by Mia Dymond
Luke cracked a grin. “I’ll get inside.”
“How?”
Luke stepped to the left and motioned to a side door. “I’ll pick this lock.”
“How do you know it’s not wired into the alarm?”
“It is.” He jammed a pick into the lock. The door popped open. Silence filled the air. He snickered over his shoulder as they stepped inside. “The alarm wasn’t set.”
Ramsey released a loud huff. “Tell me you knew that before you dragged me out here.”
Luke closed the door. “Once Allison started reading me the riot act, I made sure.”
“You didn’t come up with this idea until Allison threw you out?”
“About three seconds before. Good thing I checked the alarm on my way out. Any movement from the house?”
“No.” He felt Ramsey’s stare as he approached Allison’s Cadillac. “You’re going to take me down with you, aren’t you?”
“No.” Luke lay on the ground, rolled to his back, and inched himself under the car. “I want my new partner to be the lookout while I tag their cars.”
“New partner?”
“You need a job right? Or are you going to go beg your captain to take you back?”
“Hell, no. I’m through being a cop.”
Luke heard the snap of metal against metal as he placed the first magnet.
“Ramsey, look,” he said from underneath the car. “Even if you’re not interested in Lucy, Winslow is still on the loose. Surely you’re concerned about her safety.”
“I am concerned about her.”
Luke scooted out from under the Cadillac. “Then help me out. We can’t let him get away with murder.”
“How do you know you still have a job?”
He slid under the second car. “Are you watching the house?”
“Yes. No movement inside.”
“No one at the window?”
“Negative.”
Another snap of metal echoed in the garage as he attached the second magnet. “I don’t work for Allison, remember?”
“What makes you think she won’t run straight to her family and void your contract?”
Luke inched backward from under the car, rolled to one side and stood. “Sometimes it pays not to think, Ramsey.”
He glanced at the GPS one more time before he returned it to his pocket and reached for the doorknob. “Let’s get out of here. Meet me at my house and we’ll talk strategy.”
***
Allison’s utter rage, along with her Italian temper, drove her down the sterile hallway of Maplewood Memorial Hospital and delivered her smack dab in front of the door to Dr. Winslow’s office. She took one last deep breath and smoothed the short skirt of her power suit with both hands before she turned the knob and stepped inside. Show time.
“Good morning, Allison.” Dr. Winslow’s secretary greeted her with a friendly smile. “Have a seat. He’ll be with you in a minute.”
“Thanks.”
Allison sat in one of the waiting chairs and crossed her legs to relay a sense of nonchalant confidence she certainly didn’t feel. What she was about to do was borderline insane. Had she not learned anything from this whole mess? She gave herself a mental slap. It really didn’t matter if she’d learned anything or not, confronting Dr. Winslow was the only option at this point and she would follow through. For Lucy’s sake.
A ripple of anger climbed her spine. Who did Detective Ramsey think he was to spout orders? Obviously he wasn’t too concerned about keeping them out of prison, so it would be up to her and Lucy. Especially since Mr. Private Eye himself had turned out to be a flop.
“Allison.”
Dr. Winslow’s voice drew her from thought and put her plan in action.
“Good morning, Dr. Winslow. I’m glad you had time to see me.”
“Of course. Come on into my office.”
She followed him inside and took a seat in front of his desk. He closed the door and sat behind his desk. “What did you need to discuss with me?”
She took a deep breath. “Lucy and I reviewed the clinic’s payables for Mrs. Smallwood and we found some questionable expenditures.”
“I don’t know how I can help you.”
“There are several checks written to another physician for large amounts of money.”
“Perhaps Jeffrey owed a debt.”
“I don’t think so. Dr. Smallwood advised Lucy of all debts owed by the clinic.”
“What about his personal debt?”
“He kept his personal matters separated from the clinic’s.”
“Whom did he pay?”
You, idiot.
Allison gave him a wry smile and reached into the pocket of her blazer. “I think you know, Dr. Winslow.” She slid a stack of the coveted photographs across the desk and watched his face pale when he glanced at the close-up on top. “Obviously you and Dr. Smallwood had quite a partnership.”
He cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. “Is this a bribe?”
She released the top two buttons of her blazer and leaned forward with her elbows on the desk to assure he could see what she offered. “Heavens, no! I just thought we might work out a trade.”
“A trade?”
“These pictures for one night of passion with you.”
He leaned forward and zeroed in on her cleavage. “What if I accept and then turn you in? Extortion won’t look good on your rap sheet.”
Allison almost laughed in his face. I aced Extortion 101, you putz.
“You won’t.”
He waited, as if he challenged her to go through with it. “When?”
“Tonight. You meet me at the clinic. As soon as we’re done playing, I’ll give you the pictures.”
“How do I know you don’t have other copies?”
“You don’t,” she said, mixing an extra spoonful of honey in her tone, “but believe me, Dr. Winslow, I have no further use for them. Besides, once our deed is done, I become a willing participant.”
Allison watched him mull her proposition as she stood to leave. You know you want to, she taunted silently. She forced herself to remain composed as he stood and took her hand in his.
“You might want more than one night.” A sickening smile covered his face.
Retrieving her hand, she pasted her own smile in place. “We’ll consider this a trial run, Doctor. I’ll see you tonight.”
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
“Are you sure about this, Allison?”
Allison caught a note of unease in Lucy’s voice and fastened the last tiny, gold hook of her garter belt to the top of her black, fishnet stocking.
“Absolutely,” she said without hesitation. “Neither one of us will do time for Smallwood’s murder.”
“Yeah, but I’m not sure it’s absolutely necessary to seduce Dr. Winslow to stay out of jail.”
“You don’t want to do it?”
“Yes! Of course I do. Allison, with your goodies encased in leather, there is no doubt in my mind you could nail Winslow. I just want you to be sure.”
Allison sighed at her temporary insanity. Seduction was probably not the smartest way to deal with Dr. Winslow, but because he was such a horn dog, it would undoubtedly work.
She narrowed her eyes. “Are you chickening out, Lucy?”
“No way!”
“You better not be.” Especially since it’s too late for me to. “How do I look?”
Lucy walked a half circle around her and raised an eyebrow. “Has Luke seen you in this get-up?”
Allison wiggled her blouse over the unforgiving, stiff corset and pulled a skirt over her hips. “No. I’ll burn it after tonight.”
“You look great.” Lucy tapped the face of her watch. “He’ll be here any minute. I need to get in the closet.” She palmed a small video camera.
Allison tapped the toe of one spiked heel against the tile floor as reality began to surface from the depths of her brain. “You did charge the battery, didn’t you?”
“Don’t worry, the battery is fully charged. We’ll get him, I promise.”
Allison shook her head absently and mentally reviewed her game plan. “You’ll come out as soon as I have him restrained, right?”
Lucy nodded.
“You have your cell in case we need help?”
Lucy nodded again. “With your uncle on speed dial.”
Allison rolled her eyes. “We won’t need my uncle.”
“Allison!”
“Okay, okay! Geez! Yes, keep Sergio on speed dial.”
Lucy suddenly groaned. “Oh no! I left the handcuffs at home!”
Allison draped an arm across her shoulders. “Relax, I brought them. They’re hung on the arm of the chair.”
False confidence nudged her as she glanced at the procedure chair. Everything was in place, now all she had to do was seduce Dr. Winslow into a confession of murder.
Her blood pressure rose when she heard a light tap on the front door.
“Someone’s anxious,” she mumbled as she opened the closet door and stuffed Lucy inside.
Lucy gave her a weak smile when she squatted in the small area. “You sure you can do this?”
Allison cursed in Italian.
“Allison?”
“What?!”
“Do you want me to trade places with you?”
She pushed her tousled hair from her face. “No. I’m fine. Stop stalling and let me answer the door before he gets suspicious.”
Allison smoothed her skirt with both hands and headed for the front waiting area. Her hands actually trembled as she turned the lock and opened the door.
“Good evening, Allison.”
Dr. Winslow entered the office dressed in a long overcoat and locked the door behind him.
She took a deep breath and forced air into her lungs. “Hello, Dr. Winslow. I’m so glad you decided to meet me.”
He gave her a twisted smile. “I hardly had a choice.”
She painted a pouty smile on her lips and crossed her arms over her chest. His eyes glowed at the skin exposed by her motion.
“You’ve hurt my feelings, Doctor. I thought you were interested in what I had to offer.”
He chuckled low in his throat as he rolled his shoulders to shuck his coat and drop it to the floor.
Allison stood there blank, amazed and very ill. Obviously accepting her earlier proposition, Dr. Winslow posed before her bare-chested with a pair of jet-black leather suspenders hung over his shoulders that flattened the dark, course hair on the surface. That, maybe she could stomach. But when she gazed downward, she found the suspenders attached to leather pants so tight his ... thing was squeezed to attention.
He stepped closer to her. “You’re overdressed for our discussion.”
Snapping herself from her shock, Allison batted her eyelashes and slid her skirt from her hips until it pooled around her four-inch stilettos. She heard him suck air as her fingers worked the buttons of her blouse until the leather corset was exposed. She shrugged free of the blouse and dropped it next to the skirt.
She stepped from the circle of clothing and placed her hands on her hips. “Hardly.”
She fought to keep herself from retching as he reached to palm the bulge between his legs.
“What’s your pleasure?” he asked.
“Let’s go into the exam room,” she suggested quickly. “I’ve got the chair ready.”
***
Luke snickered as he crammed the pick into the keyhole and twisted the doorknob of the back door to Smallwood’s clinic. Humor was the only defense mechanism he could find against this situation as he eased open the door and slipped inside. He knew damn well as soon as Ramsey told Allison not to confront Winslow, she would. And, if he were a betting man, he’d wager big money that Lucy was close. Just as he suspected, muffled voices floated down the hallway, one unmistakably that of Allison Campbell. Adrenaline began to gather in his veins.
Crouching, he slithered along the wall and followed the voices until he located the source. His eyes bulged and his mouth dropped open at his discovery. In one of the exam rooms, Allison stood near the center with very little of her body wrapped in black leather. Frank Winslow stretched out in the procedure chair with his hard-on molded by skin-tight leather pants, primed and ready for action. What the hell was she thinking?
“You know, Dr. Winslow,” she purred. “I had no idea bondage was your thing until I saw those pictures.”
Shock climbed Luke’s spine. He’d know that voice anywhere.
“How did you get those pictures?” Winslow asked.
“That’s not really important, is it?” She drew a line from his bare chest to his cock with one blazing red fingernail. “You don’t want to spoil the mood, do you?”
Winslow squeezed his eyes closed and thrust his hips from the chair. Luke swallowed a wave of nausea and glanced around the room just as the closet door eased open and a green light blinked from the depths. Lucy.
Hell’s bells. This was totally insane. When Allison suggested a confrontation, this scenario was not what Luke envisioned. He squeezed his eyes closed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Part of him was royally pissed off. Not only was this operation out of control, it was dangerous. At least the GPS had clued him in on their plan. When the red lights bounced across the screen like ping pong balls, instinct told him to follow.
He glanced back at the closet where the flickering still caught his eye. Something close to pride pounded in his chest. Then again, he had to admit that if it worked, it was a pretty good sting. If it worked.
Halfway between irritated and amused, he crawled back down the hallway and dialed Ramsey. This would be fun.
“Ramsey, we’ve got action at the clinic.”
“What kind of action?”
“Remember your direct order not to confront Winslow?”
“Shit.”
“Yeah, and lots of it.”
“On my way.”
“Come around back. The door’s open.”
Luke clipped his phone back to his belt and returned to the exam room to wait on Ramsey. He really should call for back up. Allison’s family could be here in a matter of minutes, clean up the mess, and leave before anyone knew the difference. Frank Winslow would be arrested and then, depending on how angry he’d made the family, he’d spend life in prison or disappear from the face of the earth. Simple. Cut and dry.
Not quite.
That plan could, and most likely would, backfire. Allison would never forgive him, and then just to spite him, ask her uncles to convince him of her independence. Even if this whole operation reeked of stupidity, earning Allison’s trust was more important. Besides, he and Ramsey would be here to intervene if something went wrong.
He glanced back into the room as Allison held one handcuff out to Winslow and gave a sexy smile. “Slide your hand through.”
Suspicion tickled the base of his neck. Too easy. He cringed as Winslow returned her smile just before he grabbed the handcuff from her grasp and snapped it closed around her wrist. Sonuvabitch.
The color drained from Allison’s face and she licked her lips. “I thought you wanted to be bound.”
Winslow laughed low in his throat. “I’m on to your game, Allison dear.”
He rolled out of the chair and forced her into it before he cuffed her second wrist to the other side of the chair. “You came here for information, didn’t you?”
A small, barely-audible gasp escaped from the closet. Luke’s nerves tightened as he glanced at the closet and then back at Winslow to determine if the noise had affected him. Judging by the lustful expression in Winslow’s eyes, he seemed to be more interested in Allison’s explanation.
“No,” Allison insisted. “I came to play.”
Another evil cackle filled the room as Winslow reached into a drawer next to the chair and pulled out a vial and syringe. “You’re much too innocent for my sexual games.”
A soft whimper left Allison’s lips as he inserted a long needle into t
he syringe and then pierced the seal on the vial. Liquid rushed from the vial as he lifted it to the light to monitor the progress. He thumped the side of the syringe. “So, I’ll tell you what you want to know. It won’t matter. You’ll be gone before you have time to realize what’s happened.”
“Gone?”
“Dead, Allison. I knew you and Lucy would have to be quieted eventually.”
The sound of clanging metal vibrated the tension in the atmosphere as Allison struggled in the handcuffs. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather play?”
Luke pushed himself to a squatting position, ready to spring to action when he felt the air thicken in the hallway.
“What the hell is she doing?”
He jumped at Ramsey’s whispered feral growl behind him. “Dammit, Ramsey!” he hissed, forcing his heart out of his throat. “Believe it or not, I think she’s about to get a confession. Lucy’s in the closet with a video camera.”
“Oh for the love of – why are we out here?”
Allison’s nerves shook with momentary relief as Dr. Winslow lowered the syringe. “Smallwood got greedy. We had an arrangement. I kept his lifestyle a secret and he made me a silent partner in his medical practice. Everything was perfect until he performed surgeries off the books and pocketed the cash.” He gave a strangled snort and shook his head. “Stupid son of a bitch thought I wouldn’t know.”
Allison twisted her left wrist and hoped she just might be able to slip free of her passionate prison. Instead, Dr. Winslow chuckled and squeezed the cuff one click tighter. “Lucy provided the perfect opportunity,” he continued. “I hid in the closet the whole time. When she cuffed him with the promise of seduction, I made my move.”
Hoping to buy some time, she tried to keep him talking. “Other than his brain, there was only one other part of Dr. Smallwood that was small. How’d you get him out of here so fast?”
He snickered at her insult to Dr. Smallwood’s anatomy. “When you left, it wasn’t hard to convince him you invited me to play. I stuck him in the jugular, slid him into a wheelchair, pushed him out of the clinic and dumped him downtown. And because Lucy left evidence behind, she’ll take the rap.”
