Killer Career (12 page)

That wasn’t her job. She’d been through enough. He could handle
it on his own. All he had to do was concentrate.

Suddenly, like a shockwave, it gripped him. He remembered, but wished
he hadn’t.

“I know what happened.”

They turned to look at him.

Haltingly he told the story about how he’d glided along on green
lights until he’d turned onto Madison. Ahead was a red. He pressed
the brake, but it didn’t catch. He pressed harder, but the car kept
moving.

The streets were jammed. He saw nowhere to turn, yet the car sped on.

His heart stopped as a Cavalier loomed ahead at the intersection. He
glimpsed the driver’s scared face right before the glass flew. He
was yanked forward. His chest crashed into the steering wheel. His
head hit the windshield. Pain -- then darkness.

Sounds from the doorway interrupted Dade’s account.

“Chicago Police. We’re here to see Dade Donovan,” a stern voice
said.

“You’ll have to come back later,” Julie ordered.

“Sorry, Miss, but we need to question him about the auto accident.”

“I’m his attorney. He’s in no condition to speak.”

Dade smiled weakly. With Julie in mother lion mode, the cops didn’t
stand a chance.

“Listen, the other driver was a fatality. We must speak to Mr.
Donovan.”

His smile froze. A chill raced up and down his spine. My God, he’d
killed someone. His forehead felt clammy. The room spun.

“Dade, come back,” Julie screamed.

Everything faded.

* * *

Dade awakened to horrific memories and crushing pain. Because of him,
a man had died. The bed’s prison-like bars testified to his guilt.

Late afternoon sunlight filtered through the hospital blinds. He had
to have been out for an hour or so, yet it seemed longer. His mouth
felt like gauze. Everything was blurred. Only one thought stood out,
marring any good he’d ever accomplished. He’d killed someone.

He, who prided himself on doing the right thing, had done the
absolute worst that anyone could imagine. He’d wiped a human being
from the face of the earth. That person would never again see a sun
rise or feel its rays against his skin.

He should have prevented it. A rush of guilt filled him, making him
groan.

Julie rushed to the side of the bed. He didn’t deserve her support
or anyone else’s.

“I’ll get the nurse,” she whispered, reaching for the call
button.

“No, don’t. Not yet. I have to talk to you.”

“Later. We can’t take a chance now.”

She pressed the button. The nurse appeared, followed shortly by the
doctor.

* * *

Julie stood outside in the hall waiting. As soon as the doctor came
out of the room, she cornered him. “How is he?”

“He’s on the mend. His vitals have improved.”

“What about when he lost consciousness?”

“Not unusual with a concussion. His central nervous system
is adjusting to the motion disruption of the impact. The
important thing is he’s back. Also, the diuretics are doing a good
job controlling the lung bruise. His breathing has stabilized. He
appears to be out of the woods.”

“Thank you so much, doctor.”

Now she’d have some good news to tell Avery and Marcia. At this
point they had to be about an hour away. She punched in Avery’s
number.

“Hello,” Avery’s clipped voice answered.

“Dade just woke up. The doctor says he’s going to make it.”

The resulting cheer hurt Julie’s eardrums, but brought a smile to
her lips. “I’ve got to go now. There’s a patient who needs me.
I’ll hold down the fort until you make it in.”

Julie stepped back inside to find Dade frowning.

She pasted a bright smile on her face and approached the bed. “The
doctor says you’ll be all right. Isn’t that great?”

He smiled wanly, but any response from him was heaven after the last
horrific hours.

“Julie, what about the police? What did you tell them?”

“What you told me. They’ll be back tomorrow. In the meantime, the
investigation unit has impounded your car.”

Dade bit his lip, ingesting the information. She knew what he was
thinking.

“I should have done something to prevent it.”

“There was nothing you could do. If anyone’s to blame, it’s
your mechanic. You just saw him a few weeks ago, didn’t you? Why
didn’t he check the brakes?”

“Nothing escapes Joe. He would have noticed the problem. Besides,
the Saab’s not even a year old and didn’t have many miles on it.
It doesn’t make sense.”

“It’s probably got a factory defect. You’ll see.”

He started to shrug his shoulders and winced from the pain. “My
fault or not, a man died at my hands. Do you know anything about
him?”

Her heart turned at the anguish in Dade’s voice. On the outside he
acted tough, but underneath he was totally giving. It was his nature
to nurture, not destroy.

This accident hurt him more than just physically. She needed to guide
him back to his inner strength. If only she didn’t feel so strange,
as if she might black out at any minute. Again, she’d skipped meals
and lost sleep. She had to ignore her weakness and help Dade.

“According to the officer, the man in the Cavalier was Jack
Johnson. He was twenty-five, a teller at the DuMont Bank, with a wife
and no children.”

Dade swallowed hard. “The poor woman. She’s got to be devastated.
Julie, I’ll pay for the funeral, flowers, everything. Can you do me
a favor and take care of it?”

Julie nodded, blinking back sudden tears. She’d make sure
everything was perfect. It could have been Dade’s funeral she was
planning. “The important thing is for you to get better. Remember,
it won’t be easy for me to tackle that double case load. You’ve
got to get well and get out of here. I’m not staying at the firm
forever,” she said, flashing him a stern look.

“Yes, boss. Is it okay if I don’t salute you?”

“Just follow my orders,” she said, with a melting smile.

Poor Dade. He was doing his best.

“Oh, by the way, reinforcements should arrive within the hour. Your
mother and Avery will make sure you behave yourself.”

Chapter Fourteen

As she fumbled in her purse for the front door key, Julie heard the
phone ring. No hurry. She’d answered enough calls in the last week.
With Dade in the hospital, she was “it.” Everything fell on her
shoulders.

A horrid thought hit her. Maybe it was the hospital and he’d taken
a turn for the worse. Her trembling fingers closed on the keys. Once
inside, she raced to the end table and grabbed the receiver.

“Hello,” she gasped, above her pounding heart.

“Ms. McGuire? This is Tyler Jensen.”

Relief flooded her, followed by something else. Her pulse did a quick
dance as she pictured the mystery writer as she’d last seen him:
knowing hazel eyes, shoulder length wavy hair pushed behind his ears,
that mocking smile daring her to abandon her well ordered life and
follow her dreams.

The workshops were over. Why was he calling?

“We got off on the wrong foot. I’d like to make it up to you,”
he said.

She must be hallucinating. She hadn’t felt right lately. Lack of
sleep, worry about Dade, poor eating habits, they’d caught up with
her. The famous Tyler Jensen couldn’t be saying what she thought he
was.

“Are you still there? Answer me,” he said.

“Yes, Mr. Jensen. I’m just a little surprised, that’s all.”
To put it mildly.

“Call me, Tyler, please, and if I may take the liberty of calling
you Julie...”

“Of course.”

“Now that’s settled. You did say you’ve read my novels, so you
must love surprises.”

“That’s true. You do keep me guessing until the last gruesome
detail.”

“I promise this won’t be gruesome. You might even enjoy yourself.
Julie, come to dinner with me Thursday.”

She hesitated, debating the wisdom of getting involved with the
writing world’s icon. There couldn’t be any future in it. A man
like Tyler had his pick of women. Judging from the sensual nature of
his books, he enjoyed his picks.

Her schedule was overflowing. Dade was counting on her to keep up
with the workload and lend him moral support. Though Marcia, Avery
and Todd stopped by to visit him, she knew her visits meant a lot to
Dade. She couldn’t let him down.

“I’m afraid I’m tied up. After work, I’m visiting a patient
at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.”

Seeing the light in Dade’s eyes as she walked through the hospital
room’s doorway made her feel warm all over. She wouldn’t trade
that feeling for anything, even a night with the sexy Tyler.

“Most visiting hours are over at eight. I could pick you up then
and we can go out to eat.”

“No, that won’t work. My car will already be there. I could
follow you to the restaurant, though.”

She had to be insane. The man spelled danger in capital letters.

Arrangements made, it was well past nine before Julie had a chance to
reheat the chicken breast from the night before.

She nibbled, not tasting the food. Tyler couldn’t have asked her
out. It was way too strange.

Also, what made it more amazing, like a hero in a romance novel, he’d
bypassed one hurdle already. He’d scored high points by
circumventing the hospital detour and not asking whom she’d be
visiting.

Everything seemed to be lining up a little too well. They’d
probably fall into a squabble like they had at the conference.

She shrugged. Maybe that was
why he’d
asked her out. Maybe he appreciated a woman who held her ground.

Julie stared ahead, uncaring that her chicken sat undisturbed. How
could she think of food at a time like this? She was far too
intrigued. If anything, their date would prove informative.

Scraping the dried up remains of her half-eaten dinner into the
trash, she smiled. At least she’d get a good meal. She hadn’t
eaten many of those lately, not with everything else going on. Her
clothes were getting so loose she’d gone down a size. If only she
had time to buy something special to wear for her date.

Chapter Fifteen

As Tyler precisely slid the electric razor across his face, his eyes
brightened. For a change, it felt good to be alive.

The chase had begun. He’d convinced Julie McGuire to go out with
him. Nothing must go wrong. He’d be extra careful. No mishaps, not
when he was so close to his goal.

Though he’d chafed at the delay, he’d made himself wait the two
extra weeks after the workshops ended before he contacted her. It
wouldn’t do to appear eager and give her the edge. In the mating
game, every advantage counted.

The extra time had been well spent feeding his fervor. In his mind, a
thousand times he’d gazed into Julie’s glittering emerald eyes
and touched her golden hair.

Julie McGuire, you are my greatest challenge. You are clever and
beautiful, but are you my match?

His heart thumped in a jungle rhythm. He relished the quest almost as
much as the anticipated victory. No one would stand in his way,
especially not that partner of hers, who should have been out of the
picture by now. Too bad he’d survived the car crash.

Tyler’s neck muscles tightened.

“Second place is for losers,” he said, glancing with satisfaction
at the perfect symmetry of his masculine features. He separated a
lock of hair and let it dangle over his forehead as bait. He knew it
made him look boyish and would throw her off guard, another weapon in
his arsenal, but not the deadliest.

No, that was his mind. He was the master of manipulation, a worthy
match for such a discerning woman.

He’d planned his moves, leaving no room for error. He, the master
weaver of plots, would not be outdone by Donovan, her unimaginative
partner. Could he bend her into a sex toy, like the others, such as
the once haughty Simone, who’d cried inconsolably when he’d
chosen to discard her last week? Or, being strong willed, would the
lovely Julie stand her ground and prove his equal? It was too much to
hope for, but could she be the one he’d been waiting for to make
him complete?

A trickle of uneasiness slithered through him at the thought.
Surrender would mean losing identity. Could he relinquish his
inhibitions? Could he let himself depend on anyone?

It may already be too late. His defenses were already penetrated.
What he didn’t know was how far.

* * *

Blonde hair flying, Julie strode into the hospital parking lot.

“I’m right here,” Tyler called from a few steps away.

She turned and his breath caught. She was more exquisite than he
remembered.

“You look lovely,” he said, staring deep into her bright emerald
eyes.

Those eyes flashed with excitement and a sliver of fear. He’d read
her right. Like a child following an ice cream truck, she couldn’t
resist a challenge.

“It’s nice of you to say so, but I don’t feel lovely. It’s
been a horrid day, with a three-hour trial and a boring, dragged out
real estate closing. Then, when I got here, the room number was
changed.”

“You’re like me. You crave excitement. You have to keep busy.”

“There are limits. The last few weeks have been far too extreme.
There ought to be a middle ground somewhere.”

“All work and no play, etc. Let’s fix that. Borrowing from a
popular song, ‘let me entertain you.’”

They came up to a midnight blue Audi. She clicked open the doors and
climbed in. He motioned for her to pull down the window.

“By the way, how’s your partner mending?”

She gave him a brief rundown of the accident then said, “Physically,
Dade’s better, but mentally, he’s devastated. It’s not his
fault the brakes gave out and he hit the other car, but he still
won’t believe it. As long as I’ve known him, he’s carried an
enormous sense of responsibility. As soon as he’s released, he’s
visiting the widow. I’m afraid it’ll make him feel worse, but
it’s something he has to do. I feel so bad for him. It’s a rotten
thing to go through.”