What's in a Name? (18 page)

“
But—”

“
He’s looking for two
people. He’s not expecting a short-haired redhead. A
classy-looking, short-haired redhead.” He smiled, but there was
worry in his eyes. “You can do it. You’ve been on top of everything
so far.”

Right now, she didn’t think she could
take another step. She wanted to stand in the lobby and scream she
was Casey Wallace, she’d killed a man and beg the police to take
her away. Put an end to all this running. Instead, she squeezed her
feet back into the Emily shoes and mustered a smile. “Sure.”

When she took the keys, he didn’t
release his hold on them and they walked down the last flight of
stairs with his warm hand gripping her icy one. His touch centered
her, and some of her despair slid away.

They stopped at the door to the lobby
level. Blake said, “I’ll be there.” He leaned down and brushed his
lips against her forehead. “Like white on rice.”

She lifted her face to his. His eyes
reflected confidence and she stood on tiptoe, taking strength from
him. She pressed her lips against his mouth. “For luck.” She
fluffed her hair, straightened her blouse, and put what she hoped
was an expression of confident nonchalance on her face.

He held the door open for her. “If I’m
not out in five minutes, don’t wait.”

She peered around the doorway. The
stairwell was across the lobby from the elevators, flanked by two
large potted plants. She stepped between them and swept her eyes
around the seating areas, afraid to let her gaze linger for more
than a second. She could do this. Never mind the sweaty palms or a
mouth that couldn’t work up the spit to swallow.

With the warmth of Blake’s lips
lingering on hers, she summoned Emily’s confidence, lifted her chin
and moved into the lobby. She braved another look around. No
Scumbag. With a pretense of indifference, despite the thudding of
her heart against her rib cage, she strolled toward the side
entrance, past the small business center and a shop window
displaying golf and fishing equipment. Using the glass’s
reflection, she checked behind her. Still no sign of him. Much as
her brain screamed, “Run,” she managed to control her pace for the
last yards to the door.

Once outside, she strode into the
parking area, using vans and SUVs for cover. Planters marked the
center of each row. She followed them until she found the
Bonneville.

Her heartbeat had steadied. She started
the car and drove around the lot once before pulling up to the
convention entrance. No bellmen waited here. Blake stepped out from
behind a dumpster. She unlocked the doors and he tossed the gym bag
on the backseat. “I think we made it.”

He leaned into the car. “I’ll
drive.”

“
No. Get in.” She
waited long enough for him to close his door and then sped away.
She saw him grab his cell phone and make a call, his face turned
away and his voice low.

“
Who did you
call?”

“
Hotel Security. An
anonymous tip that a felon was in the hotel.”

“
You think they’ll
catch him?”

“
I sure as hell hope
so.”

She tried to remain confident but after
about ten minutes, when they’d reached the outskirts of town, she
felt her control falling away like a discarded winter coat. She
searched for a place to pull over and spotted a city park. The
parking lot was almost empty, and she stopped the Bonneville under
a large oak tree.

“
I can’t do this
anymore.” She lifted her hands from the wheel and stared at them.
The trembling flowed downward until her feet tapped uncontrollably
on the floor.

She stared out the windshield. Two
young children played on a swing set and her world shrank to the
hypnotic back-and-forth of the swings. Some of her quaking stopped
and she became aware Blake was standing beside the car on her side.
He opened the door.

“
You’re all right,” he
said. “Come with me.”

She allowed him to ease her from the
car, to put his arm around her waist and guide her to a picnic
table under a sprawling oak tree. He sat down and she leaned into
his chest. “Sorry,” she said. “I lost it for a minute.”

“
I can’t believe
you’re as together as you are. Look.” He held out his arms and his
hands twitched. “You’re not the only one.”

“
I can’t think
anymore. My brain’s going a mile a minute, but it’s just spinning.
Nothing’s connecting.”

Blake rested his forearms on his
thighs, his hands clasped between his knees.

She lowered herself to the bench. They
sat, hip to hip, legs touching and her shivering stopped, steadied
by his presence. “Jack is in the hospital,” she said. “I should
call.”

Without looking, she sensed his nod of
approval. Scrolling through her list of called numbers, she found
the hospital’s entry and dialed. Blake’s arm was around her
shoulder, and she could smell his scent intermingled with the
woodsy aroma of the park while she waited for Jack to answer.

“
I’m fine, Kiddo.”
Jack’s voice put some of her fears to rest. “The doctor insists I
hang around for a bit, but I’m out of here tomorrow.”

“
What
happened?”

“
I don’t know much. My
secretary was on a break, I was working on my computer, so my back
was to the door. You know, you really do see stars when someone
hits you on the head. I always thought it was only a cartoon image.
Anyway, it was lights out, and when I came to, the office was a
mess and he was gone.”

“
He found us,” she
said softly, “but I think we’re safe. Blake called the
authorities.”

“
You any closer to
solving your problem?”

She heard the hesitation between his
words and envisioned the pain. Because of her. Knots formed in her
stomach. Blake must have felt her tighten, because his hand kneaded
her shoulder. She couldn’t meet his eyes. She focused on a jay
perched in the tree above them. “If they’ve got him in custody, I
might have time to figure out who sent him and why.”

“
Call anytime. Keep me
posted.”

“
How’s Stockbridge?”
Blake asked after she disconnected.

“
Says he’s fine, but
they’re keeping him overnight.” Nothing she could do kept her anger
in check. “They don’t keep you overnight for a bump on the head.
Something more happened, but he wouldn’t say. He’s on meds—I could
hear it in his voice.”

“
He doesn’t want to
worry you, I’m sure.”

“
Yeah, well that was a
major failure, because now I’m more worried not knowing.” Unable to
contain the emotional overload, she got up and started walking. Her
speed increased until she was running blindly down a path behind
the picnic area.

Blake waited a moment, then jogged
after Kelli, giving her time to work off some of her pent-up
frenzy. The sun-dappled path twisted through a stand of oak and
pines, and he hoped the natural environment would comfort her. His
own breathing was rough, far more than the pace warranted. He had
some pent-up emotions of his own to work off.

When she slowed to a walk, he fell in
step beside her. Neither spoke. Occasional birdsong rang over the
crunching of leaves and fallen twigs beneath their feet, but
otherwise their breathing, slowing with their pace, made the only
sound. At a wide spot in the path, Kelli stopped and leaned against
a pine tree, her arms crossed over her chest.

He jammed his fists into his
windbreaker’s pockets. Their eyes met, averted, caught again. Hers
moved down his body, then up, then locked on his. The tension
between them wasn’t fear anymore, and he knew she knew it. Her
hands dropped to her sides.

“
Umm … “ was all he
could get past his throat.

“
You got that right,”
she said. Her voice had a raw huskiness to it and then her hands
were behind his neck. She drew him toward her, pulling on his head
until he bent enough for their lips to meet. Her kiss was hot,
needy, to the point of desperation. Tongues probed, tasted, sought
comfort. In a swift move, he reversed their positions. With the
tree behind him for support, he pulled Kelli’s legs up and around
his hips.

Her hands fisted in his hair, her
breasts pressed against his chest, her legs gripped him as if she
needed to be inside his skin. He pulled her closer, his hands
cupping her bottom. She slid her hands inside his windbreaker,
embracing him with a heat that shot to his toes. In the gaps
between kisses, she moaned. Or did he? When her body writhed
against his erection, she nearly sent him over the edge.

Digging for restraint, he leaned away
and gently lowered Kelli to the ground. Pressed his finger to her
lips, swollen with their kisses. Waited for his breathing to
slow.

When it did, he cradled her face so she
had to look at him. “This isn’t real, Kelli. I can’t take
advantage. I can’t deal with hurting you, and no matter what you
think now, you’ll regret this later. I can’t … “ He choked out the
last words, kissed her forehead and turned away. “I’ll wait for you
in the car.”

He kept his eyes fixed on the ground in
front of him as he retraced his steps along the path, wishing he
could will the pain of his arousal away. No, that he understood.
That he could deal with. The ache in his chest was far more
debilitating. Would he have stopped if they’d not been on a public
pathway in broad daylight? What if they’d been in their hotel
room?

He knew the answer. He was no stranger
to mindless sex. He could stay detached. He always stayed detached.
No relationships. None of that awkward “morning after”
nonsense—women never came to his apartment and he never stayed at
theirs. Up and gone before daylight. Always.

The playground was deserted when he
reached the car. He leaned against the hood, trying to find the
words for when Kelli returned. When he slept with her, it wasn’t
going to be mindless, and he was going to wake up beside her the
next morning. He caught himself. Holy crap. He’d said when, not if.
It couldn’t happen. The woman had enough baggage to fill the cargo
hold of a C-130 transport plane and he didn’t think he was the one
to deal with it.

Then Kelli appeared at the edge of the
woods, and all he could think of was the complete and utter panic
he’d felt when he saw Scumbag in the lobby. How it had carried him
up flight after flight of stairs until he saw Kelli. And the relief
he’d felt when she was all right. More than relief. He knew he’d be
there as long as she’d let him.

Before she reached the car, he slid
into the driver’s seat, fumbled with key, fiddled with the mirrors.
She climbed in and adjusted her seat belt.

“
Well, that was …
interesting.” Her cheeks were flushed and she poked her fingers
through her hair, fluffing it into place.

“
No kidding.” He
backed out of the parking slot. His stomach rumbled and he
remembered the pizza he’d left on the hotel table. Well, someone
might enjoy it.

Meanwhile, he scanned the roadside for
a place to eat. On the opposite corner, a small brick-and-wood
building proclaimed itself to be a genuine Irish pub. He hung a
quick left, found a small parking lot behind the restaurant, and
parked. Kelli hadn’t looked at him yet. The air hung heavy between
them, but there was no retracting what had happened and nowhere to
go but forward. He crossed around the car and opened her door. Her
green eyes flashed up at him, then back to her lap. With an
extended hand, he said, “Emily. Let’s have lunch.”

He watched, amazed and impressed, as
Emily’s skin slipped over Kelli. There was nothing specific he
could pinpoint. One minute she was a frightened Kelli. Then her
entire demeanor changed and she was the confident Emily. Emily gave
him a quick smile and accepted his hand.

Inside the pub, a vacant podium stood
behind a sign asking guests to wait to be seated. A bar ran the
length of the room, fronted by stools topped with black leather.
True to form, television sets hung on the walls. A basketball game
played on one, soccer on another and a local news broadcast on the
third. There was a scattering of tables in the center of the space
and booths flanked the walls. When the bartender nodded them in and
told them to sit anywhere, Blake found a booth with a clear view of
the news. Bill Cranford might sit at the bar if he were alone, but
Emily was definitely a booth person.

“
You want a drink?”
Blake asked. “They have Guinness on tap. Or does Emily drink
Chardonnay?” In this setting, with her red hair and green eyes, he
wouldn’t have been surprised to hear her answer in an Irish
brogue.

“
To be honest,” she
said in plain old American, “I’ve never had a Guinness. I’d love to
try one.” Her smile was genuine this time and he floated six inches
above his seat.

A waitress came by and put two menus
and a bowl of something pinkish-gray and creamy on the table.

“
O’Flannery’s special
seafood spread,” she said and placed a basket of crackers beside
it. “Enjoy.”

He ordered their drinks and glanced at
the television, which was giving the weather forecast. He knifed up
a bit of dip and spread it on a cracker. “I figured there’s not
much we can do until we find out if they caught Scumbag.”

“
I guess so.” She
picked up the menu and then looked at her watch. He followed suit,
surprised to find it was after three.

“
Well, Emily. We can
have some appetizers, or go whole hog and call it an early dinner.
What do you think?” He figured they’d be on the road again, but
wanted to keep Kelli’s mind away from that for the moment. “I vote
for food.”