Close Enough to Touch (Rylee Hayes Thriller Book 1)

by Cade Brogan

  Rylee swallowed, her gaze drifting momentarily to the cold fireplace. When she looked back, she peered into her eyes. “What do you want, Kenz?” she asked. Her tone was low like old times. “Because it feels like you want something from me.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” Kenzie said softly. She touched her mouth. “I could, you know.”

  “I know, but you won’t,” Rylee whispered, resting her arm on the back of the couch behind her.

  “I might,” Kenzie squeaked, her lips parting.

  “You won’t,” Rylee responded, reaching to finger a lock of hair from her eyes. “Mmm, so soft.” She brushed her cheek with the back of her fingers. “I’m glad you kept it long.”

  Kenzie’s breath caught in her throat. “I’m still pretty mixed up,” she responded, her gaze soft like her tone. “I don’t want to hurt you again.”

  “I’ll take my chances,” Rylee whispered, closing the distance between their bodies. They kissed as they’d kissed when they were lovers, tender and hungry.

  Kenzie tipped her head up, exposing her neck, and palmed Rylee down.

  Rylee’s breathing quickened as she suckled hard enough to leave a mark.

  Kenzie widened the ‘V’ of her robe, moaning.

  When her lower lip quivered, Rylee sat up.

  “It’s okay,” Kenzie whispered, palming her cheek. “You don’t have to stop.”

  “But I do,” Rylee responded quietly.

  ***

  Joanna awoke shivering, but not from the chill of the night. She winced, sitting up. Never had she come so close to being caught. Never had she been so prone to error. Never had she been so enraged by jealousy, so enraged that she’d filled a syringe without any forethought. Four o’clock, she thought. Time to get up. She grimaced, finding her footing, and making her way to the toilet. Four lashes for a minor offense—split two-and-two across each shoulder. Last night, ten on the same side, and she deserved ten more. She lifted her nightgown, shuddering as it moved against her wounded shoulder. She turned to the bathroom mirror, dabbing alcohol.

  ***

  “He’s not our guy,” Rylee said, recounting the details of the previous night. Their only suspect remained in jail, unable to post bond. “Back to square one,” she added.

  “Damn,” Rich responded, shaking his head. “And another seed to boot.”

  “Skinny compared to the others,” Rylee commented. “I’ll bet when we swing by the garden, we find out it grows something that’ll kill you.”

  “Not betting against you on that one,” Rich responded. “Who’d have thought there were so many poisonous plants?”

  “Yeah, just our luck,” Rylee said, tossing her donut into the trash, half eaten.

  “So you spent the night in her driveway?” Rich asked, rubbing a day’s growth of beard on his chin. “What good did that do?” he asked. “If he wants her, he’ll just get her when you’re not there. If you ask me, you lost a bunch of sleep for nothing.”

  “Knock it off,” Rylee said, glaring. “I’m not in the mood to play.”

  “I wasn’t playing,” Rich responded. “Just being honest.” He met her gaze, adding. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you mad.”

  “You didn’t,” Rylee said. “It’s just me running on next-to-no sleep.” She took a breath and exhaled. “Care if we stop by the church on our way?”

  “No problem,” Rich answered.

  “Maybe we should watch the last couple videos beforehand,” Rylee added.

  “Yeah, good plan,” Rich said, opening the DVD tray, and pressing play.

  “Pause it,” Rylee blurted out, getting up to touch the screen. “Look, right there.”

  Rich moved closer. “Same woman, different seat.” He leaned in. “Looks familiar, but I can’t place her.”

  Me either,” Rylee responded, her brow furrowing. “Wish we could see her from the front.”

  Rich nodded. “Let’s take the videos with us,” he suggested, “see if your girlfriend knows her.” He popped in the last one. “Look, there she is again.”

  Rylee gulped a breath.

  “See,” Rich said, touching the screen, “right behind…”

  “I see her,” Rylee responded, her voice lowering, and her stomach rock hard. “You think we got enough to get Kenz surveillance?”

  “Dunno,” Rich said, pressing his lips together, “but I don’t think so.”

  ***

  Rylee watched Kenzie watch the video. Come on, she thought, recognize her.

  “No, sorry,” Kenzie said, “I don’t remember her name.” She wrinkled her brow. “I’m not really sure she told me.” She smiled. “Nice lady though,” she added. “Do you think she knows something that could help you?”

  “Do you remember anything she might have said to you?” Rylee asked. “Anything at all?”

  “Not much,” Kenzie responded, her eyes narrowing as they met Rylee’s. “She said she’d be moving on soon. I guess she was from out of town or something.”

  Rylee swallowed. Or she was about to finish her job and move on, she thought with a sidelong glance to her partner.

  Kenzie wrinkled her nose, suggesting that she planned to revisit the topic later.

  “Okay, well thanks,” Rich said. “I think that’s it for now.”

  “Pick you up at six?” Rylee asked, meeting Kenzie’s eye as she moved toward the door.

  “I get off at four,” Kenzie answered. “Earlier if you want.”

  “Okay, I’ll see ya at five then,” Rylee responded, pausing, hating to leave her.

  “Everything’s fine, Rye,” Kenzie said softly. “I’ll see ya tonight.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Okay, so that was weird,” Kenzie said, catching Rylee’s eye as she climbed into the passenger seat of her truck.

  “What was weird?” Rylee asked, waiting to close her door until they made eye contact. She walked around to get in the other side. When she looked over, Kenzie was shaking her head with that mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

  “Well, in the old days,” Kenzie said, suppressing a smile, “if you called to say, ‘wait ‘til I get home to take your shower…’” She paused for a chuckle. “Well, it used to mean something.”

  “I should’ve said ‘or do your laundry,’ but I forgot,” Rylee added, smiling. “Guess I’m falling down on the job.”

  “I guess you are,” Kenzie answered, with insanely strong eye contact. “I stood there for an eternity,” she went on, “naked, cold, and bone dry, not wanting to use up all the hot water.” When she caught her breath, her eyes were watering.

  Rylee belly laughed and then fell silent. “It never dawned on me that you’d think that,” she answered softly.

  Kenzie took a breath. “It’s not the same as it was,” she responded with a hard swallow. “Everything’s different now.”

  “You’ll have to tell me about that some time,” Rylee said, not understanding how Kenzie could be affiliated with that church and not have it be even worse than it was. She looked over her shoulder, checking traffic before backing out. “So, The Village,” she said, changing the subject, “the home of the best chicken alfredo in the world,” and what used to be Kenzie’s favorite restaurant on the planet. “Man has it ever been a long time since I’ve been to that place.” She could feel Kenzie’s stare, but didn’t look over.

  “Same here,” Kenzie responded. She closed her eyes, uttering a shallow sigh as she looked out her window. “I think the last time I was there was with you,” she added.

  Rylee took a breath. “I took my grandma there for her seventieth,” she said, glancing over with a thin smile. “Other than that, with you was my last time as well.”

  ***

  “Tuscany at the turn of the century,” Rylee said quietly. She caught Kenzie’s eye as they made their way to the back, having requested their old table.

  “Yeah, it’s a beautiful restaurant, isn’t it?” Kenzie respond
ed, smiling as her eyes swept the room. The Village was known for superb Italian cuisine and the most unique of dining experiences. “Nothing quite like eating your meal under the twilight skies of a Tuscan village,” she added, sliding into the booth. It had been their place, the one they’d gone to for special occasions when they were together.

  “What would you like to drink?” the waiter asked, making polite eye contact with one and then the other.

  Rylee’s eyes darted to Kenzie before ordering. “We’ll share a bottle of Rinaldi Brachetto D'Acqui.” It was a delicate, ruby red, dessert wine with a hint of blackberries, strawberries, and roses.

  The waiter tilted his head, lifting an eyebrow. “Excellent choice,” he said, “might I recommend the 2014?”

  “That’d be great,” Rylee responded. “Oh, and bring us two iced shrimp cocktails, would you?”

  “Prego!” he answered, nodding and smiling.

  “You remembered,” Kenzie whispered as her tongue darted out to moisten her lips, “right down to the iced shrimp cocktail.”

  “Of course I remembered,” Rylee responded. “I told ya,” she added with a smile, “I remember everything.” Her gaze held for a long moment. “You look pretty tonight,” she said softly. “I like the dress.” It was a red strapless with a sweetheart neckline, a form-fitting design that she’d acquired that afternoon. It’d been a fluke that they’d ended up color-coordinated with Rylee in her navy blue trousers and a red shirt.

  “Thanks,” Kenzie responded, pushing her hair out of her face and shifting her position, offering her ex-lover a better view of her breasts. Dear God, she thought, taking a breath. What are you gonna do if she responds? She had no concern for the moment. In fact, response was exactly what she was looking for. It was next week, after Abby got home, that she was worried about.

  Rylee bit her lower lip, taking a sip of chilled water. When the waiter returned, she ordered chicken alfredo for Kenzie and whitefish with lemon for herself. Mixed green salads arrived after the appetizer and before the entrée.

  Kenzie moaned throughout her meal. There were times when she’d look up to find Rylee watching her. “You want to talk?” she asked softly once the waiter had cleared their table. She held her gaze, tipping her second glass for the last drop.

  “I thought we were talking,” Rylee answered, already chewing on the inside of her lip. She didn’t want to finish their conversation, but needed to. She’d always been that way, avoiding emotionally taxing situations whenever she could.

  “You know what I mean,” Kenzie said softly, “so I’ll just start.” She looked off to gather her thoughts.

  Rylee slugged down the rest of glass number one and poured another.

  “When you’re only nineteen,” Kenzie began, shaking her head, “you’re a bit low on life experience.” She pursed her lips. “And you don’t always make the best decisions for yourself.” She continued after a pause. “I mean, at that age, it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s not; what’s man’s interpretation of scripture and what’s God’s word.” She reached across to lay her hand atop Rylee’s. “And then when people you trust—your parents, the pastor, the elders—when they tell you that the end times are near, that you have to change your ways quickly or go to Hell…” She dabbed the corners of her eyes with a tissue. “Well,” she said quietly, “you not only believe ‘em, but you think that it’s all gonna tumble in around you the day after tomorrow.”

  “I get all that,” Rylee responded, her eyes wide, and her brow furrowed. “I do.” She shook her head, curling her upper lip. “My deal isn’t that you fell head first into your faith,” she continued. “Never was. It’s that you chose to be dishonest with me.” She blinked several times, clenching her jaw. “We were always honest with one another.” She held her gaze. “How could you look me in the eye and swear that what we had was an error in judgment, a mistake on your part, when you knew how I felt about you? I could hardly believe it, knocked the wind right out of me, but I let go. I wanted you to be happy, Kenz. I wanted you to have what you wanted.” She swallowed hard, continuing, “As the years passed, I came to accept what you said as the truth. I came to wish you well in the life that you swore was a better fit for you.” She sucked in air, her jaw tightening further. “And then, out of the blue, I find out that it was all a lie.” She shook her head. “I find out that I wasn’t wrong, you loved me too.” She exhaled, turning away. “God Kenz, how could you?” Her mouth dropped open, emotion dripping from every word. “How could you throw us away like you did? How could you marry some guy just because somebody told you to do it?” She stood up; her lips pinched tightly together, saying, “Excuse me.”

  “Rye,” Kenzie called out softly, feeling as if her heart might break in two.

  “I’ll be back in a minute,” Rylee responded with a quick glance. As she stepped off, her phone rang, and she returned. “Hayes,” she answered. It wasn’t long before she lifted a finger to catch the waiter’s eye, saying, “Check, please.” Afterward, she looked across to Kenzie. “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “It’s no problem,” Kenzie responded, smiling thinly.

  ***

  “I’m not sure what to do here,” Rylee said, shaking her head as they stepped from the ambiance of the oldest Italian restaurant in the city to a sidewalk in the heart of the downtown.

  “About what?” Kenzie asked, her legs a bit wobbly as they made their way to the truck.

  Rylee sighed. “We’ve got a double homicide on this side of town,” she explained, “closer to my place, than yours.” She sighed again. “And I’m short on time.” What she didn’t say was ‘you’re drunk, Kenz, and with a serial murderer sniffing around, I’m not comfortable dropping you off at home.’

  “I’ll just go to your place,” Kenzie slurred. “Problem solved.”

  Not exactly, Rylee thought. “This could take several hours,” she continued, with a cock of her head and a raise of both eyebrows. “I’m not sure what to do.”

  “Well, I am,” Kenzie answered, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s not a problem. Just drop me off at your place and I’ll hang out until you’re done.”

  Rylee helped her climb into the truck.

  “Can you help me get this buckled?” Kenzie asked. “I can’t seem to get it to line up.”

  “Sure,” Rylee responded, her fingers immediately hypersensitive to touch. It was fifteen minutes to the front door of her building. “At least traffic wasn’t too bad,” she commented as she brought her vehicle to a halt. She turned off her engine and added, “I’ll walk you in.”

  “You don’t have to,” Kenzie said, touching her arm. “Just give me the key.”

  Rylee met her gaze with the raise of an eyebrow.

  “Don’t worry,” Kenzie added, gently squeezing her wrist. “I can find my way up.”

  Chapter Twenty

  “I can’t think,” Joanna hyperventilated, her eyes protruding. She dropped the glove box open, stared in, and slammed it shut. “I can’t think. I can’t think. I can’t think.” Her pulse sped up in sync with her heart. “How dare you?” she snarled. She hadn’t witnessed anything occur between them, but could tell that if Kenzie had her way, it would. She took several slow, deep breaths in an attempt to calm down. It’s an abomination, she told herself, watching Rylee drive off. You can’t just let it go. She sucked air to the bottom of her lungs, lifting her binoculars to peer under the half-drawn shade of Rylee’s bedroom window. She licked her lips, watching Kenzie unzip her dress and shimmy it down. When she took one step and then another to leave the pretty garment in an imagined heap on the floor, her breathing quickened, and a shiver traversed her spine. She touched her lips, watching Kenzie push the slim white straps of her slip off her shoulders; and her throat, watching her reach back to unclasp her bra. Her breasts were high and round. She took a breath when Kenzie left the room and smiled when she returned. It faded when she began to rummage through Rylee’s top dresser drawer. “Get
out of there,” she spat. “That’s hers.” She felt a rush of adrenaline, watching her collect a navy t-shirt and disappear into the next room. Shower, she thought. She’s going to take a shower. She imagined how it would go. She’d never been in this building, but had dispatched several through the years without an advance walk-through. Do it now, she told herself, licking her lips, and reaching into the glove box. It wasn’t the poison she’d prepared for her, but would work out just as well. “How about that, bad girl detective?” she asked out loud. She knotted her floral scarf, checked her rearview mirror, and slipped her blowpipe into its special compartment. “You’ll come back for your biracial girlfriend,” she promised, “and find her gone.” She lifted her lock set from her back pocket on her way to the door.

  Insert the tension wrench.

  Apply torque.

  It was surprising that the building had an intercom, but no keyless entry. She’d have still gotten in, had it been keyless, but it’d have been more difficult.

  She checked her watch, two minutes and counting.

  Insert the pick.

  Back and forth.

  Back and forth.

  Back and forth.

  Back and forth.

  Click.

  The door opened.

  “Hi,” the guy said as he stepped off the elevator. He tugged the leash and the Doberman followed.

  Joanna nodded, trying to not make eye contact. When he was out of sight, she pushed up her bun and gave her scarf a soft tug. Satisfied that her hair and forehead were adequately covered, she stepped into the stairwell. She crossed paths with a woman as she stepped by the second-floor elevator.

  “Hello,” the woman chirped, smiling. She paused as if expecting that she’d take time to chat with her.

  Joanna nodded, but continued down the hallway. She came to a halt in front of the door that would correspond to windows eight and nine. She checked both directions before pressing her ear to its surface. Water. She licked her lips, sure that she heard water running.