Tall, Dark and Deadly Books 0.5 - 3

by Lisa Renee Jones

  Hours later, sitting in the library, flipping through archived news stories, she felt more confident than ever that the cases in Vegas were linked⎯not only to the Williams attacks, but to the Hudson victims as well. The similarities between attacks were uncanny and downright eerie. The more she studied, the more convinced she became, and in turn the hotter her temper flared. There was simply no way the Vegas attacks should have been discounted before charging Williams.

  The girls all matched the physical profile, the marks on the arms were the same, they were all college students, and the timing of the attacks worked. Yet the Vegas cases would have proven Williams wasn’t guilty, and put someone’s head in a noose for the unsolved crimes. Now, she knew, someone wanted a fall guy and Williams had been the unlucky candidate.

  Greg, Lindsey thought. He had been pining for political office, and he needed the conviction. Damn.

  Shoving a strand of hair behind her ear, Lindsey yanked open her calendar and started charting dates. When she was done, she sat back and scanned her work. Just as she suspected, a single perp could have been responsible for all of the attacks. The timelines fit and the aggressiveness of the attacks, if reviewed from the first Hudson rape, had progressively gotten more violent. It was typical for a repeat offender. They tended to get more confident with performance and therefore more aggressive. Squeezing her eyes shut, Lindsey fought the suffocating feeling, fear-based, threatening to consume her.

  The real perp was still at large.

  Hours later Lindsey arrived back at her dark, empty hotel room with heavy thoughts. As she flipped on the light, her eyes darted hopefully to the message button on her phone. Disappointment settled hard in her stomach. Mark hadn’t called. Dropping her face into her hands, she fought the urge to scream and throw things. Or cry. She really, really needed a good cry.

  Why did life have to be so complicated?

  After a good thirty minutes of pacing, Lindsey decided she had to get out of the room. She’d go crazy alone in her room, lost in her negative thoughts. And she did love roulette. It would be good for a few hours of escape. A mere thirty minutes later, dressed in a black, slim-fitting dress, she stepped into the casino.

  Scanning the tables, she looked for a roulette table that felt lucky. She might not trust her instincts in a criminal investigation as readily as in the past, but she had a sixth sense for roulette. An empty table called out her name, drawing her to its side. She took the middle seat, giving her full access to all numbers. To complete her escape, she ordered a Screwdriver.

  The roulette dealer was a good-looking guy in his late twenties with a military-style buzz haircut. “So, what’s your name?” he asked with a look in his eyes that said he wanted to gobble her up.

  “Lindsey,” she responded lightly, trying to ignore his flirtatious stares.

  He nodded. “I’m Greg.” He pointed to his badge and offered up a bright, white smile as he waved a hand across the wheel. “No more bets,” he said to the players.

  Lindsey wrinkled her nose as she watched the little white ball spinning on the wheel. “Greg?” She flicked him a quick glance and then returned her attention to the slowing white ball. “That’s a bad luck name for me. I might have to change tables.”

  The ball bounced into the number eight peg, and the dealer dropped the marker onto one of Lindsey’s chips. “It’s not bad luck tonight. You just won.”

  Lindsey clapped and gifted him with a happy smile.

  He laughed in return. “Why is Greg bad luck for you? Ex-boyfriend or something?”

  She raised her brows and gave a quick nod. “Yeah, something like that.”

  His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t press the subject. Lindsey busied herself placing chips on the table as he kept talking. “Where are you from?”

  “New York,” she said and then corrected herself, “I mean Washington.” She groaned. “I think I need another drink.”

  “Maybe you don’t if you can’t remember where you are from,” he teased, but flagged a waitress.

  Lindsey dropped a five-dollar chip resolutely. She was ready for the spin. A quick nod to Greg and the ball was bouncing. “So are you here with this Greg guy?”

  Lindsey laughed a little too loudly. Alcohol on an empty stomach was making her a little over the top. She waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, please, no way. I’m alone.”

  “Alone?” he said, with a satisfied gleam in his eye. “Well, that is the most interesting thing I’ve heard all night.”

  Lindsey was saved from responding when two older gentlemen joined the table. The excitement around the wheel escalated and more players joined the table. Soon there was a crowd, and Lindsey was smack in the middle of the play and loving it. She ordered several drinks, and focused on gambling, determined to keep her demons at bay, if only for a short window of time.

  Tomorrow there would be plenty of time for worry.

  * * * * *

  Tired, irritable, and completely out of patience, Mark handed his bags over to a bellman and then plodded through the hotel lobby. The flight had been turbulent from start to finish, literally tossing passengers from side to side. Any hope of sleeping had been thrown out the window, leaving him with nothing to do but think about his troubles with Lindsey. Sitting still while his mind raced had been a difficult task that resembled torture.

  Over and over in his mind, he’d contemplated her reaction to his arrival. It wouldn’t surprise him if she yelled. His unannounced arrival would most certainly piss her off; he really didn’t care. He’d spent the past several hours dealing with every possible angle she could throw at him. Ready for battle was an understatement. He was a bull ready to charge. It was time he and Lindsey set some rules.

  He had no intention of going to any room but Lindsey’s. Stepping to the check-in desk, Mark informed the desk clerk he needed a key for Lindsey’s room. As expected, he was informed he’d need Lindsey’s approval before receiving a key. Giving the man a sly, knowing look, he discreetly slipped him a hundred-dollar bill. Without further ado, Mark was handed a key.

  Standing in the elevator, his body pounded and pulsed with the anticipation of holding Lindsey, touching her. He almost laughed out loud as he thought of his previous night’s declaration of being hands-off until their business was complete. What a joke, he thought. Depriving himself of Lindsey was like taking a bottle from a baby.

  Impossible.

  He was so hooked, he should be scared shitless. But he wasn’t. Not at all. And that little fact said it all. He was falling in love for the first time in his life. The old cliché “head over heels” finally meant something to him.

  Loving Lindsey was complicated, and he knew it. She came with emotional luggage galore. Simply proclaiming his love wouldn’t work with her; in fact, it might drive her away. No, with Lindsey he’d allow her time to get used to the two of them together.

  Arriving at her door, Mark knocked lightly. When no answer came, he slipped the key through the slot and entered. The room smelled soft and feminine, like Lindsey. Her scent wrapped around him like a soft glove, making him groan at her absence. Marching to the window, he stood in frozen silence. Lights twinkled beyond the glass, but he didn’t pay them any mind.

  He was too absorbed with his next step. Why couldn’t she have just been in her room? “Damn,” he muttered, shoving a hand through his hair. Well, one thing was certain, he couldn’t just sit in the room and wait for her. He had to at least attempt to find her. If she was in the hotel, he would track her down. If not, he would end up back in the room. The thought made him grimace and head for the door with added determination.

  Finding her on the slots would be near impossible, so he made a beeline for the tables. To his relief he spotted her almost immediately. She stood at a roulette table full of men. The flimsy black tank top of her dress revealed the creamy white skin of her back and shoulders. Skin he longed to touch. There was no doubt a few of the men around the table had the same desire.

  He watched as Linds
ey reached across the table to stack chips on her bets. The action made one of her breasts skim the man’s shoulder next to her. Mark’s spine stiffened as he zoomed in on the man’s eyes: hungry, lustful, and far too potent. The man all but licked his lips. A deep growl rose in Mark’s throat as a wave of jealousy stabbed at him.

  Mumbling a curse under his breath, Mark charged forward, fighting a caveman-like urge to scream, Mine, mine, mine. He stopped only when he was directly behind Lindsey. Watching her, he saw her stack a huge pile of chips on the number eight. Digging in his pocket, he found a hundred-dollar bill. Resting his hand on the softness of her bare arm, he was shocked when she didn’t jump. Leaning forward, he put the money on the table.

  “Put it on eight,” he said to the dealer.

  The dealer gave him an assessing look, then said, “Black inside,” over his shoulder to the pit boss.

  * * * * *

  Lindsey knew it was Mark who touched her even before she heard his deep, sexy voice. When his hand came down on her arm, her skin sizzled with awareness. Pleasure, sexual awareness, need—you name it, she felt a surge of it.

  Her senses raced with his presence, making her spare no time in turning around to face him. The sweet realization that he cared for her danced in her head, making her body’s reaction all the more intense. No man would hop on a plane, and push everything else aside, to track down a woman for simple lust. Mark cared on a deeper level, and her alcohol haze made the fear that realization might otherwise evoke simply nonexistent.

  She saw the surprise in his face as she turned and leaned into him, pressing her body into his, thinking of the rippling beauty beneath his shirt. Mark made her want him on a primal, deep level she wasn’t sure she would ever quite understand. It was so instant, so powerful.

  “Mark, you’re here,” she said in a voice that cracked with a combination of surprise, emotion, and pure, hot desire.

  His arms tightened around her waist as he looked down at her with potent, dark eyes. “Yes, I’m here. I—”

  She touched her fingers to his lips. “I’m sorry,” she whispered and then pushed onto her tiptoes and replaced her fingers with her lips. It was a soft caress of a kiss that she longed to make more. But not here.

  “You shouldn’t have come here alone.” It was a reprimand that lacked conviction. His eyes, his voice, his very demeanor suggested he too wanted their kiss to last longer.

  “I know, I shouldn’t have left. I—” Lindsey lost her words as the dealer called out the winning number.

  “Black eight.”

  She digested the dealer’s call in stunned silence. Machines clattered around her, and someone’s happy scream ripped through the air. Turning to face the table, she confirmed where the marker was. Her body twisted back to face Mark, excitement in her voice, “Oh my God, Mark! We won! You won a lot!” Covering her mouth with her hand, she mentally calculated Mark’s winnings. “More than a lot!”

  He stepped towards her, realigning their bodies, his hand settling on her hip. “Because you’re lucky for me, Lindsey,” he whispered into her ear and felt her shiver in response.

  Lindsey looked up at Mark, his words touching her like a soft caress. It felt like a dream to have him by her side. “Mark,” she whispered softly.

  Her message was clear. That one word, his name, held so much meaning. For a long moment they stood there, gazes locked, blocking out everything else. The silent message they exchanged was full of mutual longing and sexually-charged hunger. They wanted each other, and there was no doubt how sweet the night to come would prove. But there was more than pure lust between them. The impact of those feelings raced between them, making them both spellbound.

  Recognizing how near losing control he was, Mark forcibly pulled them both back to reality. If he didn’t, he would have kissed her, and it wouldn’t have been the kind of kiss that should be made public. With the throbbing awareness in his lower body now making him immensely uncomfortable, it would have been the kind of kiss that would have gotten them thrown out of the casino.

  Taking Lindsey’s hand in his, he looked directly at the dealer. “Cash us both out.”

  There was no mistaking the disappointment in the other man’s eyes. He had hoped to gain Lindsey’s interest. Too damn bad. He shoved aside his caveman-like feelings and brought Lindsey’s hand to his mouth. She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder as she let out a sexy, satisfied sigh.

  When the dealer slid a five-hundred-dollar chip her way, her head popped up, surprise in her eyes. “It’s more than I thought,” she said, reaching for it, and then smiling at Mark. “I swear, I love winning.” The dealer slid Mark two thousand-dollar chips. She stared at the chips as Mark reached for them. “Two thousand dollars in one hand. That’s amazing. What a high.”

  Mark tossed a chip in the air and caught it. “Not bad for five minutes,” he said and winked at her. But money was the last thing on his mind. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

  Lindsey gave him a hot look. “Yeah, let’s get out of here.”

  Draping his arm around the soft curve of her bare shoulder, he anchored her body to his side as they began walking. Once they were near the restrooms, Mark flattened Lindsey against a wall and planted his hands on either side of her head. Her arms immediately slid to his waist. “You have no idea how mad I was at you.” Unable to resist, he ran his tongue across the sensitive flesh of her earlobe.

  Lindsey wet her lips, her eyes searching his, her voice hopeful. “Was?”

  “Mmmm, still am,” he said, in a voice that came out a hoarse whisper that echoed how much he wanted to get her alone and naked. Gently grabbing her chin in his thumb and finger, he locked her in a challenging stare. “What are you going to do about it?”

  Lindsey swallowed and blinked, a moment of indecision flashing in her eyes. Then her fingers were in his hair, and she pressed to her toes, so that her lips could reach his. He took her invitation, his hands going to her cheeks, and his tongue past her teeth, kissing her with slow, sensual absorption.

  He groaned into her mouth, feeling his body harden with the roar of demand. There was so much shared longing in the kiss, so much passion. When their lips parted, she looked up at him, her arms having found their way around his neck. A slow smile turned up the corners of her lips. “Let’s go to my room, and I’ll show you how I plan to make up with you.”

  He arched one brow, surprised she wasn’t at least going to fight a little. After all, Lindsey ran from what was between them by coming here. He knew it and so did she. “No resistance tonight? No angry words because I followed you?”

  She shook her head from side to side. “Did that feel like resistance?” She didn’t give him time to respond. “You already wore me down.” She paused, and then shocked him by adding, “Why do you think I put distance between us?”

  Mark could only stare at her, taken aback by her words. Hearing her admission was more than he had hoped for. “Lindsey—”

  She stopped him as she had before, putting two fingers on his lips. “Wait,” she whispered. “One more thing first. I need to say this.” Mark nodded, and she removed her fingers. “As for being mad that you followed me,” she averted her gaze, looking at his chest, “I should be. With anyone else I would be.” Her eyes lifted, and her voice dropped a notch. “With you, I’m not mad at all.”

  There was so much to discuss. But right now all he really wanted to do was take her back to the room and make slow love to her. Fighting the haze of his desire, he reasoned with himself. He needed to take advantage of her state of mind and settle some things between them once and for all. If they went straight to the room, there wasn’t going to be any talking. Hell, he could barely think at present.

  He needed to get them someplace where they could cool off and talk. “Have you eaten?” he asked, considering her with an intent stare.

  Her eyes narrowed, a frown filling her face. “No, but—”

  “Then let’s get some food. Spago’s is right arou
nd the corner. We can talk there. It’s quiet.”

  She stared at him, her expression showing her confusion. Her look said food was the last thing on her mind. “No,” she said stubbornly. “Let’s go upstairs.”

  Mark raised an eyebrow in amusement. That she was so quick to admit her desire was an accomplishment. Brushing a strand of loose hair from her eyes, he said, “I want that very much Lindsey, but we need to talk.” He nuzzled her ear. “We both know we won’t do that in the room.”

  She leaned back to look at him, her eyes wide. “We’ll talk,” she said quietly. “I promise. Just not now.” She grabbed his shirt in her fist and leaned against the wall, tugging until he flattened against her. “At this moment I just really need you to hold me.”

  Mark was only human and damn if he could resist a request from Lindsey that was seductively laced with need. Not to mention the fact that he was so damn hard his zipper was about to bust. A low growl escaped his throat as his hands settled on her waist. He could feel her soft curves pressing into his body.

  Unbidden, a thought came to mind. Greg. He needed to know exactly where she stood with him before this went any further. “What about Greg, Lindsey?”

  She frowned as she met his gaze. Reaching up with one hand, she palmed his cheek. “Greg is nothing to me. Not now, not in the past, not ever.”

  He wanted to believe her, but he had to be certain he could. “Then why did you go with him the other night?”

  A fretful look crossed her face. “He promised to tell me the inside scoop on Williams. I didn’t think I could pass on a chance to help the case just because of my own selfish desire to avoid him.”

  Mark digested and accepted her words as truth. He knew Greg well enough to know he was a manipulator. For him to use the case to get to Lindsey was easy to believe. “What are we waiting for?” he whispered. “Let’s go to the room.”

  Chapter Ten

  Standing in the back of the elevator, Mark pulled Lindsey in front of him, wrapping his arms around her stomach. People flooded into the compartment until they were crammed together in a tight shuffle of bodies.