Wicked Obsessions (24 page)

"When was that?"

"Well, we had just finished, you know, and Rico was really thirsty for something cold, but the refrigerator was empty—I mean
really
empty—so I got dressed, grabbed my purse, and went downstairs to the soda machine. I was on my way back up when I saw them going in. I didn't know what to do. I waited a while, then I left."

"Do you still have the note and key?" he asked hopefully.

She shook her head. "I threw them away. I got scared when Teri told me he was missing and started asking funny questions about getting things in the mail. I mean, it wasn't too hard to figure out they had wanted me to be with Rico when they did him in so they could get me too. Maybe they had planned to make it look like a lover's quarrel. I don't know. Anyway, I just acted dumb, but I think she was suspicious. I know she figured it out when you told her about the hair, but she's been waiting for Drew to get back from his trip before doing anything about it. Now he's back, and I don't know what to do. I'm scared to death to go back to my apartment. Where can I hide that they won't find me?" She finished with a desperate cry.

Kidder couldn't believe his luck. The dingbat had just handed him his case wrapped in silver paper. She was his passport to freedom from exile. Somewhere in her long explanation he had heard something that didn't seem to jibe but he marked that up to her being a dingbat. With the right
guidance
, she'd get the story cleaned up so all the holes were filled in. All he had to do was treat her like a princess until he could convince her to tell her story to Captain Hart. Considering how
scared
she was of everyone and everything, including police stations, and taking into account how great the possibility was that she could change her mind if left to her own devices, he knew what he had to do.

"Tell you what, kid—I'll take you to my place tonight. You'll be safe enough there. Then tomorrow, after you've had a good night's sleep and a chance to calm down, we'll work something out."

Nibbling her lower lip, Selena gave that some thought before asking, "Won't your wife mind?"

His teeth clenched automatically. "I live alone."

Selena's worried expression altered into a shy smile. "All right. I think I'd feel much better tonight sleeping under the same roof as you."

* * *

Selena tiptoed to the closed bedroom door and pressed her ear against it. She could hear nothing to guarantee Kidder was asleep, but neither was there any indication that he was awake. She would simply have to take a chance and hope the one beer he had before retiring had helped him enter dreamland.

She couldn't wait to tell Juliette that their first plan had worked and none of the others had been necessary. But then, as Juliette had told her in the past, being the Protector gave her a certain amount of luck that always turned up when she most needed it. The just-in-case plans were hardly ever necessary, but Juliette always insisted they have them ready anyway.

In the hours since she had jumped into Kidder's car, she had devoted a great deal of concentration to her movements. She left her hair in pins to prevent any strands from falling out. She had used a hanky when opening his car door and made sure his was the only hand that touched doorknobs after that. Once in his house, she sat down on his sofa with her hands clasped on her lap, and stayed there, declining his offer of the guest bedroom, food, drink, or even the bathroom. The less she moved, the less she had to remember to cover up. Before she got up from the couch, she had put on the pair of surgical gloves she had in her bag.

Quietly, she turned the knob on Kidder's bedroom door, prepared to cry loneliness or offer herself to him if he was still awake. But neither excuse was necessary—he was sleeping soundly on his stomach, with his head turned toward her.

His revolver was on the nightstand next to him.

She had never fired a gun before, but she had read enough books and seen enough movies to know that the cylinder had to be loaded with bullets and the trigger had to be pulled very hard if it wasn't cocked first and, without a silencer, it made a lot of noise. The windows of the house were closed, but she wasn't certain that would be enough if someone nearby was still awake at that hour. She spotted a small, thick throw pillow on a chair and decided, better safe than sorry.

With the pillow in her left hand, she picked up the gun with her right and tested its weight. She could easily manage it with one hand. Pressing the barrel of the revolver into the center of the pillow, she lowered them both to Kidder's temple.

And fired.

The resulting mess was much worse than she had imagined, but it was the noise that paralyzed her with fear. For several seconds she held her breath, expecting to hear the sounds of an abruptly awakened neighborhood, but nothing happened. She could go ahead with the plan.

She took the special package from her big purse and carried it to the kitchen sink. The ice had not entirely melted, and when she removed the inner plastic bag, she found her prop was still frozen. For a moment she thought she would have to forget about leaving the clue, then her gaze fell on the solution. After opening the storage bag, she placed it inside the microwave to thaw it out.

Thirty seconds later, Rico's right hand was almost as warm as it was the moment she'd taken it from him.

Chapter 15

Raking his hands through his graying hair, Drew smiled at the lined face in his bathroom mirror.
You're not as far over the ridge as you thought you were, cowboy.

He hadn't stopped smiling since last night. It wouldn't be gentlemanly to brag, even to his own reflection. However, he couldn't help but note that in four hours with Teri he had more than made up for his long abstinence. The face looking back at him might be forty-one, but this morning his body felt more like that of a twenty-year-old. Just remembering what Teri did to get back at him for teasing her with the camera had him as ready as a storm cloud about to burst. He couldn't wait to rain all over that sweet little body of hers again and again.

She had him thinking about all the things he'd once wanted but come to believe he'd never have. And more than hungry, mind-bending sex, she made him think of holding hands in a movie, talking about the weather over breakfast, planning a vegetable garden, and balancing a household budget. All the ordinary doings he'd thought a marriage was supposed to consist of when he'd married Brenda were now within his reach.

He laughed at himself for being such a romantic fool. The shrink would probably have him recommitted if he heard his patient had fallen in love with the first woman who'd cried in his arms after his sentence was up. On the surface, it was exactly the kind of relationship he'd been warned to avoid. But Drew knew what lay beneath the surface, and it ran hot and deep.

Last night he had broken his own promise to wait until they were both less vulnerable. He had no regrets this morning, though, only a sense of extreme gratitude to the nosy detective who had indirectly pushed him into breaking it.

It was almost prophetic that Detective Kidder had left his post by the time Drew and Teri said goodnight, as if he had given up his crazy notions and was going to let the couple get on with their lives in peace.

There was no way Drew could give consideration to Kidder's accusations. To consider them at all would be opening the door to where those accusations could lead.
Back to imprisonment.
Simply thinking of such a possibility could throw Drew into a cowering panic—a state of mind he was intimately familiar with and had only recently learned to block by sheer force of will. As he had told Teri, he had to live one day at a time and hope for the best. What he hadn't told her was that his recovery was taking place on the very edge of that attitude, and he knew the slightest nudge could push him over once again.

It was much more pleasant to contemplate his next rendezvous with Teri.

Unfortunately for Drew and his rejuvenated body, he had two models meeting him in the studio first thing this morning. It would have to be business before pleasure.

When he arrived at Teri's and noted the absence of the detective's car, he breathed a sigh of relief, in spite of how many times he had told himself that he wasn't worried about the man. The young women were already in the studio, and he gave them the workout clothing they needed to put on for the shoot while he went to speak to Teri. As he hurried down the stairs, the sound of her voice led him to the back yard, where she was filling bird-feeders and visiting with the cat he had seen before.

"Mornin'," he said politely from a distance. Teri spun around and the happy expression on her face was all the reassurance he needed. "Quick. Come in the house. I have somethin' to show you." He strode to the kitchen door and held it open for her.

The second after he pulled the door shut behind her, they were in each other's arms, tasting, touching, seeking the heavenly release they had discovered the night before. The feel of the wall against her back and the air beneath her feet as Drew raised her to accommodate them both was a reminder to Teri of her personal vow, but not enough to keep Drew from kissing her neck as she spoke.

"I swore I wouldn't do this again."

Responding to the breathless longing in her voice rather than her words, he moved against her until she moaned, then asked, "Do what?"

"Mindless hormones. I swore..." she kissed him in a way that made a lie of her vow. "...I wouldn't let them rule my life ever again." His mouth moved to her ear as his body and hands made her forget why she'd ever made such a dumb vow.

"And I swore I'd never fall in love again," he whispered, and went back to nibbling her earlobe.

"Are you? Falling?"

"Hat over boot heels."

"What are we going to do?" she asked, wrapping her legs tightly around his hips.

He stopped his attentions long enough to raise his head and look at her with a twinkle in his eyes. "We could always give up swearing." Although the ad lib made them both laugh, neither made an effort to separate. Breathing heavily, he leaned his forehead against hers. "I have work to do."

"Hmmm. Does that mean I have to get down?"

"Only if you really want to." His deep chuckle vibrated through her. "I don't think I could if I wanted to," she answered, nuzzling his neck. "But I just happen to know a solution to our problem."

Matching her rocking motion, he stoked his fire with hers. "We call the fire department to hose us down?"

"
Mmmm
. Good idea. We can use the phone next to my bed."

Drew didn't need an explicit invitation to put off starting his workday. Given the frantic condition they were in by the time they reached the bedroom, the additional delay was hardly worth apologizing for when he returned to the studio.

Teri had no desire to bounce out of bed and get dressed after he left her, but decency demanded it. In the space of twenty-four hours, the world had gone from muddy brown to hot pink. Drew's brand of loving was a tonic for everything that ailed her.

And if tremendous physical satisfaction was not enough, her personal bloodhound seemed to have given up his vigil in front of her house. It was still hard to believe the man could make such horrid accusations based on circumstantial evidence. On the other hand, she had seen plenty of television shows where the detective made wild charges just hoping the guilty party would confess everything. Well, in this case, she hadn't broken down for him, because she wasn't the guilty party and there was nothing to confess. Maybe Kidder finally realized it. In fact, as long as he didn't bother her again, she would forgive him for being so obnoxious and wouldn't even file a complaint against him.

That's
how good Drew's loving made her feel.

But the afterglow faded rapidly when the phone rang and she heard Selena's voice coming through the answering machine, pleading with Teri to talk to her. Just before Selena cut off, Teri picked up. "I'm here."

"Oh, good. Were you painting?"

"No not yet. I, uh—" Teri stammered for an acceptable excuse.

"Well, don't worry about it. I've got some news that should put all your worries to bed and get those creative juices flowing again."

Selena's excitement was evident and Teri tried to give her the attention she wanted, instead of thinking about what the word
bed
suggested to her. "Really?
All
my worries? It must be pretty terrific news."