Killer Career (20 page)

Dade sidled to the next bookcase, a mere ten feet more, yet an
eternity from the frozen couple.

“No, it’s your fault,” he said, trying to keep Watson
preoccupied.

“Like hell.”

“Yes, it is. You didn’t play by the rules. You did something
dumb.” Dade took a few steps away from the bookcase.

“Stay where you are,” Watson said, realizing Dade’s intent. He
swung the gun away from Julie and aimed it at Dade.

It was time. Dade leapt the remaining steps then flung himself
crosswise at Watson. His right leg, still sore from the accident,
screamed in protest as it landed heavily against Watson’s rock hard
frame. They crashed to the floor. From the force of the collision,
the gun flew out of Watson’s hand.

Watson was closest. Recovering the weapon, he swiveled and rose. Dade
started to get up, but Watson hit him in the shoulder with the gun
butt.

“Down, or your partner gets it.”

Watson turned to Julie, who was in the act of picking up the phone.
“Put that down now or I’ll shoot. Get over here.”

She clutched the receiver, as if weighing the options. Dade knew what
she was thinking. Was this their only chance? Should she take it? He
couldn’t let her do it. There had to be another way.

“Do what he says,” he told her calmly.

She averted her eyes from his, but not soon enough. He’d read her
mind. What he saw scared him. Though she slowly put the receiver back
onto its cradle, he knew she’d try something.

He didn’t know what. His heart hammered against his chest.
Julie,
don’t do it,
he wanted to scream. He couldn’t clue Watson in.
Julie was on her own. She better not try anything crazy. She could
get badly hurt or worse.

Instead of moving in Dade’s direction as she’d been ordered,
Julie took a few steps in the direction of the door.

“Not that way,” Watson yelled, turning toward her and away from
Dade.

“You mean this way,” Dade asked, flinging himself across the
floor straight at Watson’s ankles. As the man fell, Dade chopped at
his elbow.

“Yow, my crazy bone,” Watson screeched, grabbing his arm. The gun
dropped. Dade reached for it and felt the cold steel against his
fingers.

Now he held the upper hand. He quickly rolled to a sitting position
and straddled Watson. The man lay on his stomach with his cheeks and
mouth pressed into the carpet fibers. From the corner of his eye,
Dade saw that Julie was already on the phone and dialing for help.

It was his turn. A feeling of power surged through him as he jammed
the gun barrel against Watson’s neck. If he chose, he could pull
the trigger and obliterate this scum who’d almost killed Julie.
“How does that feel, you frickin’ a-hole? Go ahead. Do something
stupid. Give me an excuse to pull the trigger and claim
self-defense.”

“No, don’t,” Watson whispered.

“Stay put then.” Dade rose slowly and planted a foot on Watson’s
back. “I’d like nothing more than to blow your feeble brains out.
It wouldn’t take much.”

He snuck a glance at Julie, who stood white faced and trembling. At
sight of her distress, anger surged through him. He’d give anything
to blow the bastard away. He’d never had the urge to kill before,
not even when his father had left. Now it took every ounce of his
will power to hold himself back and not plug the creep.

“Julie, can you pull out a few computer cords for me?” he said,
not taking his eyes away from the sniveling Watson below him.

Second later, Dade held the cords in his hand. He bent down and tied
Watson’s arms and legs together.

He was just finishing when the security guards burst in.

“It’s about time.” Dade passed the gun to the nearest. “Here,
watch this jerk until the police get here.”

He turned to Julie, who was biting her lip and trembling. He had to
take care of her before post traumatic stress syndrome got to her.

“Let’s get out of here,” he said, shielding her with his arm.

“I don’t know why I’m shaking.”

“Don’t apologize.” Dade held her close by his side as he led
her out of the room.

“When the time came, you did what you had to do. You were damn
good. That took courage.”

At the sight of what Julie was going through, his face felt hot. He
almost wished he had plugged Watson. Shock was not the best thing for
someone with Julie’s low blood sugar condition. Thank God, the
guards had made it before matters grew worse.

He led Julie to his office, where he settled her into his chair. She
was still shaking. He removed his suit coat and draped it around her.

“I’ll make you some coffee. Don’t go away.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” She smiled back bravely.

Any response was better than nothing. She’d come around. He’d see
her through this. It could have been a lot worse.

Returning with the mug of hot liquid, he held it out to her. “Have
a drink. I guarantee
it will make you
feel better.”

“In that case, I can’t refuse.” Her hands trembled as she
grabbed the handle.

“I’ll help you with that.”

Coming around to her side, he placed his fingers over her frozen
hand. Ignoring the super-charge of electricity jolting up his arm, he
guided the mug to her lips.

After a few sips, the color returned to her cheeks and she was able
to hold the mug on her own. The worst was over. She was coming
around.

She started to talk it over. He wouldn’t stop her. Getting
everything out was the first step to recovery.

He’d been so busy dealing with the situation he hadn’t had time
to dwell on the danger. Now it shook him. They’d had a close call.
Anything could have happened, but thankfully hadn’t. They’d made
it through. Thank God for that.

Footsteps approached. Two uniformed policemen stood in the doorway.
Dade glanced at Julie. Was she ready for this?

“Can you give us a few minutes, he asked the officers.

With a determined look, Julie set the mug down. “No, let’s get it
over with. I’m fine now.”

That was Julie. No crazed gunman could keep her down.

It took over forty minutes for the statements to be completed. By
that time Watson had been read his rights, handcuffed and led away.

With the ordeal over, Julie and Dade, along with the building guards,
stepped into the elevator.

“Ms. McGuire, Mr. Donovan, I’m awful sorry about what happened. I
don’t know how the hell he got in,” one of them said. “I’ve
been here since five o’clock. The cameras and monitors were in
place. We always check IDs. Something strange is going on. We’ll
get to the bottom of this.”

Dade flashed him a stern glance. “You better. This can’t happen
again. While you’re at it, examine the tape. It might offer a
clue.”

“Videotapes are one of Watson’s downfalls, aren’t they?”
Julie said, turning to Dade.

She and Dade exchanged a knowing smile, making him feel as if he’d
entered their own secret world, a place where no one else could get
in. He’d missed that feeling. He didn’t want it to end.

Outside the building, he turned to Julie. “About two hours ago, I
was about to ask you out to dinner. Instead, how about I fix you
something at my place, where it’s nice and peaceful? Later I can
drive you home or to your car, whatever you want.”

Julie, who usually made a point of asserting her independence, this
time numbly nodded. What a way to win.

* * *

Julie sank into Dade’s BMW. Her fingers trembled as she fastened
the seat belt. Her empty stomach hurt. The accumulation of shock and
hunger had taken their toll. She recognized the signs. Her blood
sugar was dropping. At this rate, she’d never get herself
regulated. Dr. Crane would not be happy the next time he read her
blood work.

The ride to the condo passed in a hazy blur. She had to eat and soon,
but she was so tired she wondered if she had the energy to lift a
fork.

Somehow she made it up the elevator and into the condo. Dade flipped
on the stereo and pointed to the couch. The soft soothing sounds of
Enya floated through the room.

“Go ahead. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll put some steaks on.”

Julie started to get up. “I can help.”

Dade placed his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t insult me. I’m not
a helpless male. Relax, I insist.”

His hand felt gentle, yet firm. Smiling, with no further urging, she
sank back onto the couch. After several vain attempts to keep her
eyelids open, she lost the battle. The music was way too soothing and
the couch way too comfortable. She’d rest a little bit until the
food was ready. Contentedly she snuggled into a ball and drifted off.

Before long, a gentle hand tugged her shoulder. Julie scrunched away
from it.

“Sorry,” a voice sounding like Dade’s said. “Sleeping is not
an option. You’ve got to get up and eat.”

She slit her eyes open a crack. Dade was leaning over her, with his
face almost on top of hers. His eyes flashed a brilliant blue and
sparked with something she’d never seen in them before: unveiled
love. Her body recognized it and responded joyously. This had to be a
dream.

Wonderful things happened in dreams. She reached over to draw Dade
closer. She felt the play of his lean muscles under his rolled up
shirt. His tangy aftershave tickled her nostrils. He was the man
she’d been looking for, though he’d been there all along. She
hadn’t realized it until now.

“I love you,” she whispered.

Without hesitation, she pressed her lips into his. Like the rest of
him, they felt firm, yet yielding, just right. Butterflies fluttered
inside of her stomach. Anxious for more, she pressed harder against
him and deepened the kiss. The world spun.

He groaned and pulled away. “Julie, you’ve got to wake up. It’s
time to eat.”

His voice sounded strained.

Julie frowned. What kind of crummy dream was this? Shouldn’t Dade
be holding onto her and begging for more, not telling her to get up?

Awareness dawned. Julie’s eyes flashed open. This was no dream. She
actually lay on the suede couch in Dade’s condo with her skirt
hitched up on the side. He was bending over her with a strange
expression on his face.

What had she done? The heat rose to her face as she maneuvered to a
sitting position. She groped quickly to straighten her skirt.

To break the ice, she said, “I just had this crazy dream. Tell me I
didn’t say or do anything stupid.”

He avoided her eyes. “No, you didn’t.”

She knew he was lying. The Dade she knew was never afraid to look
anyone in the eye.

That meant she had kissed him and also held onto him for dear life.
Oh, God, what did he think of her?

“The food’s getting cold,” Dade said gently.

That was her Dade, always considerate, being nice and pretending
nothing had happened. She’d follow his lead. She’d march herself
into the kitchen and do justice to the meal he’d so thoughtfully
prepared.

Wobbling, she tried to stand up. Dade quickly caught her around the
waist.

“Whoa, take it easy. Are you okay?”

Not really. Suddenly she couldn’t breathe and couldn’t move. She
could only stand still, looking up at him, knowing she wanted him
more than anything in her life.

The expression she’d seen moments before flickered across his eyes
and disappeared. “I almost lost you tonight,” he said, pulling
her close to his chest.

Her heart tripped. Her blood flashed hot and cold. She was in Dade’s
arms. At the thought, a fit of trembling seized her.

He pulled away. “I need to get my head examined. Why do I keep
reminding you of what happened? You’ve got to eat. I’ll pull the
steaks from the broiler.”

Stunned, she watched Dade rush into the kitchen. She ached for him to
return and gather her in his arms again. Instead, she stood in the
middle of the living room, feeling alone and empty. And wondering.

What exactly did Dade feel for her?

* * *

Dade glanced at Julie seated across from him at the table. She seemed
to have recovered, no thanks to him and his big mouth.

“The steak is delicious. I have to agree with you, Dade, you are
not helpless in the kitchen. When you do get married, you’ll make
some woman very happy.”

Was that a hint, or the remark of a good friend?

Their eyes met and held. What he saw in hers took his breath away.

“I’m not looking for a wife,” Dade said. “I’ve…”

The phone rang, cutting him off. Damn, just when he’d gotten the
nerve to spill his guts. Caller ID showed his sister’s number. He’d
better answer.

“Dade, I just heard. Are you two all right?”

“Yes, Avery.” He sighed. “Everything’s under control. As a
matter of fact I’ve got Julie with me right now. Not a scratch on
either of us. How did you know?”

“From the scanner. I always hook it up to my tape player, so I can
find out what’s going on when I’m not around. I got back from
covering my story and rewound the tape. First, I heard about some
sicko blinding a prostitute, then, out of the blue, yours and Julie’s
names popped up. Something about a gunman. It scared the hell out of
me.”

“We’re fine, but it serves you right. Now you’ve got a sample.”

“Of what?”

“Of what the rest of us go through when we hear about your crazy
assignments.”

“Stop acting like a father, Dade. I’m a grown woman, remember? I
can take care of myself. Can you put Julie on?”

He bit his lip and passed the phone to Julie. “Talk to my sister.
Tell her we’re all right.”

Julie reassured Avery, then said, “Sure, I’ll be there.”

She turned to Dade. “Avery and Garrett are doing Thanksgiving this
year. I told her two o’clock is good. Is that all right with you?”

“Sure. Tell her no problem. Let’s hope Garrett’s cooking.”

After acceptance of the invitation was relayed, Julie and Avery
proceeded to catch up on each other’s lives. In resignation, Dade
cleared the table and loaded the dishes into the dishwasher.