by Carmen Green
For a few seconds, she just looked at him, then the frown disappeared. “I trust you. Stay as long as you need to and you’re welcome to whatever’s in the kitchen.”
“Thanks. See you tomorrow.” He moved slowly toward the office all the while listening to her soft footsteps along the hardwood floor and up the stairs. When she was out of sight, he moved silently to the stairway. She moved as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders and he wanted to go up the stairs and let her know that she wouldn’t have to deal with this alone.
That would go over really well. She didn’t want me in her house in the first place.
She turned left and seconds later he heard the sound of a door closing. He went to the library, which was directly below the room she’d entered. He was guessing it was the master bedroom and he heard two soft thuds coming from above. Seconds passed and when he didn’t hear anything more, he walked across the hall to the office and picked up the laptop and briefcase that he’d left on the desk and came back to the library. He grimaced at the two chairs covered in frills sitting near the windows and went to the overstuffed leather chair.
He opened his laptop and slid a thin card into place. In no time, he began going through a series of passwords and identification verifications that would get him on a secured network. Minutes later, he was up and running without using her Internet connection. He didn’t know how the card worked and didn’t care. He checked his e-mail to see if someone from the DMV had responded to his request. No one had, which wasn’t unexpected.
He heard a muffled cough and turned in the chair and looked up. There was an ornate white grate on the wall about a foot down from the ceiling. Good, he thought, he could hear her upstairs. He returned his attention to his laptop and went through the messages in his in-box. He was glad to see Will’s e-mail address and he read the message. Give me a call.
Chris got out his cell phone.
“Johnson.”
“It’s Chris.”
“Damn, man. We can’t let you go anywhere. What’s this I hear about you taking out two people in a jewelry store?”
“Word travels fast.”
“Yeah. I heard about it on CNN. They don’t have your name yet. So fill me in.”
Chris told him what happened in the store. It didn’t surprise him that Will had heard about the shooting. Despite his laid-back demeanor, Will was well connected. They’d never discussed who he or his wealthy, influential family members knew, but rumor was Will could get the ear of just about any high-level official in law enforcement on a national level and that he even had the ear of the president.
“You know this is just going to make Chief more determined then ever to get you back.”
Chief was his old boss in the police force. He had tried his best to talk him out of going to the bureau. He was a cop’s cop and considered the feds a necessary and unpleasant evil. Chief couldn’t understand why he’d wanted to leave when he was about to be promoted. Chris had tried to explain that this decision had nothing to do with the job. He’d made up his mind years ago when two special agents had met him at the diner where he worked as a waiter at night to pay for college. They’d come to tell him that they found his mother’s killer.
His mother and three other members of the cleaning crew had been killed when they arrived to clean an office building adjacent to a jewelry store. The cleaning crew arrived as the thieves were leaving with over two million dollars in jewelry and loose stones. The crew had been gunned down while still inside the van. The agents had gone out of their way to keep him informed even when the case seemed to go cold. He’d never forgotten it.
“I know, but I’m not coming back,” Chris said.
“Don’t tell me. Tell him, and soon, because he’ll be riding my ass to try to get you to change your mind.”
“You can handle it.”
“Handle it? I don’t handle Chief. I stay as far away from him as I can when he’s on one of his ‘get Chris back to real police work’ kicks. That reminds me, my mother wanted me to tell you that you aren’t off the hook and she expects you at the house before the end of the year.”
The “house” was a mansion located on a private beach in Hawaii and had been featured in Architectural Digest.
“I’m going to need a vacation,” Chris said. “We went to the jewelry store to find out if Marc took the necklace there. The manager was about to help us when the bullets started flying.”
“The whole situation is just crazy. Let me know if I can do anything to help.”
“I will. I found a Florida driver’s license and another credit card sewn in Marc’s clothes.”
“How did his wife take it?”
He didn’t like hearing Renee called Marc’s wife because he wanted her for himself. “She’s strong. She can hold her own.”
“I’ll bet she’ll let you handle finding the necklace by yourself now.”
“I wouldn’t bet on it. She held it together until she got home.”
“Damn,” he said with admiration. “Who’s staying with her?”
“I am. I told her I needed to look over Marc’s stuff again.”
“You’re just catching hell left and right.”
“No kidding. Her great-aunt won’t be back in town for a few days.” Chris glanced up at the ceiling. All was still quiet upstairs and he hoped it stayed that way for her sake.
“You’re staying at her place the whole time?”
“Looks like it—” he glanced over his shoulder to the grate then lowered his voice “—but she doesn’t know it.”
“I don’t hear an echo so she must have furniture in the house. You don’t have to sleep on the floor like I did.”
“For one night. You need to let that go.”
“Get a sofa,” Will said.
Chris set the laptop on the floor beside him then stretched his legs out in front of him. This was a familiar discussion. Will believed in comfort, especially at home, and that meant fully furnished. “I don’t want a sofa. I’ll just have to move it in a few months anyway.”
“That’s the point.”
“I got what I need.”
“You use your laptop on a folding tray and use the same tray to eat dinner,” he said with disgust.
Will’s comment made him think about computers and the number of computers Renee had in her office. “Let me ask you something.”
“Yes. I think you should furnish your apartment,” he said in a dry tone.
“Go to hell,” he said casually. “What do you think about a librarian having at least five computers linked together in her home? She found almost as much information as I did about Marc’s finances and movements.”
“No kidding.” His tone sharpened with interest. “Who did she pay to find all of that?”
“She said she found it herself.”
“The librarians that I’ve had contact with are always looking up books on the computer, not installing computer systems. Where’d she learn to do that and what’s with all the computers?”
“She said she studied it in library school. I don’t think that’s the whole truth. I’m going to find out if she took computer science while she was in college.”
“Didn’t you tell me she went to college when she was fourteen?”
“Aw, hell. I forgot about that. She could have learned about computers from anywhere.”
“And she’s smart enough to know where to find the information she didn’t know,” Will added.
“She told me she had tracking software on her home network and that’s how she found one of his credit cards.”
“Stay the hell off her network.”
“You know it,” he said, then paused and held the phone away from his ear. He thought he heard something, but he couldn’t be sure, then he heard her. He put the phone back to his ear and said, “I’ve got to go.” Then he hit the end button. He got out of the chair, put the phone in his pocket and walked toward the stairs.
The sound of a low moan came from ab
ove. He quickly climbed the stairs. He could make out what she was saying when he reached the second floor. Each word she spoke grew louder and louder.
“No, no, no.”
The door to her bedroom was closed. He opened the door and stepped inside.
She lay curled up in the fetal position on top of a four-poster king-size bed. Her jacket was a crumpled pool of black on the floor next to her shoes, which looked like she’d left them exactly where she’d pulled them off.
When he reached the bed, he sat beside her, sinking into the plush mattress. “Renee.” He laid his hand on her shoulder. “Wake up, Renee.”
She curled tighter into herself as if she were trying to make herself as small as possible. Her skirt slid up higher on her brown thighs. “No, no.”
His heart ached for her. “Renee,” he said, his tone sharp enough, he hoped, to break through and awaken her from her personal hell. He tightened his grip on her shoulder.
She jerked awake, her eyes wild with fear and slightly glazed. Then she was in his arms, pressed against him and holding on as if she were never letting go.
“You’re safe,” he said softly and wrapped his arms around her. “You were dreaming. It was just a dream.” He could feel her fear in her shoulders that trembled, hear it still in her whimpers. “You’re home.”
The soft, sweet scent of her enveloped him as he rocked back and forth, repeating over and over, “You’re safe.”
“She shot him,” she whispered. “She just shot him. It was real.”
He rubbed her back. There was nothing he could say that would make the nightmare go away. He knew no matter how much you tried to forget, vivid memories had a way of sneaking up on you in your dreams like a well-planned and executed tactical ambush that left you beaten and defeated.
“I know,” he said softly.
She shifted and rubbed her check against his chest. “He was going to try to kill you,” she said with strength and certainty in her tone.
He wanted to deny it, but couldn’t. She deserved nothing less than the truth from him. He’d asked her to trust him today and she had. She was strong enough to handle the truth. “Yes, he was.”
She tightened her arms around him. “You didn’t give him the chance. I’m glad you were there with me.” She tilted her head and looked up at him. “You’re a good person, Chris.”
He frowned. “I don’t know what to say to you.” He hadn’t meant to say that to her. Cursing to himself, he watched her closely, hoping his blunt comment didn’t hurt her feelings. Rarely was he open and honest with someone. Will was the only person who really knew him, but somehow Renee had slipped beneath his defenses.
He looked away from the tempting sight of her soft, full lips so close to his. She didn’t need that kind of attention from him right now. The admiration he saw on her face did nothing to cool the lazy burn of desire beginning to rise inside of him. He wanted her, but he didn’t want her to make him into some kind of hero. He was just a man.
She didn’t appear to be upset by his remark. In fact, she looked a little less afraid and more like her normal self.
“You don’t have to say anything.”
He nodded. He should leave. Go back downstairs now that she was okay, but he didn’t. “Do you need anything?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m tired, but I don’t want to go back to sleep.”
“You don’t have to sleep now.” He knew exactly how she felt; he hadn’t wanted to go to sleep, either. He’d tried everything from television to caffeine to keep him awake, but that only worked for a short period of time. Sooner or later the body shut down.
“We never did find out what Marc bought at the store.” Her voice was soft and he heard the trace of fear and wariness in her tone.
“We’ll figure out something.” He’d planned on talking to the manager again. He was sure she would give him the information he wanted.
“I tried to figure something out after the funeral. I tried to hire someone to find the necklace, but everybody I spoke with insisted on telling Aunt Gert the necklace was gone.” She frowned and her bottom lip came out. He could imagine her with that same look as a little girl, but she was no little girl. He wanted to sink his teeth into that pouty, sweet lip before letting his tongue trace the line where her lips came together. He looked away and stared down at the floor. He was going to have to get his thoughts under control. Yeah, right. He shifted his weight on the bed. He was going to have to get it together before his body betrayed him, but he couldn’t let go of her.
“That was the whole point of trying to hire them in the first place,” she continued. “When Terrell told me where you worked, I almost asked for your help then.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I wasn’t sure if I could trust you. You could have been as bad as Marc.”
Her honesty was like a punch to the face. “I’m not Marc,” he said, not caring if she heard the anger and frustration clearly in his voice. He was tired of paying for something he didn’t do.
She nodded. “I knew that when I read the first offer to settle Marc’s estate.”
He drew back, surprised by her statement. “What? Why didn’t you…” He stopped. He knew why she didn’t take his offer.
“I didn’t want Danielle’s company nor did I want any of Alex’s money. As Marc’s only legal wife, I know I could have fought for those things but I couldn’t in good conscience take the business Danielle’s brother built. It’s her final tie to the brother she loved. And Alex…Alex might look and sound like a piece of fluff, but she’s a whole lot smarter than people think.” She gave him a somber look. “I think her lawyers scare my lawyer.”
He felt his frustration melt away and knew she absolutely trusted him, otherwise she wouldn’t have told him any of this before she had the necklace back. “To tell the truth, Alex and her lawyers scare the hell out of me.”
She laughed like he intended and she looked more beautiful to him in her wrinkled clothes and her rumpled hair. He knew without a doubt that she would be his.
“I’m more afraid of Danielle. She doesn’t take stuff from anybody,” she said.
He remembered leaving Renee, Alex and Danielle together while he, Hunter, her friend whom he’d asked to escort Alex to Marc’s funeral, and Tristan, Danielle’s longtime friend, went to pick up breakfast. When they came back, Alex held her cheek and Renee sat next to her with her arm around the younger woman’s shoulder. Danielle looked embarrassed and upset. There was Renee telling them both to behave. Thinking about the two women made him wonder. “Did you ask the others if Marc gave them the necklace?”
“Not specifically. I told them that I was missing a piece of jewelry and asked if Marc had given them diamonds.”
He tilted his head, confused. “Why didn’t you ask them flat out if they had the necklace?”
“Alex had just told us about her engagement to Hunter. I didn’t want to tell her my bad news when it was such a happy time for her.”
He shook his head. “Why don’t you ask them now. If either of them know anything they would tell you.”
“I don’t think they know anything. Both of them said the only jewelry Marc gave them was their wedding rings.” Her speech had slowed and her eyelids lowered.
“Call them anyway,” he said softly. After Alex told them the diamond in her engagement ring had been replaced with cubic zirconia, Danielle and Renee had their rings appraised when they returned home.
She put her head on his shoulder again and sighed. “Okay, I’ll call them in the morning.”
He held her, listening as her breathing became slower, steadier. He had no idea how long he sat there, just holding her, but somewhere along the way his desire to give comfort became full-blown desire of another kind. His body reacted to the softness of her breasts pressed against his chest and the warmth of her hands at his back. The rhythm of his breathing changed, growing shorter, faster.
She grew still and he knew she could feel and sense the change
in him. He wouldn’t be surprised if she drew back and asked him to leave. She tipped her head back and he looked down into her warm brown eyes and saw in them a spark of longing and desire. Just one kiss, he thought as he lowered his head slowly, giving her time to stop him. Then he pressed his mouth to hers. Her lips were soft, warm, sweet. The kind of sweet that had you coming back for more.
Renee moaned with pleasure as Chris used his tongue to trace the seam of her mouth. She parted her lips and felt his tongue tease and beckon. Desire, swift and strong, had her head spinning and her tongue matching the sensual movement of his.
She’d never known that a kiss could give so much hot, wicked pleasure. His hand moved in one slow, lingering stroke down her back, pressing her more tightly against his hard chest. Feeling the strength and power in his broad shoulders, her breasts grew heavy and tight.
He lifted his head and gently nibbled her bottom lip before tilting his head and kissing her again, igniting a need so strong, so compelling, she felt as if every nerve in her body vibrated with lust.
Chris heard his cell phone ringing and groaned in frustration and annoyance. He lifted his head, drawing in an unsteady breath of air. The depth of his desire for her shook him and with the taste of her still on his lips, he wanted more. His phone rang again. Reluctantly he moved out of her embrace and took the phone out of his pocket. He looked at the display before answering.
Minutes later, he closed the phone. During the short conversation, Renee had propped pillows behind her and was now leaning against the cushioned headboard.
Her cheeks were flushed and she played with the hem of her blouse, keeping her gaze on the silky material. He wanted to kiss her, to taste her again, but he could tell she’d pulled back.
“The security guard is out of surgery and expected to recover,” he said, watching as her eyes closed and her shoulders relaxed. “The suspects are in critical condition.” He put the phone back into his pocket.
“I was worried about the guard. I’m glad he’s doing okay.”
“Me, too.” He was glad she hadn’t witnessed such a violent death. “The police think the suspects are responsible for five other robberies in the southeast.” They also thought one of them was responsible for killing two people in Kentucky. He’d keep that information to himself.
