Racing the Hunter's Moon (Entangled Bliss) (8 page)

Chapter Eight

There was a quick rap at his door. Joe was in the process of getting changed. He’d stripped off his shirt and shed his shoes and socks, so he walked to the door barefoot.

The moment he cracked the door open, it pushed inward, propelled by a very determined female hand.

Betty stormed in, eyes flashing. “You can’t just walk out like that.” She planted her hands on her hips. “I know you’re angry, but…” Her gaze flickered down to his naked chest and her lips parted a fraction. “Um…”

“What more is there to say? I know about Leonora’s involvement—I’m taking care of things. You should get some sleep, tomorrow is—”

“Screw tomorrow.” She stepped as close as a person could get without actually colliding. Placed a hand on his chest. “Dammit, Joe. You and me are more than this case. I want—” She looked at his mouth.

He knew what she wanted. He wanted it too. “You’re the most infuriating woman in the world.” He couldn’t stop himself, even if his life depended on it. One hand went to the side of her face while the other slipped around her waist, jerking her body to his. Then he kissed her, hard, hot, and hungry.

She tasted of strawberries. Softened in his arms and seemed to melt against his chest. By coming into his room, she’d tested his resolve to stay away from her at a moment when he was too vulnerable, wanted her too strongly to have a hope of resisting. He grabbed the hem of her black T-shirt and pulled it off in one smooth movement, loving the way her arms immediately fastened around his neck the moment she was stripped of it. She wasn’t wearing a bra, and the feel of her warmth against him heated his blood. With labored breaths he stroked his fingers down her spine, breathed in her distinctive scent, and tasted the soft skin of her neck. “You’ve bewitched me.”

Her mouth curved in a smile. “Good.”

He claimed her mouth again, and took her to bed.

…

When Betty woke the following morning the bed next to her was empty. She touched the space he’d lain in and found it cold. There was no sound from the bathroom. The clothes he’d worn the previous night hung in the wardrobe, and hers had been picked up off the floor, carefully folded, and placed on a chair next to the bed, with Leonora’s keys placed on top.

She scooted up in the bed, holding the sheet to cover her chest. Called his name softly, just in case, but there was no reply. A pale, watery light bled in from the crack in the drapes—it must still be early. The empty room and rapidly cooling bed held no appeal. She dressed quickly, shoved the keys into her pocket, and went back to her room.

Thoughts of the night before replayed in her mind as she stood under a shower hot enough to create a fog in the room. She breathed in the steam and let the water stream over her head, over her closed eyes. She’d been so angry the night before. So determined to make him acknowledge her, acknowledge them, she hadn’t thought through the consequences of her actions.

The moment his control snapped and he’d kissed her so masterfully, reason had evaporated. They’d both been swirled up in a maelstrom of passion, unable to think, unable to do anything but feel. The times she’d been in his arms before were pale shadows compared to really being with him—of meaning every single touch. They hadn’t spoken from the moment they climbed into bed together, apart from softly murmured words that made little sense. Appreciation of each other’s bodies. Sighs and shared laughter.

Being with him had been wonderful.

They’d been as close as two people possibly could be, alone in an intimate bubble, safe from the world outside. Now it was over, and who knew what today would hold?

…

Joe’s leg muscles burned as he slowed from a run to a walk on approaching the hotel. When he’d woken, Betty was curled around him from behind, her hand lay on his stomach, and her steady breaths tickled his back with every exhale. He’d edged away, and spent long moments watching her. Her long eyelashes dusted against her pale skin. Her hair curled against her cheek and spread across his pillow. Her lips were pink. Their remembered softness drew him. His hand hovered over her bare shoulder before he pulled it back, closed his eyes, and swallowed. It had taken everything he had to climb out of bed, dress, and go outside.

In the past, running had been a cure for most of his ills. Once his muscles started to pound the grass, and his breath evened out, he usually lost himself in the rhythm, pushed out thought, and let his mind roam free. Not this time.

Every step was a step away from her. He’d even tried to think of Charmers, to turn his mind on to the matter at hand, the task he had to do. But where once that would have been enough to consume him, it was no longer. He hadn’t been lying when he’d told her she’d bewitched him—she’d moved into his head and taken permanent residence. Even the ache of her deception was impossible to reclaim.

He’d run for an hour. Had pushed his body to its limits in the cool morning air. And still, clear, concise thought was beyond him.

Joe rubbed a hand over the back of his neck as he quietly opened the door to his room. She wasn’t there. A check of the bathroom revealed no trace. He breathed in deep, catching a trace of her in the air. Then went to shower.

It was almost nine when he tapped on her door. There was no answer, so he went downstairs. Breakfast was being served in a glass-walled conservatory with a stunning view of the violet mountains.

She sat alone at a table, with a large French press of coffee and a huge breakfast before her.

“Hi.”

She looked up and smiled. “I wondered where you’d gotten to.” There was no censure in her tone, no edge to her words. Her smile was genuine. “This breakfast is to die for.”

“It looks like it might kill you by clogging up your arteries.”

She picked up a piece of crispy bacon and bit it. “Feel free to order the oatmeal then. Me? I’m all for dying happy.”

He pulled out a chair. She tapped the side of her face. “What, no kiss?”

Obediently, he leaned over and brought his lips to her cheek. “I got the keys back to Leonora,” she whispered. “They’re over there…don’t look.”

So the kiss was for show. He sat and picked up the menu, shaking off a totally crazy sensation of disappointment that they seemed to be back at square one. Further on in the investigation, but acting as though the night before, the night that he’d thought would change things, had never happened.

…

She wouldn’t have pegged him as a granola man. As Joe ate, Betty mentally patted herself on the back for managing to keep it together.

“I went for an early-morning run,” Joe said.

She wasn’t surprised—a body like his didn’t just happen; it made sense that he worked at it. “I just went with the early-morning snooze. So I guess we’re all set for today. For, you know…” She shifted her glance to Charmers without moving her head.

“Yeah, we’re all set.” He grinned. “You definitely watch too many cop shows.”

“Are you saying I’m not subtle?” Warmth spread through her at the look in his eyes. The same look that had been in them in the quiet of the night. An intimate, private look that effectively made the rest of the room recede. For a long moment, she just lived. Just breathed. Didn’t question or run potential future scenarios as she had been all morning. Just let it be.

“Your eggs are getting cold.”

She pushed her plate away. “I couldn’t eat another bite.”

Around them, the room was beginning to thin out. Joe finished his breakfast and drained his coffee cup. “I guess it’s time to go.”

Plotting the course from the new route book onto the map was much easier the second time around. The first time she’d done it, she’d been fretting about how much time she had to do it, but confidence swelled inside as she deftly marked the map.

As yesterday, Joe stood to one side with the other drivers as the navigators worked on this essential first element of their journeys. Leonora was on the other side of the table, doing the same thing. They’d met in the restroom this morning for the key return, and Leonora was much calmer today with the knowledge that Joe was on board. That it wasn’t just the two of them.

Truth be told, she was glad to have him by her side too. Admitting that she’d been a little overwhelmed was against her nature, but now that someone had both her and Leonora’s backs…well, it was reassuring.

“Five minutes,” the rallymeister said.

She checked her calculations, picked up their time card, and stowed her pens, then they were off.

Everything seemed easier as they sped from the hotel on the day’s first stage. “Okay, back the way we came, then we’re taking a left a mile ahead.” She peered out of the windshield. “And you’re gunning it again, Speedy. Slow down a little.”

“Understood, ma’am.” His voice was deep and delicious.

“I like you calling me ma’am.”

He shot her a glance. “Oh yeah?”

“Mmm. It’s sort of like you’re a Marine or something.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Have you got a thing for men in uniform? Because all I have for work is a black suit, which doesn’t quite cut it, but I’m sure I could…”

“Dress up?” She felt slightly faint at the thought of it.

“Sure.” The corner of his mouth twitched. “So what’s your fantasy? Soldier, sailor, doctor?”

Doesn’t matter, as long as the uniform has you in it.
“That turn is coming up.” She consulted the map and pointed ahead. “Next left.”

They worked together like a well-oiled engine. Timing the route was tricky, requiring her attention, but every time she managed to grab a chance to look at him he seemed happy. Not exactly smiling—his smiles had to be earned—but more than content. He drove with a sure-handed skill reminiscent of the way he’d held her the night before.

Her mouth dried as her memories blossomed, crowding out the task at hand. The feel of his hard chest under her questing fingers. The sounds he made as she bit his neck gently…

“Earth to Betty. You still with me, ma’am?”

She pressed her lips together. Blinked a couple of times. “Yup.” Her eyes focused on the page again.

“You said five miles, and we’ve almost done that. What’s next?”

She ticked off a couple of steps on the route map that she’d ignored while in her biting-Joe haze. “Okay, the road should start to wind to the right, then left, and then we should be coming up on a control point.” She checked their time. “Two seconds behind. Speed up a little.”

“Speed up—slow down—you’re never satisfied.”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

Joe actually laughed.

They hit the control point with no penalties, and followed the route as it cut though a thick swath of forest. Bitter-chocolate tree trunks and pine needles in shades of oriental jade cut into the edges of the road, creating a living tunnel.

“I love the mountains.” Betty opened the window a crack and sniffed the air. “When you’re not undercover, where do you live?”

His jaw tightened a notch. His hands gripped the steering wheel more tightly as he stared out the windshield. “I have an apartment in Chicago. I guess I’m based there.” His voice was terse. The shift in mood subtle, but unmistakable—as if sharing personal details of his real life was not part of the deal.

She continued on, regardless. “Does your family live there?”

“I don’t have family.” He glanced over. “I could do with something to drink. Could you pass me a bottle of water?”

He took the bottle she handed over and drank.

Her previous enjoyment of their surroundings paled.
Okay, he doesn’t want to talk about family.
The physical intimacy they’d shared the night before didn’t seem to extend to an emotional one. But it was early days in their relationship; maybe over time he’d open up and share more. She took a bottle of water from the cooler for herself and concentrated on feeding him further directions from the route map for the next hour.

“I wish we could hear what’s going on in Leonora’s car. I really want him to have mentioned the investment opportunity again. If he does, if he asks her to give him money to invest, is that enough to get him?” It would be so great to have this whole thing over with. To get back to ordinary life. Maybe to see if they could exist as a couple outside the hothouse of the investigation.

“No. We need him to actually take her money and either run or lodge it in one of his accounts. So far, he’s followed a predictable pattern. He gets a check, moves it into his Carlisle account, and…”

“Goes on a business trip. In my mother’s case, anyway.” She screwed up her face at the memory. “She didn’t even suspect him until he’d been gone for over a week. He kept in telephone contact for a few days, then his cell mysteriously stopped working. The private investigator said it was a throwaway.”

“Fits the pattern.”

Betty ticked off another section of the route book. “We continue down here for ten miles, then we’re stopping for lunch. I think we’ve got a real chance of winning the leaders’ jerseys tonight.” If only figuring out the future of their relationship was as simple.

Chapter Nine

Betty was desperate for a break when they arrived at the lunch spot. They’d timed their arrival almost perfectly, scoring only a couple of penalties for the last stage. Her legs were stiff and her ass was numb after the hours in the car.

The organizers had outdone themselves this time. They’d received permission to host the lunch at a large private house with beautiful gardens. The weather was crisp, but clear and bright. Perfect.

The cars parked on a gravel sweep outside the house, and a couple of restrooms had been made available. Betty climbed out of the MG, stretched up, bent to touch her toes, then shook out her legs. Charmers exited Leonora’s Rolls and strode off.

“I’ll go talk to Leonora.”

Joe nodded. “People are walking around the side of the house; I think lunch is in the garden. I’ll grab us a couple of seats.”

Leonora looked up from stowing her map when Betty tapped on the window, and jerked her head indicating Betty should slip into the driver’s seat.

Betty had barely closed the door when Leonora started speaking. “I got it. He asked me to invest.” She pulled in her bottom lip and worried it with her teeth. “He wants me to organize it tomorrow afternoon—when we come back from the rally. He says the investment is time-sensitive and he wants to get our money in before Monday.”

“How much?”

“Twenty thousand.” Leonora’s eyebrows pulled together in a frown. “Are you sure we should risk it? Twenty thousand is a lot of money.”

Not wanting their absence to be noticed, Betty quickly reassured Leonora and talked through the internet banking procedure. It was so important to ensure that the evidence remained untainted, she couldn’t help but check again. “You didn’t lead him in any way…”

Leonora shook her head. “No. It was perfect. He just brought it up while he was driving. The recording will prove that.”

They had him.

The end was so close she could taste it.

Elation bubbled through Betty’s veins as she hurried from the car to find Joe. A huge glass conservatory was attached to the back of the house. The garden was full of colorful flowers, but they faded into insignificance when she turned the corner and took in the whole view.

A sparkling cascade fell from an exposed cliff overhanging the end of the garden. The sheet of glistening whitewater foamed into a pool of green water, around which were large circular tables set with silverware and crystal.

She stopped, the ache in her legs instantly forgotten. Breathed in the scented air and let the tension of the morning flow from her with the exhale.
What was it about waterfalls that made them so magical?

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Charmers walked up beside her. “The rallymeister owns a beautiful property.”

“He owns this?”

Charmers took her arm. “He has the best of everything. Shall we join the others?”

Charmers’s touch was repulsive; she had to force herself not to stiffen, not to pluck his hand off her like a caterpillar on a rose. To the casual observer he was a distinguished and pleasant man, good-looking, wealthy, and well-spoken. The type of guy who pulled chairs out for women.

But looks could be deceiving, and despite appearances, he was the type of guy who pulled chairs out from under women.

“You and Joe make a lovely couple.” Even his voice made the hairs on the back of her neck rise.

“Thank you.” Could he see the insincerity of her smile? She bared more of her top teeth, forced the curve of her lips upward until her cheeks ached.

At last, he released her.

“Isn’t this place amazing?” She pulled up a chair and sank down in it, panic subsiding being close to Joe again. “That waterfall is so beautiful.”

“When we’ve eaten we’ll have to walk over and check it out.” His eyes were sending her messages, ones she couldn’t answer at the table.

She picked up a white linen napkin, shook it out, and laid it over her lap, then gazed across the lawn to the conservatory, where an army of servers were making their way to the tables, laden with dishes of food. “Looking forward to it.”

…

He’d hated seeing Charmers’s hand on her. As they walked across the grass, Joe’s hands had curled into fists below the table. His face ached with the effort of keeping his expression neutral. Betty’s back was straight; her smile was fixed. No one there would be aware of just how she was feeling, but he knew—she hated it just as much as he did.

When Charmers had glanced over at Joe, then spoken to her, her smile was wide. It would fool anyone who didn’t know her, and probably most of those who did. But it didn’t fool Joe.

The meal was great, but it may as well have been cardboard. While Leonora and Betty had been inside, he’d made a quick call to Bond and gained some important intel and he needed to talk to Betty about it. He also wanted to know what exactly Leonora had told Betty, as soon as possible. They didn’t linger over coffee, but made their excuses to the table and, holding hands, walked over to the waterfall.

“What did Leonora say?”

For appearances, Joe rubbed her arm. Pulled her close. The wall of water glistened in the sunlight, and a diffused mist of water cooled the air.

“He asked Leonora to invest.” She turned in his arms and rested her head against his chest. To anyone looking on it must look like a tender moment. “He wants her to transfer the money into his account tomorrow, when we get back to Meadowsweet.”

“He said all this in the car?” A subtle perfume rose from her hair—it could only be the same hotel shampoo he’d used, but on her, added in with her own unique scent, it was fresh and intoxicating. Her body was warm against him. Kissing her here would crystallize a memory he’d have forever. He swallowed. Forced his mind back to the job. “She didn’t…”

“He spoke; she agreed. Just as we’d planned.” She looked up. Her lips parted.

Joe leaned in, brushed his lips against hers, and then eased away. “Let’s walk.”

She linked her arm through his as they walked around the waterfall.

“I have news too. I spoke to Bond. The woman he conned after your mother was also in the Hamptons. She didn’t report it either, but they’ve talked to her and she knows your mother. Her name is Helen Dawkins. Do you know her?”

Betty frowned. “No. But my mother has many friends I don’t know. Before Charmers, I was very caught up in my own life. I didn’t spend enough time with her.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I neglected her, I guess.”

“Dawkins will testify. But when she does, your mother’s name will be out in the open as the woman who introduced her to Charmers. I know your mother doesn’t want to testify, but…”

Betty grimaced. “I just don’t want to put her through it. If I’d come home when she asked, if I’d checked him out, maybe this wouldn’t have happened to her.”

Guilt was driving her. Putting up roadblocks and making her determined to protect her mother from public scrutiny. Shame that she hadn’t been there to save her mother from getting involved with Charmers.

The same guilt that drove him for allowing Charmers to continue conning woman after woman since he’d weaseled out of custody. Joe stopped and faced the tumbling water. She wouldn’t like what he had to say, but he had no choice. He had to come clean. He breathed deep.

“It wasn’t your fault. You know Charmers has done this before—more than once. The FBI almost had him…”

“But he walked. I know.”

The need to justify his actions, to make her understand, burned in Joe’s chest. “You don’t know everything. I’ve been tracking Charmers for years. I’m the one who messed up. I wanted him so bad I took my eye off a key piece of evidence, contaminated the chain of custody.” He couldn’t bear to look at her. Couldn’t bear to see the condemnation that must be in her eyes. “I couldn’t have saved your mother, but I could have saved some of them. Should have saved them.”

Silence stretched for a long moment, then finally she spoke. “Joe.”

He turned.

“After he walked”—she swallowed—“the case was over, wasn’t it?”

“Not for me. I kept monitoring accounts that he might have been associated with.”

“Against your boss’s orders?”

“He didn’t exactly know about it until I got a lead when Charmers used plastic in Meadowsweet.”

His determination had brought him head-to-head with his boss on more than one occasion. Bond had been adamant that the case was over. Had said he was focused to the point of obsession on getting Charmers and that his objectivity was skewed as a result. Bond had given the order to stop looking, but that was an order Joe couldn’t accept. He shouldn’t have even been still monitoring people of interest to the case, shouldn’t have been alerted when Corben’s account had shown a withdrawal after such a long time. But he’d been sure one day the con man would reappear. Had refused to let it go. His determination to reopen the case and find another way to bring Charmers to justice had brought them here. Had given him the chance to work with Betty, to be with her.

He guessed he had something to thank Charmers for.

“So your boss wanted you to let it go.”

“He wanted me to, yeah.”

“But you didn’t.” There was understanding in her eyes. “You couldn’t let it go any more than I can. You screwed up, but you’re brave enough to keep on trying to right that mistake.” She squeezed his arm. “I’m not going to lie. It’s difficult for me to hear that you’re the agent I’ve spent years blaming for everything—but mistakes happen. And it’s how you deal with the aftermath that counts.”

Her forgiveness and understanding was a prize he didn’t deserve, but gratefully accepted anyway. He turned to face her, pulled her close, felt her soft breasts press against his chest.

“Thank you.” He breathed in the lemony scent of her hair. “I know we seem to have him, but I need to double- and triple-check every single element I can. I have to try to make sure that if one element collapses, we have more to fall back on. That there is no possibility of him getting away again. I need to talk to your mother.”

“Okay.” She kissed his cheek. “Let’s do it now.” They had time before the race started again, so they went back to the MG to make the call. Betty explained the situation to her mother, then handed the phone over.

“Mrs. Tremaine, Joe Carter, FBI. I understand you’ve already spoken to Agent Bond about your friend Helen Dawkins?”

A swift intake of breath. “Yes. She lives a couple of miles away. We move in the same circles, but we’re not close…I feel terrible that he met her through me. I warned everyone off him, but I should have given my friends details, I should have told them he was a criminal.” Her voice shook.

“Miss Dawkins has agreed to testify against him. You said to Agent Bond that you weren’t sure about that? That you needed to talk to your daughter before making that decision?”

Betty frowned.

“Yes, it’s all such a shock, I need to talk to Betty, she—”

“I don’t mean to pressure you, ma’am, but we need your decision on this as soon as possible. When Miss Dawkins testifies, your name will be in the public domain, and there won’t be any escaping the fact that he met her through you. A lot of women have been taken in by him, but you are the first one we’ve found—you’re the first link on this chain.”

Christine Tremaine’s gasp was audible. “You mean if I’d reported him this entire crime spree might have been caught in the bud? Everyone else might have…” She started to sob quietly.

“Now, ma’am, there’s no need to get upset—”

Betty took the phone from his hand. “Mom, calm down. Charmers is a really slippery fish. Even the FBI let him go when they caught him later, remember? Don’t worry about this now. I’ll call you tonight.” She held the phone away and disconnected the call. “She feels bad enough already—you didn’t need to pile on the guilt.”

Joe ground his back teeth together. “We’re running out of time.”

“You’ve got one witness, and after I’ve spoken to my mother you’ll probably have two.” She glared at him. “But people come before work, Joe. People are more important. Have a little sensitivity.”

…

She read directions off the route book—ticked them off as he completed them. Kept communication to a minimum as she tried to wrap her mind around everything that had happened. Her mother’s confidence had been badly shaken by the con. Nowadays, she didn’t do anything without careful consideration and discussion beforehand. It looked like there would be no chance of keeping her mother’s name out of the papers, and she’d probably have to testify. But she needed to be reassured in making that decision.

“What did Charmers say to you?” Joe asked.

“He was saying what a good couple we made.” She thought so too. After last night, the thought of a future with him had flickered through her mind like a crazy dream. The sex was great and they’d had fun together. But they were very different people—lived in different places.

“He’s right. We do make a good couple.”

She shot him a glance. “So what happens after?”
What happens to us, when this case is over?

“Once the deposit is made into his account?” Joe continued speaking without waiting for her answer. “I’ll be on the first flight out to Chicago. There will be a lot of paperwork to do, and a lot of loose ends to tie up. Catching him is just the first step. The case won’t be over until I’ve nailed down all the evidence—have brought him before a judge.”

The case. Everything was all about the case. She’d let herself believe there might be a future for them, but his single-minded pursuit of Charmers didn’t seem to take her, or them, into account. She stared out the window, blinking away threatening tears as the scenery sped past.

“I’m sorry if you thought I was insensitive to your mother—I understand how protective you are of her. I was the same about my mother too.”

Was?
He’d taken a brick out of his emotional wall to give her a glimpse through. “Is your mother…dead?”

He nodded. “She died a few years ago. She was my family. My father still lives, but we both gave up on him a long time ago.” His mouth twisted. “Things are moving fast with you and me—I never planned that we’d become involved, but we have. Right now the goal is to get Charmers. I can’t take my eye off that for a moment.” He glanced over. “But when this is over, I don’t want it to be the end for us.”