by Vella Day
“Jenna, we shouldn’t.” His words said he wanted to stop, but his actions didn’t. His hands fondled her breasts and his lips pressed against hers.
For the first time in her life, she wanted them to make love together, not the one-way street she’d been traveling all these years. Sam seemed to need to touch her at his own pace. He needed the control. It would be her gift to him.
“Touch me more.”
Sam didn’t hesitate. He raked his fingers over her breasts until the nubs peaked from pleasure. A moan escaped deep from inside her throat, and she pulled his buttoned down shirt from his pants and threaded her fingers up his rippled chest, causing lust to pool between her thighs.
Maybe it was the hunt or perhaps his tortured story, but Jenna wanted him like she’d never wanted another man. He dragged his lips down to her neck, his kisses as soft as butterflies. His thumbs flicked over her nipples, igniting her blood on fire. As much as she itched to touch him below the waist, but she wanted him to set the pace.
When Jenna opened her mouth to invite him in, he took the offer with enthusiasm.
He stopped only for a moment to whisper in her ear. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”
His admission sent her over the edge.
Four little beeps shattered her dreams.
Shit, shit, shit.
She had just enough time to grab her shirt and cover her breasts, when the door swung open. Chance Tavares rushed through the door, anguish flooding his face.
“Oh, shit. I’m sorry, guys.”
Sam pulled up his zipper, his face tinting red. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Carla. You’ve got to come.”
14
Sam and Jenna raced behind Chance as they sped up the stairs to Carla’s unlit office. The glow from the computer screen provided the only light in the room, and Sam rushed to Carla’s side. Her computer dinged, indicating she had mail, but she didn’t even glance at the incoming message, her gaze unfocused. The girl’s hands and body shook as tears streaked her face.
“What happened?” Sam asked.
Carla mumbled something as she handed him an envelope. The same kind of envelope Sam had received, and Jenna’s stomach choked. This time he didn’t bother with gloves, probably because the first note had been fingerprint free. He emptied the letter onto the counter and flipped open the page.
“Chance, would you mind turning on the overhead lights?” he said, his voice thick, but still strong. “This looks similar to what came before.”
Jenna looked up at Sam. “Read it to us.”
“You’ve crossed the line. May the Dark Ones make your days end soon.” He handed the note to Jenna. “That’s just as stupid as mine.” His words didn’t match the worry that pooled in his eyes.
Carla swiped a tear from her face. “Stupid to you maybe. Did you forget someone threw a rock through your windshield and then tried to burn you to death? This person is serious.”
Jenna moved next to Sam. “I have to agree with her on this one. It’s not about whether you believe in curses. This note is someone’s way of sending a threat. I’m thinking Carla must be close to finding this person’s identity, and he or she wants her to stop the investigation.”
Carla sniffled. “Fat chance.”
Chance dragged a chair next to Carla and looked at her with such caring, Jenna’s heart skipped a beat. “Tell them how you got the note,” he said.
She swallowed hard. “I was coming back from getting something to eat when I noticed Harold wasn’t at his station. I thought that was rather strange, so I stepped over to his counter and saw the envelope with my name on it. Curious what was in it, I picked it up and headed upstairs. If Harold had been there I would have asked him who delivered the note.”
Chance shot them a pleading glance. “Sam, why don’t you and Jenna see if Harold knows who delivered it? I think I should stay with her.”
Sam nodded. “We’ll be right back.”
A strange tightening in Jenna’s chest made breathing more difficult than usual as they took the elevator to the first floor. Fresh floor polish filled the air.
Sam placed a comforting hand on her back. “I bet Harold was taking a leak or something when Carla happened by.”
“Let’s hope.”
Sam and she exited the elevator and rounded the corner. Harold wasn’t there.
“I’ll check the bathroom,” Sam said.
Jenna stepped behind the counter, looking for some kind of message indicating where he’d gone. A cell phone and a set of keys lay on the desk, and her stomach soured. This wasn’t good.
Sam traipsed back, looking right and left. “Nothing.”
“Sam, look.” She pointed to Harold’s personal belongings.
“Unless he was called to another part of the building in a hurry, he’d never leave his things here. Without his keys, Harold couldn’t go far. Let’s check outside. He took a lot of pride in his Chevy truck. Maybe he wanted to check on something.”
Jenna could tell he didn’t believe a word of what he’d said. The Chevy required a key and Sam knew it too. As they headed out to the parking lot, the cooler than usual breeze slapped her in the face. The setting sun only added to the chill.
Sporting a new windshield, Sam’s car sat in the middle of the near empty parking lot—untouched, thank goodness. He’d retrieved it from the shop this morning. At least he wasn’t the target this time.
Sam pointed to a white truck with souped up wheels and black trim. “That’s Harold’s.”
“I wouldn’t have expected someone his age to be driving something so sporty.” Jenna hurried to the truck and checked inside. It was empty.
Sam edged up behind her. “I’m worried. Lab protocol dictates that if he needs to leave his post, he has to find a replacement. Once I even saw Gina man the desk.” Sam flipped open his phone. “Phil, it’s Sam.” He told him about Harold.
A moment later, Sam disconnected. “Phil’s calling campus police. He received no notice from Harold that he’d be leaving.”
Sirens blared outside less than a minute later, the noise coming toward the lab. Both of them watched as campus police drove past close to breakneck speed.
“They never respond that fast,” Sam said.
“Maybe someone else called about Harold.”
He stared at her for a moment as if she was way off base. “Let’s see. Hop in my car. I’ll follow them.”
Jenna tried to jog toward his vehicle but had to stop to catch her breath. Sam raced back to her. “I’m sorry. I keep forgetting you’re not up to par. Why don’t you head on into the lab and wait inside? I can see what the cops are up to.”
Hollidays didn’t let a little thing like smoke inhalation stop them from doing their job. Besides, she’d need his fob to reach his lab. “Hell no. I’m going with you.”
“Suit yourself.”
The sirens made following easy. Few cars were on campus, allowing them to catch up to the cops. Two campus police cars pulled to a stop next to a grove on the far side of campus, their lights flashing, where a student-aged male stood near a tree-lined copse waving his arms.
Sam got out. Jenna knew they’d be denied access to the scene, so she stayed put. Although she was pretty sure she’d never met any of the campus police during her investigations, she didn’t want to chance being identified.
“Don’t you want to talk to them?” he asked.
She rubbed her chest for effect. “You find out what you can.”
“Be right back.”
Sure enough, the cops stopped Sam. He spoke with them and flashed his badge, but they wouldn’t let him into the cordoned off area.
He returned to the car. “A kid discovered a body—a fresh one. That’s all they would tell me. If I hadn’t been with the lab, I doubt they would have told me that much.”
“Do you think it’s Harold?”
“I sure as hell hope not.” Sam slapped the steering wheel. “I have to stop this person.” She’d never h
eard such conviction in his voice before.
“And I want to help.”
Carla paced Sam’s lab. Her curly hair hung over her forehead, and she’d eaten off half her lipstick.
“Come sit down with me, Carla.” Jenna felt sorry for her, all tense and anxious.
“I can’t. Not until Chance gets back. I’m worried about him.”
“Nothing will happen to Chance. He’s with scads of cops, checking the body.”
“I know, but what’s taking him so long?”
Jenna knew the tedious procedure of documenting the scene, taking Trace evidence and trying to determine cause of death. He’d have to bring the body to the lab and do an autopsy. That alone would take hours. “He might be working on the body right now.” She saw no reason to give any details.
Her face brightened. “Maybe I should go see him.”
“I think he’d want you to stay here.” Jenna didn’t think seeing an autopsy would do Carla any good. She gently clasped Carla’s elbow. She led her new friend over to where she and Sam were seated.
“Take my seat.” Sam pushed back from the computer. “I’ll go check on Chance.”
“Thank you.”
Once Sam left, Jenna tried to console Carla. “So what are you going to do about the threat?”
She dropped her head in her hands. “I don’t know. I’m afraid to go back to my place. Even before the killing began, the campus wasn’t safe—at least not for me. The lab used to be my haven but not any more.” Carla pushed her glasses up on her nose and sniffled.
“Did something happen on campus?”
“Yes. I’ve told Chance, but no one else knows.” Carla’s words shot out in short bursts.
“Told anyone else what?”
“Two and a half months ago, I was raped on campus.”
The horror took her breath away. “Oh, Carla. I’m so sorry.”
“It was my fault in a way.”
Jenna didn’t do Vice, but she’d heard victim’s often believed they’d caused the attack. “It wasn’t your fault. Did you report the attack?”
“No.”
Now wasn’t the time to lecture her about proper procedure. “Where on campus did this happen?” She hoped it wasn’t nearby. Jenna knew she sounded like a cop, but some things couldn’t be helped.
“I was working really late at the lab. Past ten, I think. I should have asked Harold to escort me to my car, but I was on campus. What could happen to me here?”
That’s why most campus’s had emergency phone centers. No campus was safe from sicko’s. “Go on.”
“I’d parked at the library when I arrived that morning to do some research. The weather was dry and cool when I finished so I decided to walk back to here instead of driving the half-mile and battling to find a parking space. I didn’t give a thought to the fact it would be dark when I left work.” She bit her thumbnail. “That night, the moon was hiding and the wind howling. A storm was brewing. I kind of got spooked and wanted to reach my car as soon as possible, so I cut through the buildings instead of staying on the sidewalks. I don’t know if he targeted me, or I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but the next thing I knew I was on the ground.”
Jenna could only envision the fear and sense of helplessness that ripped through Carla at the time of the attack. “Did you get a good look at him?” Please say, yes.
She nodded. “He was African American, and very strong. He shoved my face into the ground and held me down with his knee. He told me if I screamed, he’d kill me.” Carla lifted her hair to expose a red scar that hadn’t faded. “He cut me here.”
“Oh, God. You poor woman. I can’t imagine what you went through.”
“Then he...he...burned me with a lit cigarette.” She slipped her sleeve up a notch to reveal a scar the size of a dime.
Perhaps that’s why Carla feared fire. “Before he raped you.”
Carla nodded again. The pain of talking about the incident must have been traumatic for her. “I stayed on the ground for an hour before I had the courage to drive home.”
“Oh, sweetie, why didn’t you tell anyone?”
“I couldn’t. He took my purse. He knew my name.” She choked out a sob. “Every night I fear he’ll find me and come back.”
Jenna’s heart ached as she grabbed Carla’s hand. “I hate to ask, but did you at least take a morning after pill?”
Carla squeezed her hand tight. “No. I wish I had. I’m...I’m pregnant.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I don’t know what to do.”
How much more could this woman take? “Tell me what I can do to help.”
“There’s nothing anyone can do. I don’t believe in abortion, so that’s out of the question. Chance has been very kind to me though. He seems to understand.”
Four beeps sounded on the entry door, and Sam and Chance entered the lab. Exhaustion lined Chance’s face. “The body was Harold’s. Someone must have lured him outside then attacked him from behind. They bludgeoned him to death—in plain sight.”
Like Carla’s sister? Jenna slumped back in her chair, sickened by the violence. “Do you think the killer drove Harold to the grove and dumped the body?” Dumb question. “Never mind. I don’t imagine someone would just heft Harold over his shoulder and walk him down the road in the middle of the day.”
“Oh my dear Lord.” If possible, Carla dropped lower in her seat. “When will this nightmare end?”
If Jenna had been lead on this case, what would she do? “Did anyone check the security cameras in the lobby to see what happened to Harold?”
Sam nodded. “Phil checked. The perpetrator knocked out the system beforehand.”
A shot of fear bubbled through her. “Then the killer has free reign in the building?” Was no place safe?
Carla choked in a sob. Dumb move. Jenna hadn’t meant to scare Carla to death.
Chance rushed over to Carla and helped her up. “Come on.”
She sniffled. “Where are we going?”
“I want you to stay with me until the killer is caught.”
For probably what was the first time all day, Carla’s face relaxed.
Jenna’s cell phone rang, and all eyes turned to her. “Excuse me.” She checked the ID. Giombetti. He couldn’t have called at a worse time. “Hi, Dad.”
“Still undercover, huh?”
“Yup. Everything okay?”
“Never better. I found your man, Richie Raden.” He gave her the address of a restaurant in South Tampa. Great. “If you hurry, you can catch him.”
“Thanks.” Jenna disconnected and tried to figure out a plausible lie for the three-person listening gallery.
“Something wrong?” Sam asked.
“Aunt Martha again. She had a little set back. Dad asked if I’d check in on her. Do you mind?”
Jenna stood when the big steel door swung open. Phil rolled in with a pretty young woman behind him. Apology covered his face. “I’m sorry for the intrusion. Sam, since you have your hands full. I thought you could use an intern.”
Jenna swung around to Sam. His eyes were smiling, but not his mouth. Sam stepped past her and shook the woman’s hand. “Lara. I’m delighted.”
He knew her? Well, Jenna wasn’t delighted. “I need to go.” She would have preferred to stay to see what these two had going, but duty called.
As soon as Jenna reached her car, she called Marlon back and asked if he could keep watch on Raden until she got there. It would really suck if the man she planned to tail finished eating before she arrived.
“You owe me big time, Holliday.”
“You don’t have to remind me. Look, this guy might be the key to everything. Including finding the man who murdered Jackson.” Please don’t let him cop an attitude now.
“Let’s hope.”
Twenty-five long minutes later, she pulled into the restaurant lot. Marlon emerged from his white Kia. The car wasn’t a give away, but his blue uniform sure was. Idiot. How had he managed to pass the test to become a
detective? Life wasn’t fair.
She jumped from her car and immediately regretted the quick move. Her ribs had been bruised when the fire blast had tossed her to the ground. Not wanting Giombetti to take note of her injured status and tattle to the captain, who surely would notify her dad, she straightened and sucked in a breath. Damp, cool air slipped down her top and she shivered.
She motioned Marlon away from the restaurant windows. Apparently, the man had no sense.
“How long has Raden been in there?” Her stomach grumbled. She needed food and wondered if she’d have time to order the salad bar.
“Forty minutes.”
“Thanks. I’ll take it from here.”
“You want me to hang around?” He stepped toward her, but all she could think of was sexy Sam.
“I’m cool.”
“Call if you need me.” From his puppy dog expression, she almost reconsidered having him keep her company.
“Will do.”
The moment Giombetti pulled out of the lot, Richie Raden emerged. The nearly full lot shared space with the bookstore next door, so Raden didn’t glance her way. Good.
Jenna pulled out her phone and pretended to have a conversation as she watched him stride to his car.
Here we go.
She never prided herself on being invisible when tailing someone, but the heavy traffic helped her stay close behind without being too obvious. Richie turned right toward downtown. At this hour, she couldn’t imagine where he was headed. The moment he passed through Channelside, she suspected his destination was Ybor. Following him down the narrow streets would be trickier.
He drove down 7th Avenue and pulled into the parking garage next to the movie theatre. Great. If he went to a show, she’d have to split. Sam would become suspicious if she came home too late since her imaginary aunt could need only so much care.
She wasn’t ready to confront Raden yet though. She wanted to get a feel for his lifestyle—or so she tried to convince herself as the trepidation of interacting with him crept down her spine. He parked on the third level, she on the fourth. As not to look too noticeable when she followed him, she peeled off the gauze bandages. She flicked on the overhead car light and examined the damage. Red streaks zigzagged across her cheeks and forehead. She looked like freaking Zorro had left his mark. Oh well. Nothing she could do about her face now. Too bad she wasn’t into makeup or she would have plastered her face with concealer.
