“No, but—”
He kissed her again, took it slowly, let her get used to the
feel of his mouth moving over hers, coaxing at first, then taking. Sabrina
clutched his shoulders. Her lips were full and wet as she opened for him, let
him sink in, let him taste her more deeply. He could sense the battle she waged
with herself, knew the instant she gave in to the needs of her body over the
logic of her mind.
“I need you,” he said, breathing her in as he deepened the
kiss. And it was true. There was something about her, something that satisfied
some hollow place inside him that had never quite been filled. He needed her,
and whether she realized it or not, he believed she needed him.
She was trembling as he pulled the strings on her yellow bikini
top and tossed it up on the pool deck, bent his head and took one of her heavy
breasts into his mouth. Her nipples were big and pink, and soft until they
tightened under his tongue.
His erection throbbed. The desire burning through him went
hotter, deeper, stole some of his control. He pulled the string on her bikini
bottoms and tossed the wet fabric up beside her top, lifted her up on the pool
deck and moved between her legs.
“We...we can’t,” she whispered. “Someone will see.”
“They can’t. I promise.” He pressed his mouth over hers and
kissed her deeply, then moved to the side of her neck to nibble an earlobe. Her
skin was damp beneath his tongue as he rained soft kisses along her throat, her
shoulders, moved lower, suckled each of her breasts.
She gasped as he sank down in the water in front of her and
fastened his mouth on her sex. Her fingers curled into his hair and a little
whimper escaped. She was wet and ready, and the minute his tongue touched her
inner flesh, she started to come.
His body tightened, hardened to the point of pain. God, he
wanted to be inside her more than he wanted to breathe. She was so damned
responsive. He remembered that from before, though he hadn’t had the pleasure of
tasting her as he did now. It had been a while for her, she’d said, but
something told him a lot of this was new to her. It made him feel protective and
at the same time wildly possessive.
He kept her on the edge through another jagged climax, then set
his hands on the pool deck and hoisted himself up out of the water. Sabrina
looked dazed, soft and slightly bewildered.
He wanted her hot for him again, greedy to have him inside her.
Reaching down, he lifted her into his arms and carried her under the overhanging
roof, into the open cabana. There were wide, orange-striped padded benches along
the walls. He settled her on one of the benches and stretched out beside her,
leaned over and kissed her again.
He could feel her small body trembling beneath him, feel her
breasts pressing into his chest, and lust hit him like a fist. He wanted to
plunge himself inside her, pound into her until he had his fill. He wanted to
take her and take her until she forgot everything but him.
Instead, he forced himself to go slow, to drive her up again
toward the peak. When she started to shift restlessly beneath him, he lifted
her, set her astride him and dragged her mouth down to his for another burning
kiss.
“Take what you need,” he coaxed, sliding his hands over her
bottom to hold her in place. “Pleasure us both.”
She looked down at him and something shifted in her features,
turned her expression from hesitant to seductive. She bit her lip as she rose
and took him inside her, settled deeper and made him groan.
He nearly came when she started to move, easing up, then
sliding the length of him. He clamped down hard on his control and let her set
the pace, determined to make it good for her. She looked beautiful lost in her
pleasure, and his own pleasure built.
His groin tightened. His erection pulsed and throbbed. He
couldn’t remember wanting a woman the way he did this one.
Alex clenched his jaw against his building need, then Sabrina
started to come and he let himself go. Release sucked him under, wouldn’t let
him go, the pleasure fierce and intense. As he drifted back down, he felt
drained and satisfied, content in a way he had rarely known.
Long seconds passed. Sabrina lay slumped against his chest, her
body pliant and sated. He smoothed a hand over her damp red curls, enjoying the
feel of her snuggled against him. He could feel her heart pounding, matching the
thunder of his own.
His chest tightened when he felt her tears.
Worry slid through him. “Don’t cry, love. Please don’t
cry.”
He eased her off him, got up and disposed of the condom he had
retrieved from a drawer below the padded bench. Grabbing a couple of bath towels
from one of the cabinets, he wrapped one around his hips and tied it, walked
back and handed the other one to her. She fastened the towel sarong-style around
her, tucking the ends in over her pretty breasts. He wanted to strip the towel
away and start kissing her all over again.
Instead, he sat down beside her and eased her into his arms. “I
didn’t hurt you, did I?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Tell me what’s wrong.”
She looked up at him, her eyes big and blue and luminous with
tears. “I can’t do this, Alex. I can pretend if you want. I can say that I can
handle what’s going on between us, that I can deal with it. But the truth is, I
know the kind of man you are—we both do. If we keep going, sooner or later, I’m
going to get hurt.”
His heart was hammering even harder than before. “Maybe you’re
wrong. Maybe I’m not the man you think I am.”
“Can you promise me that?”
Could he? He tried to convince himself he had changed, but the
truth was he didn’t know who he was now any more than he had four years ago when
he’d come out of the navy.
“Can’t we just let things play out, see what happens?”
She released a shaky breath. “I don’t understand what’s going
on here, Alex. You date some of the most beautiful women in Houston. What could
you possibly see in me that could compare to them?”
Anger sent his temper up a notch. “What the hell are you
talking about? You’re beautiful and intelligent. You’re brave and you’re sweet.
On top of that, you’re sexy as hell. Why wouldn’t I want you?”
She seemed surprised by his words. “Those are...very nice
things to say, but they don’t change anything. You’re not the kind of man who
can be happy with just one woman—and why should you be when you look the way you
do?”
“For chrissake, Sabrina—the way I look doesn’t have a damned
thing to do with any of this. I’m not interested in seeing other women. Not as
long as we’re involved. Does that make my feelings clear?”
She looked even more confused. Clutching the towel a little
tighter around her, she stood up and walked away, faced the pool with her back
to him.
She turned. “I want to go home, Alex. Unless you’ve heard from
the police, we don’t even know for sure if the accidents are connected.”
She couldn’t go home, dammit. It just wasn’t safe. He told
himself to take things slowly, give her time to come to that conclusion on her
own. He walked over to where she stood and began the conversation he couldn’t
put off any longer.
“The police weren’t able to confirm one way or another exactly
what happened with the car. The bolt came off the steering rod. No prints,
nothing to confirm whether or not it was tampered with.”
“So it could have just been a malfunction.”
“It’s a pretty uncommon occurrence.” He didn’t think that’s
what had happened, but he had no proof. “The thing is, the sheriff in Rio Gordo
released Martin Gilroy. He’s got an alibi for the time that would have fit the
guy who sabotaged the chopper. Dickens believes it’s good.”
He could see that quick mind of hers at work, coming to the
same conclusion he had. “So the person responsible for the crash was someone
else, someone who could have come to Houston and sabotaged my car.”
“It’s possible.”
“It’s still just speculation. We don’t really know.”
“That’s right. If there weren’t such a powerful motive, we
could be pretty sure something else happened. As it is—”
“As it is, I need to get those core samples drilled. Then we’ll
know if the mine is valuable enough for someone to want me dead.”
“And you need to call your mother, find out who she told about
your trip to Rio Gordo.” And he would bet dollars to doughnuts the answer would
lead directly to one of her cousins.
Seventeen
R
ina raked a hand through her hair, shoving
it back from her face. Beneath the towel, the moist Texas heat soaked into her,
warming her and washing away some of the regret she felt for giving in to her
weakness for Alex.
And now that she was a little more in control, maybe making
love with him wasn’t such a terrible thing. They were both adults, weren’t they?
And from what Alex had said, he was as attracted to her as she was to him. Maybe
just this once, she should take the chance, live her life to the fullest, take
what Alex had to offer for as long as it lasted and worry about the future when
it came.
“I should have asked my mother when she came to stay with me
after the helicopter crash,” she said, picking up the conversation where they
had left off. “At the time, I thought the crash was an accident. I talk to her
every few days, but after the car wreck, I wanted to wait until I got out of the
hospital. I should have called yesterday, but I didn’t want her to worry.”
“She’s your mother. She’s bound to worry.”
“I suppose. She’ll be wondering why she hasn’t heard from me. I
guess it’s time I called.”
“Past time,” Alex said.
“I need to shower and put on some clothes.”
Alex nodded. She could feel his eyes on her as she left him
there by the pool and headed into the house. Twenty minutes later, she returned
downstairs dressed in lightweight khaki slacks and a yellow print blouse. She
found Alex dressed in crisp blue jeans and a polo shirt at work in his
study.
She thought of their passionate lovemaking and soft warmth
crept into her cheeks. Alex was an amazingly virile man and an incredible lover.
Watching him work, she felt a little pinch in her heart.
“I’ll...umm...call my mother right now.”
He leaned back in his desk chair. “Florence, right?”
“That’s right. My dad’s name was Mike. Big Mike, they used to
call him, but he wasn’t really big. I guess he just seemed that way. He was a
great dad and a really good husband. When he died, it broke my mother’s
heart.”
“You’re lucky to have had parents like that. My family isn’t
really a family at all.”
“What do you mean?”
He just shook his head and got up from his chair, drew her over
and urged her down in the seat. Wishing he had opened up to her, Rina sat down
and picked up the phone, punched in her mother’s number in Uvalde, then settled
in to the call.
Her mother answered on the second ring. “Mom, it’s me.”
“Oh, hi, sweetie. I’ve been trying to call but you haven’t been
home and your phone keeps sending me to the message center.”
“It’s...umm...on the blink.”
“Well, I’ve been hoping to hear from you. It’s been a while
since you called. I guess you’ve been busy.”
“Well, sort of.” Over the next few minutes, Rina told her
mother about the car accident and being in the hospital, but made it clear she
was okay.
“I would have come to you,” her mother said. “You know
that.”
“I know. I’m fine, really, Mom. Next time you come to the city
for a visit, instead of having to nurse me, we’ll do something fun.”
They talked a little longer and Rina finally broached the
subject of her trip to the mine. “I’ve been wondering, Mom. I’m curious who knew
I was going to Rio Gordo.”
“It wasn’t a secret, was it?”
“No, not at all. I was just wondering if you’d talked to anyone
about it.”
“Well, I can’t think of anyone special...just Susan and
Priscilla.” Susan was married to Thomas Eckhart, Uncle Walter’s youngest
brother. Susan and Flo Eckhart had been friends for years. The bad news was,
Susan was an even bigger gossip than Florence.
“I mentioned it to Sill when she came over to pick up her
girls. You remember, I babysit for her once a week. The girls are really sweet.
I wish Priscilla would pay more attention to them, but you know how busy she is,
working two jobs and all.”
“I know.” Sill tried to be a good mother, but she had always
been a little wild, and since Rina didn’t have any kids of her own, she had no
right to criticize.
“Oh, and Bob called to wish me a belated happy birthday. I
might have mentioned it to him.”
Sabrina looked at Alex and rolled her eyes. He must have been
getting the gist of the conversation because he was frowning.
“What about George?” Rina asked, just to be thorough. “Did he
know I was going?”
“Well, I don’t know. His mother might have told him. Susan’s a
friend of Marlene’s, so she probably knew.” Marlene was Walter’s ex-wife, her
cousins’ mother. “Marlene’s a terrible gossip.”
Rina felt like screaming. Was there anyone in Texas who didn’t
know about her trip?
“So I guess most of the family knew I was flying out to look at
Uncle Walter’s mine.”
“Well, I guess. Susan was really excited about the helicopter.
She said she’d always wanted to ride in one.”
Oh, God, could it get any worse? Alex was going to have a
fit.
“You said it wasn’t a secret,” her mother reminded her after a
pause on the phone. “I hope you aren’t upset.”
“No, I’m not upset. It wasn’t a secret.” At least not at the
time. “I was just curious. Listen, Mom, I’ve got to run. You take care of
yourself, okay?”
“I love you, honey.”
“I love you, too, Mom.” Rina ended the call and leaned back in
the chair behind Alex’s desk.
“My mother told half the population of Texas I was going to
look at Walter’s mine. The whole family knew.”
“Including your cousins. Walter’s kids—next in line for the
property.”
She nodded, feeling slightly sick. “Mom said my aunt
Susan—she’s my uncle Thomas’s wife—was really excited about the helicopter.
She’s always wanted to ride in one.”
Alex groaned. He rubbed his forehead. “You realize what this
means? Your cousins already have motive—twenty mil isn’t chump change.”
“Assuming the core samples prove the moly is there.”
“That’s right. And now we know they had opportunity. They knew
when you were leaving and where you were going. Some of them even knew you would
be using a helicopter. All we have to do now is find the means. How they managed
to get the job done.”
“Just because they knew I was going, doesn’t mean they hired
someone to kill me. It still could have been someone who was after you.”
“I’ve got enemies. None of them looked good for the crash. And
there’s your car accident to consider.”
She didn’t want to admit it, didn’t even want to think it might
be true, but Alex was right. There was a possibility—however slim—that one of
her cousins wanted to kill her in order to get the mine.
“So now that you know, are you staying here where you’ll be
safe?”
Staying with Alex was a long way from safe, but she summoned
her courage and nodded. “I’ll stay until we figure things out.”
“Good. We need to get your buddy Arturo started on those core
samples, and I need to talk to your cousins. Bob Eckhart lives here in Houston.
I’ll start with him.”
“If he did it, he isn’t going to just come out and say so.”
“No, but it’ll give me an idea where he’s coming from, how he
feels about you, how much he knows.”
“All right, but I’m going with you. We might get more
information if I’m there when you talk to him.”
“You can’t do that. Bob could put two and two together and
figure out you’re staying with me.”
“Well, I can’t sit here all day and do nothing. I’ve got to go
out sooner or later. This is my life we’re talking about, Alex. I need to find
out what’s going on, and if someone’s really after me I need to find out who it
is and make this end.”
“I don’t like it. I’d rather no one knew you were staying
here.”
“I’m going, Alex. If I have to call a cab and go on my own, I
will.”
A muscle tightened in his jaw. He blew out a frustrated breath.
“All right, you can go. I’ve got the best security system money can buy.
Afterward, I’ll just have to stay a little closer to home.”
Rina blanched. More hours with Alex? Dear God, she hoped she
could survive it.
Alex looked at the gold Rolex on his wrist. “Time’s slipping
away. How about we pay Cousin Bob a little visit right now? You can phone
Hernandez on the way.”
Sabrina pasted on an overbright smile. “I’m ready when you are.
I’ll just go get my purse.”
* * *
Smoke curled up from the ashtray on the glass-topped
table on the patio where the two men sat. There was no smoking inside the
house.
“The little bitch has completely disappeared,” Henry said,
reaching down to pick up his cigarette, knocking the ashes off the end.
“Take it easy. I’ll find out where she’s gone.”
“How you gonna manage that?” Henry took a deep drag, filling
his lungs with smoke. He was only thirty-eight but he already had a smoker’s
hack and yellowed teeth. He rubbed his unshaven chin. He was also a man who was
smart enough to go along with what he was told as long as he got paid.
“Florence is a bloodhound. Once she finds out Rina isn’t
staying in her apartment, she won’t be satisfied until she knows where her
daughter is. Since she never could keep her mouth shut about anything, getting
her to tell me what she knows won’t be hard.”
“Okay, so once we find her, what’s the plan?”
“Same as before—we get rid of her. You said you knew someone
who might be able to help.”
Henry nodded. “Hector Ortega. Works on Jimmy Wilson’s framing
crew. He’s got friends. For the right price, he can get ’em to take care of
whatever we need done.”
“This is getting expensive. We can’t afford another
screwup.”
“What you spent so far ain’t a gnat’s ass compared to what you
get if we pull this off.”
“True enough.”
Henry shoved up from his chair. “Let me know when you find
her.”
“You just get things ready. I’ll call you when I’ve got the
information.”
Henry nodded, already anticipating the money. Rubbing the
stubble on his jaw, he sauntered off the patio, heading for the gate on the side
of the house.
* * *
Alex had just settled Sabrina in his car when the roar
of a jet screaming down the runway alerted him to an incoming call. Sabrina
rolled her eyes.
Alex just grinned and pulled his iPhone out of his pocket.
“Justice.”
“Alex, this is Josh Reynolds at the district attorney’s office.
I wanted to let you know Edward Bagley has been released from the county
jail.”
“What?” Alex’s fingers tightened around the phone. “What the
hell’s going on?”
“Judge Clarksen ruled the DNA evidence you brought in was
obtained illegally. Apparently one of the neighbors was watching when you
reached through the kitchen window and grabbed that Coke can off the table. That
was trespassing, Alex, and without that evidence, the judge had no choice but to
let Bagley go.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it.”
“It’s the law, Alex. There’s nothing we can do until we come up
with something new.”
“So you’re just going to let that murderer loose on the
streets? What little girl is he going to rape next, Reynolds?”
“I don’t like this any better than you do. The thing is, now
that we know Bagley’s our man, we’ll be watching him night and day. He won’t be
able to eat in a restaurant for fear we’ll get his DNA off something. Soon as
we’re able to obtain it legally, he’ll be back in jail.”
“What’s to keep him from running?”
“Like I said, we’ll be watching him. It shouldn’t take long to
get what we need.”
“I hope to hell you’re right.”
“I may as well tell you, the D.A. is royally pissed. I’d be
expecting a call if I were you.”
“Thanks for the heads-up.” Alex disconnected and shoved the
phone back into his pocket. He slid behind the wheel and started the car, backed
it out of the garage. The air conditioner was blasting, working to cool the
black leather interior in the roasting Houston heat.
“What’s happened?” Sabrina asked.
“Edward Bagley’s out of jail.”
“You’re kidding! What about the DNA evidence you found? It was
all over the news that it matched the sperm sample they got from Carrie
Wiseman’s body.”
“The judge said it was illegally obtained.”
“Was it?”
“Pretty much. I picked up an empty soda can through an open
kitchen window. To do it, I trespassed in his yard. I said I found it in the
trash behind his house. I figured with a case like this with so much at stake,
no one would push it. Apparently I was wrong. Without that evidence, the D.A.
had no choice but to let Bagley go.”
“I can’t believe this. The man raped and murdered a
ten-year-old girl.”
“Allegedly raped and murdered.”
“He did it. His DNA sample proved it.”
“Reynolds says now that they know it’s him, it won’t take long
to get a sample that’s legal. Once they find it, he’ll be back in jail.”
The phone rang again, this time ringing on the hands-free
device. Alex picked up the call. “Justice.”
“You realize what you’ve done?” He recognized the District
Attorney’s husky voice.
“Yeah, I found your killer for you.” Richard Kaplan was
basically a good man, but he played politics a little much to suit Alex.
“You embarrassed the district attorney’s office and cost the
department a lot of money,” Kaplan said. “You’re lucky we don’t haul you in on
charges.”
“But you won’t because the public would be up in arms. They
want their children safe. And identifying Bagley as the killer gives them a far
better chance of that.”
“You realize you’ll probably lose your P.I. license over
this.”
“You better make sure I don’t. It won’t look good for you if
you try to nail me for doing the job your department was supposed to do.
Besides, if you play it right, you’ll have that bastard back in custody in a
couple of days and all the glory that goes with it. This time, you’ll be able to
put him away for the rest of his miserable life.”