As he dined with the lovely Jessica he wondered if perhaps fate had brought him to her at this place in his life. He knew about her brother’s death in a drive-by shooting, so they both had lost loved ones to the scourge of drugs.
Still, it was too early to tell whether she would have any part in his life. At the moment she was nothing more than a possibility, a pleasant date and a potential partner.
He’d thought he’d found the right woman in Nicole. He’d groomed her to have a special place in his life, bought her jewelry and clothes befitting her position as his lover. And, when he’d thought the time was right he’d shared with her his vision, his plan and she hadn’t understood.
Now Nicole was gone and the lovely Jessica held the allure of shared pain, common anger and hopefully, the promise of understanding and acceptance.
He and Jessica lingered over coffee, sharing tidbits of their pasts. He was reluctant to call an end to the night, but when she stifled a yawn for the third time, he knew it was time for them to say goodbye.
“You’re exhausted,” he said.
“No…I’m fine,” she replied, but instantly was plagued by another yawn. She covered her mouth, then laughed. “Well, okay, maybe I am tired. But it’s been such a lovely night.”
“It has.” As Adam rose from the table, he was aware of Burt and Sebastian doing the same from their table. They were good bodyguards, loyal to him for monetary gain, partnered with him by criminal intent and greed.
Jessica rose as well. He’d already made arrangements with Anthony regarding their bill for the night. Anthony unlocked the door and he led Jessica outside.
Hot, humid air greeted them despite the early-morning hour. “I keep hoping this hot spell will snap,” he said as they stood on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant.
“It will only get worse,” she replied. “We haven’t even hit July or the dog days of August yet.”
“Don’t remind me.” He took her by the arm. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.”
“That isn’t necessary,” she protested. “It’s just around back. I’ll be fine.” She stepped away from him.
“Then Burt will see to it that you get to your car safely.” He looked at the big man.
“I’d be happy to,” Burt said as he stepped closer. But there was nothing in his tone to indicate he’d be happy with anything. That was Burt. He was a loyal bodyguard, but a lowlife grunt with a mean streak and a bad attitude.
Although under other circumstances Adam wouldn’t have been caught dead in the same room as Burt Weatherby, Adam had been forced to forgo some of his own personal integrity to fulfill his dreams.
“No, really, I’m fine,” Jessica protested again, then smiled at him. “Thank you, for a lovely meal and great conversation. I had a wonderful time.”
He took her hand in his. “I had a wonderful time. I’d like to see you again.”
Her green eyes sparkled with pleasure. “I’d like that.”
“Why don’t I pick you up tomorrow around four and we’ll plan something fun, something exciting.”
“That sounds wonderful, but I have to be here to work at eight.”
“I’ll make sure you’re back in time for work.”
Her eyes narrowed just a bit. “I guess I don’t have to give you my address.”
He winced. “I apologize for the background check.”
“You’re forgiven. Thank you again and I’ll be ready at four.” She turned and he watched her walk off. With a lift of his finger he sent Burt to follow behind her. He liked to take care of his women as long as they behaved themselves, and when they didn’t behave, he let Burt take care of them for him.
The burly bodyguard followed Cassie too closely, invading her personal space in a way that felt slightly threatening. Cassie pulled her keys from her purse, then halted and twirled around. “Do you mind? You’re invading my space,” she exclaimed.
He snorted with derision but backed off a bit. “I’m just telling you right now, Blondie, don’t even think about taking advantage of Mr. Mercer.”
“What’s your problem? All I’ve done is have dinner with the man,” Cassie replied.
“I don’t like you.” His gaze held a malevolence that surprised her.
“Well, that seals it. You’re off my Christmas card list.” Cassie turned and advanced toward her car.
She unlocked her door and slid in behind the wheel. As she pulled away she looked in her rearview mirror and saw Burt scowling at her.
Once again she reminded herself to tell Kane she wanted a full background check done on the two bodyguards. She had a feeling no-neck Burt was going to be trouble.
Chapter 8
There were many things Cassie missed from her house…like the air conditioner that didn’t moan like a cat in heat, her favorite mug with the chipped handle and the queen-size bed among other things. But the item she missed more than anything was her punching bag.
She enjoyed her workouts at the gym and when she couldn’t get to the gym she liked to work up a sweat by punching and kicking the bag in her spare room.
When she got up the next morning she decided to transform her little studio apartment into a mini gym. She had a feeling she was going to have to be in top physical shape for things to come.
The long sofa cushion leaned against one wall made a perfect target for fists and feet. With the coffee table moved aside, the center area of the living room provided enough room for stretching and strengthening exercises.
She worked out for an hour and a half, until sweat oozed from her pores and her muscles ached with a good kind of hurt. Then she took a long, lukewarm shower and threw on a robe.
It took her only minutes to put the room back the way it had been, then she glanced at her watch and frowned. She had almost two hours to cool her heels before Adam would arrive to pick her up. She wondered what he had planned for the late afternoon date.
As far as Cassie was concerned, the date couldn’t come too quickly. There was nothing she hated more than having to cool her heels and wait for things to happen.
She wandered the tiny apartment restlessly, then jumped when the telephone rang. She hadn’t even realized there was a phone in the apartment. She followed the jarring noise and discovered the cheap instrument on the bookcase. She grabbed it and answered.
“Jessica?” Adam’s smooth voice was instantly recognizable.
“Hi, Adam.” She thought about sitting down on the floor next to the bookcase. But with the sunshine beating through the nearby window and emphasizing the dreary condition of the carpeting, she decided to remain standing. She hadn’t minded the dirty carpet during her workout but now she was nice and clean.
“Did I wake you?”
“No, I’ve been up for hours.”
“Good, I wouldn’t have wanted to interrupt your beauty sleep, although you certainly don’t need sleep for beauty.”
“And you are one charming man, Adam Mercer,” she replied.
He laughed. “I’m only charming to those I want to charm. Now, the reason I called is to tell you to dress cool and casual. There’s a concert in the park this evening and I thought it might be fun to picnic first, then enjoy as much as we can of the concert before it’s time for you to go to work.”
“Sounds wonderful,” she agreed. Good food, live music and the company of a charming psychopath. She supposed it could be worse, the psychopath could be distinctly uncharming. “I’ll be ready at four.”
“I’m counting the minutes,” he replied, then hung up.
Cassie hung up as well then walked over and sank down on the sofa. Wealth and charm…it was a potent combination. She could understand how easily a young, vulnerable woman might fall for his line.
Yes, Adam Mercer could be viewed by many as a chance at something better. She wondered if his last girlfriend, the missing Nicole, had found what she was looking for with Adam. Apparently not, since as far as Cassie knew from what Kane had told her the young woman was still missing.
Cassie was ready by quarter to four. Dressing for dates with Adam would quickly become challenging since Jessica didn’t boast a great wardrobe.
She found a pink sundress in the closet that had enough ruffles on it to choke a Girl Scout. But the dress would be cool and comfortable for a warm evening in the park and the girlish ruffles certainly characterized Jessica’s small-town innocent girl persona.
Beneath the dress she strapped on a thigh belt with a knife sheath and put in her favorite switchblade. Funny, she never felt fully dressed unless she could feel the presence of a knife somewhere on her body.
At precisely four o’clock, a knock sounded at her door. Apparently Adam Mercer was a punctual psychopath. She opened the door to greet him and again was struck by his lethal attractiveness.
Clad in a pair of beige slacks and a mint-green and beige short-sleeved dress shirt, he looked casually elegant. He filled the room as he entered it, making Cassie’s nerve endings jangle discordantly as his restless energy seemed to shrink the dimensions of the small apartment.
“My dear, you look ravishing,” he said as he took her hand. His gaze swept the room. “But it pains me to think of you living in these kind of conditions.”
“It’s not too bad,” she protested. “At least it’s all mine and I’m not beholden to anyone.”
He dropped her hand and walked over to the bookcase.
Cassie tensed, hoping the items there shored up her life as Jessica Sinclair.
“Is this your brother?” he asked and gestured to the picture of the young man in the center of the top shelf.
She nodded. “Yes…that’s Jimmy.” Her voice held just a hint of grief.
“He was a fine-looking young man,” Adam said and turned back to face her, his expression one of empathy.
“He was a good boy, bright and loving. He would have been a great man.” She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and blinked rapidly a couple of times as if fighting back tears.
Adam took two long steps to stand before her. He touched her cheek with the pad of his index finger. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.” He sounded sincere, but there was a calculation in his vivid eyes that made Cassie wonder.
He took her hand and squeezed it. “The bad times are behind you, Jessica. As long as you’re with me I promise nothing bad will ever happen to you again.”
A master of manipulation, Cassie thought. How smooth, to bring up a tragedy, evoke emotional responses of grief and sorrow, then promise to make it all better. No wonder Mercer was a hit with young women. He knew exactly what buttons to push.
“I’m ready if you are,” she said. He nodded and together they left the apartment. Burt awaited them just outside her apartment door. His harsh features were expressionless, although she thought she saw a spark of malevolence in his eyes when his gaze met hers.
Tonight if Kane didn’t show up, she’d call him about that background check. Forewarned was forearmed and she had a feeling before this was all over Burt intended to make trouble for her.
“Where’s Jeff?” she asked as they stepped into the elevator.
“Jeff?” Adam looked puzzled.
She pointed to Burt and smiled impishly at Adam. “There’s Mutt…where’s Jeff?”
Adam laughed, obviously appreciating her sense of humor. Burt didn’t. “Sebastian is at the park holding a table for us. With the concert tonight people get to the park early and the picnic tables are the choice spots.”
It took them only fifteen minutes to arrive at the Northland park where the concert was scheduled to begin at five. Sebastian sat at the table beneath a large oak tree that provided welcome shade and a perfect view of the stage where the musicians would perform.
A bright red linen tablecloth covered the rough wooden table and in the center a silver ice bucket held melting cubes and a bottle of Dom Perignon. A large picnic basket set nearby and Cassie had a feeling that Adam picnicked differently than most folks.
Sebastian jumped up from the table as they approached, coming to attention like a private in front of his general. “Wonderful, Sebastian,” Adam said and the big man visibly relaxed. “Thank you.”
The words were obviously a dismissal, for Burt and Sebastian walked over to a couple of lawn chairs set up nearby and sat.
“Won’t they get too warm in the sun?” she asked with feigned sympathy.
Adam waved his hand as it to dismiss the topic. “They’re tough. I pay them more than enough to compensate them for a little time in the sun.”
He gestured her to the bench, then grabbed two champagne glasses from the picnic basket and poured them each a glass of Dom.
“To good music, good food and better company,” he said.
“Hear, hear.” They clinked glasses and drank. He set his glass down and got the picnic basket and placed it on the side of the table, then joined her on the bench, sitting close enough that she could smell the scent of him, but not so close that she could be in any way offended.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
She smiled. “I’m always hungry.”
“Wonderful. I like a woman with a healthy appetite.” He opened up the picnic basket and began to pull out the contents.
Whoever had packed the basket had thought of everything. There was fresh fruit, cheese and crackers, two kinds of breads, chicken and ham slices, cold pasta salad, and chocolate cake for dessert.
It wasn’t a picnic…it was a feast fit for a king and as they ate, Cassie encouraged Adam to talk about himself and his work. “So what is it exactly that you do?” she asked.
“I was lucky in birth and was born into money,” he said. “When my parents died and I found myself more wealthy than I’d ever dreamed possible, I knew I wanted to do something to give back to the community. So I began an organization to fight against drug abuse…MAD…Men Against Drugs.”
“But why drugs?” Cassie asked. “What made you decide to help people with drug problems?”
“When I first started, nobody was really crying out about the problems of drugs, but I’d seen enough of my friends go down to know that the drug problem in this country was going to be huge. My drug programs here in Kansas City were some of the first in the nation.”
There was no denying the pride in his voice, a pride coupled with more than a hint of arrogance. “I saw the problems before anyone else did and within five years had shelters and rehabilitation centers in all the major cities around the country. That was over fifteen years ago.”
“Gosh, I’ll bet you’ve helped thousands of people by now,” Cassie said, wide-eyed with admiration.
He nodded. “I maintain a list of all the people who have passed though the doors of my centers. I send them updates on new centers and shelters. I also keep in touch with some of them.”
Cassie’s heartbeat raced just a touch. Had he helped her mother at some point in time? Was it possible that he had her name in his computer…her current address? Was Billy with her?
For the next hour he explained to her about the shelters, the treatment programs and the private facilities of his organization.
She was glad that he was one of those men who liked the sound of his own voice, that all he required from her was an appropriate amount of admiration to shine from her eyes and words of praise for him to fall from her lips.
He didn’t mention a word about his maniacal plan to solve the drug problem of the country, but she hadn’t expected him to. It was too early in their relationship for that kind of confession from him.
Cassie wondered what it would take from her to get into his house, get access to his computer. She knew he worked from home often, so his computer there most likely contained the contact list and information about his deadly plan. Would she have to sleep with him and indulge in a little pillow talk for him to tell her what he had in store?
Kane hadn’t been Cassie’s first lover. Although she’d managed to survive on the streets without being raped, she’d had a brief affair w
ith a stuntman when working on her first movie.
She’d sleep with Adam only as a last resort. She wouldn’t like it, but she’d do it. It certainly wouldn’t mean anything to her. It never did…except with one man. Then making love had mattered, it had mattered so much that Kane had almost lost his life and she had nearly lost her mind.
By the time the music began, the bottle of champagne was half gone and Adam suggested they move from the table to a blanket in the grass.
They sat side by side, Adam close enough to her that his thigh was pressed against hers. They leaned back against the trunk of the tree as the sound of Bach filled the air.
Adam went quiet once the music started, allowing her to immerse herself in Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in d minor. As she listened to the music she thought of Max, who had insisted that a decent education should include classical music appreciation.
How many times had she worked on a particular stunt while the sounds of Beethoven or Mozart rang in her ears? While listening to the masters of music she’d strained muscles, pulled tendons, and twisted her body into positions the body was not meant to make, all beneath the watchful eye of mentor Max.
God, she’d only been undercover for less than a week and she realized she was homesick for the old man.
“Are you all right?” Adam leaned down and whispered in her ear. His breath was warm and scented with the faint odor of a breath mint.
“I’m fine…why?”
He caressed a strand of her hair, as if needy to make some sort of physical contact with her. “You looked sad for just a moment.”
“Music affects me on an emotional level,” she explained. “I can get sad even listening to oldies music, and country and western songs kill me.”
He smiled. “Ah, Jessica, you are such a delight,” he said. He pulled her into his arms so that she was leaning back against his chest rather than using the tree trunk as a back brace.
She could feel the muscles of his chest through the thin material of his shirt. Adam might be an older man, but he had the physique of a much younger man. He wrapped his arms around her as if to keep her captive.
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