Love Inspired Suspense April 2015 #1 (12 page)

Adam pulled her close, his arms going around her, anchoring her to him.

Of course he was right. But the losses still hurt. The grief seeping in so deep, so fully, made her wonder if she'd ever find the comfort she sought. She laid her cheek against Adam's chest, her tears soaking through his uniform shirt. He smelled good despite the long day in the country. A heady mix of spice and sunshine, cut green grass and rolling hills. And a hundred percent masculine.

She closed her eyes and clung to him as she finally gave in and allowed out the grief she'd kept bottled up to seep out. Grief for her parents, sorrow for the death of her marriage, anguish for the sister she'd lost and for the motherless little boy who needed her now. A little boy she'd hadn't even known until today.

As her tears subsided and awareness filtered in through the chaos of emotion clogging her throat, pressing on her chest, filling her heart, she tipped her head back to stare up at Adam. Affection glowed on his handsome face in the soft light coming from the table lamp. Answering fondness engulfed her, rising in a tidal wave of yearning and want.

Before she could let herself think too hard about why she shouldn't, she rose on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his. His lips were hard and soft and moist and dry. Every cell in her body jumped to attention. The sensations rocketing through her should have scared her, but she felt safe. Cared for. Special.

A low rumble escaped him and he deepened the kiss.

His lips worked hers in a tender caress that left her toes curling and her insides melting. Her hands fisted into his shirt, tugging him closer still. She never wanted the sensation of his lips on hers to end. Here, she could forget the past, forget the danger, and only feel the moment.

Finally, he released her, dropping his forehead to meet hers. Her breath came in ragged gasps. She slipped her arms around him and once again placed her cheek against his chest, needing the closeness, the connection. His heart beat a rapid staccato beneath her ear, the sound making her feel powerful. Her kiss had done that to him. Made his pulse race, his heart pound.

Movement in her peripheral vision snagged her attention. Her pulse jumped for an entirely different reason. They were supposed to be alone. She turned her head so she could fully see the empty room. No one there. A figment of her imagination, conjuring up the bogeyman.

Then her gaze swept over the floor-to-ceiling bank of windows. A shadowy outline of a person appeared.

She jerked out of Adam's arms and screamed.

* * *

Adam reflectively pushed Lana behind him. Her scream echoed through the still house. “What is it?”

Lana pointed a shaky hand toward the window and the darkness beyond. “Someone's out there. They were peeking in.”

Shifting into cop mode happened instantaneously. He shoved the effects of Lana's mind-blowing kiss to the far reaches of his awareness and let the blast of adrenaline take over. His hand reached for the weapon at his side. “I want you upstairs. Don't come down until I tell you it's clear.”

“But what if something happens to you?”

The fear in her voice seared him but he couldn't let her distract him. Someone had followed them to Rosa's town house. Or had been waiting for Lana to show so they could get the drop on her. No way was he going to let anyone hurt her. He urged her out of the living room and up the stairs before he turned off the hall light and opened the front door.

The shadowy darkness held danger, a threat. He needed his partner. With a quick press of a button on the remote to the SUV, Ace's door popped open. Adam let out a low, short whistle. Ace jumped from the vehicle and easily hopped over the picket fence, raced up the three brick stairs and met Adam on the porch.

Withdrawing his sidearm, Adam moved into the darkness, Ace a steady presence at his side.

* * *

Lana took refuge in the first room at the top of the stairs. Muted ambient light visible through a filmy curtain over the window illuminated a queen-size bed, dresser and a rocking chair. Rosa's room. Forcing back the flash of emotion tugging at her, she raced to the window and pushed aside the curtain's gauzy fabric to peer down into the narrow stretch of yard along the side of the town house. The fence blocked any light from penetrating the darkness below.

She hurried to the room at the end of the hall, which had to be Juan's. A crib, changing table and a sea of toys could be seen in the glow of the moon coming through the uncovered window facing the backyard. Careful not to trip, she moved to the window and stared down at the rectangle-shaped yard.

Moonlight reflected off the slide of the play structure. Here the yard was more exposed. There was a square patch of grass and a brick patio with a table and chairs. She didn't see anyone. The intruder must have escaped.

Wait! A gate on the right side of the fence opened. A figure stepped through and disappeared into the yard next door.

She had to tell Adam. The neighbors were in danger.

But he'd told her to stay upstairs until he gave her the all clear. She couldn't let her own safety put someone else's life at risk. She had to find Adam.

She ran back down the stairs. The front door was open. She pressed her back against the wall, keeping as little of her body visible as possible.

Peering out the open doorway into the darkness, she didn't see Adam. Or anyone else.

Where was he?

She wasn't sure what to do. Go back upstairs? Or hurry next door and warn the neighbor?

A noise from the living room sent her pulse skittering.

Adam? Or the intruder?

A hand descended onto her shoulder. Terror tore through her. She let out a yelp as she slammed her elbow into her assailant's torso, eliciting a grunt.

A low growl followed by a bark snapped through her, making her grope for the wall light switch.

She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness.

Adam held his hand over his stomach as he stared at her with bewilderment in his eyes. Ace stood beside him, his hackles bristling, his mouth pulled into a snarl. He relaxed when he saw her.

She let out a gasp. “Oh, no. I didn't know it was you.”

“Obviously,” Adam ground out. “You pack a mean elbow.”

“Why did you sneak up on me?”

“Why did you come downstairs?”

“I saw someone go into the neighbor's yard. I thought I should warn you or them or do something.”

“You could have been hurt.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I can't protect you if you don't listen.”

“But I was concerned for you.”

“I can take care of myself,” he said. “You're the one in danger. If anything happened to you...”

She laid a hand on his arm, touched by his distress. “I'm sorry. Did you see who was out there?”

“Ace alerted on a scent that took him to the fence. The latch must be on the other side.” He jutted his chin toward the staircase. “Go back upstairs. I'll go next door.”

Not about to be left alone again, she shook her head. “I'm coming with you.”

He pressed his lips together. “Must you always be so stubborn?”

“I don't want to be left behind. I feel safer with you.”

Blowing out a noisy breath, he said, “Stick close. If anything goes down, hit the deck. Ace will watch our backs.”

Staying right on Adam's heels with Ace on hers, they headed to the town house next door. Lights glowed from inside. Adam knocked on the door.

A moment later a woman in her late sixties opened the door. She had short gray hair cut in a pixie style, and green eyes behind frameless glasses.

“Ma'am, I'm Officer Donovan of the Capitol K-9 Unit. There may have been an intruder in the yard next door. He may now be in your yard. Do you mind if I check?”

Stepping in front of Adam into the porch light, Lana said, “I'm Rosa's sister, Lana. I've taken possession of the town house next door.”

“Oh my, you look just like her.” She stepped back. “Where are my manners? I'm sorry. I'm Eva Jordan. Please, come in.” They stepped into the town house. She gestured to the back patio door. “You can access the backyard through there.”

Adam, with Ace on his heels, went out the back to check the yard. Lana and Eva remained in the living room. Though similar in structure to Rosa's, Eva's home was filled with old and worn furnishings that spoke of many years living in the same place.

“It's clear,” Adam said as he returned. “The intruder must have jumped over the fence and disappeared into the next neighborhood. I've called the intrusion in. The police will send a patrol car to canvass the neighborhood.”

“Sit, please,” Eva instructed before taking a seat on the edge of a leather armchair that had seen better days. “Such a tragedy, losing your sister like that. She was so nice and thoughtful. Always ready to help me whenever I needed it. She loved her little boy something fierce. How is Juan?”

“He's good,” Lana said around the lump forming in her throat. Hearing that her sister had been kind touched her deeply. Though it hurt to know Rosa reserved her meanness for her sister, Lana was glad to know Rosa had been considerate to others. Their parents would have been proud of her. “I'm hoping to gain custody of him soon.”

“Wonderful. He's such a sweetie. I babysat him when Rosa went out at night.”

“Where did he go during the day while my sister worked?” Knowing which day care Rosa used would be helpful and the best place for Juan while Lana was at work. Once this mess with the theft of the arrow was resolved. Her stomach knotted. She hoped the relic was found soon so she could resume her position at the museum. As it was, she'd had no time to look for another piece to take the arrow's place.

“I believe she had him at the Early Start program over at the Community Christian Church a couple of days a week. It's only a few blocks from here,” Eva said. “And the rest of the time she'd take him to All Our Kids since it was so close to her work.”

“You said you watched Juan when Rosa went out at night?” Adam said. “Did you tell the police this when they talked to you after Rosa's death?”

Eva pressed her lips together. “I mentioned I babysat occasionally. I didn't want them to think she was...well, that she...” She made a face. “An unwed mother is judged more harshly.”

Lana's heart contracted in her chest. She hated to think of Rosa suffering unkindness. “Do you know who Juan's father is?”

“No,” Eva replied. “Rosa was pregnant when she moved in next door. She wouldn't talk about the boy's father. She said Juan was hers and hers alone.”

Did that mean the father didn't want to be in Juan's life? Or that Rosa hadn't told the man he had a son?

“How often did Rosa go out at night?” Adam asked.

Eva tilted her head. “A few nights a week.”

“Do you know where she went?”

“I don't. I assume she and her gentleman friend went out on the town or back to his place. She never stayed out terribly late.” Sadness drew her mouth downward. “Except on the night she died. I was so worried when she didn't return.”

Lana's heart rate sped up. From the surprise darkening Adam's face, she guessed he, too, was stunned to learn there was a man in the picture. And was possibly with Rosa on the night of her death, supporting Adam's insistence that robbery wasn't the motive, but something else, something that had precipitated Rosa's murder. “Had she gone out with someone that night?”

Eva frowned and shook her head. “No, which was strange. Usually her beau would pick her up and drop her off. That night, she took her own car. I watched her drive off. Alone. Maybe she was meeting him in the park?”

“Could you identify the man if you saw him again?” Adam asked.

Eva made a face. “Doubtful. These eyes aren't what they used to be. I can tell you, he had short hair, not long how some of the young men these days like to wear it, and he wore sunglasses.”

Lana's pulse spiked. “Aviators?”

“I'm not sure what that is,” Eva said with a frown.

“Reflective glasses, like mirrors,” Adam supplied.

Eva shook her head. “No, these were your standard dark lenses.”

Adam took out a small pad of paper from his pocket and then a pen. Poised to write, he asked, “Do you remember the type of car?”

“Sometimes a limousine. Other times a blue sedan. He always came at night and waited at the curb. I don't have a license plate number or anything.”

Adam tucked the pad and pen back into his pocket before taking out his phone. He hit a few keys before turning the phone around to show a photo of Michael Jeffries. “Could this be the man you saw?”

“I don't know. That man looks vaguely familiar but I can't say for sure he was the man Rosa was seeing.” She grimaced. “I'm not much help, am I?”

Lana reached over to take the older woman's hand. She most likely recognized Michael from the news. There was no reason to think Rosa was having a relationship with Michael Jeffries.

Unless...she was and Erin killed them both because of it.

The thought sent a river of coldness through Lana. No, that didn't make sense. If Erin was the murderer, then who were the men trying to find her? And why?

“You are helping,” Lana said to Eva. “And you helped Rosa and Juan when they needed you. I so appreciate that.”

Eva patted her hand. “Will you move in next door?”

The eagerness in the older woman's expression tugged at Lana's heartstrings. “I don't know yet.”

Lana slid a glance at Adam. His words earlier rang inside her head. “Don't rule it out.” He was right. Again.

The place was set up so well for Juan. Much better than her apartment. All his things were here and the yard had a play structure. Perfect for a growing boy.

She sent up a silent prayer asking God to direct her in the decision.

They bid Eva good-night and returned to Rosa's town house. Adam's cell rang and he stepped into the kitchen to answer. Lana went to Juan's room but couldn't bring herself to pack up his things. This was his home. She needed to stop thinking of herself and her own hurts and think of Juan. He would need the stability of the place he shared with his mother. Lana wanted him to know that his mother had loved him. She went in search of Adam to tell him of her decision.