Racing Hearts

by Dena Blake

  She kneaded her shoulder with her fingertips and thought about the beautiful redhead who’d used it for a pillow last night. Samantha Kelleher, aka Slick. She’d definitely earned her nickname. The after-effects of her kiss still lingered on Drew’s lips. Her blood rushed south, and she reacted. Her response time was still good, another affirmation of her sexuality. She dialed the temperature to cold and doused herself until the throbbing pulse between her legs subsided. Flipping the knob back to hot, she closed her eyes and ran through the case in her head.

  “Figured I’d find you here.” Jade’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

  She felt the whoosh of cool air and opened her eyes, but didn’t budge. “Checking me out again?”

  “Nothing I’m interested in.” Jade’s gaze crept from head to toe and back again. “I want answers.”

  She ignored the scrutiny, squirted some shampoo into the palm of her hand, and lathered up. “Answers to what?”

  Jade had been undercover for almost six months now, and Drew was sure she didn’t like the fact the captain had sent her in after her. Besides the fact that Drew had let her partner get killed, she’d also been too involved with her job. She was nowhere to be found when Jade’s sister had started to hemorrhage. If Drew had been there, her wife and baby might still be alive, a fact for which she would never forgive herself.

  “What in the hell were you doing in Paddy Kelleher’s garage today?”

  “Captain Jacobs thought you might need some help.”

  “I figured she’d send someone in, but on one of the other racing teams.”

  “I need to be closer.”

  “I saw you today with Sam. You’re already in closer than you should be.”

  “You can never be too close.” Drew smiled and gave her a wink.

  Drew had been pleasantly surprised to find that Paddy’s top mechanic, Slick, was also his oldest daughter. Drew had her in with the Kellehers now.

  “Listen, it’s getting a little cold in here. Can we finish this in the captain’s office?” She stuck her head under the stream and let the soapy water spray out at Jade.

  Usually Drew would have a whole line of questions to fire at Jade, but she’d forgotten to take the case file with her after Captain Jacobs briefed her yesterday. She liked to fly by the seat of her pants, but if the captain knew she didn’t have a handle on the investigation, he’d have her head.

  Jade slid the shower curtain closed. “You’d better not skip out on me, Thompson.”

  “I’ll be there in about ten minutes.” She smiled to herself. She intended to devote her full attention to the investigation of Samantha Kelleher.

  * * *

  After Drew left the gym, she rounded the corner and headed straight for the captain’s office. The glass door rattled loudly when she closed it. “You didn’t tell me Kelleher had another daughter.”

  “It’s in the case file I gave you.” The captain looked to the corner of his desk. “Which is still right here.”

  Jade picked it up and scrunched her nose. “Didn’t you read it, Supercop?”

  Drew grabbed it from her and dropped it back onto the desk. “No matter how much I don’t like you, I would’ve never let you go in there like that.”

  “I could’ve used a heads-up too.” Jade popped out of her chair and moved toward her. “Number one.” She flipped her index finger up. “I didn’t know when you were coming. You could’ve blown my whole cover.” She flipped up another finger. “Number two. Do your job. How was I supposed to know you didn’t know who she was?”

  The two of them argued until Captain Jacobs stood up between them.

  “How can I tell you anything when you don’t check in?” he said, pointing at Jade. “And you, hotshot,” he turned to Drew, “should’ve read the file before you went anywhere near that track.”

  “I thought I’d just wing it.”

  “Hopefully you didn’t screw up too badly.”

  “She blew up Freemont’s engine.” Jade gave her a mocking smile. “That’s gonna cost you.”

  “You did what?” The captain’s face turned deep red.

  “You told me to find a way in, and I did.” Drew raised her arms, praising herself. “Standing before you is the new backup driver for Kelleher Motorsports.”

  “No way,” Jade said.

  The captain interrupted her. “I’m afraid she’s right. I gave Paddy Kelleher a call after we spoke yesterday.”

  “So you got it because Paddy knew who you were.” Jade’s voice rang with satisfaction. “You blew up that engine for nothing.”

  Drew rolled her eyes. “The car was out of commission before I got there. Does Paddy know we’re looking at his daughter for these accidents?”

  The captain nodded. “He knows we’re looking at everyone. He’s adamant it’s not her, but he’s agreed to keep it to himself so as not to compromise the case and put anyone else in danger.”

  “So, partner, are we going to work together on this, or do I have to do it all myself?”

  Jade picked up the manila folder and pinned it with her hand to Drew’s chest. “Read the file. Then we’ll talk.”

  “When?”

  “After the party tonight?” She pulled open the door before turning back. “You do know about the welcome reception, don’t you?”

  “You bet.” Drew wouldn’t miss another chance to rattle Sam’s cage.

  * * *

  Drew tossed her key onto the table before fishing her phone out of her pocket and pushing the voice-mail button. She hadn’t been up to answering the call earlier. Jade’s voice and attitude came through loud and clear.

  FYI. The welcome reception is at the Eldorado. The party’s small and informal, just something to let everyone get to know each other before the competition begins.

  She smiled and dropped her phone on the nightstand. It was a refreshing change to know Jade’s anger wasn’t about the death of her sister. She knew the job, and, unlike her father, she’d stopped blaming Drew a long time ago.

  Flopping sideways across the bed, she opened the case file and spread everything out in front of her. She thought she’d scanned through all of it when she was in the captain’s office. But if she’d missed a daughter, she’d probably missed something else too. Sifting through the printed pages again, Drew remembered why she’d put it aside before. The file contained page after page of information on Faith Kelleher. She’d collected more race time with drivers than their cars. From the few pages she scanned, Drew surmised that Faith didn’t have much interest in racing. She was more of a social, party girl. Not her kind of woman.

  “Ah-ha,” she said, her interest piqued. There it was, tucked all the way in the back. Two single-spaced pages on Samantha Kelleher. Pushing the file aside, she raked her arm across the bedspread to clear a spot and propped herself up against the headboard.

  It seemed as though racing ran deep in her veins, just like her brother and father. She held up the file pictures and chuckled. She was definitely more attractive.

  Flipping to the next page, she could see both Samantha and Tommy were stung with the passion for speed, something Drew understood all too well. The three Kelleher children had traveled with their father throughout his racing career. While Faith took only to the parties and the men, Samantha and Tommy had worked the circuit since they were teenagers.

  Samantha had something on her brother, however. Over the years she’d developed into one of the best mechanics on the circuit. While Tommy raced, test-driving was the closest Sam ever got to the track. Apparently Paddy Kelleher had a soft spot for his little girls. He liked keeping them close. And safe.

  Tommy, on the other hand, seemed to have an inbred ability for racing. The reflexes, the stamina, and the instincts—he had it all. Having a championship driver for a father didn’t hurt.

  Drew was an avid racing fan. She remembered seeing a magazine article once quoting Tommy, saying his goal in life was to win as many races as his father had during his career. He was halfwa
y there when the last accident happened. Paralyzed from the waist down, Tommy Kelleher would never race again.

  “Where’s the mother?” She rummaged through the papers again but didn’t find a single sheet of information on her. She let her head fall back against the headboard and groaned. She was going to have to deal with Jade whether she wanted to or not.

  After sliding everything back into the file, she glanced at her watch, shot up, and shoved the file under the mattress. She had a party to crash.

  * * *

  Sam tugged at Brad’s arm one last time and let out a sigh. Getting him away from the usual group surrounding him wasn’t going to happen tonight. She made her way to the bar and had just ordered a drink when someone took her hand and pulled her out onto the dance floor.

  “You changed your mind?” Sam said, letting a deceptively sweet tone of enthusiasm ring in her voice. When she realized who it was whisking her around, a flurry of excitement rushed through her.

  “I didn’t get to tell you earlier how much I missed you this morning.” Drew immersed her face in Sam’s hair.

  The sound of Drew taking in her scent gave Sam a strangely intimate feeling. She pushed back until Drew’s arms put up a roadblock and wouldn’t let her move any farther. “I thought it was best not to prolong your pain.”

  “Thanks for the concern, but I kinda liked it.”

  Sam stared at her curiously.

  “It’s been a while since I’ve had a woman in my bed for anything more than just good old primal sex.” Drew’s soft sensual lips pulled into a contented smile, producing those irresistible dimples dotting the tips.

  Sam glanced around, hoping no one had overheard them.

  “No need for alarm. I told you, your secret is safe.” Drew gave her a subtle wink. “Now loosen up and dance with me.”

  Sam reluctantly relaxed into her arms. “When we met you didn’t tell me you were a driver.”

  “As I recall, the subject of what either of us did never came up.”

  Sam caught her bottom lip between her teeth. “Thank you for last night,” she said softly, stumbling for words. “Most people wouldn’t have been so understanding.”

  “Not a problem.” Drew gave her a slight smile. “By the way, I still have a very lovely black lace bra that I believe belongs to you.”

  Sam remembered the feel of Drew’s fingers pushing the straps from her shoulders, and her breath caught. “I’ll be needing that back.”

  “Anytime you want to come by and get it, just let me know.”

  Sam lowered her lashes and let her mouth curve into a smile. The woman had to know she was making headway, and Sam liked the attention she was giving her. But then she heard Brad laugh, and a twinge of guilt shot through her. It wasn’t obvious, but she knew he was watching her. He was always watching.

  “You wanna make him jealous?” Apparently, Drew saw it too.

  “I don’t think it would do any good.” She stared across the room. Seeing Brad carry on with his usual pack of mindless track groupies didn’t concern her anymore. Their gazes locked, and she gave him a thin-lipped smile before shifting her attention back to Drew.

  The tempo slowed, and Drew pulled Sam to her. “Follow my lead,” she whispered, hovering closely.

  Drew’s smooth cheek brushed softly against Sam’s, and she was stung with desire all over again. She felt the warmth of Drew’s breath in her ear, and every one of her nerve endings tingled in succession. Drew’s lips crept back across her cheek, meeting Sam’s, and she was sucked into a slow, arousing kiss.

  Sam’s body was stripped of all its strength, and Drew was part of her again. Clinging helplessly as Drew took her into this huge black hole of desire, all sense of right and wrong vanished. She gasped for air, sinking deeper into this magical pool of sensations flooding her system.

  With a ragged breath, Drew pulled away slowly. “I can’t believe that idiot would pass up a woman like you.” Drew grabbed her hand as it rose, and grinned. “Don’t. If you slap me, it’ll have absolutely no effect on him.”

  Say something. Say something now! Or she’ll know you enjoyed it. She’ll know you want more. “Slap, hell. You’re lucky I don’t put a fist in your mouth,” Sam shot back in feeble protest, waiting for the fire between her legs to subside. Still shaken, she remained close, using Drew for support, trying not to let her see the quick-burning impact she’d had on her.

  “Come on. This will really piss him off.” Drew pulled her off the dance floor and out the side door of the bar.

  “Stop.” Sam raised her voice, ending with a mixture of annoyance and laughter. “I don’t want him to think I went to your room with you.”

  “Why not? You did last night.” Drew shrugged, letting her hand drop.

  Sam narrowed her eyes. “That was a mistake.”

  “Was it?” Drew closed in on her, backing her up against the building. “If I had known he was the reason you were so upset, I wouldn’t have stopped.”

  “Yes, you would have.” Sam tried to ignore Drew’s fingers creeping up the sides of her rib cage.

  “You’re right. I prefer it when a woman wants me. Like you do right now.”

  “I don’t—” Drew’s mouth was on hers again, filling her with utter need. Responding urgently, she let the passion ignite between them. Drew’s hands roamed the length of her torso, gently descending across the sides of her breasts and down to her waist.

  Sam shivered. This is a mistake. There was just a certain kind of woman a girl kept her distance from—a woman whose touch made your skin sizzle. Drew was definitely that kind of woman.

  “Just let me know when you want to pick up your bra,” she whispered.

  Sam’s nerve endings were still burning hot. She should look away, but Drew’s dusky brown eyes were magnetic. She couldn’t budge if she’d wanted to. Not even an inch.

  The door flew open, and Brad appeared. “Planning on taking my fiancée home, Thompson?”

  Drew chuckled and backed up. “Not tonight.” She flashed Sam a shot of her irresistible dimples. “She’s not my type.”

  Still recovering from the kiss that had made her legs all but turn to jelly, Sam steadied herself against the building and watched Drew stroll across the parking lot. When she got into her Jeep, she glanced back over her shoulder at Sam, and suddenly her brain kicked back into gear.

  “Your type, my ass!” she shouted.

  The Jeep flew out of the parking lot, and she almost went after it. She wasn’t doing a very good job of concealing what she and Drew had shared, and Brad didn’t seem to like it.

  “Dumpster-diving again?”

  “As if you care.” She pulled her key out of her pocket and took off to her car. “What happened to ‘we’re just having fun here’?”

  “Of course I care,” he shouted, running after her. “I don’t like the idea of my woman giving it up to someone else on the circuit.” He caught her hand and yanked her around.

  As she pulled loose, her wrist tingled with pain. “That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?” She let out a disgusted sigh. “Your precious reputation. You could care less about me.” She tugged the car door open and slid inside. Firing the ignition, she threw her sixty-seven Camaro into gear and punched the pedal. The engine roared and the car bolted.

  “Damn it, Sam!” Brad jerked back out of the way as the car door slammed shut and she sped off.

  Sam lost him at the first light. She was already up in her room, out of sight when she heard his car fly into the parking lot and screech to a stop. The metal stair railing rattled, and she knew he was on his way up. She watched the knob turn on the locked door and ignored his protests when she wouldn’t let him in. She knew it would be quick and urgent. No foreplay, no tenderness, just get-right-down-to-it sex. A single physical act with no emotional attachment on either part. Worlds away from what Sam really wanted.

  * * *

  As she lay awake, all Sam could think of was the penetrating heated kiss from Drew Thompson, a wo
man she barely knew. It had been a long time since she’d felt need like that.

  She rolled to her side, and her mind drifted to Brad. He wasn’t a compassionate man by any means. He was demanding and controlling, not only of her, but of everyone around him. On the racetrack it was about winning. When he was with her, it was about fulfilling his needs.

  Sex to him was a release, not a pleasure. It was something to keep his mind clear. Sam knew he would never be completely hers. Their relationship had become a disappointing substitute for the kind of loving connection she longed for.

  Chapter Six

  It was almost midnight when Drew found the door to the number-seven garage unlocked. She slowly pushed it open, slipped inside, and snuck around the perimeter. Hiding in the shadows, she watched someone re-assemble what looked like an injector on the workbench. When she moved in for further investigation, the person swung around, and Drew dropped to the floor.

  The sweat trickled across her forehead. The cold dampness was creeping into her bones, and the scar under her armpit ached.

  It was happening all over again. She stared across the concrete floor, and all she could see were the hollow eyes of her dying partner staring back at her. It had been almost a year now since it happened, and Drew had gone over it a million times in her head. She still couldn’t move.

  The unbroken silence was deafening. Then it came, the simple echo of a chillingly familiar sound. Drew raised her head and found herself staring into the barrel of a Glock nine-millimeter pistol.

  Jade lowered her weapon and slid it back into her ankle holster. “What the hell are you doing here, Drew?”

  She smiled smugly. “You’ve gotten better.”

  “I had a good teacher.” Jade headed back across the garage.

  Drew laughed abruptly. “I never thought I’d hear you say that.” She jumped to her feet, following her. Jade was her first rookie partner. Fresh off patrol, she was good, but still had a lot to learn back then.