The Devil Wore Sneakers (26 page)

The swarm of people whooped and surrounded him.

Appropriate, Lucy thought. With a bittersweet feeling, she slipped into the hall and climbed the stairs to the apartment.

Muffled sounds from the bar kept her company as she uploaded Mixology Night pictures and chose the best for the website.

Fifteen minutes later, a rap on her door startled her. “Who is it?”

“Liam.”

The sound of his voice added a spring to her step. She smoothed her hair before opening. “Why aren’t you downstairs enjoying your win?”

“I missed you. I want to be with you, Luce, no one else.”

Her heart thundered in her ears. “But people expect you to stay. Won’t they be upset?”

“That’s my Luce. Okay, listen for a second.” He held up a finger. “What did you hear?”

“Music. Voices. Laughter.”

“Exactly. The party goes on without me.”

“I’m not sure how to take that, Liam.”

“I’ll tell you.” He took her hands. “Lucy Watson, when I lost you, I lost my guide, my conscience, my—”

His words triggered feelings she couldn’t hide or control. She kissed him with a hunger that had been lurking deep inside. For a moment, she forgot worries and fears. Then she moved away from him. Hadn’t she been the one discouraging their relationship? Her cheeks burned.

His hand came around her waist, and the familiar glint lit his eyes. “I want us to spend tonight together.” He searched her face.

Hope whirled and rose higher.

“What do you say, Luce?” His voice was low, husky. “One night?”

Her last chance with him was
now
. “Yes.”

He smiled, bent to kiss her, and stepped back. “Hold on.” He walked to the window.

What was he doing? He’d changed his mind? Already? “I thought…”

“We’re done with Matt Hastings’s psycho games.” Liam pulled the shade, blocking out the streetlights and the Moose’s security beam. He switched on the soft light by the couch.

“What about tomorrow?”

“We’ll figure it out.”

She stepped into his arms.

“You’re sure?” His questioning gaze skimmed over her features, searching for an answer.

“Yes.” She met his stare. The odors of beer and pine lingered around him. His arms went around her waist. She closed her eyes, memorizing the feel of his long legs and broad chest against her.

His tongue traced her lips and then plunged into her mouth. The kiss sent the pit of her stomach into a wild swirl. He took her hand and led her to the bedroom. Stopping beside the bed, he brushed a kiss across her forehead, her cheek, the hollow of her throat, leaving her senses spinning.

His hand skimmed over her breast to the buttons on her blouse and began unbuttoning them. She worked to free him of his shirt while he unfastened her jeans.

“Hurry. Hurry.” Had she spoken aloud?

He didn’t give her time to ask. He kissed her again, his tongue sending shivers racing through her while one hand slid down her stomach and over her hips.

Lifting her into his arms, he sank onto the mattress. His body covered hers. His skin was hot. He touched her everywhere, sending jolts of pleasure through her. Their arms and legs tangled in their need to be close.

Then, they came together without words of love or promise, driven by the raw passion brought by years apart.

When she could think again, he rolled away from her. She felt a chill pass over her. Now he’d leave. An instant of fear attacked her before his arm went over her. He pulled her to his side. Her alarm subsided.

If only his feelings for her weren’t just for the moment, for tonight. If only she trusted her own.

Chapter 37

Lucy awoke before the sun had risen above the mountains. She threw on Liam’s shirt, snuck out into the front room, and left him sleeping in the bedroom. Outside, the streetlights struggled to kick off. She wished her thoughts would shut off. Each second from last night replayed in her thoughts. Her lips and skin still burned from their lovemaking.

She tugged the edges of her top together, hugging the memory of his words to herself. The cautious part of her whispered,
Remember, live one day at a time.

“Mind if I join you?” Not waiting for an answer, Liam walked barefoot into the room. He’d pulled on his jeans. His bare chest and rumpled hair added to his appeal.

Nerves fluttered in her belly. She inclined her head toward the window. “I enjoyed the sunrise.”

He kissed her. “I like my shirt on you.”

Doubt disappeared. She slipped her arms around his shoulders, and the heat of his body warmed her. This must be part of their “one more.”

He pulled away. “I’ll cook breakfast.”

“Eggs and bacon?” she asked to hide her disappointment.

“Am I not a McAllister?”

Her phone buzzed from the kitchen table where she’d left it. News of Ali? Who else would call at this time?

Liam threw her a questioning look.

She grabbed the cell. “Hello.”

“I thought I’d be leaving a message.” Sullivan’s gruff voice sounded in her ear. “I didn’t expect you to answer this early, but I wanted to catch you.”

“What’s happening?”

“I received a report last night that you should see ASAP. Don’t bring McAllister with you.” His tone was firm, as though she were his officer. “I’ll hold a separate interview with him. Trust me.”

“Okay, what about Ali?”

“I’ll fill you in. Since you’re awake, how about we meet at the station?”

“But did you find her?”

“No, Miss Watson. The girl is still missing. I’ll send a cruiser to pick you up in fifteen minutes.” He clicked off his phone.

She held the phone to her ear for a second longer. Her mind buzzed with questions about his order to come alone.

“Are you okay?” Liam asked.

She turned to him, forcing concern from her expression. “Yeah, Sullivan has a new report to share.”

“When are you meeting?”

“In a few minutes. He wants to talk to me by myself. I’m not sure what he has in mind.”
But I’m sure it’s bad news.

Liam’s strong arms came around her for a quick hug. “We’ll shower and I’ll cook breakfast. We’ll be ready for him.”

“You’re off the hook. Sullivan assigned an officer to drive me. I better get ready. Can’t keep the chief waiting.” She tried for a teasing tone and knew it fell flat from the skepticism on his face.

Liam blew out a breath of frustration. “Sullivan’s shutting me out because of one of his harebrained theories.”

“I’ll fill you in when I return.”

Liam was inches from her. She couldn’t think when he was too close, and her stomach was tying into knots as she tried to hide her fears from him. “I’ve got to get ready.”

“Eat before you go, and when you’re finished with Sullivan, call me. I’ll pick you up.”

“Rain check on breakfast. I’ll grab a mug of coffee after my five-minute shower. If I need a ride, I’ll text you.”

“Okay, I’ll hold you to it.” He gave her a doubtful look. “Are you positive you don’t want me with you to keep Sullivan in line?”

“It’s more like a battle line between you two. Besides, I’m a big girl and will be all right. Now I better change, or I’ll have to go talk to Sullivan in your shirt.” She inched toward the bedroom.

He grabbed the edges of the fabric and pulled her to him. His gaze locked on hers. “Come right back.”

Her heart turned over until she recalled the chief’s ominous words.
Don’t bring McAllister with you. Trust me.

Chapter 38

The cruiser arrived on time. As Lucy took her seat across from Sullivan, she wondered how many hours he’d spent in his office. His clothes were rumpled, his short hair overgrown, and dark shadows ringed his eyes. The aroma of coffee floated from his mug.

“We’ve finally gotten a couple of breaks. The prints from Matt Hastings matched the ones found in the vehicle in your brother’s garage.”

She nodded. “Confirmation is helpful.”

“Next, an officer arrested Tate Johnson, Ali Smith’s ex-boyfriend, for DWI and discovered a controlled substance in his possession. The bad news for Tate is he’s eighteen and not a juvenile in New Hampshire.”

“He’s out on bail. The arrest was a few days ago. His parents have kept it hushed up.”

“Did he tell you where to find Ali?” The girl was alive. That was why Sullivan wanted to meet. Relief lifted Lucy’s spirits.

“Tate doesn’t know where she is.”

“Oh.” More bad news ahead.

“The arresting officer fingerprinted Johnson, and we’ve been able to confirm that his print was found on the coins at your brother’s house.”

“The word CHEAT created with pennies?” Tate Johnson went to Ryan’s?

“After a few hours of questioning, the kid folded and admitted his guilt. He also hacked the funeral picture and uploaded it to your brother’s webpage.”

Tate must have believed the gossip about Ryan and his ex-girlfriend. “What will happen to him?”

“The decision belongs to the DA.”

“He might have killed my brother because he was jealous?”

Sullivan folded his hands together on top of his closed tablet. “Johnson has a solid alibi for the night of the homicide. He was at an away high school basketball game and spent the night at a hotel with friends and chaperones who will confirm he was with them when Ryan died.”

“We hit another dead end. What about Ali?”

“I showed the black glove you found to Ali’s parents. They confirmed Ali had the exact pair and size. Matt Hastings could have taken her to your brother’s when he traded vehicles. We’ve no other news on her case. The glove is at the lab for final confirmation.”

Matt had left something that belonged to the missing girl to let them know he’d abducted her and had been in Ryan’s home.

Sullivan cleared his throat to regain her attention. “As I informed you, Liam McAllister is a suspect in your brother’s death.”

The knot in her stomach tightened.

“Since we learned about the argument between McAllister and Ryan, we’ve been investigating both men’s finances.”

“I’m sure Liam took out loans to buy the Moose and he owes a dump truck of money. To own a business at his age is quite an accomplishment.”

“Anyone can rack up debt to their eyeballs, Miss Watson.” Sullivan frowned and turned on his tablet. “But he didn’t buy the bar by himself, and he didn’t take out the full amount of the purchase price from the bank.”

“Liam told me his father didn’t help him.” What was Sullivan getting at?

“I’m not talking about the senior McAllister. Your brother was part owner of the Mad

Moose.”

“My brother? Ryan?”

“We examined your brother’s finances.” Sullivan bent his head and read from his tablet. “He put up half of the five hundred fifty thousand dollars to buy the Moose.”

“I can’t believe it. He had that much money?” Her brother had never seemed interested in owning a business. “Ryan never kept as much as five dollars in his pocket and set little away for his future. He must have had money left from selling Gramps’s house.”

Sullivan was watching her, studying her face. It made her uneasy. “Okay, I was surprised, but there’s nothing wrong with Liam and Ryan becoming partners.”

“Until your brother defaulted on his loan. We’ve learned from Ryan’s electronics that he spent hours at online gambling sites. Ryan Watson’s lucky streak was over,” the chief added. “He’d used up his savings account and credit cards. He dug himself a hole so deep no sun would ever shine on him.”

Gambling? He had traded one addiction for another.
Ryan, what did you do?
“Does Liam know?”

Sullivan’s eyes lit. “We took his electronics during the bar search. When we read McAllister’s email, we found one from the bank. He’d written to a friend asking for the lowdown on Ryan’s loan payment. Ryan had informed your ex he’d be late with the bill. We now understand why they argued when they met up at Gage’s Garage.”

“Okay.” Where was Sullivan going with this news?

“McAllister’s bank friend told him he couldn’t answer his question about another customer because of privacy laws, but suggested McAllister contact Ryan ASAP. The sender bolded the ASAP. McAllister opened the email at 11:33 pm the night your brother died.”

He insinuated that Liam had read the message and taken off in a rage to kill Ryan. The news felt like weights pressing on her shoulders. She opened her mouth, but what should she say?

“I won’t go into the legal issues of the loan except to let you know McAllister’s responsible for the total cost with or without Ryan. He paid Watson’s last two mortgage payments. Otherwise, McAllister would have to sell or declare bankruptcy. With his present income, I doubt he can continue to pay both loans. He’s facing foreclosure on— what did you call it?— his accomplishment.”

Sullivan was headed to a bad place with these accusations. “Liam’s dad will help him.”