Bound by Danger (7 page)

She cleared her throat. “He might have a bit of a twisted nose from a recent break or just substantial swelling, blackened eyes, bloody nose…maybe.”

Dave raised his brows. Probably he and the others couldn’t believe she could have remembered so much detail when her life was threatened at the time. She would never forget while she trained at Fort Knox, Kentucky, how important noting peoples’ appearances could be.

Six enlisted basic trainees had threatened two of her fellow officer cadets for their money at summer camp. When the military police had questioned them, the cadets only remembered the muggers wore Battle Dress Uniforms. What were the names on their nametags? The cadets had been too scared to notice.

Deidre had never been accosted by a gang while she trained there, but nevertheless, she learned a good lesson. Making a mental note of peoples’ appearances came naturally to her now. Not to mention she had earlier visions of them that helped to warn her what they’d look like before she encountered them.

Even the police officer who now took her statement, she noticed, had stained teeth from drinking coffee or possibly tea. Smoking was ruled out because there was no odor of it hanging about his neatly pressed uniform. He fidgeted, either tapping his pen or his foot in between writing. And his ring finger sported a new wedding band.

Her gaze shifted to Dave’s fingers, and he caught her interest and smiled. Her cheeks warmed as she turned her attention back to the officer.

“Did he say anything to you, Miss Roux?”

“No.”

“What do you think he searched for?” the officer asked.

“He was a thief. I don’t know what he intended to steal.”

“We don’t believe he was a common thief, miss. He was looking for something specific.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You had silver in one of the drawers he opened. He didn’t touch it.”

“I have no idea what he could have been looking for.” She rubbed her hand again. “Maybe he raided the wrong apartment by mistake.”

“Maybe.” He handed her his card. “If you think of anything else that might help with the investigation, just give me a call.”

After the policeman left, Deidre stared at the door leading to the hall. Turning to Dave, she frowned. “How could he have gotten away?”

Dave sat beside her on the couch and took her injured hand in his and considered the cut. “I’m sorry, Deidre. By the time I pulled you from your apartment, then ran to the patio, the man had jumped.”

“But—”

“He injured himself, the neighbor on the other side of your apartment said. He saw the man holding his nose and limping at a run. Then he disappeared beyond the complex in front of us. The police are still searching for him.”

Deidre shook her head. With just the right maneuver, she’d either given him a bloodied nose, or knocked it out of place a tad. Maybe the fall twisted an ankle, too. At least she could always hope. Maybe they’d still catch him.

“Are you sure you don’t know what he was searching for?”

“Sure, as an Assistant G-1 for the headquarters of the 1st Cavalry Division, I had top secret documents at my disposal. Kept them in the bottom drawer under my phone book. Handier that way.” How stupid did he think she was? Besides in her position, she had no access to secret documents. He should have known that, having been in the military before.

Dave sighed deeply. “I want you to stay at my place the rest of the night.”

She realized then she was being hard on him. Yet, she had no intention of staying with him the night. The guy wouldn’t come back tonight, not with the police searching for him and not as injured as he had to be. “But—”

“No, buts. Until your brother returns home to watch over you, you’ll stay here.”

She ran her hand over the sofa. “The couch is too cold.”

He smiled and pulled her from the sofa. “I wouldn’t think of letting my overnight guest sleep out here.”

She tilted her chin up and wrinkled her brow to see his eyes focused on the opening in her borrowed shirt. She pulled it closed.

“But first, let me take care of that cut on your hand.”

She made a disagreeable face as he sprayed an anti-bacterial medicine on the cut. When the stinging subsided, he wrapped a large bandage over the small wound.

The cowboy wasn’t so bad after all, and she was tempted, just a bit, to let him share the bed with her for the night. He led her into the bedroom, tucked her into bed, and sat beside her. “Are you going to be all right? Do you need anything to help you sleep?”

How many times had the doctors asked the same question? She shook her head. She’d be perfectly all right, if the black-eyed beast stayed away the rest of the night.

Dave leaned over and kissed her cheek, then ran his hand over her hair. He didn’t know what a handful she could really be. “Thanks for everything, Dave.”

“Sleep tight, Deidre.”

He kissed her cheek again, then left the door slightly ajar.

She shut her eyes, and seconds later the leather squeaked as he sat down on his couch.

***

Dave grabbed his phone and headed outside on his balcony. “Sir, our men are investigating the break-in of Miss Roux’s apartment. I’ve moved her into my place to keep her safe. Shouldn’t we move them to a safe house—”

“Where are the manuscripts?”

“No sign of them in Miss Roux’s apartment. I did a quick search while the police investigated the break-in.”

“Does the sister know about her brother?”

“I’m not sure. Marilyn’s not been able to find out much from Charlie about his past employer. You told us to take it easy…to learn what we could before—”

“If he’s involved, I don’t want him running. We have nothing on him yet to hold him. Whatever your team does, don’t spook him.”

“But I’m concerned about the break-in into Miss Roux’s apartment.”

“She’s at your place now. Isn’t that what you said?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Keep it professional…and keep her safe. She’s involved, but only because she’s his sister, as far as we know. But this could turn ugly if whoever’s in charge of this operation decides she knows too much.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Anything else?”

“I’m concerned that we should move the two of them to a safe house.”

“Only if we deem it’s necessary.”

“Yes, sir.”

The phone clicked dead in Dave’s ear, and he took a deep breath. Headquarters had to know what they were doing. He would continue to serve as before.

After closing and locking the glass patio door, he walked back to the couch and pulled his jeans off. Sleeping on a crinkling leather couch all night didn’t appeal half as much as sleeping with the blond in his bed. Things could have been worse. He could have been staked out in an unmarked car in the parking lot with Bill. He frowned. Why hadn’t Bill caught the man?

An hour later, Dave shifted again on the couch facing the back of it this time, the leather turning his skin sweaty wherever he chanced to touch the material, the sheets he’d thrown on it, hanging half on the floor now. As hard as the floor was, he considered making a bed down there. Then he thought he heard a noise. Like a click.

He turned to face the room, his eyes focusing on the dark.

He hadn’t realized how black the place was until he needed to see. Every move he made on the leather-crinkly noise was sure to warn the prowler.

His patio door
whooshed
open in slow motion. He grabbed his gun and jumped from the couch.

The black drapes shuddered in the light warm breeze. His heartbeat pumped with fresh adrenaline as he jerked the fabric aside.

With the cloak of darkness still blanketing the city, Deidre stood on his patio staring out at the night. The breeze tugged at her long blond hair drifting over her shoulders. The strap to her chemise slipped down her arm.

He reached over to pull it up.

“Deidre?”

Chapter 6

Deidre didn’t respond to Dave, just stared into the night sky where lights twinkled against black velvet. He turned her to face him and frowned. “Deidre?”

She was so beautiful…her full pink lips parted slightly, beckoning to be kissed. But her brilliant blue eyes stared right through him.

He took her hand and led her back inside. Shutting the door, he considered it for a moment and muttered under his breath, “Need to get a safety bar, first thing.” He faced her again. “What’s wrong?”

Her nightie dipped at the bodice and her breasts rose with each light breath she took. He touched her cheek, and she didn’t react. For a moment, the hair stood up on the back of his neck. What was wrong with her?

Then his lips curved up slightly. “You’re walking in your sleep.” He chuckled as he pulled her back to bed.

Tugging the covers aside, he said, “Go to bed, Deidre.” Like a small child, she did as she was told, slipping onto the mattress as he held the coverlet for her. He caught sight of the black panties she wore, and he smiled again, then pulled the blanket over her. She licked her lips and closed her eyes.

More than anything else in the world, he wanted to snuggle close to her. He hadn’t dated in a good long while, but none of the women he’d ever met came close to intriguing him like she did. Because she was forbidden fruit? Conflict of interests?

He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. How could he
not
become personally involved with a woman like this? He’d never expected the woman to be tantalizing in the least.

His face darkened. Nor how dangerous the case could get.

To Dave’s surprise, the phone rang before he reached the couch. He glanced at his watch. Four A.M. “Hello?”

“Hi, Dave. Is everything going all right over there?” Marilyn asked, the night owl of the bunch.

Dave looked over his shoulder at his bedroom. “She had a break-in and is staying with me.”

“Should I keep Charlie—”

“Yeah, keep him occupied the rest of the day. I’ll be sure to keep an eye on his sister. And lighten up on her a bit. She’s already suspicious about you.”

“Can’t help it. You know me. I don’t get along with women, never have.”

“Well,
try
. We don’t want her breaking your cover. No telling where Charlie will run to next if he thinks he’s endangering his sister and—”

“All right, enough with the lecture. Call you much later.”

Dave hung up the phone and smiled. Good, Charlie’s out of the way for the day…that means just you and me, Deidre. And Bill. But he’d be on shore waiting.

***

Deidre stretched her arms above her head early the next afternoon, then opened her eyes and gasped. Disoriented for a second, she studied the black bed linens, then groaned. She was at Dave’s place, without a thing to wear. No makeup, her hair must be a matted mess, and she definitely couldn’t breathe on a soul before she brushed her teeth.

She pulled her coverlet aside and frowned to see she wasn’t wearing Dave’s shirt any longer. Poking under the covers, she couldn’t find any sign of it. She peered over the bed.

It lay in a crumpled mess on the floor. She slipped out of bed and pulled the shirt on as pans rattled in the kitchen.

Sneaking into his bathroom, she closed the door behind her. Expecting the worst, she gritted her teeth and stole to the mirror.

A glimpse of light blue shadow filled the crevice of her eyelids. To her surprise, her blue eyes were clear and bright, not bloodshot after her wild night. She ran her fingers through her silky hair. Movie makers who showed women looking sexy the morning after were a bunch of knuckleheads.

She pulled a tube of toothpaste out of a drawer and dabbed a large blob on her finger, then squished it around her teeth. Ugh, they still felt terrible. Searching under the cabinet-enclosed sink, she found a bottle of mouthwash. She gargled and swallowed half of it when Dave rapped on the door.

Choking and coughing, she managed to spit the rest out.

“Deidre?”

“I’m all right, Dave. I’ll only be a moment.” She wiped the cherry drool from her chin.

If she could have found a secret tunnel from his place to hers, she would have crawled back home in a heartbeat. She didn’t want anyone to see her looking like this—not even a dog, if she’d owned one.

“I’m fixing omelets. Do you like cheese and ham on them?”

The cowboy cooks. “Yes, that would be fine. Do you think I might return to my apartment and get dressed first—”

“Charlie’s not home yet. And the eggs are almost done.”

She searched through his cabinet drawers as his footsteps faded away. A comb…wouldn’t do a lot for her hair, but maybe a couple of rakes would help. She studied her eyelashes still darkened with mascara. At least she didn’t look totally pale and washed out.

“Food’s ready!”

When she walked into the dining area, she smiled to see fresh flowers on the table. She turned as Dave cradled two plates of omelets garnished with freshly sliced oranges. She studied the dishes. “Were you a gourmet cook in another life?”

“Nah, my mother always said if you’re going to make a meal, do it with a special touch.”

Deidre slipped into one of the chairs. “I want you to know I don’t normally eat breakfast with a neighbor dressed like this.”

His impeccable appearance, washed, shaved, ready to tackle the day in his red T-shirt and denim shorts, made her cringe to think how he saw her.

His cheeks dimpled as he considered her appearance. “Loveliest breakfast companion I’ve ever had. Coffee?”

“Be great…with a lot of milk and one teaspoon of sugar.”

He brought the cups to the table and waited while she sipped hers.

“Just right.” Poking a fork into her eggs, she said, “I hope you didn’t have too rough a time last night.”

“Slept like a bear in hibernation.”

“Good.” She looped her finger around the cup’s handle. “You say Charlie’s not home yet?”

“Yeah. I ran over there this morning to see if he had returned. But he hadn’t.”

“Shoot. Do you have my keys?”

“Grabbed your purse while the police were fingerprinting your room. Should have mentioned it. It’s lying over there by the couch.”

“Oh.” She’d been so busy taking note of the policemen’s appearance, she hadn’t noticed Dave with her purse.