Codename: Romeo (13 page)

“Why what?” She wasn’t able to think, let alone concentrate with him holding her like this. When had her brain ceded power to her body?

“That’s why I didn’t want this assignment. Do you have any idea what it’s like to walk around in this state for hours at a time?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

But, of course, she did. She suffered from the female equivalent—the tight puckering in her breasts, the heated dampness between her legs. Kissing him was not one of her better ideas. She tapped into his animal lust, nothing more. She needed to get back on familiar ground and regroup before she got herself in any deeper. A good night’s sleep and a quick stroll down memory lane should help her to put things back in perspective. “I think I should go home now.”

Chapter Nine

Thanksgiving Day started in Wakeburn the way it had for the past twenty years. A parade of cars passed through town with the high school football players and cheerleaders waving blue and white banners on their way to the stadium for their annual rivalry with neighboring Lansing. The university encouraged the staff to attend if possible. Victoria dressed in brown corduroy slacks, a lightweight beige turtleneck and an oversized cable-knit sweater, and then donned the traditional blue and white scarf.

She emerged from the bedroom to find her devoted bodyguard waiting by the front door. Her pulse accelerated. The man must have been born in a pair of blue jeans; he looked so comfortable in them. He’d pulled his hair back into a neat ponytail, giving her a full view of his strikingly handsome face. He smiled wryly. A smile that said he knew she’d spent a restless night thinking about him. Well, what did she expect? She planted a kiss on him in front of the entire Science Department and paid for her performance with a healthy dose of sexual frustration. He claimed that seducing her wasn’t part of the job. Last night in the park, he seemed genuinely attracted to her. She wanted, more than anything, to believe him, but how could she?

“Will you be warm enough like that?” he asked.

If he kept staring with his penetrating gaze, she would. When he decided to turn on the heat, she melted. Obviously she’d never mastered the art of mind over matter. Of course, matter didn’t usually come in a solid six-foot body with gorgeous china-blue eyes.

“I’ll bring my coat.” She took her parka from the closet. “Where’s Daniels?”

“He’s on the way.”

She grabbed her purse and keys from the hall counter. She debated telling him their destination for fear he would refuse to let her go. Attending a local game while under forced protective custody might seem foolish, but she needed some normalcy in her life. With hundreds of spectators, she couldn’t be safer.

“Could you try to look a little happy, Tori, or people might think we had a lover’s quarrel.”

“I’ll play the part when I have to. Just like you.”

He placed his hand on the small of her back. “Still refuse to forgive me, I see.”

A jolt of awareness shot through her. The keys slipped from her hand and landed with a crash on the floor. Both she and Erik bent down at the same time, bumping heads. Her cheeks flamed with heat. Adding to her embarrassment, he laughed. Not a snicker. A full-fledged, in her face laugh.

“Maybe you’re coming around after all.”

“It doesn’t mean a thing,” she grumbled as she snatched up the keys.

He didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. His cocky expression said it all.

“Are you ready?” she asked, trying to inflect a chord of annoyance in her tone.

“Should I drive?”

Last night when she’d driven to the reception, she sensed that he wasn’t comfortable in the passenger seat. He probably bought into the macho mentality that men were better drivers than women. “Afraid you won’t get there in one piece?”

“No. I just want to get there before the game ends.”

She glanced up at him. “How did you know where we were going?”

He touched the scarf that sported the Wakeburn colors. “Wild guess.”

“And you’re not going to stop me?”

“Did I stop you yesterday?”

“Yesterday was different.”

“Not from my perspective.”

What was his perspective? She couldn’t tell. He hid his emotions. Occupational hazard, she supposed. His work brought him into contact with dangerous, often deadly, suspects. Trust didn’t come easy to him, if at all. The fact that he admitted even an attraction to her was a wonder. Maybe she’d misjudged him. She might have to re-evaluate her opinion.

* * * *

Victoria stood against the chain link fence and watched the marching band perform the half time show. Despite her earlier assurance that she would play her part in public, her rising spirits were no act. Erik didn’t credit his presence with her change in mood. The high energy of the crowd, coupled with her apparent love of the sport, overrode any anger she still harbored. At least for the past couple of hours.

The people of Wakeburn seemed genuinely fond of her. Good news traveled fast in the small town. Several people stopped by to congratulate her on her engagement, and the local press wanted to print an announcement. She stammered over her thanks but the well-wishers chalked it up to her shy nature. He learned more about the generous and gifted scientist from her interactions today than from meeting her colleagues the night before. Although she worked for the university, she also volunteered her time to the local high school board to aid in the development of the science program.

Most people called her Doctor or Professor, but the woman beneath the wire-rimmed glasses intrigued him more. The complicated and passionate woman no one else seemed to notice. He came up behind her and pinned her against the fence. She let out a small gasp of surprise but didn’t pull away. In fact, she leaned into him, more to escape the cold November air, he suspected, than for show.

He folded his arms across her chest. “You should have worn a heavier coat.”

Her body tensed. “What is that hard thing digging into my back?”

“What?” he choked out. Then he remembered the .38 snuggled in his shoulder holster.

She turned in the circle of his arms and ran her hand over his jacket. Her eyes rounded. “You’re carrying a gun?” she whispered. Her voice quavered. She tried to twist away.

He held her tighter and whispered against her ear. “Can we discuss this later, Tori?”

Inhaling deeply, she composed herself. “Let me go, please.”

“Why?”

“I need space, Erik.”

“That’s not a good idea. It’s the same reason I brought my friend along today.”

“Friend,” she repeated with a questioning arch of her eyebrow. She shook her head. “I’m just going to go get hot chocolate.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“I’ll lose my space on the fence.”

Since she’d grown up with a brother who spent his entire adult career in the NSB, Erik figured Victoria would be used to guns, or at the very least not seem so visibly agitated by them. Perhaps the weapon reminded her of a situation she’d managed to forget for a few enjoyable hours.

* * * *

Victoria maneuvered her way through the crowd to the counter and placed an order for two cups of cocoa. She wanted coffee, but the jolt of caffeine would exacerbate her already hyperkinetic nervous system. The man was a federal agent on assignment. Of course he carried a gun. Evidently, she played her part a little too well, even managing to delude herself that this was a happy holiday outing with her fiancé.

Her lack of sleep last night affected her common sense. A heated debate between her head and her heart kept her turning restlessly until the early hours of the morning. She might have limited experience in the dating field, but she understood human physiology and she did not suffer from sense deprivation. Erik responded to her the same way she responded to him, at least on a physical level. He claimed that what happened between them wasn’t part of his job. Based on available data, she could deduce that he found her attractive.

Spoken like a true scientist, she chided herself. Despite numerous theories in the field, no one really knew what attracted two people to each other. Perhaps she should stop trying to look for answers in that which defied logic. The situation had a funny side. Not every boring physics professor was mistaken for a corporate spy. Not every woman had her idea of male perfection living under her roof.

She paid for her drinks and started back for the fence. A roar of cheers swept though the bleachers as the home team returned to the field. The jostling of the fans returning to their seats left her struggling to hold onto the two Styrofoam cups. The hard pressure of steel pressed into her back. She straightened in anger.

“That’s not funny,” she grunted.

“Becker isn’t very amused with you either.” She recognized the cold voice despite efforts to forget. She scanned the area until she saw Erik, still standing by the fence. Her heart raced. She started to glance over her shoulder, but the pressure of the gun barrel increased. “Don’t turn around.”

Terror in its purest form ripped through her. The yelling and applause that followed the second half kick-off couldn’t drown out the quiet but distinctly threatening words of the man.

“You’re becoming a liability, lady.”

Do something. Run. Scream.
The orders played in her mind, but her body wouldn’t respond.

“You have until the weekend to hand over the property. Shacking up with your lover won’t keep you safe. We can get to you anytime we want.”

Her assailant turned and disappeared into the crowd. For several seconds she remained rooted in place. By the time she found the courage to look, she couldn’t distinguish anyone in particular among the gathering of fans scurrying in all directions.
We can get to you anytime we want.
The words played over in her mind. If he could find her here, he would find her anywhere.

When she turned back, Erik stood in front of her. Frown lines framed the corners of his mouth. “Who was that man talking to you?”

The two cups slipped from her hands, splattering on the ground. She grabbed at the scarf around her neck as if the wool accessory, rather than panic, caused her shortness of breath.

“Tori. Look at me.” He cupped his hand along the side of her face. “Who was he?”

“I don’t know.” Her parched throat left her voice sounding strained and unnatural.

“What did he say to you?”

She swallowed hard. “He said I’m becoming a liability.”

Erik let out a muttered oath. “Same guy from the other day?”

She nodded.

He slipped his arm around her shoulder and held her close. “Did he hurt you? Are you all right?”

Despite the cold, she began to sweat. Her heart pounded. She consciously slowed her breathing. If she didn’t calm down, she would hyperventilate and pass out. Wouldn’t that look lovely in the local paper right next to her engagement announcement? After all, she reasoned, if the man intended to kill her she would be dead. He wanted to frighten her, and she refused to give him the satisfaction of succeeding. “No.”

“To which question?”

“No, he didn’t hurt me, but I think we should go.”

* * * *

Erik laced his fingers through hers and ran his thumb over her wrist. Her pulse raced. Although she hadn’t uttered a single word of blame, he felt responsible. He should have remembered he was on assignment, not on vacation with his lover. It didn’t matter that Becker’s flunkey only wanted to scare her. To a woman who spent her life envisioning complicated mathematical abstracts, raw reality could inflict deep psychological damage. He held her until her breathing returned to normal.

Erik touched her cheek. “All right. Let’s go.”

They drove back to the house in silence. Despite her altercation, she seemed surprisingly calm. No doubt the shock would wear off soon and the fear would set in.

When they arrived back at the house, Daniels jumped to his feet in surprise. “I didn’t expect you back so soon.”

“Slight problem,” Erik grumbled.

Victoria rolled her eyes at his deliberate understatement. “I’m going to get changed.”

Once she disappeared down the hall, he gave his partner the details. “The guy’s got balls, I’ll grant him that.”

“How the hell did he know she’d be there?” Daniels asked.

“You got me. We swept the house for bugs. It’s clean. I’d better check her car again.”

“How’s the professor?”

“The ‘professor’ is fine. At least for the moment. I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet. She’s a time bomb.”

“Does this mean she’s not gonna cook dinner?” Daniels asked.

“Don’t you think about anything besides your stomach?”

He shrugged. “You said she was fine.”

Erik groaned. His partner could show a little more sympathy. He dropped into a chair. “I don’t look forward to reporting this incident to DeMarco. He’ll probably have me transferred to Alaska.”

“Then don’t.”

“Oh, you don’t think she’s going to tell him?”

Victoria returned to the living room. “As a matter of fact, I’m not. Believe it or not, I don’t call my brother every time I break a fingernail either.”

She’d changed into sweat pants and an oversized t-shirt. Pink fuzzy slippers completed the look. If she hoped to discourage him with her outfit, she hadn’t succeeded. She could cover herself in a paper sack and she’d still arouse him.

“That’s not what I meant,” Erik said.

“No, but you probably thought it. I would prefer you didn’t mention anything.”

“It’s procedure. I have to….”

“Screw the procedures, Erik. It’s not like you’ve stuck to the rules since the beginning of this case.” She pivoted around and stormed into the kitchen.

Erik’s jaw dropped.

Daniels didn’t bother to contain his laughter.

“Looks like your little time bomb just exploded.”

“Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”

“Nowhere I can think of.”

“I think it’s time for another sweep on the area. And you can check the car while you’re at it.”