You Can't Hide (25 page)

“Well, make your call, Mr. Hughes. And thank you again.”

This time Aidan didn’t have to ask. He opened the door to the stairs and waited for her to pass through. She stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked up with a sigh. “You have any debilitating phobias, Detective?”

He hesitated. Then shrugged. “I’m not fond of heights.” It was a gross understatement. Extreme heights gave him vertigo, a fact he’d never shared with another living soul. “Want to try and cure me?”

Her grin was small and wry, yet it sent a current of electricity across his skin. She appealed to him on too many levels. On Sunday he’d thought her a sexy gypsy with a heart of stone. And he’d wanted her so much he’d ached. Now, standing next to him with dirty hair and a

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[Suspense 5]

You Can't Hide

dangerously pale face, she appealed to him even more. She had a soft, caring heart yet her will was stronger than most men he knew. When she’d been at Seward’s mercy, a gun to her head, he didn’t believe he’d ever breathe normally again.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “Even if you’re lying, I appreciate the gesture.” She made it up half the flight, then turned to sink down on the step, twisting so that her head rested on the iron handrail. Twin flags of red stained her pale cheeks and perspiration dotted her forehead. She breathed heavily and the hand that had clutched his coat around her throat went lax. The coat slipped down to her shoulders, exposing the scar she worked so hard to hide. Now she seemed too tired to notice. “I’m sorry. One lousy flight of stairs should not tire me out.”

He sat down next to her. “It’s okay. You’ve had a hell of a day. I think you’re entitled to a little combat fatigue. You must have run to Seward’s apartment building in four minutes flat.”

“I guess I did. I really wasn’t thinking about it at the time.”

The threadiness of her voice alarmed him. “Did you have lunch?”

“Mm-hmm. I went with Harrison.”

“Let me rephrase. Did you ingest food?”

Her lips twitched. “I nibbled on some crackers. Harrison had roast pork, but I was too upset to eat. I suppose I’m a little weak-kneed from lack of fuel.”

“You think?”

Her lips curved at that, delivering another sound blow to his self-control. “Give me another minute. I’l be fine.” True to her word, she was on her feet a minute later. She shrugged off his coat and handed it to him. “Can you hold it? It’s heavy,” she said, then took the remaining stairs with the stubborn focus of a mountain climber. Aidan walked two steps behind, intending to catch her if she fell, but was instead treated to a bird’s-eye view of her very nice rear end as she climbed.

Very nice,
he thought, his hands itching to touch the curves that moved so enticingly with each step she climbed. Instinctively he knew that she’d fit his palms perfectly and for an instant his imagination exploded with erotic pictures of how it would be. How she’d feel when he closed his hands over her ass and jerked her hard against him. How she’d writhe and moan and drive him insane. How she’d feel in his arms when she was mindless with arousal. Not trembling with fear. Abruptly the image faded and his brain cleared. He already knew how it felt to hold her when she was terrified.
Which is why you’re here, Reagan,
he told himself scathingly as they reached her floor. So focus on protecting her and stop dreaming about her ass. Tess led him to her apartment, then paused, her hand on her doorknob. “My friends wil expect me to stay home so that they can take care of me. I’l tell them you think it’s safer for me to sleep somewhere else tonight because of the reporters. I won’t mention the cameras.”

Aidan’s mind was suddenly filled with a picture of exactly where she should sleep tonight.
With me
. And to his own surprise, it wasn’t whol y sexual. Not nearly. Mostly he just wanted to see her safe.
Then
he wanted to see her naked. He managed to nod soberly. “That would be best.”

Her friends were watching the news when they came in. Both instantly jumped to their feet. Jon Carter crossed the living room in two long strides and enveloped her in his arms, his possessive hold making Aidan grit his teeth.

They’re only friends.
Tess had said so and she might even think it was true, but it was obvious to Aidan that the good Dr. Carter thought something else entirely. Carter drew back, his face bent in a grimace. “God, Tess. You look like you’ve been in surgery with me and smell even worse. What’s in your h-” He broke off when Tess’s body stiffened. Carter’s horrified eyes lifted to Aidan’s and Aidan nodded, confirming what the man had guessed. Carter blanched. “Then it’s true.”

“It’s hers,” Tess said dul y. “It was on him and when he grabbed me…”

Carter slid his arm around her shoulders. “Let’s get you cleaned up, honey.”

She pul ed away from him, still rigid. “I will, but not here, Jon.”

Carter’s brows snapped together. “Why the hell not?”

Aidan stepped forward. “What have you heard on the news? Exactly.”

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[Suspense 5]

You Can't Hide

“That Tess’s third patient killed his wife then himself,” Amy Miller provided. She hadn’t moved a foot from where she’d been standing. “And that Tess told the press about his homosexuality.” She lifted her chin and stared Aidan straight in the eye, chal enging him to disagree. “But we know that’s not true.”

“He doesn’t think it is, Amy, but some of my patients might,” Tess said, and Miller’s eyes shifted to Tess’s face awkwardly and Aidan remembered what Tess had said last night.
I’m not
even sure she’s my attorney anymore.
They’d fought, Tess and her friend, and now the atmosphere in the room was charged with the things they weren’t saying to each other. “I’m going to check into a hotel. I’l let you know where I am once I’m settled.”

Miller nodded, her jaw tight. “That makes sense, I guess.” She glanced over at Aidan suspiciously. “Do you still need a defense attorney, Tess?”

“No.” She swallowed hard and cleared her throat. “But I sure could use my friend.”

At that Amy fol owed the same path Carter had taken, throwing her arms around Tess and holding her hard for a long, long minute. “Jon’s right, Tess,” she said as she broke away. “You jump in the shower and I’l pack your bag.”

Tess shook her head. “I really just want to get to a hotel first. Once I’m clean I’m falling into the nearest bed.”

Aidan’s blood beat a steady drum in his head as she walked back to her bedroom with her lawyer friend, unaware how perfectly she’d voiced every thought his overactive libido had conjured.

“You know she didn’t do this,” Carter said, dragging him back to ground zero.

“I can’t talk to you about what I do or don’t know,” Aidan said evenly, then something peevish made him throw a live grenade into the conversation. “For all I know, you could be involved.”

Stunned, Carter could only stare. “You’re out of your mind.”

“Then I suppose I’m lucky she’s a psychiatrist.”

Abruptly Carter threw back his head and laughed. “You’re good, Reagan. For a minute you had me there.” Still smiling he shook his head. “You think that Tess and I…?” He let the question trail away. “Well, we’re not.” He went utterly sober. “But she’s one of my closest friends in the world and I don’t want to see her hurt.”

“On that we agree.”

“Is she in danger, Detective?”

“Not at this moment, no.” Aidan lifted a shoulder. “I’m just being careful.”

Carter nodded. “See that you do.” Abruptly he turned on his heel and pul ed at a drawer in one of the ornate tables that backed Tess’s sofa. He was completely at home, Aidan noticed darkly. Carter pul ed out a sheet of paper and scribbled a half page before handing it to Aidan.

“Here is my home address and some emergency phone numbers. If she needs help, please call me.” Aidan scanned the sheet. “Or Robin?”

“Any time of the day or night. We’l come.” Carter hesitated, looking over his shoulder before continuing, his voice low. “Her family’s in Philly.”

“She told me.”

Carter’s brows went up, surprised. “She did?” He looked over his shoulder again. “Did she tell you they don’t speak?”

Aidan found himself staring back at the bedroom along with Carter. “No. She just said she has four brothers who sound like they could be their own Mafia.”

Jon smiled. “Her brother Vito’s a Philadelphia cop. The rest are teachers, artists, and architects. Tess is their baby sister. She still talks to Vito.” Carter’s smile dimmed. “He was the one who came when she got hurt last year.”

“Her parents didn’t come?” Aidan was shocked at the thought.

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You Can't Hide

“She wouldn’t let Vito tell them. Anyway, if she needs help, call Vito. I don’t know his number off the top of my head, but if you call us at home, either Robin or I can get it for you. Please take care of Tess, Detective. She’s our family.”

“I will.” And at that moment, Aidan knew he would, whatever it took. The women appeared from the back bedroom, Miller carrying an overnight bag. Tess wore the same filthy clothes, but the socks were gone from her feet, a pair of canvas sneakers in their place. “The ladies are back,” Carter said with a sweeping motion of his arm. “Amy, I’m driving back to the hospital. You want me to drop you off at your office?”

“No, I’ve got my car.” She gave Tess another hug. “Call me when you get checked in.” She handed the bag to Aidan and fol owed Carter out the door.

The door closed behind them and Tess’s shoulders sagged. Her mouth opened, then closed firmly as her eyes skittered about, looking for cameras. “Let me feed the cat before we go.”

Aidan fol owed her into the kitchen, gritting his teeth when she bent over to reach the cabinet under the sink, once again unconsciously torturing him with the sight of her round rear end. At his sides, his hands clenched into fists, squelching his need to touch. But he wouldn’t. Not here, where cameras could be watching their every move. Not now, when the shock of the afternoon was still heavy in her eyes. By the time she stood holding a bag of dry cat food in her hands, Aidan had both his thoughts and his body under control. A pretty little tortoiseshell cat sauntered into the kitchen, lured by the sound of food hitting her bowl. Tess scooped the cat into her arms, pressed her cheeks to its soft fur. “When I was sick this kitty never left my side. I wish I could take you with me, Bella,” she said, “but I can’t. No hotel will have you. I’l have to find you a kennel.”

It was a split-second decision. She wasn’t going to a hotel. She wasn’t going to be alone. “Do you have a cat carrier for her?”

She blinked at him. “Yes. She hates it.”

“Do you want her with you?”

“I can’t just-”

“Tess, we’re wasting time. Do you want that shower or not?”

She lifted her chin, her eyes flashing. “Don’t order me around, Aidan. I’ve lost enough control over my life in the last three days.” She drew a breath, visibly forcing herself to calm. “Yes, I’d like to keep her with me if it’s possible. Do you know a hotel that allows cats?”

He’d been unprepared for the wave of possessiveness that consumed him, just hearing her say his name. “Yeah. I know a place. Come on. We’l take your car.”

Tuesday, March 14, 6:30 P.M.

Tess yanked the sash of a stranger’s petite robe around her waist and stalked the short distance from Aidan Reagan’s bathroom to the kitchen where she heard his deep voice. The man was certifiably insane. It would be the only defense that would keep her from killing him. It was bad enough he’d brought her here, to his house. He’d promised to take her to a hotel.
Actually he promised you a place that would take Bella
. It was bad enough that he’d brought her here, but to sneak in the bathroom while she showered and steal her robe…
To think I
trusted
him.
She stopped in the kitchen doorway. “Detective Reagan.”

Two heads whipped around to stare at her and Tess let her rigid shoulders relax just a little.

“Kristen.”

Reagan’s sister-in-law set her mug careful y on the table, pursing her lips. “Close your mouth, Aidan, or birds wil fly in.”

Reagan snapped his mouth shut, but his eyes continued to bug out of his head making him look like he’d swallowed his own tongue. Self-consciously Tess pul ed the sash tighter and held the robes lapels closer so that they overlapped at the base of her throat. Although it would serve him right if he choked on his damn tongue.

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Karen Rose

[Suspense 5]

You Can't Hide

Kristen was watching them careful y and Tess tried to ignore the blush she knew had turned her cheeks flaming red.

“Did you put this in the bathroom?” Tess asked her.

Kristen sucked her cheeks in. “I did. There are other clothes on the bed in Aidan’s room. We put your cat in there, too.” She pointed at the rottweiler lying at Reagan’s feet. “Dol y’s a sweetie, but we didn’t want your kitty to be afraid.”

Tess nodded, casting a cautious glance at the big dog who’d obeyed Reagan’s every command when they’d first arrived. “Thank you. Where is
my
robe? The one I packed in my bag?”

“In the trunk of your car,” Kristen answered.

“Why are my clothes in my trunk, Kristen?”

Her friend looked across the table. “Aidan?”

Reagan was intently studying the contents of his mug. “Go change, Tess. Kristen’s made you some tea and some soup. When you come back, you need to eat.”

She shook her head, dread driving the smile from her face. “Tell me now, Aidan. I need to know.”

He sighed. “Then sit down.”

Mutely she obeyed, taking the seat next to Kristen, who patted her hand. Reagan’s eyes lifted to hers, solemn and weary. “Jack swept your place after we left.”

Tess held her breath. “And?”

“Cameras in every room.”

She could feel the blood draining from her face. “Every room?”

He nodded.

She swallowed hard. “Even the bathroom?” He just looked at her, saying nothing. He didn’t need to. “How long had they been there?”

“Jack couldn’t say for sure. Longer than the others. Maybe a few months.”