Sweet Dreams Boxed Set

by Brenda Novak

  “And that’s why he’s probably thrilled right now.” His eyes glinted. “Fate just dropped you right in his hands. Another perfect victim.”

  Now she jumped to her feet and their bodies brushed. “I’m not anyone’s victim.” The hell she was.

  “Ivy,” he sighed out her name. “I’ve been doing research on you, too.”

  Only fair. She’d dug into his past and—

  “Why do you like danger so much?”

  She flinched at that question. “It’s not the danger. Maybe I just want to help someone else.” And that was exactly what she was doing—trying to help. Trying to save someone else’s life.

  Her grandfather had trained her well, and she’d loved working at his PI business. And it wasn’t just about the rush that came from the job. It was about the difference that she could make. The difference her grandfather had made.

  Her father had tried to crash and burn that legacy, but she’d been determined to build it back up. Ivy heaved out a hard breath. “Money and power can do a lot of things in this world. They can sure hide plenty of sins.”

  “Like your father’s?”

  “I know you hated him.” There was no use pretending for either of them. “He blackmailed his way to power. He covered his past, made sure that the skeletons in his closet would stay dead, but I am not him.”

  “I never said you were.”

  “No, you just look at me sometimes, judging me, thinking I’m cut from the same cloth.” Why had she thought anything would change regarding that? “Screw that, Bennett. Screw you.” She shoved by him and marched for the door.

  She’d taken only a few steps when he caught her. He grabbed her wrist and swung her back around to face him. The office was small and with their bodies intimately close—it sure felt one hell of a lot smaller.

  “He got away with murder,” Bennett whispered.

  Yes, he had. But only for a time.

  “He was drinking that night, Ivy,” Bennett continued gruffly. “He killed her. And the cops and the media just let him walk.”

  She thought of that fiery crash. Of the way the flames had shot in the sky. She’d gotten there right after the accident. She and Bennett had arrived together. She’d seen the aftermath.

  And had borne the brunt of Bennett’s pain, even back then.

  His aunt had been in that car. His aunt…she’d been the one that Senator DuLane hit with his BMW late one night after he’d had too many drinks at his bay house. His car had slammed right into hers, and Bennett’s aunt…she’d never been able to escape the flames.

  But the cops and the press, they’d told a different story. Slick roads. Too much rain. A tragic accident.

  Not manslaughter.

  No matter what Bennett and his mother had said, no one had believed them. Hell, there hadn’t even been a blood alcohol test taken from the senator that night, or…if there had been, it had vanished later.

  Money and power.

  That night had torn her and Bennett apart. He’d become so angry. So full of rage. And so determined to get justice.

  He’d left town. Joined the FBI.

  And she’d…

  Stayed. I tried to make things better. I tried to atone. It just didn’t always work for me.

  “I couldn’t stay here,” Bennett said. “Not after that. Not with the world treating him like he was some damn victim.”

  No.

  “He tried to buy us off,” Bennett admitted.

  She knew this, and it broke her heart all the more.

  A muscle flexed in his jaw. “My mother took that money. She took his fifty thousand, and she didn’t look back.”

  Bennett’s mother had cleared out of town and never come back. Bennett’s father had died when he was a child, just as Ivy’s mom had, and Bennett—

  “Why did you come back?” Ivy asked. She truly hadn’t thought there was anything left for him in this town.

  “Don’t you know?” His eyes glittered at her as his head began to lower.

  Her heart beat faster. She wanted to think that he’d come back for her. That after all that time had passed, he’d still cared. He’d needed her.

  But she wasn’t given to delusions. Not usually, anyway.

  “Why?” Ivy asked again, her voice soft.

  He kissed her. Not a hard, desperate kiss. Not an I’m-Starving-And-Must-Have-You kiss. But deep. Slow. Sensual.

  Her eyes closed as she leaned in to him. Ivy’s mouth moved slowly against his. Her lips touched his, and her tongue slid to tease his. She’d always loved his kiss. He’d savored her in the past—and he was savoring her now.

  He hadn’t been the first boy she’d ever kissed, but he had been the first to teach her about passion and need.

  And the first to break her heart.

  I begged him to stay, for me.

  Her hands rose and pressed to his chest. She pushed against him and Bennett’s head slowly lifted. His eyes were heavy-lidded, that green of his gaze so very deep.

  “You know I want you,” Bennett said.

  Wanting wasn’t enough but…

  Maybe it can do, for now.

  “You’ve been in my dreams,” Bennett told her, his voice gruff. “Too many nights. A man should never think about one woman the way I think about you.”

  “How do you think about me, exactly?” Because that would be good to know. Her own voice had come out husky.

  “Every damn way I can. I think about the things I want to do with you. To you.” His voice deepened even more as he confessed, “The way I feel about you…it isn’t safe, Ivy. It isn’t good. You should be telling me to get my hands off you.”

  “But I want your hands on me.” All over her. “I’m not the one who ran away.”

  “Ivy…”

  She rose onto her toes. She’d pushed him away a moment before but now she was the one locking her arms around his neck and pulling him back down to her. She’d stopped him because the kiss, while certainly good, had been wrong.

  Too slow. Too careful. Too controlled.

  When they touched, they were supposed to ignite. The passion was supposed to take over. It wasn’t supposed to be lukewarm. Good.

  That’s the way it was with others.

  With Bennett, it was supposed to be insane.

  “Let go,” she whispered against his mouth, and then she kissed him again—with every bit of need and desire that she had bottled up inside of her.

  She let go.

  And…so did he.

  This kiss was different. This kiss was hot. It was wild. It made lust burn through every cell of her body. His hands were on her hips now, and he jerked her up against him. That wasn’t enough. That wasn’t close enough—he must have felt the same way because Bennett lifted her up. He pinned her against the nearest wall and he crushed her there, caging Ivy with his body.

  His mouth didn’t let hers go. His tongue, his lips—they were whipping up the frenzy of her need. Her nipples were tight and aching and she couldn’t get enough of him.

  Her nails sank into his shoulders. Her legs wrapped around his hips. The guy was sexy strong—he held her easily right there and—

  Something was ringing.

  It was her.

  Bennett’s head lifted. He blinked and frowned down at her.

  “M-my phone,” Ivy whispered. Someone had the worst timing in the entire world. Her legs slipped off his hips and her feet hit the floor, and it was a good thing he still had a grip on her waist because her knees felt a little jiggly. She fumbled and yanked her phone out of her back pocket. Unknown caller. She glanced at Bennett, but then put the phone to her ear. “Hello?” It was far too late for some telemarketer, and the kick in her gut warned her this wasn’t going to be good.

  “Why are you with him?” The voice was low, rasping. Was it the same voice that she’d heard the night before, in that dark corridor? She couldn’t tell for certain. Maybe.

  Her gaze was on Bennett. “Who is this?”

  “I’m the m
an in the mask…the only man you should see…”

  Her hand shook just a little as she held that phone. She pulled the phone from her ear and swiped her fingers over the screen, activing the speaker option so that Bennett could hear the call. She mouthed “It’s him” to Bennett.

  Ivy cleared her throat. “The man in the mask? I don’t—”

  “You saw me. Did you enjoy it? Knowing that she was dying, right then. With the crowd all around, but they were oblivious, so oblivious…we knew. You and I. Just us.”

  Oh, jeez, he was making it sound as if they’d been involved in the killing together. “I tried to stop you!”

  He laughed. That laughter chilled her.

  “Why did you kill the councilman?” Ivy asked. She wanted him to keep talking and to confess anything—everything—he could while Bennett was listening. Then, going by instinct, she said, “He wasn’t a pretty young brunette, not your type at all.”

  “No,” the caller agreed. “You’re my type.”

  Her chill got worse.

  “He was in the way. He saw me. Shined his damn light right on me. What was I supposed to do? Let him just walk away?”

  “He didn’t know you were a killer,” Ivy argued. “You were two men in the dark.”

  “I had my knife out. He saw it. He knew me.”

  Bennett mouthed, “Keep him talking.”

  “The cops found out about your other victims. The ones here and in New Orleans. They’re going to find you.”

  Silence.

  So much for getting the guy to keep talking.

  “Hello?” Ivy pushed. “Are you—”

  “You’re letting him hear the call, aren’t you, Ivy?” He sighed, sounding disappointed. “You aren’t going to trap me. That isn’t the way this works.” Voices rose in the background. She could hear laughter. Music? “But I will be trapping you. We’ll be meeting again. Very, very soon.”

  He hung up.

  “A party,” Ivy muttered. “Another ball?”

  Bennett didn’t answer, he just spun and rushed for the door. “We’re going to try and trace that call.”

  Could he do that? She hoped so but the knot in her stomach told her things weren’t going to be so easy. This guy—if he’d been killing for years, he wasn’t going to just go down with a slip-up like a traceable call. He’d probably used a burner phone or he’d stolen someone else’s phone or—hell, he could have done just about anything.

  No, it wasn’t going to be that easy.

  The guy was playing a game. He’d called so she’d know. So she’d be afraid.

  I will be trapping you.

  And, dammit, she was scared.

  ***

  He slipped the phone into his pocket and smiled. Another night, another ball. And there were so many beautiful brunettes at that ball. Their dresses were lovely, glinting in the light. Whispering against their legs as the women walked.

  High heels. Sexy scents.

  Such tempting prey.

  Not as tempting as she is.

  He smiled and then pushed back through the crowd. This ball wasn’t held at the convention center. No, tonight he’d chosen to attend the ball held in one of the historic mansions in downtown Mobile. A mansion with a spiral staircase and too many glittering chandeliers.

  He saw the dark-haired man to his right. He bumped into the guy, mumbling his apologies even as he slipped the phone back into the guy’s pocket. It had certainly been easy enough to take that phone minutes before.

  In a crush like this, pockets were meant to be picked.

  “Sorry, there, buddy,” he muttered as he straightened up. “I think I’ve had a few too many drinks tonight.”

  The man smiled at him, flashing a dimple in his left cheek. “That’s okay. Just be careful.” His smile dimmed. “You don’t want to go driving home that way.”

  Gravely, he shook his head. “A taxi is in my future.”

  The guy’s dark brown eyes warmed. “Good man.” He clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I’m Hugh. Hugh DuLane.”

  Tell me something I don’t already know…

  “Hell of a party, isn’t it?” Hugh asked.

  Yes, it was.

  ***

  “My brother?” Ivy’s lips had parted in shock. “That’s not possible. That wasn’t Hugh!”

  The tech glanced over at Bennett, saying nothing. But then, the guy didn’t need to say a word. The information on the computer screen was pretty undeniable. Thanks to the pull at the police department, they’d been able to get the phone company to hook them right up with the information they’d needed.

  The caller had attempted to block his number, using the old *67 trick, but they’d still been able to trace him.

  The phone belonged to Hugh DuLane.

  Hugh, who just happened to be Bennett’s size. Hugh, who just happened to have dark hair. Hugh…who just happened to have a sister who looked exactly like the other victims.

  Fucking Hugh.

  “No way,” Ivy said flatly. “He would never do this! And, hell, don’t you think I’d recognize my own brother’s voice?”

  “He was at the ball last night,” Bennett reminded her.

  “Yes, with me!” Her cheeks flushed and she yanked the phone from his hands. He knew that she was calling her brother even before she—

  Worry slid across her face. She kept the phone near her ear, but it was obvious that Hugh wasn’t answering her. “Something is wrong,” Ivy said. She dropped the phone. “Hugh always takes my calls.”

  “Where is he?”

  She began to pace. “He was going to another ball tonight. His girlfriend—Shelly is in the Maidens of Folly. They were having her party at the Melton House tonight.”

  Then he’d be getting his ass down to the Melton House. He knew exactly where that old mansion was—the place was often rented for wedding and parties, and he had no doubt that a big crowd would be there tonight.

  “He could be in danger,” Ivy said. She dialed again on the phone. “Maybe I can get Shelly…” She paused a moment, then Bennett saw her face light up. “Shelly! Shelly, it’s Ivy. I need to speak with Hugh, right now.” She paused and Bennett could tell by her expression that the news Shelly had just given her wasn’t good. “When? No, no, please try to find him. Then call me. I’m on my way there.” She glanced at Bennett. “Shelly said that he disappeared about ten minutes ago. She lost him in the crush.”

  Hell.

  “He’s not doing this,” Ivy said definitely. “That bastard…last night, he mentioned Hugh to me. He said it was a shame…”

  A shame?

  “What if he’s hurting my brother, in order to get to me?”

  Or what if your brother is as screwed up as your father? And we just didn’t notice it before?

  Because that accident that had taken Bennett’s aunt…it had happened right during Mardi Gras. Right during the madness.

  Coincidence?

  And, Hugh…he’d been in the back seat of his father’s car. He’d seen that nightmare go down, and he’d watched his father get away with murder.

  “Let’s go,” Bennett said.

  But Ivy was ahead of him. She was already running for the door. He knew how things worked with Ivy and Hugh. No one ever came between them. He’d tried. And he’d gotten shut down real fast. Ivy would do anything for her brother.

  But could she see the darkness inside of him?

  Chapter Seven

  “Stop sir,” a big, burly bouncer ordered as he stepped into Bennett’s path. His bald head gleamed under the light and a diamond winked from his right ear lobe. “Tails are required for this event.” He glanced toward Ivy and shook his head. “And ma’am, you know those jeans won’t get you inside.”

  Bennett lifted his badge. “How about this? Will this get us inside?”

  The bouncer stepped back and smiled. “You should’ve mentioned you had the VIP pass,” he murmured.

  Bennett just nodded as he took Ivy’s hand and hurried past the security c
heck-in. Music drifted in the air, spilling out from the open doors and windows at Melton House. The mansion was on a secluded fifteen acres, and the long wrap-around porch on the second floor was filled with men and women. Some wearing masks. Some without.

  He was really getting sick of the masks.

  “Bennett…” Ivy stopped.

  He looked back at her, only Ivy was staring up at the balcony. He followed her gaze and saw the man in the white mask and black tux. A man who seemed to be staring straight down at her.

  “The men don’t wear masks at this event,” she said quickly. “It’s a party for the women’s Mardi Gras organization. They’re the ones in masks, and Shelly’s group picked out green masks, I saw them at her place last week.”

  Sonofabitch.

  The man up there—he bowed to Ivy.

  “That’s him,” she whispered. “Oh, my God—”

  “Stop!” Bennett bellowed.

  The man didn’t stop. He turned on his heel and started pushing through the crowd on the balcony. “Dammit!” Bennett kept his hold on Ivy and started running toward the entrance to Melton House. That jerk had been waiting out there. He’d wanted Ivy to see him.

  He lured her here. He lured us both here. Bennett tightened his hold on Ivy. He wasn’t going to let her out of his sight.

  When they burst inside the house, Bennett’s gaze swept the packed scene. Ivy had been right—none of the men in the lower area of the house were wearing masks.

  What is his plan? Bennett wondered as he looked around. What does he want? He looked up, and then Bennett raced toward the spiral staircase.

  “Ivy!”

  Hugh stood in the middle of that staircase. He had on a black tux, with tails, and his dark hair was pushed away from his face. He smiled at Ivy. “What are you doing here?” Hugh asked her. “You—”

  Bennett’s left hand slammed into the guy and he shoved Hugh against the railing.

  “Bennett, no!” Ivy ordered as she tore free from him. “Stop it! My brother isn’t the one you’re after!”

  She seemed so very certain, but then, Ivy didn’t trust anyone else the way she trusted Hugh. She’d do anything for Hugh. Lie. Fight.

  Leave me. Yes, he’d known that, even years ago.