Black and Shadow (4 page)

She blushed. “Yes.”

He wanted to help her. If only so he
could get to know her better. “Would you like to ask me questions
about your brother’s death? The men in the terrorist cell
responsible got killed while holding a hostage. Your brother’s
murderer is dead.”

“Maybe. But don’t worry. I won’t stop
until I’m sure.”

“Miss Black, I know you must be
grieving. Don’t you think you should leave this to the police?” He
could tell he’d said the wrong thing when her jaw tightened and her
eyes narrowed.

“Something doesn’t feel right. But the
case is already closed, supposedly connected to your terrorist
group. Can you give me a copy of his file?”

“No, part of the file is classified.”
So her feelings mirrored his own. Something seemed off about Fred’s
murder, but for the life of him, he didn’t know what.

“Because of the government agents
involved in the case?” She sat forward in her chair, staring into
his eyes.

“Yes.” She was a spitfire and he
wanted to burn with her.

“Then I guess there is nothing you can
do for me. I’ll leave now, unless you want to have ‘my ass thrown
in jail.’”

“I don’t think that will be necessary.
I can think of better things to do with you than throw you in jail.
But I don’t think I can let you leave without a promise to let this
matter rest.” As much as he hated to say it, she shouldn’t be
investigating her brother’s murder.

“I can’t do it, Mr. Running Bear. I
need to know the whole story before I can deal with the
pain.”

“It’s Joe. Let me take you to dinner.
Where are you staying? I’ll pick you up at 6:00.” If she stuck
around then he wanted to be the one she stuck to.

“Why should I let you take me to
dinner?”

“Because your brother was a good man,
and I want to help you.”

“But you said you couldn’t help me.” A
look of confusion crossed her face.

“No, I said I couldn’t give you a copy
of his file.” He wanted to help her, needed to help her. Fred had
asked him to look out for his little sister and Joe intended to do
that and more.

“All right, dinner at 6:00. There will
be two of us.”

“Two?” Joe bristled. Who did she have
in her life she would trust enough to help her find her brother’s
killer and where was he?

“My brother’s best friend Daniel
Ferguson came with me.”

“But he let you come here alone?”
Joe’s jaw stiffened. Why wasn’t Ferguson here looking out for
her?

“He doesn’t know about my gift. I
couldn’t bring him along.”

Perhaps she didn’t trust this man
completely, if he didn’t know the truth about her. “Why did you
bring him then?”

“Because he feels bad and wants to
look after me.” She shrugged. Ah, she did it for Ferguson’s
sake.

“Do you want him to look after you?”
Her answer would tell him how to move forward.

“Dan? No, he’s a friend.” Good, the
relationship was platonic. She stood and edged toward the door. “I
don’t need any man looking after me.” Damn, that’d make getting
close difficult.

“Here. Let me walk you to your car. It
will be easier than taking control of the security guards again.
Probably safer for you, too.”

“Thank you.” Jessica rubbed at her
temple.

Joe handed her purse to her then
walked around the desk and took her arm.

§

Jessica liked how he held her so
gently. Her body reacted to his touch. He was a big man, like
Daniel, but very careful of her. Where Daniel left bruises, Joe
hadn’t marked her skin even when holding her against the wall
earlier. She willingly followed where he led and noticed no one
even glanced in their direction. When they entered the elevator Joe
released her arm and pulled out his cell phone. She took the time
to study him more closely. She liked the view. The man should be
modeling for GQ. Joe glanced at her and smiled. She froze, her
whole body breaking out in goose bumps.

“Hugh, it’s Joe. My computer got
hacked by a professional. Come up to my office and see what you can
do about it, will you? Thanks.”

“
I’m sorry. I hope you
won’t get into trouble.”

“A little late to think about that
now.”

“I didn’t say I would change anything,
just I was sorry it would get you in trouble.”

Joe shook his head. “You’re a very
determined woman.”

She looked at him. The elevator opened
and Joe once more took her arm. Every time he touched her, it felt
like electricity shot out of his fingers and flowed into her. Parts
of her body responded, and she hoped no one noticed how her nipples
pushed against the fabric of her dress. He led her around security
to the door.

“Where should I pick you up?” he
asked, his deep voice flowing over her like warm honey.

“We’re staying at the Hyatt. We’ll be
in the lobby at 6:00.” Did her voice sound gravelly? God, she
needed to get away from him before she melted into a puddle of goo
at his feet.

“I’ll be there.”

Joe turned her toward him. His eyes
searched hers and she wondered why he didn’t kiss her. She
certainly wanted him to. He focused on her lips. She felt the need
to moisten them. What was wrong with her? She wasn’t in high
school.

She turned away slowly, hoping he
would stop her. That he would pull her closer and give her the kiss
she wanted. But he didn’t. She frowned. Unsure whether she felt
disappointed or relieved, she walked out to her car.

Joe watched Jessica saunter to her
rental car and get in without a backward glance. Her red hair, so
like her dead brother’s, blazed in the New Mexico sun. In the
yellow halter dress, she was a knockout. More than one man followed
their progress through the building.

He gritted his teeth. Letting her walk
away had been one of the hardest things he’d done in his life. The
minute he touched her, his tribal tattoo burned on his chest. She
was his, and everything he could have asked for: smart, loyal,
determined, and gorgeous.

Shaking his head, he turned and headed
to his office. The little vixen surprised him. He couldn’t wait to
see what she did next. Tonight would be a treat.

He walked into his office to see Hugh
Thunder Hoof sitting at his desk.

“Twenty minutes?” Hugh asked
incredulously. “Your expert got in, in twenty minutes? Hell, Joe.
Whoever he is, hire him. I had six layers of encryption in place.
He blew them out of the water.” Hugh shook his head and pressed a
few more keys on Joe’s console. “It’s a good thing he was a friend.
There’s a lot of sensitive information he could’ve gotten his hands
on. Shit! I would have thought this system
impenetrable.”

“Well, it’s not. Now get it fixed and
make sure this can’t happen again.” Joe sat across from Hugh in the
chair Jessica had used. He could smell a whiff of her perfume,
something flowery, but light. He liked it. Thinking about the woman
he would make his own made his heart grow lighter. Something inside
settled. A restlessness he didn’t realize he’d possessed until he
lost it.

Strange, to feel good after everything
that had happened lately. Fred murdered. Derek disappeared while on
an assignment from General Holland. The car bomb last week killed
Tom. Joe didn’t think he could smile, let alone feel lighter.
Jessica had given him a moment of peace in the middle of chaos. The
Great Spirit sure had a sense of humor, plopping his mate in his
lap on top of everything else.

Joe walked to the filling cabinet and
retrieved the paper file on Fred Black. Something about Fred’s
death had always set off Joe’s alarms. Fred’s picture lay on top.
His eyes seemed to challenge Joe. “Don’t worry, Fred. I’ll take
care of Jessica…”

“Who is Jessica?” Hugh
asked.
Darn, I forgot Hugh was
here.

“Fred Black’s little sister and my
mate. She is also the computer hacker who waltzed through your
security.”

“Wait. Your mate? Since when do you
have a mate?”

“Since a little red haired vixen
walked in here like she owned the place and hacked my computer.
Hurry up, Hugh. I have someplace to be tonight.”

“You got a date with your new
mate?”

“Something like that.”

§

Joe walked into the Hyatt a few
minutes early and scanned the lobby. He didn’t see Jessica
anywhere. He glanced at his watch and moved closer to the
elevators. A large man came up and stood beside him.

“You Joe Running Bear?”

“Yes.” Was this the friend Jessica
brought with her? The man looked like a huge bear. They had a
similar build, though this man probably weighed fifty pounds or so
more.

The man held out his hand. “Daniel
Ferguson.”

Joe shook hands with Ferguson, sizing
the man up. Daniel seemed to do the same. Jessica hadn’t appeared
yet and Joe couldn’t help but continue to look for her.

“Fred liked you, Mr. Running Bear, so
I guess you’re okay. Jesse will be down in a minute or two. You
know women and getting ready. I’m glad you chose to meet with her.
She’s bound and determined to find out the truth of Fred’s murder.
I hope you’ll put the matter to rest for her.”

“I’ll do my best, Daniel, and please,
call me Joe.” The guy seemed nice enough. Joe considered scanning
his thoughts and finding out his intentions his intentions towards
Jessica. He seemed a little too familiar with her.

“You can call me Dan. I tried to stop
her, Joe. But Jesse is a force to be reckoned with. I know Fred
wanted her out of the security business. He told me if anything
happened to him, he would make sure Jesse was set for life. Plus,
she’s part owner in my nightclub ‘Ladies Gate,’ now Fred is gone.”
Ferguson’s voice went soft.

He must miss Fred. Jessica was right,
Ferguson was grieving. “How did you and Fred become
friends?”

“Our dads were both cops. My mom was
gone and I got into trouble, a lot of trouble. Fred and I became
friends and instead of getting into trouble we started hanging out.
When we got old enough, we went into the military together, Special
Forces. While we served in the Middle East, Fred’s mom died of
breast cancer. He went home to help his family. Jessica losing her
mom hit her hard. When I got out, Fred and I invested in the
nightclub. Good thing too, seeing as their dad was killed on duty
two years later. Fred became Jessica’s guardian and ‘Ladies Gate’
supported them while Jess finished high school and
college.”

“So why did Fred leave New York if the
nightclub was so lucrative?” Joe asked.

“Fred never liked his sister working
in New York City, too dangerous. When he got the job out here, he
hoped Jessica would follow.”

“Jessica can have a job with Isanti
anytime she’s ready. I already mentioned it to her. She seems
determined to find Fred’s killer before she’ll think about it.” If
there was a killer to find.

“That sounds like Jesse.”

“What sounds like me?” Jessica walked
up wearing a pair of jeans and a green T-shirt that clung to her
curves. She’d pulled her long red hair into a ponytail. Joe wanted
to wrap his arms around her and hold her tightly. Instead he kept
his hands at his side. She didn’t know him well enough
yet.

“Jesse, I was telling Joe how
important it is for you to find your brother’s murderer,” Dan
explained.

“Mr. Running Bear already knows, Dan.
We talked about it this afternoon.”

Joe couldn’t help himself; he brushed
his fingers down her cheek. She froze and glanced up at him. “I
told you to call me, Joe, sweetheart.” Her eyes dilated. “Are you
ready for the best Mexican food this side of the border? I know a
little mom and pop place, I’m sure you’ll love it.”

Jessica nodded. Daniel stepped back as
Joe took Jessica’s arm and steered her toward the door.

“Uh, my car…”

“I’ll drive. I know the way, easier
than giving you directions.”

“Okay.” Jessica smiled. Joe was hard
pressed not to kiss her. The air crackled around them, the
intensity of their attraction apparent for anyone to
see.

Joe glanced at Daniel. He scowled at
them. Joe wanted to smile. Yeah, he was putting a claim on this
little lady. Daniel better get used to the idea.

Joe escorted Jessica to the company
sedan he chose for the evening. He should have brought something
nicer. He could have borrowed Derek’s blue BMW convertible. Seeing
Ferguson squished in the back would have been entertaining. Maybe
he’d bring the convertible next time. Joe opened the passenger door
for Jessica and then walked around to the driver’s side, leaving
Daniel to decide where in the back he would sit. Once they settled,
he headed into Albuquerque traffic.

“I thought after dinner, if you’re
interested, we could go to the Rattler.”

“I’m not here on vacation, Joe. I’m
here to catch a murderer.”