Say You Need Me (17 page)

“I’m going to make sure you get your necklace back,” Darrell vowed.

“I want to believe that.” Her voice was soft and low as she spoke against his chest.

“Believe it,” he told her. “Because it’s true.” It didn’t matter that he didn’t know how or when he’d keep his word, but he
would
keep his word—even if it meant hunting down the buyer if Cecil had already sold the necklace.

Sniffling, Serena pulled away from Darrell. She wiped at her eyes. “Gosh, I didn’t mean to get all sentimental.”

“It’s okay.”

No, it wasn’t okay. She hadn’t meant to get all emotional in Darrell’s arms, but there was something about him that made her feel safe showing her emotions. Still, she was now embarrassed. Scooping up the album, Serena brought it to the coffee table, where she placed it in one of the coffee table’s compartments. Not glancing back at him, she started for the kitchen.

“Serena.”

Hearing her name, Serena stopped. Yet she didn’t turn. And though she didn’t hear Darrell approaching her, she sensed it. Her whole body tensed as she waited for him to touch her.

For she knew he would.

A little sigh escaped her as Darrell’s hands made contact with her body. Starting at her shoulders, he ran his hands down the length of her arms, then back up. Serena’s eyes fluttered shut as a wave of emotions washed over her. She liked Darrell’s touch, liked it way too much.

“Serena.” His voice was gentle, yet it seemed to vibrate through her entire body. “Turn around.”

She did.

Placing a finger under her chin, Darrell lifted her face, forcing her to meet his eyes. “I know you think I’m giving you an empty promise when I tell you that I’ll get the necklace back for you, but I’m not.”

Serena didn’t say a thing. Darrell’s gaze had her mesmerized.

“Unlike my brother, I’m a man of my word.”

Serena flinched when Darrell’s fingers grazed her face, then she relaxed. He smoothed a tendril of her hair against her forehead.

“I’m going to make this right for you, Serena. I owe you that much.”

“You don’t—”

“Yes—” He brought his fingers to her mouth. “—I do.”

The air between them was charged, so much so that Serena found it hard to breathe. Her eyes roamed over Darrell’s attractive face, settling on his full lips. God, she wanted to kiss him again.

“You’re very lucky,” he said softly. “You have a wonderful family. It’s something I never had, and I envy that.”

As Darrell said the words, Serena heard pain in his voice, saw it in his eyes. What had his life been like growing up? Why had Cecil chosen a criminal path while Darrell had chosen a straight and narrow one? And why did Darrell seem to believe that he was responsible for all the wrong Cecil had done?

Everything he’d said to her in the time that she’d known him indicated that he’d had a not-so-wonderful family life, and Serena couldn’t help wondering just how bad it had been.

“Tell me about your family,” Serena said.

Darrell’s fingers stilled on her cheek, then, dropping his hand, he stepped back. She watched as a mix of emotions—pain, sadness, and anger—passed over his features.

“There’s nothing to tell,” Darrell said, his voice void of emotion.

“Tell me anyway.”

“Actually, I…need to take a shower. Where do you keep your towels?”

Serena frowned, but Darrell was no longer looking at her. The moment of intimacy between them was gone. Clearly, the subject of his family was off-limits, which bothered her, because it made her feel like he didn’t trust her.

“I’ll get you some towels,” Serena told him.

But as she headed to her hallway closet, she found herself ever more curious about the complex Darrell Montford.

“I’m serious, Serena,” Darrell said. “Go to work.”

Holding the receiver in one hand, Serena stared at Darrell from across the living room. She’d been planning to take the day off to help him search for his brother, but he was insisting that she not miss work because of him. “I don’t mind,” she assured him.

“There’s no need,” Darrell told her. “I’m gonna head back to the house in Coconut Grove and go over it with a fine-toothed comb. After that, if I don’t find anything, I’ll call the police. I thought about it all last night and whatever trouble my brother is in, he may be better off if the police are actively involved.”

“Darrell, I want to help you.”

“And I appreciate that, but there’s not much you can help me do that I can’t do for myself today. If I don’t find anything, we’ll regroup tonight and figure out what the next step is.”

Serena got the impression that Darrell was avoiding her—especially since he hadn’t met her eyes as he spoke—
and she didn’t know why. Maybe he just needed space to deal with this whole situation, to deal with how he was feeling. A lot had happened in the past few days and neither of them had really had any breathing space separate from each other. Serena and Darrell had spent every moment together since she’d met him at the police station. It wasn’t too much to ask that he have some time to himself.

“All right,” Serena conceded. “But if you learn anything at all, please call me at work.” Hanging up the phone, she reached for a notepad and pen. She jotted down the number to the library, then passed it to him. “You remember how to get back to Cecil’s house?”

“I’ll figure it out.”

“Let me give you directions.”

Serena spent the next few minutes giving Darrell detailed directions to Cecil’s home. “Be careful, Darrell. If you see any sign of trouble, make sure you leave and call the cops.”

“I will.” Darrell paused, then asked, “You need a ride to work?”

“No. The library is only about a ten-minute walk.”

Darrell stuffed the information she’d given him in his jeans’ pocket. “All right.” His eyes lingered on hers. “I’ll see you later.”

“I’ll be off at six.”

Serena’s face flushed. Was she mistaken, or did Darrell want to kiss her? Or perhaps that was wishful thinking on her part. Because she did want to lock lips with him, just as her parents had always shared a kiss before parting.

Her heart pounded. Why was she feeling like this about Darrell?

“Serena?”

“Huh?” she replied, startled.

“I’m going to head out.”

“Yes, yes. Of course.” Serena swallowed her disappointment that Darrell
didn’t
lean close and cover her mouth with his.

“See you then.”

When Darrell was gone, Serena laid her head against the wall and released a long sigh.

Darrell’s heart leapt to his throat when he pulled
up in front of his brother’s Coconut Grove home and saw two Miami police cruisers in the driveway. The car had barely stopped moving before he jumped out and ran up the rest of the driveway to the door.

Lord help him, was he too late? Had his brother returned home and met with foul play?

A police officer stood at the door, and when he saw Darrell, instantly stepped forward.

“What happened here?” Darrell asked, glancing over the cop’s shoulder to see inside the house.

“You the owner?”

“No. My brother is.” Darrell paused. “Is everything okay?”

The cop looked him up and down curiously. “You have some ID?”

“ID?”

“Yeah,” the officer replied succinctly.

Whether the cop had seen a picture of Cecil inside the house or had seen his mug shot on a wanted poster, Darrell wasn’t sure. But he knew the cop suspected he was Cecil, and Darrell wasn’t about to play that game again.

He dug into his back pocket and withdrew his wallet. He opened it to his driver’s license and passed it to the cop.

“Wow,” the officer said. “You two are twins?”

“Yes.”

The cop closed the wallet and handed it back to Darrell. “A lot of people are looking for your brother.”

Darrell asked, “What happened?”

“The place has been robbed and ransacked,” the officer explained.

When Darrell started to move, the cop held up a hand to his chest, keeping him at bay. “I can’t let you in there.”

“It’s my brother’s house.”

“Your brother’s, not yours. Besides, we’re in the middle of an investigation, sir.”

“Fine,” Darrell said. “It’s just that I’ve come in from out of town and…was hoping to find him.”

“You always show up without calling first?”

“Is that a crime?”

The cop shrugged. “Nope, I guess not.”

“I know, it wasn’t smart, but I figured he’d be around. You have to understand why I’d be worried, coming here and seeing the police outside his door.”

“Of course.”

“You say the place has been robbed. If my brother’s not around, who reported it?”

The officer hesitated for a second, as if deciding
whether or not he should give Darrell any information. Then he spoke. “The housekeeper called us a couple hours ago. She showed up this morning to do her weekly cleaning and found the place like this.”

“Housekeeper?” Excitement tickled Darrell’s stomach.

“Uh huh. Lucky for her, the perps weren’t here when she got here.”

“No doubt.”

The officer gave Darrell another skeptical look, then added, “According to her, your brother’s been out of town for a couple weeks.”

“Oh.” Pause. “Is she still here?”

“She left about twenty minutes ago, after giving her statement.”

Damn. Maybe she could give him a few clues as to where his brother might be. “Was anything taken?” Darrell asked, as if he didn’t already know.

“I can’t discuss that with you, sir, since you’re not the homeowner. But if you’re in touch with your brother anytime soon, please tell him to give us a call.”

The way the officer’s eyes narrowed at his last words gave Darrell pause. Yeah, he knew there was a warrant out for Cecil’s arrest.

Darrell wanted to stay and ask more questions, or at least find out the housekeeper’s name and number, but he had the feeling he ought to hightail it out of there before they detained him for something. What sucked about being the identical twin brother of a wanted man was that
he
was now constantly looking over his shoulder, when he hadn’t done a damn thing wrong.

Darrell turned to leave, then doubled back. “Sorry to bother you again,” he told the cop. “I’m sure you can’t give
out the housekeeper’s information, but if I leave you mine, can you tell her that I’d like to talk to her? I’m trying to find my brother.”

“Sure,” the cop replied.

He gave Darrell a pen and paper, and Darrell scrawled down the number to his home in Orlando. “Thanks.”

“No problem. Again, if you talk to your brother, please tell him to give us a call. We have a few things to speak with him about regarding the break-in.”

“Of course,” Darrell replied, then started off again.

Yeah, right,
he added silently.

Kiana was heading through the front door when the phone rang. Pivoting, she ran into her nearby kitchen and grabbed the phone from the wall.

“Hello?”

“Hey, cupcake.”

Leaning her back against the wall, Kiana smiled. “Geoff.”

“Have you kicked the other man out of your bed yet?” he asked playfully.

Kiana rolled her eyes. For as long as she’d known Geoff, it didn’t matter what time of day it was—he never lost his sense of humor. Strange, considering the man had worked so much and hadn’t made much time to play.

“Ha ha. Very funny. I assume you’re calling because you have some info for me.”

“Well, that too.”

“What did you find out?” Kiana asked.

“How long you gonna be around?”

“I was stepping out to Office Depot,” Kiana replied. As a freelance writer, she worked from home. Normally, she
didn’t get out of her pajamas in the morning, but she’d run out of ink for her printer and therefore had to.

“When will you be back?”

“Thirty minutes, max.”

“Great,” Geoff said. “I’ll see you then.”

“Geoff,” Kiana began, protesting. But he’d already hung up.

Later, when the bell rang, Kiana opened the front door to find Geoff on her doorstep. Seeing him always evoked the same response in her—her heart fluttered and she felt light-headed. From the first time she’d met him, she’d had that reaction. At six foot four, Geoff had a commanding presence, especially in uniform.

He wasn’t in uniform today, however. Yet Kiana still couldn’t tear her eyes from his beautiful form.

“Hey, babe,” Geoff said, his lips curling in a charming smile.

“Hi.” Kiana spoke as casually as she could. Fleetingly she wondered when she’d stop seeing Geoff in a sexual way.

“It’s so good to see you.” He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.

Geoff’s lips made her skin tingle; uncomfortable, Kiana pulled back. Turning, she walked into her living room. Geoff followed her. She sat on the armchair, leaving Geoff no choice but to sit on the opposite sofa.

“Okay,” Kiana began, crossing one leg over the other. “Hit me with the news.”

“All right.” Geoff opened the folder he held and glanced down at the contents. “Let’s start with the easy stuff. Darrell Montford, Cecil’s brother, he’s clean. I couldn’t find
anything on him, not even an unpaid parking ticket. He lives in Orlando currently, owns a small hotel.”

“Okay,” Kiana said, relieved that Serena’s instincts about him were correct.

“Cecil, however, is a different story altogether. He’s been in and out of trouble practically since the day he was born. He spent a little time in a juvey detention center for theft, but that was it. Seems he stayed out of trouble as he got older, but there are numerous complaints about him from angry women—ex–lovers. Claimed they gave him expensive gifts like boats and cars, but that he used them.” Geoff shrugged. “Well, the cops couldn’t do anything. The women gave him this stuff of their own free will. One woman even left him a villa in Jamaica in her will.”

Kiana shook her head, amazed. “How do guys like him get so many women to give them stuff?”

“Wish I knew,” Geoff replied, holding her gaze. But clearly he wasn’t talking about Cecil or men like him and what they could get from women. He was talking about what he wanted from Kiana.

Her heart throbbing, Kiana looked away.

Geoff continued. “Anyway, on to the good stuff. Aside from all the gifts he got, a couple women recently reported that he stole jewelry from them.”

“Women other than Serena?”

“Mmm hmm. One woman, Jan McDonald, says he stole almost a hundred and eighty thousand dollars’ worth of jewels from her. Another, Tamara Alvarez, says he took close to a hundred and fifty thousand dollars’ worth of jewelry from her. A couple of Miami Beach cops were investigating the allegations and found enough evidence to build a case against Cecil. According to what I learned, they tried
to find him at his various residences, but he was nowhere to be found. That’s why there was a warrant out for his arrest when you and your sister met up with his twin that night.”

“God, I can’t believe it.”

“Looks like your sister picked a real winner.”

“I knew I should have had you check out Cecil right from the beginning. I told Serena, but she refused.”

“I can’t entirely blame her. There’s a lot to be said for trust in a relationship.”

Kiana rolled her eyes. “Trust? Does anyone know the meaning of the word anymore? There are so few people you can trust these days, you may as well use the resources available to you to check them out before you get involved.”

“If you have to, I guess.”

“I’m glad you agree. Because I’ll be sure to have you check out any man I meet in the future.”

Geoff’s eyebrows shot together. “Really?”

“Makes sense, doesn’t it? I’m sure you wouldn’t want me—”

Kiana broke off when Geoff rose from the loveseat and marched to the armchair. He stopped in front of her, his large, muscular body impossible to ignore.

“Here’s a newsflash,” Geoff stated. “Any guy you have me check out will get a thumbs-down from me.”

“I’m sure I’ll find someone nice—”

“And safe, who works nine-to-five and gets two weeks off a year. You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

“Doing what?” Kiana asked, feigning ignorance, but she knew exactly what he was talking about.

He lowered himself before her. “Testing me. To see how I’ll react to your talk of dating other men.”

Kiana’s breathing grew shallow. “I…”

“That’s what I thought,” Geoff said. He casually rested his hands on both her knees. “Did I ever make you feel insecure when you were with me?”

“I wasn’t always sure you cared,” Kiana admitted.

“I know that, and that’s why for the past four months I’ve repeatedly told you how I feel. There’s no need to test me, Kiana. You know how I feel.”

Geoff trailed his fingers from her knees to her thighs, and though she should have, Kiana didn’t stop him. God, it felt so good to have him touch her again.

Geoff’s fingers stopped at her mid-thigh. “We should be together. Deep in your heart, you know that.”

Kiana’s heart beat erratically at the way Geoff was touching her, at the familiar pleasant feelings his touch brought to her skin. Yet she said, “We tried that before, remember? It didn’t work.”

“It didn’t work because I didn’t listen. But I’ll listen now.”

Kiana attempted a chuckle, but it sounded like a throaty moan. “It’s not about changing, or listening, or telling me how you feel. Geoff, it’s you and me. We’re not compatible.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it.”

To prove his point, he leaned forward and covered her lips with his, too fast for her to move or even protest. And damn her, she instantly melted in his arms. The kiss was deep and passionate, and proved exactly what Geoff had said.

“What were you saying about compatibility?” Geoff’s eyes sparkled with victory.

“Fine, so we were great sexually,” Kiana conceded. She stood, but Geoff blocked her path. “Sex isn’t everything.”

“It’s a damn good start.” Geoff winked as he reached for her arm.

Kiana smacked his hand and stepped to the side. “That was always part of the problem,” Kiana pointed out. “You making jokes when we’re having a serious conversation.” She paused. “You and me…we’re so different. I know both you and Serena tell me I’m too serious sometimes, but I can’t change how I am. And I can’t change the reality that you’re a cop.”

She’d worried about him every single time he’d gone to work. If she heard there was a robbery or a high-speed chase or an officer down, she immediately feared that Geoff had been involved.

Now that they were just friends, she still worried about him, but not in the same way. Having a relationship required so much more than just caring about someone. How could she build a partnership with him when she didn’t know if he’d come home at night?

Geoff folded his arms over his solid chest. His demeanor told her he was annoyed.

“I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again,” Geoff said. “Nobody knows what’s going to happen to them when they leave their house. I could get hit by a bus before I ever get shot.”

The very mention of him getting shot had Kiana’s stomach in knots. “Geoff…”

He blew out a harried breath. “All right, Kiana. You go back to worrying. I’m gonna head out and see if I can’t enjoy the rest of this beautiful day. I’d hoped you’d want to do something with me, as this is my last day off, but I guess I was wrong.”

Kiana swallowed painfully. Why was he making this
so hard for her? “I have to get this piece done for the magazine.”

“Right.” Geoff’s nod said he didn’t believe her. “Call me if you need anything else.”

“Geoff…”

He ignored her as he stalked past her to the door. A second later, he was gone.

A soft moan escaping her, Kiana dropped herself onto the sofa. A feeling of emptiness spread through her entire body.

Dejected, she threw her head back on the sofa and closed her eyes.

Every time the phone rang in the library’s back office, Serena’s heart went into overdrive. And every time it was someone calling about library business, she was disappointed.

She had hoped to hear from Darrell by now, even if he only told her that nothing was going on.

For the zillionth time, Serena glanced at the wall clock. It was just after one
P.M
. She had another five hours to go. God, was time moving forward in slow motion or something?

Serena groaned. She should have told Darrell to check in with her whether or not he found out anything about Cecil. And after not hearing from Darrell for most of the day, she had to concede that she was perhaps more like her sister than she wanted to admit. She was worried about Darrell, unable to stop herself from wondering if the fact that he hadn’t called her meant he wasn’t okay.