by Rita Herron
McKenzie stalked toward Collin, his mouth twisting nastily. Collin gently pushed Sydney behind him, then pounced on McKenzie. One minute McKenzie’s hand was holding the weapon, the next Collin landed a punch to his arm and stomach that sent the gun flying to the floor. Sydney jumped back, clutching the side of a chair. McKenzie doubled over and dropped to the carpet, groaning.
Coffin retrieved the gun, reached for the phone with one hand and kept his booted foot pressed against McKenzie’s neck. “I’m sure the police will be interested in heating how you barged in and threatened Mrs. Green.”
McKenzie whimpered and gaped at Sydney and Collin with hate-filled eyes. “It’s not my fault. It’s mat cheatin’ husband of yours.”
Sydney pressed a shaky fist to her mouth as Collin dialed the police. Then they waited for them to arrive.
“You know, McKenzie, the cops may decide you had the perfect motive to kill Sydney’s husband.” Collin gestured at the ransacked room. “And now you returned, searching for Green’s files to destroy them and cover your tracks. Then you intended to kill his wife, too.”
Spade McKenzie’s face turned even paler. His big eyes bulged with fear. “I didn’t kill him,” he said in a shrill voice. “I didn’t.”
Collin clenched his jaw. “Tell it to the police.”
“And I...I wasn’t going to kill her,” McKenzie protested. “I only wanted my money...and the credit for my work.”
Sydney wrapped her arms around herself at the man’s pathetic whine. A siren wailed in the distance and she experienced a sense of déjà vu; memories of the horrible night Doug had died flooded her mind. Her chest ached and her throat felt raw, but she slowly rocked herself, trying to maintain control. A hand gently massaged her shoulder and she sank onto the sofa, her knees buckling.
“Are you all right?” Collin’s low, intimate voice ignited a subtle warmth that replaced the chill in her body.
Sydney nodded, her throat too dry to speak. The police pounded on the door and yelled for her to open it. Collin shook his head at her, silently telling her to stay still and allow him to handle things. Emotionally drained, she relented, already dreading another encounter with the police. McKenzie started to stand, but Collin pointed the gun at him more aggressively, and McKenzie slumped back onto the floor. Then Collin let Raeburn and a uniformed woman officer in.
“So, what’s going on here, Mizz Green?” the sergeant asked, maneuvering his bulk toward her.
Sydney tensed as he surveyed the room. “This man broke into my house. He pulled a gun on me.”
Raeburn’s questioning gaze traveled from McKenzie to Collin. “You’re the one who dragged Mizz Green from the wreck, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
Raeburn’s bushy eyebrows shot up. “I thought you two didn’t know each other.”
Sydney realized the implication. Apparently so did Collin. “I’m vacationing here,” Collin explained. “I ran into Sydney at the festival, then walked over here afterward. When I arrived, this man was waving a gun in her face.”
Raeburn and the other officer listened while Sydney repeated McKenzie’s threats.
“I have my rights,” McKenzie whined. “And her husband cheated me. I only want what’s mine.”
“Can it!” the woman officer snapped.
“Cuff him,” Raeburn ordered. “We’ll take him in and book him.”
Sydney breathed a sigh of relief. She’d feared Raeburn wouldn’t believe her.
The accompanying officer handcuffed McKenzie and helped him to stand. He struggled with the cuffs, a feral gleam in his eyes, but the woman jerked his arm and shoved him toward the door.
“This isn’t over yet!” McKenzie yelled.
“Get him outta here,” Raeburn said coldly.
Sydney recoiled at McKenzie’s crude reply.
Raeburn turned to Sydney. “Care to shed any light on McKenzie’s accusations, Mizz Green?”
Once again Sydney felt the implications underlying his statement, and anger churned through her. He thought she was holding back; he’d made his opinion clear the last time he’d questioned her. “I don’t know anything about Doug’s business deals. He didn’t share his files or details about his ventures with me,” she said. “And I’ve never heard of that man before tonight.”
Raeburn stuffed a piece of gum in his mouth. “I see. Seems you’re always winding up in trouble and don’t know why, don’t it, Mizz Green?”
Sydney clasped her hands in her lap, the day’s events taking a toll. He made her sound like an idiot. “I told you everything I know, Sergeant. I was photographing the festival today and when I returned, my place had been ransacked. That man was waiting inside my house with a gun.”
“The lady answered your question,” Collin cut in. “Now why don’t you do your job and find out about that lunatic who barged in here and threatened her.”
Raeburn’s fat cheeks reddened with anger. Collin sent him a steely look. Once again Sydney wondered just who Collin Cash was. He certainly wasn’t afraid of fighting a crazy, dangerous man like McKenzie or standing up to a cop like Raeburn.
“I’ll be in touch.” Raeburn pointed a beefy finger at Sydney. “And don’t leave town, Mizz Green. I’ll need to talk to you again once I’ve interrogated McKenzie.” He tipped his head, indicating the things strewn on the floor. “Oh, and make a list of anything you find missing. We’ll need it for the report.”
Sydney nodded curtly. Raeburn turned to leave, but Collin stopped him at the door. “Did you learn anything else about Mrs. Green’s car when you hauled it in?”
Sydney’s fingers dug into the edge of the sofa cushion as she waited for Raeburn’s reply. Surely if he’d found the weapon, he would already have arrested her. The sergeant was obviously looking for some way to pin everything on her, and the gun was probably the only thing he needed to lock her up.
“As a matter of fact, we did,” Raeburn said in a gravelly voice. He shot a punitive gaze her way.
“And?”
Raeburn popped his gum between his teeth. “It looks like the brake lines on the car were cut.”
The air in Sydney’s lungs collected in a hot pool and gushed out. “What?”
“So somebody intentionally tried to hurt her,” Collin supplied.
Raeburn lifted his massive shoulders in a slight shrug. “Don’t know for sure, but we’re checking it out.”
“I certainly hope you are checking it out. Because if it was intentional, then today makes the second time someone’s tried to harm Sydney.”
Sydney dropped her head forward and closed her eyes as Collin walked Raeburn outside. A shudder passed through her. Raeburn still believed she’d killed Doug. And that madman, McKenzie, might have killed her if Collin hadn’t shown up.
Why was all this happening? Even if Doug had been in trouble, why would someone want to harm her?
COLLIN TOOK A DEEP BREATH, bracing himself as Raeburn knotted a fist around his shirt. “I did some checking on you, Mr. Cash.” Raeburn’s voice turned hard. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a cop?”
Collin picked Raeburn’s hands off his shirt. Apparently the sergeant wasn’t as incompetent as he’d thought. “I see you’ve done your homework.”
“Damn right. Now be straight with me, Cash.”
Collin conceded with a slight grunt, “Because I didn’t come here on business.” Not officially, anyway, he thought. “I came here on vacation. I told you the truth about having surgery.”
Raeburn made a hissing sound of disbelief. “And you just happened to wind up in the middle of a murder investigation?”
Collin nodded, but Raeburn’s expression reeked of anger. “I don’t believe you, Cash. Now tell me the real reason you’re here, ‘cause you’re out of your jurisdiction.”
“If you checked up on me, then you know I’ve been on disability leave for over a year,” Collin said. “I was shot last spring and haven’t worked since.”
Raeburn’s stance widened. “I’m not b
uying this vacation crap, Cash. It’s too coincidental.” He snapped his gum. “And I’m warning you, this is my town. Stay out of my way. If you botch this investigation, I’ll throw you in the tank myself.”
“I’m not going to botch anything.” Collin squared his shoulders. “Tell me why you’re not searching harder for Green’s killer.”
“Maybe I think I already know who it is.”
“Maybe you’re wrong. Why don’t you look somewhere beyond the obvious?”
Raeburn gave him a nasty smile. “You mean beyond Mrs. Green?”
“Yeah. Surely you’ve investigated Doug Green’s past. His business dealings. The guy made a bundle of money on his deals—plenty of motive for murder.”
“Yeah, and guess who gets it all now he’s dead?”
Raeburn’s question silenced him. He knew there was more. He just hadn’t figured it out yet. “What about protecting Sydney?” Collin asked. “You don’t believe she cut her own brake lines, do you?”
A muscle ticked in Raeburn’s jaw. “We’re taking McKenzie in. And other than that, I don’t owe you any explanation. This matter is police business.”
Collin had hit a brick wall. “How about having a car patrol the neighborhood tonight? I’m sure that would make Sydney feel better.”
Raeburn mumbled an agreement, then jacked up his pants and sauntered away. Collin gritted his teeth. He wouldn’t botch the case—he was determined to find Doug Green’s killer.
Even if he had to butt heads with Raeburn. And even if the murderer turned out to be Sydney.
SYDNEY BARELY GLANCED UP when Collin knelt beside her. “Are you okay, Sydney?”
He laid his hand at the back of her neck, and Sydney swallowed, refusing to look up. Pain rolled through her in waves. Too many unanswered questions tumbled through her head.
Doug had obviously played her for a fool. And now Wallace and McKenzie both suggested he’d cheated them. She’d been so caught up in wanting a family that she’d seen only the things she wanted to see. Besides the horror of his murder, one nasty, dark secret after another about her husband kept popping up. What would be next?
Collin gently brushed aside her hair, then massaged the tense muscles at the base of her neck. “It’s okay, you’re safe now.”
Sydney trembled, fighting the overwhelming sense of fear invading her. She also had to fight her attraction to this man. It would be too easy to lean on him, to accept his comfort—the way she had Doug’s.
“Come on, Sydney, take a deep breath,” Collin murmured. He kneaded her shoulder muscles and stroked her neck again, and Sydney shuddered, a low sob escaping her. Collin rubbed his hands up and down her arms, the rich cadence of his voice soothing and warm.
“I’m sorry,” Sydney said, hating the way her body quivered.
“He scared you. Hell, he scared me, too,” Collin said with a self-deprecating laugh. “It’s a normal reaction, Sydney.” He paused, their breathing the only sound in the room. “And it’s also normal to release the fear once the danger’s over.”
Sydney knotted her hands around a small cushion. She had to tell him to leave, had to tell him she could take care of herself. But like a traitor, her mouth ignored her.
“Shh, it’s okay.” Collin pried her hands from the cushion, coaxing her with gentle murmurings. At first she resisted, but he crooned soft, comforting words and she felt herself relenting, giving in to the emotional pull of his husky voice.
His strong arms tightened around her and she sagged against him, the past two months’ worth of anger and hurt welling up inside her. Tears spilled from her eyes, and her shoulders shook with unreleased sobs. She clutched his shirt and buried herself against him, drawing in his masculine scent and taking solace in the heat from his body, in the rapid rhythm of his heart beating beneath her cheek.
He stroked her hair and back, held her securely against the hard wall of his chest, and whispered soft words of understanding that soothed her nerves like kisses she might plant on a child. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the torrent of emotions ebbed and the rush of tears subsided. Embarrassed at her outburst, she huddled against him, not knowing what to say.
“I hope that SOB rots in jail,” Collin muttered. “He had no right to barge in here and scare you half to death.” The harsh edge to his voice was so at odds with the tender way he held her that tears pooled in her eyes again. But she pressed her fist to her mouth and took several deep breaths to keep them at bay. Collin held her closer, his warm breath fanning her cheek.
“I wish you’d talk to me,” Collin whispered. “Tell me about Doug’s business dealings. Maybe I can help you.”
Sydney shook her head, relaxing slightly when he threaded his fingers through her hair and lifted the strands away from her face. She barely even knew this man, yet she felt closer to him than she had to her own husband.
During the past few months of their marriage, her feelings for Doug had waned. When they’d first met, she’d been ready to settle down and have a family. Doug had said he wanted the same things. He’d been so charming.
But shortly into the marriage, Doug’s vows had become nothing but empty words. Being old-fashioned and believing in commitment, she’d tried to make things work, had hoped things would get better. But they hadn’t.
“Sydney, I really do want to help,” Collin repeated softly. He trailed his fingers down her arm and Sydney shivered again, this time a slow arousal building in her. Collin’s strong, virile body was pressed against hers so tightly she could feel his chest rising and falling with every breath. She could smell his masculine scent. She could almost taste the understanding and yearning in his voice. She wanted to succumb to the long-dormant desire awakening inside her, stroke his jaw, then bury herself even more deeply in his warm embrace.
But she had too many problems to deal with now. She barely knew Collin. She couldn’t bare her soul to a stranger. Mentally scolding herself, she eased out of his arms and wiped her face with her palms. Then she looked up into Collin’s eyes and saw a tenderness she’d never expected. On the heels of understanding, something like desire flickered in the gray depths. His eyes simmered with heat, with longing. His eyes—Dong’s eyes.
The thought jerked her back to reality with a soul-deep pain. He wanted her to talk to him, but how could she tell him she thought her husband, the man who’d given him back his eyesight, might be guilty of the things McKenzie had said? And that he’d deceived her, maybe cheated on her, had an alias and had bought a one-way ticket to Brazil the day he died?
She could no more do that than she could reveal the humiliating sting of finding out he’d had a vasectomy and acted as if she was a failure because she couldn’t bear a child. She had to tell Collin to go back to his home, to his own life and leave her alone. Because every time she looked at him, she saw her husband in his eyes.
COLLIN KNEW the second he lost her. One moment Sydney was cradled against him, warm and trusting, accepting his comfort, and his mind was going berserk trying to refrain from kissing her fears away. The next she pulled away, looking wary and confused and leaving his body with an aching emptiness he didn’t quite understand. He balled his hands into fists against his thighs to keep from dragging her back into his arms.
When he’d seen McKenzie holding a gun on her, he’d almost gone ballistic. Thank God, his police training had kicked in and he’d used his head. If he hadn’t they might both have been killed.
He had a second chance at life now, and he didn’t want to blow it. He didn’t want to blow things with Sydney, either. So he sat patiently, trying to give her time to feel in control again. He understood how vulnerable it felt to be a victim. God, the whole past year of his life he’d felt victimized.
There was something else wrong, though, something she wasn’t telling him about Doug. Something that had hurt her so badly she didn’t want to talk about it. She was trying to distance herself, trying to decide whether she should trust him. She must have been desperately in love with Doug t
o want to protect the man this way.
“You should go,” Sydney said in a low voice, standing and putting even more distance between them.
He cleared his throat, biding time while he studied her pale face. “I don’t want to leave,” he said. “Not until I know you’re all right.”
“I’m fine.” Her chin lifted a notch as if to prove it.
But she didn’t fool him. “I’d still like you to tell me about Doug’s business dealings,” Collin said. “I might be able to help you.”
“How? Are you in the research business?”
Her question threw him and he realized he was wading into water he wasn’t yet ready to swim in. “No, I haven’t worked in a while—I’m on disability. But I could ask around, find out some information about McKenzie.”
He looked at her and could still feel the warm impression where she’d cuddled next to him. Now his body felt suddenly cold.
“I’ll let the police handle it. I’m really tired right now. I think I’ll go to bed early and get some sleep.”
He straightened the pillows on her sofa and righted the coffee table, remembering Raeburn’s news about her brake lines having been cut. The thought of her being in danger sent a surge of panic through him. “I can stay if you want,” he offered quietly.
Her startled gaze shot to his.
“I mean I could bunk on your couch or something... you know, so you’ll sleep better.”
She bit her bottom lip and he knew without a doubt she was shaken. But she was going to refuse his offer. He’d delivered quite a shock to her himself earlier when he’d told her about the transplant.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Mr. Cash. But thanks for saving me...again.”
“Call me Collin. Please.” He smiled, hoping to alleviate her anxieties about hum. She was standing so close he could smell the jasmine scent of her cologne. Like an aphrodisiac, it bled through his senses and sent desire rocketing through him. She stared at him, all sweetness and courage wrapped in one small, dark-haired bundle, and he reached out and tucked a strand of her sable hair behind her ear.
