Out Of Control (29 page)

“If
you say so. Okay, call me back in five, man, or I’m on to the next name.”

He
climbed into his truck and called his regular buyer who was delighted at the
unexpected bounty. He had his own demands to meet. Yes, he’d be happy to meet
at their usual place and bring cash with him, as always.

A
call back to Tony and the meeting was set. God, he hoped nothing happened to
fuck things up.

At
home, acting as if everything were normal was extremely difficult. He ate his
dinner without tasting any of it, finally making the excuse that he had to run
an errand and bolted from the house.

At
the usual delivery spot, he paced impatiently waiting for Tony and the buyer to
show. The buyer drove up first, smiling and jovial, excited at the cargo he was
about to receive. He opened his briefcase to show the money neatly stacked
inside. The two men leaned against the truck until they saw the van approach.

Tony
climbed out and beamed at them. “I’ve got ten of the choicest pieces of
merchandise you could ever hope to set your eyes on.”

“That’s
what you always say.” The buyer laughed good-naturedly.

“Yeah,
well, don’t take my word for it,” Tony said. “Take a look for yourself. These
are the freshest yet.” He clapped his hands together and rubbed them as he
wiggled his eyebrows. “They will give much pleasure.”

The
exchange was made, money changed hands, and the buyer drove off excited and
happy.

“Here’s
what I got for you, old man,” Tony said, sliding open the door of the van
again. “Ten years old. You’ll love her.”

The
girl was tiny, almost like his little flowers had been. She had delicate
features and long black hair. Her hands were tied behind her back, her ankles
were bound, and tape sealed her mouth. Above the tape, her huge dark eyes were
wild with fear.

He
couldn’t help salivating. This would more than satisfy his need tonight. And it
would prepare him nicely for tomorrow’s adventure. He paid Tony his bonus,
lifted the girl into his arms, and carried her to his truck, crooning to her
all the while.

“We’re
going to have fun, little girl. You and me. A lot of fun. I promise.”

Pulling
away from where he was parked, he began singing his little song.

“There
was a little girl, who had a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good, she was very, very good, And when she was bad she was a
tasty treat.”

Chapter
Twenty-Five

Cole
had retrieved his watch from his bedroom and set the alarm on it before falling
asleep last night. He was sure Dana would still be sleeping when it went off,
but he was alone in the bed. Big surprise. But if she thought she was going to
pretend nothing had happened, she was fooling herself. Then he heard the shower
running and relaxed fractionally.

In
a moment, the shower turned off and the bathroom door opened. She stood in a
cloud of steam, wrapped in one of his big towels, and his cock immediately
stood up and demanded attention.

“Oh!”
The combination of surprise and embarrassment was appealing.

“Good
mornin’,” he drawled. “You’re up early. And here I worried the alarm would wake
you.”

“I’m…an
early riser.”

He
studied her face and the line of her body. “Sleep good?”

“Yes.
I did.” She stood in the doorway, as if waiting for some signal from him. He
pushed the covers back and crooked his finger at her. “Come here and let me
give you a morning hug.”

Could
her steps have been any more tentative? But she came to him, just the same, and
he felt as if he’d won the jackpot. She lay down next to him, still wrapped in
the towel, and he pulled her into him. His hand wondered over her, idly
loosening the towel until he touched smooth flesh.

“Dana.”
He cupped her breasts before letting his hand wander to her tummy. “Whatever’s
in your past, I think we opened a door between us last night. It was wonderful.
Beyond wonderful. And it was more than just medicinal sex so get that thought
out of your head.”

“But—”

“But
nothing.” He kissed her shoulder. “It was incredible. If I had time now, we’d
do it again.”

He
was painfully aware of the fact that his raging hard-on was poking her in the
ass.

And
that she’d tensed.

He
soothed her with a trail of kisses down her arm and felt her relax. Nice. He’d
better get this killer caught soon so they could get on with this because he wanted
to spend a lot of years with her. If he could just gentle her. She reminded him
of a skittish colt.

“Whatever
you’re about to say, save it for another time. We have something here, Dana.
Right now life’s getting in the way, but nobody’s ever hit me the way you have.
And it isn’t just the physical stuff. Far from it.”

“But—”

“Shh
shh. Sometimes in extreme situations, feelings start out as one thing then turn
real fast into something else. Because all your senses are in high gear. So put
this in your Day Planner. I’m catching this killer then moving into your life.
Whatever problems are giving you nightmares, we’ll deal with them together.”

As
if she’d been holding herself together through sheer willpower, she crumbled. Her
body curled into his, and he held her tightly, vowing to protect her from harm.
And to help her banish her demons.

At
last, she turned around so he could see her face. Her smile was weak, but it
was there. “Can I fix you some breakfast?”

“Thanks,
but no. Coffee’s good, but then I’ll just go through the McDonald’s
drive-through. I really need to get going. I want to make sure your car’s in
the driveway in case you need it, but Dana?”

“Mmm?”

“Don’t
go anywhere for a while today, okay? Let me get my patrols out on the road so
there are people around if you need them.”

She
tensed. “You think someone will attack me?”

“After
what happened to your house, I just don’t want to take any chances.” He sat up,
taking her with him. “I know I’ve got frozen waffles and some other stuff.”

“Cole,
I can’t hide out here. I have things to do.”

“Just
until I call you.” He stood up, taking her with him. “I’ll get someone out to
your house today to take care of the damage, but you may need to call the
insurance company first.”

She
groaned. “That means calling Janie Milburn.”

He
kissed her forehead. “You can handle it. Come with me. I want to show you something.”

“What?”

“Just
come on.”

He
walked her to his bedroom, ignoring the fact he was completely naked and her
towel was in disarray. With a flick of his fingers, he opened the blinds on the
full-length window and was rewarded with a small gasp.

“Cole!
It’s beautiful.”

Yes,
it was. It still took his breath away. Behind the house, the barn and corral
sat in the rising sun, the pastures rolling away and glistening with morning
dew. In the distance, the tall hills ringing the property were silhouetted against
the sky. A battered pickup stood beside the barn, and the horses were getting
their morning play in the corral.

“Is-is
someone here?”

“Just
the kid I pay to take care of the horses in the morning when I need him.
Usually I ride before heading into the office, but right now that’s on the back
burner. I called him last night. He’ll be gone in a little bit. He’s got
school.” He kissed the top of her head. “Much as I’d rather stand here with you,
I need to shower and get to the office. You take your time and don’t leave here
until you talk to me first. Where’s your cell?”

“In
my—the bedroom.” She hurried to get it.

Cole
punched some numbers in and handed it back to her. “Now you’ve got my cell
number in there. You can bypass the switchboard.”

“Thank
you. And Cole? Take care of yourself today. Use everything the FBI will give
you. They have extensive resources. I’ve worked with them before, and sometimes
it was actually a pleasant experience. This town is on the verge of imploding,
and I don’t want you to be at the epicenter.”

“I’ll
be fine.” He cupped her chin. “I hope you brought enough for a few nights
because I’m not letting you go back to your house.”

“I
can’t stay here forever.”

Oh,
yeah. You really can.

“Let’s
catch this killer, and we’ll go from there. Meanwhile, I can work better if I’m
not worrying about you at night.”

“Yes.
Okay. Sure.” She gave him a shaky grin. “I’ll hit the store today and have
something for you to eat.”

“I
don’t know what time it will be.”

“That
doesn’t matter.”

“Remember,
don’t leave until you hear from me.” He brushed a kiss over her mouth. “And you’re
not sleeping in the guest room.”

She
was dressed by the time he was ready to leave and stood in the doorway, waving
to him as he jogged to his truck, whistling. He wouldn’t have been in such a
good mood if he’d known exactly how tied up he’d be for the rest of the day and
why.

Chapter
Twenty-Six

Dana
took her coffee out to the patio and sat in one of the lounge chairs, watching
daylight fill the sky and the lingering traces of night fade away. Last night
had been unusual to say the least. It was the first time she’d actually
slept
under the same roof with a man. In the same bed. Had outstanding sex. And not
been afraid.

Usually
when she shared a bed with someone, they left before morning light, after an
unsuccessful attempt to coax a response from her unwilling body. Sometimes they
came back, other times not. But Cole Landry made her feel desired, unafraid,
special. He’d been patient and coaxing, stopping and starting even though she
knew what it must have cost him in self-control.

A
chill raced through her as she wondered for what seemed like the hundredth time
how he’d react if she told him the real reason she was here. Why she obviously
had a problem with sex.

Although
apparently not with him. Her face heated as she remembered the things they’d
done. And she’d enjoyed them. But if she shared the details of the attack and
the warped years of her life since then, would he pity her? Be disgusted? Think
her less of a woman because of her history with men?

Shoving
her cell phone in her pocket, she walked down to the corral where the horses
were still enjoying the air, doing an elegant cakewalk for her, tails up, manes
ruffled in the morning breeze. When she inhaled, the scent was a heady mixture
of horseflesh and hay.

For
the first time since she was seven, the aroma of hay didn’t wrap tentacles of
fear around her and take her back to that terrible night. Instead, an
unfamiliar feeling of peace stole over her. She wondered what it would be like
to live here, in this place. This house.

With
Cole.

The
ringing of the cell phone in her pocket jerked her out of her reverie.

“Oh,
Dana, I’m so glad I caught you.” The voice was breathless. “It’s Ivy. Ivy
Winslow.”

“Yes,
Ivy. Good morning.” Dana hoped the woman had some news for her. She took a deep
breath and let it out slowly, wiping her damp palms on her shorts.

“I
made some calls, and I’ve managed to persuade a couple of the others to talk to
you. They’re a little skittish, but I promised them they could trust you.”

A
rush of thankfulness spread through Dana. “Ivy, thank you so much. When? Where?”

“This
morning. My House. Ten o’clock. Is that convenient? Did I give you enough
notice?” Ivy’s voice was anxious.

“Absolutely.”
Her car was parked in front of the house, keys in the ignition. Cole would just
have to deal with her leaving. Anyway, he already had cars out on patrol and
she knew they’d spot her and keep an eye on her. “This is a top priority. I’ll
see you then.” A tiny finger of excitement danced over her skin as she
disconnected the call. Her first major breakthrough. Maybe, if she was lucky,
she’d have more information for Cole after the meeting.

Cole.
She found herself actually anticipating seeing him again tonight, and her body quivered
with a new hunger.

****

Gabriella
Marquez finally gave into Stacy’s urging and spent the night with her and her
husband in their small home. Not that she felt that much safer. She still had
to go out on the streets. Shop in stores. Put gas in her car. Move around the
town. The county. Whoever was doing this, if he happened to target her, could
jump her at any number of places. Any time of day.

She’d
slept fitfully during the night, waking often gripped by some nameless terror.
This morning she was more exhausted than when she’d put her head on the pillow.
She slipped out of the house while Stacy and Jered were still sleeping, leaving
them a note thanking them for their hospitality. She needed to go home, shower
and change, so she could get to the office on time.