Harlequin Intrigue March 2021--Box Set 1 of 2

by Cindi Myers

She looked up at him. Found the question in his gaze. “I’m sure, Jax. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

  Her words released his control. Urgently he slipped his hands to her waist and urged her upward. Their first tentative kiss, one of invitation and acceptance, quickly flared into one of heat and passion. They kissed over and over, mouths meeting ruthlessly, hungrily.

  As Jackson brought his hand around to cup her breast, she moaned and moved to straddle his thighs. His body was hard everywhere. Strong. So strong and insistent against hers.

  She shifted on him, needing him. Needing to release her control and savor what this amazing man could provide.

  Jackson groaned as Rhea moved on him. He clasped her hips with his hands and urged her to still. “Rhea. Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I am. Come with me.” She eased from his lap and tugged him off the sofa.

  He willingly followed, needing Rhea like he had no other woman. Wanting to explore the complex woman he’d only known for a few days. Humbled that he could feel so much for her in so short a time.

  In her bedroom, she went straight to the bed and offered him a smile that was both welcoming and hesitant. He bent and tasted that smile. Accepted the invitation and hoped to ease her sudden reluctance, because if he couldn’t...

  He wouldn’t pressure her.

  He turned to sit on the bed, bringing her face-to-face with him.

  Cupping her cheek, he gentled her and welcomed her into the V of his outspread legs. Gently he strummed his thumb across her cheek. Soothed his other hand up and down her side.

  She laid her hands on his shoulders before leaning close and kissing him again. The kiss tentative at first until passion ignited need so intense, it was impossible to stop.

  Kissing was interrupted only to remove clothes until flesh was against flesh, and Jackson slipped on protection. He covered her with his body, joining with her. Breaths caught with the union. Exploded as Jackson moved within her, pulling her ever higher. Pushing them closer and closer to the edge until, with a final thrust, they tumbled over the edge together.

  Rhea cuddled tight to Jackson’s side, her thigh tossed over his. Her head pillowed on his muscled chest. He draped his arm down her back, holding her near. He laid his other arm across hers, pinning it against his chest. His touch soothing as he grazed his hand along her upper arm.

  “That was...nice,” she said, unable to find the right word to describe what she was feeling. Satisfied. Peaceful. Expectant.

  “Ouch. Just nice,” he teased, laughter in his tone and in the shake of his body beneath hers.

  She leaned an elbow on his chest and glanced up at him. “Okay, maybe more than nice. But don’t let your ego get out of hand.”

  He inched a dark brow upward. “A lot more than nice?”

  Chuckling, she settled back onto his chest and drifted her hand down his midsection and lower. “Maybe. Want to try for way more than nice?”

  He rolled her beneath him. “Definitely.”

  * * *

  THEY WERE HEADING back to Rhea’s apartment after visiting her gallery the next morning when the call came from his cousin Sophie.

  “I hope this is good news,” Jackson said as he answered and paused by the entrance to the building.

  “So nice to talk to you, too, primo,” Sophie teased.

  “Sorry, cuz. It is nice to hear from you. How are you?” he said and looked in Rhea’s direction. With a dip of his head, he confirmed it was the call for which they’d been waiting.

  “I’m fine, and so are you. Robbie and I managed to get some images off the hard drive of that woman whose photo you sent. It wasn’t easy. We had to get the corrupted data off the drive, rebuild the FAT table and—”

  “Sophie, English please,” he said, teasing her about the geek speak.

  Sophie chuckled and said, “I’m sending the photos via email, and I’ll text them to you, as well.” He heard the click-clack of keys to confirm the dispatch of the images.

  “I owe you big time.”

  “You do, so how about you come visit and bring your lady friend, as well?” Sophie said, laying on the guilt.

  “My mom told you to say that, didn’t she?”

  Sophie’s husky laugh confirmed it. “Call us if you need anything else, primo.”

  “I will, Sophie. Thank Robbie for me,” he said and hung up to peer at the images she had sent.

  Jackson angled the phone so Rhea could see the grainy black-and-white photos. The first was of Selene inside the pub, sitting and eating. There were other patrons nearby, including two heavily bearded and long-haired men who seemed to be looking in Selene’s direction. The second photo was similar to the first, but in this one there was no doubt that the men were staring at Rhea’s sister. The last three images were from the exterior of the pub. Selene near her car and, after, another one showing her pulling away, but in the background, the two bearded men again. They were leaning against what looked like a Jeep. The final photo created a blast of memories through Jackson’s brain.

  The Jeep was backing out, providing a glimpse of its front bumper.

  It was that bumper that had piqued his interest, since it was way too similar to what he’d seen only moments before they’d been rammed and almost driven into the back of the logging truck.

  “Is that—”

  “The SUV that hit us? I think it might be,” he said and used his thumb and forefinger to zoom the photo and enlarge the bumper section.

  “A definite maybe,” he said.

  Rhea wiggled her forefinger at the phone. “Go back to the earlier images. I think I’ve seen that man before.”

  He did as she asked, and she nodded. “He was in the police station when I came to speak to the chief.”

  Jackson zoomed the image to focus on the faces of the two men. Their heavy beards and long hair hid many of their features, but there were some similarities in the shapes of their eyes, noses and lips. “They could be brothers,” he said, tracing those features with his forefinger.

  “They could be. And I had a witness who said she drove by and noticed another Jeep by Selene’s car that night. We’ve been thinking that it was Matt’s Jeep, but maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it was this Jeep.”

  “There’s only one way to find out. You have contact info for that witness, don’t you?”

  Rhea nodded and skimmed through the info on her phone. “I do. I guess we go see her.”

  “We do, only...” He wanted to tell her not to get her hopes up, but that would be unrealistic. The photos and connection to their attackers was beyond coincidence. It was a solid lead, and one they had to follow.

  “Let’s go,” he said and held his hand out to her.

  Her smile was grim as she slipped her hand into his. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”

  * * *

  GAIL FRAZIER WAS a sixtysomething LPN who worked at an assisted living facility in Regina and volunteered with an organization that provided meals and companionship to seniors. She had been coming home from one of those volunteer assignments when she had seen Selene’s car and the unidentified SUV.

  “What time do you think you left Mrs. Wilson’s home?” Jackson asked as they sat with the LPN in her workplace’s cafeteria.

  “Much later than normal. Mrs. Wilson was a little despondent that day since it was her husband’s birthday. He passed several years ago,” Gail explained.

  Rhea nodded. “That was so nice that you stayed to cheer her up.”

  Gail sniffled, and her eyes filled with tears. “I lost my own husband two years ago and started volunteering to fill the empty hours. My assignments help me as much as I help them,” she said and picked up her coffee mug that said “#1 Nurse.” She took a sip and after said, “I think I was there until about nine. Maybe a little earlier. I got Mrs. Wilson settled in bed, cleaned up a bit and then drove h
ome. That’s when I saw the cars by the lake.”

  Jackson pulled out a photo of Selene’s sedan. He laid it in front of Gail. “Is this the car you saw that night?”

  Gail nodded, her head shifting up and down emphatically. “I think so. I didn’t think anything about it that night since people stop to look at the lake at all hours.”

  “What made you reach out to me and not the police?” Rhea asked.

  Gail shrugged and pointed to the photo. “At first I didn’t think it was unusual. But then I ran across your posts on Facebook asking for any additional information. It got me thinking about that night.”

  Jackson considered the older woman, judging her sincerity. “So you suddenly remembered a second car months later.”

  Another emphatic nod answered him. “I did. I wish I had made the connection earlier, but I didn’t. Like I said, nothing seemed off until I saw Rhea’s post and started thinking about it.”

  Which would make her testimony in court totally vulnerable to challenge. Any good defense lawyer would chip away at it to attempt to prove she imagined the second car as a way to help Rhea. She was a caregiver by nature and liked to volunteer to help others. Giving Rhea that info totally fit her nature, even if the veracity of the information might be doubtful.

  Jackson tried to push her some more. “You thought the other car by the lake was a Jeep. One like this?” He slipped a photo of Matt’s Wrangler in front of the LPN.

  She laid her hand on the photo and drew it near for a closer inspection. With a shrug and a small frown, she said, “Like this one, but not this new or nice. The one I saw looked older. More beat-up.”

  Jackson shared a look with Rhea. If Gail was right, Matt was moving further down on the suspect list with each new bit of information they gathered. Opening his folder, he drew out a photo that his cousins had provided. “What about this SUV?”

  Gail peered at the photo, squinting at the image. She picked up the glasses hanging on a bejeweled chain around her neck. Slipping on the cheaters, she said, “I don’t really need them, but use them just to be sure of the directions on some of the patients’ medications. The print is just too small and this photo... Well, it’s quite grainy.”

  With the cheaters in place, she perused the photo for a too-long minute before she set it down and gestured to it. “Like that one.”

  Rhea leaned toward the other woman and placed her hand on the photo. “Like that one? So you don’t think this is the SUV you saw?”

  Gail got snippy. “I didn’t say that, did I, young lady?”

  Rhea inhaled deeply, held her breath and then in a gentler tone said, “I’m sorry, Gail. I truly appreciate that you came forward so we can find out what happened to Selene.”

  Seemingly chastened by Rhea’s statement, Gail picked up the photo once again and reexamined it. When she set it down, she said, “I think this was the car. I remember it having that weird bumper thing.”

  The same weird bumper thing that I saw just before we were rammed, Jackson thought.

  “That’s important, Gail. Thank you,” Rhea said and shot Jackson a look, as if saying, Tag, it’s your turn.

  He ran with it. “Did you see anyone near the cars? Selene? Anyone else?”

  She shook her head. “Just the cars. I didn’t think to look at the lakeshore. Like I said, it didn’t seem anything was out of the ordinary and truth be told, I was tired. I just wanted to get home and get some rest.”

  “We understand. You do hard work here and with the volunteering... You must be exhausted late at night.” Rhea laid a hand on Gail’s, offering her thanks with the touch.

  “I am, but like I said before, it helps me, as well. If there’s anything I can do, please let me know,” Gail said and glanced at her watch. “I really should get back to my patients. It’ll be lunchtime soon and I have to get their medications ready.”

  When she rose from her chair, Jackson and Rhea did the same. Jackson shook her hand and said, “We appreciate the time you took. If need be, would you be willing to testify to what you saw?”

  Gail peered at Rhea and said, “I would and I’m so sorry for your loss. It must be difficult for you.”

  Rhea’s lips were in a tight line, her voice choked with emotion as she said, “Thank you again, Gail. I appreciate you coming forward. It’s been truly helpful.”

  With a quick nod, Gail slipped away to return to her patients, and Jackson and Rhea left the facility. At the cruiser, Jackson crossed his arms and leaned against the fender, facing Rhea. She stood before him, arms wrapped around herself defensively. “I know this is upsetting.”

  Rhea shook her head and her dangling silver earrings danced against her neck. “It is, but I can deal.”

  “Can you deal with the possibility Matt wasn’t the one who killed Selene?” Jackson pressed, hating to hurt her, but needing her to acknowledge he was likely not their suspect any longer.

  “She’s not dead,” Rhea said, which shouldn’t have surprised him, but it did.

  “Rhea, please,” he urged and reached for her, but she brushed off his touch and stepped away from him.

  Chin tilted up and ice in her crystal blue gaze, she said, “If we’ve eliminated Matt, then we move on to the other scenarios, and they include the possibility that Selene is alive, Detective. So what do we do next?”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Ugh, detective-zoned. Far worse than friend-zoned, but he understood that Gail’s information had upended what had been the most plausible explanation for what had happened to Selene. The others, including that Selene was alive...

  He pushed off the bumper and opened the door for her. Meeting her gaze, he said, “We head back to the pub and speak to Marcus. Maybe he knows more about those two men.”

  Without waiting for her reply, he walked around and eased into the driver’s seat. They were at the pub in no time. Quite a number of vehicles were in the parking lot, since it was almost lunch hour. Jackson parked, and Rhea and he entered. They located Marcus, who once again took them into his office to avoid prying eyes and gossip about Jackson’s visit.

  “How can I help you again?” Marcus asked with a tired sigh as he plopped into his chair.

  “Rough morning?” Jackson asked, inching a brow upward in emphasis.

  “Totally, dude. One of the chefs burned himself pretty bad, and we had a problem with one of the freezers, but I’m handling it,” Marcus advised and skimmed his gaze from Rhea to him and back.

  “You two look like your morning was as bad,” Marcus said.

  “You could say that,” Rhea blurted out.

  Marcus trained his gaze on Jackson, as if asking for his confirmation. Instead, Jackson took the photos from his folder and handed them to his former colleague. “What can you tell us about those two?”

  Marcus shuffled through the photos and then gestured to Rhea with them. “This is your sister in the photos?”

  Rhea nodded. “It is.”

  Marcus let out a low whistle. “You really are identical, aren’t you?”

  “Marcus, focus,” Jackson said, and it brought back memories of working with the other man on the force. Although he’d been a good cop, he’d also been easily distracted.

  “Easy, dude,” Marcus warned and glanced at the photos again before handing them back to Jackson. Fingers laced, he laid his hands across his midsection and said, “They apparently come in every few months.”

  “Have you seen them lately?” Jackson asked.

  Marcus tilted his head to the side and looked upward, searching his memory, and then shook his head. “Come to think of it, no. The staff calls them the ‘Mountain Men.’”

  Rhea jumped in with, “Why is that?”

  With a shrug, Marcus said, “When they first came in, I got bad vibes. I asked the old-timers who gave me the skinny on them. That they seemed like recluses who only came down ev
ery few months. Kept to themselves. Creeped out some of the female customers.”

  “In what way?” Rhea asked, her gaze narrowed as she trained it on Marcus.

  “I’m told they’d stare at them. Make comments. I wasn’t around at the time, but they were asked to leave one night and got in the old manager’s face. Pushed him around.”

  “Did you call the police? Is there a report possibly?” Jackson said, hoping that there would be so they might identify the men.

  Marcus shook his head. “Sorry, but they didn’t. It got handled, and no one was hurt.”

  “Do you mind if we ask your staff about them?” Jackson said.

  Marcus frowned. “Dude, we’re just about to start the lunch service. Can I send them to the station later?”

  He glanced in Rhea’s direction. She was bouncing her feet nervously, expectantly. She clearly would prefer to deal with it now as he would, but Marcus had been open and helpful, and he didn’t want to push. Besides, they had things to do at the station anyway.

  “We’ll be there,” he said, earning a quick hard glance from Rhea, but she remained silent.

  “I appreciate that, Jax. I’ll speak to my guys and ask them to go over after their shift. I’ll make a list of who might have info also, just in case.” Marcus stood as if to reinforce it was time for them to go.

  “Just in case?” Rhea asked and stood, her face puzzled.

  Marcus did a quick shrug. “Some of my guys... Let’s just say they’re not fans of the police. But I’ll get them to you, I promise.”

  “Appreciate the help, Marcus. We truly do,” Jackson said.

  Once they were out in the restaurant, Jackson played it up as if to make it seem like their visit had been only a friendly one, since several eyes had turned in their direction. “Thanks for that donation to the PAL fund, Marcus. We truly appreciate it,” he said, his voice loud enough to be overheard by those in the area.

  Marcus smiled and chuckled. “You’re welcome, Jax. Anything for a friend.”

  Rhea went up on tiptoes and brushed a kiss across his cheek, truly grateful for his assistance. “Thank you.”