He shook his head, low and slow. “Don’t know if I have the right. And I want the dog to be happy.”
“She is.”
“Tell Leah I’ll be by tomorrow to settle up, and if she’s really loving that dog, well, she can have her. The pound’s got plenty of dogs that need a home.”
She leaned in a fraction. “The dog reminds Leah of one she had as a kid.”
“That’s good. Real good.” He set the salt shaker close to the pepper shaker. “It’s been a week for losses.”
She cocked her head. “You lost your mom.”
“Yeah. Sudden.” His grin was watery, vulnerable. “Let’s talk about something else.”
“Like what?”
He shrugged, sensing he’d dropped just the right bait in the water to catch this fish. “I don’t know, what’s got you eating dinner so late tonight?”
“I work some evenings at the animal hospital. I just got off and I’m starving.” She reached for a crispy piece of bacon and carefully snapped it in half.
He’d chosen her. Not because she was pretty or because she was remotely his type. He’d chosen her because she knew Leah. And he wanted to show Leah how close she was to dying.
As the waitress set a black coffee in front of him, he reached for the sugar shaker and dumped in a couple of teaspoons. As he stirred slowly, his spoon clinked against the sides of the mug.
Winning a woman over was one of his strengths. He knew when to smile, when to compliment. Seduction required a certain degree of skill, an artist’s touch, if you will. And so he set about winning the fair Gail; charming her, sensing the right things to talk about and to avoid. Within thirty minutes, both had finished their meals and were lingering, laughing.
When she spoke to him, she leaned in just a little as she gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Want to get out of here?”
“Sure. Where?”
Color warmed her cheeks. “My place is a mess.”
He kissed her very gently on the lips. “I don’t care.”
She kissed him back in an aggressive way he didn’t quite enjoy but allowed. When a woman believed she was in control, she’d go just about anywhere with a man.
She drove her car and he drove his truck. Risky to release control for this brief time, so he stayed close on her bumper, even running a red light to keep her in his sights.
When they arrived at her apartment, he parked directly beside her and quickly crossed to her door so that he would be there to escort her inside. Under the glare of the street lamp, she blushed as he closed her car door. He leaned forward and kissed her very softly on the lips. She ran her tongue over her teeth and took his hand in hers.
Hand in hand, they climbed the stairs to her apartment, and as she fumbled to put her key in the lock, he kissed the nape of her neck. She giggled. When the door closed behind them, he threaded his fingers through her hair and pulled her, none too gently, closer to him.
She giggled.
He growled.
Leah arrived home at two thirty in the morning. Fatigue had drained her body, and her mind refused to stop spinning. Charlie barked from her crate, and she crossed the room to let the pup out and took the dog outside for a walk. Back inside, she changed into sweats and a T-shirt and, with Charlie at her side, settled in front of the television to unwind.
An infomercial playing, she relaxed her head back against the couch and thought about the listening device perched feet from her. Philip. She’d wanted to tell Alex about the device, but one look at his pale, drawn features and she’d decided the information could wait. If she had told him, he’d have ignored his body’s need for rest and forced himself out of bed.
At some point she dozed and only started awake when she heard her cell chime with a text. A glance at the clock and she realized it was four in the morning. Assuming it was Alex, she imagined he wasn’t having much luck sleeping. She reached for her phone, and when she glanced down and saw Gail’s number, she grew curious.
She opened the message. Gail was smiling, laughing, her eyes brighter than Leah had ever seen them. The man next to Gail was kissing her on the cheek. His face was turned away from the camera, but there was no missing the strong shoulders and the military-neat, short, dark hair.
Leah was poised to text back a smiley face when she took a second look at the man. Something about him . . . and then she saw his hand and the dark signet ring on his pinky finger. The gold embossed L shined out at her like a warning beacon.
Bile rose in her throat, and she nearly dropped the phone. That was Philip’s ring—the same ring that had winked in the moonlight as he’d traced the tip of his knife along her belly.
Silence coiled around her and tightened as she stared at the picture. This was all a game to him. He wanted her to know he was close. Wanted her to know he could reach any of her friends. Wanted her to be afraid. Her bones chilled.
Hands shaking, she texted Gail. Who is this guy?
She waited, one, two, three minutes. But no text came back. She hit the Call button and leaned forward as the phone rang. Four rings and her call went to voice mail. “This is Gail. Leave a message!”
“Gail, this is Leah. Who’s that guy? He looks a lot like my ex-husband, Philip. If he’s Philip, he’s very dangerous. You need to get away from him. Call me.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Tuesday, January 24, 7 A.M.
Alex struggled as he tried to slide his left arm into his shirt. Pain shot up his arm and across his ribs, and for a moment, his breath caught in his throat as an oath leaked past clenched teeth.
Deke found him cursing when he knocked on the door. “How’s it going?”
Cutting pain banded his ribs. He was almost sorry he’d refused the painkillers when a nurse had offered them to him at five that morning. He needed a clear head today. Too many pieces of this puzzle still missing. A fuzzy mind wouldn’t get the job done. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
Positive talk didn’t temper the pain as he slid the arm into the sleeve and slowly pulled it up to his shoulder, inch by painful inch. The second arm promised to be more difficult. “Looks are deceiving.”
Deke came up behind him, set two cups of coffee down on the side table, and lifted the collar of Alex’s shirt so that he could insert his arm into the sleeve. The simple task left Alex’s heart pounding as he reached for the first button and began to fasten it. Not as painful, but miserably slow-going. “Thanks.”
“The doctors said you’re supposed to be on pain meds for a few days.”
“I’m waiting for the aspirin to kick in.” He’d reached for his cuffs and started rolling them up.
“Aspirin? I think something stronger is in order.”
“Not today.”
“Going to be a tough guy?” Deke sipped his coffee, a grin peeking over the cup.
“You’d be wise not to poke the bear today.” Alex left the second cuff unrolled as he accepted the warm cup and took a sip. “Thanks.”
Deke’s mouth lost its grin but the smile remained in his gaze. “Understood.”
“This tastes good. The nurses wouldn’t give me coffee this morning.”
Deke grunted. “That’s just not right on so many levels.”
A half smile tweaked his lips. “A few of them barely escaped with their lives.”
Deke pulled up a chair, flipped it around, and sat. “I also think the doctors aren’t expecting you to leave so soon. Is this a sanctioned escape?”
“No.”
“You haven’t been cleared?”
“Cleared enough. Bruised ribs, no breaks, and no internal damage. And when the aspirin takes hold, I’ll be fine. I just need to get moving.”
“I’m guessing they want you to take it easy for a few days.”
Alex set down his coffee and rolled up the second sleeve. “It’s not about what they want, it’s about what I need to do.”
Deke sipped his coffee. If any arguments crossed his mind, he kept them to himself. “Any thoughts on who would like to beat the hell out of you? I’ve theories, but I’m curious about your ideas.”