by Nina Bruhns
“Nada.” Drew paused. “On the other hand, I checked out her landlord, Dora Finch.”
“Yes?”
“She’s a surprise. Has a couple of bank accounts that earn hefty deposits on a monthly basis.”
“Under her name?”
“No. A company name, Sweet Talk.”
Max wiped a drop of perspiration that trickled down his neck. Sweet Talk—more like sex talk.
“Is there a specific reason you’re interested in her?” Drew asked.
“I think she’s running an escort service.”
A tense second paused, then a chuckle. “You’re kidding?”
“Afraid not.”
Another second. “You think the general’s daughter is involved with it?”
He knew she was. But he refused to share that with Drew. If word got back to the general, he’d kill Willow.
And he’d probably kill him for being the bearer of bad news.
Then again, he was damned if he did, damned if he didn’t. If he withheld the truth from his commander and Willow was hurt because of a client, the general would blame him for that.
“I don’t know,” Max said, sidestepping the question. “But there are a couple of other girls who live in the apartment house who work for Ms. Dora. Can you check them out, too?”
“Sure, text me the names.” Max did so, his gaze glued to the window where he saw Willow in the kitchen.
She was pouring herself a glass of wine as she nibbled on a Reese's cup. Pete, Dora’s grandson, was leaning close to her. Too damn close.
“By the way, that lady Dora has a grandson named Pete.”
“I’ve met him. He seems harmless.”
“Maybe. But the guy’s a hacker. He got busted a couple of times for accessing campus records.”
“What kind of records? Tests?”
“No, personal information on females in the dorm.”
Max’s blood went cold, and he retrieved his gun from the dash of the car. If Pete was a hacker, and he knew the type of business Dora was running, and he liked Willow, he could have left those panties on her doorstep.
And he could have accessed her schedule, followed her to campus and cornered her in the bathroom.
* * *
“I’m worried about you, Willow.” Pete fidgeted. “My grandmother said you received some strange calls.”
Willow frowned and handed Pete a beer. Teensy rubbed at her feet, and Willow paused to pet her as she tossed the candy wrapper in the trash. “Ms. Dora told you?” Not that she’d specifically asked her to keep silent, but she was usually more discreet.
Of course, Pete was family.
Pete straddled the stool at the breakfast bar. “She cares about you and the other girls.”
Surprise flitted through Willow. “What do you mean, me and the other girls?”
“Her tenants,” Pete said.
Willow relaxed slightly. Teensy jumped down and ran into the bedroom, obviously ready to settle in for the night. She guessed Teensy would be her bed partner forever. “Your grandmother’s a good landlady.”
A chuckle reverberated from Pete. “My grandmother is a shrewd business woman. She’s always had a way of looking innocent while building her own empire.”
Willow sipped the glass of Cab she’d poured. She and Pete had been friends since she moved in, but she’d never heard him talk about Dora like this. As if he disapproved of his grandmother.
“I appreciate all she’s done for me.”
Pete gestured toward the second barstool, but suddenly Willow felt uneasy. She was tired and cranky, and the heat was getting to her. She needed a nice bath to soak away her troubles and the scent of the bar lingering on her.
That and to wash away the fear that someone was trying to hurt her. And that Sergeant Sexy was still outside her apartment when she wanted him in her bed.
No, she didn’t want him at all.
At least she didn’t want to want him.
At least she’d removed the bug so he wasn’t privy to her conversations.
Her BCP buzzed from the bedroom, and she glanced toward the door. Ms. Dora was supposed to have curtailed her calls.
She probably hadn’t had time yet.
The phone buzzed again.
Pete arched a brow. “Aren’t you going to answer that?”
Willow shook her head. What if it was her stalker?
“Why not?” Pete touched her hand. “Tired of phone sex, Willow?”
Willow’s breath caught. “How…do you know about that?”
Pete shrugged, but a hint of disapproval glittered in his eyes. “I inherited my grandmother’s tech skills.”
“You manage the computer program for her?” Ms. Dora hadn’t mentioned that.
Pete shook his head. “No, but one day I heard her talking to Yvonne and figured out what she was doing. She has a good setup here. All you girls in one house working for her.”
Willow tried to pull her hand from his, but he didn’t release her. “Wouldn’t you rather have the real thing with me?”
Willow tensed. Teensy had pawed at Max. Where were both of them now she needed them? “I don’t feel comfortable talking about this, Pete.”
“Why not?” His mouth tilted into a smile. “I know the things you say to the men.” He lifted his free hand and traced a finger over her shoulder. “All I want is for you to be mine.”
A sliver of fear danced up her spine. Pete had hacked into Ms. Dora’s list. Pete knew about the calls, where she lived.
He was the man who’d cornered her in that bathroom and threatened to tell her father.
One Night to Kill: Chapter Twelve
Willow’s heart thundered. Pete said Ms. Dora was not what she seemed, but neither was he.
“I’m glad to hear you’re giving up the business,” Pete said. “You’re too beautiful to solicit men on the phone.”
Willow backed up a step. She didn’t like his tone or the implications of his statement. “I didn’t know you were aware of what we were doing.”
Pete shrugged. “I’m smarter than you give me credit for.” He traced a finger along her wrist. “You deserve to have a real man, Willow. Someone who’ll love you as much as I do.”
Oh, boy. Willow chose her words carefully. She didn’t want to hurt Pete, but she also didn’t want to give him false hope for a romantic relationship.
Pete wasn’t her type. Not that she had a type.
Well, except Max certainly stirred her blood. But he was a military man, for cripes sake!
His finger trailed over her palm, and she slipped her hand away. “Pete, I like you, too. And I value your friendship.”
His eyes hardened slightly at her subtle rejection. “But you don’t see me as your lover?”
Willow swallowed hard. “I don’t want to ruin our friendship,” she said. “And truthfully, I’m not interested in any man at this point in my life.” Maybe she’d never settle down.
Max’s face flashed in her mind, but she banished it. Granted she wanted to do the mattress mambo with him, but the last thing she wanted was to get entangled in a relationship. Of course, Max didn’t want that either.
He was simply doing his job and doing it on his free time, which he must resent.
Guilt wormed its way inside her. But she couldn’t forget that he’d bugged her house.
Her bedroom.
Worse, if she slept with him, she’d probably fall in love with him, and that would be disastrous.
* * *
Max peered through the kitchen window and saw Pete make a move toward Willow.
As soon as he learned about her business, he should have suspected that the most immediate threat to her wasn’t related to her father but to those damn phone calls.
And who else would know where she lived better than the grandson of the madam of the business?
He gritted his teeth. Was Pete dangerous?
Willow retreated to the sink, her posture rigid, yet Pete walked toward her, the shy young m
an gone, his eyes filled with a crazed kind of lust.
He lifted a strand of Willow’s hair and rubbed it between his fingers. Max couldn’t hear what he was saying, but he didn’t like Pete’s predatory look.
Willow caught Pete’s hand, pushed it away and tried to extract herself from where he’d cornered her. But Pete grabbed her arm and yanked her toward him.
Max’s pulse thundered.
He didn’t bother to knock on the door. He shoved it open and stalked in.
“Take your hands off of her.”
Willow gasped, and Pete tensed, anger streaking his face. “What goes on between me and Willow is none of your business.”
“Yes, it is.” Max’s boots pounded the floor as he strode over to them, planted himself firmly beside Willow, and crossed his arms. “I’m here to protect her.”
“Protect her?” Pete snarled. “It looks like you’re moving in on her yourself.”
Maybe he was.
Max considered pulling his gun, but decided that would be overkill. He could take Pete with one hand behind his back. “You’re the man who threatened her, aren’t you, Pete?”
Willow looked shaken but angry. “Was that you?” Willow said to Pete.
Panic flared on Pete’s face. “I care about you, Willow,” Pete said. “Talking dirty to men like that is dangerous. You needed to see that.”
Willow hissed between her teeth. “So you shoved me in a bathroom stall and threatened me so I’d stop?” She poked him in the chest. “What did you think I’d do? Run into your arms?”
The man paled visibly, and Max realized that had been his plan.
“I just wanted to make you quit the business. Sooner or later one of those men would have found out where you lived, would have wanted more. You and the other girls are playing a dangerous game.”
“What I do is none of your concern,” Willow said shrilly.
“But you deserve more than sex with strangers,” Pete said. “I can give you real love and respect. I have a good job—”
“If you respected me, you wouldn’t have been so sneaky,” Willow said.
Max’s temper rose. “Real men don’t need to scare women into their arms.” He took a menacing step toward Pete. “That’s not caring or loving. That’s abusive.”
Pete gave Willow a forlorn look. “Willow, you know I would never hurt you, you know I care—”
“You did hurt me,” Willow said, emotions making her voice warble. “You betrayed my trust and frightened me, Pete.”
“But Willow,” Pete’s voice broke. “You’re all I think about—”
“I’m sorry, Pete,” Willow said. “But I can’t be friends with you any longer.”
“You can’t do that to me.” Pete grabbed her by the arms. “I love you. I want to marry you.”
Willow gasped, and Max jerked the man’s hands off of her. “Back up, man. You heard her, she’s not interested.”
Rage made Pete’s nostrils flare. “Because you barged in,” Pete said. “You ruined everything.”
Willow cleared her throat. “No, Pete, you ruined a good friendship by crossing the line.”
Max turned to Willow. “Do you want to press charges against him?”
Willow shook her head. “No, not right now.” Her unsteady breathing echoed between them. “But Pete, you need help. Get some counseling.”
“You think I’m crazy?” Pete asked, his voice harsh.
Willow sighed in disgust. “You don’t understand what love is.”
Pete reached for her again, but Max had had enough. He jerked the guy’s arm behind him. “Either walk away now and leave Willow alone, or I’ll make sure she presses charges against you and that she files a restraining order to keep you from coming anywhere near her.”
Pete exhaled loudly, his anger palpable. But he must have realized Max was serious so he strode out the back door and slammed it.
Max knotted his hands into fists. “If he comes back, I’ll have him locked up.”
“I can’t believe he intentionally scared me,” Willow said. “I thought he was a nice guy, but he’s warped.”
“Not everyone is what they appear to be on the surface.”
“I know.” She turned away, her shoulders shaking slightly. Damn, was she crying?
He cleared his throat. “Willow, we have to talk.”
She faced him, arms crossed, her eyes dark with emotions. “About what? The fact that Pete is a rat and that you are, too?”
“You’re putting me in the same category as Pete?” he asked, incredulous.
“You listened to my phone calls and spied on me, and so did he.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
His apology seemed to take her off guard, and she rolled her shoulders.
That vulnerability tore at him. All he wanted to do was comfort her and make up for upsetting her.
And prove to her that he was a stand-up guy.
Even if he was a rat like she said, and even if he did want to take her to bed.
* * *
Willow couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen through Pete. She silently cursed herself for being an idiot.
Obviously her judgment concerning men was completely off kilter.
Did Ms. Dora know that her grandson had accessed her records? What if Pete took an interest in one of the other girls as he had her?
She had to tell Ms. Dora.
Max’s dark intensity sent shivers through her. Shivers that made her body tingle with desire.
“I need to talk to Pete’s grandmother.”
Max didn’t ask the reason. He simply nodded.
“I’ll go with you.”
Willow shook her head. She couldn’t allow Max to be in the room when she talked to Ms. Dora. Although he’d heard her conversation with Pete, and Max already knew the truth.
Would he tell her father?
“You can leave now, Max. I don’t think Pete will be back.”
Max’s jaw tightened. “I can’t do that, Willow. Not until the threat to the general has been resolved.”
Drat. She’d forgotten about that.
“Fine. I’ll be right back.”
She strode past him and left the apartment, then hurried down the steps to see Ms. Dora. The last thing she wanted to tell her landlord/boss was that her grandson was a pervert, but she couldn’t risk him exposing her secrets. Besides, she owed Maybelline, Sue Kim and Yvonne.
Seconds later, she knocked on Ms. Dora’s door, her hands clammy with nerves.
Ms. Dora opened the door, her glasses perched on her head. “What is it, Willow?”
“I need to talk to you.”
Alarm passed over the woman’s features. “What happened?”
Willow bit her lip, and rushed inside. She had to spill it, or she’d never get it out. “I know who hacked into your system. It’s the same person who cornered me in the bathroom.”
Ms. Dora pressed her hand over her chest. “Who is it, dear?”
“Your grandson.” Willow’s stomach clenched at the shock in Ms. Dora’s eyes.
“No,” Ms. Dora gasped. “Pete wouldn’t do that.”
“I’m sorry, but he did,” Willow said softly. “Pete admitted it. He said he was interested in me and wanted to scare me into quitting the business.”
Ms. Dora’s pallor grayed. “Oh, dear. I’ll have to straighten out that boy.”
Willow clasped the woman’s hands between her own. “You need to warn the other girls, too.”
Ms. Dora quickly recovered from the shock, an angry glint replacing the shock. “Yes, of course. And I’ll make sure Pete knows that I’ll tan his hide if he reveals the identities of the clients or phone handlers.”
The implications of the security breach sank in. If Pete wanted, he could use the information he had and ruin all their lives.
* * *
Max was still debating on whether or not to call the police on Pete. But doing so would expose Willow’s part in Ms. Dora’s business.
>
That would not only hurt Willow, but if the general discovered what she’d been doing, he’d be livid. Worse, it might permanently damage his relationship with Willow.
Still, a war raged in his head. Could he keep a secret like that from the man he owed his life and his career to?
The door opened, and Willow appeared, her beautiful face worried.
His heart tugged painfully. “Are you okay?”
She nodded although emotions glittered in her eyes. “You know about Ms. Dora and the business?”
He started to lie, but there was no use. She knew the truth. So he simply nodded.
“Poor Ms. Dora. I know you probably think bad of her, of me and the other girls— ”
He pressed a finger to her lips. “I don’t think bad of you, Willow.”He didn’t. He really didn’t.
Her breath caught. “You don’t?”
He shook his head, striving to be noble when he wanted to kill every man who’d ever touched her or talked to. “I have no right to judge anyone. I’m not exactly a saint myself.”
Willow’s expression softened. “It seemed innocent at the time. Everything was anonymous. The pay was good.”
Sweat rolled down Max’s neck. “I don’t want to hear the details about your johns.”
“Johns?”
“I mean, clients,” Max said at the stunned fury in her eyes.
A heartbeat passed as Willow stared at him. The silence was so thick, Max heard the floor creak beneath his shoes as he shifted.
Willow plastered one hand over her chest. “Oh, my god. You think Ms. Dora is a pimp?”
Max swallowed hard. “A madam then?”
Willow suddenly laughed. “A madam?”
She thought turning tricks was funny?
Well, he didn’t. He wanted her, and he’d never wanted a hooker before. “Well, isn’t she?”
Willow shook her head. “We aren’t hookers or escorts,” she said, her laughter dying. “It’s just phone sex, Max.”
Oh, well. Just phone sex. “Just phone sex?”
“Yes.” Willow looked like she was going to punch him. “I didn’t have to meet or see anyone in person. There was no physical contact.”
