Sweet Dreams Boxed Set (27 page)

Her hand flew out and caught his wrist. Her touch was soft, oddly sensual. “I had my mask on, too,” Ivy said quickly. “He won’t know who I am.”

He will if he lingered. If he watched…
Bennett shook his head. “If he was standing in that building while you and the cop were outside before, he could’ve heard you talking.” She needed to understand what she faced. “He could have followed you and watched until you took off your mask
or
until you gave the cop your name.”  With that information, it would be too easy to track her down. “You’re getting a police escort home. Lock your doors. Set your alarm. And I
will
be seeing you tomorrow.”

Her hand began to slide away from his. Bennett’s hand twisted and he caught her fingers in his.  “If you need me, call me.”

“I-I don’t have your number.”

What? Bennett shook his head. Sometimes he forgot…despite the tangled web between them, plenty had changed over the years.  He gave her the number, then, just to be safe, he scribbled it down on a piece of paper and tucked it into her hand. “Call me.”
Anytime.
“I’ll come to you.”

Then he made himself pull back. Officer East stood just a few feet away, watching him with wide eyes.  He wondered if this was the guy’s first murder scene.

If the fellow planned to make a career out of law enforcement, it wouldn’t be his last.

Bennett had seen too many scenes to count, but those scenes—they often replayed through his nightmares. 

Officer East headed briskly toward the driver’s side of the vehicle.  Bennett stepped into his path. “Keep her safe.” 

Bennett’s guts were twisted over this case, mostly because…hell, when he’d looked down at that woman’s body in the abandoned building, when he’d seen her pale skin and that mass of dark hair, he’d realized—

She looks like Ivy.

Same hair color. Same build.  An unease had settled heavily around his shoulders.

Officer East nodded and slipped into his car.  Bennett watched that patrol car vanish, and he couldn’t help but remember another time when Ivy had been taken from him.

Years ago. Another car, another place.

That had been the day he broke Ivy DuLane’s heart.

Stay with me, Bennett. I love you.

Her words had haunted him for years. And finally, those words…they’d brought him back home.

But now that he’d finally talked to her again, finally stared into her eyes, he wondered if he’d just followed that dream far too late.

***

Ivy didn’t live far from the murder scene—and maybe that should have made her nervous. If the killer had learned her name, then getting her address would be child’s play.
And he could easily access my home.

“Ma’am?” Officer East turned to stare at her. “You want me to come inside with you?”

She glanced at the house. Far too big and rambling. Far too many spaces in there that would make perfect hiding spots.  “You’re damn right I want you in there.” She’d inherited the house when her grandfather died.  Part of the place had been renovated and was completely livable—the other part? Not so much.

Ivy remained in the foyer while the cop searched her house.  She pulled her coat closer—
Bennett’s coat.
She’d forgotten to give it to him before she left the scene, but he’d said that he would see her the next day, so she could always return it to him then.  She’d return it and grill him about the case. Because if that guy thought she was just walking away from this situation, he needed to think again.

“Clear.”

The cop’s voice made her jump.  He’d done one very fast sweep of the house and the guy stood near her door now, looking eager to leave.

“Thank you,” Ivy told him. 

Officer East just nodded, and a few moments later, he was gone. She locked the door behind him, then hesitated, hating that heavy silence around her. Normally, she actually liked the quiet. It let her think. But right then…

A glittering gown soaked with blood. A woman on the floor, blood around her.

Ivy hadn’t been able to do a thing to save the other woman.

She turned away from the door, walked through the foyer, and headed for the stairs. Bennett had told her to set her alarm, but she didn’t actually have one of those in the house. Not yet. She’d be making an alarm system an immediate priority, though. 

She’d only taken a few steps up the stairs when her doorbell rang. The long, loud peal echoed around her. Frowning, her gaze cut back to the door. Had the cop forgot something?  She hurried back to the entrance and her fingers fumbled as she unlocked it.  Then she hesitated.  Surely…if the killer had tracked her down…he wouldn’t just ring the doorbell…would he?

Someone pounded on the door. “Come on, Ivy, open up.”

Relief had her shoulders sagging. She knew that voice. It was her friend, Cameron Wilde. She finished unlocking the door and she swung it open—

A tall, broad-shouldered man stood on her porch. A well-cut tux covered his body and a white Mardi Gras mask hid his face.

“Hello, Ivy,” Cameron said from behind his mask. The sight of that mask chilled her.  “Are you ready for a night you won’t forget?”   

Her porch light glared down on them as she backed up, her heart racing.

Chapter Two

Ivy grabbed the door and tried to shove it closed, but his fingers curled around the wood.

“Uh, Ivy?” he said. “If you don’t want to go to the ball, that’s—”

The ball?
Ivy let go of the door and grabbed his mask.

Cameron Wilde blinked at her.  Even under the harsh light, he was perfectly handsome. Perfectly styled. His blond hair swept back from his high forehead, giving him an even more polished look. 

“I thought you were changing out of that outfit,” he said as his gaze slid over her body. “But if you want to go straight to the ball in—”

“
Your Mardi Gras ball is tonight.
”

“Right.”  His brows climbed. “That’s why we had a date, remember?” Now he sounded annoyed. “That would be why I did that whole ‘night you won’t forget’ bit before.”

She stared down at the white mask she now gripped in her hands. It was exactly like the mask that the killer had worn. And Cameron—he was about the right height. His shoulders were broad and strong.

With the mask on, and with him wearing that tux…Cameron looked just like the killer.

Only Cameron wasn’t a killer. She’d known him since she was six years old. They’d been lovers just once—one desperate night—and friends for so long that she could barely remember her days without him.

And yet…as she stared up at him…a shiver slid down her spine.

When I opened the door, it was as if the murderer was standing right before me.
Ivy edged back toward her house.

“Ivy? What’s wrong?” Then Cameron laughed. “Why are you looking at me like I’m some kind of killer?”

Because I’m trying to figure out if you are.
But she didn’t tell him that. Instead, she asked, “D-do all of the men in your organization wear these white masks?”

“Those are the ones we picked this year.” He shrugged. “I didn’t ride in the parade tonight, so I’m not in costume.”

Each year, she knew members switched up and different folks would ride in the floats so that all organization members would eventually have a chance to be in a parade. The man she’d seen that night—he’d been in a tux and a mask, just like Cameron’s.
Because he’s in the same Mardi Gras society? Because he was one of the men not riding in their parade?

Cameron was in the Order of the Pharaohs, one of the oldest groups in Mobile.  They’d paraded right before her group, kicking off the night.  Their ball was already rolling, no doubt packed out and…

Is the killer there?

Because it made sense. Maybe he’d been planning to attend the ball with the woman in the gold gown.  But he’d killed her instead. Would he now show up there, just to give himself some kind of alibi? 

“Are we going to the ball?” Cameron asked. “Remember the plan, we hit your party, then my ball? Double the fun in one night?” When she didn’t respond, his face hardened. “Ivy, what’s happening?”

Trust him.
She shouldn’t be afraid of Cameron, but she was. Because he was the right size and that mask…she thrust it back into his hands.  “Where were you earlier tonight?”

He motioned behind him, and she saw the limo idling by the curb.  At his cue, the door opened, and another man in a black tux waved toward her. Only he didn’t have on a mask.

Her twin brother smiled up at her. “Come on, Ivy!” Hugh yelled. “Don’t take all night.”

“I was with your brother,” Cameron said.

A woman’s laughter filled the air.

“And his date,” he added.  “Shelly.” He leaned in closer to her. “Now why don’t you tell me what’s going on? Why the hell are you looking at me as if you don’t even know who I am?”

“I saw a murder tonight,” she whispered.

“What?”

Order of the Pharaohs.
“And I want to find that killer.” She spun on her heel. “Give me five minutes.” 

She had a ball to attend.

Because the killer might be there…and if he is, I want to find him.

***

Ivy DuLane was trouble. Always had been, for as long as he could remember.

Did she really think no one would notice her? The damn woman couldn’t go any place without being noticed.

Bennett put his hands on his hips and glared up at the escalator.  Its occupants were slowly descending to the ground level of the convention center, a line of women in their designer dresses and men in their tuxes—with tails.  The men had perfectly knotted bow ties. The women had dresses that fit like gloves.

And right in the middle of that crush, wearing a green gown with a slit that exposed far too much of her gorgeous leg…was Ivy.

She was supposed to be home, safe!

Instead, she was walking right into danger, and damn if the woman wasn’t on the arm of a bozo wearing a white mask. A mask that far too many other men at that ball were also wearing.

As soon as she reached the ground level, Bennett stalked right toward her.  Fury pumped through him. Did she think this was all some kind of game? The woman was crazy, way out of her league.

He stepped into her path.

Her eyes widened. Eyes now lined with shadow and mascara. Eyes that looked even darker than he remembered.

“Hey, buddy,” the guy in the mask began. “You need to step—”

“Cameron,” she said smoothly, “you remember Bennett Morgan.” 

Cameron? Oh, hell,
not
Cameron Wilde.

“Ben?” Cameron’s golden eyes glinted behind his mask.  “Almost didn’t recognize you, buddy!”

I’m not the one wearing a mask.  And I am not even close to being your buddy.

Cameron slapped his hand on Bennett’s shoulder. “It’s been too long.”

Actually, Bennett rather thought it hadn’t been long enough. “She shouldn’t be here.”

Over their shoulder, he spotted the other couple. Ivy’s twin brother Hugh and a curvy redhead.  Hugh didn’t look overly happy to see him. Not surprising, really. Hugh had once ordered him to stay the hell away from his sister.

Bennett
had
stayed away, for a time.

But he was back, and everything was about to change.

He reached for Ivy’s hand. “When I send you home with police protection, you’re supposed to stay home.” He walked right around to the other escalator—the one that would take her back up to the second level and away from the crush of people. “You’re not supposed to just stroll in here and—”

“You think the killer might be here, too, right?” Ivy asked.

For an instant, his eyes squeezed closed.  Maybe he should have anticipated that she’d show up there. It had really only been a matter of time before she connected the guy’s white mask with the Order of Pharaoh’s ball. 

Bennett had made the connection as soon as she told him about the mask, and he’d known that he
would
be scouting around that ball scene. 

“When I saw Cameron’s mask, I knew the guy could be here tonight,” Ivy added.

His eyes snapped open. “And, what?” Bennett growled. “You thought you’d use yourself as bait here to lure out the killer?”

She blinked at him. “Oh, jeez, I hope not. I just thought I could look around and see if I saw any guys who matched his description.” She motioned to Cameron, and—as pretty much always—the guy bounded to her side.

Some things never change.

“You know identities are supposed to be kept secret in the societies,” she said.

God save him from this lunacy…Yes, he knew that. 

“But since Cam is in the society, I thought he could identify anyone I saw—you know, men who fit the killer’s description. And when I knew who they were, I was going to call you.”  She smiled at him. A big, wide grin that flashed the dimple in her left cheek. “Because, you know, I have your number.”

This had to stop. Absolutely stop. He felt like she was driving him to the edge of sanity.

His hold tightened on her. “You aren’t a cop.”

Her smile dimmed a bit. “I don’t remember claiming to be one. I
am
a PI, though. And private investigators…
investigate.
It’s kind of what we do. We don’t just sit at home and wait for someone else to solve all the crimes.”

Bennett could actually feel his blood pressure rising. “That woman was stabbed, Ivy. Again and again.”

She swallowed. “I know that.” 

Cameron put a comforting hand on her shoulder.  Bennett wanted to shove that hand away. Instead, he said, “This isn’t some game.” He looked at their group in disgust. “You’re all in way over your heads, and it’s time to go home. The party’s over.”

Hugh squared his shoulders. “I have a ticket to this ball.  Do you, Detective?”

No, but he had his badge, and that would damn well be good enough.

“The only place I’m going,” Hugh continued, “is to get Shelly a drink.”  He lifted the redhead’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “Shall we, my love?”