The Right Woman Read online

  When he’d stopped, she was hurt at first, but she knew he was right. This time she was going to take it slow and enjoy the crescendo before the climax, so to speak. She’d savor all these new feelings until she was ready to express them. Now she couldn’t wait for Daniel’s return.

  “Ms. Welch?”

  “Hmm?” Chad’s voice finally reached her.

  “I’m waiting for you to draw a card.”

  She laid her cards down. “I’m sorry. My mind’s not on the game.”

  “Yeah. It’s not much fun with two playing.” He gathered the cards and shuffled them. “You’re a counselor, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure.” She curled her feet beneath her.

  “I’m dating this girl and she’s getting possessive. She doesn’t like me going out with the guys and sometimes I need that kind of break. When I’m not working, she wants me with her. I was thinking I was in love, but now I’m not so sure.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I don’t want to live the rest of my life like that.”

  “Like how?”

  “If I play basketball or go bowling with the guys, she cuts off sex for two or three days or until I apologize profusely.”

  “This girl is manipulating you to get what she wants. She’s probably insecure about your feelings and the more time you spend with her, the more secure she feels. You need to talk to her honestly, tell her how you feel and why you need some guy time.”

  Chad fiddled with the cards. “I’m not good at talking.”

  “Oh, dear,” she sighed.

  “How do you know if you really love someone?”

  “I’d be the smartest person on earth if I could answer that.”

  “But you have an idea,” he persisted.

  She gazed toward the door. “Well, when you want to be with that person more than anyone. When you think about them all the time and can’t wait to see them. And when you’re with them, you’re happier, content and feel a sense of belonging.”

  Chad stared at her.

  “What?”

  “You sound as if you’re in love.”

  She shifted nervously as what she’d said seeped into her heart. Did she love Daniel? It was only last Saturday when she’d told him to stay out of her life. Now she was feeling so differently. How could that have happened in so short a span of time? Because she didn’t want Daniel out of her life—she just didn’t want to deal with her feelings for him.

  When she didn’t answer, Chad asked, “Is there something between you and Daniel?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Why do you ask?”

  “Daniel doesn’t handle protective custody personally, so for him to be doing this I figure you’re pretty special to him. And I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

  “How’s that?”

  “Besotted.”

  She laughed. “I don’t think that’s how he looks at me.”

  “Then you’re not watching.”

  She felt she needed to explain to Chad before his imagination ran away with him. “Daniel has been with me ever since they arrested Boyd and got me out of that awful place. He was there for the trial and the appeal, and I’ve probably leaned on him more than I should have.”

  Chad nodded. “Daniel’s that kind of guy.”

  “We were talking about you and your girlfriend,” she reminded him, needing to switch channels, not quite ready to share her feelings with anyone but Daniel.

  “I think I’ve got it figured out.”

  “You have?” she asked in surprise.

  “Yeah. The sex is great.” He shuffled the cards again. “You can’t build a relationship on that, though, and I sure don’t look at her the way Daniel looks at you.”

  “Okay, Chad,” she said with a secret smile. “Let’s play cards before we get in too deep.”

  DANIEL READ THROUGH the files until his eyes burned and his back hurt, but he kept going. His only breaks were to call Chad several times. It seemed as if he and Sarah were getting along fine. That’s how Sarah was; she was a great listener.

  Late afternoon Will came charging in. “Freddie said a man called Bear has been doing a lot of the college parties lately.”

  “No name?”

  Will shook his head. “Freddie said Bear was a sadistic bastard and he stays away from him. I think he’s telling the truth. He doesn’t know his real name.”

  “But he knows his face. Get him to go through some mug shots.”

  “After that I’ll have to let him go. He didn’t have any drugs on him when we arrested him.”

  “That’s fine with me,” Daniel said. “Keep an eye on him after you release him just in case he’s stupid enough to be lying to us.”

  “You bet.”

  BY SIX O’CLOCK Daniel had a list of people to talk to in the morning. Several of the cops had money problems, but no one had a clear connection to Boyd except Jack’s wife. There was no smoking gun and his head pounded with frustration. He still had nothing.

  He closed everything for the day and headed for the motel. He wanted to go to his place and shower and change, but decided to do that in the morning. The need to see Sarah was strong and he ignored everything else.

  He picked up dinner and parked away from the room. He strolled toward the door, dinner in one hand, his eyes searching for anything out of the ordinary. One couple was leaving, another was driving up, the traffic hummed in the background. Everything else was quiet.

  At the door, he stopped dead. Taped to the surface was a single white sheet of paper and scrawled in big letters was, Sarah baby. You’re next.

  Fear jolted through him and the bag dropped from his hand as he immediately drew his gun. He pounded on the door with his fist. “Goddammit, Chad, open up.”

  The door swung open and Daniel burst in. Sarah stood there wide-eyed. She was okay. He released a painful breath and pointed at the door. “Grab your things. We have to go. They know we’re here.”

  Chad stared at the door. “What the hell?”

  “Don’t touch it,” Daniel shouted as Chad’s hand went to it. “Call Russ and get the lab over here.” He turned to Sarah. “Hurry. We have to get out of here.”

  Sarah’s eyes were glued to the door. While she and Chad had been playing cards, the killer had been not twelve feet away. Her blood ran cold at the chilling thought and for a moment she couldn’t move. Not again. Not again.

  “Sarah, hurry,” Daniel repeated in an urgent tone.

  She swallowed hard and ran to the bedroom.

  “Did you hear anything?” Daniel asked Chad, a bite to his words.

  “Not a sound.”

  “Did you talk to anyone?”

  “No, sir. I haven’t even talked to my mom or my girlfriend.”

  “They found her, some way, somehow.”

  “It wasn’t me, sir. I was very careful.”

  “I know, Chad. Someone had a way to find us.”

  “How?”

  “I’m not sure, but I will find out.”

  Sarah came back with her bag and Daniel followed her outside. “Cover our backs, then stay here and wait for Russ,” he called to Chad. “I’ll be in touch.”

  Within seconds they were in the car and driving through the night. “It’s going to be okay,” he told her.

  “No, it isn’t.” Her voice wobbled, not sure if her life was ever going to be the same again. “Not until the killer is caught.”

  “Did you hear anything?”

  “It’s been quiet all day.”

  “How in the hell did they find out where you were? Someone had to have tailed me or…” He made a sharp turn.

  She braced herself as the car picked up speed. “Daniel, where are we going?”

  “To the police station.”

  She didn’t ask anymore questions because she could sense this wasn’t the time for that. He was deep in thought.

  They drove into a garage with several more cars and a
couple of police cars. Daniel rolled down a window. “Carlos,” he shouted.

  A Hispanic man appeared from a small room, wiping his hands on a grease rag. “What the hell do you want, Daniel? I’m ready to go home.”

  Daniel got out and talked to the man, then he opened her door. “Let’s wait in here until he finishes.”

  Sarah stepped out and her legs buckled. Daniel caught her. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m trying to be.”

  He held her arm as they walked to the small cluttered office. Daniel pulled out a metal chair and she sat. He knelt in front of her and she stared into those warm, concerned eyes. She needed that more than anything. The fear inside her began to subside.

  “This won’t take long, then we’ll get lost somewhere.”

  “You can’t do that. You have to catch this killer and find the snitch in your department. My life is not the only one involved.”

  “At this moment I’m only concerned about you.”

  Her eyes melted into his and she wanted to absorb her whole body in him until the nightmare went away, until she could breathe normally again, until…

  The door opened and Carlos came in. “Found something you might want to see.”

  Daniel stood and Sarah followed him out to the car. The hood was up and he pointed to a small gadget in one corner. “There’s your problem. Someone’s attached a tracer to your vehicle.”

  “Goddammit.” Daniel ran both hands through his hair. “Don’t touch anything.”

  “I know better than that,” Carlos snapped. “I’d say someone was mighty interested in where you were going.”

  “Yeah. Stay with the car until Russ arrives. I’m taking that gray sedan over there.”

  “Keys are in the office,” Carlos said.

  Sarah grabbed her things and once again they were on the highway.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “We’re probably being watched right now.”

  Sarah ran her hands up her arms to shake that foreboding feeling.

  “Boyd called us a bunch of Keystone Cops and I’m beginning to believe he’s right. We’re running in circles without a clue.”

  “That’s only because someone close to you is feeding him information.”

  “Yeah, and tomorrow I’m getting up close and personal with my officers.”

  “So we’re staying in Dallas?”

  He thought for a moment. “I think we should stop hiding.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They seem to know where we’re at anyway so we’re going to my condo. That’s the last place they’d expect us.”

  “Okay.”

  Daniel drove into a condo area and Sarah couldn’t see much because of the darkness.

  He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small remote. He pushed a button and the garage door went up. After they drove in, it immediately went down again. It was a two-car garage and she noticed a black Jeep to her left. She got her bag and they went into the house through a laundry area then into a kitchen and breakfast room.

  “It has an alarm system and I’ve set it, so that might put your mind at rest. Have a seat. I have to check in with Russ and my lieutenant.”

  Sarah walked into the large den. It was light and airy, with overstuffed comfortable furniture that gave it a homey, country appeal.

  She collapsed into an oversize chair and tried to gather her thoughts. She was here with Daniel and she felt safe, but she couldn’t still that uneasiness inside her. Someone was trying to kill her and they’d been watching Daniel and her. Who was it? It could be anyone. That had her nerves stretched to the breaking point.

  Daniel came into the room. “Lieutenant Tolin’s steamed about this turn of events and he’s calling a meeting of narcotics and homicide first thing in the morning. All the dirty laundry will be thoroughly aired and he won’t stop until he gets an answer. Forensics is working on the door and the car.”

  He removed his jacket and laid it over a chair, his eyes on her white face. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Beside the obvious?”

  “Yes. You have that look on your face I’ve seen before—that look that says ‘leave me alone.’”

  He was beginning to read her so well, she wasn’t sure what to say to him. She could only be honest. That’s what she’d told Chad.

  “I’m just so scared and I’m trying to control it.”

  “Me, too,” he said just as honestly. “But whoever is after you will have to go through me to get to you. You do understand that I won’t leave you until this guy is caught.”

  A change came over her face. “Last time I leaned on Serena and now I’m leaning on you. I’m tired of being weak and I’m tired of being the victim. I need to go back to my job, my life, and stop running, stop hiding. If this man wants me, then he has to come out into the open and find me. I’ve had karate and self-defense classes and I’m suppose to know how to protect myself. Yet I’m hiding like a coward and the killer is watching and enjoying my fear. Well, no more.” She jumped to her feet. “I’m going home.”

  “Whoa. Whoa.” Daniel caught her before she could take a step. This was the Sarah he’d witnessed during the trial, the one who’d stood in open court and pointed a finger at Boyd and said he’d shot Greg in cold blood three times without even blinking. He could almost feel the fire coursing through her—the coldness she’d mentioned earlier was completely gone. She was fighting mad.

  He held her by both arms. “Listen to me. The lieutenant gave me four days to get this thing solved. I’ve got two left. Please, give me those two days.”

  The fire in her eyes flickered and dampened. “Okay. But I’m going with you wherever you go. I’m not sitting in a room somewhere. I want to help.”

  “Okay. Deal.”

  “I just want it over,” she murmured, stepping closer to him and wrapping her arms around his waist. Her arm rubbed against his gun—a reminder of their situation.

  He did what any red-blooded male would do; he held her tight. Pushing her away wasn’t even in his mind.

  “Do you feel something happening between us?” she asked, her head beneath his chin.

  He took a deep breath. “Yes.”

  “A few days ago I wanted you out of my life and now I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”

  He closed his eyes, trying not to read too much into her words.

  “You’re thinking it’s out of fear, aren’t you?” She looked up at him.

  He opened his eyes and the truth was there for her to see. He did and she had to make him understand. “I knew that if I faced my feelings for you then I’d have to face my past, deal with it and get on with living. I told myself I’d already done that and it had nothing to do with you. But deep down I had all those negative feelings about you seeing me naked in Boyd’s apartment. I didn’t want to be a helpless victim to you.” She trembled slightly.

  He gently cupped her head with his hands. “As I told you, I’ve never, not for a second, thought of you as a slut. I think, as I did then, that you’re a beautiful, brave and incredibly strong young woman. I also thought Greg was lucky to have had you in his life and I was…”

  Her eyes widened. “What?”

  “I was jealous that he met you first.”

  She smiled and his heart fluttered uncontrollably. “But we have now.”

  His hands slid through the thickness of her hair and he gently kissed her lips. She moaned, a sweet happy sound, and returned the kiss with an ardor he was beginning to associate with her—fiery, like her hair, and unforgettable, like her touch.

  She opened her mouth and the kiss deepened as they tasted, explored and reveled in the emotions that took them away to a place of need, joy and pleasure. Daniel’s hands traveled from her hair to her back and held her tight against him.

  “Daniel,” she breathed against his lips.

  He kissed her nose, her cheek. “Hmm?”

  Suddenly the alarm blasted throu
gh the condo. In a split second Daniel pulled his gun and pushed her behind him. “Where’s your gun?” he asked in a hoarse voice.

  “In my…in my bag.”

  He grabbed her bag out of the chair and handed it to her, looking at the alarm panel in the kitchen. “The front door light is blinking. Someone’s coming through the damn front door.” He glanced at her. “Do you have your gun?”

  “Yes,” she answered, her heart hammering so loud she could barely hear him.

  “The alarm will go off at the police station and someone will call here in a few minutes. I’m going to the front door.” He stared into her eyes. “Use the gun if you have to.”

  She nodded, unable to speak. She wanted this to be over and she had to stay strong to see it through. The gun was cold and heavy in her hand, but she gripped it tightly. She’d never fired a gun before and the mere thought caused her stomach to churn with a sick feeling.

  To protect Daniel, to protect herself, she’d pull the trigger. She wasn’t being the victim again. Not ever again.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  SARAH WAS BARELY breathing. She waited. The alarm continued to blare through the house, making her edgier than she already was. Then she heard voices—the high pitch of a woman and the baritone of a man.

  “It’s my parents,” Daniel called out.

  A long sigh of relief escaped her and she released her grip on the gun. She walked to her bag and slipped it back inside as the alarm cut off.

  “I thought you were in France,” Daniel was saying, clearly aggravated.

  “We got back yesterday,” the woman’s voice said. “I was fed up with your father’s partying.”

  Daniel entered the den with two older people. A well-dressed woman with blond hair cut in a fashionable pageboy, sized up Sarah with her blue-green eyes. The tall, lean gray-haired man had brown eyes and Sarah saw where Daniel got his looks. They both stared openly at her and she felt like a specimen under a microscope. She resisted the urge to squirm.