Kat Attalla Special Edition (2 page)

What tipped them off?

“What did the captain say?” Daniels asked.

“Follow her. Find out who she is, where she lives. Johnson and Diggs are on Becker.” He reached for the door and slid into the driver’s seat.

“Maybe they’ll meet up tonight and we can head back to
Boston
by morning.”

“Not bloody likely.” Erik wanted to get back to
Boston
more than his partner but he didn’t count on it. Becker wasn’t stupid. He wouldn’t make a move until he knew the lay of the land. Erik shoved his hands into his pockets and reined in his disappointment. He’d hoped to wrap up this case today and begin a much needed vacation.

* * * *

Elaine McMillan strutted into the studio apartment with a bottle of Cristal champagne tucked under her arm. She yanked off the blonde wig and shoved it into the outside compartment of her overnight bag. With a shake of her head, her brown hair settled on her shoulders. Eventually she would get used to the blunt style, or better yet, she would take herself to the best salon in
New York City
for a makeover. She could afford it soon. Sliding her hand into her uniform pocket, she pulled out the compact disc and grinned at her ticket out of this crappy neighborhood. What were the contents worth to the elusive Mr. Becker? She took all the risk; she deserved more than a lousy grand for her trouble.

She dropped her case on the floor and kicked off her shoes.
Mission
accomplished. For once, Eddie called it right. He wasn’t good for much … well, except incredible sex. This time, his surprisingly ingenious plan worked. Of course, her ass would be hauled off to the slammer if she got caught, but since he knew the contacts, they were financial partners. If she made enough to leave this hellhole, she didn’t care if she partnered with Satan himself.

Eddie, sprawled across the daybed when she entered, didn’t bother to get up to greet her. He’d taken her for granted one too many times. When their business concluded, he would be history. “How did it go?” he asked.

“Piece of cake,” she said, snapping her fingers. “
Champagne
?”

“Toss me a brew.”

She shook her head. The man had no class and even less ambition.

“I take it you had no trouble finding a sucker?” he asked.

“Nope.” She popped the top of the champagne and sucked down a long gulp from the bottle. “No trouble at all.”

Easy. Too damned easy. She attributed the queasy feeling in her stomach to jetlag rather than guilt. Victoria Jansen made the perfect pawn. A college professor without an ounce of street smarts. The woman was too naïve to live. Certain people just begged to be victims. Elaine took another swig of the cool bubbly liquid. She finally got a shot at real money. She didn’t need to discover her conscience now.

Someone bought her a ticket to paradise and paid her a grand to return with the disc. It must contain valuable information.

“Hey, babe. You done good.” Eddie rose from the bed, naked and fully erect. Easy money turned him on even more than hot sex. He probably figured he would get both tonight. He took her hand in his, kissed the back, and then lowered it to his rock solid shaft. “We’ve missed you.”

She wasn’t surprised he thought of his penis as a separate person, since it did all the thinking for them. As she fondled the brains of the dynamic duo, she tried to rid herself of the nagging doubts eating away at her.

She tightened her fingers around the full length of him. “What happens if Becker goes after the woman?”

With a groan, he ripped at the buttons of her white uniform and pushed her bra up. “That’s the idea.”

“I mean what if she gets hurt?”

“Better her than you,” he muttered before closing his mouth over her breast. He sucked the tip until her nipple was taut and throbbing. God, how she wanted him to take her so she wouldn’t have to think about what she’d done. Just let go and give into the physical release so she could obliterate the image of that trusting woman thanking her for the flower.

“You said no one would get hurt.”

His fingers slipped into her panties, finding the dampness between her legs. “Don’t get soft on me, babe.” He stroked the sensitive bud, the one spot that drove her wild. The erotic pulse point no other lover had discovered in her. Oh, yes, he knew how to distract her.

“Don’t get soft on me either.”

“Have I ever?” His conceit was not without merit. He could stay harder for longer than any man she’d known. She would miss this when she left, but not enough to stay. Once their business concluded, she wanted him out of her life. She could easily live without Eddie, but would she be able to live with herself?

* * * *

Victoria
awoke to a host of unfamiliar noises. With a grunt, she snuggled deeper into the covers and tried to ignore the infernal racket coming from the street. Even after a night’s sleep, jetlag still wracked her body. An accident closed the highway last night, so her normal forty minute ride from the airport took over two hours. By the time she arrived home, she’d fallen into bed without changing her clothes.

A blast of cold air hit her when she threw back the down comforter. She’d forgotten to reset the thermostat upon her return. A hot cup of coffee would warm the chill and give her a much-needed shot of caffeine. She glanced out the window at the water company truck parked across the street and the two men working a machine that made an ungodly clanking sound. She crawled out of the bed and slipped her feet into a pair of fuzzy slippers.

On her way down the hall, the doorbell startled her. Who would be calling this early? She staggered across the living room and opened the door before she remembered her appearance. Her dress, completely wrinkled, hung limply on her body. Self-consciously she touched her hair, smoothing the tousled mass. She could only imagine what kind of a sight she made for the man standing on her porch.

Inhaling deeply, she tried to muster her dignity. “May I help you?”

His arresting blue eyes sparked with amusement. Crisp, khaki coveralls hugged his broad shoulders and narrow waist. His wavy brown hair, tied in a ponytail, revealed deep chiseled features that would definitely get him a second look from most women.

His smile sent her pulse racing. “Water Authority, ma’am. We’re experiencing a problem in the area.” His deep voice touched like a tender caress. A tropical heat wave washed over her, caused in part by the quickening of her heart rate.

She shook her head. What was the matter with her? She’d never experienced such an intense reaction to a man before. Next she’d be having fantasies about the mailman. “Are you telling me I don’t have water?”

“Could be more serious. Your neighbors have complained that surges in water pressure caused their water pipes to break. Would it be all right if I checked your basement?”

The man did have an identification card pinned to his chest. Erik Sanders, employee of the Windsor Water Authority. Perhaps her short stint working in the defense industry left her wary, or maybe she possessed a naturally suspicious nature, but something told her Erik Sanders, striking blue eyes and all, posed a danger. Maybe not to her health, but certainly to her peace of mind.

“I don’t see how water surges could exert enough pressure to my water lines to cause a break in solid copper. More likely the old water main under the street would give way. Do you realize how many pounds of pressure those surges would have to exert?” She began mentally calculating.

“Have it your way, ma’am,” he said, looking slightly surprised and annoyed at the same time. “But if there is a problem, and you didn’t allow me to check, we can’t be held responsible for the damages.”

And if there wasn’t a problem,
Victoria
worried that he would manufacture one to stick her with a huge bill. Single women fell prey to con men every day. Last time she called a plumber, it cost her half a week’s paycheck just to fix a leaky faucet. “I’ll go have a look and if there’s a problem I’ll let you know.”

“When you test it, make sure you turn the water on slowly,” he called out through the storm door.

She ran down her basement stairs to the utility room. A cold draft gave her goose bumps. From the basket of folded laundry, she pulled a pair of brown slacks and a cream-colored cotton pullover. After a quick change, she inspected the pipes. Not that she knew what to look for, but everything seemed normal to her. Just to make sure, she flipped on a faucet.

Chapter Two

Erik rested his shoulder against a support beam while he waited for the expected result. A shriek, several colorful, yet very ladylike, exclamations, and one door banging later, he knew she’d finally tested the water. He grinned. “We’re in business,” he radioed to his partner.

He glanced at his identification tag. His cover as a water company employee got him into the main house. For a few seconds there, he wasn’t sure it would be enough.

Did she actually know how many pounds of pressure per square inch would blow a residential water line? Few people understood hydrodynamic formulas. She wouldn’t gain that kind of information watching Jeopardy. Daniels was running a check to see what the lady did, aside from transporting secrets around.

Moments later,
Victoria
returned to the living room, her huge brown eyes rounded in surprise and embarrassment. Water dripped from every inch of her and formed a pool around her feet. He ignored the passing flash of guilt. Perhaps he’d gone too far when he’d loosened those pipes in her basement this morning, but he had warned her to turn on the water slowly.

She opened the door and motioned for him to come inside. Her pullover clung strategically to her breasts, and her wet slacks molded to her long legs. Erik couldn’t decide which he liked more––her rolled-out-of-bed look or the wet-t-shirt look. Both made an impression on him. Quite a change from the prim, if somewhat klutzy, woman he’d staked out in the airport last night.

He grabbed his toolbox and stepped inside the tiled foyer. “It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to shut you down. Then I can check all the pipes throughout the house.”

“And how much is this going to cost me?” she asked while pushing the damp strands of hair back from her face.

“Nothing at all. The Water Authority will take care of everything. I told you, this is an area wide problem.”

A crystal chandelier above cast an ethereal light over her. Silver droplets rolled down her neck and throat, disappearing into the plunging V of her pullover weighted down with water. He shifted to relieve the tightening in his groin. His work brought him into contact with plenty of attractive women. Cunning, manipulative females who knew how to cash in on their assets. What made this one different? Apparently, he needed to get laid if this bedraggled, waterlogged suspect could turn him on.

She seemed unconvinced of his claim, but she shrugged and led him through the house. So she had a suspicious nature. He’d worry, too, if he were sitting on a disc containing illegally obtained, secret government research. Research worth millions to the right party … if the disc hadn’t been deliberately corrupted by the NSB before it left the bio-nuclear lab.

He followed
Victoria
down the hall. Her feet swished against the parquet floor. Water dripped off her clothes. She wrapped her arms around her trembling body. His gaze zeroed in on the soft sway of her hips as she moved gracefully in front of him. She was a wet dream in more ways than one.

Suddenly she slipped. Her legs gave way beneath her, and she ended up in a split that would do a high school cheerleader proud. He marveled at her amazing flexibility and thought fleetingly how she could use that kind of talent.

His pained groan echoed hers. He shook his head to clear the erotic thoughts and moved to help her.

“I’m fine,” she grumbled, waving him off.

Although he tried to stop, he ended up hydroplaning on the slick water. To avoid her, he braced his hands against the wall. He wavered but remained upright. Damn. The woman was a jinx. He deserved hazard pay for this case.

She brought her legs together and scrambled to her feet. When she noticed the way the damp fabric of her shirt clung to her breasts, revealing her puckered nipples, she pulled at the material. Her cheeks flushed a bright shade of red. She shivered and folded her arms across her chest. How had a skittish woman like her gotten mixed up in Becker’s ring?

“The basement is down those steps,” she muttered, pointing to the staircase.

“I’ll have to shut your water down for a while.”

She rolled her shoulders in an indifferent shrug and walked gingerly towards the kitchen.

Erik picked up the tools and went down to the basement. Water gushed from the pipes. He flipped off the main valve before going to the utility room to check out the damages. His boss warned him to keep the destruction to a minimum. The department was still reeling from the Porsche that went up in flames on a previous case. His superiors found little consolation in the fact that Erik escaped with his life.