Obsessed by Darkness

by Autumn Jordon

  She caught Detective Johnson’s smirk, before he bowed his head to his chest, attempting to hide the fact he enjoyed the match off between her and his partner.

  Emma stood taller, with her pumps firmly planted on the floor and tilted her chin forward, signaling she had nothing more to say. “Are we done?”

  “Yes,” the older officer said and stood. He pocketed the cell. “Our forensic team is en route. Your car will be taken to the State Barracks garage to be examined and, if everything is clean, it’ll be returned in the morning. Can we give you a lift anywhere?”

  “No.” She didn’t like it, but she refused to let it show in her expression. “I’ll be fine.”

  The pair took the single word as her good-bye and retreated, leaving her alone.

  A moment after the door clicked closed, it opened again and Chase slipped inside.

  Upon seeing her, concern etched his face. “Are you Ok?”

  Emma followed his gaze to her hands. They trembled from a whole lot of pent-up anger—and, yes, even fear. An insane battle waged inside her head. She knew it wasn’t possible, but what if the officers found something in her car or in her personal life they deemed suspicious. Would they arrest her for something she had no part in? How could she afford to defend herself?

  Ridiculous.

  She squeezed her fingers together, knowing that following the path of impractical thinking was self-defeating. Emma had straightened her shoulders the moment the detectives disappeared from her view and inhaling deeply as she gathered her wits. “I’m fine,” she answered Chase.

  He crossed the room and snagged her elbow, stopping her from turning away. He slid his hands up her arms, while bending slightly to capture her gaze. “Sure you are.”

  Emma didn’t know what happened next. She was a strong, independent woman who was rational beyond reason, yet she’d swear somehow the floor tilted toward Chase at the same moment rigidity dissolved from her knee joints. She crumpled against him, and was suddenly wrapped in the strength of his arms, her forehead resting against his shoulder. The rational inclination to pull away from him vanished as he massaged her back and ran his fingers through her hair. Little shivers rose on her scalp as he rubbed the strands between his fingers.

  Slowly, she relaxed into the safe haven of his embrace and filled her lungs with his unique combination of musk and male scent. A weakling she wasn’t, but this whole being-a-suspect situation had her so damn rattled.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Chase’s breath caressed her hair.

  With her ear pressed against his solid chest, she heard the echo of the steady beat encased within. The sound pulsated one beat to her heart’s five count. There was no doubt, being held by a handsome man had something to do with its wild rhythm, but for the most part, right now, she was madder than a bull whose balls were being wrung tight.

  “The idea I could harm Denise is ludicrous.” Her fingers curled into the soft material of his shirt. “The whole situation is infuriating.”

  Chase’s hand halted and rested on the center of her back. “They think you had something to do with what happened?”

  Her eyes flew open. What the hell had she just done? Now he knew her newest, deepest secret. She knew nothing about him. Yesterday she’d suspected he was a reporter, looking to earn a name off the suffering of others and that suspicion was back. She pushed out of his embrace and backed away only to have her retreat blocked by the counter.

  “Damn. I shouldn’t have told you.” She swiped her hands over her hair, trapping the long strands and yanking them back over her shoulders.

  His arms hung in midair for a second, as if willing her to come back to him before his hands fell to his sides. “It’s Ok.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “It’s not. I don’t know you, and I can’t jeopardize my position so anyone from Shaw Pharmaceuticals might learn about this.” She pointed toward the door, the direction the cops had taken. “They might re-evaluate their offer to me and rumors swim up river faster than a trout chased by a hungry bear.”

  Emma drew in breath. “The drug research community is very close knit. The chances of another reputable company extending me a position after they’ve learned Shaw pulled their offer would be highly unlikely.” She massaged the throbbing in her temple. “I need the job. I have a pile of loans. And my family’s counting on me.” She blinked, hoping to keep the tears which glazed her eyes from pooling.

  “I’m not going to say anything to anyone. You can trust me.”

  “Trust has to be earned.”

  “That’s true.” Chase took a tiny step forward. “But, the only way I can earn your trust is if you give me the opportunity to do so.”

  “I—”

  He lifted his index finger, banning an interruption. “One of the things I learned, appraising under-subs during my time serving, was if you don’t trust someone, you should keep them close. So why don’t you let me take you to dinner? We’ll get to know each other better.”

  The sincerity glistening in Chase’s blue eyes surrendered Emma’s defenses. With all the problems bombarding her, she wouldn’t be able to concentrate on her work. Having dinner with a handsome man would definitely be a distraction and keep her from worrying about what she had no control over.

  “Why the hell not? A quick one though.”

  He leaned slightly toward her. “I don’t do quick very often, but for you.”

  She had opened the door for the sexual subtext of his reply. The husky undertone in his voice caused Emma to lean against the counter for support.

  She refused to pull her gaze from his. Chase Hunter intrigued her on so many levels.

  “Ok then,” she said, collecting her poise for what she was about to say. “Let’s do it.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “Einstein better show tonight,” Lector spat into the burner phone while surveying the campus. They all used throw-away cells purchased with cash from different stores by a punk he hired. Someone who had no connection to him or the college. “Listen, Booker, I don’t care how you do it, but you get Einstein to the chemistry lab as planned, or else.”

  A couple of coeds passed by his car. The blonde threw him a smile over her shoulder. She reminded him of Denise Davidson.

  Aware women found him attractive, he watched the up-and-down movement of her jeans pockets as the duo made their way up the sidewalk, toward the library.

  The girl was a sweet piece. If he weren’t busy with business, he would’ve followed her.

  The leather car seat crinkled beneath his ass as he shifted then relaxed against the back cushion, dangling his free hand over the steering wheel like he hadn’t a care in the world. He’d parked in the open, beneath a grand oak like he always did. Watching everything and everyone. There was no need to hide. People noticed those who tried to hide in the shadows. It was better to sit out in clear view. You were ignored. Considered non-threating.

  He continued, turning his attention back to Booker, his so-called partner, “I know about the two state dicks who paid Emma Lewis a visit. How did you know?”

  “I overheard the dean talking to Knepper.”

  Lector heard grumbling and then a noise like the phone had hit the floor and then Einstein’s voice filled his ear. “Why were they speaking to Emma again?”

  So the two were together again.

  “I don’t know. Some guy sat in the hall outside the lab and I couldn’t very well say, ‘Excuse me but I need to listen in on the cops’ conversation.’”

  He picked up the cardboard cup from the console and took a chug of his coffee and made a face. Cold coffee tasted like dog piss, he thought, forcing himself to swallow the sludge. He dropped the cup into the cup holder and grabbed his mints and popped one into his mouth. “Rumor has it they’re looking at her as a suspect in the Davidson death. Didn’t the dean mention that too?”

  “She had nothing to do with Denise dying.”

  He knew that better than anyone. “Relax. It’s a good thing.
As long as the cops are busy chasing their tails, they’re leaving our operation alone. Hold on a second.” Catching movement at the building entrance, he straightened in his seat. Kentucky Woman. The lyrics ran through his head like they always did when he saw her.

  Emma’s cute southern twang made his blood simmer with desire. “She just left the chemistry building with the guy who’d camped outside the lab.”

  “Who is he?”

  “Hell if I know who he is, Einstein.” He chuckled at the use of the code name. It cracked him up every, fuckin’, single time. Einstein was a fuckin’ fool. He, Lector, was the brains and the brawn of their operation, like fuckin’ Iron Man. Without him, Einstein and Booker would both be somebody’s bitches at Muncy and Rockview right now. It hadn’t taken him long to catch on to what they were doing, and to cash in.

  A smile played on his lips as he recalled the way Booker had danced like he’d piss himself when he’d interrupted the guy’s transaction with another student. After making it known he was interested in making money and releasing his hold on Booker, it took only an hour for Einstein to contact him.

  At the rate they were selling, in a year, he could retire, buy a twenty-five-foot sailboat, leave his old lady behind, and sail around the Caribbean, living the good life.

  The man captured Emma’s elbow and guided her away from the path leading across campus. She smiled up at him as he directed her toward the student parking lot. “I haven’t seen him around campus before. Some blond dude.”

  “Tall? Lanky? Walks like a lion on the prowl?” Einstein whispered.

  “Yeah.” He heard classical music in the background and knew his partners were at the dean’s shindig where the guest of honor was a visiting Nobel Prize winner. He could picture Einstein, all dressed up, cowering in a corner, covering the use of the phone. He pitied them having to listen to that shit. He was more of classic country man himself. He’d take Hank over Mozart every damn time. “You know him?”

  “I’ve seen him around. He’s new on campus.”

  He peered through his windshield. “Maybe Emma picked him up on one of her jogs. The bitch is hot, especially when she wears those little running shorts that barely cover her ass.” And the tight V-neck tee she wore, the one that was so thin you’d swear her nipples would poke right through the material with her next breath. That mint-green top made him hard each and every time he happened to catch her on her morning run. He loved watching her tits bounce. “Too bad it’s getting colder. She had sweats on Sunday morning. Shame to cover all that beauty up.”

  “Stay away from Emma,” Einstein warned.

  Ha. He was right. Einstein had a hard on for the Kentucky woman too.

  “Not a problem.” He smiled. He’d leave Emma alone for now, but maybe after she graduated in January, and before she disappeared from this shitty town, he’d pay her a visit. Ask her to dinner, telling her he wanted to do that ever since he first saw her last year, but couldn’t approach her while she was a student. Rules and all. Women loved that romantic crap.

  Afterwards, she’d invite him into her apartment because it would be the nice thing to do. Southern hospitality. He would slip her a little ice and then he’d nestle his face between her perfect tits and his cock between those tight thighs. Maybe he’d simply rock off between her tits. She did have a sweet mouth too.

  He rubbed his free hand over the bulge in his pants. Slick southern heat.

  “Are you there?”

  Irritated that Einstein interrupted his dream, he clenched the phone tighter. “Yeah.”

  “Follow them. See where they go. The guy didn’t drop out of the sky. Let me know where they end up.”

  “What does it matter where they go?”

  “I have a feeling we need to watch this guy.”

  “A feeling?” Lector chuckled while rolling his eyes. “Here we go again. Look, don’t worry about Emma. We’ve got work to do. I’ll meet you at ten.”

  “I’m not coming tonight.”

  His molars clashed. “Why the hell not?”

  “Emma’s going to be in the lab tonight. We’ll have to make it another night. Don’t lose them,” Einstein ordered.

  Before he could respond, the line went dead.

  He was no chicken-shit loser. He tossed the phone onto the console and jammed his car into gear.

  Soon Einstein, the little fucker, would find out who the real boss was.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Standing in the middle of the tiny foyer, Emma scanned the busy restaurant. She chewed her bottom lip while the need to shift her weight poked at her brain. She ignored the yearning and planted her feet on the restaurant’s red-tiled floor. In the company of a very handsome man, she should be thinking about him, like any other woman would. However, her thoughts were on the detectives and what exactly they hoped to find in her car. What were they were looking for, and what did it have to do with Denise’s death?

  A young mother carrying a cranky toddler paused in front of her. The frazzled woman gave Emma a quick once-over while trying to keep the boy from throwing himself out of her grasp. Then she sidestepped Emma and Chase and exited the restaurant while her husband remained behind to pay their bill.

  By the way the woman’s eyes had widened ever so slightly when they entered, Emma wondered if the woman had recognized her from the picture in the morning paper. The one displaying Sunday’s crime scene. The one where she’d accompanied the campus officer to a waiting car. The one she’d like to forget.

  Probably not. Taken at a distance by a student using his iPhone, the enlarged picture wasn’t the best quality. Too few pixels. Even so, Emma instinctively lowered her chin toward her chest and wondered what the hell she was doing there. She had no reason to feel like she should be hiding out, but that was exactly how she felt.

  “Smells good in here,” Chase said behind her.

  “They’re famous for their cheese steaks,” Emma clipped over her shoulder.

  Chase leaned into her and spoke loud enough to be heard over the restaurant’s din but quietly enough to be heard only by her. “Are you feeling all right?”

  She tightened her fingers around the strap of her purse and stared up into his concerned face. She noticed a tiny scar in his creased eyebrow but didn’t comment. “Yes. Why do ask?”

  “From my point of view, you look like you’re about to bolt out the door. Are you afraid to be seen with me? Are you sure there isn’t a boyfriend? I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes.”

  She chortled at the notion of a boyfriend. She hadn’t had time to date in months. Her life was about reaching her educational and work goals. A relationship would come later. “No. I would’ve told you upfront when you asked, if I was in a relationship.”

  “Good.” He smiled and bumped her elbow with his, trying to break her tension. “Relax.”

  “Easy for you to say,” she mumbled, feeling warmth rise to her cheeks as she caught the eyes of a burly man sitting at the counter. “You don’t have everyone in the place staring at you.”

  Chase’s warm breath brushed her cheek as he spoke into her ear, “I think it’s the other way around. You’re unconsciously staring at everyone else.”

  She leaned away from him and with an arched brow questioned what he said.

  “If you want to be inconspicuous, act normal. Make eye contact with people for a split second and then nonchalantly look away. If you stare at them too long, wondering what they’re thinking, or smile at them, they’ll remember you. And if you look like you’re hiding from someone, they’ll definitely remember you.”

  Emma wondered about Chase’s military past. “And you know this how?”

  “Just trust me.”

  She blinked at the way he casually said the words, like putting her life in his hands should be the easiest thing in the world for her to do. The funny thing was, she did trust him. If she didn’t, why would she be here when she hardly knew him? He’d earned her confidence. For the moment.

  Emma examined
the outline of Chase’s rugged profile as he scanned the dining room, doing exactly as he’d instructed her to do. There definitely was something more to Chase Hunter than what he’d revealed to her so far.

  “There’s no hostess on duty, so I assume we seat ourselves.” He pointed toward the back of the restaurant where a busboy had cleared a table. “Let’s grab that booth. Then we can talk.”

  He placed his hand at the small of her back and steered her forward. His palm’s warmth instantly penetrated her layers of clothing and heated her spine, causing her to relax and her pulse to thump at her wrist. How could such a simple act trigger such contradictory responses from her body?

  It had been a long time since a man had touched her in such an imitate manner. Her last date had been more than seven months earlier, with Peter. Peter was an aspiring engineering student, filled with beautiful ideas for future inner-city developments. They’d had a good time but nothing more came of their blind date.

  Looking back, she saw the relationship’s failure to bud was all her fault. She had been too busy, too focused on her work to give the guy a real chance. Not that Peter wasn’t driven too; he was, but he was not as invested as she was.

  Emma drew breath and allowed soul-searching honesty to take center stage. These days, when she saw Peter with his new girlfriend and noted the way he held her hand and stared into her eyes, she wanted to kick herself for not giving him the time he deserved. If only…

  ‘Opportunities are missed if you’re not open to atypical concepts.’ That was a line her high school chemistry teacher had often used. The advice could be applied to all facets of life.

  Chase followed her through the crowd of tables and as she stooped to take a seat he grabbed her elbow.

  “Do you mind if I take this side?” Smiling, he turned her toward the other padded bench that faced the back of the restaurant. He stepped beyond her without waiting for a response. “It’s an idiosyncrasy of mine. I like to see the door.”