Lauren (11 page)

She waited, then jumped when Eddie gave the unit a swift, hard kick. Nothing happened, so he did it again. Still nothing happened.

"Third time's a charm,” he said, first giving the unit a kick to the side, and then a punch on top. The unit kicked on and the AC was working.

They looked at one another and laughed, as the cool air hit the warm air and a breeze escaped through the small window.

They stared at one another, and Lauren spoke first. “I'd better close the window. I don't want to lose any of that cold air. I want it all."

She walked toward the window, taking one more peek at the darkness as she tried to close it. She was surprised at the sudden nervous feeling she had, as well as the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. The damn window wouldn't budge and as she positioned herself against the edge and tried to push it down, she felt Eddie standing behind her.

Her body tensed, then his hands were on top of hers, helping her push down the window. Their arms brushed against one another, and his hips and stomach were against her back. They just stood there a moment. Neither moved an inch.

Then, his hand moved around her waist, turning her toward him. Their gazes met, as Lauren looked at him, not remembering him being this tall or this big. Then she realized she wasn't wearing heels, or any shoes, for that matter.

He gently took her face in his hand while, his other hand held her softly around her waist.

"My God, you're stunning. You're breathtaking,” he whispered and his thumb softly caressed her chin.

His hand was solid and smelled of after-shave. It was masculine, sexy, and she wanted him to kiss her.

Still, he held back and she couldn't find her voice. His eyes said he was struggling again. There was fear, uncertainty, and he was about to let go until she lightly licked her bottom lip in nervousness.

Instantly, Eddie's lips were over hers, a gentle touch, then deeper.

His hand cradled her head as his lips kissed the center of hers, then the sides, and then her cheek. “You smell delicious."

Lauren still couldn't find her voice. She was lost in the most powerful kiss she had ever felt in her life. Eddie kissed her with passion, with a desire she was sure she never experienced before. No man had ever rendered her speechless. That, she would definitely remember.

His kisses intensified and his tongue darted inside her mouth softly then more deeply. Lauren felt the moan emerge from deep in her throat, and her hands grabbed onto Eddie tightly. She wanted him and her mind went to fast-forward, making her throw inhibition to the wind. She could easily allow him to devour her and the thought made her both nervous and excited. His instant power over her was both frightening and arousing and if he continued to touch her and kiss her like this, she wouldn't fight him.

Eddie's hands moved over her body. He needed to feel those hips against his palms.

He wanted more, and his hands moved up her ribcage, then up to the round curve of Lauren's voluptuous breast. She felt so good and she seemed to share the same desire and the need for more.

The sensation enveloped Eddie's body and once again fear took hold of him.

He stopped in his tracks. Lips tore away from lips. He held her by the arms.

Her hair was a mess, her lips swollen and red. Her eyes held both desire and confusion.

He needed to get out of there.

"I'm sorry. That shouldn't have happened,” he said, abruptly, then he moved away, when Lauren grabbed his arm out of apparent confusion.

"Wait a minute. What are you doing? How could you kiss me like that, then just stop? You're leaving?” She looked angry, and sounded in need—desperate. Her eyes filled with tears.

He ignored her, grabbed the toolbox, and headed toward the door.

"What is wrong with you? What are you so afraid of?” she yelled, the anger now strong in her voice.

He couldn't look back at her. He knew if he did, he wouldn't leave and he was scared of what Lauren did to him and how she made him feel.

"I'm sorry,” was all he said, then the door closed behind him.

Lauren sat down on the edge of the bed, holding herself, trying to hold onto what was now a memory of Eddie's hands on her skin.

She lightly traced the outline of her lips, closing her eyes, still able to feel his lips against hers. The tear escaped her eye. She quickly wiped it away.

"That son of a bitch! Damn him and whatever game he's playing!” Lauren stated out loud and the emptiness of the motel room was nothing compared to the emptiness in her heart.

It was 7:30 a.m. Lauren had just finished getting dressed. She had a headache, and took the two extra strength Advils on an empty stomach. She couldn't wait until breakfast.

Last night was the worst night she could ever remember. No man had ever gotten under her skin like Eddie had.

She was so angry at him, and annoyed, that she vowed revenge in some way, when the opportunity presented itself.

Finally settling her temper down, she found herself analyzing his behavior from the moment they first met. When her emotions began to soften and she blamed his behavior on unknown circumstances, she gave herself a kick in the ass to snap out of it. The teeter-totter of thoughts drove her restless.

Sometime after 3:00 a.m., she decided to forget about Eddie Tennellie and move on with the case.

As she went over different ideas in her head, she remembered the other Hispanic bus boy from the Twist and Shout who avoided making eye contact with her in the kitchen. He stayed hidden near the grills and behind the gathering crowd. She had nearly forgotten about him until sometime this morning. While his friend helped them to identify the suspected delivery truck, the other kid stayed silent.

She decided, before heading into the Ridgeburgh Police Department, she would stop by the restaurant. Maybe the bus boy always worked the day shift.

Either way, she wanted to avoid seeing Eddie as long as possible.

Suddenly, she heard a knock on the motel room door. She couldn't help but freeze where she was and instantly she hoped it was Eddie. She damned herself for having the initial thought, finding her attitude as she opened the door.

To her surprise, it was Jack.

"Hey, what are you doing here?” She motioned for him to come inside.

"I thought you might need some help up here, dealing with these local yokel cops,” he joked, and she laughed. Jack was a city boy, born and raised, along with most of his family. He just didn't seem to ‘do’ suburbs well.

"They're really not too bad. It's further up north that you hit the real yokels. So what's in the bag?"

"One ham, egg, and cheese sandwich, just like you like it—light on the salt, heavy on the pepper. And, coffee, black, two sugars."

"You're the best, Jack."

"I know it. So what's going on?"

Lauren filled him in on the latest with the case, and her idea about talking with the bus boy.

"So, do we call the detectives you're working with or what?"

"I'll give Ken a call and let him know where we're headed, then we'll go to the department."

She and Jack finished eating breakfast and headed out of the motel room.

"Hey, Ken, it's Lauren. Jack showed up at the motel, and we're headed to the Twist and Shout. I just wanted to ask the bus boy some more questions. Then we'll head over your way."

"Okay, I'll let Eddie know you'll be in soon."

Lauren hung up the phone, and they headed toward the restaurant.

"So how are these two guys to work with?"

"They're fine. Pretty thorough, just like us.” Lauren wasn't quite with the conversation, and Jack seemed to notice.

"Is everything all right? These guys aren't giving you a hard time, are they?” he asked, with obvious concern, and she gave him a sideways glance. “I'm just asking, Lauren. It's not like you'd tell me anyway. I know you like to handle things on your own, but if these guys are pulling some sexist shit, I'll tighten them up."

"No, Jack, they're really nice and very professional. I'm just a bit tired this morning, and I hate hotel rooms, but at least the coffee's kicking in.” She hoped she was right.

If it turned out Eddie was pulling some kind of joke on her, or there was some other ulterior motive behind his behavior last night, then she would handle him herself. She got her attitude up immediately, then calmed herself down again before she and Jack entered the parking lot. She needed to focus on the case and stay professional.

She was confident now, as they pulled into the front parking lot of the Twist and Shout. They were waiting for her by the front door, and continued to knock until someone opened it.

"We're not opened yet,” some young guy said.

Lauren showed her badge. He let them in, and they headed to where the manager was accepting a delivery. He hadn't been in yesterday, when Lauren and Eddie stopped by.

The delivery guy kept his hat down low, but smiled at both Lauren and Jack, before heading to the kitchen. She saw the bus boy from the other day, and he made eye contact with the delivery guy.

The exchange was quick. She would have missed it, if she hadn't been watching the delivery guy. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion, as her brain processed what was going on, and her gut instinct kicked in.

The delivery guy avoided eye contact, but she could see the expression on his face. Lauren walked over toward the bus boy, and told Jack to stop the delivery guy.

The delivery guy hurried through the door, with Jack following from the front of the restaurant.

She quickly spoke to the bus boy in Spanish. “Is that the guy who was with the missing girl? The blond girl? You saw him leave with her?"

The bus boy said ‘yes', and Lauren ran through the kitchen doors.

Jack was yelling at the guy, “Hey, you. Stop right there. I need to ask you something!"

The delivery guy closed the metal back door in his face. Jack kicked it back open, and, as he ran through it, he received a slash to his ribs, then a blow to his head.

Lauren emerged from the door, and the delivery guy punched her across the face. The hit came out of nowhere, as her feet lifted off the pavement and her body slammed down to the ground. He lashed out at her arm with something. The pain hit her forearm hard, and as she tried to reach for her gun, the restaurant manager and other staff emerged with their own weapons of knives and pots.

It was total chaos.

"Get out of the way. Call the police now!” Lauren yelled.

The guy went running around the building, and Lauren jumped up, pushing through the crowd of employees to chase him. She took the corner of the building wide, unsure whether the perpetrator might try another sneak attack.

Her heart pounded in her chest. The adrenaline was kicking in. She could feel it running through her veins. Lauren didn't think. She didn't want him to get away. This was their killer. The suspect they had been searching for.

Horns were honking. She saw him in the distance, as he ran through the street, in between traffic. She jumped over the small, three-foot border of green bushes that separated the restaurant property from the sidewalk and street. Her face throbbed, and so did her arm, but she ignored the dizzy sensations and allowed her adrenaline to take over completely.

The suspect was far ahead of her, but she kept after him. Arms pumping, she pleaded with her body to speed up. She was so close.

At the stoplight, he pulled a young woman from her Suzuki jeep, shoving her hard into Lauren. The woman fell over her, landing on the ground, taking Lauren with her.

She rolled over and away from the woman, in a last attempt to grab the delivery guy. But, she was too late. She watched him speed off down the highway. Disappointment and anger filled her body.

Lauren grabbed her knees and bent over, breathing heavily, as people came over to assist. She regained her composure, watching as civilians took care of the injured owner of the stolen jeep. Then, she headed back toward the restaurant.

"Sit down, Detective Phelps. You're bleeding,” the manager said. He took her around the waist.

Lauren looked back to find Jack. He lay unconscious on the ground, bleeding.

"Oh, my God, Jack.” She went running to him.

Someone handed her some towels, and she pressed them against the wound, unconcerned about her own injuries.

Sirens sounded in the distance, and she looked to the street. Some workers were helping the woman who was car jacked get out of the middle of the street.

"The police and an ambulance are on their way. My God. Is Ben Silver the killer?” the manager said, while Lauren just stared at Jack, hoping he was all right.

Eddie walked into the Ridgewood Police Department, and he wasn't happy. He hadn't slept a wink last night.

He wanted to see Lauren, but he didn't know what to say to her or how to express his feelings. He kept seeing that sad, angry look she had in her eyes when he left, and it broke his heart. He caused that sadness and anger, and he wondered if she would even forgive him.

"Hey, Eddie, what's going on? You look tired,” Ken said, and he went right over to his desk.

"You in a bad mood or what?"

"No, I'm not in a bad mood. I'm just a little tired, that's all. So what's going on?” Eddie checked his messages. He looked around hoping Lauren sat well hidden in a corner somewhere in the large main office, but there was no sign of her. Obviously, she hadn't gotten to the department yet. Maybe she would make up some excuse for not showing up today? He wouldn't blame her.

"Lauren is going to be a little late. Apparently, her partner, Jack, came up from the city and surprised her at her motel room,” Ken told him, with a smirk.

Anger rose in Eddie, heating his cheeks. He nearly jumped out of his chair. “I'm just kidding, Eddie. There's nothing going on between those two. Lauren said she wanted to question some bus boy at the Twist and Shout, and Jack went with her. They'll be along shortly,” Ken explained, but Eddie was still annoyed.

Lauren was gorgeous, a real catch, and it wouldn't surprise him if Jack did make a move. Eddie had no right to be jealous, but damn it, he was furious as he looked at the clock. It was eight thirty in the morning. Where the hell was she?