Killer Love (2 page)

The air smelled of Italian food as Jade let herself into the house. Berta met her at the entrance to the dining room. She was backlit by the massive chandelier hanging over the oak dining set. The walls were papered with a French botanical pattern, elegantly offset by the muted terracotta mosaic tile.

“Mr. DiMarco is still working,” Berta said unnecessarily. “Dinner will be later.”

The woman was plump and ageless. Her unlined face and solid gray shock of hair could mean she was anywhere between forty and seventy. She wore a large apron over blue knit slacks and a shapeless blue and white striped blouse. Her lips continually pursed out, then back in. Jade was never certain whether it was her way of expressing disapproval, or a result of ill fitting dentures. Berta had never warmed up to Jade, but treated her with phony respect, underscored with contempt.

“Shall I make you a drink? I’m sure you’ve had a stressful day.”

Jade didn’t acknowledge the sarcasm underlying the woman’s words. She knew the remark was ‘Berta speak’ for
You spend your days wallowing in the underbelly of filth while poor Mr. DiMarco toils to keep you in the lap of luxury.

“No, thank you. I’ll be going up to my room. You can call me when Bryce comes in.”

The housekeeper’s shrewd gaze behind large black framed glasses raked over Jade. She missed nothing, taking in Jade’s blonde hair pulled back at the nape of her neck, dark circles beneath hazel eyes and the black silk blouse she wore over ivory slacks, no doubt making her fair skin look paler than usual. Did she notice the bruises? Would she attribute them to the man she worshipped? If she did, she’d probably dismiss it as Jade’s having brought it on herself. In her eyes, Bryce DiMarco could do no wrong.

Berta nodded without comment and Jade escaped to her bedroom, eager to add the cash to her savings before Bryce came in the house. Silently, her feet moved across the plush white carpet to the mahogany four poster bed. She stood in front of the nightstand, the key to the drawer clenched tightly in her fist. She shivered as she remembered the way Bryce’s face had contorted in rage. The way he’d stalked toward her and gripped her wrist so hard she thought he’d crush the bones. The fury in his eyes was beyond any she’d ever seen in another human being. Except maybe her mother.

During her two year marriage, Bryce had never shown even the slightest hint of physical violence. Especially not towards her. He’d been controlling, yes, overbearing, belittling, but never violent. Until she’d told him she thought they needed a trial separation.

She’d started out by saying that although she loved him, which she wasn’t sure anymore that she did, their marriage had deteriorated over the past year. She didn’t feel he regarded her as a partner, more as a possession. She’d finished by suggesting a trial separation and his look of annoyance had morphed into rage.

In that moment, staring into the eyes of her husband, the man who’d sworn to love and protect her, Jade had been terrified. It wasn’t the same kind of fear she’d felt as a child, faced with the unrelenting rage of her mother. She’d learned to live with that kind of fear, learned to expect it. This was fear of the unknown, because she never expected Bryce to turn into a monster she didn’t recognize. This fear was tinged with sorrow and despair. And the knowledge that once again, she’d put her trust into someone she shouldn’t. Once again, she’d been betrayed and threatened by a person who was supposed to love her.

It was then that she knew she
would
leave him. Someday, very soon, but it wouldn’t be just a trial separation and when she left, she’d have to disappear forever.

Tears of pain swimming in her eyes, she’d agreed to forget about the separation. She promised Bryce she’d never leave him. He’d released her, his voice colder than the icy wind howling outside, as he calmly said, “You’re right. You won’t. Because I’d find you. And I’d make you pay. You belong to me.”

Now, twenty-four hours later, she could still feel the force of his anger...his cold determination to bend her to his will. Shivers of fear skittered along her spine and she realized she was gripping the key so hard it cut into her palm.

What had happened to the charming, loving man she’d married? What had happened to the fairytale life she envisioned, so different from the one she’d grown up in? As a child, she’d longed to escape, longed to be free of her hellish existence. What she hadn’t known was, that like a rat in a maze, she’d land back in the same trap.

Bryce was flying out for a business trip to Los Angeles in the morning. If she was going to leave, this weekend would be the time to do it. She would pack only the barest essentials. She wouldn’t take the jewelry Bryce had given her, not even the custom made necklace with the jade and diamonds shaped in the letter ‘J’. He gave it to her on their first anniversary. By then, she’d started to understand the nightmare she’d unwittingly walked into. She’d forced a smile to her lips, thanked him and claimed to love it. In truth, she despised it. It seemed another way for him to lay claim to her, branding her as his own.

That, and the other expensive pieces, would bring a hefty sum at a pawn shop. But, she couldn’t take them. For one, she couldn’t leave a trail for Bryce to follow. For another, she didn’t want to take anything he had purchased. She wanted to be truly free of him. To be independent and know she could take care of herself.

She turned the key in the lock and pulled the drawer open. She froze in mid-motion as she looked into the drawer. Her mouth went dry and her knees nearly buckled. For a moment, she didn’t quite comprehend what she was seeing. Or, what she
wasn’t
seeing. She stared in numb disbelief, trembling as if an arctic wind had swept through the room. The drawer was empty. The money was gone.

Panic beat in her chest like the wings of a thousand insects. Bryce had found it. He’d taken it, which not only meant she was stuck here, her means of escape vanquished, it also meant he knew she had it. He’d have to wonder how she’d gotten that much money. When had he found it?

Dread settled in the pit of her stomach. She tried to remember the last time she’d been in the drawer. Mark’s father paid her twice a month. She’d gotten her previous paycheck last month on the twentieth. This was the fourth. She hadn’t been in the drawer for fourteen days. Bryce could have found it at any time during that period. Is that why he’d been so furious last night? He’d found the money, and she’d wanted a separation. Had he also discovered how she’d gotten the money? That she’d actually had the nerve to work without his knowledge? Had the nerve to disobey his orders?

He’d be livid if he found out his wife had lowered herself to work for money. As if he couldn’t provide for her, give her everything she could possibly need or want.

Oh God. He knew. She felt it, deep in her bones. He knew and he was playing some kind of game. What would he do?

Wait a minute.
Why was she afraid?
Bryce
was the one who’d done wrong. He’d actually stolen money from her. How dare he take what she’d worked so hard to save? He hadn’t done it because he needed the money, she knew that. He’d done it because she wasn’t supposed to have anything of her own. She was his property, therefore,
her
property belonged to him.

All at once, her fear turned to anger.

Storming downstairs, past Berta and out the rear entrance of the house, she marched toward Bryce’s office.

Almost without seeing the swimming pool as she passed by, without feeling the cold air through her ivory wool jacket, she arrived at Bryce’s office, breathing heavily with her rage.

Not bothering to knock, she pushed the door open, stopping when she saw that Bryce was not alone.

Her husband sat behind the desk and a man she didn’t recognize stood in the middle of the room. He was tall, with tightly coiled muscles beneath a black Harley Davidson tee shirt. His longish white-blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail and a small gold hoop dangled from his ear. Whiskers a few shades darker than his hair covered his upper lip and chin.

“Hello, darling,” Bryce said. “Is there something I can help you with?”

She nodded toward the stranger. “Hello.” He responded with barely a nod and she turned back to Bryce. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were in a meeting. But I need to speak with you. Now.”

His brows lifted and a hint of the anger she’d witnessed last night surfaced. “Now? Are you certain about that? I believe you can see I’m busy.”

“Yes, I can see that.” Her gaze shifted to the man. He hadn’t moved, hadn’t said a word but his presence couldn’t be ignored. Energy radiated from him like the current from an electrical charge. Normally, Jade would be intimidated by such a forceful presence, but right now, she was too angry to be effected.

“I had some money in my nightstand drawer. And it’s gone. I wondered if you knew anything about it.”

“Money?”

“Yes. Almost five thousand dollars.”

A grin touched his lips, but his eyes were hard. “I didn’t know you had that much money, darling. What an enterprising little soul I married. Did it occur to you that one of those derelicts from the shelter might have taken it?”

“That’s impossible. They’ve never been here.”

“They could easily find out where you live. They could have broken in while we were gone.” The grin turned cruel. “When you feed strays, they often follow you home.”

Strays?
Jade’s fists clenched in the pockets of her coat. “They’re not animals. And I’m certain none of them broke in. You’ve got this place secured like an armored car. It was either Berta, or you.”

The skin on Bryce’s face visibly tightened. White lines appeared around his lips. Silence filled the room, sounding louder than the boom of a cannon. “You’re accusing me of
theft
? Of pilfering your measly stash?”

She knew she’d pushed too hard when she saw a tic at the corner of his mouth. It wouldn’t do any good to enrage him, especially in front of his guest. “I didn’t mean that you’d stolen it. I thought maybe you’d moved it, for safe keeping.”

“I’m sorry, dear.” Bryce’s voice was calm but a slight tremble in his clasped fists indicated a fragile hold on his temper. “I have no idea what happened, but I assure you, I’ll launch a full investigation and get to the bottom of this
pressing
matter.”

Warmth moved up her neck and into her cheeks. Bryce’s attempt to humiliate her in front of his guest was working. But she wouldn’t let it show. She swallowed back the anger before she spoke. “Thank you.”

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, Mr. Smith and I have business to discuss.”

The stranger still hadn’t spoken. His silence unnerved her. Jade felt an irresistible pull and flicked a glance at the man. She resisted the urge to take a step back when her gaze collided with the vivid green of his. The urge became stronger when his eyes moved up her body, then settled on her face. A chill skimmed her flesh.

The set of his firm mouth and the glint in his eyes was disconcerting and at the same time, riveting. She pulled her coat tightly around her, almost feeling the man’s gaze penetrate the fabric of her blouse.

Dragging her attention from him, she turned back to Bryce and forced a smile through frozen lips. “Certainly. I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I’ll let you get back to your meeting.

“Thank you, darling. I’ll be in shortly. Goodbye.”

Jade recognized the tone. She’d heard it before. False affection tinged with anger. She’d been dismissed. She nodded and left the room.

As she made her way back to the house, her anger built once more. Was Bryce holding her money on his person or had he put it in his office? She wasn’t sure, but she intended to tear the house and his office apart until she found it. Tomorrow morning he would leave for Los Angeles. She planned to use that opportunity to find the money. And be gone before he returned.

Chapter Two

Special Agent Delia Grimes could feel the eyes of her fellow agents burning a hole in her back as she returned to her desk. The room was silent. Too silent. The hum of computers and the tick of the clock were the only sounds to be heard. Somehow, the stillness accentuated the heavy scorched smell of coffee sitting too long on the burner.

What were they up to?

Then she saw it and she knew. Her body went still and her face flamed with embarrassment. Sucking in a breath, she took a seat, not acknowledging the ‘gift’ her co-workers had placed on the cluttered surface of her desk. She didn’t look up, but when she heard the muted snickers, she knew they were aware she’d seen it.

A mug shot encased in a condom. Very funny. Very freakin funny.

The only reason she was here, at her desk, was because she’d fucked up. Yes, she admitted it, she’d fucked up. But, she didn’t deserve this. Didn’t deserve to be pulled out of the field and assigned to desk duty. Okay, so she’d been screwing a felon. And, okay, he was a suspect in a case they were currently working. Not good. She’d made a bad choice. She always made bad choices when it came to men, but this one had to be the worst.

She’d been a runway model before she became an FBI agent. Tall, with fiery red hair, ivory skin and green eyes, she’d had some success in the industry but she’d always wanted to be more. Wanted to prove she wasn’t just a pretty face. She’d been so proud when she’d made it through the academy at Quantico, thinking now she’d automatically earn respect from men instead of them wanting to jump her bones. She’d been wrong. The respect had been a long time coming. But, she’d finally earned it. And now, she’d screwed it up. By the very thing she’d meant to avoid...hopping into bed with every man that desired her. She was certain a psychiatrist would relate her actions to not having a dad when she was growing up, trying to win the affection of men since she didn’t have it as a child. Maybe that was true. Whatever the reason, she couldn’t seem to say ‘no’. And look where it had gotten her.

Her phone rang and she picked it up. “Special Agent Delia Grimes.”

“Hey, you okay?” It was Luke Butler, her partner.
Asshole
. Even though he hadn’t been the one to rat her out--she’d been caught in the act by another agent--he damned sure hadn’t come to her defense. As a matter of fact, he’d told the Special Agent in Charge that he recommended desk duty until the case was over so she wouldn’t further compromise the operation.