“Can you come here and sit down for a minute? You’re making my headache worse, pacing like that.”
He let out a long sigh, walked to the bed, and eased down next to her. “Are you warming up? You were shaking like you were freezing to death.” He ran his hands up and down her arms.
Her breath hitched, and her gaze locked on his. He pulled his hands back, as if the impact of the connection startled him, too. She wasn’t sure if chemistry was the right word, but something foreign, and not altogether unpleasant, crackled in the air when they touched.
Oddly compelled to test the theory, Jordan reached out and ran a finger over the scratches on his chin. “I’m sorry, I hurt you.”
He continued to hold her in that dangerous gaze, and when she pulled her hand away, he swallowed. Hard.
Definite chemistry.
He offered a thin smile. “You almost gave me a heart attack; my blood pressure was probably high enough for me to stroke out. I thought you were dying. Probably took ten years off my life, and you’re sorry you scratched me?”
He was attempting to lighten the mood. But his humor only made her throat swell and her eyes burn. She’d put him through hell, and he was still being sweet.
“Well, then, I’m sorry for the stroke and heart attack, too,” she teased, managing to yank a knot in her unraveling emotions. “I thought you left, and I took something for the pain. The doctor at the hospital said it would help if my back started hurting again, but I should have known better. I have bad reactions to most drugs, even the mildest ones. They help with the aches but also give me weird nightmares. Usually, I don’t even take aspirin, but tonight I thought it might help. Guess it backfired.”
“You think?” He lifted his hand to her face and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Okay then, no more drugs for you. Trust me when I say you won’t even get a baby aspirin out of me.”
His knuckles fell against her cheek, and the zing of chemistry returned. Then the pad of his thumb smoothed across her bottom lip and stalled there.
Along with his gaze.
There was no escaping the fact that he was contemplating kissing her. And she was very seriously contemplating letting him. The invitation must have shown in her eyes, because he leaned close enough that his warm breath teased her lips. Then his mouth brushed hers in a whisper of a kiss.
Her chest tightened. Her stomach tumbled. She laid a hand on his chest and felt the gallop of his heart beneath her fingertips. His kiss was such a soft, soft touch, but it unleashed a flood of unbearably intense sensations.
One spiraling emotion ebbed into another. Her hand slid into his hair, tangled in the thick, dark waves, and pulled him closer.
God, she wanted to taste him.
Not just his lips, but the corded strength of his neck, the solid lines of his chest. He smelled good enough to eat. Did he taste that way, too? She eased her tongue into the heat of his mouth.
A hoarse growl erupted from him.
He tasted her, savored her as though she was a last meal. Long, demanding stokes of his tongue against hers left her boneless and nearly as off balance as the dream. His muscles tensed as the kiss spun further and further out of control. Finally, he wove his fingers into her hair and tore his lips away. “I think you need to sleep now, baby. You’re tired.”
That’s when she realized she’d crossed about ten lines too many. She’d connected with Ty. Not physically, but mentally. Not in the way of a lover’s touch, but in the way a voyeur would sneak into a mind and steal the most private thoughts. She felt the powerful forces raging through him. Lust. Desire. Need. All of it pushing against a crumbling wall of decency.
Thank God he had more restraint than she did. She might have said yes to anything when he kissed her like that. Embarrassment flamed in her cheeks.
A few deep, calming breaths helped put the barriers back in place. Her guarded instincts not only surged back but shifted into overdrive. Danger flashed in her mind like a warning sign at a construction site. He could be a working for Buck. Or more probable—and more frightening—he could be a good man with the innate ability to scale all her carefully placed walls. Neither option was good.
She still had questions, but that questioning clearly wasn’t going to happen tonight. “You’ve been amazingly kind, but I think it would be smart if you left now.”
He pulled her against his chest and leaned back against the pillows. “You can’t keep me up all night and then kick me out when I’m too tired to drive. Besides, my brother’s the smart one. I have to get by on my looks.”
It was a huge mistake, but she allowed herself to be drawn into the comfort of his arms. The danger sign flashed neon now. Despite the sleepy calm washing through her, her mind fought for the right words to make him leave.
“Stop thinking everything to death,” he said, as if reading her thoughts. He kissed the top of her head. “Go to sleep, babe. It’s been a bad night, but it’ll be better after you rest.”
No one but her father had ever held her after a dream. Since his death, no one had ever put their arms around her just for the sake of soothing. Did Ty realize he was giving her the one thing she’d never had in her entire adult life? For that alone, he could have taken whatever he wanted from her.
The danger sign blazed once again. Only this time, Jordan didn’t think it had anything to do with the case.
***
When Ty woke, his arm was numb. Jordan’s head still rested on his shoulder, and she’d curled against him like a cat nestled into a warm blanket. Everything inside him wanted to melt closer to her, touch her, stroke her. He suppressed a groan when he checked the time. If he didn’t get up he’d be late. Needing a shower and fresh clothes, he slipped out of the bed and away from her warm body.
It had taken every ounce of willpower he possessed not to let the night progress beyond a kiss, but he hadn’t wanted to take advantage of the state she was in—scared from the nightmare, hurting from her injury, confused from the pain medicine. There would be a first time between them; he’d known it the second their lips met, from the moment she’d vibrated under his kiss. Hell, from the moment he’d vibrated under hers.
He hit his apartment for a quick shower and shave, then headed to Buck’s for his three o’clock appointment. The guilt for sneaking out while she slept was eating him alive. He would’ve canceled if it wasn’t so important, but the desire to get hired at the club was now twice as intense as it had been last night. Not only did he intend to destroy Arlo Buck, but now he was determined to keep a close eye on his sexy waitress as well.
At ten to three, he pulled into the parking lot. He hopped out of his pickup hoping the nerves didn’t show. This interview needed to be played completely cool and straight. He had one chance to get inside, and screwing up wasn’t an option.
“I have an appointment with Buck at three,” Ty said to a younger, slightly taller version of Buck sitting at the bar. Ty hadn’t seen the guy in a long time, but it had to be Warren. Same meaty head. Same huge body. Ty and Warren had played football against each other, Ty for Longdale High and Warren for Titus. They had never been friends, but Ty had heard plenty of stories. Warren was notorious for always being in trouble, and Buck was just as notorious for bailing him out.
Warren glared, stood, and stalked into a small office behind the stage. He reappeared about two minutes later with his old man.
Buck didn’t say anything, only walked to a table at the farthest end of the nightclub.
Ty followed.
Motioning for one of the girls to bring two beers, Buck plopped down into a chair.
“Thanks for seeing me, Mr. Buck.”
“Just Buck, no mister. I’m not your fucking high school principal. Why’d you quit the Longdale PD? Bouncer at a nightclub is a big step backwards.”
The waitress set down two beers.
“Thanks, babe.” Arlo winked at her.
“Long story, but Commander Davis and I had a few issues we couldn’t work out.”<
br />
“I’m gonna tell you what I heard. I heard you failed a drug test, and Davis let you walk instead of firing your ass.”
Ty had rehearsed all the answers, so he was prepared. Buck had checked him out thoroughly, just like he figured.
“That’s bullshit.” Ty shook his head. “I was set up by Davis and Tom, that prick of a nephew of his. I was at a party; Tom was there, too. He kept pushing one beer right after another at me, and then some chick is all over me. She leaves and comes back after a few minutes with a joint.”
Ty shrugged. “I didn’t want the joint, just the woman. Couldn’t figure out why she was practically cramming the damn thing down my throat. I took a couple hits to keep the peace. Go figure, a surprise drug test the next day. Coincidence? I doubt it.” Ty drank the beer, looked up at Arlo.
“I heard you were tight with Davis.”
“We were. Our families have been friends for years. But his nephew is an asshole and a serious liability to the Longdale department.”
Buck sat silent for several moments before speaking. “I could use a guy with a few skills when it comes to keeping the peace around here, but I’m not crazy about inviting any more cops around than I have to. I haven’t seen eye to eye with Davis myself in a good many years. Fucker always sends his cops around to poke in my business. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he sent you to nose around.”
Ty focused on his beer, deciding how to answer. He knew Buck wasn’t an idiot, but he hadn’t expected him to cut to the chase so quickly. Ty decided to go for the move that would look like an early fold. “I get it. I guess if I were in your position, I might think that, too. Thanks for your time and the beer.” Ty stood and offered a hand to Arlo.
“Sit down, boy, before I knock you down.”
An appropriate amount of anger would be prudent here, Ty thought. He sat slowly and let a little heat glare from his eyes.
“You tell me why it would be smart for me to let an ex-cop in my business, one that has family ties to Longdale’s chief.”
“I don’t care who you let in your business, but you won’t find anyone in this town more willing to make Davis and his asshole nephew look like idiots than me. Seven years I put in with them. Then he screws me out of my badge and blackballs me in town with every business lead I pursue.”
Ty was reasonably sure Buck was at least paying attention. He let his face go a little wild and uncontrolled. The words weren’t truthful, but the anger and intention to make someone pay for what Ty’s family had been through were absolutely real and humming on the surface.
“Tom’s an idiot,” Ty continued. “Couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn if his life depended on it. I responded to that robbery about eight months back, you know, at Jed’s Gas Mart.”
Buck nodded.
It had been big news in a little town. Two college kids were strung out and strapped for cash. They’d held up a local gas station, and Ty had responded to the call, been grazed by a bullet.
“Tom was supposed to back me up. I knew as soon as I walked in they were just a couple of teens who needed to score. They weren’t looking to shoot anyone. I’m about done talking ’em down when one points his gun at Tom instead of me. Tom flips, starts shooting up the place. Kills one of the kids, almost gets me killed, and then puts in his report that the kid fired first. No fucking way I was backing up that story.”
Ty leaned back in his chair. Rage and frustration had his hand not quite steady, but Tom and the incident at the gas station weren’t the cause. The truth of it was that Tom had handled the situation by the book. It was the knowledge of Arlo Buck’s criminal operations and being this close to getting inside that had Ty’s nerves standing on end. This was it. If Buck turned him away now, game over.
Buck drained the last half of his beer and slammed the empty bottle on the table, making no attempt to hide the fact he was debating his options. He drilled his dark gaze into Ty and leaned both elbows on the table. “I want someone who does exactly what I tell ’em, when I tell ’em. You’re a big boy, so that’ll buy you a little respect, but I need a guy in charge of the bouncers who can handle their attitudes and their stupidity. I’m not screwing around with idiots like Lewis who come in here and hassle my girls. No petty drug exchanges either. You got a license to carry?” Before Ty could answer, he said, “If not, get one. No one screws around in here with drugs or sex.”
He never said it out loud, but he didn’t have to. Ty could read between the lines perfectly: Buck had security issues and went to a lot of trouble to cover himself. He wasn’t getting busted for stupid college kids dealing drugs in the nightclub.
“I’m not sure how I feel about an ex-cop working security, but I’ll assume you’re smart enough to know you’re either all in or all out when you work for me. I take care of my people”—Buck smiled with all the warmth of the devil—“and their family and friends when they work for me.”
To anyone less savvy, that might have sounded like a declaration of loyalty to his employees. Ty recognized it for the threat that it was—Fuck with me, and I’ll take out everyone you care about.
“We’ll give it a few weeks, see how it fits for both of us.”
Ty let a smirk take the edge off his nerves. “You hiring me?”
“Yeah. Start tomorrow. I’ll meet with my guys tonight. I got seven bouncers you’ll be in charge of. A few of the boys are strong as hell but none too bright. A couple more, cocky and hot-headed. If you can’t handle them and keep ’em in line, you’re out.”
“I won’t let you down. Thanks, Buck.” Ty extended a hand. Buck reluctantly shook it. Ty turned to leave.
“McGee.”
Ty turned back.
Buck leaned back in the suffering bar chair that looked like it wanted to collapse underneath him. “No one crosses me and lives to tell about it. That’s how you work my floor, with that level of arrogance. You get rid of the small side drug deals. You kick the shit out of the bastards feeling up my waitresses. Make sure no one gets rough in the VIP rooms unless they’ve properly paid for it. And make damn certain you understand I’ll be watching you closely. No one crosses Arlo Buck.”
Chapter 4
After a few peaceful hours of dreamless sleep and a long, hot shower, Jordan felt almost human again. Only then did she allow herself to think about the vision and the drama with Ty that followed.
She couldn’t fault him for slipping out while she slept. If he’d been smart, he’d have left a long time before that, when she’d passed out behind Buck’s or when he got stuck in the ER half the night. But he hadn’t. He even stayed after she snarled at him when he mentioned her parents.
And then there was the kiss. Good God, what had she been thinking?
It was pretty obvious she hadn’t been thinking at all. How could she be so stupid? Head injury or not, her behavior was inexcusable. Any cop who worked undercover knew exactly how dangerous screw-ups could be. She’d screwed up big time last night.
The way McGee affected her bordered on insane. Keeping a good, healthy distance from him might be the best move. Then again, was it ridiculous not to explore a valuable connection simply because he sent her hormones into overdrive?
How would she explain that to her superiors? I’m sorry, Captain, I didn’t pursue a valuable source, because I couldn’t keep my tongue out of the subject’s mouth long enough to question him.
She blew out a disgusted sigh. Instincts that had guided her through several successful undercover missions were screaming at her to find Ty and press him for information. Only an idiot could deny the attraction between them. Maybe if she used that attraction, pretended to need him, need to be taken care of. Shower him with a few soft kisses... Maybe he’d confide everything he knew about Arlo Buck in no time at all.
Taking a look at Ty’s professional records might help, too, although she couldn’t just waltz in to the Longdale Police Station and demand his file. But the FBI could. Bahan was a master at gathering data. She’d send him an e-mail
requesting the information, because she sure as hell wasn’t risking a phone call. It wasn’t a mere coincidence that she checked in and left voicemails at times he’d be unavailable. No reason to risk an inquiry about her progress inside Buck’s.
Jordan grabbed her laptop and eased onto the sofa. Now for another unpleasant task. Time to do a little digging of her own. Who was the mystery girl in her dream? She couldn’t pawn that off on Bahan; he’d ask too many questions. Questions she had no intentions of answering.
She didn’t remember a time in her life when there were no dreams. But she remembered a time when she didn’t fear them. Back when she was too little to understand what they meant.
Then there had been the dream about her family—the one that had opened her eyes to real terror. The one that had driven home the very real consequence of ignoring the message inside the dream.
Now she knew better. “Come on, mystery girl. What were you trying to show me?” she muttered as she tapped her security code into the laptop.
Most of the time, she’d convinced herself the spirits were seeking justice for what they’d suffered. Other times, she believed their desperation to connect with her had more to do with closure for their families. On very rare occasions, a spirit would show her a precognitive event—something that hadn’t happened yet—usually attempting to save a loved one, but those visions were the hardest to decipher.
Combining visions with police work seldom followed a straight line of logic. Interpreting what each victim wanted her to see was tricky, yet becoming a cop was the only way she knew how to give purpose to the freakish ability. As for the latest dream, every angle would need to be checked. She’d start with the missing persons database because everything in the dream told her the girl had family and friends that would be looking for her.
While the computer popped up results, Jordan reached for her journal. Habit almost had her dragging it out while Ty had been in her apartment, but luckily common sense had rushed back in time. What would she have said to him?
Dream Huntress Page 5
