Erotic Deception (12 page)

His libido winked in mocking reminder of the sizzling, poleaxing sex with Lily the night before.
Hell
.

He speared Don with a warning glance. His phone beeped and he grabbed at it without checking the number.

“Jet?”

A jarring jolt identified the caller, but it turned to concern at the strain in Lily’s voice.

“What’s wrong?”

“Someone’s trying to break into my house. It’s the guy from last night.”

“I can be there in two minutes,” he said, jumping off the barstool. “Stay inside and lock the doors.”

“I’m already outside and I’m going to confront him.”

“No!” he shouted. Fear sprinted him to the door and out to his truck without so much as an explanation to his sister.

“Lily?” he glanced down at the phone while simultaneously shoving the key into the ignition. She’d hung up.

Jet cursed and slammed his foot on the accelerator while punching out Mark’s number.

He barely waited for the greeting. “Meet me at Lily’s house now!”

At the urgency in his voice, Mark didn’t waste time asking question. “On my way!”

Damn! Damn! Damn!
That woman was going to be the death of him yet. The two minutes it took to get across town seemed an eternity. He flung open the truck door and heard the commotion.

* * * *

At the sound of the vehicle in the driveway, Lily stepped from behind the house.

“Hold it right there!” she shouted.

The man yelped and spun around, dropping the hammer and screwdriver.

“Pleath don’t hert me,” he begged in a childlike inflection.

The behavioral contradiction to the man’s age, instantly alerted Lily’s professional training. His clean sandy hair, blue plaid shirt, and Chinos also indicated he wasn’t homeless.

He shifted and she tightened her grip on the mace.

“Don’t make me use this,” she threatened.

“Lily!” Jet shout was from the front of the house.

“Back here!” she returned.

Once again, the man tried to inch away.

“I told you not to move!” she yelled.

The man screamed and crashed his back against the door. Covering his ears, he slid down and buried his face between his knees. He began to cry.

Although feeling like a bully, Lily didn’t know what she was dealing with here. Still cautious, but compelled to reassure him, she spoke in a softer tone.

“I won’t hurt you as long as you stay where you are.”

Jet appeared with gun in hand and stopped short at the cowering man, a strange expression crossing his face.

“Do you know him?” Lily demanded.

Jet nodded. “His name is Bob McEvers and he lives with his dad not too far from here. Stay put,” he instructed.

Lily got her first clear view of Jet as he approached the other man. His teal t-shirt and ratty blue jeans showcased his tight-sexy buns and beltless narrow waist. It occurred to Lily that it was the first time she’d seen him without his uniform. Well except for last night, but she wasn’t going there.

“Bob, what are you doing?” Jet asked in a calm tone.

The petrified man’s response was to rock back and forth.

Jet glanced at Lily and in a quiet voice explained unnecessarily, “He has a mental disability.”

She nodded. “Is he dangerous?” she asked equally low.

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“He’s my Peeping Tom from last night,” she said.

Jet crouched down and tugged Bob’s hand away from one ear.

He inveigled him in a soft voice, “Don’t be frightened, Bob.”

The man jerked closer to the door.

“Bob,” Jet tried again. “Look at me. It’s Sheriff Walker.”

With a little more persuasion, Bob removed his hands and looked with tear stained eyes at Jet.

“I did nuthin,” he darted fearful glances between Jet and Lily, his disability more pronounced.

“Bob,” Jet’s voice was firm, but gentle. “You’re doing something. What’s the hammer and screwdriver for?”

He averted his head and shook it.

Jet tried again. “You scared Lily. Did you mean to do that?”

This time his negative motion was emphatic.

“Then why were you trying to break her lock?”

A few seconds passed and the Bob responded tearfully, “Dad’ll get mad!”

“Mad at what, Bob?” Jet coaxed, but when he didn’t answer, he asked. “Did you do something to get in trouble?”

“Dey were down by de school,” Bob said in a muffled tone. “I juth wanted to take care of de kiddeeths. Der mommy left dem.”

“Kittens?” His eyes shot to the door behind Bob. “Did you hide kittens in that room, Bob?”

Bob nodded and shot Lily an accusatory look. “She locked dem up.”

“I don’t think she knew they were in there,” Jet said and glanced at Lily. “Get the key.”

Lily obeyed and ran around the front of the house. Seconds later, she had the key and took the short cut through the patio doors. Her legs were rubbery descending the stairs, a residual reaction in finding someone trying to break into her house. She handed the key to Jet.

“Bob, move away from the door.”

Bob hesitated and then did as Jet instructed. The opened door only proved the room stood empty as before. Bob peeked around Jet’s shoulder, his fingers moving rapidly together in front of him. His nervous gaze darted to the wall in the corner.

“Where are they, Bob?” Jet asked.

With apparent reluctance, Bob entered the small room and in a surprised move, opened a hidden door to reveal a crawl space behind it. Jet and Lily moved in closer and noticed the cardboard box near the back wall. Bob reached down and picked up a tiny white bundle. He petted the kitten in a protective gesture, tossing a furtive glance at Jet.

Lily sighed in disgust and turned away to exit the cramped room.

“This home is filled with all kinds of bizarre nooks and cranny’s,” she muttered.

Jet soon followed, leaving Bob to check on the other kittens.

Lily was the first to speak. “It looks as if I overreacted a bit.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” he responded, putting his gun in the back of his pants. “Someone was sneaking around your house. You were right to be alarmed, but you should’ve waited for me. He could’ve been dangerous.”

Mutinous, she shrugged.

He studied her face before asking, “When did you put the lock on the door?”

“The day after the basement incident.”

Jet ran a hand through his hair. “Bob was probably the one in your basement that day.”

“So I wasn’t seeing things?” she couldn’t help challenging.

“Technically, I never said that,” he protested and wisely steered away from the subject. “Evidently Bob was too intimidated to approach you directly. Last night when he discovered the padlock,” Jet lifted his shoulders, “he didn’t know what else to do.”

A bulb lit up in Lily’s head. “He’s the one with the flashlight on my first night here.”

Jet agreed. “That’s probably when he hid the kittens.”

“Well aren’t we solving all kinds of mysteries today?” she said facetiously. “What do we do now?”

He shrugged. “That’s up to you. You have every right to press charges.”

“I can’t punish someone for trying to rescue animals.”

“It’s your call. I’m just glad we caught who was doing it.”

“Yes,” Lily said and cast a surreptitious look at him beneath her lashes. “Which means this particular threat’s been eliminated.” She paused before continuing more slowly, “and I could stay on a little longer here.”

A shield slid over his face. “What about your plans with Bailer?”

“That’s the problem. I still need his help, but Fred’s out of the country and won’t be back for a few weeks.”

Mark’s barreling around the corner interrupted Jet’s reaction to her news. Dressed in shorts and sleeveless tank, he looked out of place holding a gun.

“Is everyone okay?” Mark asked. “Where is he?”

“It was only Bob McEvers.” Jet answered.

‘Bob?’ Although perplexed, Mark didn’t appear overtly alarmed at the mention of the man’s identity.

Jet nodded, but his attention was on Lily.

He spoke to her in a lowered voice. “Let me take care of things with Bob and then we’ll talk.”

Shadows of the previous night’s intimacy passed between them, reducing Lily to a swallow and a nod.
Could this man please stop tying me up in knots?

After Jet disappeared into the small room again, Mark came over to stand next to her.

“So you’re okay then?”

Jet’s absence freed her tight muscles. “I’m fine. I was freaked out last night, but now I just feel silly.”

“Last night? What happened?” he asked.

A question Lily still hadn’t deciphered.

In hearing Mark, Jet appeared and had no compulsions in answering. In casual finesse, he gave a brief account of the previous night’s events, leaving out a vast amount of detail.

“You spent the night here?” Mark asked Jet.

Lily suddenly found the grass beneath her feet extremely fascinating.

“I slept in the blazer,” Jet clipped and ended further conversation by pulling out his cell phone. “I’ll call Bob’s dad and let him know about his new acquisitions.”

As Jet made the call, Lily raised her head and caught Mark trading glances between her and his boss.

“Is something going on with you two?”

“Who?” Lily faked clarity. “Jet and me? Why do you ask that?”

His scrutinized her reaction with interest. “Is it Jet now? What happened to Sheriff Walker?”

Her face burned. “We did get to know each other a little better last night,” she defended and almost choked on the understatement. Darn it. Prevarication had never been her thing.

“Lily,” Mark spoke cautiously. “Jet’s a great guy. There’s no one I respect more, but I’d hate to see you get hurt.”

“Get hurt?” she forced a laugh. “Now, I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Alright,” Mark said. “Then let me say this. I realize I’m treading in deep waters here and it’s none of my business but,” he paused before blurting, “Jet’s ex-wife could make things very difficult for you if she suspects you’re a threat to her.”

Ex-wife? She didn’t even know Jet had been married.

She became aware that Mark was watching her and she relaxed her facial muscles.

She waved aside his warning. “I’m the least of her worries. There’s nothing between Jet and me.”

Which wasn’t a lie as a one-night stand did not constitute involvement.

“Lily,” Mark leaned in but Jet ended his call and called out to Bob to join them.

“Mark, can you escort Bob and the kittens to his home?”

Mark frowned in frustration, but then sighed and gave Lily a small smile.

“Sure thing, Jet,” he said and strolled over to the emerging Bob. “Come on, Bob. Let’s go tell your dad he has guests for dinner.”

Mark waved goodbye and their departure left Lily alone with Jet and the news Mark had imparted.

“Should I have known last night that you’d been married?”

Good. She’d caught him off guard. He turned his head thoughtfully to the side of the house where Mark had disappeared.

“That’s quite a conversation you and my deputy must’ve had considering the little time I left you alone.”

Lily’s face grew warm. “It wasn’t my doing. Mark detected something going on and played big brother to warn me about your ex. He didn’t want me to get hurt, but I advised him his concern was unnecessary. “

Jet raked a hand through his hair. “I’ve always said how perceptive he is.”

“It would’ve been nice to hear about your wife from you.”

A blue flash shone between his lashes. “She’s my ex-wife.”

“Whatever,” she said, unable to stop the bitter twist to her lips.

“Up until last night, we’d barely shared confidences,” he defended.

“That’s not true,” Lily protested. “I’ve told you a lot about me.”

Jet stuck his hands in his pockets and couldn’t quite meet her gaze. “My ex-wife isn’t a subject I can talk about to just anyone.”

Lily flinched and spun away.

“Damn.” Jet reached out to stop her from leaving. “Look, Lily, Mark’s right about us. There is something. Whether it’s only physical or not isn’t clear, but there are two things I do know. One is that we’ve both been damaged and probably not relationship-worthy.”

She blinked in rapid succession. A point Lily couldn’t argue from her own perspective.

After a moment she prompted, “And the other?”

His jaw muscle flexed before he uttered, “I’m glad you’re not leaving today.”

Lily hated the hope his words sparked. “You are?”

He released her. “Yes. Even with Bailer’s help, your return to Kansas City so soon puts you at risk.”