Zepeda,” Jase said.
Bran’s hard smile looked completely ruthless. “Yeah. Maybe he’ll confess.”
