To Die For

Jack nodded.

"Could I see your room key or ID?"

Jack gestured toward the door behind him where the blackjack tables could be found. "My wife has the key. Would you like me to get it for you?"

"Any form of ID will work. You can't log on without a credit card. Can I see your card, sir?"

Jack chuckled. "I'm a bit of a computer illiterate, I'm afraid. My wife logged on for me before abandoning me for the tables. At this rate, I'll be a poor man before the night is over." He stood. "I'm finished though, so why don't I call it a night and I promise to have everything I need the next time I use the computer."

Jack turned and left before the man could say another word, disappointed that he hadn't had more time on the computer. He wanted to look into the AidVac story and the demise of the two men Kate had talked about on the plane. He needed to find out why anyone would want to stop the discovery of the cure for AIDS. He was also curious as to whether Harrison had received large sums of money in the past. Nothing made sense. But all of that would have to wait since he'd lost his laptop on the plane.

Jack cut a path through the casino, his eyes fixated straight ahead. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw security trying to catch up to him. Cutting a sharp right, Jack weaved his way through row after row of slot machines. Bells and whistles went off all around him. Second-hand smoke filled his lungs. He took a left, b.u.mped into a woman. She threw curses at him, but he didn't have time to stop and apologize.

A glance over his shoulder told him he wasn't in the clear. He ran, ducking and weaving until he was finally lost in the crowd. He left the VW in the casino parking area and headed back for the hotel by foot. It was midnight by the time he arrived back at their room. Wet towels and dirty clothes lay on the floor in a heap. Kate was still asleep on the king-sized bed. The light from the television set threw shadows across her face. The sound was muted. She probably hadn't slept in a real bed in ages.

Drip... Plop... Drip.

He was a light sleeper. The leaky faucet guaranteed a long sleepless night. He grabbed a towel and tossed it into the sink to stop the noise. An open bag of potato chips lay on the nightstand next to Kate. She slept in a fetal position, wearing nothing but an over-sized T-s.h.i.+rt and a pair of lacey pink underwear.

He moved to the side of the bed and pulled the covers over her. For a moment, he stood there, watching as she slept. Seeing Kate safely tucked in bed sent a chill up his spine. After his sister went missing ten years ago, he'd often envisioned this same peaceful scene as the ending to his nightmare. His sister, Annie, had been abducted by a man she met over the Internet. Jack was twenty-two at the time, and his sister was two days shy of turning fourteen. Every day, for months after her abduction, Jack visited all the places Annie loved best, determined to find her and bring her home. The horrible nightmare changed the course of his life when he left law school to join the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Two years later, his parents received a call...the badly decomposed remains of a young female had been found less than ten miles from their home. But because the body was so badly decomposed they still didn't know if it was Annie, leaving Jack to cling to the possibility of finding her someday...maybe spot her at a cafe or catch a glimpse of her walking on the street as he drove by. She would be twenty-four now. Maybe she'd been brainwashed into thinking she was somebody else. Recently, Jack had tried to convince his parents to request that more testing be done on the remains. With all of the new forensic a.n.a.lysis available, the truth of Annie's fate might very well be revealed, but his parents hadn't been ready for the truth. Not yet, not now, maybe never.

His stomach contracted into a tight ball.

He headed for the bathroom and went to the sink where he filled a gla.s.s with water and tossed down a couple of Advil. Kate was right. He had his demons. But he didn't see any reason to talk about them with anyone. They were his demons, and he'd deal with them in his own way and in his own time.

Pulling his wallet from his back pocket, he set it on the dresser, clicked off the television set, and settled onto the empty side of the bed. He propped his arms under his head and for the next two hours he stared at the ceiling.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

The phone rang. A.J. stared at the ceiling for a moment, then jumped from the bed and managed to locate and open his cell before it could ring a third time and wake Becky.

"I know you're worried about your friend," an unfamiliar male voice said.

"My friend?" A.J. had to give his brain a moment to kick into gear before he could digest what the caller had just said. "Are you talking about Jack?"

"Yes. I thought you should know they're on to him. By morning, half of the Las Vegas Police Department will be scouring The Strip."

"Las Vegas. Do they know where in Las Vegas?"

"Not yet."

"Do you know where Jack is?" A.J. asked.

"If I knew I'd tell you. You don't have much time. Keep your radio on and you'll know his exact location at the same time as the rest of us."

Us? "Who is this?"

"Someone who owes Jack a favor."

There was a click. The line went dead.

A.J. hit redial but the number came up as 'restricted.' He exhaled. He'd worry about the mystery caller later. Right now he needed to get dressed, get in the car, and get to Vegas.

He grabbed his watch from the bed table. Two thirty in the morning. He was scheduled to wake up early anyhow since he needed to pick up his sister's dog in Spring Valley, a two-hour drive. Las Vegas would pile another few hours on top of that.

Flipping open his laptop, he hit the On b.u.t.ton and waited for any messages to pop up. Sure enough there was a new message from He shook his head and opened the file. The note contained a string of pretty words from a make-believe gal named Flatsy Patsy. He and Jack had come up with the name back in high school. Long story. He wasn't proud of it. h.e.l.l, he had more regrets than Pfizer had pills. But good ol' Jack had known the email address would get his attention.

A.J. copied and pasted every fifth word from the letter into a blank doc.u.ment, unscrambled some of the words and did a little rearranging until he had a semblance of a note: We're alive. Pete Palace. Las Vegas. Need help.

A.J. knew Jack meant Pete's Palace. They had stayed there more than a few times back in the day. He shut off the computer and got dressed in a minute flat. After slipping on his shoes, he grabbed his keys and his wallet. Then he went to the other side of the bed, leaned low, and kissed Becky's neck. Her skin felt warm and silky. She smelled sweet and nice. He wanted nothing more than to climb in beside her and snuggle close for a few more hours. Jack was going to owe him big time for this.

Becky opened sleepy eyes and reached for him. "Where are you going?" Her fingers trailed across his stubbled jaw.

"I have to get my sister's dog, remember?"

"This early?"

"I couldn't sleep anyhow. I'm going to my place to grab a few things first. I'll be back before your yoga teacher has entered the world of Brahma."

"It's too early for jokes."

"Yeah, sweetheart, I know." He smoothed back the hair from her forehead and kissed her there. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Hurry back."

Kate turned to her side. Her hand brushed against something warm and hard. Except for a sliver of morning light peeking through the curtains, the room was dark. It took her a few seconds to remember where she was and that it was Jack who slept beside her. His breathing was deep and even. A warm tingling sensation coursed through her body as she moved her hand over his chest and higher to the hard swells of his broad shoulders. She sidled up closer to him and curled her arm around his waist, careful not to disturb his injury. Her lips brushed against the hard cords of his neck. She was quickly becoming accustomed to the way he smelled-fresh and outdoorsy.

Jack made a low throaty noise and surprised her when he pulled her hard against him, taking her breath away. He rolled over, pinning her beneath him. His palm cupped her breast. His mouth crushed hard over hers and for a few glorious moments she was swept away, eager and impatient.

She moaned, enjoying the feel of the hard length of him straining against his jeans. She arched her hips into his and cupped his b.u.t.tocks with the palms of her hands. She wanted him. All of him. d.a.m.n the consequences whatever they may be.

Jack became still before finally sliding off the bed and more importantly, off of her. He stood there for a moment, looking at her, the hard angles of his face shadowed in darkness. He raked his fingers through his hair.

Kate lifted heavy eyelids and looked up at him. Sliding to the edge of the bed, she reached under his s.h.i.+rt and began to unb.u.t.ton the top of his jeans.

He took hold of her wrist, stopping her. "This isn't a good idea."

"Why? Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No."

She sighed and pulled away. When she saw he had no intention of finis.h.i.+ng what he'd started, she leaned back against the pillows. "You're just a prude and a tease," she admonished.

He opened his mouth to say something, probably to protest, and then clamped it shut.

"You don't have to explain." She stretched, trying her best to appear unaffected. But the truth was her pride had been p.r.i.c.ked. She was hornier than h.e.l.l, but she'd get over it. It wasn't Jack she wanted necessarily, she told herself. She just wanted to be swept away for a few moments, escape the harsh realities of life.

"I'm sorry," he said.

She shrugged. "I wanted to have s.e.x. You didn't. No big deal."

"I never said I didn't want to have s.e.x."

"Oh, pardon me," she said. "You just didn't want to have s.e.x with me. I feel much better now. Thank you for clarifying."

"Don't put words in my mouth."

"I would have put something else in your mouth if you would have let me."

"Now you're just trying to get to me by being crude."

"The crude and the prude. We make a fine pair."

"I like you," he said, ignoring her sarcasm. "You're beautiful and you're s.e.xy."

"Tell me something I don't know."

He shook his head and said, "We hardly know one another."

She blew out a puff of air. "What do you want to know?"

He raised an eyebrow. "How about the truth? Why are you here? Why did you agree to come with me?"

"I already told you...I want to go through my father's things."

"Bull."

She lifted her chin, surprised by his sudden show of intuitiveness. "Okay, if you must know...the moment I saw you, I fell madly in love with you and I couldn't bear the thought of you leaving Haiti without me. That's why I came with you." She sighed, mostly because the lie hadn't come out like she'd hoped. It had felt more like a half-truth. d.a.m.n.

He scratched the side of his neck and headed for the bathroom.

"Okay, okay." She sat up. "The truth is I'm going to find whoever is responsible for my father's death. And then I'm going to kill him."

Jack was already inside the bathroom, but he must have done an about-face as soon as the words came out of her mouth because he was standing within the doorframe now, looking her square in the eyes. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

He shut the door.

Kate took a deep breath and fell back into the pillows. She felt unbelievably restless. She felt like cursing loud enough for him to hear, but she knew it would be a childish thing for her to do, and maybe it was time for her to grow up, so she refrained.

A.J. was almost home. He and Becky had agreed to keep separate living quarters until the wedding. He made a right on Fifth followed by a left on Olive. Moonbeams spread muted light through the branches of numerous trees lining the street, one of the things he enjoyed most about the area. Poplars, maples, and cypress shaded the walkways on days when sunlight managed to fight its way through the smog.

He was about to pull into the underground parking area when he noticed a dark sedan parked at the curb a few yards away from the entrance to his condo. The only people he knew who drove dark sedans with government issued license plates were his own people.

He pulled to the side of the road, turned off the engine, and climbed out, leaving the door ajar so he wouldn't make any noise. Despite the full moon, it was still dark. Crouched low, he headed for the back of the marked car. n.o.body was inside. He used his cell to take a picture of the license plate, then slid his phone into his back pocket. Next, he headed up the brick steps leading to his place and noticed that his mailbox had been tampered with. He easily jumped the three-foot iron railing and headed for the third door on his left.

His condo wasn't all that big and all he had to do was lean against the front door to hear them making a mess of his place. Judging from the sounds of all the drawers and doors opening and closing, there were at least two men inside his home.

Anger lit a fire in the pit of his stomach. Fingers rolled into fists at his sides. He wanted to teach these guys a thing or two about detective work...not to mention loyalty to their co-workers. But now wasn't the time. Not if he wanted to find Jack before the Metropolitan Police Department had him in cuffs.

Let it go, man, he told himself as he headed back to his car. Let the guys have some fun...because they would regret their actions tonight. He would find out who was sneaking around his place playing spy, and then he'd teach them a thing or two about going through a man's private things. He'd grown up with sisters. All older. Payback was a b.i.t.c.h.

Kate looked into the bathroom mirror for a moment longer. It was hard to believe it was her. For the first time in ten years she was blonde again, bra.s.sy blonde, but blonde all the same. She pulled on a clean pair of underwear before realizing she'd left her new sundress in the bedroom. She didn't wear a bra. If Jack had a problem with nudity, which was highly probable, that was his problem.

Glancing back at her reflection, she pushed out her chest. Small, but perky. With a shrug, she opened the bathroom door and stepped into the adjoining room.

No matter. Jack was half hidden behind a newspaper. She lifted a blanket and moved the pillows on the bed, searching for the dress and shoes she'd bought yesterday. She had tried them on last night before Jack left to get rid of the stolen vehicle. She moved another pillow. Nothing. She got down on her hands and knees and looked under the bed.

"Are you looking for your dress?"

She stood. Jack gestured toward the chair across from him. The dress was draped neatly on the back of the chair. The shoes were there, too. All perfectly organized.

"I put them there last night so they wouldn't get wrinkled," he told her.

"Thanks." She s.n.a.t.c.hed the dress from the chair and started undoing the little b.u.t.tons. She could feel his eyes on her so she took her time with each b.u.t.ton. Knowing he was looking sent a wave of chills up her spine. She wrinkled her brow as if the little b.u.t.tons might be her undoing before finally looking his way.

He lifted a brow. "Now who's being the tease?"

"Not me," she said. "I told you to get two rooms."

He sighed. "Can't you at least put on a bra?"

"I don't wear them. They're uncomfortable. And please quit treating me like your little sister."

His face paled, and he went back to reading the paper.

Kate watched him for a moment.

Something was going on with Jack Coffey, but she decided not to pry. If he wanted to keep his every thought bottled inside then that was his problem. She slid the dress on and b.u.t.toned it up, glancing Jack's way as he turned to the next page of the newspaper. Her mouth fell open. "Jack, your picture! It's all over the place." She went to the television set and turned it on. Images of the burnt wreckage in the desert and pictures of Jack's face flashed across the screen. After a moment another picture appeared: a picture of Kate and her father taken weeks before they headed for the Caribbean. Next to the picture was a drawing, a composite showing what she might look like now. The likeness was too close. Her stomach knotted.

She and Jack both looked toward the parking lot at the same time. Two police cars were parked outside.

Jack shot to his feet. "Grab your things. We've got to go. Now!"

Kate grabbed her bag. She ran to the window and closed the curtain. "It's too late. Two cops are headed this way." She didn't waste any time turning around and shoving most of her things into the top dresser drawer. Jack's half of the bed looked as if it had never been slept in. Perfect. Gathering the water bottles and the snacks, she threw them into another drawer.

"What are you doing?"

Without answering, she took hold of Jack's hand and pulled him into the bathroom. She turned the shower on full blast.