Cop's Passion (7 page)

The man was
silent for several seconds before saying quietly, “Right.”

“It’s
true.”

“So I’ll just
wait until they return.”

Hell. Trying to
hide her nervousness, Maddy looked at him levelly, still unable to
make out his features. “No need to wait, but thanks.”

Several more
cars passed without slowing before the man returned to his car. He
got in the driver’s door and sat down, dimming his lights so they
weren’t glaring at her but gave her light by which to see.

Now what? Maddy
looked away and bit her lip. Did she just continue changing her
tyre or pretend to be waiting for her ‘friends’? Shit shit shit,
this was a problem.

Finally, not
knowing what else to do, she squatted down and started to loosen
the nuts on the wheel, hoping the man would go away. The nuts were
tight and a couple of times she had to stand upright and put her
foot on the lever to try and loosen them. A couple loosened but one
gave her heaps of trouble.

A car door
shutting sounded and she immediately yanked the tyre lever off the
nut and straightened with it gripped in one hand.

“Hi,” the man
said again. “I’m sorry, but you’re obviously in a bit of
trouble.”

“No trouble,”
she immediately replied.

“My name’s
Tim,” he added quietly, his tone reassuring. “I promise I’m
harmless.”

“Good to meet
you, Tim,” she replied warily. “But as I told you already, I’m
fine. Really. You can go.”

He looked
closely at her. With the dimmer light behind him, she could see his
features a little more clearly and while he didn’t look
particularly threatening, she knew it didn’t mean that he wasn’t a
rapist or killer, or both.

“I’ve called
for assistance,’ she said. “I’m expecting the RAC any minute.”

“I’m Tim
Clarke.” The lean man held out his hand. “Veterinarian. I’m good
with horses, ferrets and changing tyres.”

Several
thoughts went through her mind in that split second. If she took
his hand, it meant she had to get close to him. If she didn’t take
his hand and he was a nut job, it could make things spiral out of
control fast. In the humid night, she felt a trickle of sweat under
her hair.

Maybe she
should bluff it out. Sure as hell she couldn’t run, he’d catch her
in seconds. And maybe, just maybe, he was simply a decent man just
wanting to help her.

“My friend’s
girlfriend works at the Sister Mercy Hospital,” added Tim. “If you
want, I could ring her on my mobile and you can speak to her to
verify who I am.”

Maddy was
caught between trying to decide to shake Tim’s hand or not when
another car swooped in behind his car. Red and blue lights flashed,
and she felt her legs go weak with relief at the knowledge that it
was a police car.

Thank God for
the cops.

Tim turned
around when the police officers got out of their car and
approached.

“What’s going
on here?” The deep, menacing rumble was welcomingly familiar.

“Hey, Mike,”
Tim greeted the big one cheerfully. “Just stopped to give the nurse
a helping hand.”

Obviously Tim
knew Mike. Now Maddy felt a little silly.

Mike looked
past Tim to her. “Maddy?” Striding past Tim, he came to a stop
directly in front of her and reached out a hand to cup her elbow
reassuringly. “Are you all right?”

She didn’t miss
Tim’s sudden grin but not knowing what it was about, she mentally
shrugged. “Flat tyre.” She gestured to the offending item with the
lever in her hand.

“I stopped to
offer help.” Tim came up beside Mike. “She was a little unsure of
me.” He smiled charmingly at her. “Understandably.”

The flashing
lights stopped abruptly and the car lights dimmed, though hazard
lights still showed. Now Maddy felt really silly.

“I’ll be fine,”
she said to Mike. “I’ll change this tyre and be on my way.”

Tim angled his
head to one side. “There’s no RAC coming, is there?”

Busted. “Um,
no.”

“No friends and
no RAC.”

“No.” She
shrugged.

“Mobile phone
flat?”

“I don’t have
one.”

The cop
standing to the side asked, “Left it at home?”

“No. I don’t
own one.”

This time all
three men stared at her. Two in astonishment and Mike with a
deepening scowl. What a surprise.

“Maddy,” he
finally growled, “You’re out here alone at night on a highway with
a flat tyre and no mobile phone to call for help. Anyone could have
stopped.”

“I did.” Tim
grinned and winked as he took the tyre lever from Maddy’s hand and
moved to the flat tyre.

Immediately,
she started forward. “No, really, I can do that.”

Mike’s big hand
came to rest on her lower back and he swung her around with ease to
lead her back to the cars. “Tim will do it. You come back
here.”

His nearness
and warmth might have been reassuring, but not his tone.

Chapter
Three

Mike steered
her around the cars until they came to the patrol car. At the back
door, he stopped and swung it open. “Sit down.”

“I don’t want
to sit down,” she replied. “And you don’t have to wait. You
obviously know that man, so he’s safe. I’ll be fine.”

Resting one arm
on the roof of the car, he bent down to look her directly in the
eye. Now she could see that he was furious, though she had no idea
why. “What?”

That intent
gaze slid over her face slowly, seeming to see right through her,
before he answered slowly, “You can ask me that?”

She held out
one hand, palm up. “What? Ask what?”

“You can ask me
‘what’ and honestly have no idea?”

“Apparently.”

A muscle ticked
in his jaw. “You have no mobile phone.”

“That’s
right.”

“Damn it,
Maddy, you’re out on the road at night with no way to call for help
when something like this happens.”

“Okay, I give
you that.” Tired, and now annoyed with his attitude, she folded her
arms across her chest, the movement pushing her breasts against her
uniform top.

To give him
credit, Mike’s gaze didn’t shift from her eyes. “Anyone could have
stopped.”

“I’m aware of
that, let me assure you.”

“I can’t
believe that you’d place yourself in such danger.”

Her jaw
clenched. “I didn’t do it deliberately.”

“Some wouldn’t
see it that way.”

The unfairness
of that statement hit hard. “I beg your pardon? Is that what you
think?”

“No. I think
you’re irresponsible for not having a mobile phone, but you don’t
ask to be attacked.”

“Well, thank
you very much, Sir Knight in Tarnished Armour.”

“You could have
been hurt tonight, Maddy.”

Anger simmered.
“Is the lecture finished yet?”

“Not by a long
shot.”

“News for you,
buddy.” She poked a finger at his chest. “This is over. Go away and
find some criminals, and I’ll stay with Tim. At least he doesn’t
lecture.”

His eyes
narrowed, and she could swear she saw a spark in the depths of the
pale blue. “Maddy-”

“All finished,”
Tim said cheerfully, approaching the car.

Maddy eased
away from Mike, only to be halted momentarily by his fingers
wrapped around her wrist and his voice pitched low as he bent down
to rumble in her ear, “This isn’t finished.”

Bent over her
with heat coming from his hard-muscled body, she was intensely
aware of him. The threat in his deep voice sent a thrill - chill -
through her. For one insane second her senses went haywire as she
looked up at him and inhaled his clean, male scent. His gaze was
locked on her and right at that second she knew he was entirely
focussed on her.

That had never
happened before, and it was unnerving.

Tim rounded the
front of the car. “You’re fine to go, Maddy.”

Mike
straightened slowly and she slipped out of his menacing presence to
approach Tim. “Thanks for your help, I do appreciate it.”

Tim looked from
her to Mike and back again, a question in his eyes that he was too
polite to voice. “No worries. My pleasure to help out a lady in
distress.” He smiled, a sudden gleam in his eyes. “I can follow you
home, make sure you get there safely.”

“I’ll be fine.”
Maddy smiled back. “But thanks anyway.”

Heat was
suddenly at her back, big and menacing, and Tim’s lips quirked as
he looked up over her shoulder. She didn’t have to look to know at
whom he was looking.

“I’ll follow
her home,” Mike growled. “Thanks for all your help. It could have
easily been nasty if anyone else had stopped.”

“That’s for
sure.” The other cop stepped forward and she sighed as he added,
“You were lucky that the man who stopped to help you was a decent
bloke. I’d seriously rethink getting a mobile phone.”

“She will,”
Mike said from behind her.

It took all her
control not to turn around and give him a verbal blasting. Instead,
she thanked Tim, nodded to the other cop and walked back to her
car. She shoved the seatbelt with more force than necessary into
the clip, started the car, switched on the headlights and
indicators, and pulled out onto the road.

Glancing into
the rear view mirror, she saw the cop car pull out behind her.
Bloody great, she had to be babysat home. The patrol car followed
her all the way and stood idling by the kerb while she pulled into
her garage and shut the door. It didn’t pull away until she’d shut
the house door behind her.

Chaz met her in
the doorway to the kitchen, his plaintive meow a clear reproach
about a late dinner.

“Don’t you
start,” she told him, then picked him up to give him a kiss between
his seal-coloured ears. “You’re the only male I’m not mad at right
now.”

Chaz obviously
didn’t care. He complained the whole time she chopped up some
chicken for his dinner, only relenting when she placed the dish on
the floor in front of him.

Then she
remembered the kitten. It was now nine o’clock at night, but it
still had to be fed. Even though she only wanted a shower and to
flop on the sofa, she couldn’t bear the thought of it going hungry,
so she chopped up more chicken and headed back out the door with
torch in hand.

True to his
word, the big boofhead next door had left his side gate unlocked,
so she walked quickly through and went to the shed. Peeking inside,
she saw the glitter of the kitten’s eyes peering out from under the
bench, and she squatted down and spoke to it softly for several
minutes. It meowed several times back at her but didn’t advance. At
least it didn’t run away or try to hide and pleased with that
little bit at least, Maddy placed the chicken down not far from it
and refilled the water bowl. After placing it beside the food dish
inside the shed, she went back to her own place and finally,
finally, had her shower.

Tired out, not
even the annoyance she felt towards Mike could keep her awake and
within minutes of lying down, Maddy was fast asleep with Chaz
tucked up beside her. Not even the sound of his motorcycle rumbling
into his driveway woke her.

~*~

Knocking on
Maddy’s door the next morning, Mike still could not get over the
danger in which she’d unwittingly placed herself. He was going to
drag her to the shop to buy a mobile phone. If he had to, he’d
handcuff her to his own wrist so she’d have no choice. Failing
that, he’d buy her one himself.

There was no
answer and the garage door was closed, so he presumed she was at
work. A movement in the lounge window caught his eye and he turned
his head to find himself looking into a pair of brilliant blue eyes
in a seal face. Ye gods, the lady had a Siamese cat, one of those
who howled like a baby, so he’d been told.

Mike regarded
the cat cautiously, and was regarded back with much interest. The
cat lifted a seal paw and batted at the window. Luckily Maddy had
security screens on her windows, because going by the coy
expression on the cat’s face, if he got out he’d be Mike’s friend
for life. Another annoying fur ball he did not need in his life
right now.

Leaving the
house, Mike returned to his own place and did some overdue laundry.
He was hanging it up on the clothes line when he spotted the
kitten. Standing very still, he watched as the little animal strode
across his back lawn as though it owned it. Probably thought it
did, seeing as it was sleeping in his shed and being fed.

The kitten saw
him and stopped. They regarded each other cautiously before the
kitten sat down to watch him.

Shaking his
head, Mike resumed hanging up the clothes, sure that the fur ball
would take off. It didn’t, instead, it sat and watched him until he
went back inside. When he looked out of the door a short time
later, the kitten was standing on its hind feet at the clothes
line, sniffing the legs of his trousers.

He was hoping
Maddy would return home for lunch, but when she didn’t appear he
knew he wouldn’t be seeing her that day. By the time he got off
work she’d probably be asleep.

Sure as eggs,
when he got home late that night the lights in her home were off
except for her bedroom light. Not about to rouse her out of bed, he
went inside. But he was still determined to talk to her.

The next
morning he went out to the garage to open the door and was just in
time to see her car pulling out of the driveway and onto the road.
Now he had a plan. He was working two morning shifts, so he’d see
her that night and make her understand that she needed a mobile
phone. Maybe the stubborn chit had already bought one, then he
could save his lecture.

Going to the
open garage door, Mike was startled to see the kitten curled up on
the seat of his precious motorcycle.

“Oy,” he said.
“You can’t sleep there. Off.”

Startled, the
kitten leaped off the motorcycle and ran behind some loose sheeting
in the corner.