Kill Shot (12 page)
She bit her lip and groaned as she climaxed while he gripped her tight against him and rubbed against the spot that gave her the most pleasure.
He brushed her wet hair away from her face enjoying the flush of her skin and the grin on her face. She opened her eyes to catch him grinning back at her. “That was great,” she gasped.
“I’m not through with you,” he growled.
Her laughter reverberated off the glass tiles and echoed throughout her body. The muscle spasms gave him a delicious squeeze as he found her lips again. “Not by a long shot.” He reprised his efforts on her behalf, making sure she was thoroughly sated.
He finally surrendered to the pleasure of joining her orgasm. Her body arched against his as she rode the tidal wave engulfing them both.
He held her cradled in his arms in the steamy shower, her head against his shoulder and her legs still gripping his hips. He lifted her chin for another kiss before stepping under the rain shower again. Warm water caressed his skin, cooling the fires left smoldering. It pleased him that she clung to him, her breath rasping in his ear.
Oz wrapped her in a bath sheet and carried her to his bed. He draped her with the coverlet and gathered her in his arms, cuddling her in the curve of his body. He brushed her damp hair away from her neck, and kissed her nape and ear. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her, but he was afraid she wouldn’t say it back. He draped his arm across her and whispered, “Goodnight, Micki.”
She sighed. “Nite, Oz.”
#
Micki curled in Oz’ arms, his regular breathing assured her that he slept soundly. She knew she’d made a mistake, but she couldn’t stop grinning. It had been hard enough to resist Oz, but last night, when she’d felt completely vulnerable, he’d been there to offer comfort.
And how.
She hadn’t meant to be a cry baby. She’d been choking back her tears, but when she stepped under the shower she had felt safe in letting it all out. The concern for Oz’ safety, the horror of the bloated body dragged from the lake and the fear stirred by having her windows shot out by a sniper. All of this had pushed her to need emotional release. She tried to rationalize her actions.
Micki grinned again.
No, it’s all about Oz.
When he’d pulled her from under the shower there was no resisting. The look on his face had melted what little reserve she’d had and his kisses had done the rest.
Breaking up with Oz had hurt as much as ripping off body parts. Making love had been healing. She felt whole again, as though she’d come home.
She let out a deep breath. Their relationship wouldn’t be the same. There was no point in distancing herself from Oz because they were one person again. Whatever power he held over her was linked to their intense sexuality. Or maybe it was the other way around. Pleasing her gave Oz some kind of control over her and she couldn’t seem to take her power back.
Micki closed her eyes. She shouldn’t complain. She was in a good place. A whole legion of women would never experience such pleasure. But the pleasure was addictive. Even now, her body basked in an afterglow, dangerously close to igniting again and demanding more.
Micki opened her eyes. Today was Zondra’s wedding rehearsal. And she needed to pick up the proofs at the home of the newlyweds from her previous wedding shoot. That money was waiting to fall into her hands. Money she needed.
“Good morning.” His voice was deep and rough with sleep. He slid a hand under the bath sheet still wound around her, caressing her skin.
“Insatiable animal!” Micki removed his hand.
He kissed the rim of her ear, such a simple act, but it sent a jolt of lightning to her nether regions.
She fought her way out of the bath sheet. “Let me up,” she said. “I have a big day today.”
“I had a big night last night.” His smoky voice was getting to her.
“I did too.” She relaxed against him.
“You know how I feel about you, Micki.”
She nodded, afraid to say more.
“Don’t break my heart again. I couldn’t take it.”
Micki tried to swallow the barbed wire bundled at the back of her throat. She was silent a few moments, carefully considering her answer. “I couldn’t either, Oz. But there have to be some changes. I can’t be in a box.”
“I don’t understand.” He sat up, leaning over her with a concerned look on his face.
Her heart fluttered like wings beating against her ribs. “Can we talk about this later? I really do have a million things to do today.”
He nodded. “As long as we work it out, Micki. Don’t ever run away from me again.”
She turned back to look at him. “I didn’t run away.”
“Yes, you did. You wouldn’t explain why you were dumping me. You just cut me out of your life.”
“Oz, I couldn’t put my feelings into words then. I didn’t want to hurt you, but I couldn’t be what you wanted me to be.”
He gazed at her silently, his expression wrenching her heart.
Micki raised her hand to stroke the side of his face. “I never quit loving you. I just quit the box.”
“I don’t want to put you in a box,” he said.
His sincere expression tore a hole in her resolve. “We’ll talk about it later,” she said. “You have to go to your work and I have to go to mine...a wedding rehearsal.”
“I don’t feel good about you being out there when we haven’t caught the sniper.”
“Don’t worry,” she said. “I’ll be careful.”
“And how are you going to dodge a sniper?”
“He got the memory card, two sets of proofs and he wrecked my computer. He’s got to think he has everything.”
A muscle in his jaw twitched. “I’d die if anything happened to you.” He gazed at her a long moment.
She swallowed hard. “And I’d die if anything happened to you, so be careful. I’m in a different car, staying at a different address. How would he find me?”
“A professional can find anyone.”
“That’s so comforting,” she said. “Get up and go to work. I’ll see you after.”
#
“The body’s been identified.” Lieutenant Qualls spoke in his usual matter-of-fact monotone. “His name is Randal Knox. He has no family, but his girlfriend is waiting to identify him. You want to take this one, Osmond?”
“Yes, sir.” Oz knew Lieutenant Qualls favored him and was offering him an opportunity to prove himself. This was a step up the career ladder.
He escorted the young woman, who couldn’t have been more than nineteen, to the viewing room of the morgue. Although a thick pane of glass separated them from the immediate proximity of the body, Oz could smell the chemicals he knew saturated the air on the other side. He steeled himself, knowing the lake man presented as an unsightly corpse.
The young woman gasped and collapsed back against Oz when the face was uncovered. Her features contorted into a grimace as an agonized sound escaped from her throat.
Oz swallowed hard and nodded at the coroner’s assistant to cover the body. He led the grief-stricken woman to a small office to take her statement.
He brought her a glass of water while she tried to compose herself. Oz took a seat across the table from her and turned on a small recorder.
“Please state your name for the record.”
“Lissa Montgomery,” she said in a thin reedy voice.
“Please state the name of the deceased and describe your relationship to him.”
“His name was Randal Knox and he was my boyfriend.” She paused and took another swipe at her already reddened nose. “That is, he used to be my boyfriend. We broke up.”
“Can you tell me how you met Mr. Knox?” Oz asked.
“I met Randy at work.” She wiped her eyes and blew her nose heartily using the tissue Oz offered. “He works... worked at the Golden Coast Spa as a personal trainer. And he was a body builder. He was Mr. Ohio in 2005.”
“And you work at the spa as well?”
“No, I’m an au pair. It’s like a nanny. I take care of a small child and I live in the same building as the spa. I get to have spa privileges when I’m off.”
“That’s quite a perk for an au pair.”
“Don’t I know it,” she said. “Randy was really nice to me when we first started seeing each other, but lately he’s been kind of irritable, like he’s always in a bad mood.”
Oz snapped to attention, recalling the dead man’s musculature.
Steroids?
“How was he different?”
“He was angry all the time. My dad wanted me to break up with him, but I was kind of afraid and, you know...I loved him.” She’d been staring down at the crumpled tissue in her hands, but she glanced up at Oz, her eyes pleading for understanding.
“I understand love,” he said softly.
“When I told him I wasn’t going to see him anymore he just exploded. He slapped me and choked me. My dad made me call the police and put a restraining order on him, but since we work in the same building it didn’t really matter. The judge said one of us should quit our jobs, but I’d never be able to get a position like this again.” Lissa took another tissue and blew her nose.
“When was the last time you saw the deceased?”
“I saw him last week. I think it was Monday. I was taking the baby to the park and Randy was at the front desk of the building talking to Leon, one of the security guards.” This brought another bout of tears.
When she’d composed herself Oz nodded for her to go on. “What happened then,” he asked.
“Randy must have said something about me because they both laughed when I walked by with the stroller.”
“And that was the last time you saw him?”
“Yes. I thought he must have quit and I was a little relieved, but I was still afraid he’d come back.”
“Did you take any precautions?”
“I just looked around when I went out with Little Trey and I’d stopped going to the spa. Mrs. Jobe asked me why I wasn’t using the spa, but I didn’t want her to know about my personal problems.”
“Mrs. Jobe?” A tingle of excitement spiraled down Oz’ spine.
“I work for the Jobes,” she said. “I live with them in Jobe East Tower and the spa is in the underground level. There are stores there. You know... boutiques.”
Oz wrapped the interview and escorted Lissa back to the front of the building.
“You’ve got a shit-eating grin on your face, Osmond,” the Lieutenant said. “What did you get?”
“This is somehow linked to Laurel Jobe,” he said.
“Jobe?” The Lieutenant rolled his eyes. “As in, Hobart Jobe?” He blew air out through his pursed lips. “Tread lightly. They own half the city.”
“Yes sir,” Oz said.
“Osmond, when you interview the Jobes, wear a suit. A nice one.”
“Yes sir.”
#
CHAPTER NINE
Micki arrived at St. Basil’s just before the bridal party. She parked the Avalon and got out, staring up at the aged stone structure. Variegated English ivy climbed the walls, contrasting with the pale gray granite.
She locked the car and climbed the well worn steps. She was familiar with the layout but strolled around planning possible shooting locations for Saturday. Waving at the priest, she stayed on the periphery until Zondra screamed her name.
“Micki! Where’s Micki?”
The drama continues
. She walked over to join her demanding client. “What’s going on, Zondra?”
“My face! See what that guy did to me.” She gestured to the side of her face where a thin red line remained in place of the butterflies. The scrape on her forehead had almost healed, a pale greenish bruise accenting the area.
“It looks much better.” Micki smiled encouragement. “I can hardly see it.”
Zondra grimaced. “Y’think?”
“Won’t you be wearing a fingertip length veil?”
Zondra nodded, peering into a hand mirror.
“The veil will soften it even more and nobody will notice. Don’t be self conscious. It’s your day and you’ll look gorgeous.”
“I trust you, Micki, but when you take the posed pictures of the wedding party, try to get my good side.”
“I promise.”
“I’ve got a make-up artist coming tomorrow morning, and a hairdresser. I don’t know why I’m so nervous.”
Micki gave her a hug. “Everything will be fine.” She left them to their rehearsal and drove to Gus’ Camera Shop.
“Gus, I need to use your printer.” She held up a CD.
“Everything’s for sale for a price,” he said, spreading his hands. “Michael Bolton?”
“Don’t ask.”
Micki reprinted the proofs for Zondra and made a second set for the future sale of a mini album. She bought a photo mailer and dropped one set in the mailbox on the corner, knowing her mother would hold it for her, while the other resided in a pocket of her purse.
Her next stop was a follow up appointment with the newlyweds from the last wedding she’d shot. The bride and groom and both sets of mothers were waiting for her. Micki left with a collection of checks and credit card orders.
Yes! This is what it’s all about.
