Deadly Desire (Carrington-Hill Investigations Book 2) (3 page)

“Who else knew?”

He worried his bottom lip as he thought. “The only other people who knew
the connection, were my family… and everyone that lives in my hometown in Virginia.” He held up his hands. “And my friend Jim Hanson, the local sheriff here in Kodiak Falls, when I made a report about the mail.”

“Why not the FBI?”
she inquired.

“Jim said that the FBI wouldn’t touch it yet since there was no
direct death threat against me. Even the newspaper clipping, that showed my arm around Mary, wasn’t a threat. He implied, since there hadn’t been a federal crime committed, they would leave it up to the local police to solve.”

She nodded
, remembering other times when protocol had stopped her father from getting involved. The local authorities were adamant they could handle it as long as no federal lines were crossed and, in Collin’s case, no federal crime had occurred. Yet.

“Since you’re on a first name basis with the
sheriff, I assume you know him well?”

Collin nodded. “We came to be friends about three years ago
, and I’ve been to every fundraiser and benefit he’s had since, including the last one just a month ago for his re-election. He is really a good guy.”

“Do you own a gun
, Mr. Martin?”

He slid the
bottom drawer of his desk open and dug around before pulling out a revolver. He laid it on top of the stack of papers between them. He brushed at the dust-covered metal. “Just this one.”

She nodded and
stood. “Are you licensed to carry a concealed weapon and do you know how to shoot?”

He crossed his arms over his chest and raised a brow, giving her a cocky smile. One she was starting to become familiar with, after working with Garrett for so long.

Oh for the love of god. She hadn’t asked the length of his cock or questioned his manhood. She needed to know that, in a jam, he would know how and what to do with a damn gun.

“Yes.”

“Good.” She had her work cut out for her and she was going to insist on a raise after his job…a big one…and a vacation too. “From now on, you need to keep it on you at all times. I’m also going to recommend placing security at your gate. You don’t want to give the murderer free rein of your property.”

His jaw ticked
, but he nodded just the same. She needed to convey the severity of the situation if she was going to have a shot at keeping them both alive. And losing wasn’t an option. Score one for her. Maybe he was going to be easy to train after all. She grinned and held in her chuckle. She’d be doing a public service to women of the world everywhere.

“I also need a list of each of your ex-girlfriends and all of your acquaintances.”

He held up his index finger and turned back to the computer. “The ex-girlfriends are easy.” He clicked away, pulled up a website, and sent something to his printer. “Marvin Sanchez just did an unofficial expose about my past relationships.”

Sara rounded the desk. “Unofficial?”

Collin shrugged. “He’s a blogger. There’s nothing I could do to stop him.”

She pulled the pa
ges from the printer. At the top of the list was a picture of the school teacher with a short bio.

She waved the paper in her hand. “Any of these women have a personal vendetta against you
? End any of the relationships on bad terms?”

He took the list and glanced at the three pages. “Only Coleen Boat
wright.” He glanced up. “I caught her cheating on me and things ended pretty bad, publicly, if you know what I mean.”  He hitched his thumb over his shoulder back toward the computer. “I believe Marvin has the sound bite on his website if you’d like to listen to it.”

Her stomach clenched and she mentally said a silent thanks that her own escapades hadn’t been captured
to live for eternity on the internet. “Must be hard to live in the limelight, have your whole life on display for the world to see.”

He stood. “More pros than cons;
it’s worth the embarrassment.”

She couldn’t imagine
the so called pros. She shivered thinking of her life being in the media. It was bad enough that they still liked to see if they could find her for an occasional picture, just as they had when she’d left the underground club. Why someone would want in-your-face paparazzi constantly was beyond her. “What makes it worthwhile?”

Collin clasped his hands in front of him. “Because of who I am
. I help a lot of medical charities.” He shrugged. “I look at it this way. If my face can bring in some extra cash for research, the lack of privacy is a small price to pay for helping since I’m not a doctor able to work on the cures.”

Damn it all to hell and back. This man
seemed too good to be true. Only time would tell. She spun on her heel and moved over to the door. “Good day, Mr. Martin. I’ll be in touch.”

“Ms. Johnson.”

She plastered a fake smile on her face and turned, unhappy that she hadn’t found his flaw yet. “Yes, Mr. Martin?”

He tossed her a key ring with two keys attached. “I figured since we’ll be going over lists during the day and going to fundraisers and functions at night, it might be easier on you if you stayed here.”

She shook her head and tossed the keys back. “I won’t intrude…”

He tossed them back. “
The keys are to your own place on the property; I respect your need for privacy. It’s not even in the house.” He tilted his head toward the wall behind him. “It’s a one-bedroom apartment on the other side of the pool. My brother was staying in it, but last night, we moved him into the house.”

Her spirits perked up at the mention of his pool. “Your brother lives here?”

He nodded. “He’s been staying with me for the last month. He’s a little down on his luck and between jobs.”

“Any sibling rivalry I need to know about? Any reason to suspect he had anything to do with the murder?”

He pushed from his chair, rounded the desk, and leaned on it. “Ms. Johnson, he’s my family. He’s not a killer.”

Her thoughts went back to her father and how pissed he was going to be that she was not only making herself a target but another spectacle. She reminded herself that it was just for show. She politely nodded and shook the keys. “Thanks.”

Regina walked Sara out and handed her some papers along with Sara’s frumpy coat. “Since you’ll be accompanying Collin to his fundraisers, I thought you might like a copy of his schedule.”

“Thanks.” Sara wa
lked out of the house and closing her eyes, lifted her head up to the sun, basking in the warmth, wishing she was anywhere doing anything else except getting involved with this man and his problems.

She sighed
, hopped in the SUV and tossed the offending coat into the passenger seat. It was a lost cause. There was no crying over assignments. Nope, she’d suck it up and get it over with as fast as possible. Sara had a killer that was standing in her way, preventing her life from returning back to normal. 

Sara’s brows knit together as a headache formed smack dab
between her eyes as she started reading the list. Was it even possible that all of these charity events were happening so close together? The only time she’d ever paid attention to the lifestyle section of the newspaper was to cut out Lexi’s engagement announcement. Not once, since she’d been sixteen, had it crossed her mind to consider going to fundraisers and social events. Her father had, thankfully, quit making her go when she’d committed her first faux pas within elite social circles. She’d worn a bright yellow dress to a black and white affair. Sara snickered. Her plan had worked that time. Now she just needed something to get her out of her current situation.

Chapter 4

Sara drove down Collin
’s driveway, his very unsecure driveway, and shook her head, thinking of all the work she’d have to put into this one assignment. She turned left toward her house on the other side of town, thinking that maybe if she was lucky the freeway would save her some time.

She hit the
Bluetooth on her phone and grinned at the sound of the voice that replied.

“Hey
, Sara,” Garrett answered on the first ring.

“Hey
, G, I need a favor.”

He grumbled through the line
, but she knew he’d do whatever she needed. They all would. Sara hit the freeway ramp and increased her speed, effectively maneuvering through the somewhat less crowded and faster paced highway compared to the congested streets of downtown.

“What do you need? I hear you’ve already got a date to Lexi’s wedding.”

Sara rolled her eyes at the teasing. “Hopefully, I’ll be done with this assignment well before the wedding. I need you to run a full background check on...” She didn’t finish her sentence when she spotted the SUV riding her bumper in her rearview mirror. “Damn, these people need to learn how to drive.”

She moved over to the opposite lane, just to have the vehicle follow. Almost like a well-choreographed dan
ce, they’d moved in tandem three more times. The SUV had followed each time. “He’s riding my bumper and won’t go around me.”

Garrett’s voice deepened,
as though he’d flipped an instant switch from flirtatious to concern in three seconds flat. “Sara, where are you?”

Sara squinted
, trying to read the upcoming sign. “I just left the client’s house on I22, and I’m passing exit 4. I’m pretty sure this asshole is a tail. He won’t get off my ass even after I move out of the way. I even slowed down, so he knew I wouldn’t be the one luring all of the cops out of hiding.”

“Get off at the next exit and then get immediately back on the freeway
. I’ll intercept you.” She could hear the rev of Garrett’s Corvette through the line.

“Garrett…”
She was about to argue, but the vehicle moved closer. “He’s kissing my ass, and I’m tempted to hit the brakes.”

“Sara
,” Garrett growled. “Get off at the next ramp.”

Sara waited until the very last second before swerving onto the exit ramp, barely missing the guardrail. Her gaze went back and forth between the road in front of her and the SUV following. She’d almost sighed in relief until she heard the screech of the tires.

“They just turned onto the ramp.” Sara barely slowed through the yellow light. She cut the wheel to the left and sped to get back on the freeway, going in the opposite direction.

Minutes ticked by before she spotted
the SUV again in her rearview mirror, and it was coming in fast.

“Johnson, what’s your twenty?” Gone was the playful man who
’d answered the phone. Garret was obviously back in agent mode.

“Northbound I22 just passed exit 4,
again
.” Sara gripped the wheel tighter and pressed harder on the accelerator. “I don’t want to lead them back to Collin’s, so I’m going to try and lose them on Main Street. Maybe we can surround them and block them in. They won’t even see it coming.”

“Negative
,” she heard Garrett argue. “You’ll put too many civilians in harm’s way. Bring it down to the warehouse district. I’ll have a team waiting, and we can be set up in position in less than five minutes.”

Sara squealed and pitched forward as she was rammed from behind. “They hit me
,” she choked out.

“You need to get your ass out of there. Take the next exit
, and I’ll meet you halfway.”

Sara shook her head and glanced back up in
to the mirror. A suffocating sensation tightened her throat. “It’s a man behind the wheel, but I can’t make out his face.”

“Sara.” She
heard the urgency in Garrett’s voice. “Hold them off.”

The SUV behind her rammed her again. She gritted her teeth and tightened her death grip on the wheel. Cold fury settled in her veins. “The bastard hit me again.”

The SUV came up alongside of her, and she instinctively jerked the wheel to the left, ramming the asshole back. She winced and tightened her hold on the wheel hearing the metal crunch on impact. “Not this time, asshole.”

She knew it wasn’t very smart to play bumper cars with tons of metal but she couldn’t contain her chuckle that she’d gotten the upper hand. S
he’d beat him to the punch.

Her unexpected laugh died in her throat as she noticed the
SUV swerve immediately in retaliation. She swerved off the road onto the rock-covered embankment, barely missing the impact. She’d glided her SUV back toward the road when she was hit again.

This time
the jarring impact sent her vehicle careening down the slope on the side of the road. Her eyes widened in fear at the trees getting closer by the second. She slammed on her brakes to avoid impact and heard the loud pop of her tire while she struggled to maintain control as she slid through the muddy ground but finally, at the last minute, caught traction. The SUV jerked to a halt. 

“I’m on foot
,” she yelled into the cab even as she threw her door open and started running, for the cover of the trees, with pure determination and a rush of adrenaline. She hadn’t had time to grab her cell phone which might have helped her, but she was thankful for the gun tucked securely in her leg holster. She ducked behind the nearest tree with the thickest trunk.
Keep it together, Sara.

This asshole wasn’t going to win. It was either him or her and she wasn’t going down without a fight. S
he whipped the revolver from her ankle holster. She heard the unmistakable loud pop of gunfire even over the roar of the cars speeding by. She ducked. The bullet ricocheted off the tree, sending shards of splintered bark flying toward her arm. Had she had on her frumpy ass coat, it wouldn’t have even left a scratch but, as it was, the coat was in her passenger seat.

She heard the curse and didn’t wait around to see if he’d make a second shot
, a more deadly, accurate, second shot. She jumped up and started running farther into the thick of the forest and brush. Her bare arms were scratched by the extended tree branches, as she did a perfect jeté over a downed tree. Take that Ms. Jennings, proof for her old ballet teacher that she had been paying attention during all of her mandatory lessons as a little girl. She wouldn’t stop. Her lungs burned as she pumped her arms and legs, running harder and faster through the squish of the mud beneath her feet.

She heard the wail of the sirens in the distance. “Thank
God,” she mumbled.

She slowed down and crouched
, out of sight, behind an oak tree. Her heartbeat throbbed in her ears as she tried to catch her breath. Steeling her nerves, she gripped the gun, ready to take out anyone who breached her location within fifty yards.

“Sara.” She released a sigh
when she heard the familiar deep, rumbling voice. She lowered her weapon and stepped out of her hiding spot. Garrett was stalking toward her with purposeful strides. A look of relief swept his face when he spotted her. He tugged her into his brotherly embrace. “You had me worried, kid.”

He threw his arm around her shoulder and steered her back to the highway and her abandoned and now beaten
-up SUV. “Did you get them?”

He
lifted the hand he had resting on her shoulder and glanced at his red, sticky, wet fingertips. “You’re hurt.”

He stopped walking and turned her gently
, lifting her arm for a closer look.

She poked and prodded around the bleeding wound. “I’ll live
. It’s just a scratch.”

She shoved her gun back in her holster and s
tood, taking a moment before they started walking back toward the asphalt and into the chaos that waited.

“Did you get a good look at the driver?”

She shook her head. “No, but they were on my ass from the time I left Collin’s until they rammed me off the road.” She stepped over the tree she’d vaulted over on her jaunt through the woods. “I don’t know if it’s related to Collin’s stalker or not. Hell it could be in retaliation from the Senator case or any other lunatic from my past with the FBI.”

Garrett rubbed the stubble on his square jaw. “Sounds like you might need some help on this one.”

****

Collin collapsed back into his chair and tossed his trusty baseball in the air. Having to rehash his past always made him cringe and
, even more so, now that his decisions were being dissected under a microscope. He wasn’t a womanizer. There had been only a handful of relationships that lasted longer than a year. He growled in frustration, not knowing how to stop this asshole.

“Tough day?”

He glanced up to find Regina leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest and the mail tucked underneath her arm. “You could say that.”

Regina sauntered into his office and plopped the mail in
to his inbox. “I gave Ms. Johnson your itinerary so she knows what she’s getting into.”

Having Sara around should
have eased his mind about finding the killer, but the thought of making her a target was slowly gnawing away at his conscience and eating at his very soul. Putting another woman in danger, even if she was capable of protecting herself, was a crazy idea. What the hell had he been thinking? “Thanks. I gave her the keys to the pool house and an extra key to the main house, so you’ll probably be seeing more of her.”

Collin picked up the mail and started flipping through it.

“You know…she’s not really your type. You prefer blondes. Do you think the press is going to buy into the charade?”

Her uncanny regard for speaking the truth
, no matter the consequences, was exactly why he’d agreed to keep her on after Maureen had hired her. It was refreshing and welcome, even if her statements sometimes gave him pause.

“I didn’t realize I had a type.” He s
et the mail down on his desk, overwhelmed with the unfamiliar need to defend himself against having a specific type. There was nothing wrong with the investigator. He would have taken her out on a date, if he’d come across her under different circumstances. “She’s attractive, smart, and knows how to shoot a gun. What’s not to like?”

Regina walked back over to the door and paused. She glanced over her shoulder. “Exactly my point, Collin. She
carries a gun. I’m just worried about you. If she’s a good actress, I don’t want you to forget the real reason she’s here. I’m saying this as your friend.”

Over the last three months, Regina had become more than an assistant. She was his friend
, and he confided in her more than his own brother. It was sweet that she was concerned, even if it was unfounded. “The relationship is just a ruse, Regina. Nothing more.”

Regina nodded. “I know.” She cleared her throat
, masked the concern on her face, and turned from friend back into assistant so fast it would have given many whiplash, but not him…he was used to it now. “I’ll make sure she has the appropriate attire for your engagements and see that she has everything else she needs.”

Collin relaxed into his chair
, knowing that Regina would make sure that Sara was taken care of. “Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.”

She tapped on the side of the doorframe. “Anytime
, boss.”

Regina disappeared
, and Collin turned back toward his computer and started accessing the files for all of his colleagues, acquaintances, and friends that Sara had asked for. He let his mind get lost in preparing a spreadsheet that incorporated every known name, email address, phone number, and home address that he had at his disposal. He kept himself submerged in the busy work to help drown out the events that had plagued him for the last month. 

He glanced at the time on his computer
, surprised to find that three hours had passed. He yawned, pushed to his feet, and raised his arms above his head to stretch his dormant muscles. An angry growl emanated from his stomach, filling the silent room. He’d forgotten to eat, yet again. Collin eyed the gun on the desk. A gun he’d only bought and knew how to use but never thought he might need. It was always just a precaution. Remembering Sara’s request to keep it on him at all times, he grabbed the gun and moved through the empty, silent house to the kitchen. He made himself a quick sandwich and retreated to his room where he finished eating and would spend another sleepless night worrying about things he couldn’t control.

His head had just hit the pillow and he’d closed his eyes when his cell on the bedside table vibrated. He glanced at the screen and didn’t recognize the number, but he answered anyway. “Hello.”

Silence greeted him on the other end.

“Hello
,” he repeated. The silence unnerved him. He tightened the grip on his phone and sat up, leaning against his bed frame. He glanced at the dresser next to him where the revolver rested within reach. A jolt of apprehension fired through his veins, instantly erasing the need to sleep he’d felt only moments ago.