by Dena Blake
Drew took the cell phone from her pocket and punched in Captain Jacobs’s number. “We’ve been made.” She tried to disguise her relief. She was having a hard time keeping up with the lies.
“What the hell happened?”
“The lab sent a text to my personal cell. Sam saw the message.” Drew should’ve told her. She might have reacted the same way, but she would’ve been coming clean instead of being exposed. She’d let her feelings for Sam get in the way and had let it go too long.
“How’d that happen?”
“You tell me. You’re the only one that knows we’re here, right?”
“I’ll look into it.” The hesitation in his voice led Drew to believe the captain wasn’t the only one who knew.
“You need to have my back on this one.”
“I said I’ll look into it. How is this going to impact the investigation?”
“I don’t know. From the expression on her face, I got the feeling she’s more likely a victim than our guy.” Drew let her feelings seep out, unable to hide the fact she was honestly relieved that Sam knew who she was. “I think you’re barking up the wrong tree here, Boss. I’ve gotten to know this woman. She’s not a killer.”
“I should pull you off this case.”
“Don’t do that. I’ve almost got it cracked.” Drew couldn’t conceal the panic in her voice, and the captain paused. It was clear he knew Drew was in too deep.
“This is my fault.” The captain let out a heavy breath, and it resonated through Drew’s cell phone. “I saw it coming, and I pushed you into it.”
“Give me a little more time. I swear I can catch this guy.” Slipping back into her usual arrogant persona, Drew let her voice strengthen. “Besides, you can’t get anyone else in deep enough to prevent anything from happening in the next race. If it is Sam, she won’t try anything while I’m here.”
“Don’t make me regret this.”
“I gotcha covered, Boss.” Drew ended the call and headed around the building to her room. She had to find the killer and regain Sam’s trust in the process. She wasn’t about to make the kiss they’d shared this afternoon her last.
* * *
Jade followed the shadowed figure into the garage, careful not to let him see her. With her ankle-gun drawn, she worked her way around behind one of the oil drums. Baseball cap, coveralls, it was a man. She watched him take something out of the tool chest before opening the hood of the number-fifteen car and clicking on a small intense-beam flashlight. She heard something whirr but couldn’t make out what it was. Slipping around to get a better view, she kicked a stray grease gun, sending it clanging across the floor. Fuck! The sound echoed, and the flashlight clicked off.
Jade dropped to her knees and shuffled into a darkened corner. She waited patiently in the darkness, listening for any type of movement. After a long silence, she heard the metal door click open and then close again. The man was gone. She slid back over behind the oil drums and peeked through the slight space between them. Feeling a whoosh of air from behind, she whipped around to face two coverall-clad legs. As panic rocketed her upward, she felt a severe pain in her head, and everything went black.
When Jade came to, the lights in the garage were on, and Drew was hovering over her. She shoved whatever awful-smelling substance she had in her hand aside and sprang up quickly, searching the garage.
“Damn. I almost had him.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know.” Jade growled in frustration. “I saw someone come in here, but I guess he saw me first.” She was too embarrassed to tell Drew she’d kicked the grease gun and given herself away.
“Can you describe him?”
“No. It was too dark.” Feeling a little dizzy, she sank back against her elbows.
“Height, weight, anything?”
“Taller than me. I’d say about six feet. He could weigh anywhere from one-fifty to two hundred. He had coveralls on just like everyone else around here.”
“Hair?”
“I think he had some.” She pulled herself to her feet and headed for the car.
Drew raised her eyebrows. “What color?”
“I couldn’t tell. He was wearing a hat.”
“That description fits half the men at the track.”
She lifted the hood. “Don’t you think I know that?”
“What are you doing?”
“Before he saw me, he was doing something to the engine.”
“From what I could hear, he was using some kind of drill.” She pointed to the tool chest. “He took it out of the bottom drawer over there.”
Drew pulled the drawer open. “This?” She held up a battery-powered Dremel and turned it on.
“Yeah. That sounds like it.”
“He punctured something.” Drew checked it over. “No bit. He took it with him.”
“I don’t see any leaks. Maybe he heard me and didn’t get a chance to do any damage.”
Drew pulled the cell phone from her pocket. “Maybe, but I’d better call Sam and have her take a look just to be safe.”
The phone was on its third ring before the groggy male voice picked up. “What.”
Hearing Brad’s voice made Drew’s throat tighten. “I need to talk to Sam.”
“Go to hell.” The phone went silent.
“I’ll go get her.” Drew slid the phone back into her pocket. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah.” Jade rubbed the back of her neck. “I’m fine.”
Drew squeezed her shoulder lightly. “I’ll rattle Tommy while I’m there.”
“Thanks.”
* * *
Jolted out of her sleep by the incessant pounding, Sam shot up in bed. She thought her head was throbbing, but now it was clear some idiot was at the door. Snapping out of her drowsy state, she pulled on her robe and peeked out the peephole. Not again. Will you ever get the message? She’d had more than one too many glasses of wine at dinner, trying to block Drew and everything else that had happened during the day out of her mind. Now Drew was back to give her another dose.
“What the hell are you trying to do? Wake everyone in the hotel?” she said, opening the door and slipping out onto the landing.
Drew’s eyes flickered up and down her, then focused on Sam’s. She felt the night air whisk across her and realized it had made her nipples peak against her tank top. She clenched the top of her robe closed.
“Jade caught someone tampering with the number-fifteen car tonight.”
“Who?”
Concern filled Drew’s eyes. “She doesn’t know. He popped her on the head and took off before she could get a good look at him.”
“Is she okay?”
“She’s got a little bump, but she’s fine.”
“Was Tommy with her?” She fired questions at her urgently.
“No. I thought I’d wake you first before I roused him.”
“I’ll get dressed.”
“Jade thinks the guy was using a Dremel.”
She turned quickly before going back inside. “He was puncturing something?”
“Probably. I was hoping you could figure out what.”
“Give me a minute.”
“Is Brad with you?”
She stopped, turned around, and narrowed her eyes. “No.”
Drew peered around her. “He answered your phone when I tried to call.”
“I guess I left it in his room.” She’d been there earlier collecting her things.
Drew gave her a soft smile. “I’ll get Tommy.”
“Okay.” She slipped back into the room. Stumbling in the darkness, she pulled on her jeans and flannel shirt.
* * *
When they got to the garage, Sam spotted Jade sitting on the stool holding an ice pack wrapped in a crimson-soaked shop rag to her head.
“My God, are you all right?”
“I found this in the freezer. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not.” She pulled the ice pack back and saw the gaping
gash in Jade’s scalp. “You left her here alone, like this?”
Drew shrugged. “She said she was all right.”
“Tommy, take her to the hospital. This needs stitches.”
Jade protested. “No. I’m fine,”.
Tommy rolled over to her and lifted the pack. “Sam’s right.”
“Jesus, Jade. Why didn’t you say something?” Drew said, checking the wound.
Sam couldn’t tell if Drew was putting on a show or if she truly was unaware of how badly Jade was hurt.
“I didn’t notice the blood until I put the ice pack on it.”
“Come on. Let’s go.”
Jade winced as she shifted the pack. “You can take me after we finish here.”
Sam clamped the spotlight to the hood and started probing the engine. “Was there a bit in the Dremel?”
“No. I think he took it.”
She ran her fingers over a few different hoses before dragging them across the fuel line.
“Look here.” She rubbed her fingers together, feeling the moisture before raising them to her nose. “Top and bottom of the fuel line. He must have used a small bit and drilled right through it.”
Drew pulled her brows together. “Is that enough to cause the engine to quit?”
“In a race. No.” She shook her head. “But in a test run with the constant increase and decrease in acceleration, fumes could gather in the chamber.” She wiped the fuel from her hand and felt around the engine again. “All it would take is a spark to set it off.” She fingered a strange shape under the injector. She stopped, went to the bench, and picked up a putty knife. After prying a small, radio-controlled transmitter loose, she handed it to Drew. “Something like this.”
“Holy crap. I would’ve been toast.”
“Yep.” Sam took a piece of chalk and marked the area of fuel line that was punctured before retrieving a new stainless-steel braided line from the parts cabinet. She pulled the damaged hose free from the injector, plugged it with the stub end of a pencil, and then pushed the new hose onto the injector nipple. After snaking the other end through the engine and down to the pressure regulator, she pulled the bad hose off. Fuel spurted out, covering her hand and wrist as she pushed the new hose on. She had the line changed within minutes.
She slipped the damaged hose into a plastic bag. “Here. You might need this.” After handing it to Drew, she walked over to the sink to wash her hands.
Drew held it up, scrutinizing it carefully. “This isn’t rubber?”
“No.” Sam shook her head at her inexperience. “We haven’t used rubber hoses on race cars in years.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a stainless-steel braided, ultra-lightweight Teflon, silicone, Nomex composite hose with nickel-plated ends.” Sam rattled the description off quickly as she pulled a few paper towels from the dispenser and dried her hands.
Drew frowned. “What the hell does that mean?”
Sam laughed abruptly at her baffled expression. “That means it’s impervious to all automotive fluids and capable of much higher temperatures than the old-fashioned rubber hoses.”
“Oh,” Drew said, still looking confused.
“Nomex is the same material used to make your racing suit fire retardant.”
Drew examined the hole, which was no bigger than a pin head. “So whoever drilled this tiny little hole knew what he was doing.”
“Uh-huh, and it wasn’t me. I was at the bar with Brad most of the night.” She didn’t have to throw that jab out there, but Drew had hurt her more than she’d wanted to admit. “As for my DNA, I’m sure it’s on everything in this garage. I fix the car. And yes, I’ve had sex in here too.” She turned and caught Drew’s wounded expression, but continued anyway. “And just for the record, you’re probably going to find it in some other places you really don’t want to know about either.” Her stomach knotted. She could see the pain clearly in Drew’s eyes—no jealousy or rage, just plain hurt. She kneaded the paper towel between her hands, then tossed it into the trash barrel. “I’ll check everything more thoroughly in the morning.”
Tommy rolled his chair over with Jade on his lap. “Sam, I’m going to run her to the emergency room.”
“You want me to come along?” she asked.
“No. I’ve got the van. I can manage if you can get a ride back to the hotel.” Tommy’s gaze darted to Drew and back to Sam again.
Sam nodded. “I can get one of the security guys to give me a lift.”
“I’ll make sure she gets back safely,” Drew said. “Now go, you two. That cut needs attention.”
Drew persuaded Sam to ride with her, and instead of pulling up in back by the motel pool, Drew drove her Jeep around to the side and parked in front of her room.
“Come in, so we can talk?” Drew didn’t wait for an argument. She rounded the vehicle, opened the door, and waited for Sam to get out.
Drew took her hand, and Sam cursed herself as a tingle shot through her. It was still there, that crazy feeling she got whenever Drew touched her.
As Drew led Sam to her room, Sam stared at the clean-cut hairline she’d noticed the first night they’d met. Imagining the feel of her fingers running across it, she felt her willpower puddle. “This isn’t a good idea.”
Drew twisted the knob, pushed open the door, and waited for Sam to go in first.
This was a very dangerous situation. Sam couldn’t find a middle ground anymore. It was all or nothing. She stared into Drew’s eyes. If she entered she couldn’t turn back. Then she took the final step.
“Acting like strangers isn’t helping either one of us,” Drew said.
“I don’t know any other way to handle this situation.” This was a mistake. Sam rushed back to the door and grabbed the knob. She didn’t know how much longer she could contain the emotions coiled inside her.
Drew’s hand covered Sam’s, and her warm body pressed against her back. The warm pulse of Drew’s breath hovering across her neck comforted her.
“Please don’t walk out on me again. I’ve told you everything now. What more do you want from me?”
“Honestly?” She twisted around, and the soft flesh of Drew’s breasts pressed against Sam’s chest. She could feel the rapid pace of her heartbeat, and it made hers thump faster. “I want to feel you all over me.” Sam curled her arms around Drew’s neck. “Just for tonight.” She could see the ambivalence in Drew’s eyes and thought she might send her on her way. Then Drew’s mouth covered hers, and she was locked in a steamy, urgent kiss, a kiss she’d longed for since she’d left her, a kiss more powerful than anything she’d ever felt. Even the euphoria of winning couldn’t beat this feeling.
“And tomorrow?” Drew said breathlessly. “What are you going to want then?”
Sam wanted to make undying promises, an oath to never leave her side again, to be only hers forever, but she wasn’t ready for that yet.
“I can’t make any promises about tomorrow.”
Drew stared for a just minute longer. “The way things are going, I could wind up dead tomorrow.”
“What?” Fear flooded Sam, jolting her back to reality.
“I’m still a cop, remember?”
“How could I forget?” Sam’s stomach knotted, and she let her arms drop from Drew’s neck. She couldn’t erase the feeling of betrayal that had devastated her when she’d found out. “And I’m your suspect.”
“No, not anymore. You’re the woman I love.”
Love? She’d said it again. Sam stared into Drew’s eyes, which were deep, dark, and serious. A rush of heat cursed her as she swept her hands up into Drew’s hair, and her mouth met hers. Sam held on tight, never wanting this incredible feeling to end, but it had to. She pushed away.
“You can’t love me. People who love me get hurt.” Sam felt anxious and unsteady. “You said it yourself. You could wind up dead tomorrow.” The tears spilled out. How could she have done this again? “If you do, I’ll be all alone.”
“I won�
�t.” Drew cupped Sam’s face and ran her thumbs across her moist cheek.
Sam pressed her head to Drew’s chest and listened to the rhythm of her heart. It was slower now, an almost indiscernible thump. She wasn’t worried at all. How could she be so sure? Sam wished she could be so confident. She desperately wanted to trust this woman who seemed to make all her problems fade away. It would take a leap of faith. Sam would have to trust Drew if she wanted her to do the same in return. She had to give Drew her all—mind, body, and soul.
Sam let her hands roam Drew’s back and heard the thump of her heart quicken. Drew lowered her chin and met Sam’s mouth with hers. Sam didn’t protest. She gave in to what she’d wanted all along—Drew’s warmth, her compassion, and her strength.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Sam snuggled close into the crook of Drew’s arm as she watched the numbers change on the digital clock. It was after three and she couldn’t sleep. That was nothing new. She never could. Insomnia was a curse with which all the Kellehers were burdened. She didn’t dare budge, or this fantasy of hers might come to an end. She gazed around the room. It was the same as the first night she’d seen it, only something was different. She pressed her lips to Drew’s chest, and Drew tightened her arm around her. This place, here with Drew, was her sanctuary, and she was a permanent part of it now.
She heard the roar of an engine outside and tried to shift out of bed, but Drew slid closer, holding her tightly.
“I have to go.”
“Uh-uh.”
“Did you hear that engine?”
“Umm…Someone’s coming in late”
“My sister.” The sound of Faith’s Porsche was unmistakable. “She probably went around back searching for me.”
“She’s not going to find you.” Drew pulled her close with a tug and wedged her face into the crook of Sam’s neck.
“Drew, it’s really late. She must need something.”
Drew opened one eye, glanced at the clock, and grumbled. “Okay, but I’m coming with you.”
Sam pulled on her jeans and shirt before going to the window. She didn’t see Faith’s car. “Come on, hurry, and put some clothes on.” She turned and caught the sight of Drew’s incredibly tempting nakedness on the bed. “Nothing difficult to take back off, though.”
