You Can't Hide (32 page)

“I know. There’s a picture on the front page of the
Bulletin
of the paramedics wheeling your partner out to an ambulance. How is he?”

The rage bubbled up from deep inside her, aimed at both Wallace Clayborn and the newspaper that so callously profited from their misery. “He’s dead.”

Vito’s silence was tense. “What happened?”

“What does the article say?”

“Just that it was an unknown assailant and that the police are working on leads,” Vito said.

“What happened?”

“One of my patients saw me on the news and…,” she drew a breath, “came after me. He found Harrison instead.”

119

Karen Rose

[Suspense 5]

You Can't Hide

“Oh my God.” His voice no longer rang with outrage. Now it shook with fear. “Where are you?”

“I’m safe. I’l meet you, but not at my apartment.”

“Why?” he asked warily.

“I’l tell you when I see you. Where are you staying?”

“Holiday Inn downtown.”

Tess cupped the phone. “Can you drop me off on your way to work?”

Aidan nodded. “Of course.”

“Tess?” Vito’s voice boomed. “Are you there with a
man
?”

Tess sighed. No matter how old she got, she was still Vito’s little sister and they were all still their father’s children, like it or not. “Yes, Vito.”

“He doesn’t just drop you off,” Vito growled. “He comes in to meet me.”

Tess sighed again. “Yes, Vito. I’l see you in an hour.” She hung up and shrugged. “Do you mind meeting my brother?”

Aidan’s eyes widened in mock alarm. “Will he hurt me?”

“I don’t think so. He never actually beat up any of my boyfriends. Although he did give Phillip a bloody nose.”

“Dr. Damn-him-to-hell?” He smiled when she did. “Sounds like he had it coming.”

“He did. “ She sobered, remembering how worried Aidan had been about his own sister.

“What happened last night, Aidan? With Rachel?”

The smile left his eyes. “Dad said he’d take care of it. He’s a retired cop, but he still has friends who can receive an anonymous tip.”

“And if somebody links it to Rachel?”

He paled. “Then Abe and I will make sure the boys in her school understand that if anybody touches her, they die.” He refilled his plate. “These pancakes are incredible. Better even than my mom’s, but if you tell her I said so I’ll call you a liar to your face.”

Understanding his need to change the subject she nodded. “She won’t hear a word from me. I made you linguini last night. You can warm it for your dinner tonight.”

He lifted a brow. “My dinner tonight? What about yours? I don’t think you should be wandering around alone tonight.”

Panic fluttered in her stomach again and refusing to give into it, she tilted her head. “You just want me to cook for you again.”

His grin was slow and set her heart beating anew. “Yeah. I do.”

Disarmed, she looked away and on the corner of the table saw the notepad she’d been using the night before. “I have something for you,” she said, leaning over to get it. “I didn’t want to use your computer last night without your permission, but I did take one of the blank notepads from your desk. You’ve got an interesting assortment of textbooks by the way. There’s everything from ancient history to calculus.” With a liberal mix of psychology, philosophy, and poetry in between. Scanning the spines of the books on his shelf had been a fascinating look into Aidan Reagan.

He was quiet a split second longer than he should have been. “I just finished my bachelor’s degree.” He’d shuttered his eyes so that they were flat. Unreadable. Which was readable in and of itself.

Tess’s sigh was exasperated. “Dammit, don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what, Doctor?”

“Stick that broom up your ass,
Detective,
” she snapped back. “You’ve assumed I’ll look down on your degree because I have a few more diplomas on my wall.”

He eyed her cool y, then shrugged. “I’m sorry.” But his tone was not one whit warmer, nor were his eyes.

“Why do you do that? Why do you assume the worst of me?” She pushed back from the table on a spurt of anger. “A few minutes ago you had me on my back. Now you’ve got me up on some pedestal looking down at you. Make up your mind, Aidan. I can look up or down, it’s up to you.”

120

Karen Rose

[Suspense 5]

You Can't Hide

Something flickered in his eyes and she narrowed hers, filling the silence when he said nothing. “Okay. Enough said.” She flipped past the notes she’d scribbled on the pad. “While you were out last night I worked on a psych profile of the person we’re looking for. I’d started it on my computer at work yesterday… before I got the call about Seward.” Resolutely she pushed back the residual terror, stiffening her knees. “I didn’t have it backed up yet and I doubt they’l be able to get it from my hard drive at this point.” Because her computer was in pieces on her office floor. “I’m going to change my clothes now. I’l be ready to leave when you are.”

“Tess.”

Already in the living room, she stopped and turned back to see him reading the page she’d marked. He looked up, his eyes troubled. “Thank you for this.”

“It’s what Harrison wanted me to do.” Her mouth twisted. “We had lunch yesterday. We consulted.” She pointed to the pad in his hands. “And there you are. I’d appreciate if you could run me a copy.” She’d made it past the sofa and into the hall before he called her name again.

“Tess.”

She stopped, but didn’t turn around this time. “What?”

“I’m sorry. I was wrong and I’m sorry.” She heard him cross the room then shivered when his hands covered her shoulders. “I’ve got some baggage.” He kissed the side of her neck, right above her scar. “Maybe we both do.”

“What was her name?”

“Shelley.” He paused, then added with a smile in his voice, “Damn-her-to-hel .” He pushed her hair aside and feathered more kisses down the back of her neck. “I’l grab a shower and be ready to go in twenty. You can explain your psych profile in the car. There are some terms I don’t know.”

He pushed by her and disappeared into the bathroom with its rubber ducky wallpaper and she sighed, understanding the admission of ignorance had been harder for him than the apology. She wondered who Shelley was and what she’d done, then shook herself into motion. She needed to get ready. Vito didn’t like to be kept waiting.
Chapter 13

Wednesday, March 15, 7:20 A.M.

It wasn’t difficult to pick out Vito Ciccotelli, Aidan thought, instantly finding the man in the crowded lobby of the Holiday Inn. He would be the big guy with the wavy black hair and forbidding glare. Even without the obvious bulge of his shoulder holster everything about the man screamed “cop.” Then when his piercing dark eyes saw Tess everything about him screamed

“frantical y worried big brother.”

She took a step toward him, then they were running. Vito grabbed her into his arms and held her there as if she was precious and he’d almost lost her. Aidan’s throat thickened. Both of which were true.

She hadn’t seen her brother, she’d told Aidan in the car, since Vito had twice rushed to her side ten months before. The first visit was to the hospital after the “con with the chain” as she matter-of-factly referred to her assault. He wondered if she realized she touched her throat when she talked of the experience as if it had happened to someone else. The second time was six weeks later after she’d given Dr. Damn-him-to-hell his walking papers and Vito had given the doctor a bloody nose.

Now Vito frowned at her. “You’re still too skinny. Have you been sick again? And why are you not in your apartment?” He looked over her shoulder and gave Aidan a visual third degree, his dark eyes going cool.
It must run in the family.
“He’s the cop?”

121

Karen Rose

[Suspense 5]

You Can't Hide

Tess looked over her shoulder, her lips curved. “No, I’m not, no, I haven’t, it’s a long story, and yes, he is.” She turned so that Vito’s arm was around her shoulders. “Vito, Aidan Reagan. Aidan,” she sighed, “my brother Vito.”

Vito shook his hand, his grip hard but not punishing. “Are you sleeping with her?” he demanded.

“Vito!” Tess’s gasp was shocked.

“Not yet,” Aidan answered and Vito’s jaw tightened. For a moment nobody said anything, then Vito scowled.

“Why is she not in her apartment?”

Aidan looked around. “We can’t talk here.” He checked his watch. Spinnelli had called a meeting for eight sharp. “I have about ten minutes. Do you have a room?”

“Yeah.” Vito was already walking, pul ing Tess toward the stairs. “Only two floors up, kid. It’s your lucky day.” He let them into his room and stood in front of the door, arms crossed over his chest like a sentry. “So talk.”

Quickly, concisely Aidan filled him in on the details he felt he could share while Tess sat on the bed rol ing her eyes. When he’d finished she waved sarcastically.

“I’m still here, you know.”

Vito shot her a seriously ugly glare. “Yeah, and we want to keep it that way.” He turned back to Aidan. “Who do you like for this?”

Aidan shook his head. “I can’t.”

Vito’s frustration was palpable. “Because you don’t know?”

Because they could be cops
. “I have to go.” He looked at Tess from the corner of his eye and then back at Vito. “How long are you going to stay, Vito?”

He hesitated. “I’ve got a few days coming.”

“Good.” He glanced down at her again. “Clayborn’s still out there.”

Her spine snapped rigid. “I thought Spinnelli had people picking him up.”

“They haven’t found him yet. You’l stay with her?”

“Yeah,” Vito said grimly. “Tess, how do you get yourself in these situations?”

She surged to her feet and punched Vito’s shoulder so hard the man winced. “I didn’t do anything here, you asshole.”

Aidan was still blinking from the rapidity of her movement and the force of her blow, both distinctly unvictimlike. “I didn’t know you had that in you, Doctor.”

She gave him a dirty look. “Now that you do, don’t forget it. Go. You’l be late. Call me when I can go back in my office. I need to go into the vault and start sorting the records.” She lifted a wry brow. “Patrick will want them for his subpoena.”

“Who’s Patrick?” Vito wanted to know.

“The SA.” Aidan pul ed on Tess’s hand. “I want to talk to you.” He pul ed her into the hall and shut the door in Vito’s scowling face. “I’m starting to feel sorry for Rachel.”

Her lips curved. “She’s a lucky girl, to have a brother who loves her.” She pulled his head down for a short kiss. “Don’t keep Spinnelli waiting. He gets impatient.”

He slipped his hand under her hair and took the kiss he really wanted, gratified that when he lifted his head she took a long, shaky breath. “So do I.” He kissed her again, hard. Possessive. “I’m sorry about this morning. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“It’s all right.” It was. He could see it in her eyes and his thundering heart eased. He started to back away, then swore. She was in his arms before he could take another breath, her arms around his neck, kissing him like she had that morning in the kitchen and he wondered how he could have ever thought her cold because she was burning him up. Shuddering, he buried his face against her neck.

“Be careful,” he whispered fiercely. “Call me if you need me.”

“I will. I promise.”

He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Have dinner with me tonight.”

“What about Vito?”

122

Karen Rose

[Suspense 5]

You Can't Hide

“Bring him along. As long as he doesn’t stay all night.”

She shivered. “Will I?”

He nipped her lower lip lightly. “That’s up to you. I’m seriously late now. Bye.”

Tess pressed the back of her hand to her lips.
Wow.
She’d never been kissed like that. Never. Not by Phillip, damn him to hell. Not by anybody. She took an unsteady step toward the door and it opened before she could knock.

“You were watching through the peephole,” she accused Vito and he grinned.

“I always did, kid. How else would I know whose ass to kick for getting too fresh with my sister?” He sobered when she came back in the room. “Mom wants to come.”

All the pleasure vanished. “Then let her come.”

“She wants you to ask her.”

“I did.” Too many times in the last five years. “Don’t get in the middle of this, Vito.”

“I am in the middle of it, Tess.”

“Only you,” she murmured. Only Vito stood by her, braving their father’s wrath. “How are they?” She didn’t need to be more specific. “They” were her family.

“Dino’s expecting again. It’s another boy.”

“Poor Mol y.” That would make five boys for her oldest brother and his wife. Two nephews she’d never seen and three more who couldn’t pick her out of a crowd.

“Gino just got a big contract to design a new building. Tino’s engaged.”

Her heart squeezed. “Is she nice?”

“Yeah.” He swal owed hard. “Yeah, she is. Tess, I want you to come home.”

Home.
The thought made her yearn. “Why?”

“Because I miss you. We al do.” He sat on the bed, his eyes closed. “Dad’s sick.”

Her gut clenched. “How sick?”

“He had a heart attack.”

She lifted her chin. “He’s had them before.”

“This one was bad. He’s selling the business.”

She turned to the window. “Does he want me to come?” Vito was silent, giving her her answer. She turned back around, her composure restored. “I need to see Flo Ernst this morning. I have a message for her from Harrison. Will you come with me?”

Vito came to his feet. “Sure. Tess, this cop…”

“Aidan? He’s nice, Vito. Really nice. He loves his mother.”

He smiled. “Good. Then I won’t have to kill him.”

She smiled back. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

Wednesday, March 15, 8:03 A.M.

Aidan winced when he opened the conference room door to find four pairs of eyes staring.

“Sorry,” he muttered and slid between Jack and Murphy. “What did I miss?”

“Nothing,” Spinnelli said dryly. “But Rick’s about to bust, so we’l let him go first.”

“I have a lead on one of the cameras.” Rick’s grin went ear to ear. “The oldest one.”