For All to See (Bureau Series Book 1) (18 page)

“
Y
ou have got
to be kidding me.”

Madelyn chuckled behind her hand. He’d swear she’d organized this evening specifically to torture him. Amadi purged himself from a car that looked more like a Skittle than something that carried people.

The big guy expanded like an accordion and finally reached his full height. “If I can fit in this thing, you’ll be fine.” He turned to Madelyn, “Are you ready, dear?”

She stifled the laughter only long enough to squeak, “Yes.” She sobered a little. “I can’t thank you enough for agreeing to this. I mean, getting three men into suits on short notice is a big deal. But you guys look so handsome.” Her gaze met his. “Nathan, are you ready?”

Ekene’s knees smashed into the dashboard and the back seat looked big enough to fit one toddler…maybe. He put an arm around Madelyn and her giggles died. “We’ll meet y'all there.”

“Suit yourself,” Amadi grinned.

Ekene cranked down the window. “Chicken.”

Nathan scratched the sand with his fancy shoes and pecked the air. “Bwok bwak brrr-awk!”

Madelyn’s side quavered under his hand and the musical sound of her laughter tickled his ears. Her laugh chipped away at the resolve on which he’d built his life.

“We’ll see you there.” Nathan steered her to the Jeep and opened the door. Slowly her laughter faded and she looked at him with the same dreamy-eyed, flushed-faced expression she had on their way back from the soccer game. The instinct to kiss her senseless gnawed at him. Instead, he offered her a hand.

She hardly breathed during the ride. Maybe it was the dress. The thing clung to every dip and curve of her body and made breathing hard for him. Why not her too? His gaze skirted time and again to the swell of her cleavage at the sharp V of the front. If that wasn’t enough, when he helped her out of the car, the deep U of the back twisted his tongue into his throat.

The restaurant boasted white tablecloths, waiters in black pants and vests, and a large wooden dance floor with a four-piece string ensemble. Every pair of eyes that had balls attached to their other ends—and even some that didn’t—followed every move Madelyn made. He couldn’t blame them for looking. She was a gorgeous woman and that dress accentuated every one of her bountiful positives. Still, he found himself anchoring her to his side as they followed the hostess.

The young woman in a classic black dress ushered them to their table at the edge of the dance floor surrounded by other tables on all side. Tiny hairs on the back of Nathan’s neck stood on end.

“Here we are,” the hostess said.

“I’m sorry to trouble you. We’ll need a table in the corner, please.” He flashed her his most dapper smile.

Her lashes batted so much he thought she might have a lash in her eye. “I’m terribly sorry, but we’re booked full tonight. It was all I could do to get you a table at all on such short notice.”

Nathan scanned the area and found just the table they needed in the back corner.

“We’ve got all the angles covered,” Amadi whispered in his ear.

That was exactly the issue. He didn’t want to have to rely on the two guys to protect Madelyn. It was his job, his priority, and he didn’t trust them, not completely. Cleared or not.

“This is wonderful.” Madelyn beamed. “Thank you.”

“If you would, give me just a minute.” Nathan slipped through the maze of tables until he came to the one he needed. “Excuse me, ladies.” Four striking mid-forties blondes perked. “Seeing as you’ve yet to get settled, I was wondering if you’d like a prime table by the dance floor?” He pointed to the table in question.

“If you promise me a dance,” one said.

“I’d love to, but I’m on duty.” Nathan put a hand in his pocket and flashed his holster. “My friends would be more than happy to oblige you, I’m sure.”

“Come on, Diana.” The woman sitting in the corner stood with a grin and tucked her purse under her arm. “I’ve always wanted to see if what they say about black men is true.”

The other women erupted into laughter. The eager woman met Nathan’s gaze and balanced. “You know, that they’re good dancers.”

“Right.” Nathan smiled and made his way back to Madelyn.

“Did you sacrifice your body as a peace offering?” she asked.

His grin deepened. A jealous streak looked damn good on her. “Nope. Theirs.”

Ekene bobbed his head and strutted toward the women.

“For the good of the team, I’ll deal. But for future reference, I like my women darker and thicker.” Amadi straightened his tie and headed for the frothy blondes.

“Noted.” Nathan placed his hand on the small of Madelyn’s back and ushered her to the table. After situating her in the corner, he ordered a bottle of red. He studied the opulent room, its exits, its guests. “Your boyfriend is here.”

“My boyfriend?” Madelyn’s chin rose from the menu she’d quietly studied since they’d sat. Old Man Malik waved a sun-dried hand at Madelyn and winked.

“I wouldn’t have pegged him for this kind of place.” She blew the guy a kiss.

“It’s not his, but it’s hers.” A dolled-up gall plucked from the pages of an old Hollywood magazine swatted his shoulder.

“Oh, how sweet.”

“Sweet? Blow him another kiss and she might deck him.”

“She wouldn’t.” Smile lines deepened on either side of her face and her cheeks rounded. “She might.”

“Women are jealous creatures.”

“And men aren’t?”

“Some are.”

“And you’re not?” Her shoulders straightened and the long elegant line of her neck distracted him. “Nathan?”

He loved to hear his name on her lips. “Never have been.”

The waiter filled all four glasses.

“Perfect timing,” Amadi said, taking the seat across from Nathan. He grabbed the glass and tipped it up.

“I didn’t think you drank,” Madelyn scoffed. “I was planning on stealing your glass.”

“Don’t usually,” Amadi clarified, “but after that I needed it. If the grabby one had gotten any bolder, I’d have to buy her dinner.”

“Looks like Diana might be buying Ekene’s dinner tonight,” Nathan said.

“And dessert,” Madelyn added. She raised her glass. “To good times and good friends, both here and away.”

Ekene joined them for appetizers. “Nathan, I heard you were one hell of a soccer player.”

The subject of sports and the size of the steak he ordered got them through the meal and on to another bottle of wine. Madelyn had talked as much as any of the guys about the World Cup and Cristiano Ronald’s ‘moves.’ But now she quietly contemplated her glass as though it had asked her a quantum physics question.

The words sat on his tongue, but he couldn’t make them come out. If he asked her to dance, she’d yank the rug out from beneath him. As it was only his toes and the will to balance that kept him from careening.

Amadi eyed Madelyn, and then Nathan. The nosey giant bulged his eyes out of his head discreetly prodding Nathan to dance with her. He folded his arms over his chest and tipped his head. The man’s eyes rolled to the sky. Then he stood and extended his hand to Madelyn. “Would you be so kind?”

Her sad gaze hopped from her cup, to Amadi’s hand, to Nathan. His heart twisted inside his chest, but he didn’t let it show. She stood with her head held high and swiveled heads all the way to the dance floor.

Nathan tried to track all the eyes that followed her. Chances were good the killer was watching. He carefully considered each member of the crowd. He tried to remain calm, but his efforts became more and more futile as Madelyn’s dance partners devolved. Ekene hopped next in line followed by Old Man Malik. Madelyn swatted the coot’s hand at least three times when it inched too far south.

“No, sir, you can’t!” the hostess hollered. Jim Gallow pushed past her, wearing a sleeveless shirt and a murderous sneer.

Nathan sprang from the chair.

Ekene called behind him, “What’s going on?”

He cut through the tables. A couple grabbed their martinis and screamed. Nathan vaulted the railing and landed on the dance floor.

“You loud-mouth bitch!” Jim slurred.

Madelyn turned toward the bellow. Her mouth gaped for a split second before she clamped it shut and stepped in front of Old Man Malik.

The crash of shattering glass stalled the music. Jim shoved another waiter out of his way to the dance floor.

“This isn’t the time or place to air your grievances, Gallow.” Two steps onto the wood, Nathan cut him off.

“Who the fuck are you?” the man blustered.

“My friends call me Brewer. You can call me Special Agent Brewer.”

“You’re the asshole stirring up trouble for me.” His meaty fist shook.

“Seems you do that all on your own,” Nathan explained. “Now, let’s step outside and let these nice people get back to their—”

Nathan saw the punch coming probably before Gallow knew he was going to throw it. He just hated making a bigger mess in the ritzy place.

M
adelyn chanced a glance at Amadi
. The ninja champion of the world hung back with the crowd. She wanted to scream at him to help Nathan with the jackass that towered half a foot over him and outweighed him by a good sixty pounds.

Nathan’s calm, commanding voice went silent. Madelyn snapped her head around. An inhale caught in her throat.

Jim’s heavy fist sailed toward Nathan’s skull.

Every muscle in Madelyn’s neck clenched. A centered punch from a man that size could shatter bones. And Nathan didn’t move an inch.

Until he did.

His right foot dropped back. Jim lurched forward. The angry fist sheered past Nathan’s nose. The edge of his flat-handed strike met Jim’s exposed neck.

David and Goliath. Jack and the giant. Size wasn’t everything after all.

Jim’s face turned a royal shade of red. His hands flew to his throat. He staggered. The leg of a chair caught his leg and he crashed onto a tabletop. High pitched screams erupted. A plate of rock shrimp and rice toppled to the floor, splattering all over a beautiful pair of black pumps.

Nathan attacked so quickly and with such accuracy the fight was over before it had begun. Amadi chose that moment to break away from the gawking throng and move to Nathan’s side. They exchanged words, and then Amadi snatched Jim by the wrist, twisted it behind his back, and ushered him toward the door.

Jim wrestled against the hold. “I didn’t kill her! I loved her!”

Madelyn owned every bit of resentment and anger toward the man. “Really?” Her voice rang out, loud and violent. “What about the time you beat her so badly she couldn’t see for a week? Is that how you showed her your love, Jim?”

She lunged forward, but sturdy hands encircled her upper arms. Nathan’s face blocked her view of Jim.

“Come on,” Nathan drawled. “I know you want to dance with me.”

Well, of course she did, but her adrenaline pegged out, making romance an impossibility. Not that Nathan wanted anything to do with her in that category. Apparently, one taste was all he’d needed.

“I’m not in the mood.” She shoved against his chest.

“I could get you there.” Nathan slid his whole hand down her arm to the curve of her palm and wrapped her hand in an easy grip. His other hand grazed the left side of her breast, coasted over her ribs, and settled on the small strip of material between her bare back and her fabric molded bottom.

Before she could speak, he moved to a beat all his own. On instinct Madelyn grabbed his shoulder with her left hand and held on as he turned her around the dance floor. One of the violinists hadn’t gone to rubberneck with the others. He picked up his instrument and pulled the sweetest sounds across the strings.

“How can you dance after you nearly got your head knocked off?” she puzzled.

“Hardly. He was too drunk to fight Old Man Malik. Don’t tell me you thought he’d take me. It’ll break my heart.” He clutched her hand to his chest. “To answer your question, I know what’s important. Wasting time on Jim Gallow isn’t worth either of our time.”

He spun her with ease, and then pulled her in so close her belly brushed the cold metal of his belt buckle. The erotic image of the leather slipping between her fingertips transformed her anger into lust.

The exquisite burn of his finger between her shoulder blades cauterized the open wound on her heart. Though temporary and superficial, she’d take however much of him she could get for as long as she could get it. If that made her desperate, who the hell cared? As Nichole’s death had shown her, life was too fucking short.

“It worked,” she whispered.

“What worked?”

Madelyn curled her arms around Nathan’s neck and leaned into him. His smoothly shaven cheek caressed hers and her lips brushed the shell of his ear. “I’m in the mood.”

“
M
ay I cut in
?”

Nathan saw Adrian Tau swagger in like he owned the place. He saw the man talk with the hostess. He saw the man amble up to the dance floor. He saw something in those dull blue eyes that sounded alarms, locked down the gates, and made him pull Madelyn that much tighter against him.

So, when the man asked to cut in, his answer was hell the fuck no. But he couldn’t tip a hand that he wasn’t sure he even had.

“Chief.” Nathan kept an arm around Madelyn and stepped forward. He offered the man his hand. “Take it you heard about the chaos. I must say, that’s an awfully fast response time.”

The man crushed Nathan’s hand with an easy smile. Nathan crushed his back and smiled wider.

“We live on an island, Mr. Brewer.” Tau pointed his fat finger between himself and Madelyn. “News travels fast and it doesn’t take long to get from one point to the other.” His gaze settled on Madelyn. “I’m sorry Jim bothered you again, and I’m sorry the Bureau is too blind to see the killer when he’s standing right in front of him.”

“So you’re admitting you’re the “Field-Dresser?” Nathan asked.

“What?” Madelyn flitted her hand in the air and giggled. “No, he was talking about Jim.”

“She’s a smart girl,” Tau said.

“But,” Madelyn corrected with a stop sign for a hand, “I don’t think Jim is the killer any longer, Chief.”

“I see he’s gone and hypnotized you.” Tau glared at Nathan’s hand latched around her.

“No.” Madelyn shook her head.

She tried to side step and put some distance between them, but Nathan held tight. His unease grew by the second.

“The attack on Deacon changed my mind,” she clarified. “He never would have let Jim get close enough to hurt him.”

“Ah.” Tau bobbed his head. “I never thought of that. Okay, smart lady, how about a dance?” The man flourished a ham-sized hand.

“I thought you were here for Jim.” Nathan said.

“You handled him. They’re cleaning the place up. I don’t think he’ll be a problem for anyone else tonight,” the man explained.

“Nathan, it’s all right. One dance with Chief, and then we’ll go.” She patted his hand.

He had no choice but to let her go. His jaw clamped so hard his teeth ached, but he smiled and nodded. Amadi caught his eye on the way back to the table. His gaze told Nathan he knew something was wrong. While Nathan’s back faced Madelyn and Tau, the guy’s amber eyes never left the couple.

“Want to tell me what’s got your back up?”

“Nope.”

“Fair enough.”

Nathan sat facing the dance floor and wished he could read lips. At this distance all he could see was body language and to the casual observer everything looked on the up and up. Tau’s hand stayed firmly on the fabric of Madelyn’s dress without wandering north or south. She seemed in good spirits, smiling and cruising easily over the floor.

Ekene chuckled. “Oh man, you got too much ile in you.”

“What?” Nathan asked without moving his gaze.

Ekene stood and pointed to the group of busty blondes Nathan talked to earlier in the night. He turned toward them, but cocked his head back. “I’m going to take care of my ile right now.”

Nathan groaned and flashed a half-cocked smirk.

Amadi rested his forearms on the table. “I know what’s going on.”

“Oh yeah?” Nathan asked.

“Nathan, I like you. You are an honest man. And I can see how you feel about Madelyn. But, friend, if you hurt her you’ll disappear and they’ll never find your body.”

Nathan thought he had been playing it smooth, but Amadi mirrored what he’d been trying to deny. He was in deep. He wanted Madelyn not just tonight, but every night, and every morning. He wanted her body, her mind, and her soul to consume him.

So many questions remained, but he’d answered one. Why did she affect him so much? He loved her. But the biggest question remained…could he afford to do anything about it?

The now-f string quartet completed their song with a drawn out low note. Madelyn stepped away from Tau and dipped her head. The man gave a stilted bow. His swollen belly got in the way. She turned to leave, but his arms stretched wide in invitation for a hug. A moment of awkwardness ensued.

A crowd of people stood from their table and blocked his view. Nathan tossed the napkin he’d literally tied in knots onto the table. He stood, nearly ramming his chair into the gentleman’s behind him. When he still couldn’t see Madelyn he stepped onto the chair.

“Nathan?” Amadi said with a string of unease in his voice. He ignored the question, hell bent on finding her in the crowd.

He reached the full height. Still he couldn’t find their heads over the others. His heart swelled and contracted, sponging up all the blood in his body, and then shooting it through his veins. Nathan poised to make his second fast break for the dance floor for the night.

Then Tau’s head popped up from obscurity. A congenial smile arched his splotchy face. The crowd shifted. Madelyn straightened from Tau’s arms. She’d gone in for the hug after all. She turned. Her gaze found him—on the chair like an idiot. Concern hooded her eyes, instead of embarrassment.

Nathan’s veins constricted once again. He locked on Tau. The man’s smile had slipped from pleasant to severe. Those crazy blue eyes narrowed on Madelyn’s back. Tau’s hand reached. Two fingers brushed the tips of her straightened hair.

The simple gesture sealed Nathan’s intuition with melted steel and rivets.

Tau’s gaze met Nathan’s. His easy smile returned with a crooked slant. Then he turned and strolled for the door. Nathan hopped from the chair.

“Stay with her,” he ordered.

“Yeah, man,” Amadi agreed.

He weaved around waiters, dodged tables, and made it outside in time to see Tau slip into his car idling at the curb. The bastard flashed him that mocking grin. He put the car into drive without breaking eye contact. The wheels rolled forward. Still, Tau maintained the look. At the last possible second, Tau turned his head and maneuvered the lot’s exit.

Nathan snatched the phone from his pocket and called Dick. “I want someone on Adrain Tau around the clock.”

“What? It’s not like we have unlimited funds or people,” Dick countered. “What makes you say that?”

“I want inside his house and his bank accounts,” Nathan continued.

“I want a harem of supermodels. But I’m not rich and my cock isn’t two feet long. Do you have any evidence?”

“Fucking no. But I know he did it.”

“How?”

“It’s in his eyes and…and he brushed the tips of Madelyn’s hair.”

“You’re just pissed he has a crush on your girl,” Dick chuckled.

“It wasn’t that he did it. It was the way he did it. Have you gotten anything on his wife?”

“So far, nothing. No bank accounts. No taxes paid in the US or the BVI in the last four years.”

“Doesn’t that seem suspect to you?”

“Sure it does. I have a call in to the mother, but the lady works on a boat and they won’t be back in for two days.”

“Did you at least find an old picture of her? What color is her hair?”

A pause weighted the line. “Brunette.”

“You’re telling me a missing wife with brunette hair isn’t enough?”

“Not yet, it’s not.”

“Keep eyes on him. I don’t care if you have to take surveillance off Madelyn’s. I know this is the guy.”

“The bartender is looking good, Brewer. No alibis. A record of assault.”

“Women or men?”

“Both.”

“What’s going on?” Madelyn asked breathlessly.

“Let me know as soon as you have a word on that body.” Nathan clicked off. He hated not being involved in the investigation. It was where he worked best, but he couldn’t leave Madelyn’s protection to anyone else. Even if it was for the best.

“Madelyn,” Amadi called after her.

Nathan wheeled on Amadi. “Seriously? You couldn’t keep her inside?”

“Not unless you wanted another knock-down-drag-out in there.” Amadi hiked a finger toward the restaurant.

“You can’t just order me around. Stay here. Do this.” Madelyn stabbed him with her finger.

“Sure I can,” Nathan said.

“Excuse me?” Her hands popped onto her perfectly arched hips.

Amadi grimaced. “I’ll just go back—”

“Take this, will you and get dinner?” Nathan handed him a credit card.

“Dinner was my treat.” Madelyn scoffed.

Amadi snagged the card and retreated.

Nathan stepped close, wrapped an arm around her waist, shoved the other into her hair, and sealed their lips together. He kissed her fight away. The tangle of their mouths carried on longer than he’d planned. But once he touched her, it was hard to stop. Finally, he pulled back. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”

“Even if it means taking away the freedom I’ve worked so hard for?”

Madelyn’s whispered words pierced him deep. He didn’t want to answer because he knew how much it would hurt her…and how much he could lose.

“Adrian Tau is the killer.”

****

Madelyn tossed her tiny purse onto the island. She licked her full lips, shoved two fingers in her mouth, and stabbed the silence with a sharp whistle.

Deacon pranced through the door and rubbed his sandy face on Nathan’s pants. “Thanks,” he whispered. He brushed the sand out the door, and then closed it behind him. The dog stood in his path to Madelyn with his tail thrashing and his front paws dancing. Nathan tossed his coat onto a stool. He rolled his sleeves, leaned over, and scrubbed Deacon’s square head.

“Talk to me,” Madelyn pleaded.

“Based on the last twenty minutes you spent as a mute, I didn’t figure you were in the mood to talk.”

She stared at him, and then at her hands. After everything, she didn’t trust him. It pried his heart open with an old-school can-opener. He couldn’t expect her to walk over hot coals for him. Not when he hadn’t promised to be there for her on the other side.

The dagum dog flopped to the tile and rolled onto his back, directing Nathan’s scratches to his belly. Neither of them were going to make this easy. He dropped to one knee and rubbed Deacon’s belly.

“I was assimilating to the news,” she whispered. “It’s hard to think about all the times Nichole and I were around him. We were so close to evil and we didn’t know. Never suspected.”

Nathan centered his gaze on her crooked mouth and scrunched lips. “You mean, you believe me?”

Madelyn’s head jerked upright. A wrinkle formed between her brows. “I trust you, Nathan. I trust your instincts, even better than I trust my own.” She tucked her lower lip between her teeth and bit down. Her hands plowed through her hair. Then she scrubbed them down her arms. Once. Twice.

Suddenly she clawed at her skin.

“Madelyn?”

She didn’t look. Her eyes were swollen with fear and revulsion, and locked on her arms. Nathan stepped over Deacon and crossed to her. Fat tears ran down her face. Red scratches marred her arms.

“Stop.”

“I let him touch me.” A serrated cry escaped her lips. And still, she clawed at her skin.

Nathan clamped his hands around her wrists. She tensed against his hold. Her breaths blew quickly over his neck, but she didn’t weep. Her jaw set and her chest heaved.

The thought of Tau’s hands on Madelyn made his trigger finger itch. And damned though he was, it made his cock swell with the need to make her his. He needed to erase the memories and the scent of every other man and replaced them with his own.

“Let me touch you.” The words were so desperate they came harsh and low.

Mascara slipped down her cheek with another tear.

“Touch me,” she begged.

Nathan scooped her into his arms and walked to the bathroom. He set her down, adjusted the water to a full hot stream, and then emptied his pockets…mostly. One by one, their shoes landed with a thud. He pulled back the curtain and picked up Madelyn again.

One of her arms encircled his neck, while the other clutched the front of his shirt and his loosened tie. Nathan stepped into the claw-foot tub. Water splashed onto the burnt orange dress, coursed down her legs, and hit the floor. He sat in front of the spray and closed them in together.

With an easy touch he turned her around to face him. He tilted her chin up. Water soaked her hair. He gathered the strands stuck to her chest and slicked them behind her shoulders.

“Close your eyes.”

When her lashes hit her cheek he pressed her forehead into the flow. The narrow spray trickled across her lids, over the bridge of her nose, and down her exposed neck. It pooled in her cleavage and the tightly knit fabric.

Nathan ran his thumbs across her eyes. A muddy mix of beauty products cascaded over her face and stained his fingers. He rubbed the arch of her brows. He massaged the slope of her cheekbones and the curve of her jaw. Her lips parted and water trickled down the edge of her mouth. He repeated the process until all traces of make-up fled her face, and then pulled her face from the beating spray.

“Open your eyes.”

Her shadowy orbs lit on him and the emotions they projected nearly brought him to his knees. He grabbed the soap and worked lather into his hands. With firm strokes starting at her arms, Nathan washed away all traces of Adrian Tau. His fingers slipped between hers and held them as he had when they’d danced. His other hand slid up her back and he pulled her close.

“Whose hands do you feel now?”

“Yours.”

“Whose hands do you want to feel?”

“Yours.”

The groove of her spine hugged his finger all the way to the hot-red fabric of her dress. He seized the zipper and tugged. One tooth at a time, the pull revealed a wide-strapped lacy black thong. Nathan groaned. The enticement did its job and broke his easy pace.

He released her and stepped back.

She tugged his tie and his head followed, colliding with her eager mouth. The bite of wine tumbled across his tongue. He drank it in, drank her in, and then pushed back before he lost himself completely.

“How much did you have to drink tonight?”

Her onyx lashes fluttered several times. She licked the bottom of her lip as if savoring him. His balls throbbed. But fuck him sideways, he wouldn’t take advantage of an intoxicated woman. Even if the sight of her intoxicated him.