Cat 'N Mouse

by Yvonne Harriott

  “What about you? Dennis knows more about you than I do.”

  “There’s nothing to tell.”

  “Was your prom date your first?”

  “We’re not talking about that.”

  “You’re a retired detective. At what age…thirty-three, I’m guessing.”

  “It wasn’t by choice.”

  “Care to explain?”

  “There is nothing to explain. My life is boring.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Your life is a lot more interesting than mine. Your mother’s background is Egyptian but Sienna is not really an Egyptian name. Your father is an American, born in Detroit. That’s an interesting mix.”

  “Me?” She asked with a laugh, looking at him. “What did Dennis say about your background? Irish/Trinidadian—now that’s an interesting mix. Your mother is Irish and your father is Trinidadian. I wouldn’t have guessed you were Irish in a million years. Part Irish anyway.”

  “I guess we’re both culturally challenged.”

  The streetlight hit his face as he glanced over at her and she noticed the odd look in his eyes. They were dark, almost haunting, as if he was reliving a painful memory.

  “I wouldn’t say that. My father has always been a strong influence in my life. My mother died when I was very young.”

  “On your calendar you had RN written in your schedule and I was wondering what it stood for. It’s Robyn’s Nest, isn’t it?”

  “So.” She liked the way his voice sound. It was deep and rich.

  “What I don’t get is why you keep what you do at Robyn’s Nest a secret.”

  “It’s not a secret. No one wants to hear about the poor little rich girl volunteering her time because she has nothing better to do while she squanders away daddy’s money. They’re way more interested in other activities, like my love life…like you and me for example.” She turned in her seat toward him feeling very mellow. “Mimi called you a hunk and I believe Dennis’ exact words were ‘alpha male’.”

  “Is that how you see yourself?” he glanced over at her.

  “As an alpha male?” She intentionally misunderstood him.

  “As the poor little rich girl?” He glanced up in the rearview mirror then back at her.

  “Isn’t that how you see me? What did you call me? Oh, let me see if I can remember word for word, ‘a spoiled brat who has never worked a day in your life’.”

  “Perhaps I was too quick to judge.”

  “I’ll say.”

  She brought her hand up over her mouth and yawned. “Mimi is right, you’re a hunk.”

  Her hand found its way to rest on his thigh. His leg muscles tensed under her touch. Taking that as encouragement, she proceeded to run her palm along his inner thigh, inching toward his zipper.

  Sam swallowed. “Okay, Princess,” he said clearing his voice as he grabbed her wandering hand, stilling it on his leg. His hand felt warm against hers and he held her hand firmly in place when she tried to pull away.

  “You’re no fun,” she pouted and then undoing the seat belt with her free hand, she slid closer to him.

  “And you’re drunk,” Sam smiled glancing into the rearview mirror. The smile slid from his face and his jaw muscles tensed.

  “Only a little, but I know what I—”

  “I need you back in your seat with your seatbelt on now!”

  • • •

  Sam’s anger had snapped her out of her dream-like state. There were worst things in life to contend with than being hit on…then she realized something was wrong—very wrong.

  He glanced into the rearview mirror again then jammed his foot on the accelerator. The vehicle leaped forward.

  Before Alexandria finished buckling her seatbelt, they were hit from behind which such force that jolted her forward. Trembling hands worked at warp speed to fasten the seatbelt, but not fast enough.

  “Sam!”

  His hand shot out and caught her before she hit the dashboard. She quickly snapped the clasp into the buckle. Shaking.

  She looked into the rearview mirror and a saw a pair of headlights charging toward them again like a monster in the dark. A scream tore from her throat as the vehicle barreled down on them. This time when the truck hit them the seatbelt held her, biting into her shoulder.

  Tires squealed, metal crunched and the Land Rover swerved violently. With precision control, Sam kept on going, keeping the vehicle from sliding into the ditch. He shifted gear and gunned the SUV but the monster truck kept pushing at them. Sam swore and shifted gear again. The Land Rover fishtailed as it sped away from the truck. He had about a block between him and the truck but the truck was closing the gap quickly.

  “Hold on!”

  Sam slammed on the breaks and the SUV spun out and she thought they were going to roll over when the two wheels left the road then dropped down on all fours again, rocking them back and fourth. Somehow he managed to keep them from rolling and stopped the Land Rover facing the truck charging toward them.

  The truck came to a screeching stop. A standoff.

  “What are you doing?” Alexandria’s heart hammered in her chest as panic set her heart racing. There were no other vehicles on the road. No one to help them. “No. Keep going.” She clutched at his arm. “Please.”

  “We can’t outrun him. Eventually, he’ll run us off the road and we’ll end up in the ditch a few miles up the road.”

  Sam grabbed the gun from his shoulder hostler. He reached over her lap and shoved her door open. “See that tree over there?”

  She was going to die. First it was the man with the blood this afternoon, and now this. A paralyzing fear took over her body. Someone wanted to kill her.

  “Sweetheart,” he said quickly, dividing his attention between the idling truck and her. “I need you to listen to me.” He grasped her hand and squeezed it. “When I start shooting, run for that line of trees right over there and stay there until I call you.”

  “He’s coming right at us!” she screamed.

  Sam jumped out of the SUV. “Run!”

  Chapter Seven

  Sam waited until Alexandria disappeared behind the tree. The truck engine revved and started toward him. He fired.

  He wasn’t sure how many shots he fired. His only goal was to stop the truck and he did. The headlights were the first to go. A bullet struck the windshield and the truck swerved. The driver slammed on the breaks and Sam could smell the burning of the tires against the asphalt.

  The truck idled for a little as if the person behind the wheel was trying to decide if he was going to ram the Land Rover. Sam reached under the driver seat for the box of ammo watching the truck as he reloaded. Then the driver reversed and headed in the opposite direction.

  He let out a slow shaky breath and called out to Alexandria. He watched as the truck drove off hoping whoever was behind the wheel didn’t decide to pay them a return visit. Alexandria didn’t respond to his call. He cut the engine and called again.

  “Alexandria, you can come out now.”

  Putting the gun back into the shoulder holster, he checked the damage to the Land Rover. The bumper was still intact and the tires felt okay. The damage was minimal so the sooner they got on their way the better. But Alexandria still hadn’t responded to his call. As a matter of fact, the only things calling out to him were crickets. He wondered if she had even stopped at the tree or in her fear, had just she kept on going. He looked beyond the trees in the dark.

  “Alexandria!”

  Sam jumped into the Land Rover turning the vehicle around, the headlights shining toward the trees. He got out and raced toward the tree. He found her crouched down shaking against it, her hands covering her ears.

  “No!” She screamed when he touched her shoulder, hands lashing out throwing blind punches.

  “It’s me… Sam. Are you alright?” She didn’t answer. She just sat there shaking, arms hugging her knees. “Sweetheart, it’s time to go.”

  A feeling of protectiveness
came over him. The need to protect her so she could feel safe was his only priority at the moment.

  “Come on.” Sam bent and lifted her up off the ground. It was as though she was in some kind of trance. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He carried her to the vehicle, sat her in the seat on the passenger side and snapped her seatbelt in place. “I won’t let anyone hurt you. Okay?”

  She nodded, but he knew she didn’t believe him. And why should she. He’d been leaning hard on her since they’d met. As it turned out, she wasn’t at all what he’d expected. That changed everything.

  Sam slid into the driver’s seat and slammed the door. He would have gone after the bastard if he were alone. With Alexandria shaking in her seat, he couldn’t take the chance. What if there had been more than one person in the truck? He couldn’t see me much with the headlights blinding him. At least they were safe for now.

  They were about half an hour away from her condo and she sat in silence staring straight ahead, shaking.

  He shouldn’t have allowed her to attend the dinner. He had given in because of what she’d gone through this afternoon and she’d bounced back. Would she recover from this latest incident? He needed to step up his game and not allow the bastard to hurt her anymore.

  When they arrived at the condo, she headed straight for her bedroom. He didn’t want her locking herself in her room. Not like that.

  “Alexandria?”

  She halted her steps for a moment then reluctantly turned to look at him. There were no tears and he almost wished there were. At least she would be letting it out instead of keeping the terror of tonight bottled up inside her. She looked like she was about to shatter and he folded her into his arms. That’s when a sob tore from her throat.

  “Shhh…it’s okay, you’re safe now.”

  He held her with his chin resting on top of her head until all the tears were gone. All he could smell was the soft musk fragrance of her perfume. His hands seemed to burn on her bare skin. She stirred against him and lifted her head up to meet his gaze. When soft baby brown eyes held his everything changed. It wasn’t about comforting anymore. Comfort turned into need.

  His need.

  Her need.

  Her hands circled his waist, pulling him closer. His head dipped and his lips touched hers.

  He wasn’t wondering what it felt like to kiss her anymore. He was doing it. And it felt good all the way down to the soles of his feet. Her lips were incredibly soft. His heart hammered out of control and his head swam with the taste of her. Tongues mingled and he wanted so much more. His lips caressed her face moving along her neck and up again. He held her face between his hands and took her mouth again.

  She moaned and opened her mouth, accepting his tongue. Her hands found their way inside his shirt moving up and down his back then making her way around to his chest, flirting with his belt buckle then boldly undoing the buckle. That’s when warning bells went off and he pulled away, putting a stop to the sweetest thing that had happened to him in a long, long time.

  “No.” Sam groaned, shaking his head slowly trying to pull himself together and fighting for control as he buckled his pants. He was breathing as if he’d just ran a marathon. “This can’t happen.”

  “Sam?” It sounded more like a plea than a question. He knew what she wanted and he wanted the same thing too. How could he take advantage of the situation? She was loaded up with wine and was coming off the worst scare of her life.

  “This is not what your father hired me to do.” He said the first thing that came to his mind. It was also the wrong thing to say. This had nothing to do with Prescott. It had to do with him and the magnetic pull that had been drawing them together since their first meeting that they’d been tiptoeing around.

  She stepped back from him abruptly putting space between them. As if unsure what to do, she turned and headed for her room.

  “Good night, Sam.” Her voice was just above a whisper, sad.

  “Alexandria, wait.” He started toward the bedroom but she closed it, locking him out.

  His cellphone rang, shattering the stillness of the night. “What!”

  “Don’t tell me you two had a fight again?”

  Sam wished that was all it was. With them snapping at each other, at least there was distance between them. He wasn’t so sure how he was going to deal with this attraction between them. He turned from her bedroom door and went out to the solarium. He couldn’t get her out of his head…the way she moved sensually against him, how soft she felt.

  “Do you want me to talk to her?” Matt asked.

  “No. I can handle it. It’s two o’clock in the morning. Are you calling to check up on me?”

  “Far from it. I wanted to let you know Rodriquez is dead.”

  Sam had to shake his head and think for a minute, trying to get the disappointed look in Alexandria’s eyes out of his head so he could focus on what Matt was saying.

  “Rodriquez…you mean the traffic cop?” Matt had said he was going to meet with the woman.

  “Yeah. They suspect suicide.” Matt was quiet for a long moment then asked, “Do you believe in coincidences?”

  “Hell, no. You started asking questions and the cop who is to provide the answers is dead. I think someone didn’t want the two of you connecting. “First the incident at the hotel and then someone tried to run us off the road tonight.”

  “What?!”

  “Someone tried to turn us into road kill.”

  “Is Alexandria okay?”

  “She’s shaken up.” Sam looked toward the kitchen when he heard Alexandria’s bedroom door open. Maybe she was coming out to see him? Not a chance because she closed it moments later. The outcome of tomorrow would be anybody’s guess.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m going to find this guy, Matt. I’ll even do it for free.”

  “What about your one week deadline?”

  “The bastard tried to kill me. You know,” Sam said, thinking out loud as he sat down on the wicker sofa that squeaked under his weight. “If he really wanted to kill us, we would’ve been dead.”

  “How so?”

  “The guy was driving one of those souped up monster trucks. When I fired at it, he just took off. It seems he only wanted to scare us. It was like a game with him. “I couldn’t go after him while Alexandria was with me.”

  “What now?”

  “Do you think you can use your connection and get a copy of the report on Rodriquez’s death? I don’t think she killed herself.”

  “Already on it. I also have the reports on Mimi, Colt, Dennis and Robyn, which I think is a waste of time. You can knock yourself out, but you’re not going to find anything. Prescott is very careful about the people he hires. Oh, got Cain’s as well. He was vetted by the condo board before they hired him.”

  “What about Warren Prescott?”

  “Prescott… I thought you were joking. You’re really serious? Why would he want to hurt his daughter?”

  “People do strange things in the name of love.” Melanie Daniels flashed in through this mind. The case that still kept him up at nights and had changed his career forever.

  “Prescott is off limits,” Matt warmed. “He’s my boss. I’m telling you he wouldn’t do this.”

  “How do you know?” Sam remembered Robyn’s comment about Prescott earlier. “What about his business dealings? They’re a lot of people out there that want to hurt him. They may even take it out on his daughter.”

  “I’ll worry about that. That’s my job. You look after Alexandria. The blood thing must have freaked her out.”

  “She was pretty good at keeping it together after that incident. I’m more worried about what happened tonight.” And he wasn’t just talking about their run in with the truck.

  “This is his third attempt. Our stalker is getting more agitated. Something’s got him riled up.”

  “I did.” Sam thought about Cain and made a mental note to check the time he finished his shift tonight. There
was another man at the front door when he’d driven by to get to the underground parking. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  Sam leaned back into the sofa after he’d gotten off the phone with Matt. He wanted to know what Warren Prescott was up to and he knew just the person to contact.

  • • •

  The engine revved. Turning it off with a shaking hand, he basked in the silence. His heart thumped in his chest from the adrenalin rush.

  He waited until the garage door closed before he got out of the truck. It was a special garage constructed for the truck. Looking at the bullet hole in the windshield, he slammed his fist into the seat.

  This was Samuel O’Malley’s fault. He had thought he was going to be able to get rid of O’Malley quickly, but the man was proving to be more bothersome than he thought. Even getting close to Alexandria was proving to be a challenge.

  O’Malley was the kind of man she wanted. He wasn’t like Warren Prescott at all, yet she was falling for him. He could tell by the way she looked up at him all dreamy eyed tonight.

  When he was told about Alexandria going out to dinner he had to see for himself. He didn’t think she would want to go out after what had happened at the hotel. He thought she would rush home to the mansion. The reason why she hadn’t was because of O’Malley. He had his hands all over her. That’s not what he was hired to do. A pawn in a strategic plan—that was supposed to be his role.

  O’Malley was getting too close.

  He had to die.

  He was ruining everything.

  She had to die.

  • • •

  Alexandria opened her eyes and her hand went up shielding her face from the sunshine streaming through the window. Rolling over, she groaned when she lifted her head from the pillow. Her head was spinning.

  She saw her clothes in a pile on the chair. Memories of last night came floating back in bits and pieces. For a moment she thought it was all a dream, but when she heard Sam’s voice from the living room, she remembered the kiss. The kiss she had initiated and he ended abruptly.

  What was she thinking? Sam wasn’t like anyone she’d met before. He wanted nothing from her, not even her father’s money. At first she thought there was something between them…an attraction perhaps. The way he’d kissed her last night, surely he couldn’t have kissed her and felt nothing. But he did kiss her, felt nothing and then he had pushed her away.