Kat Attalla Special Edition (3 page)

Before beginning, he fixed the window he’d jimmied that morning when he loosened the pipes. An inch of water covered the floor, and a few piles of her laundry got soaked. Otherwise, the room fared rather well. A few hours with a wet/vac should take care of the problem. How would he turn it into a two-day job? Becker was probably getting impatient for his disc. Within forty-eight hours he would come looking for Victoria Jansen.

He leaned against the wall and chuckled. Would he survive the next couple of days? She was the most unique suspect he’d ever dealt with. Her accident-prone personality didn’t jive with that of the corporate Mata Hari he’d expected to bring down. Perhaps Becker chose her for just that reason.

* * * *

Victoria
flopped down on the sofa with a stack of tests in her lap. With classes over until after the Thanksgiving holiday, she needn’t rush, but it filled the time until her water returned. Heck, she couldn’t even make a cup of coffee.

Clanging noises filtered up from the basement. She shifted in her seat. Why did Erik Sanders’s presence make her so uneasy? She’d had workmen in her home before. Of course, none who looked like him.

She could only imagine what kind of impression she’d made on him. Her track record with men would not win her any prizes, but she generally waited until a first date before making a fool of herself. Unless the topic of conversation centered on physics, she came across awkward and shy. And the more attraction she felt towards a man, the more awkward she became. She recalled one unlucky date that’d wound up with several stitches. Over the years,
Victoria
realized it was safer for her ego and the health of the male population to steer clear of romantic situations.

So, why waste time daydreaming about the way the man in her basement filled out a pair of khakis? And the incredible shade of his eyes that turned the color of cobalt when he tried not to laugh at her? It just wasn’t practical, and
Victoria
was nothing if not practical.

She should have listened to Roger and gone on a bird watching expedition. Spending her vacation in Club Med, where relationships formed and changed with the tides, only intensified her painful shyness. Other than her one try at a tennis lesson, which ended when she accidentally struck the instructor with her racket,
Victoria
relegated herself to the role of spectator. Observing all those carefree couples must have corrupted her gray cells. Nothing else would explain her preoccupation with Erik Sanders.

She tucked the red pen behind her ear and grabbed the first test. The occasional banging of pipes prevented her from concentrating on the task. Mr. Sanders made his presence felt. How could she concentrate on mathematical equations while her mind kept drifting to the gorgeous man in her basement? She might as well lie back and enjoy her morning of fantasies.

* * * *

Erik quietly climbed the stairs and stepped into the living room, the gentle hum of the heating system the only sound in the room.
Victoria
slept like a baby on the leather sofa. She’d changed into a pair of black pants and a soft sweater that hugged her gentle curves. A stack of papers resting on her chest rose and fell in a rhythmic motion.

A smile played across her mouth as if she were enjoying a good dream. Her full lips formed a pout that begged to be kissed. In sleep, her expression radiated innocence. The female paradox—the face of an angel and the soul of the she-devil.

He stood next to the sofa and looked at the top page.

Fg=m1m2/d2.

Scribbled notes and a series of mathematical calculations followed beneath. He considered himself well-read, but this information was more technical than any he’d come across. With her fingers gripped tightly on the edges, he couldn’t slide the paper out to get a better look.

While she slept, he planted two listening devices, one in the living room and the other in the kitchen. He started down the hall towards the bedrooms, but she stirred, so he backed off. Eventually, he would find an excuse to make his way down there. He couldn’t afford to get caught entering her room without permission; anyone with something to hide would become suspicious. And he would bet the beguiling
Victoria
possessed many secrets. He needed to check in with his partner and see what the department had turned up on her.

Before leaving, he paused by the sofa again to watch her sleep. Her subtle brand of sensuality could knock a man for a loop before he realized what hit him. He reached out and removed her glasses, placing them on the stack of papers. She wriggled her upturned nose but didn’t wake. He longed to run his hand over the contours of her body and feel her tremble in response.

That’s keeping cool under pressure, Sanders.

He focused on the job at hand, but this case wasn’t clearly black and white. Inconsistencies bothered him. All his instincts told him the woman was innocent. The evidence pointed in another direction. Before he lost all sense of perspective, he slipped out the front door and strode to the utility van.

Daniels opened the door and pulled down his headphones. “Are they all set?”

He sat in the cold vinyl seat and rubbed his hands together in front of the heater. “I haven’t gotten into her room yet.”

“You’re slipping, Sanders. Two hours and you couldn’t get in a woman’s bedroom?”

Erik grunted. “You’re a frigging comedian. What did you find out about Ms. Jansen?”

Daniels chuckled. “Make that
Dr.
Jansen.”

“You can’t be serious?” Erik laughed. “The woman’s a walking disaster. What kind of patients?”

“Students. She’s a physics professor at
Wakeburn
University
.”

“A professor? She seems young.” And not at all like the stodgy teachers he remembered from college. He bet her classes attracted every male on campus, despite the somewhat dry nature of the course. Hell, he’d attend her class just to admire her ass while she wrote on the blackboard.

“Child prodigy,” Daniels read from the folder. “Finished college at seventeen, earned her doctorate at twenty three. And, you’re gonna love this. She spent four years working in a nuclear research lab on a top-secret project for the defense department. All they would say is that she left over philosophical differences.”

“A disgruntled employee?” Erik grabbed the report. Now, that would make more sense. If
Victoria
had felt passionately about an issue and clashed with her superiors over policy….

Good reasons or not, she’d crossed the line between legal protest and illegal action.

Victoria Jansen presented a unique mystery. The department issued information on a need to know basis, and the guys upstairs obviously didn’t feel Erik needed to know. Her project must have required she hold a high security clearance higher than his. What motivated a twenty-seven year old woman to walk away from a lucrative career to teach at this small, obscure college? With her credentials, she could have worked at any one of the top universities.

Her involvement might be deeper than a mere courier. What if Becker wanted her to take a look at the information first? With her background, she would smell a set-up immediately. “I’m going to scrounge up some coffee and then I’d better get back inside.”

“Need help, Romeo?” Daniels razzed.

Eric cringed at the use of his codename. A name linked to a professional reputation he couldn’t seem to live down. “I can handle it.”

Daniels shook his head in warning. “I don’t know. The woman’s got a lethal style.”

In more ways than one, Erik thought. Dr. Jansen had a potent effect on him. He swallowed a groan. A courier or an active participant? Did it really matter? His job demanded he bring all guilty parties to justice. He needed a stiff drink and a cold shower. “I’ll be back later,” he said.

“Don’t turn your back on her.”

Erik shot him a nasty scowl but he understood his partner’s concern.
Victoria
was an accident waiting to happen. Not to mention a disaster in the making if he didn’t get his hormones under control.

* * * *

Victoria
woke up to silence. Blessed quiet and solitude—her two best friends. The Windsor Water Authority had obviously finished with her. Why did she feel disappointed? The absence of a man who’d witnessed her at her most clumsy should be a relief.

She tossed the pile of papers onto the coffee table. Her glasses fell to the floor. Strange. She didn’t remember removing them. Her muscles cramped with fatigue. She still wasn’t back on Eastern Time. That would explain why she couldn’t get her thoughts, or her dreams, off the hunk in the khakis.

Oh, Lord, she was beginning to sound like her students.

Her stomach rumbled. A drop in her blood sugar level must have been making her delirious. She stumbled into the kitchen to check the contents of the freezer. A small lasagna she’d made before leaving for
Mexico
would have to suffice. She still needed to unpack and go food shopping. She popped the aluminum tray into the oven.

From the kitchen window,
Victoria
caught sight of the Water Authority van. She cursed the rush of excitement that made her heart beat faster. None of the men strutting the beaches of
Cancun
in Speedos caused her to lift an eyebrow in interest. Yet this man, whose hair was too long and his eyes too blue, gave her hot flashes?

She found safety in the knowledge that she would probably take him out with one of her frequent accidents before she made too much of a fool of herself. Her brother, Steven, called her “one of the romantically challenged”. If she didn’t put a man to sleep with her endless scientific babble, she invariably embarrassed herself with a klutzy mishap before the goodnight kiss.

She recalled one hearty soul who’d stayed with her through the awkward stage, but then he’d received ample compensation for his time. After Marty’s betrayal … Marty. That wasn’t even his real name. Nothing about him had been real, least of all his feelings for her.

God. Was it really six years ago? It seemed like only yesterday. How they all must have gotten a good laugh at her expense. Anger surged through her. Trust the defense department to do all it could to keep their scientific community happy.

A knock on the back door startled her. She pushed the bitter memories away. Erik Sanders stepped inside carrying a large vacuum. He smiled apologetically. “I was looking for an outside entrance to the basement so I wouldn’t have to trample through your house.”

“There isn’t one.”

The earthy scent of him wafted around her, sending her peripheral nervous system into sensory overload. Humans possessed the unique ability to control their animal impulses, so why did her body respond to his nearness despite her conscious effort to remain immune?

“I know that now.”

She backed herself against the counter. The extra distance didn’t lessen her awareness of him. The room seemed so much smaller with him inside. “I thought you’d finished. The water is back on.”

“Only in your kitchen. As soon as I pump out the water on the floor down there, I’ll take care of the pipe, and you should be all set. Tomorrow at the latest.”

She nodded. “I have a couple of errands to run after lunch. I guess you can leave the door open if you have to go in and out.”

Erik shook his head. “That’s against policy. I’ll just work on another house down the street until you return.”

“I can stay and take care of those errands another day.”

“No, really,” he insisted quickly. “There’s plenty of other work in the area to take care of.”

Normally, she would allow the man to finish his job, but today she wanted to prolong his stay. With a week off from work, she might as well pass the time indulging in scientific research. From a purely academic stand point, the man was a perfect example of physics. When she looked at him, the Big Bang theory came right to mind.

What was she thinking?

Her cheeks burning, she turned towards the oven. Her stocking clad foot caught the edge of the metal appliance. Pain shot through her, and she stifled a cry.

She gripped the counter. “I’ll let you know when I’m leaving,” she tried to force out in a level voice. After a few seconds, the throbbing in her big toe began to fade.

“Okay.” He started down the hall toward the staircase. “Smells good in there.”

With absolutely no direction from her brain, she spoke. “Would you like some lasagna?” She winced. Why would he want to have lunch with Clodzilla?

“If you’re sure there’s enough.”

Her jaw dropped open. He actually accepted. The man was either incredibly brave or starving. Maybe a little of both. “I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

* * * *

Erik tramped down the basement stairs, grinning like a fool. He thought for sure she’d seen him tampering with the phone lines outside her kitchen window. His feeble excuse about looking for an outside entrance wouldn’t fool a twelve-year-old, yet she seemed oblivious to the lie. She’d asked him to lunch, for God’s sake. Daniels probably busted his gut laughing when he heard her invitation. Erik regretted planting the bugs in her kitchen and dining room. Their entire conversation would be recorded and listened to. That never bothered him before. Why now?