He hadn’t gotten much sleep last night, and now he just wanted it to be late enough to leave this stinking motel room and get this job over and done with. He needed to get away from Julia Carleton, to run as far as possible from her and never look back. The only way he could do that now was to solve this case for her, accept her check then walk away.
For a few precious minutes last night he had forgotten. He’d forgotten about his guilt, about the reasons he’d sworn to never get involved again. He’d forgotten about Linda and what he’d done to her. For a little while, it had seemed like anything was possible. He had forgotten everything except the way Julia felt in his arms, the sounds she made when he touched her and the way she touched him. He had almost believed that the impossible was happening.
Thank God she’d stopped him in time. Thank God he’d come to his senses before he could make a disastrous mistake. Now all he wanted was for this to be over.
Yanking on his pants, he left the top button undone as he pulled on his shirt and shoved the buttons through their holes. It was time to get out of here. This room had become a prison, with memories of him and Julia together surrounding him wherever he looked. Striding over to the connecting door, he raised his hand to knock.
He paused when he glanced outside into the brightening dawn. It was still so early that she was probably asleep, he thought, his anger dissolving. His hand dropped away from the door and he finished buttoning his shirt and jeans. He didn’t want to wake her up. She’d gotten little enough sleep the night before when he’d turned up at her apartment, dazed and bedraggled from the explosion.
As he sat down on the bed to put on his shoes, he heard noises from Julia’s room. She was moving around, he realized, and immediately he wondered if she’d had trouble sleeping last night, too.
She’d tell him no, he realized with a flash of insight. She tried hard to maintain her facade of composure and unflappability. But after last night, he knew better.
His body remembered just how uncomposed she’d been, and he felt the familiar tightening in his lower body again. Her image had taunted him all night, and not even a long, freezing-cold shower had been able to tune her out. It didn’t matter, he told himself, standing up and going to the window again. He was in control of his body. Wanting her was a physical thing, that was all, and he wouldn’t let it take control of his life. He wasn’t sixteen years old anymore.
He stood at the window for a long time, staring blindly out at the cars in the parking lot. He heard the shower in the room next to his, heard the minute she walked out of the bathroom and began to dress. His senses were so attuned to her because they had to be, he told himself. Their lives could depend on it. But when he found himself thinking about what she’d look like fresh out of the shower, dripping wet and rosy from the heat, he slammed his fist against the wall and went to look for his gun.
It was still in her room, he remembered, and his gut tightened with fear. What was the matter with him? He never forgot about his gun, especially when it was as important as it was on this case. Striding over to the connecting door, he pounded on it with his fist.
She opened the door almost immediately, clutching a sweater in front of her chest. “What’s the matter?”
“I left my gun in here last night.” He tried to look at her face and not notice the lacy straps on her shoulders that weren’t covered by the sweater she clutched to herself.
“I know. It’s on the table there.” She nodded toward the night table and he reached out and took his gun. “What’s wrong?” she asked again.
“Nothing’s wrong. But it was damned careless of me to leave it here.” He checked the gun quickly and instinctively, then shoved it into the waistband of his jeans at the small of his back.
Looking back at Julia, he saw that her hair was still wet from her shower, and it hung to her shoulders in thick waves. Surprised, he frowned at her. “Why does your hair look so curly?”
She touched her head self-consciously. “Because it is curly.”
“I’ve never seen you with curly hair.” His voice was almost accusing.
Backing toward the bathroom, she said defensively, “Maybe we can discuss these personal grooming questions after I get dressed.” When he continued to watch her, she snapped, “I dry it every day, all right? I don’t like to walk around with curly hair.”.
“Why not, Julia? Doesn’t it fit with your image? Would curly hair make you seem more human or something? Is it because you can’t control curly hair?” He felt his voice rising and clamped his mouth shut. What the hell difference did it make to him what she did with her hair? She could cut it into a Mohawk for all he cared. If she wanted the world to think she was interested in nothing but business, that was fine with him.
Except that he knew otherwise. He’d seen her concern for her brother, even though he didn’t know yet what she was worried about. He’d seen the way she treated Raul, how she’d known just what to say to him about his carvings.
His body tightened. He’d felt her melt in his arms last night, had heard every sigh and moan that had escaped her mouth. And he’d felt the ones that hadn’t.
With a low curse he turned around and walked back into his room. Without turning around to look at her again, he said, “Let me know when you’re ready. We need to get going this morning.”
He closed the connecting door behind him, being very careful not to slam it. Then, going over to the window, he stared through the crack in the curtain into the parking lot, not seeing any of the cars parked there.
* * *
“Those things will kill you, you know.”
Luke looked up from the jelly doughnut he was eating and raised his eyebrows. “Maybe, maybe not. But I’ll die a happy man.” He looked at her bran muffin and made a face. “I’m not about to go through life eating twigs and sawdust.”
She gave him a strained smile as she raised her cup of coffee to take a drink. “You might be surprised. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”
He scowled, thinking of other things he wouldn’t mind trying. He didn’t like to see her smile, or loosen up in any way. It made her too damn appealing. “You about done with that thing? We can take the coffee with us.”
She looked around at the pink-and-orange decor of the doughnut shop where they’d stopped for breakfast, then glanced out the windows that lined the walls. “I’d think this would be the ideal place to sit and talk for a while. No one can hide in here.”
Not even him. Tapping his foot against the metal leg of the table, he tried to think of a good reason to leave immediately, but had to admit she was right. They’d spent too much time in his car the last few days. He was getting as sick of it as she must be.
“All right, let’s have another cup of coffee and talk. I suppose it’s as good a place as any.” He signaled the waitress and waited until both their cups were full. “I’m going to visit Eddie today,” he said abruptly.
She paused in the act of taking a sip of coffee. “You are?”
He nodded. “I want to talk to him, see what he has to say.”
Carefully she set her coffee cup on the table. “You’re not going to ask him if he’s done a deal with a gang of drug dealers, are you?”
“Of course not,” he said impatiently. “Give me a little credit, will you? When I ran into him at headquarters, we talked vaguely about getting together sometime. I’ll use that as an excuse, say that I realized it had been too long. I just want to talk to him.”
She nodded slowly. “That sounds like a good idea. You were his partner for a long time. If anyone can read between the lines it’d be you.”
He snapped his coffee cup onto the Formica table. He was beginning to assume that Eddie was guilty, and it bothered him. “It remains to be seen if there’s anything between the lines to be read.” Throwing a crumpled wad of dollar bills on the table, he stood up. “Let’s get going.”
A few minutes later he stood at a phone booth, watching Julia sitting in the car and waiting for s
omeone to answer the phone at his old precinct. When he heard the desk sergeant’s voice he asked for Eddie, and was told that he was off today. Replacing the receiver thoughtfully, he walked back to the car.
“That was a quick call,” Julia said. He could hear the question in her voice.
“Eddie’s off today.” He started the engine and headed back to the motel. “But I think that’s okay. Now I can surprise him at home.”
“Where am I going to be during your little heart-toheart?”
“You’re going to be in that motel room with the door chained shut. There hasn’t been any sign that they’ve found us, so I think you’ll be safe there for a few hours. And don’t go calling your office to tell them where you are. Don’t even call them to tell them you won’t be in.”
“I’d already figured that out, Luke.” She looked over at him with exasperation. “We have no idea who could be involved in this case.”
“That’s right.” His voice was grim. “I don’t want to find out the hard way that someone in Internal Affairs is feeding information to your suspects.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t call anyone.”
He glanced over at her. She was staring out the windshield, but he thought she looked a little pale. “Julia?”
When she turned to look at him, he realized she was scared. Her eyes were huge in her white face, and she had to bite her lip to keep it from trembling. “What?”
“Are you going to be okay by yourself for a little while?”
He saw her pull herself together, and could only guess at the effort it took. Julia Carleton had guts, he had to give her that. More guts than most people he knew, man or woman.
“I’ll be fine. As you said, they have no idea where I am. And nobody’s attacked me.”
She didn’t have to say yet. The word hung between them, vibrating in the air. “You’ll be fine, Julia. Just think of it as your brief reprieve from my company.”
“Time off for good behavior?” she asked, trying to smile.
“Yeah. But don’t get too used to it, because I’ll be back before you know it.”
“I know you will, Luke.”
She actually sounded as if she were looking forward to it, and he looked over at her again. She was intent on watching something out the window. Before he asked her what was bothering her, he glanced again into his rearview mirror.
And let out a string of curses.
She looked over at him with alarm. Without taking his eyes off the car behind him, he said grimly, “It looks as if they found us again.”
He could feel the effort it took for her not to look behind her. “Are you sure?”
“Short of pulling over and asking the guy for an ID, I am. The same car’s been behind us since we left the doughnut shop. I’m going to cut down a couple of side streets to make sure.”
Several blocks later the car was still behind him. It was careful not to get too close, but it didn’t fall back, either. It was a silent, menacing presence behind them, making him all too aware of the fact that he hadn’t outsmarted them, after all. “It looks like there’s been a slight change in plans. You’re not going back to the motel by yourself now.” He slanted a quick look over at her. “Where do your folks live?”
She glanced at him in surprise. “On the north side of the city. Why?”
“Would they be home now?”
“They should be. My dad’s retired, and they’re not away on a trip. Even if they have errands to do, it’s pretty early.”
“Okay. As soon as we lose this joker on our tail, tell me how to get to their house.”
“Can I ask why we’re going to my parents’ house?”
“I can’t think of anyplace else where you’d be safe. I’m not even sure you’ll be safe there,” he said bluntly, “but I don’t have any other choice. I can’t show up at Eddie’s with you.”
“I’m sure I’ll be safe with my parents.”
Her voice was firm but she sneaked a look over her shoulder. He could have told her that the car was sticking to them like a leech. The entrance to the Kennedy Expressway was approaching, and he veered onto it. Their shadow followed them down the ramp.
After driving for a while, he moved over to the left and signaled that he was entering the express lanes. He saw with grim satisfaction that the car behind him did the same. He waited until the last possible minute, until he was sure the car following him was boxed in and couldn’t make a similar move, then cut in front of another car and barely made it out of the express lane.
When he looked back, he saw that the car behind him was trapped and had no choice but to continue in the express lanes. He wouldn’t be exiting the expressway for another eight miles. Luke took the next exit that came up.
“That was one slick maneuver.”
Julia’s voice was genuinely admiring, and he looked over at her long enough to grin. “Stick with me, honey. I know all the moves.”
“I noticed,” she said wryly.
Fifteen minutes later he pulled up in front of a neat brick bungalow on a quiet, tree-lined street. When Julia would have opened the door and gotten out of the car, he put his hand on her arm. “Not yet. I want to make sure we don’t have company.”
She settled back into her seat as he scanned the street. A few children played in the crisp early spring sunshine, and an occasional car cruised down the street, but otherwise it was quiet and peaceful. After five minutes, he opened the door and got out.
By the time he got around to her side of the car she was standing on the sidewalk waiting for him. Resisting the urge to take her hand, he let her lead the way up to the front door of her parents’ house.
Moments after she rang the bell an older man answered the door. Luke saw immediately where Julia got her looks. From his curly red hair to his determined chin, he was clearly her father.
“Hi, Dad.” Julia’s voice was breathless, and he wondered why. “This is Luke McKinley. He’s working with me on a case, and I need to stay here with you for a little while. Do you and Mom have any plans for today?”
“No, we don’t. Come on in, Mr. McKinley.” Julia’s father held the door open while Luke shook his head.
“Thanks, but I can’t right now.” He turned to Julia. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours, maybe a little more. You stay in the house and away from the windows. Make sure your dad doesn’t let anyone in that he doesn’t know.”
He could sense her father bristling in front of him and turned to the older man. “Sorry, Mr. Carleton, I don’t have time to explain. Julia will tell you as much as she can.” He looked back at Julia and gripped her arms. There was a shadow of fear in her eyes, and he leaned forward.
“You’re going to be fine. I’ll be back soon.”
“I’m worried about you,” she whispered.
He stared at her for a second, thunderstruck. She was worried about him. Something moved in his chest, something so tender it was almost painful. Giving in to an uncontrollable urge, he leaned forward and brushed her lips with his. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
He wheeled and ran down the steps of her parents’ house, getting in the car and driving away without looking back. If he had, he wasn’t sure he could leave her there. Glancing at his watch, he headed in the direction of Eddie’s house. In two hours he would be with her again.
Chapter 9
Eddie’s house looked the same as it always had, the grass a little too long and the paint a little too faded. At least some things hadn’t changed, Luke told himself as he rang the doorbell.
Eddie answered the door wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt that was blotched with sweat. When he saw who was standing there, surprise and wariness filled his eyes for a moment, then he smiled and opened the door.
“Luke, you son of a gun. What are you doing here?”
“After I saw you the other day I realized it’d been a long time,” Luke answered easily. “When I called the precinct, they told me you were off today. I thought I’d stop by, see if yo
u were interested in lunch.”
Eddie glanced at his watch, a high-tech model full of buttons and gauges. “Kind of early for lunch, isn’t it, buddy?”
Luke shrugged. “I wanted to catch you before you found something else to do today.”
“Come on in.” Eddie opened the door and Luke walked into the house. “I won’t be able to make lunch, but we can catch up while I finish my workout.”
As they walked through the house that used to be as familiar to Luke as his own, he couldn’t help noticing the changes. “Looks like you finally got your act together in here,” he commented, looking around at the new furniture and the expensive stereo and big-screen television.
“I was getting tired of listening to my sister and mother harp about my bachelor’s existence,” Eddie answered. He waved a hand dismissively at the expensive furnishings. “I figured that I could kill two birds with one stone and stop their complaints while I made myself comfortable.”
“Seems like a lot of money to spend to keep your sister’s mouth shut. Why didn’t you just stop inviting her over?” Luke took one last look around as Eddie led him to the spare bedroom.
“Hey, I made some good investments and decided I might as well enjoy it now. Life is too short to be so tight. But then, you always were too conservative about money. I guess it was because you were an old married man, right, buddy?”
“I guess.”
Luke kept his face poker straight, but Eddie realized he’d made a faux pas. He turned around, contrition on his face. “Hey, I’m sorry, Luke. I didn’t mean to throw it in your face like that.”
“Don’t worry about it. And besides, you were right. I never was a swinging bachelor even when I was a swinging bachelor.”
“And when was that? When you were twelve?”
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