Authors: Jennifer Conner
He touched a photo on the wall of the hall. It was the hot blonde with what looked to be her brother. Ivan touched a finger along the smooth hard glass, lingering over the image of her hair.
Opening her bedroom door, the scent of her lingered there and his erection sprung to life. Opening her dresser, he ran his fingers over her panties and slipped out a pair. Dropping them into his coat, he patted his pocket. He’d keep these for later. A special event.
He needed to keep on his toes and decided to wait in his car. Vlad would never put up with another mistake, so he couldn’t make one.
Ivan twisted the key and re-locked the front door.
Smiling, he took the stairs two at a time. He was a
very
patient man, if it meant getting what he wanted.
Chapter Thirteen
Devan turned the key in the ignition to off and pushed open the car door with his cane. Luci already had her door swung wide and her backpack from the back seat by the time he’d limped around to her side of the car.
He caught a note of sadness in her blue eyes seeing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Thanks for the great afternoon.” Rising on the tips of her toes, she kissed him lightly. “You’ll let me know if there’s any changes in my case? I’d still like to give you acupuncture treatments, but if that doesn’t work out, at least go to Doctor Bob. I know the chiropractic adjustments will help with the pain in your leg.”
In the past, this casual goodbye from a woman would have been a relief, but it wasn’t what he wanted from Luci. “At least let me walk you to your door,” he said, his tone gruffer than he’d wanted.
“I knew you were a gentleman,” Luci said, as she flung her backpack over one shoulder, and headed off across the lawn.
Pushing himself to catch her, Devan reached and took her hand. Her fingers were cool in the night air. He wanted to stop her, pull her against him and kiss her so he could memorize the taste of her lips.
Something changed between them when he’d made the half-hearted statement about her being a ‘cute girl’. What had he said that was so wrong? After that, she’d been as stiff as a board.
He would never understand women.
Luci confessed she hadn’t had much experience with men, but he didn’t have experience with this conversation stuff. In the past he’d never been in a relationship long enough to know what to say after he’d stuck his foot in his mouth. Did Luci want to talk? Should he shut up?
God
, he felt like an idiot not knowing what to do. He didn’t want this to be over between them. What could he say to retrace his words?
Following her up the brick path and down the steps, Dev quietly stood as he watched her wiggle the key in the front door.
Frowning, she pushed at the lock with her finger.
“It seems to be stuck,” she muttered.
Devan’s eyes dropped to the lock. “Step back,” he ordered.
“What?” Luci stuttered, as Dev pushed her behind him.
Slowly, he pulled the key out of the lock. There was a pile of small brass shavings on the concrete. He slid his gun from its holster.
Raising a finger to his lips to silence Luci, he whispered, “Stay here. Don’t move.” He pulled his cell from his pocket and handed it to her. “Call 911. Tell them your address, that there’s been a break-in, and that an off-duty detective in plainclothes is on site.”
He saw the fear in her eyes. Slowly twisting the knob in his hand, he pushed the door free. Edging it wider with his foot, he slid into the darkened room.
His years on the force told him the scumbag wasn’t inside. But someone had been there— he could feel it.
Dammit.
Anger boiled through him. Edging her bedroom door open, he raised his Sig Sauer. In the dim light Dev saw the top drawer of Luci’s dresser open. It hadn’t been that way when they’d left.
The thought of someone pawing Luci’s underwear, taking a trophy piece, made him sick to his stomach. This guy was a sick fuck. But he’d find him, and when he did, it wouldn’t be pretty.
“Devan?” He heard Luci’s voice echo through the stillness of the apartment.
As he came around the corner, she was standing in the middle of the living room, silhouetted by the porch light at the top of the stairs.
He strode toward her, pulling her against him. Her face was pale and he could feel her body tremble as he kissed her hair. “It’s okay,” Dev muttered. “There’s no one here.”
She tipped her chin to meet his gaze. “But there was? Here, in my apartment?” He saw tears brimming on the edges of her eyes and threatening to run down her cheeks.
Luci had just begun to feel safe and forget what had happened that night at the espresso stand. Now, he knew, the memories of her attack were flooding back.
Hearing a loud rap on the door, they both spun. Dev turned, instinctively pressing her back.
“Police!” the voice called.
When the man stepped through the door, Devan knew the first officer, but slid his badge out and flipped it open for his view. Dev didn’t want to be mistaken for the person who’d broken into the apartment.
The two officers lowered their guns. “Burke?” the first one asked. “Is the place clear?” He flipped the switch, flooding the room with light.
“He’s gone,” Dev said. His long arm slung protectively around Luci’s waist as he kept her tucked tightly against his side. “The bastard is gone,” Dev finished, as he re-holstered his gun.
The officers looked around the apartment. “Why’d you think this was a break-in, Burke? Was it a forced entry?”
“I saw brass shavings outside the door on the ground. He must have used a bump key to get in, but then decided to re-lock the door when he left,” Dev replied through a clenched jaw.
Milton, the officer Dev recognized, nodded and shoved home his sidearm. “Was she the one who called it in?” he asked, motioning to Luci.
“Yes. We arrived together. Check outside and scan the area,” Dev ordered, before turning to speak to Luci. Her eyes were still wide, darting around the apartment. “You’re safe,” he spoke quietly, bending slightly, kissing her cheek. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.” For the first time in his life, he truly meant the words.
As a police officer, Dev had sworn an oath to protect and serve, but this was different. Sure, it was his job, but it was something much more than that. It was up to him to recapture his lost strength so he could be there for Luci— emotionally and physically. She couldn’t do it on her own, and until he caught this guy, she wouldn’t be safe.
When she nodded, he thought she was going to break down in tears. But with her difficult past, she’d spent years keeping her tears at bay. Sniffing, she rubbed at her nose with the back of her hand, and steeled her back in a straight line.
“Listen,” Dev began, “I don’t want to hear any arguments about this. I’d be happy to stay here, but he knows where you live. If you come to my place, then I’ll know for sure that you’re safe.”
“He stole my wallet and my books with my bag. I don’t have anything else he’d want.” Her long lashes were spiked with tears.
Dev couldn’t stop the sinking feeling clawing his guts to bloody shreds. His mouth drew into a tight line. “Maybe it wasn’t even the same guy from the espresso stand. This break-in could just be a coincidence.” He tried to hold his face impassive, lying straight into Luci’s face. He couldn’t say what he was thinking, or what his cop instincts were telling him.
The bastard came back for
her
. Dev knew that.
Walking her to the couch, he motioned for her to sit. “Let me get you a glass of water. I’ll talk with the officers. You stay put.” Moving to the kitchen, Dev opened the cupboard for a glass and filled it with cold water. Quickly returning, he handed it to her and noticed the tremor in her hand as she accepted it.
Milton banged back though the door. “There was a cigarette still burning out on the street. No one was there, but they might have been watching the place from a car.”
Dev balled his fingers into a fist as he moved closer to Milton and dropped his voice, “Get lab techs to pull prints from the dresser as per my request.”
Returning to Luci, he reached for her hand and squeezed it solidly. “I’ll grab a few of your things. We’ll come back if you need anything else. Just basics for now.” Pulling her to her feet, he brushed his lips across her forehead. Rubbing a hand down her arms he frowned. “Bring a sweater. Your arms are freezing.”
He waited to hear if she replied, but tension hung in the air between them. Stabbing the base of his cane on the floor he silently followed Luci down the hall to her bedroom.
When she was settled at his house, he’d go into the station and start work on the few leads he had.
He ran hand up through his short hair and pulled in a deep breath. If he’d dropped her outside and not followed her to her door, the bastard might have still been here. Waiting. He closed his eyes and felt blood pound in his forehead.
Being a cop he saw the worst the city offered: drugs, child prostitution, and death. Luci didn’t deserve to live in his world.
He needed to stay focused. If he didn’t, Luci could be kil…
Christ
… he couldn’t even think that, but the face of the kid from the convenience store rushed into his memories.
Watching her stuff a T-shirt and jeans into her pack, he asked, “Do you still have my phone?” Reaching into her pocket she lifted it out and handed it to him. “While I’m thinking of it, use your land line and call your brother.” He stepped to the dresser and jotted information on a scrap of paper. “This is my address and home phone. Tell him…” he paused, “the truth. And that you’re going to my place for a few days. I know that he’ll want you to stay with him, but I think it’s better this way.”
Luci took the slip of yellow paper and looked over the address. When she moved toward the phone, Dev flipped his cell open and pushed the auto dial button for Mac’s cell.
He waited until a female voice answered. “Michelle. Hey, it’s Dev.”
“Dev?” She sounded surprised. “God, I haven’t heard from you in… well, months. When Mac said you were going to watch the house for the weekend, I was so happy. I just want you to—”
He cut her off. “Michelle, I don’t want you to think that I’m just calling because I need something, but I do.” He sat solidly on the corner of the bed and pressed the cool metal of the phone against his cheek. “I know you just got back from a weekend away, but a… friend of mine, Luci... someone broke into her apartment tonight. I’m over here with her. I’m taking her back to my house. But I have to go to the station and check the report, and I don’t want her to be alone. Could you come to my place for a few hours, and stay with her?”
There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Of course I can.” He thought he could hear a catch in Michelle’s voice.
He knew he’d abandoned his friends since the shooting. Mac and Michelle were like members of his family, and he’d pulled completely away from both of them. He’d thought it would be easier than facing them, but now he wasn’t sure he’d made the right decision. He missed them both.
“How soon will you be back at your place?” she asked, her voice steadier.
He glanced at the hands of the clock on the nightstand. “Let’s say an hour and a half.”
It must have been a total shock for Michelle to get a call from him out of the blue. But on the other hand, she’d also understand how important it would be. Dev never asked for anyone’s help. Michelle knew that.
At this moment, he’d pretty much do anything for Luci. It was about what she needed. She needed for him to make the right decisions this time.
Chapter Fourteen
Turning onto a quiet street of an older neighborhood, Devan pulled the Plymouth into the driveway.
Luci stepped from the car, and gazed around the small manicured lawn. The exterior walls of the house glowed pale white before ending at the red bricks which slanted low on the roof. Shutters were stained dark red with a moon and star design on the wood slats.
Devan met her on the sidewalk. He reached for her hand, but stopped and raised an eyebrow. “Is something the matter?”
She shook her head, taking his offered hand. If nothing else, the detective was full of surprises. Luci wasn’t sure where she’d pictured Devan living. Maybe a small, dark apartment in a seedier part of LA, but not this adorable forties stucco bungalow.
As if reading her thoughts, he explained, “I fell into owning this house. It belonged to a friend of the family. Don never married, nor had kids. As he got older, I’d come by once a week and help him out with the yard or do a few repairs to keep the place in shape. A few years ago, he had a stroke. He needed a higher level of care and couldn’t take care of the place. He struck a deal, that if I paid for his little apartment at a retired-living community, he’d sell me the house at a price I could afford.”
Hooking her thumbs in her jeans, Luci walked along the front of the house. Dark purple and white irises bloomed in thick bunches beneath large branches of roses trailing up a trellis.
Devan leaned around her, picked one of the dark red roses off its vine, and slipped it behind her ear. “There, you look like an exotic Samba dancer.”
“Your home is beautiful,” she said.
His deep brown eyes watched her for sincerity. “I’m a lucky man.” Slowly, he traced a thumb across her cheek and over her lips. Luci wasn’t sure if he was still speaking about his house.
“I could never afford a house like this. It must be worth a fortune.”
“Neither could I. I make money, but I don’t make
that
much
money. Don pushed really hard for me to take his offer. I thought I was taking advantage of him, and he thought he was taking advantage of me.” Devan grinned. “But wait until you see the interior; your views might change. I’ve put a lot of effort into it, but the house is definitely a work in progress.”
Guiding her up the steps, he opened the front door and flipped on the light. Dark hardwood floors wove through the house and the wood continued halfway up the walls in rich paneling. Above the wood, deep forest green paint covered the walls and oil paintings hung in mismatched frames.
A bright blue tarp covered a pile of bricks sprawled in the corner of the room. A gaping hole stood between the rooms and a sledge hammer lay propped against the half- broken wall.
“I’ve been here a little over a year.” Picking up the sledgehammer, Devan moved it out of the way. “Before Don moved to the retirement community, he told me he’d always wanted to open up this wall. As you can see, I’ve started to knock it down, but since the shooting I can’t swing the sledgehammer while holding my damn cane.”
Luci peered through the crumbling bricks to see a small study on the other side of the wall. A mahogany desk holding a stained glass lamp and a computer sat next to the window. Antique paned windows overlooked a small backyard. She returned and walked through the living room decorated in Southwest tones. Brown leather couches and carved wood end tables looked as though they could be part of an old west town.
“The furniture came with the house. I know it’s outdated,” Devan said, turning on a table lamp. “I thought about changing it—you know, going more modern—but the furniture reminds me of when I visited here as a kid. I always thought this house was the coolest place in the world. I imagined a cowboy like Wild Bill Hickok living here. My timeline, of course, was off by a hundred years, but it didn’t stop me from running around the back yard with a cowboy hat on my head and cap pistol in my hand.”
Luci tried to imagine the dark, handsome man in front of her as a rambunctious child, hooting at the neighbor’s dogs and yelling ‘
bang, bang
.’ She smiled. “I don’t have many happy memories from my youth.”
His eyebrows drew down, as he wrapped his long arms around her and pulled her against his chest. “Memories can be made anytime, not just from our childhood. I’ve made a few of my own in the last few days I’ve spent with you.”