Deadly Obsession (10 page)

Before going inside, Braden went to the toolbox in the back of his truck and pulled out a pair of latex gloves. As he slammed the metal lid shut, Lilly opened the passenger door.

“What is going on?”

“I don’t know, but I intend to find out. Stay here.” Without waiting for a response, he turned and headed toward the front door, which was wide open.

Gun drawn, he stepped across the threshold. “Greg? You in here?” Instinct told him that the man was long gone, probably drowning himself at one of the local bars by now.

When there was no answer, he stepped further in. He swiveled at a slight movement behind him, then instantly pointed his gun toward the floor. “Damn it woman, I thought I told you to stay in the truck.”

Instead of responding, Lilly peered past him and let out a long whistle.

Giving up the argument, he holstered his gun and turned back toward the living room. One of the leather couches was tipped on its side, shards from what had once been a glass coffee table were scattered around the room, and there were two huge holes in one of the walls. No doubt from Abby Murphy’s bat.

Photographs littered by a bookshelf in the corner caught his attention. “Don’t touch anything,” he ordered, without turning to look at Lilly.

Stepping over broken glass, he made his way to the other side of the room and crouched down in front of a bunch of five by seven photographs. Picking one up by the edge, he shook his head.

“Now we know how he’s seen my tattoo,” Lilly muttered close to his ear.

He glanced over his shoulder to find her crouching next to him. “I thought I told you to stay put.”

She ignored him and frowned at the photo. It was of Lilly wearing a bright yellow-and-pink two piece bathing suit. From the angle, the various people surrounding her, and the way she was looking away from the camera, it was obvious she hadn’t been aware of having her picture taken. “Do you know when this was taken?”

Lilly swallowed hard. “A while ago. I took a long weekend before…”

“What is it?”

She raked a hand through her dark hair and sighed. “Before the Africa incident I spent the weekend in Virginia Beach with a girlfriend of mine. I’d been travelling so much before that and I wanted a break before my next assignment. I can’t believe that weirdo was watching me.”

Braden glanced back at the photo but her words seared into his brain.
“Before the Africa incident.”
He knew bits and pieces of what she’d been through over there and it tore him up. With what Lilly’s aunt had told him, he knew that at one point Lilly had been worried she’d never be able to walk normally again. From the way she walked now, she’d obviously healed nicely. No matter how things had ended between them, the thought of someone physically hurting Lilly burned a crater sized hole inside him.

“Braden?”

He whipped back to face her. “What?”

She cleared her throat and nodded. “The picture.”

“Shit, sorry.” He’d started to crush one of the edges in between his fingers.

After placing it back on the floor, he called for reinforcements. Detective Bolinger answered on the first ring. “I need you down here now.”

“Everything all right?” Perry asked.

“I think we just got the first big break in our case. Looks like Murphy might have been stalking Lilly Carmichael.”

“I’ll be there in about ten minutes.”

Braden snapped the phone shut and bent to look at another of the photos.

“Hey, check this out.” Lilly was across the room and pointing at something on the ground.

“Don’t touch anything.”

Lilly looked up and rolled her green eyes at him. “I know.”

He crouched next to her and pulled an airline ticket from under a section of broken glass. Looked like Greg Murphy had flown in to D.C. last Thursday night and flown back Sunday afternoon. Very interesting. “This would have given him enough time to kill your therapist.”

Biting her bottom lip, Lilly nodded. “I know.” Pain laced her voice.

He knew he shouldn’t let emotions get in the way but she’d lost her aunt and someone else in a span of a week. Of all people, he knew how that felt and he hated hearing that suffering in her voice. “We’re going to catch this guy, I promise. We’ve got an APB out on him, but I’ll send his information to the locals in D.C.”

In response Lilly held a hand against her abdomen and raced out the front door.

“Lilly!” He dropped the papers and headed after her.

Standing with her back to him, she clutched the porch rail.

“Are you okay?”

She turned to face him, but kept her hand firmly around the railing. “Yeah. It’s just a lot to take in. This guy has been
watching
me. I thought my life was finally getting back to normal. I feel so violated. It’s creepy…and confusing. After all these years, why is he now coming after me? He hasn’t been in jail the past decade, right?”

He shook his head as he forced himself to keep his distance. “He only moved back a couple years ago but as far as I know, he was living out west, not in jail. The last time he was in jail was almost a year ago exactly but he was only in about a month.”

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Perry drive up, but he didn’t break eye contact with her. “Why don’t you go wait in the truck? My other detective just arrived. After we secure the scene, I’ll get you out of here.”

“Okay.” A sad smile touched her lips as she walked toward his truck.

He rubbed a hand over his face as Perry and one of the officers crossed the lawn.

“You ready, boss?” Perry held up his camera case.

“Yeah. I’ve only been in the living room. We’ve still got the rest of the house to cover.” His stomach clenched at the thought of what they’d find.

“I just got a call from Vanessa. Looks like they found a bunch of marijuana plants at that Walker kid’s house, but there isn’t anything tying him to the murders,” Perry said.

Braden had figured that was the case. At least now it looked like they might have a solid lead. Too many thoughts bombarded him. It didn’t make sense that Greg Murphy had suddenly decided to start stalking Lilly after a decade. What was his motivation? And why the hell would he kill her therapist? Braden had too many unanswered questions and a lack of sleep. Not a good combination.

Whitney Myers dusted her face with mineral powder as she looked at herself in the mirror. “Another day working for minimum wage,” she muttered to her reflection.

A scratching at her window caused her to swivel around. She frowned when she saw that her curtains were slightly open, giving anyone a perfect view into her bedroom. If she didn’t live on a first floor apartment, she wouldn’t care. Unfortunately her roommate’s annoying cat got into her room and wreaked all sorts of havoc.

The stupid thing was always knocking down her picture frames and pulling the drapes back. Peering out, all she saw was a thin layer of melting snow covering the dried out grass behind her place. No one was there. Not even a stray squirrel or cat. Still, she almost felt like someone was watching her.

Lately it seemed her arms and the back of her neck were constantly tingling. At work, when she arrived home. It was driving her crazy. Of course it was the week Nikki, her roommate, was out of town. After yanking the yellow curtains back into place, she plucked her cell from her nightstand.

For a moment, she almost changed her mind, but then she dialed Sheldon’s number.

He picked up on the first ring. “Hello?”

“Sheldon, it’s Whitney.”

“Hey!” He cleared his throat. “Uh, hey. What’s up?”

She felt a little bad since she knew he had a crush on her and she didn’t want to lead him on, but she also hated being so freaked out all the time. “I was wondering if you could give me a ride to work today.”

“Sure, no problem. I was just on my way out.” He sounded nervous and for some reason, she found it sort of cute.

“Thanks. Do you need directions?”

“You live with Nikki right?”

“Yeah.”

“I know where it is.”

“Great. I’ll see you soon. And…maybe we can grab a couple drinks after work or something.”

“Sounds great.”

As soon as they hung up, relief surged through her. Part of her knew she might be paranoid, but during her freshman year of college her best friend had been raped by a stalker. Ever since then, she tried to pay attention to her surroundings at all times.

Sometimes she wondered if she was too paranoid, but she didn’t want to end up as some statistic because she ignored her instinct. Whether someone was watching her or not, something primal was telling her to be careful and she was going to listen.

Lilly slightly jumped as Braden opened the driver’s side door. While she’d been sitting in his truck most of the neighbors had dispersed and she was starting to go a little stir crazy.

Braden was probably going to be pissed when he found out she’d called her boss and asked Charles to find a way to get her officially on the case, but what choice did she have? She had a lot to lose and wanted to do everything she could to bring this guy down.

Technically she was a civilian and she was grateful that Braden had allowed her a huge liberty by coming with him to the Murphys’ house. When the FBI agent showed up tomorrow, she’d be under virtual lockdown unless she immersed herself in the team. Braden might be angry that she’d gone above his head but she refused to be left in the dark.

Not when her life and so many others were at stake. She might be good at compartmentalizing things—she’d had to in order to survive—but some maniac was out there, stalking her. Maybe watching her right now. She was a little embarrassed she’d had to run from the house but she’d felt suffocated in there. Women were dying and they had no clue who could be next. That was the scariest thing of all. That someone else was being killed this instant—or worse—while she sat in Braden’s truck. As the image of Mallory’s broken, lifeless body flashed in her mind, she forced it out. She had to concentrate on what she could do.

“Where to now?” she asked.

“Your house.”

“What about you? Don’t you need to go to the station?”

“I’m not going to leave you alone. Detective Isaacs will stay with you while I head to the station. After all this it seems like you need a break,” Braden said, his voice gentle.

She did but she was more worried about how he’d react when he got the call that she’d gone behind his back. “Did they get any information from Abby Murphy?”

“Yeah, don’t know if any of it will be helpful though. Vanessa—Detective Isaacs—is still questioning her. She said Mrs. Murphy has calmed down some but was still pretty irate.”

“So she actually thinks I’m having—or had—an affair with her husband?” Lilly shuddered at the thought of that freak anywhere near her.

“Yep.” He shook his head.

“How could she get that from those photos? It’s so obvious I didn’t know he was taking them.”

“She also stays with a man who beats her. Her reasoning isn’t sound,” Braden grunted.

“Good point.” Lilly leaned back against the leather seat. The steady rhythm of the tires humming over the asphalt was enough to make her fall asleep. She closed her eyes until the harsh ring of Braden’s phone cut through the silence.

“Sheriff Donnelly here…What? There must be a mistake…where are you getting your information…thanks for calling.”

When he didn’t speak, she broke the silence. “Everything okay?”

He shot her a quick look and by the annoyed gleam in his dark eyes, she guessed he’d just been informed that she’d put in a call to her boss. “Got something you need to tell me?” he ground out.

“Like what?” Lilly pasted on an innocent smile.

“Like the fact that you tried to get officially assigned to this case.”

“Wait, tried?” Crap, maybe her boss hadn’t come through for her after all.

“Your boss tried to pull some strings, but it’s a conflict of interest.”

“And it’s not a conflict of interest for you?” she shot back.

“It’s happening in
my
town and the FBI can’t seem to find the resources to help us in a timely manner. What the hell am I supposed to do, ignore the killings? I have to be involved. You don’t. When did you even contact your boss?”

She almost wished she could feign guilt, but she wasn’t sorry. “I called him when you were in the Murphys’ house. He wasn’t too happy about it, but he said he’d see if he could get me on the team.”

“Damn it, Lil. I’ve already stuck my neck out for you bringing you along. What the hell are you thinking?” He didn’t look at her but his fists tightened around the steering wheel.

“I’m thinking that my life is in danger and I want to do everything I can to make sure I don’t end up dead.”

“That’s why you’re under protective custody!”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “And how has that changed? I’m still going to be under your custody. I don’t have a death wish.”

“You shouldn’t be involved any more than you have to be!”

“I’m already involved. And don’t yell at me, Braden!”

“You are the most infuriating woman,” he muttered. “You’re just making yourself an easier target.”

She snorted and shifted away from him. “I’m already a target. It doesn’t matter what I do. This guy wants me dead and he obviously wants you to suffer. At least you won’t be worried about where I am or what I’m doing if we’re working together.
And
it stands to reason a new set of eyes might spot something your team missed.”

Braden mumbled something under his breath, then flipped on the radio. Lilly gritted her teeth, but refrained from making any more comments. If he didn’t want to talk, that was fine with her.

When they pulled into her aunt’s drive, she jumped out the second he put the truck in park. As she rushed up the stone walk she could hear Braden’s door slam, but she didn’t wait for him.

“Lilly, will you hold on?” Braden’s voice didn’t stop her, but the hand on her shoulder did.

She swiveled to face him. “Why did you come to D.C. a year ago?” Almost instantly she wished she could take the question back. She hadn’t meant to ask. It had just slipped out.

For a split second, his dark eyes flashed wide with surprise. He shrugged, but his words came out tight. “Your aunt asked me to.”

“Is that the only reason?” She bit her bottom lip. Why couldn’t she keep a rein on her big mouth? And why did she even care what the reason was? What they’d had together had died a long time ago.

He didn’t respond.

Okay, then.
She swallowed hard. “For the record, I didn’t know about it until today.”

Braden frowned and she didn’t miss the trace of disbelief play across his face.

“My boss mentioned it when I told him I was under your protective custody. It’s a little late, but thank you for coming.”

He shrugged as if it didn’t matter. As if he hadn’t come to see the woman who’d left him a decade ago. The pain in his eyes tugged at her heart. Without caring about the consequences she took a step forward and placed a hand on the middle of his chest. He might have said their earlier kiss was a mistake, but he wasn’t backing away. If anything, he looked ready to jump her. At this point, she couldn’t have stopped herself if she’d wanted to either. She felt almost drugged.

Under her fingertips, Braden’s heart beat just as erratically as her own. His chest swelled and rose rapidly, but he didn’t step away. When his heated gaze narrowed on her mouth, she instinctively moistened her lips.

A low growl came from Braden as he lowered his head. She had no choice but to meet him half way. It was like an invisible magnet was pulling her toward him. As their lips hungrily clashed, she slid her hands up his chest and around his neck. A lot of things might have changed, but the taste of him was still the same.

One of his hands gripped the back of her head as the other rounded her waist and tugged her tight against his hard form. She could feel the energy and barely restrained desire humming through his body and hands. Shivers snaked through her veins that had nothing to do with the cold. Braden’s hands on her felt so right. So familiar.

Arching her back, she leaned further into him, needing to be closer. Raw desire clawed at her insides. A soft moan escaped when he tugged her head back and feathered hungry kisses along her jaw.

“Lilly,” he murmured against her skin, his deep voice reverberating straight through to her bones.

Her knees wobbled as she clutched his shoulders. They needed privacy. Now.

But he didn’t seem to care that they were on her aunt’s front porch for the world to see. He lightly raked his teeth against her neck, right on the sensitive spot that drove her crazy. Her fingers dug into him even harder when one of his hands slid up her sweater.

His callused palm slid up her stomach, inching dangerously close to her breast. The feel of Braden touching her bare skin after so long—even if it was just her stomach—made her ache. Her nipples tightened against her bra to almost painful points. She not only wanted his hands on her, she wanted to feel his mouth teasing and licking her everywhere.

“Braden,” she managed to rasp out. She pulled her head back, ready to tell him they needed to get inside when a piercing sound echoed around them, slicing through the quiet air.

“What the—” She stopped abruptly as realization set in.

“That’s your alarm.” Instantly Braden went into battle mode. It was like a switch flipped. He withdrew his hand and turned away from her before reaching into his jacket and pulling his gun from his shoulder holster. “Stay close,” he ordered, shouting above the shrill note. Braden moved parallel to the overgrown butterfly bushes and hydrangeas as he inched toward the side of the house.

She was two steps behind him. Her already pounding heart beat even faster. As they reached the side of the house, she hugged the wall and stayed as close to Braden as possible.

The noise box was located at the back corner of the house so the alarm continued to blare even louder the closer they inched to the backyard. As they passed the kitchen window, she peered inside. Nothing appeared to be disturbed.

It amazed her that Braden seemed totally unaffected by the blaring noise. He swept the backyard, then made a motion for her to stay put. She did as he asked and crouched down against the wall.

She wanted to go with him to watch his back but knew arguing would distract him and waste time. Her palms dampened as he disappeared inside the back door. The door she
knew
had been locked that morning. Wanting to stay alert, she continued scanning the small backyard and the sandy beach. It would be hard for anyone to hide in the sand. The alarm abruptly stopped so she pushed against the wall and stood.

When Braden stepped outside he still held his gun, but his face had relaxed. “The house is clear.”

“Is anything disturbed?” Her hands balled into fists at the thought of someone going through her or her aunt’s things.

He shook his head. “Not that I can see, but you’ll be able to tell better. The back door was unlocked.”

“It was locked this morning. So were all the windows.”

Braden’s frown deepened. “There was no sign of forced entry so it’s possible the intruder had the key, but not the alarm code. Or someone picked the lock and didn’t count on the alarm.”

“Why did the alarm stop?”

“She gave me the code,” he said the words as if it should be obvious.

Before she could ask why, the low hum of an engine registered. “Do you hear that?”

Frowning, he nodded and headed across the yard. She wasn’t far behind.

As they rushed toward the seashore, the noise grew louder. “There!” She pointed, though there was no doubt he could see the forty-foot troller hurriedly reversing from the sandbank. The sound of the waves crashing was almost drowned out by the engine.

Braden stopped a few feet onto the sand. “That’s Lloyd Redford’s boat,” he muttered.

“The old fisherman?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you think he broke in to my aunt’s house?”

Still frowning, he glanced at her. “I don’t know why he would, but I’ll send a squad car over to the marina right now. They can get there quicker than us.”

The wind whipped up and fluttered the bottom of her jacket. She wrapped her arms around herself to ward off a chill.

“Come on, let’s get inside and make sure nothing was taken,” Braden said as he pulled out his phone.

After he made the necessary calls, together they secured the windows and doors and met back in the kitchen. Nothing looked remotely out of place in her room or the rest of the house. That in itself was strange. If someone had broken in, what could they have possibly been looking for?

When they met back in the kitchen she noticed Braden had taken his jacket off. Without the barrier of his jacket, there was one less layer of clothing between them. Something she shouldn’t be aware of. She took off her coat and was thankful she was wearing a bra underneath her turtleneck sweater. Her nipples rubbed painfully against the cups, reminding her of the intense kiss they’d just shared. But if he wasn’t going to mention it, neither was she.

She opened the refrigerator and eyed the contents. “I’m just going to grab an apple.” Lilly glanced over her shoulder to find Braden leaning against one of the counters. He’d reported the break-in, and the sighting of Redford’s boat, but before she officially filed a report, she needed to grab some food. She hadn’t had breakfast and she was starving.

“Sounds good.” His words were calm, but the heated look in his gaze caused her cheeks to heat up.

Desperate to break eye contact, she turned around and grabbed a couple pieces of fruit to take with her. Other than the cold wind whipping at the windows and the constant tick of the wall clock, their movements were the only other sounds in the kitchen.

“Has Lloyd Redford ever gotten into any trouble around town or anything?” she asked to break the silence.

“Not that I know of.” He glanced at his phone and frowned. “Perry said he wasn’t far from the marina. As soon as he knows anything he’ll call us. If Redford doesn’t show back up, I’ll contact the Coast Guard and have them look out for his boat.”

She opened her mouth a couple times, but just as quickly, shut it. She might want to talk about that kiss but she wasn’t going to bring it up.

Braden beat her to it anyway. “We need to talk about what happened.” His deep voice enveloped her the same way his strong arms had.

She leaned against the counter and forced herself to meet his gaze. Despite the coolness of the room, her palms were damp, but she resisted the urge to wipe them on her jeans. “Okay. Talk.”

“When I get around you everything feels so…familiar. I can’t seem to control myself.”

She sighed softly. “I know.” Whenever he was near she just wanted to lose herself in him.