Kill Shot (25 page)
“But whose money was it?”
He quirked a smile at her. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Yes, I would.”
He grunted and circled his fingers around the back of her neck, softly stroking her skin and raising gooseflesh at the same time. Luka lifted her chin with his other hand, all the while gazing intently into her eyes.
Her heart beat a drum solo against her ribs as she gazed into his dangerous green eyes.
He’s come to kill me.
Hypnotically he stared as he lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers.
Against her will, Micki closed her eyes and surrendered to the seductive power he held over her. As his tongue invaded her mouth, Micki felt like she was falling. A tiny moan escaped her throat as he pressed her against his lean, muscular frame. He kissed her like he was devouring her.
He pulled back from the kiss, but held her, gripped against the length of him.
“I see you got you a pretty ring now. Did your cop come through for you?”
Micki nodded her head, unable to tear her gaze away from the yellow flecked eyes that held her in thrall.
“He’s a lucky fellow but, just in case it don’t work out. . .remember this.” He kissed her again with a hunger that spoke of his loneliness.
When his lips left hers, she took a deep breath and slowly released it. “You’re not mad at me?” she asked.
“Nah, Chickie. I’m not mad. You did what you had to do.”
“Why are you here?” she asked, in a breathy voice.
He grinned at her and kissed her cheek close to her mouth. “I wanted you to know you got options.”
“Options?”
“Yeah.” He cast a glance around the apartment. “Chickie, you deserve a lot better than this. I can give you so much more.”
“I...I don’t want more,” she said.
“Oh, yes you do. You an’ me are the same. You want to travel and see what’s out there.”
Micki nodded, unable to speak.
“I want to show it to you. I want to buy it for you.” He brushed her jaw line with the back of his fingers but his other arm held her in a vise.
“No, I...”
“Don’t worry, Chickie. I don’t expect you to come with me now, but when you’re bored with all this and wonder what else there is, remember me.” He flipped a card from his shirt pocket and held it up with two fingers. “You can always reach me here.” He tucked the card inside her bra, allowing his fingers to linger against her soft skin. He kissed her mouth again, and then her neck, his lips pressed against her rapid pulse.
“Why me?” she asked.
“Intense physical attraction,” he whispered against her ear. “And you’re not afraid of me. You know who I am and what I do, but you’re not afraid of me.”
“Who says I’m not afraid?”
He chuckled, deep in his chest. “What you’re feelin’ isn’t fear,” he said. “I excite you and you excite me, Chickie. You make my heart beat just as fast as I make yours.”
“Why do you call me Chickie?”
“Because nobody else does. I want to be different.”
Micki felt a gurgle of laughter roil up from her belly and out her throat. “You’re all that.”
Luka was grinning at her. “See, you can relax with me. I’ll take care of you and show you the world.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“You do that.” He released her and then leaned back to kiss her softly. “Good bye, Chickie. I’m leavin’ town but I’ll come for you anytime, anywhere, any place you name.” He slipped quietly out the door.
Micki swayed gently and then turned the dead bolt into place, leaning against the door with her eyes closed.
She removed the card from her bra and slid down to the floor, clasping her arms around her bent knees and dropping her head on them. She remained, crunched into a tight ball, not even breathing. After a moment, she raised her head and looked at Luka’s message. In bold print, it read
Extermination Services
and listed an eight-hundred number. On the back, Luka had written in neat, squared block printing,
I’ll be waiting for you.
A shiver ran down Micki’s spine. A nervous giggle burst forth, followed by a laugh. She laughed until tears ran down her cheeks.
#
When Oz got back to the station, Qualls was grinning at him. “How was lunch?”
Oz grinned, a blush creeping up his neck to betray his deeds. “It was delicious, sir.”
“Glad to hear it. You may not be so happy when you hear that Phillip Luka was released a few hours ago.”
“He was released?” Oz asked. A sick feeling curled in his gut. “I don’t understand.”
“The lawyer got him released on bail.”
“He assaulted me,” Oz said.
“Half million dollar bail.” Qualls looked at him speculatively. “Now who would have thought he’d have that kind of cash available?”
“He only had to come up with ten percent,” Oz said.
“But still, that’s fifty thou.”
“He’s in the wind, sir,” Oz said. “He’s not coming back.”
“Why should he. What does he have to come back to?”
“Oh, my God! Micki.” Oz reached for his cell and when she answered he sighed in relief.
“Oz?” Her voice sounded strange.
“Are you alright?”
“Funny you should ask,” she said. “I had a visitor right after you left.”
“Is he there now?” Oz headed for the exit.
“No, he left.”
“Did he hurt you?” There was a long silence.
“No,” she said finally. “Luka didn’t hurt me exactly.”
“What exactly did he do?”
He heard her take a deep breath and expel it. “He made me an offer.”
“I’m coming home,” he said.
“I’m okay, Oz,” she said.
“A murderer--no, an assassin was alone in our apartment with you and you’re okay?” Oz was in his car and turned on the motor.
A slip of paper sat on the dashboard. Oz turned it over and read the neat engineer’s style block printing.
I could get you anytime. Don’t ever hurt her because I will make you sorry you were born.
A cold prickle of fear brushed the back of his neck. Visions of a car bomb or having his head explode by a high velocity sniper’s bullet momentarily paralyzed him.
“Oz? Are you there?”
He let out a long breath. “Yeah, Micki, I’m here.”
“I thought I’d lost you there for a moment.”
“Yeah, me too.” He drove to the apartment as quickly as he could get through traffic.
#
When Oz burst through the door he looked like a charging bull.
Micki was sitting on the sofa waiting for him. She half rose from where she’d been but Oz snatched her up into a fierce bear hug.
“I’m alright,” she whispered, clutching him in return.
“Please don’t tell me you opened the door for him.”
“He...He rang the bell right after you’d left. I thought you’d forgotten something.”
“Phillip Luka is a dangerous man. He kills people for a living.”
“He didn’t hurt me,” she said.
“What did he do?” There was an odd tone to Oz’ voice.
“He kissed me.” Micki felt every muscle in Oz’ body tense against hers.
“He what?” He pulled back, his face a picture of rage.
“It was only a kiss. He could have killed me, tossed me out the window or kidnapped me.” She watched as her words sank in on him.
He released her abruptly. “What happened? Tell me everything.” Oz paced back and forth, massaging the muscles in the back of his neck as she looked on.
Micki sighed and led Oz to the sofa, where she did tell him everything, heavily edited. She didn’t tell him that Luka kissed her a lot and that it wasn’t entirely repulsive to her.
“He’s not coming back,” she said.
“It sounds like he’s really into you,” Oz growled.
“But, I’m really into you.”
“Micki, I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost you.” He held her face in both hands. “I mean, I know what it feels like to lose you and now you’re telling me that some psycho has a crush on you.”
“You’re not going to lose me.” She buried her face in his jacket.
“You bet your sweet butt, I’m not.” Oz lifted her off her feet. “Because I’m going to buy us a house with a lot of land and dig a moat all around it.”
“Dragon in the moat?”
“Big one.”
Micki was laughing, but the house with the moat was beginning to sound suspiciously like a box.
#
Reluctantly, Oz returned to the station house. His fingers gripped the steering wheel as he drove and he kept glancing in the rear view mirror.
No reason to get spooked. My fiancé has a crazy stalker who could take me out any time he wants. No reason to worry.
Oz turned into the parking area behind the station and parked where his car could be seen. He locked his car and vowed to have the electric lock on the driver’s side repaired.
“What’s up, Oz?” Vinnie asked when he walked inside. “You and Micki on the outs again?”
“No. No, we’re good.”
“Something’s wrong, man. You can tell me.”
“It’s Luka. He went to my place and scared Micki. He told her he was leaving town, but I feel like I’m looking over my shoulder.” Oz slammed his fist into a nearby door jamb, causing several people to jump. “The creep left a note inside my car.”
“I can’t believe they let him out on bail. Apparently it’s no big deal to assault a cop.”
“I’m not hurt. That’s probably why.” Oz shook his head. “I should be grateful to the guy for not shooting me in the head.”
“What about the body behind the spa? Do you think Luka did him?” Vinnie asked.
“Luka was still in custody at Best’s time of death,” Oz said. “Luka’s lawyer, who is also the Jobe’s lawyer, posted his bail.” He cocked his head and gave Vinnie a tight little smile. “What if the lawyer used Jobe money and not Luka’s?”
“That could be, but how would we find out?”
Oz knocked on the glass inset in Lieutenant Qualls office door. “Sir, can I have a minute?”
“Sure, Oz. My door is always open.” He motioned to a seat. Vinnie slipped in and took the other chair.
“Is it possible to find out if Hobart or Laurel Jobe posted the fifty thousand dollars for Luka’s bail?”
“We can get a forensic accountant to look over the Jobe’s bank accounts. Surely they have that much sitting around in liquid assets.”
“Or we could just get Aida to hack in and take a look at their bank accounts. Otherwise, it’s going to take a while to go through channels and get a warrant.” Oz spread his palms in a hopeful gesture.
Leaning back in his chair, Qualls laced his fingers together behind his head. “How would it be if you ask Aida and I don’t know anything about it?”
Oz nodded and rose at the same time. He almost ran to Aida’s office and after ten minutes of pounding on the keyboard, she located the transaction. Fifty thousand was moved from one of Hobart Jobe’s personal accounts to that of the law firm in which Marshall Keanes was a partner.
“There it is,” she said.
“Could you print that out for me?” Oz asked.
She grinned at him over her glasses. “I could if I was here, but, of course, I’m not.”
He looked at her blankly.
“I’m teasing.” She printed a few pages of data and handed it to him. “You didn’t get this from me.”
When Oz showed the results to Qualls, he issued a pick up order on Hobart Jobe.
“Man, you don’t know how much I hate to do this again,” Oz said.
Vinnie drove the patrol car and Oz road shotgun. The nervous vibe thrumming in the pit of his stomach grew stronger as they neared the Jobe Towers East. They parked and took the elevator to the Jobe penthouse.
When Javier opened the door, Oz was again struck by the thought he’d encountered him in another place, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He asked for Hobart Jobe and was met by an enraged Laurel Jobe instead.
“Haven’t you put us through enough already? My husband isn’t well,” she said.
Lissa stood back, holding young Hobart Jobe the third in her arms. Her eyes held a hollow, sad expression.
