Killer Career (13 page)

Why hadn’t the bastard died? The accident was supposed to have
eliminated the partner, not ensconced him more firmly in Julie’s
good graces.

Donovan had the edge, since Julie felt sorry for him, along with
whatever else she already felt. Tyler ground his teeth then caught
himself. He had to appear sympathetic and not let on the situation
grated on his nerves. He knew how to play the game. He’d done it
often enough in his books. “You’ve got too much going on and need
to relax. Do you know the way to Edison’s?”

She nodded.

“Stay close behind me just in case, all right?”

Her fingers trembled, as she fastened the seat belt. Good. He had the
power to make her nervous.

He pulled his Jaguar in front of her, stepped on the accelerator and
pealed out of the parking lot. When he’d merged with the outgoing
traffic, he checked for her car in the rear view mirror. She was
behind him now, but for how long would she be content to follow?

* * *

Julie sat across from Tyler in the dimly lit steakhouse. The waiter
placed the menus before them.

“I know exactly what I want,” Tyler said, his intense hazel eyes
fastened on her.

Her heart raced at the double entendre. She could barely breathe,
but, looking down at the menu, she pretended everything was normal.
“I’m not sure yet. There are so many delectable choices.”

“Let’s share a Steak Diane. That is, unless you have an aversion
to red meat.”

“Steak Diane is just fine.” She hadn’t read the menu anyway and
couldn’t describe its contents. How could she, when she was sitting
across from such a sexy, stimulating man?

Slowly he drew her out, asking questions about herself, making her
feel flattered. As he spoke, his eyes lit on her appreciatively. His
index finger rubbed gently against his unused knife. How would those
fingers feel caressing her instead? Her blood pulsed at the thought.
A sizzling sound distracted her, marking the approach of the main
course. Though she and Tyler each had separate plates, for some
reason sharing the same platter seemed intimate. Maybe it was her
imagination.

Over dinner, he proved to be an excellent conversationalist, with
broad areas of expertise. He flirted, turned serious. He entertained,
regaling her with funny and touching stories. They spoke of anything
and everything: foreign policy, the stock market, taxes. Matching
wits with him, Julie had to keep on her toes. They carried on a
lively debate on gun control: he viewing guns as a means of
protection, she seeing them as dangerous in the wrong hands.

Listening to Tyler, Julie had never felt so alive. His hazel eyes
glinted, challenging her to follow their mysteries and enter the
unknown.

Since the time her father had taken the training wheels off her
tricycle and taught her to experience life, she’d never been able
to resist a dare. It wasn’t easy, but she’d followed Dade into
the law profession to prove she could be independent. She’d done
that. Now another goal beckoned, that of being a full time writer.

She sensed that this man, a challenge in himself, could push her over
the edge into something marvelous and wild.

All she needed was a glimpse at the inner self he hid beneath that
cloak of mystery. If her premonitions were correct, anything might
develop.

With the main course over and the after dinner drinks enjoyed, Julie
knew her time with Tyler was drawing to a close. She hated the
thought. She couldn’t remember when she’d enjoyed herself so
much. The evening had spun along like a marvelous escape from
reality. It would be hell to come down to earth again.

Tyler placed his hand on her palm. “Let’s call it a night.”
His eyes held a question as he slipped her a knowing smile. “Of
course, if you’d like, we could prolong the evening. My place isn’t
far.”

She pictured herself following Tyler up to his penthouse at the top
of the world. With a panorama of stars blinking across a myriad of
windows, they’d share the marvelous night in every sense of the
word.

At the thought, her heart quickened. Tyler was experienced. He could
play her like an instrument. The thought, like a rich dessert,
enticed her to take him up on his offer. But what about later? She
loved challenges, but wasn’t a fool.

Julie swallowed hard and looked straight into Tyler’s eyes. Barely
getting the words out, she said, “That’s a temptation I’ll have
to resist. We don’t know each other that well.” She quickly
added, “Besides, I’ve got a heavy schedule tomorrow.”

He frowned and stood up. With a loud scrape, he pulled back his chair
and slipped across to pull hers back.

Julie stood tall, her shoulders straight. It had taken enormous
willpower to turn down Tyler’s offer, but she knew she’d done the
right thing. The time wasn’t right.

As she accompanied him to the door, she wondered if she’d be as
proud of herself tomorrow, when she thought of what she’d given up.
By being so circumspect, she may have turned down a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

So be it. Respect might be old-fashioned to a lot of people, but to
her it was important. She had to live with herself.

“Some other time, then?” His eyebrows lifted, a challenge in his
eyes.

“Maybe,” she said, with a slight smile.

As they exited the restaurant, he placed a possessive arm on her
shoulder. Where he touched felt warm. He shot her a knowing glance.

They stood beside her Audi. He gently tilted back her head. What
would his kiss feel like? Her heart hammered. She held her breath.

Then, with an almost cruel look, he removed his fingers. “Those
lips look delicious, but I’ll not taste them until I can enjoy all
of you. Good night.”

Without a backward glance, he strode to his Jaguar, revved the engine
and peeled away.

Disappointment, then anger flared through her, as she stood alone on
the sidewalk. Not for a moment did she believe she was so
irresistible he couldn’t handle one little kiss.

Frowning, Julie climbed into the car. Maybe she should be happy. He
hadn’t pressed her for more. For the time being, she’d won. Or
had she?

Chapter Sixteen

The next day, as she juggled paperwork, Julie’s thoughts flashed
back to the night before. Too bad Tyler hadn’t kissed her. She’d
like to know what it would have felt like, since she doubted he’d
call again.

Something else niggled at her mind, something Tyler had said. At the
time she hadn’t placed significance on it, but now it seemed
strange. He’d asked her how Dade was doing, yet she hadn’t told
him whom she’d visited. It could have been anybody. Why would he
have assumed it was Dade? She shrugged. There had been a small
article in the paper. Maybe he’d read that. She was too busy to
ponder insignificant details.

If only she could throw all this paperwork out the window and fly to
a peaceful place where she could write to her heart’s content. Only
in her dreams.

Now more than ever she was chained to the firm. The prognosis was
great for Dade’s recovery, but it would take time. That meant her
time-line would be set back.

She was trapped. Her neck throbbed as the frustration welled up.
Absently she fielded a question from a client with a back injury. He
wanted to know if he should mow the lawn and carry in the groceries
for his wife. The answers were obvious. Groaning inwardly, she
answered in a cold voice, “Follow your doctor’s restrictions.
Don’t do anything else.”

Couldn’t he think for himself? Retaining a lawyer didn’t mean a
person lost his brains and couldn’t reason. She almost slammed down
the phone.

Julie smoothed her temples with her fingers, fighting a dull
headache. She’d been extra grouchy lately. Too much work, bad
eating, not enough sleep, it was all getting to her. Now she wasn’t
even treating the clients right. If she weren’t careful, by the
time Dade returned, the practice would be history.

The office staff trickled out. With the phones off, serenity set in.
Now she could apply herself to Diplitz’s proposed decision. She
prided herself on being organized at work, though God knows the trait
didn’t extend to her home. She had no time for trivialities and she
wouldn’t hire a cleaning lady who’d invade her privacy. No one
visited her mess anyway.

She hated last minute projects and this one loomed too close to
deadline, but, try as she might, she hadn’t had time until now to
fit it into her schedule.

Thank God for Dee, who’d not only trained Dade’s new secretary,
Pat, but had also competently handled all the pressure jobs which
kept cropping up lately. Dee was a saint. It was time to give her a
well deserved raise.

With the proposed decision done, Julie breathed a sigh of relief and
glanced at her watch. A quarter past seven and she hadn’t been to
the hospital yet to see Dade.

Another busy day without lunch. The past few weeks had been
unbearable.

She shouldn’t complain. It was a miracle in itself that Dade had
pulled through. That’s all that mattered. She’d survive.

Julie stood up. The room spun and faded.

“What?”

She groped for the desk. She must not pass out. She was alone. No one
could hear her.

Stay calm. Concentrate on standing still. Stare at the clock, the
cabinet, anything. She’d make it through.

It seemed like an eternity before the room righted itself and
returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

In actuality, the aberration had only lasted a moment or so. The
spell was broken, but left her badly shaken. A cold chill raced
through her. This episode had been much worse than the others. She’d
put off seeing the doctor, but couldn’t any longer. With shaky
fingers she searched for Dr. Crane’s business card in her wallet.
When the call went through, a robotic voice answered, saying to call
the hospital if it was an emergency.

She let out a short laugh. She was going there anyway. If anything
happened, she’d certainly be in the right place. The trouble was,
she had to get there and she was afraid to drive.

This was very inconvenient. Dade being in the accident was bad
enough. She felt okay now, but to be on the safe side, she dialed a
cab.

* * *

Dade smiled in anticipation. For over two weeks he’d been stuck in
this blasted boring place where all the nights and days blended
together. Soon he’d blow this joint. He’d already broken the good
news to Mom and Avery. His heart raced as he heard Julie’s
footsteps approach.

When she entered the room, the happy words died on Dade’s lips.
Julie’s face was pale. Her hands shook. A worry line creased her
brow. Something was wrong.

“Julie, are you all right?”

Of course not. How could she be? Julie never did things halfway. In
his absence, she’d obviously gone overboard.

Not answering him, she evaded his eyes and made a show of seating
herself and pulling up the metal chair.

“Come on, Julie, give. Whatever it is, I won’t die from shock. As
you may recall, I did survive a gruesome accident.”

Once seated, she flashed him a tentative smile. “You really know
me, don’t you?”

“By now, I better. Well?”

She hesitated then began. “I’ve been getting these, uh, dizzy
spells.”

His heart pounded fast. Alarm shot through him, but he must sound
calm. She looked nervous enough. “Tell me about them.”

She swallowed hard. “There’s no warning beforehand. The first
happened when the computers broke down, then not for a while. Right
before I came here, I had another horrible one in the office.”

He helplessly watched a shudder run through her. If only he could
fling back the covers, fly out of the hospital bed and hold her in
his arms. Instead, he lay imprisoned.

“This was a lot worse than the others. I almost passed out.”

She couldn’t be. Had she and Jensen - -? Blind rage shook him. He
had to know. “It’s none of my business. Hit me if you want to,
but you’re not pregnant, are you, Julie?”

“How could I be?” She gave him a strange look, then said, “I
almost wish I were. At least I’d have an explanation. No, there’s
not the slightest chance.”

Relief, then alarm, flooded through him. What was it then? If
anything happened to Julie, he’d go insane. Sweat broke out on his
brow.

She was scared. He had to get her through this. His role was to reach
out, make her feel better and make sure she saw a doctor. “It might
be nothing, maybe vertigo, or something like that, but you’ve got
to get it checked out right away. Promise you’ll make an
appointment.”

She nodded. “I plan to call when the doctor’s office opens on
Monday.”

“Is that soon enough?”

“I’m fine at the moment. I’ve waited this long.”

Damn, she’d put it off because of his accident. He’d never
forgive himself if anything happened to her.

“Okay, now that we’ve discussed my current crisis, Dade, how are
you doing?”

“Lucky for us, my recovery couldn’t have come at a more opportune
time. If all goes well, by the end of the week I’ll be released. My
hand’s sore, but better. It’ll take a few months for my leg to
heal, but I’ve ordered a motorized chair to tool me around. I can’t
wait to get out of this prison. These bed bars are getting to me.”

“I’ve got dibs on the bed.” A smile barely touched her
quivering lips.

“You won’t need it, Julie.”

He hoped to God he was right.

* * *

After she’d left, Dade couldn’t sleep. He stared at the shadows
and sweated, remembering every line of print he’d ever read in
every medical journal listing a million grim possibilities he wished
he’d never heard about. She could have a blocked carotid artery, a
brain tumor, out-of-control blood pressure, a bad heart.