Out Of Control (8 page)

Tony
grinned, as if the kid knew it irritated the crap out of him. “It’s just cold
caffeine, old man. Try it sometime.”

“No,
thanks.” He finished the coffee in his cup and signaled for a refill. “And tell
your boss we don’t need to make any changes just yet.”

Tony
cocked an eyebrow, another mannerism that irritated him. “Are you kidding me?
The word’s out everywhere about this Dana Moretti broad and it’s only been a
couple of days. She’s too nosy for her own good. And ours.”

He
waited until the waitress had poured his coffee before he spoke again. “I think
you need to let me worry about that.”

“Now
that’s where you’re wrong, old man. We all need to worry.. The boss is getting
itchy. She’s digging around in old shit that could get people looking around in
places we don’t want them looking. It could even lead to you. And ruin a good
thing for all of us.”

“Tell
your boss to pay no attention,” he said in a flat voice, pushing back the surge
of anger. “She’ll be gone before long.”

“But—”

“I’m
telling you, no one will want to help her. Trust me on that. They’ll blow her
off.” He swallowed some coffee and made a face at its bitter taste. Probably
the bottom of the pot. “Besides. I plan to see that she doesn’t hang around too
long.”

“How
are you going to do that without attracting attention?” Tony crunched an ice
cube. “We’ve got a good thing going here, you know. Everyone’s making good
money. Including you. We don’t want to screw that up.”

“And
we’re not going to. We’ll just continue with business as usual. No one’s
looking our way, and with what I’ve got planned, they’ll be too busy to pay
attention.”

“You
better not be doing something to get us all in trouble.” His lips twisted in a
nasty replica of a smile. “Anyway, like I’m sayin’, how about laying off for a
little while on the extras, or are you so far gone you can’t take a breather?”

He
frowned at the little shit. “My business is my business. Your boss gets paid
plenty and so do you. I don’t think you want to take a cut in your income.”

“I
don’t want to lose a nice source of money, either,” Tony said. “The top man
says he don’t want no more little side trips for a while. That’s that.”

“You
tell the top man to let me worry about my end of the deal. I’ll take care of
that nosy bitch, you can count on it. We’re not changing anything.”

“Okay,
I’ll tell him, but he ain’t gonna like it.” Tony picked up his check and slid
out of the booth.

“Just
be sure we meet up as usual this week or there
will
be trouble.”

Tony
stared at him. “You threatening me, old man?”

“Just
giving you some information to pass along.”

He
watched Tony head for the door with his usual arrogant walk. The kid was
getting an over-inflated idea of himself. Someone needed to take a chip or two
out of him. Later.

First,
his plan. He needed to put it into action soon. To take Carrie/Dana out of the
picture before she began digging around any more. Her reputation was that of a
bulldog. She’d be all over the past like green on grass unless he got rid of
her. But he had to do it right. One single death would be suspicious. A string
of them would have the county on edge, especially because it would be such an
anomaly. He’d do what he had to.

At
the same time, he’d be giving folks a new bone to chew on. Something to take
the focus away from those old cases. The sheriff would be too busy to help Dana
and the newspapers would have something new to feed on. Something that would
provide misdirection.

He
hadn’t been caught before and he wouldn’t be now. He was damned good at
that—not getting caught. And he already had his first victim chosen. But he’d
better get moving before things fell apart right before his eyes.

Today.
He’d start today. He could feel the sexual excitement the violence stimulated coursing
through his body. Throwing some bills on the table, he settled his Stetson on
his head, smiled at everyone, and walked slowly out of the diner.

****

He
watched Leanne Pritchard stop at her truck, both hands filled with plastic
sacks of soda, and stare at the flat tire. Even at this distance, he could see
the frown on her face. She looked around, as if seeking someone to help her,
but the parking lot was fairly empty of people. Besides, she’d parked way down
at the end of a row, on the side, where hardly anyone ever went. He’d never let
his own kids park so far away. But she was driving her daddy’s truck and
probably worried about scratching it.

She
set her sacks down and patted her pockets, obviously looking for her cell
phone. Kids never went anywhere without them these days. She finally pulled it
out and stared at it. This was the chance he’d taken, that she’d be able to
call for help. But it was a risk he was willing to take. He could just help her
with her tire and be on his way. Wait for a more appropriate time.

But
like so many kids these days—and adults—she’d apparently forgotten to recharge
it. She jabbed it back into her pocket in disgust.

Okay.
Good.

She
started back toward the store, but he only let her get a few steps before
calling her name. “Looks like you got a little problem, Leanne.”

She
looked up and recognized him at once. Of course. He was a friend of her father’s.
Tucking strands of her long, blonde hair behind her ears, she flashed a smile.

“Yeah.
My tire’s flat. Lordy, but Daddy’s going to kill me.”

“Over
a flat tire? Oh, honey, I don’t think so. Where were you headed?”

“Back
to…my friends. I made a soda run.”

“They’re
waiting at the park?” he asked, chuckling as she gasped in surprise. “Oh,
honey, some things aren’t too secret after all. Kids have been sneaking into
the park as long as I can remember.”

She
dropped her eyes and nodded. “I-I was going to call one of my friends to come
and get me, but my cell died. I guess I forgot to charge it.” She perked up a
little. “Do you have one? Maybe I could use yours.”

He
held out his hands, palms up. “Left it at home, dang it. Charging on the
counter. Need to get myself one of those car chargers, I guess.”

“Oh.”
Her smiled disappeared as she frowned.

He
reached down and picked up her bags. “Why don’t we do this? I’ll give you a
ride back to the park. Then you can get a couple of those strong young
stallions to come back here and change your tire.”

She
sighed with relief. “Oh, would you? That was my plan, anyway.”

“Sure.
Come on. Just hop into my truck and I’ll have you there in no time. Lock up
your vehicle.”

But
they hadn’t driven for five minutes before she turned to him, puzzled. “Wait.
We should be heading out toward the interstate.”

“I
know a short cut. Just relax, honey. I’ll have you there before you know it.”

Leanne
nibbled her lower lip, obviously uneasy. “Listen, maybe you could just drop me
off someplace where there’s a phone.”

“Now,
now, Leanne. I’ll have you there in short order. Just relax, honey. How about I
put in a CD. Music makes everyone feel better.” He lifted the lid on the center
console, fumbling inside.

She
slid as close to the door as she could get, and he sensed the tension in her
body. Okay, he couldn’t wait any longer. Flipping up the console cover with his
right hand, he pulled out the saturated cloth he’d stashed there, reached over,
and clamped it over her face.

Panicked,
she grabbed his wrist with both hands and tried to pull it away, but even
one-handed he was stronger than she was. She wriggled frantically, trying to
pull her head back, but his hand stayed clamped against her face until finally
her hands fell away.

He
smiled to himself as he thought of the excitement ahead. His cock hardened and
his blood pulsed. Oh, yes. He was looking forward to this. The killing would
just be a bonus.

Chapter
Eight

The
shower helped ease the tension of the day. The tea and brandy did even more.
Pulling on shorts and an old Tampa Bay Buccaneers T-shirt, Dana settled herself
at the dining room table with a sandwich, a drink, and her briefcase. Her
laptop sat open in front of her, ready for input.

She
tried to clear her mind of everything except the project at hand, but Cole
Landry’s ruggedly severe face kept flashing across her internal television
screen. Thoughts that she’d never had—never
wanted
to have—about any
other man kept poking at her.

What
would it be like to have a man’s hands on her that she desired and didn’t fear?
Holding her breasts. Chafing her nipples. Taking those nipples into the wet
heat of his mouth. Laving them with his tongue.

Dana
shivered. It wasn’t that she didn’t know how things were done. God knows enough
men had tried to coax her into it, had tried their best, like Grant, to make it
work. But none of them had ever reached the icy core of her, frozen away all
these years.

Until
Cole Landry.

What
would she do if she found herself alone with him and the unfamiliar sensations
buzzed up through her? How would she react? She was at once apprehensive and
wanting.

And
stupid.

She
crossed her forearms on the table and rested her head on them. Maybe if she
closed her eyes for just a minute, she could gather her scattered thoughts.

****

She
knelt on her bed, unselfconsciously naked, and held out her arms to him. He’d
just kicked off his worn Western boots and stripped off his clothes—jeans and a
chambray shirt. He smelled of man and hay and horseflesh, a scent guaranteed to
charge her pheromones. Her eyes feasted on his incredible body. Solid.
Muscular. Broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist and lean hips. Muscles
carefully sculpted beneath the taut skin. Dark curls scattered over the hard
wall of his chest, arrowing down to the thick nest at his groin.

And
jutting directly at her, a magnificent cock, the head dark and swollen.

“You
in a hurry, darlin’?” His sexy grin was positively lethal.

“Only
to get you over here.”

He
bore her down to the mattress under his weight, her breasts pressing against
his chest, the matte of hair tickling and abrading her nipples. Every nerve
under the surface of her skin vibrated with anticipation and the walls of her
pussy fluttered waiting for his cock.

“Miss
me?” he asked in his low drawl.

“Always.
You work too many hours.”

“Well,
tonight you’re gonna relax me.”

His
tongue outlined her mouth before brushing across her lips and gliding inside. Every
place it touched, heat burst forth and scorched its way through her body.

His
mouth was everywhere, brushing against her cheeks, the line of her jaw, her
neck. Sucking that very tender spot behind her ear. Biting it gently. Then the
hollow of her throat where her pulse beat like the wings of a trapped bird.

His
head dipped and he captured one nipple with his lips, pulling and nibbling at
it until it stiffened and peaked. Then the other one. His hand rhythmically
squeezed her breast. Electricity sparked through her, straight to her center
where she pulsed with unremitting need.

Her
hands smoothed over the taut flesh of his back, feeling the powerful play of
muscles beneath. The hot length of his cock against her thigh. The sensuous strength
of his body between her thighs.

His
mouth worked its way down her body to her navel, stopping to probe the furled
flesh with the tip of his tongue. Then a hot, wet line to the curls covering
her mound. And then…Oh, God! His fingers opening her, and his tongue doing a
wicked dance on her clit. Her hips jerked, and her fingers clutched the thick
pelt of his hair as sizzling sensations rocketed through her.

“Delicious,”
he murmured against the slickness of her labia. “I’ll never get enough of your
taste.”

“I
want to taste you, too,” she gasped.

“Later.”
He looked up, her cream glistening on his mouth. “When I come this time, I want
to be inside you.”

His
tongue continued to stroke her clit, two long, lean fingers sliding into her
wet, hungry pussy, stroking her sweet spot until she was nearly mad with
desire.

“Please,”
she begged.

“Please
what?” he teased.

“Please…fuck
me.”

She
couldn’t keep her body still, thrusting her hips at him, moaning, crying out.

“All
right, then, darlin’. Get ready.”

The
crinkle of foil. The snap of latex. The press of the head of his penis against
the opening of her vagina.