by Aimée Thurlo
Amanda felt her chest tighten. So here was her proof that Tony was willing to risk other lives. This man would stop at nothing, using the law only when it was convenient for him.
A few minutes later, Amanda walked to the door, Hope’s hand in hers. Her mind still echoed with unanswered questions. From what she could tell, Tony needed a considerable amount of money to keep his informants, but he had no job that she could see. Where and how was he getting the money to support himself and his search?
Tony helped Hope and her brontosaurus buckle up. “There. You can share a seat belt.”
“Thank you,” Hope answered, her arm wound tight around the toy.
The gesture pierced Amanda’s heart. There was one thing she was one hundred percent certain about. When Tony found Carmen, that little girl would be showered with love.
Amanda started the engine just as another car pulled up. Tony’s gaze shifted over to it. “Go. Now! It’s risky for you to be seen with me here.”
Another time she might have satisfied her curiosity, but Hope was with her now. It seemed as if even her minor urges were destined never to be satisfied.
Amanda quickly drove away from Tony’s place. Sneaking one quick glance in the rearview mirror, she saw a tall, well-dressed man get out of the other car and walk toward Tony. She couldn’t be sure, but from his clothing and height she thought it might have been the same man she’d seen with Tony in the alley.
As Amanda turned the corner, confusion clouded her thoughts. How could her heart yearn so strongly for Tony’s love and his touch when she knew so little about him and when what she did know frightened her half to death? Amanda shut out the whispered longings of her heart. Wishing would not change what could not be.
Chapter Eight
Amanda sat in the living room, the open book on her lap still unread. So much had changed in her life. Tension and fear had become her constant companions. Even in her moments alone, she could never be sure what would happen next, or how safe either Hope or she would be.
The ringing of the telephone startled her out of her musings. She glanced at her watch, her heart racing. It was only nine-thirty in the evening. Maybe it was Bernice. Amanda walked to the phone, glancing at the caller ID display. It was not Bernice. The screen indicated the caller had blocked the display of their number. Picking up the phone, she took a deep breath.
Braced for the electronically altered voice, she was surprised when a recording began playing what sounded like a line from an old movie. “I’ll be watching you,” came the message, over and over again, from an actor who sounded vaguely familiar.
“Who is this?” she demanded.
The message continued to repeat itself in an endless loop.
Amanda hung up, shaken. Perhaps this was the kidnappers’ response to her visit with Tony. Yet the indirect threat somehow seemed out of character for them. She stared at the telephone, uneasiness seeping into every pore in her body.
Amanda dialed Tony’s number and was relieved when he answered immediately. “I’m glad I caught you. I just had the most peculiar phone call, and I don’t know what to make of it.” She gave him the details.
“It doesn’t sound like the kidnappers. This seems more likely to be from the person or persons who placed the phony bomb and threw that rock through your window.”
“What if the kidnappers hired someone to do this to keep me on edge? That makes a lot more sense to me than my having a second enemy.”
“Unlikely. These attacks seem to have a more personal nature about them. But don’t worry. In either case, I’ll take care of it.”
Too restless to sit still, Amanda walked to the window and glanced outside. If anyone was watching her now, they needed an infrared scope. It was pitch-black out and the street seemed deserted.
The quiet in the house began to grate on her nerves. She took a deep breath, trying to force herself to relax. Maybe a long hot bath would help. Amanda walked down the hall, stopping by the doorway to listen for Hope. Her daughter’s breathing was slow and even. Taking a peek in the room, she saw Hope curled on her side, fast asleep beside the blue dinosaur. Amanda smiled, feeling a little envious.
A few minutes later, she watched the tub fill up, then stripped and lowered herself into the water. The lavender-scented bubble bath wrapped her in a warm cocoon. She closed her eyes and leaned back.
A sharp rattle jolted her into awareness, and Amanda realized she’d dozed off. She wasn’t sure how much time had elapsed, but the bubbles had disappeared and the water was uncomfortably cold.
She waited for a moment, trying to figure out if she’d dreamed the odd noise, but then she heard it again. It sounded like someone was throwing pebbles at her bathroom window.
Amanda stood up carefully, revealing only her head, and opened the frosted-glass pane.
“It’s me” came a muted masculine voice from somewhere close by.
“Tony?” Her robe was hanging on the door, just beyond her reach.
“I’m by your back fence. Answer the front door, will you?”
Amanda grabbed her robe and quickly covered herself as she padded barefoot to the door. Opening it, she came face-to-face with Tony wearing gas-company coveralls. “What on earth are you doing here?”
“Don’t worry. The gas-company truck and my uniform should look legit enough. The van is the real thing. I borrowed it from an old contact.”
Amanda let Tony in, shaking her head. “I never know what to expect from you.”
“With any luck, neither do my enemies.” He walked to the recorder and ejected the tape.
“The only thing recorded is that one line I repeated for you. Couldn’t this have waited until morning?”
“If it’s from an old movie like you said, maybe they rented it and I can track the user down. I know someone who’s a film buff. I’ll find out if she recognizes it. But I needed the recording now because I can only get hold of her at night.”
A twinge of jealousy swept over Amanda like a dust devil coming out of nowhere. She forced it aside. “She may not be in a mood to help you if you burst in on her at this hour.”
“She won’t mind. She does most of her business at night.”
Amanda blinked. Was he talking about a video-store owner or a prostitute? She decided not to ask.
His eyes devoured her slowly. “You’re not jealous, are you?”
He was undressing her with his eyes. Suddenly, the robe that covered her seemed impossibly thin. The hunger in his eyes left her feeling weak in the knees, but she was determined to hide that from him.
Amanda glared at him haughtily. “You’re delusional.”
“Am I?” He chuckled softly. “Just so that everything’s clear in your mind, Stacey’s in charge of a crisis line. I met her when I was in the Bureau. She helped me on a case, and she’s remained one of my best contacts.”
“How so? I wasn’t aware you worked other cases. I thought you spent all your time trying to track down your daughter.”
“I have other work, but it’s mostly confidential. When people go to a P.I., it’s generally because they don’t want to involve the police. I assure them anonymity.”
She looked at him with what she considered to be admirable calm. He had told her just enough to make her even more nervous.
“Don’t be afraid, Amanda. Only my enemies need to fear me.”
As Amanda saw herself reflected in his eyes, fire began dancing in her blood. She felt as if she were standing before him naked and open to his hungry gaze.
“Come here, my beautiful lady,” he murmured and drew her against him. “There’s nothing that can happen between you and I that should cause you fear.” His lips brushed the nape of her neck.
Amanda shuddered, mesmerized by the softness of his kiss and the gentleness of his embrace. Though a tiny voice within her urged her to move away, she couldn’t will herself to obey. She desperately yearned to lose herself in the fiery whirlwind of pleasures he was offering her.
Tony rain
ed moist kisses down the column of her neck, and slowly parted her robe, branding her skin with his touch. His caress was kind, yet demanding, and she couldn’t help but respond to the tender assault. Drizzly, sensual feelings ribboned through her leaving her aching. She needed everything he wanted to give her. She’d been alone for so very long! Longing tore through her, enticing her to yield completely to him.
“Don’t deny your own feelings. Listen to your heart. The love that’s touched both of us is too rare to let slip away.” He pushed the robe completely away from her shoulders.
Amanda felt it fall around her feet, but it didn’t seem nearly as important as the wonderful feelings he was wrapping her in.
Entwining his fingers around her hair, he pulled her gently back, his arm still around her waist, holding her steady. “We belong together, you can feel it,” he managed breathlessly and lowered his mouth to kiss the very tip of her breast.
Amanda felt his lips encircle her nipple, his tongue teasing it with its velvety softness. An exquisite heaviness centered between her legs. She felt more alive, more intoxicatingly feminine with each bit of herself she surrendered to him.
Her cares dissolved and the wonder of sensations replaced all thought. As if sensing her readiness, Tony lifted her into his arms and started to carry her to the couch.
Suddenly, she heard the ear-piercing shrillness of her smoke detector. Fear shot through her, removing the sweetness of emotions that had almost swept her away.
“What the heck?” She looked around as she urged Tony to set her down.
Then above the din, Amanda heard her daughter’s terror-filled voice calling out to her.
“Mommy!”
In a heartbeat, Amanda turned, pulled on her robe and ran down the hall toward Hope’s room.
Tony followed Amanda into the child’s room. Seeing that Hope’s fright was only a reaction to the wail of the alarm, he ran back down the hall to check the rest of the house while Amanda grabbed her daughter. The kitchen was the most likely source of a household fire, but there were no open flames or smoke anywhere when he arrived. Nevertheless, the unmistakable smell of smoke filled the area.
He lifted a small kitchen fire extinguisher from its hook, and then grabbed the plastic flashlight beside it. Ready for action, he renewed the search. Just then, Amanda appeared, carrying Hope in her arms. Hope was crying softly, holding on tightly to her mother.
“Did you find the source?” Amanda yelled. “The back rooms are clear.”
As Tony glanced toward the wooden door leading to her garage, he noticed thin tendrils of smoke coming from beneath it. “Call the fire department, then go outside with Hope.”
“Don’t open the door. You have no idea how bad it is on the other side,” she warned.
“Your car—is it parked in there?”
“No, it’s in the driveway.”
Tony placed his hand on the door. “It’s still cool to the touch. The fire’s not out of hand yet.”
Once Amanda and Hope were in the other room, Tony opened the door and stepped into the garage, turning on the lights by a switch next to the door. The stench of charcoal lighter fluid filled the air, and smoke hugged the ceiling where the smoke alarm was positioned. It didn’t take him long to find the fire. A bunch of rags on the concrete floor had been ignited, and the fire was pouring out thick gray smoke.
Aiming the fire extinguisher at the base of the flames, he began to spray. The contents came gushing out in a thick mist for a moment, then sputtered and trickled to a few drops. Tony grabbed several towels Amanda had placed on top of the washing machine, soaked them in water from the adjacent utility sink, and began to smother the flames. Seconds later, he heard the sirens of emergency vehicles approaching.
Ricky Biddle abruptly appeared at the kitchen door. “The fire department is almost here. Can I help?”
“No, I’ve got it under control,” Tony said without turning around. “Just wait outside.”
“Is it a gas fire?” Biddle asked, not recognizing Tony, but obviously noticing the gas company’s logo on the back of the uniform.
“No, just make sure the fire department knows where the fire was,” Tony ordered.
“No problem, man.”
Tony stood back after he’d extinguished the last of the flames. So much for the low-profile visit he’d intended. At least his hidden transmitter had been spared. Later, on his way out, he’d stop by the recorder in the hedge and pick up the tape of any conversations Amanda had at home. It was necessary, yet spying on Amanda, particularly after what had happened between them tonight, made him feel like a snake.
He stared at the charred clump of rags, lost in thought. He was a snake, all right, but he could be a useful one. He’d concentrate all his talents and cunning on finding out who was doing this to Amanda. Then he’d stop them—permanently. He owed her that much.
* * *
AMANDA, NOW WEARING a long raincoat over her robe, stood outside as Ricky approached her. She wasn’t sure he’d recognized Tony, so she decided to play it cool. There was no sense in broadcasting Tony’s presence.
“I saw the gas man in the garage,” Ricky said. “He says it’s not a gas fire, but he sure didn’t want me around. Did you smell a gas leak or something and ask them to send one of their men over?”
Amanda tried to think of a response that wouldn’t blow Tony’s cover. “I called them, but he couldn’t find any leak.”
“Then how did the fire get started?”
“I’m not sure yet. We better let the experts have a look.”
Amanda watched two of the firemen talking to Tony. They’d pulled up her garage door and were sifting through the smoldering rags with metal wrecking bars.
“Is Hope going to be okay? She looks awfully scared, and tired, too.” Ricky looked down at the child nestled in Amanda’s arms, wrapped in one of Amanda’s thick sweaters.
“I imagine she’s both,” Amanda conceded. Hope had stopped crying, but she still clung tightly to Amanda, her face buried in her mother’s neck.
Amanda shifted her attention to an approaching fireman.
“Is this your residence?”
Amanda nodded. “Is it safe to go back in now?”
“Oh, sure. It wasn’t much really, as far as fires go. But there’s something you need to know. That fire was deliberately set. Someone poured charcoal lighter fluid on some rags and then set a match to them. I’ve called our arson investigator, and he’ll be by first thing tomorrow morning. Don’t clean up the garage until after he’s had a chance to gather evidence.”
“I need to ask you some questions, but I’d like to put my daughter to bed first. Would you give me a few moments?”
Bernice came up behind Amanda. “I rushed right over when I saw the emergency vehicles driving by. Your place smells so smoky, it’ll give Hope nightmares. Let me take her to my place tonight. She can play with Winston for a while before she goes back to sleep.”
“I can’t just keep sending her over to your house,” Amanda protested weakly.
“Sure you can! Winston loves it. He thinks Hope belongs to him. He even pouts when she’s not around.” Bernice gave Amanda a quick hug, then took the little girl from her arms. “Call me later.”
Hope went with Bernice without protest, settling easily into the older woman’s arms. Bernice had been Hope’s favorite baby-sitter ever since Amanda had moved back to town, but Amanda found herself resenting how easily Hope turned to someone else for comfort. As Amanda watched Bernice taking her child, a cold emptiness filled her; then came the anger. Her daughter deserved to be safe in her own home. Whoever was doing this had not frightened her away. They had only renewed her courage and determination.
She turned to the fire chief, her gaze suddenly cold. “I want you to give me all the information you have. You said someone was trying to burn my home down?”
“No, ma’am, that’s not what I said. A fire like this was unlikely to spread. There was nothing flammable near those rags,
fortunately. In my opinion, whoever set this knew precisely what they were doing. It was meant to scare you, but not to do any structural damage to your home or hurt anyone inside.”
As Tony came up, pulling his cap down low over his face, the fire chief glanced at him. “Is there a problem with the gas lines we don’t know about?”
“No. I’m just a friend of the lady’s,” he answered, his voice gruff. “I’m not here on a call.”
“Good. I hate surprises.” The chief turned to look at Amanda. “We’ve done all we can here tonight. You’ll hear from our investigator tomorrow.”
As the firemen began packing up their gear, Amanda moved to one side with Tony. “We have to talk before you leave,” she said quietly.
Tony stopped halfway up her driveway, then turned and went to the gas-company van. After retrieving a small brown attaché case, he returned to the house. He entered the living room and took a quick look out her front window. The street had cleared quickly and a solemn silence had descended over the area.
“What’s that?” Amanda asked as he stepped to the center of the room and put down the case.
“There’s someone I want to run a check on while you and I talk. I don’t know if you noticed, but Biddle showed up out of nowhere. He seems to have a habit of doing that.”
“So? He lives right down the lane.”
“How would he have seen the smoke in the dark, Amanda, unless he’d been searching for it? He was here before the fire department arrived. Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”
“He jogs,” she answered. “Remember?”
“He wasn’t wearing jogging clothes. He was in jeans.”
“If you think Ricky is behind the kidnapping, you’re crazy. If nothing else, he doesn’t have the time. It might seem as if he doesn’t do much, but that’s just not true. He works his tail off. I’ve driven past his home late at night and early in the morning. He’s always in his office. That’s usually the only light on in his house.”
