Authors: Katie Reus
At least he’d already wiped the truck down. Now he’d have to procure another vehicle, but that should be easy enough. He’d done it a hundred times before.
Braden resisted the urge to slam his fist on the table. He couldn’t let their only suspect see his frustration. The only decent thing they had going for them was the fact that he’d read this loser his rights and Walker had revoked his right to counsel. His excuse for not wanting a lawyer was because he had an alibi for this morning. “Why’d you run, Daniel?”
He raked a hand through his spiked hair. “I already told you, I didn’t know you were a cop.”
“What were you doing with so much marijuana?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, man. You planted that on me.”
“That woman who was with me, she works for the Department of Defense. She saw me pull the drugs out of your pocket. Who’s a judge going to believe? You or us?”
“What do you want from me? It’s just a little grass. Can’t I make a deal or something?”
“First tell me about your relationship with Mallory Spinoza. And don’t lie to me. I know she broke up with you.”
Daniel opened his mouth, then snapped it shut. In response, he shrugged and mumbled something.
“I didn’t catch that, Daniel.”
“Man, whatever. I lost my temper once and that bitch won’t let me forget it. She didn’t really want to break up though. She’s just playing hard to get.”
“Hard to get, huh?”
“Yeah, you know the type. She wants me to wine and dine her for a little bit until she comes around.”
Braden opened the nearly flat manila folder he had in front of him and slid out a picture of Mallory’s dead body. “Is this what you do to women who play hard to get?”
Daniel’s blue eyes widened as he focused on the picture. It took him a second to realize what he was seeing, but in that moment, Braden saw real shock on the man’s face. Daniel shoved the photo away and jumped from his seat. “What the fuck! Oh my God! Is that…is she…oh my God.”
“So you have nothing to do with this?”
Daniel puked on the floor.
Braden scrubbed a hand over his face. Unless he was a consummate actor, the young punk was telling the truth. In addition to his reaction he’d been talking about her in the present tense. Not one slip up in the past hour and a half. Sighing, Braden shoved away from the table, left the room and found Detective Bolinger waiting for him in the hall. Braden turned off the intercom. “Did you get all that?”
“Yeah.”
“Book him on charges of possession with intent to sell. And check on that alibi. My instinct tells me he isn’t involved, but I want all our bases covered. How’s that warrant coming?”
“Judge is on his way back, but you’ll have it in the morning.”
That was one of the really bad things about living in a small town. Their only judge was on vacation and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow. “As soon as we get it, I want to search his house. I’m taking Lilly home. Call me if you need me.” As far as he knew, she hadn’t eaten all day and when they’d arrived back at the station, she’d looked ready to fall over on her feet. Not to mention, the second she’d arrived in town she’d been thrown into the middle of a shit storm with no warning. After everything she’d been through in the past year, he couldn’t help the desire to protect her.
He stuck his head in his office to find her stretched out on the couch with her eyes closed, but he could tell she wasn’t asleep. “You want to grab some food and head back to your aunt’s place?”
Her eyes flew open and she nodded. “More than anything. Can we go to Yuki’s?”
“We’ll go anywhere you want.” Yuki’s wasn’t the only Japanese restaurant in town, but it was the best. And he hadn’t been there in a long time. Mainly because it held too many memories for him. He and Lilly had gone on more than a few dates there when they’d been younger. But if that’s where she wanted to go, he sure as hell couldn’t argue.
Lilly played with her chopsticks and tried not to think about all the times she’d come here with Braden while he grabbed her another drink from the bar. She automatically stiffened when he slid into the same side of the booth as her. He’d been sitting across from her before he’d gone to the bar and this reminded her of when they’d been younger. Back when they’d been unable to keep their hands off each other for even an hour. Maybe he’d just done it out of habit or something.
She could tell he’d been purposely keeping his distance from her all day. Not overtly. But she’d sensed it. Until now, apparently.
Being near him and working with him all day had sent her senses haywire. At least she hadn’t seen any more masked men running around. It made her feel more in control of herself. After the day she’d had, she needed it. Well, that and a couple of potent drinks.
“They said our order should be up soon,” he said as he refilled her ceramic cup with sake.
“Thanks.” His thigh lined up perfectly with hers, sending heat waves skittering across her skin. She tried to shift a couple inches away but it was impossible without being obvious.
“You know how to use those?” He motioned toward the chopsticks.
She shrugged, and hoped he couldn’t tell what effect he was having on her. “Yeah. After living in Japan for so long, I picked it up.”
“Do you ever miss Hudson Bay?” She didn’t know if it was intentional, but his voice was low and seductive and it made her want things she had no right wanting.
Almost against her will she found herself staring at his lips. It had been so long—too long—since she’d even fantasized about a man. Dreaming about the one man she couldn’t have was stupid though.
Beyond
stupid. “I miss some things.”
“Like what?” His voice had dropped another notch.
She still couldn’t tear her gaze away from his mouth. Whatever wall he’d erected against her today was gone. He wanted to kiss her. She could see it plain as day.
“Damn it,” he muttered.
He moved fast, closing the small distance between them as his mouth covered hers. Instead of harsh and rough, like she expected, his tongue rasped over hers gently. In sweet, almost teasing strokes. After the way she’d left him, she hadn’t expected anything remotely sweet from him. But this…was perfect.
Lilly could feel herself falling for him again. One kiss and she was ready to melt at his feet. Against her will, her hands wound their way around his neck. His own hand threaded through the curtain of her hair and cupped her head in a possessive, dominating gesture.
A lava-like heat moved down her belly and settled between her legs. Apart from being highly inappropriate, this was the dumbest thing she could have done. Her body didn’t care though.
Lilly wanted to straddle him and—
“I see some things never change.” A familiar female voice tore them apart.
It took a second for the blonde woman’s face to register in Lilly’s brain. Rebecca King, the annoying reporter from earlier, stood at the end of their booth.
“What are you doing here?” Braden’s voice sounded surprisingly calm.
Lilly’s insides were jumbled and twisted and he didn’t look—or sound—remotely affected by that kiss. For how she felt, she couldn’t string a coherent sentence together if she tried.
“I want to know what happened to Mallory Spinoza.”
“And you thought interrupting my dinner was the way to get your information?” Braden asked, his tone wry.
Rebecca’s eyes narrowed as she looked back and forth between them. “A source in the coroner’s office tells me that this isn’t the first murder.”
“Who said she was murdered?”
“Oh come on! You had crime scene tape all around her studio. Why won’t you tell me what’s going on?”
“At this time, the Hudson Bay Sheriff’s Office has no official comment.”
“Fine, I’ll just call the mayor and see what he says,” she huffed.
“Why don’t you do that,
darlin’?
He’ll tell you the same thing. When we’re able to release information to the public, you’ll be the first to know. But right now, the circumstances of an ongoing investigation are none of your damn business.”
Lilly stifled a laugh at his sarcastic tone. She’d never seen him so pissed before. At least not at a woman.
At that moment, their server stopped by the table carrying two steaming plates. After she placed the plates in front of them, she looked at Rachel. “Will you be joining them?”
“She was just leaving,” Braden practically bared his teeth at her.
Lilly picked up her chopsticks as the other woman stomped away from them.
Once she was actually out of the restaurant, Braden spoke, but he wouldn’t meet her gaze. “Listen, what just happened can’t happen again. It was a mistake.”
The food in her mouth turned to cardboard at his words, but she simply nodded and murmured an agreeable sound. She didn’t trust her own voice and she didn’t want to say something stupid.
Here she was ready for a replay and he thought it was a mistake. It annoyed her since he’d made the first move. But at the same time she figured she deserved it after the way she’d left him. It didn’t matter that she’d had no choice, she’d still hurt him more than she ever wanted to hurt anyone. And if he’d suffered the way she had after they’d broke up then it surprised her how nice he was being to her. Sighing, she picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks. Her day had started crappy as hell, and it looked like it was ending the same way.
Braden laid his gun on the nightstand in Lilly’s guest room before collapsing onto the bed. It had been days since he’d gotten any sleep other than a few stolen minutes in his car or office. He
should
have been asleep before his head hit the pillow.
Instead he was staring at the ceiling with an embarrassing hard-on. All he could think about was that kiss and how much he wanted to finish what he’d started.
He couldn’t though. Not only were they in the middle of a case, he simply couldn’t get tangled up with Lilly again. He’d spent a decade forgetting her. Staying away from her
should
be easy. Maybe he really was a masochist.
As memories tore through him, his erection quickly subsided. Hell, the memory of the day she’d left was forever seared in his mind. He just hadn’t allowed himself to think about it in a long time. She’d ended things with him two weeks after school had finished. But, he still hadn’t believed her when she’d told him they were through. So he’d gone over to her house. Shame burned through him as he remembered the desperateness he’d felt that day. The confusion.
She slammed the trunk of her car shut and turned to face him. This wasn’t the Lilly he knew. She crossed her arms over her chest and took a step back. “I’m really sorry, Braden. I got into summer school. What am I supposed to do, not go?”
“I don’t care about summer school and you know it. What the hell is going on with you?”
She shrugged, but unshed tears glistened in her pretty green eyes. “I just think we should take some time apart. You’re leaving next month anyway. You’ll probably forget all about me once you’re in boot camp.”
“Forget you? Are you crazy? I love you, Lilly.”
“I love you too, but this is for the best.”
“Best for who? You?” A few tears streamed down her cheeks, but he hardened his heart against feeling anything for her. Or at least he tried to. It was hard when all he wanted to do was kiss her.
“I have to go now if I want to make it to Durham by nightfall.”
“Then let me go with you. I’ll help you unpack everything.” He’d never felt more pathetic in his life, but he didn’t care. He just couldn’t let her walk out on him.
She paused and for a second, he thought she’d agree. Instead, she shook her head. “No. Aunt Debra’s going to be following me in her car anyway.” She glanced back up at the house. “You need to go. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
He could hear the hollow promise of her words, but he nodded and walked back to his truck. Maybe his brother had been right after all. She’d been using him until school was over.
Braden shook his head, as if that could somehow erase his thoughts. Dwelling on the past wouldn’t get him anywhere, especially now. He punched his pillow once then turned on his side and shut his eyes. Sleep was what he needed now. He could wallow in his memories once this case was over.
“Tell us who you work for!” Instead of the barrel of a gun, this time he raised a pipe and slammed it down onto her already broken leg.
Lilly couldn’t answer. She could barely scream. Her body hurt so badly and her tormenter didn’t want an answer anyway. He only lived to torture her.
“Who are you?” he shouted again.
“I’m just an analyst.” She thought she spoke out loud, but it was impossible to tell. She couldn’t hear her own voice. Maybe she’d only thought it. Her left eye was swollen shut and she could barely make him out anyway.
A mask. The mask, she could see. His big, deadly eyes glared at her through the slits of the mask.
Something clattered near her head. The pipe? Then she saw the knife. Long, wicked, rusty. She felt sick, but she hadn’t eaten in days. There was nothing to vomit.
The time had finally come. He was going to kill her. At least she wouldn’t be in any more pain. She prayed he ended her life swiftly but knew he wouldn’t. He didn’t know what mercy was.
Only one regret haunted her. His face swam in front of her vision. Dark hair, dark eyes and an easy-going smile. Braden. Her only regret. She should have told him the truth. Why hadn’t she again?
The vision of Braden’s handsome face disappeared as the ugly masked face bent down to her broken body. He leaned close enough so that he was whispering in her ear now. “Maybe you’ll talk after I kill your pretty friend.”
No. She tried to say the word, but her throat seized. Her body refused to listen. She couldn’t even roll over, but she could hear the clunk of his boots as he stomped to the other side of their cell.
Emily was quiet. Too quiet.
A loud scream pierced the room and Lilly’s entire body jolted. Her broken bones scraped against each other as she tried to move.
Leave her alone!
Lilly jolted upright in bed and reached for her gun. Instead of grabbing it, she jerked her hand back to her chest and flopped against the pillows. Her heart beat erratically but she reminded herself it had all been a dream. She was in North Carolina, not Africa. Repeating the words in her head had a calming effect.
Light streamed in through the blinds and a glance at the clock told her it was almost eight.
Somehow she’d managed to sleep the entire night through. Of course she’d had horrific nightmares, but at least she’d stayed asleep. Probably had something to do with the couple glasses of sake she’d had the night before.
Stretching her arms above her head, she paused when she heard a clang downstairs. Her throat seized until she realized it was probably just Braden. To be on the safe side, she plucked her weapon from the nightstand and made her way downstairs.
When she entered the kitchen, Braden lifted his hands in mock surrender. “Don’t shoot.”
Rolling her eyes, she laid her SIG on the table.
“Coffee?” he asked as he lifted his mug.
Nodding, she poured a cup, but she snuck a couple glances at him. Something had changed in him since last night. And she’d wager it had nothing to do with that stupid kiss. He’d closed himself off to her again. Not that she could really blame him. Still, she wondered what had changed in a few hours. It was like a black cloud hung over his head.
She inhaled the coffee’s rich aroma and tried to block out his dark mood as she took her first sip.
“I’ve got good and bad news.” His tired, scratchy voice cut through the silence. “The good news is Hailey confirmed your theory about the burn marks being from a cattle prod.”
That was a mix of good and bad and she almost hated that she’d known what the markings were from. The violence people inflicted on one another was scary as hell. “What’s the bad news?”
He sighed. “We made the news.”
“Excuse me?”
“Come on.” He tilted his head and walked from the room without waiting for her.
She trailed after him until they sat in her aunt’s living room. The television was muted and a dancing bear advertising toilet paper was playing on the screen. When Rebecca King appeared on the screen wearing a fitted black pantsuit, Lilly cringed.
Braden turned up the volume and sighed as the woman started to speak. “Tragedy struck yesterday for the Spinoza family here in Hudson Bay. Mallory Spinoza’s life was cut short, but police are tight-lipped about the cause of death. Thanks to this reporter’s investigative skills, an unnamed source at the coroner’s office claims that her death isn’t the first in a long line of similar murders. Could there be a serial killer in Hudson Bay? If so, Sheriff Donnelly isn’t saying.”
He flipped off the television. “This has been playing all morning.”
Lilly raked a hand through her tangled hair. Panic automatically welled up at the thought of reporters descending on the town. “What does this mean for the case?”
“More calls to field, fake tips to sift through, the usual.”
“Who do you think the unnamed source is?”
He snorted. “Considering only a handful of people work at the morgue, my money’s on Ann Scott. She means well, but she’s got a big mouth. She probably told Rebecca without even realizing it.”
Lilly took a sip of her coffee. Looked like today was going to be just as bad as yesterday.
“Yeah?” Braden answered his buzzing phone.
When he swore softly under his breath, Lilly tensed. As soon as he hung up, she frowned. “Is there another body?”
He shook his head. “No. There’s a domestic disturbance at the Murphys’ house.”
“Greg Murphy?”
At his nod, Lilly set her coffee on the table. “Give me a few minutes to change.”
“Where do you think you’re going?” he growled.
“I’m going with you.” She stared at him as if he’d grown another head.
“You’re staying here.”
“Braden, in any other situation I’d agree with you, but what if this is the guy we’re after? You said he’s the one person you can think of who hates you. Not to mention, he’s connected to
both
of us. It wouldn’t hurt to see his reaction to me. Besides, you know I’m trained with weapons.”
“A lot of good that training did you at the funeral home.” The second the words were out of his mouth, he wanted to take them back. The hurt in her green eyes clawed at his insides. She’d been assaulted yesterday and he was being an asshole. And the incident at the funeral home had nothing to do with him not wanting her to go. She’d proven herself useful and capable yesterday but he didn’t want her anywhere near Greg Murphy.
She glared at him. Her silence unnerved him more than if she’d yelled at him.
He didn’t have time to sit around and argue and more importantly, he didn’t have the extra manpower to keep her under lockdown 24/7. And she was right. Gauging Murphy’s reaction to her could tip this case in the right direction. He couldn’t let his emotion rule him on this decision. “You ride with me and you’re not getting out of the truck unless I say it’s okay.”
“It’s not like I have my own car anyway.” She turned on her heel and hurried up the stairs.
He’d already showered and dressed that morning, but he grabbed his gun, handcuffs and badge. To give Lilly credit, she was ready in record time. Today she wore a similar outfit as yesterday. A dark blue turtleneck sweater, jeans, and instead of carrying her gun in her purse, he was pretty sure he saw the outline of it under her coat. Something about that bothered him. If she was an analyst, he didn’t understand why she carried a gun like a pro. Back in high school, guns had actually scared her. To see her wield one like an expert was unnerving.
Lilly ignored Braden’s gaze as she brushed past him and refused to look at him even when he held open the passenger door of his truck for her.
He flipped on the blue and red dash lights as he sped out of the driveway. As the silence dragged on, he decided to break the ice. “Lil, I’m sorry about what I said. It was uncalled for.”
“And mean.”
He sighed. “And mean.”
“And also a little true.”
“What?”
“I reacted like an amateur yesterday.” She tucked a dark strand of hair behind her ear and bit her bottom lip.
If he didn’t already feel like a jerk, he definitely did now. “Cut yourself some slack.”
“It was like Africa all over again.” The disgust in her voice was palpable as she turned away from him to stare out the window.
“From what I saw on the news, there’s not much you could have done in Africa.”
When she muttered something incomprehensible, he started to reach out a comforting hand, but thought better of it. From now on, touching her was off limits. Especially after that kiss last night. If it wasn’t so instinctual he wouldn’t have a problem. He hadn’t seen the woman in ten years. Thanks to the way things had ended with her, he’d questioned the motives of over half the women he’d dated over the years. He shouldn’t still want her.
Her mention of Africa was more or less a conversation stopper. Never in a million years had he imagined he’d see her on television being held hostage by Islamic radicals. Her aunt had been a wreck for weeks as they waited on news. Good or bad. A few national reporters had shown up looking for a story but it had been easy to spot them in a town this size.
Sometimes he wondered if Lilly knew he’d gone to see her. Her aunt hadn’t wanted to fly to D.C. by herself so like an idiot, he’d volunteered to go with her. Or rather, he’d been corralled into going. Saying no to Debra Carmichael would have been like saying no to Lilly. It had nothing to do with the fact that he’d been worried about Lilly. That he wanted to see her again and make sure she was okay with his own eyes.
At least that’s what he’d tried to tell himself.
Then her jackass boss hadn’t let him see Lilly. From the chatter in the hospital waiting room he’d learned that there had been a leak within the NSA and a group of radicals had surprised and kidnapped Lilly’s team. When he’d found out her leg and a few ribs were broken, he’d wanted to choke her boss for keeping him out of her room.
Braden’s fists clenched around the steering wheel.
“This can’t be good.” Lilly’s voice brought him back to the present as they turned onto the Murphys’ street.
A crowd had gathered outside the one-story blue and white cottage style home. When some of the neighbors saw him and heard Detective Isaacs’s siren, they moved to the edge of the yard.
Braden glanced at Lilly as he pulled up to the curb. Whatever he’d been expecting, it hadn’t been this. Abby, Greg Murphy’s blonde haired, blue eyed ethereal wife was screaming at her husband while brandishing a baseball bat in one hand. And it looked like his entire closet had been strewn across the front yard.
“Stay here,” he ordered Lilly as he jumped from the vehicle.
Detective Isaacs was already waiting for him. She came up next to the driver’s side as he stepped out. “You want me to take care of Mrs. Murphy?”
He nodded. “Try and get the bat from her. I’ll see if I can talk to Greg, figure out what’s going on.”
As they rounded his truck, Abby turned toward them, her hair flying wildly around her face. “It’s about time you got here! This son of a bitch—”
“Please put the bat down, ma’am,” Vanessa ordered.
Out of the corner of his eye, Braden watched as Greg Murphy slowly scooted backward across the lawn. Definitely trying to get out of the line of fire. While the guy might deserve whatever his wife was dishing out, the law was still the law.
“After what he did, he’s lucky I haven’t killed him!” Abby’s voice rose with each word as she shrieked at them.
Braden and Vanessa took a few steps closer. “What did your husband do?” he asked.
“He…” Abby’s eyes widened as she glanced past them.
Braden risked a quick glance over his shoulder. The woman was looking at his truck. Frowning, he turned back to Abby, but she was already running toward his truck.
“That bitch!” she screamed.
Everything happened so quickly and they had only moments to react. He and Vanessa went at the small woman from both sides, trying not to hurt her, and also trying not to get slammed with the bat.
He managed to stop the bat with an open palm when she swung at him. At the same time Vanessa tackled her to the ground. His hand stung, but it was better than getting his head bashed in. Despite the fact that there were witnesses, he was glad Vanessa was the one taking the irate woman down. Abby was still screaming and thrashing around as Braden quickly assessed the area. He inwardly cursed. Greg Murphy was gone.
“You okay?” Braden asked.
“I got her,” his detective grunted as she flipped the woman onto her stomach and secured her wrists with cuffs.
Bat in hand, he sprinted across the lawn and rounded the side of the house. The backyard was empty, but Greg could have easily jumped the chain link fence and escaped into the next neighborhood over. Braden pulled his two-way out of his belt clip and radioed the station. He put out an APB on the man and headed back to the front yard.
Vanessa was slamming the back door of her cruiser shut as he walked across the lawn. She met him halfway.
“What did she say?” he asked.
Vanessa rolled her eyes. “I’ll never understand women like her. She doesn’t mind him beating on her, but the thought of him cheating is somehow worse.”
“He’s cheating on her?”
Vanessa shook her head. “I don’t think so. She said she found pictures of none other than Lilly Carmichael hidden in the trunk of his car. When he denied it, she decided to let him have it, by the looks of it.”
Greg had pictures of Lilly? His heart rate increased at the news. This might be the break they’d been waiting for. If it was Greg, Braden would make sure he never hurt another woman again. “You’re sure that’s why they’re arguing?”
Vanessa’s mouth pulled into a thin line. “Yep.”
Braden glanced over Vanessa’s shoulder. Abby was still screaming, but it was impossible to hear what she was saying through the glass. “I’m going to check out the house. Take her down to the station and process her. Let her cool off before questioning her.”
Vanessa nodded and headed back to her cruiser.