Bound by Danger (8 page)

“Did you sleep all right?”

“Considering.”

His gaze remained intense. “Did you have any nightmares?”

“Don’t recall. Guess I must have been so exhausted, I slept the night through.”

Dave looked over at the patio.

“I should have gotten that woman’s phone number so I could call Charlie.” She sighed. “He should know what happened—”

“We’ll leave a note for him at your place.”

“But, don’t you think we should wait for him—”

“It’s nearly three.”

“All right, but I’ve got to take a shower.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“That won’t be nece—”

“I’ll park myself on your sofa. While you’re showering, if Charlie calls or drops by, I can let him know what’s up.”

She nodded. She’d never figured in a million years, the day she’d spent with Dave would turn in to an all-nighter and then continue the whole rest of her weekend. “The eggs are delicious. I couldn’t have done a better job.” She fingered a slice of orange.

“How’s your hand feeling?”

“Much better, thank you.”

She finished her breakfast, then waited as Dave drank the rest of his coffee.

“Want another cup, Deidre?”

“No, thanks. Listen, are you sure I can’t return to my apartment alone? I mean, you could open my door for me and I’d dart across the open landing so nobody would see my strange attire, and—”

“Nothing doing.” He touched her bandaged hand. “Wouldn’t want whoever nicked you to do something worse the next time.”

Deidre studied her lightly polished pink fingernails. “I don’t think he had the right place.”

“Maybe it’s something that your brother had…”

She turned quickly to Dave.
Charlie.
What could he have that someone might have wanted? Her heart raced. What had Charlie been up to the last several months? She rubbed her temple as she stared at the table.

Dave touched her fingers as if trying to coax something out of her. She shook her head. “The man broke into the wrong place.” She rose from the chair. “Maybe I ought to hang around for Charlie.”

“We’ll leave a note.” Dave grabbed the dishes and crossed the floor to the kitchen.

She walked across the living room and reached for her purse, then turned to see him watching her. “Did you want to do the dishes while I’m taking my shower, and then join me later?”

“No. Wait a minute.” He hurried over to the couch and pulled the gun from under the pillow he’d been sleeping against.

She wasn’t sure whether he just acted paranoid or really believed someone wished her harm. Then again, being in the military police probably made him wary of situations like this. She handed him her keys and waited while he unlocked her door. As soon as he motioned to her, she slammed his door shut and dashed across the landing.

He grinned at her, then peeked out the door. “Not a soul saw you.”

“Thank goodness for that. Just across the complex lives one of the guys I work with. It wouldn’t do for word to get around post I spent the night at my neighbor’s apartment.”

Dave smiled broadly. “Just being neighborly.”

Deidre grabbed up a cushion to the couch lying on the carpeted floor, then noticed Dave studying her legs. “Uh, I guess you can tidy the cushions, while I get ready.”

He grinned. “Certainly.”

If his past performance was anything like how he normally acted, it wasn’t like him not to rush to help her. She assumed he enjoyed the view way too much.

After a welcome shower, she slipped into her bathing suit. She pulled on shorts and a T-shirt.

Dave placed her phone book back in its drawer as she walked into the kitchen.

“Do you want to take an ice chest, Dave?”

“Ice chest?”

“Sure, for cold drinks.”

“I’ll get the ice out.” He pulled the tray from the automatic icemaker.

She grabbed the ice chest out of her coat closet. “Soft drinks or spring water?”

“Water’s fine with me.”

He hurried to fill up the ice chest while she applied lipstick to her lips. “I’ve got sunscreen and a towel, plus a change of clothes.”

“I have a bag waiting.” He hesitated to leave her alone.

“I’ll be fine, Dave. I’ll scribble a note to Charlie.”

“All right, but don’t—”

The phone rang, and she glanced down at the Caller ID. Marilyn Johnson. She grabbed up the phone. “Hello?”

“Hi, Deidre, it’s me checking—”

“Charlie! I was worried—”

“Sorry, Deidre. I planned to spend the afternoon with Marilyn. Take a drive around and show her some properties.”

Right
. “Okay, Charlie. I’m going boating with Dave. Did you want to come, too?” She just
couldn’t
ask if Marilyn wanted to go also.

“No, I’ll take a rain check.”

“Charlie…” She wanted to tell him what had happened but fearful he might have something the thief wanted and with Dave listening in, she hesitated. Turning her head away from Dave, she said, “Somebody broke into my apartment this morning.”

“Are you okay? Did you want me to come home?”

“No, I’m all right. I don’t think the thief’s going to be feeling really well for a while.” She lowered her voice. “Charlie, the police think the man was after something.
You
didn’t have anything here that he might have wanted, did you?”

“No, not me. I mean, I ran into a bit of trouble on my last job, but I don’t have anything anybody would want to steal. I’ll talk to you about that later. Marilyn’s coming.”

“Charlie—”

“Got to go, Sis.”

Deidre hung up her phone and sighed deeply. Knowing her brother, he had no clue as to what kind of a mess he was in now. She had to find out what his previous job entailed. Was this Marilyn Johnson in cahoots with the thief? Deidre had assumed her brother was safe away from her place. Now she wasn’t so sure.

“Is everything all right?” Dave asked.

His concerned look made her realize she’d been puzzling over the matter, deep in thought for several seconds. “Do you think this Ms. Johnson could wish Charlie harm?”

***

Dave tried to conceal his feelings. Here his partner was attempting to protect Charlie, just as he served as Deidre’s guardian angel. How could he ease her mind, concerning Marilyn without giving their case away? He sensed she hadn’t liked Marilyn from the beginning, but he hadn’t realized she’d come to the conclusion Marilyn wanted to harm her brother.

“She probably wants to get a head start on looking for some commercial property.” He grabbed the ice chest and led Deidre to the door. “It would be good money for him and a nice start to his new job.”

She nodded. “That’s what Charlie said. I’m really glad he has a job with the real estate office in town. With a first sale nearly under his belt, he’ll do all right.” She muttered under her breath, “Sure, as if she’s the
real
thing.”

Dave secured his bag from his apartment, then walked with her to his truck. She shook her head when she saw the red super cab. He smiled. “Don’t like pickups? No bucket seats…that’s what I like best about them.” He pointed to the seatbelt next to him and patted the seat. “Pickups are more sociable.”

She chuckled. “So that’s why men like these rigs…for pick-ups.”

Dave laughed. She sure was the genuine thing. Funny, gorgeously sexy—totally unattached—and for the moment, all his. He cleared his throat. Better get his mind on business.

He was dying to find out what Charlie said about the break-in, but he worried he’d scare Deidre off. She was protective of her brother, and he knew handling the matter would require kid gloves.

Still when he proposed the question, he knew at once he hadn’t managed the situation well. “Did your brother have any clues about the break-in?”

***

Deidre stared out the windshield in silence. Her thoughts focused a million miles away. A man dripping wet and frightened out of his wits filled her vision. Something deadly circled him, and he waited for death.

“Deidre?” Dave patted her hand, waking her from her trance.

Deidre learned long ago, she could still concentrate on her driving although a vision distracted her mind. It was as though she had two minds working at once—one in a daydream while the other sorted out reality. If anyone had asked her what she had passed on the road during one of her visions, however, she wouldn’t have a clue.

She faced Dave. He must have asked her a question. “I’m sorry, what did you ask?”

He cleared his throat. “You mentioned the break-in to Charlie. What did he say?”

“He was just concerned for my safety.” She knew he wanted more of an answer, but she wasn’t willing to go any further.

“Did he have a clue as to what the man was looking for?”

“No.” She hadn’t lied. Charlie said he didn’t have anything anyone would want. Her brother wasn’t a prevaricator. She believed him. The problem was, he probably did have something that somebody desperately wanted, only Charlie didn’t know it. She had to find out what he’d been involved in before he dropped back into her life.

“You hadn’t seen Charlie for several months. Are you certain he might not have gotten hold of something that somebody might want—”

“Who, what, when, where, and why.”

“Huh?”

“You’re a reporter. I keep forgetting.”

Dave scratched his temple. “Sorry, I guess I do sort of sound like a reporter. No, I’m trying to help figure out what the man would have been looking for. I’m concerned the thief might return—”

“He was at the wrong apartment.”

She closed her eyes and rested her cheek against his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her.

“I guess you’re still a bit tired from last night.”

She nodded. Actually, she wanted to concentrate further on the vision. The more details she could see, the more she could help the man who was in trouble.

The man’s short-cropped hair made her assume he served in the military. She didn’t like rescuing military personnel. A case or two wouldn’t have aroused much suspicion, but she’d already saved four men’s lives on separate occasions at Fort Hood during the year. She was certain word would soon catch her boss’s ear.

But this man swam off-post, dripping wet with water lapping at his chin. He treaded water in the lake. But what circled the man that could end his life? A shark?

No sharks in the lake last she’d heard. She snuggled closer to Dave’s shoulder and his fingers tightened on her.

He sure felt good. She wanted nothing more than to curl up with him in his black sheets and share the space as one.

Then the man in the water cried out. He would die if she didn’t save him. Somehow she had to rescue him, but where was he? And when would it happen?

***

Not until Deidre met the dark-haired friend of Dave’s who off-loaded his ski boat from the trailer into the water, did she begin to think about Dave’s statement. He was new to the neighborhood and didn’t know anyone. Maybe he meant in Killeen. Still, she pondered the notion. Once she was alone with Dave, she had some questions to ask him.

The man appeared to be about Dave’s age, late twenties. He wore jeans, cowboy boots and a western shirt with a beeper attached to his belt. His attire was more suitable for western rodeo day than boating. A definite twinkle of amusement sparkled in his eye as he considered his friend and her.

“Dave said you wouldn’t need the skis because you didn’t have a spotter with you,” the man said.

“Bill Hummer,” Dave said belatedly.

Deidre yawned inadvertently. Her cheeks warmed as the two men studied her. “Sorry, bit of a late night. Don’t know how to ski.”

“We’ll have to take that brother of yours with us sometime, and I’ll show you how to waterski.” Dave tugged at her arm as he led her to the boat. He loaded the ice chest and their bags, then waved at his friend.

Deidre laid her towel over the hot vinyl seat, then slipped out of her shorts. She turned to see Dave watching her, and she sat on the seat.

He backed the boat into the lake and waved again at Bill, who still stood observing them from the shore.

“Known him long?” Deidre applied sunscreen to her legs.

When Dave didn’t answer her, she looked up to see him studying her movements with interest. She smiled. “Shouldn’t you keep your eyes on the water?”

“Wide open spaces—no people, no boats for miles.” He waved his hand at the lake.

She studied the water, dark and rippled with the breeze. Then she slipped her sandals off and smoothed sunscreen over the top of her feet. She caught him looking at her again. “They often get burned.” She pulled off her shirt and tucked it into her bag. “So where are we going?”

“To that island over there. We can swim around that cove.”

“Just like the Hawaiian Islands.”

He chuckled. “The beaches aren’t white sugar like the Hawaiian shores…and you can’t see a lick of anything in the water here.”

“Never been to Hawaii, but I can dream.”

When they drew close to the island, he weighed anchor. “Want to swim over there?”

“Sounds like fun. I’ve been here a year already and never been to any of the lakes.”

She dove in, surfaced, then turned to see him diving into the water. The water felt refreshingly cool on her skin on the hot sunny afternoon. They swam side by side. When they reached the shore, they climbed out.

Deidre sat on the beach and dug her fingers into the wet sand. “You’re right, not sugar white sand.” With two handfuls of gray granules, she began to build a castle.

Dave watched her, then hurried to help.

She smiled. “What do you think? Four towers or should we be really outrageous and make twelve?”

He laughed. “Go for broke.”

“Twelve it is.”

For over an hour, they worked on the castle of their dreams, then Deidre considered Dave’s toned ripped abs. Not a speck of sand graced his hard muscles whereas she had crystals of sand on nearly every inch of her body. It wasn’t fair he could be so clean.

She scooped up the biggest wet ball of sand she could manage and gave a little toss at his stomach as he formed the last of the towers.

Chapter 7

For a second, Dave stared at Deidre, startled. She could tell by his shocked expression that he couldn’t believe she’d tossed a ball of damp sand on him. He must never have had a sibling to play with at the beach. His mouth curved up as his eyes took on a devilish glint. She knew before he grabbed for her that he planned to pay her back. And
not
with a handful of sand.