Project Produce (12 page)

“A weapon? Honey, you and I need to have a serious talk about the facts of life, what goes where, and what we do or don’t do with certain devices no normal hot-blooded woman can live without. Sweetie, Jack was meant to be your special friend.
Not
your weapon.” She shook her head. “I just don’t know what I’m gonna do with you.”

“I know one thing you’re not gonna do is replace the batteries.” I glanced at the phone again.

“Uh-huh. And when your Detective doesn’t call, I’m gonna make you eat your words. Then you’ll be begging me for another special friend. Don’t worry, I know where to get backups.” Gloria winked, then grabbed her coat and sailed out the door.

“Don’t count on it,” I hollered after her. If “it” happened again, it sure as heck wouldn’t be with some humongous vibrating piece of rubber I didn’t even know how to shut off.

Hey, I’d seen Jack at high speed.
Pretty scary
.

I shuddered, then stood. Once I was certain Gloria was gone, I danced into the living room to get my circulation back. I was a closet salsa dancer, but anyone who saw my moves would understand why. I bee-bopped my way to the window for a distraction, gyrating to the beat as I looked out. Back home, I kept everything open, but here in Queens, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea. Someone could look in.

Someone like Flasher Freak.

That thought sobered me, my hips slowing to a stop. I rubbed the cramp in my side and scanned the street below. Nothing unusual. The snow fell in big, fluffy pieces like a shaken snow globe, and a full moon illuminated the ground below. I started to close the blinds, but a flash came from the apartment building across the street. Waiting a beat, I convinced myself I must be imagining things, but then it happened again. The streetlight flashed off something sticking out of the closed blinds in the apartment directly across from mine.

I’d just watched someone move out of that apartment over the weekend, but I hadn’t seen anyone move in. As casually as I could, I closed the blinds, then ran to the kitchen, turned off the music, and grabbed Gloria’s binoculars. When I returned to the living room, I made certain I was out of sight and then counted to three. Dropping to my knees, I thrust the binoculars through the blinds and blinked.

“No way.” I stared at another pair of binoculars looking right back at me. A
real
Peeping Tom? No one would ever believe me, though I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.
Do, do, do, do. Do, do, do, do
. The music from the Twilight Zone floated through my brain.

First Cat Woman, then Inspector Gadget, now a Peeping Tom. I frowned. Something was definitely up. If Gloria didn’t have anything to do with this, then maybe Dylan did. Dylan’s job was pretty important to him. Important enough to use me to get the bust. I had a hard time believing any man would be concerned about me or do something nice for me without having an ulterior motive. But how could I complain, since I was using him for my project. Or maybe the Peeping Tom really was Flasher Freak. Lord, I didn’t know what to think anymore.

When the other binoculars slipped out of the window, I decided not to over-think the situation and just go for it. I was getting good at being more assertive and standing up for myself. Tossing my binoculars to the floor, I jumped to my feet and grabbed my cell phone. “You’re not getting away that easily, you sicko.” Then I dialed Dylan’s cell. By calling Dylan, I figured I’d find out if he was behind this Peeping Tom. If he wasn’t, then it wouldn’t hurt to have a little backup.

“Mac, I was just thinking about you. I have to admit, I’m a little surprised you called.”

I bet he was. I didn’t have time to find my coat, or the Peeping Tom would get away. Praying my instincts were right, I pulled up the blinds, yanked open the window, and climbed out onto the fire escape. “I’m in hot pursuit.”

“Of what, more food?” He chuckled.

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve seen the way you eat, remember our date?”

“Funny. And it wasn’t a date.” I shimmied down the ladder, shivering all the way in my sweats, long sleeve T-shirt, and a pair of slippers. “Shoot, I forgot to bring a weapon. Though my last weapon had backfired... literally.”

“Okay, not funny. What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’m chasing down a Peeping Tom.” I heard a thud. “Dylan? Are you there?”

“Yeah. I dropped the phone.”

“Oh, God, I hope he didn’t see me.” I ducked behind a parked car on the side of the road.

“Huh?”

“The binoculars are back in his window.”

Dylan cursed.

“Oh, wait. They’re gone again.”

“Callie, get your small-town ass back in your apartment. I’ll be over in a minute.”

“I can’t. He’ll get away.” I crouched lower and stayed out of sight while I formulated a plan.

“No, he won’t. Trust me. I’ll be right there.” I heard a door close, then he started breathing heavy.

“What are you doing?”

“Jogging.”

Snort
. “You picked a heck of a time to go for a run.” I heard a clatter across the street and peeked over the car’s hood but didn’t see anything. “Look, I can’t wait anymore.” My apartment didn’t have anything beneath the fire escape ladder, but the apartment across the street had a row of bushes.

“No. I mean it,” he snapped.

“I have to do something.” My slippers were soaked, and my fingers numb. I stepped away from the car and looked across the street. The bushes didn’t look that high, and I’d run track in high school. Maybe if I hurdled over them, I’d be able to reach the ladder from the other side.

“Callie, I said get inside, now,” Dylan said.

“Why are you whispering?”

“Because I’m right--”

“Look, we don’t have time for this. I’m going to stall him. Just hurry up and get here before I die.” Taking a deep breath, I sprinted across the street as fast as I could and then vaulted over the bushes.

A head popped up. “What the?”

“Look out,” I yelled.

“Holy sh-uuuuuugh.”

Wham!
I flattened someone good. Lying on top of the man with my phone pressed to my ear, I looked down into his face and blinked. A pair of shocked blue eyes sparkled up at me. “D-Dylan?”

He pulled his phone away from his ear and clicked it shut. “Told you I was in the area,” he wheezed. “Dammit, Callie. Why didn’t you listen to me?” He looked me over and shook his head. “You have no business being out in the snow without a coat or shoes, pretending you’re a member of the SWAT team, for Christ’s sake. What are you, on drugs?”

“No,” I snapped. “Just a little Bahama Mama. I was only trying to protect myself.” I sighed. “Sorry.” The heat of his body pressed snugly to the length of mine warmed me to my toes.

God, it felt good touching him again. As much as I hated to admit it, I’d missed him. Seeing him this afternoon had seared his image in my brain for the rest of the day, but darn it, I did not need him in my life right now. At least not in the way he kept hinting at.

Note to self: My body doesn’t give a rat’s hiney
.

I shivered, but not from the cold. He mistook the meaning and pulled the sides of his coat closed over my back, squeezing me tighter to his chest, then left his arms around me. I struggled to think and then pushed away and scrambled to my feet, welcoming the cold air as it cooled my heated blood.

“I couldn’t let him get away, since the Peeping Tom had the gall to peep through my window.”

Dylan rolled to his feet, dusting the snow off his Levi’s. “Can’t you ever do things the normal way and let the police handle it? It’s okay to accept help, you know. To trust someone.”

“I tried that once. Didn’t work out so well.” Everyone believed I had deceived them and sullied the reputation of Cutesville, when the reality was I’d been the biggest sucker of all. I had trusted Bob, had cared enough about him to actually believe we had a future together. I’d known all those months he’d been going out of town on business, but I’d had no idea his business involved duping other desperate, lonely small-town women like myself.

He hadn’t cared about me at all, just cared about making me one of his many porn stars. Funny, it wasn’t even the porn aspect that bothered me so much. It was the fact that no man had ever loved me for just being me.

After that, I gave up on my hometown and on men. I refused to put my heart on the line again, only to have it abused. Men simply were not trustworthy. Dylan especially. He reminded me too much of Bob, only nicer, and I was afraid I was starting to care.

“I did call for help, I called you,” I said, desperately trying to divert my thoughts. Mission accomplished. Dylan’s blue laser beams sizzled into me, and I lost my train of thought completely. “But y-you took too long, and I, um... uh... What was the question?”

“Come on, Mac. We need to get you back to your apartment. I think the cold has frozen your tongue.” His gaze landed on my mouth.

Every ounce of my being wanted him to defrost me. Good Lord, how could he do that to me? He grinned. What was he, a mind reader now? His grin widened and he took my hand, pulling me behind him as he started across the street.

I dug my slipper-clad heels into the snow and tried not to slip. “I’m not leaving until you check this sicko out.”

“He’s probably long gone.”

I stared at him and crossed my arms over my bumps.

He sighed. “Come on.”

“You’re bringing me with you?” I narrowed my eyes. “And what about backup? Won’t your captain be mad about you not following protocol again?”

“You don’t miss a thing.” His smile looked stiff, but he flipped open his phone and punched in a number. “Detective Cabrizzi here. I’m gonna need backup.” He paused. “A Peeping Tom. Not sure if he’s armed and dangerous.” Glancing at the street sign, he read off the address, then clicked his phone closed. “They’re on their way. Let’s go.” He led the way to the door.

I followed, thinking, for a cop, he wasn’t acting too concerned that a bad guy could be inside, waiting to harm us. Not to mention, did he really have the right to go check out this guy? I mean, I only saw him looking into my window. I was beginning to think my hunch about Dylan having something to do with these crazy characters was right.

“Wait out here while I check the place out. I’m sure he’s gone with all the noise you made.”

My teeth began to chatter.

Dylan slipped off his coat and wrapped it around my shoulders, pulling the collar together. Staring into my eyes for a full minute, he finally released his hold on me and took a step back, rapping his knuckles on the door. “Open up. This is the police.”

No one answered.
Big surprise there
.

He looked at me. “Stay put.”

Who did he think he was? I opened my mouth, but his arched brow made me shut it and nod. He knew exactly who he was, and so did I. I watched him draw his gun from his shoulder holster and try the door. It opened, so he slipped inside.

If he wasn’t back in five, I was going in. I’d show him I could take care of myself. Shoot, maybe I’d even save his sorry neck while I was at it.

On drugs, my small-town derriere
.

After a few minutes, he stuck his head out the door. “He’s gone, Mac. We can go now.”

“Not before I see what this pervert has been up to.” I barged my way past him into the apartment.

“Wait.” Dylan tried to grab my arm, but I sidestepped. “Dammit, Callie, this isn’t your place. You can’t just trespass. I shouldn’t have even gone in.”

“He committed a crime, and you’re a cop,” I pointed out. “Can’t you do anything if you have cause?” I eyed the room, willing to say just about anything to peek inside.

“I really don’t have probable cause, and
you’re
not a cop. Besides, he could say you were peeping right back. Now, let’s get you out of here before he comes home and you’re the one in trouble.” He reached for me again.

“In a minute.” Backing away, I put the table between us. “Would you look at this place? The slime bucket’s a total slob.” I peered into an empty Chinese food container on a card table in the living room and then glanced at several other containers scattered about the carpet. “Gross. He spilled food all over the floor, and the place smells.”

“Maybe he was in a hurry to get out of here when you spotted him. Let’s go, Mac. I’m serious. I could arrest you for this, now that I have probable cause for you since I saw you break in.”

He wouldn’t arrest me. “Yeah, right. Break out the handcuffs, Dukeypoo.” I stared down at a nearly empty jumbo coffee in a Styrofoam cup, and my niggling suspicion grew. “Huh. Must be he likes his coffee black as sin, same as you.”

“Just like a million other people in this city.” Dylan dragged me away from the table. “Don’t touch anything. If he calls because he thinks someone broke in, they might I.D. your fingerprints.”

But he wouldn’t be calling, would he, Detective?
“Sorry. Can’t help being curious about someone who was spying on me. I mean, it doesn’t even look like the creep lives here. There are no pictures on the wall, no decorations, no furniture.”

“Look. I called it in. Backup will be here, and they’ll handle it. In the meantime, we need to get out of here. This isn’t following protocol. I could get suspended.” He snagged my hand and pulled me toward the door. “Don’t worry about this guy, okay. He’s a slob who happened to be looking out his window with binoculars. People check on their cars all the time.”

“His car isn’t parked in my living room. He was looking in my
window
.” I stared daggers at Dylan’s back as he dragged me out to the front of the building. “Who knows what he saw me doing?” I yanked my hand free.

Dylan turned around.