“Thank you.” She waved back at the neighbor. Samantha returned to the porch and rejoined him. “I apologize for walking away.”
“Not necessary. It’s a lot to digest.”
“That’s the understatement of the day. Please tell me more.”
He smiled and her heart jumped. How could he change from handsome to beautiful so quickly? All this uncertainty and insanity was screwing up her hormones.
“I don’t know how Charlie located your family, but your dad had already passed.”
“He died a couple of weeks after I turned twelve. My mother never recovered. She passed away six years later. My grandmother helped raise me.” She kept her gaze on Linc, hoping to hold her tears at bay. “I guess I’ll learn more in the morning, when I sit down with Charlie’s attorney.”
“I’ll drive you.” Linc drank from the bottle, holding her gaze a minute. “I have no idea what he was worth, but I’m guessing he had plenty socked away.”
“What makes you think that?”
“I’ve spent most my live either in the military or working for the government. I’ve never had anything special to spend money on, so I saved it, invested it.” Linc crossed an ankle over his knee. “I got the impression that Charlie and I were a lot alike in that regard.”
“The Cage makes a lot of money?”
“I wasn’t privy to the books, but I’m sure it did okay. It’s not only the food that brings the crowds; they come for the sunsets. It starts at lunch and builds momentum until the sun goes down, and if the moon is full, they still keep coming. A few celebrities like to jog on the beach, drop in for a cool drink, and the media has made mention of them being at The Cage.”
“And their presence draws even more people.”
“Yes. Charlie made sure no one bugged them.” Linc chuckled to himself as if remembering something from the past. “After he started getting weaker, I had to come out from behind the bar a couple of times and play bouncer-bodyguard.”
“So you beat up the paparazzi?” She could see how that could happen. Linc’s body looked as if he’d been sculpted to fight.
“Not at all. I escorted them outside only if or when Charlie thought it was necessary.”
“I have no doubt you’re capable of kicking an unruly customer out the door.” She shifted in the chair. His blue eyes made her feel like his hands were stroking her skin. In a very primal way, he stirred something in her. He sipped at his water. Had he noticed her inspection? Heat crawled up her neck.
“The Army taught me a lot, including how to fight.”
“Do I detect an accent in your voice? Where are you from? “
“Born and bred in California. I’ve lived all over, but I was in New York and Texas for a few years,” he said.
“Do you have family here?”
“I do. Mom and Dad decided to get out of the city a few years back. He’d always wanted an apple orchard, so when they heard of one for sale, they bought it and moved to mountains.”
“Do you see them often?” The affection in his tone of voice made her miss her own parents.
“Not as often as I should.” He stood, gazing across the landscape. “They won’t take the crime scene tape down for a few days, but I’ll bring you back anytime you want.”
“I appreciate everything you’re doing for me.” She carried her bottle of water to the lonely plant and emptied it on the dry ground. Linc joined her, digging a trench around the base of the plant with his hands.
“I don’t see a water hose.” He took her bottle, filled hers and his from a faucet near the sliding doors, then brought them back to her. She emptied both bottles on the thirsty plant.
“Thank you.”
“No problem.” He extended his hand.
Samantha wrapped her fingers around his, stood, and followed him to his car. “I’m going to stop saying thank you, or it’s all I will say.”
He reached for the door handle, stopped and staring at down her. “I missed a spot of mascara.”
Samantha wiped under her eyes. Linc shook his head and ran his thumb across the top of her cheek. His touch was soft as down feathers.
“That got it.”
She made the mistake of looking into his eyes. The deepening blue hinted of sensuality and mystery. Her breasts rapidly tightened and her skin instantly warmed, shocking her. She backed away, admonishing herself for being attracted to a total stranger. Turning, she pulled the door closed, creating some space between them.
She’d met this man a few short hours ago, yet he stirred her peacefully resting hormones into a frenzy. Focus on the goal, she reminded herself. Finish things up here and return to Dallas where she could wrap her secure, orderly life around her. She hadn’t forgotten the last time she’d felt those rushes of heat and the giddy excitement when desire sent blood boiling in her lower belly. Talk about an error in judgment.
“Where to?”
“I’d like to check into my motel.” She hoped he hadn’t noticed her reaction to his nearness. So what if he was good looking and had saved her life? She checked her cell even though it hadn’t vibrated. “I really need to speak with my grandmother. I wish she’d call me back.”
“I can take you.” His lips thinned and the sparkle in his eyes vanished. “I can’t help you with your grandmother.”
The muscles in his jaw twitched in rhythm with the twitch in her eye. The irony was almost funny. “True. That’s one I have to handle myself.”
As they drove away from the deserted house, she realized she was glad Linc had stepped up to help. Something about him inspired a trust and a grounding that had been missing in her life since learning about Charles Pearson.
CHAPTER 3
Linc drove away from Charlie’s neighborhood, unable to shake the feeling of being watched. Spotting nothing out of the ordinary didn’t eliminate his concern. He’d managed to land smack-ass in the middle of a shit-storm. One he hadn’t expected but intended to see though. Through his dead friend’s granddaughter, the truth about Charlie’s murder would come out.
Linc prided himself in being a bona-fide, cold-hearted, military-groomed hard ass. Earned. Justified. He could go undercover and become a chameleon. Arrest the worst of the worst. Yet he hadn’t known how to comfort Sam when she cried, and the feeling was unsettling.
He was running protection on a stranger, a beautiful one with long, wheat colored hair and blue eyes that could stomp a hole in any man’s heart. But she was hurting and confused, making him even more committed to the task Charlie had given him.
To make matters worse, she set his testosterone to jumping every time he got a whiff of her perfume. Christ, she was hot. Linc doubted that she knew she gave every guy who came in contact with her a hard-on. She didn’t have that that I-know-you-want-me-but-fuck-off attitude, which made her even sexier.
Helping her work through the maze of secrets and danger she faced would keep him from wondering things. Things like, what was under that yellow cotton blouse and brown slacks. Things like, how a woman with long legs could wrap around a man’s hips and ride him to heaven. Things he had no reason to wonder about, because this relationship was purely professional.
He’d help sort out her business affairs, not her romantic affairs, so she can go home to Texas. He’d concentrate better on solving Charlie’s murder if she were fourteen hundred miles away.
“Hungry?”
“Food would be good. I haven’t eaten since this morning.”
“If you like, after we get you checked in, I'll take you to The Cage. You can get a bite to eat and then look around.”
“I’d like that. The place sounds interesting.”
“Charlie loved that place. Me too. It’s like the old neighborhood bar where everybody knows everybody.”
“Really?” She chuckled softly. “Sorry, but I can’t see you as a bartender.”
“I mix a great Sex on the Beach.”
One of her eyebrows rose as if to say, really?
“It’s a drink
.”
“I know.”
“Anyway.” Linc decided to change the subject. “After Charlie started getting weak, he spoke about your grandmother more often. He said you reminded him of her.”
“If Charlie cared so much about family...” Her voice trailed off.
“Go on.” Linc wanted her to finish her sentence. A storm was brewing behind those blue eyes. “You’ve got a right to be pissed.”
But she shook her head and turned her gaze toward the countryside. Maybe the scenery would help calm her. He respected her silence. In fact, sometimes he preferred the quiet. He hit the coast freeway again, subtly keeping watch for black SUVs.
A few miles further south, they pulled into the parking lot of her motel. She checked in quickly, and at her request, he waited in the lobby while she changed clothes, another sign that she was a smart woman.
Her scent alerted him she’d returned. Clean like a Texas field after a spring shower, mixed with something citrusy, maybe grapefruit. The combination sent him to his feet with a stupid grin.
“Holy shit.” He’d thought her beautiful, but he’d been flat out wrong. The green sundress did something to her complexion. Earlier, her hair had been pulled back with the severity of an old west school marm, but now it hung in shoulder length waves, shimmering like...well, like sunshine on a wheat field. He forced his hands to remain at his side, resisting the urge to sink them deep into the shining curls hanging around her face.
She turned in a circle. “I think you gave me a compliment.”
“Did I? You must be confused.” He openly stared, expecting his tongue to loll out any second. “I’d better put the top up. The wind will destroy your hairdo.”
“I thought of that.” Sam pulled a scarf out of the small handbag hanging from her shoulder.
“So you did.” He waved his hand toward the exit. “If you’re ready.”
“I am. You said I’d be meeting a lot of new people, so I figured I’d dress for the occasion.”
“They’re going to love you.” Her eyebrows rose at his comment. “The hostess position might be a good place for you. Lots of folks will be happy to meet you.”
“I don’t know about standing at the front door as if I’m on display. Apparently, the only person who didn’t know about me being Charlie’s granddaughter is me.”
“He bragged to anyone who’d listen.” She didn’t comment, so Linc dropped the subject. “I have to run by my place and change.” They didn’t speak again until he drove past The Cage on the way to his condo. “There’s Charlie’s pride and joy.”
“The colors are very…Caribbean.” She didn’t sound impressed by the bright colors and palm trees.
“He called it Hawaiian. A lot of the regulars sit outside on the patio.”
He pulled up to a sleek looking complex with “Del Rio” labeled on the front, and parked in front of his condo. “This won’t take a minute.”
“You live here?”
“I do.” He chuckled at her wide-eyed expression. “Why?”
“It’s beautiful. The Spanish architecture is striking, and those beautiful large shrubs that line the driveway? In Texas we call them succulents, and grow them in little pots indoors.”
Linc scanned the complex with fresh eyes. “It is a nice place to live. Would you like to come up and look around?”
“You go ahead, I’m fine.”
Linc had his shirt off before he opened the door. In under ten minutes he showered, shaved, dressed in a clean T-shirt and shorts and grabbed a pair of leather sandals as he left the apartment.
He bounded down the stairs to find her standing barefoot on the beach, holding her shoes in her hand. The wind had kicked up, and the waves were roaring in, hitting hard, and washing up the sloped beach, stopping inches away from her toes.
He stayed back, observing. She had her grandfather’s blood for sure. The way her eyes tried to take it all in, scanning the sandy shore and back to the ocean, she’d clearly fallen in love. Yet she stood back, shoes in hand, unwilling to get her feet wet.
Linc understood how the sound of the ocean, the salt water smell in the air, and the sparkling blue sky against a sapphire sea, could hypnotize a person. He never tired of staring at it. In fact, all he’d done for the past few months had been work out, physical therapy, and spend time with the ocean.
Why she hadn’t stepped any closer? Did she share Charlie’s fear of water? Damn. Anger shot through his veins when he thought of how horrible Charlie’s death had been. Nobody would ever convince him it was suicide.
“Ready?” he finally asked.
Sam shook her head as if she’d been in a daze. “You bet.”
“We can drive, or just walk down the beach.”
She wiggled her bare foot. “Let’s walk.”
“This way.” He waved toward the restaurant, and began walking through the loose sand, thinking she was right behind him. He stopped mid-step, realizing she wasn’t. He turned and jogged back to her.
“You okay?”
“I got sidetracked.” She smiled down as she wiggled her toes.
“Sand between your toes feels good.”
“No, it feels wonderful.” Her face glowed like a little girl, excited, and fascinated at discovering a new adventure. “It’s hard to take my eyes off the water. It’s stunning and inviting, but at the same time, it feels wild and deadly.”
Deadly? The nerves in his back tensed. Damn, leaving her alone outside in the open had been flat out careless. Two attempts on her life and a run in with two thugs should have been a clear warning to keep her sheltered.
“Walking in the sand seems to have sucked the energy out of me.”
“It’s a good workout.” He scanned the area and saw nothing that concerned him before he met her gaze. “Early in the morning is the best.”
“You love the beach and the ocean, don’t you?” Sam tilted her head up at him.
“Yeah. There’s nothing like the surf in Malibu. The wave starts as a barrel, then forms a wall, and finally rolls into the barrel again. It’s perfect.”
“Your eyes light up when you talk about it.” She blinked her thick eyelashes and his groin tightened.
“We’ll make better time if we move to the wet sand.” She fell in step with him and they walked in silence. He liked her, liked her honesty and spirit. That she was handling such dramatic shock so well, made him respect her.
“We’re here.” Linc stopped her just short of the building so she could get a clear picture of what her grandfather had left her.
Sam’s eyes traveled around the pale gray single story building with its wide patio providing panoramic view the ocean. The bright yellow umbrellas shading dark stained tables provided shade on this beautiful day. The sign above the door said The Lobster Cage.
Then Linc walked her up the steps and escorted her inside. “It’s nice, but it looks more like a bar than a restaurant.”
“It’s both,” a petite, but vivacious looking redhead spoke up. “There’s a genius in the kitchen who makes the best burgers and hot dogs on this stretch of the beach.”
“On any stretch of beach,” admonished a handsome brunette-haired man sitting next to her. His temples had sprinkles of gray but Samantha guessed him to be in his mid thirties.
“Samantha Anderson, meet Maggie and David Cornwell. He brags because he helps cook them.”
Linc stepped back and let the three of them talk for a minute. Within minutes, the two women chatted away as if they’d know each other for years. Weird habit. Females trusted too easily. He liked Dave and Maggie. Except for Charlie, they were the first friends he’d allowed himself to have in years. Sometimes they got a little mushy for his comfort, what with all the handholding and winking back and forth.
“Who cooks the lobster?” Sam asked.
“Nobody. We sell steaks, shrimp, burgers and hot dogs, with baked potatoes or fries. Purists can order a salad.” Dave chuckled. “And our patrons have the choice of iced tea, cold beer or
kick-ass mixed drinks,” Dave said.
“Then why’s it called The Lobster Cage?”
“The name’s been the same for as long as I’ve been around,” a stranger said. He stood in an open door next to the kitchen area. Appearing to be in his early forties, his smile faded as he walked to meet them.
“Sam Anderson, this is…” Linc walked to meet the man. “What’s wrong?”
“I tripped getting out of the shower this morning. Just barely missed connecting my head with my throne.” The man laughed, but Linc picked up on the sarcasm in his voice. “Ms. Anderson.” He extended his hand to her. “Leo Cornetta.”
“Samantha.” She corrected him, grasping his hand.
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you.”
“Sam’s in the money business too.” Linc turned to her. “Leo handles the books and purchasing.”
“Charlie said you work at a bank. So I handle money on a much smaller scale than you.”
“You knew my grandfather well?”
“Less than a year, but he was a good man. After I got laid off, it was rough going. Jobs are in short supply around here. He’d gotten too sick to stay on top of the books, so he turned them over to me.”
“Thank you for telling me.” Sam answered.
“Charlie liked his books kept the old fashioned way. Pencil and paper. No fancy computer programs for him, but I mastered the method he preferred,” Leo continued.
Dave clapped Leo on the back. “We were grateful that you did. None of us wanted that responsibility.”
“Aw, shucks,” Leo laughed, turning to Sam. “It’s worked out well, but they still won’t let me in the kitchen because I don’t have a health permit.”
Till The Dead Speak (Killer Affections Book 2) Page 3
