Deadly Obsession Part 22

"Look, we didn't do anything unethical. We gave the press some vital informat ion pertaining to our killer. I won't go as far as admitting publicly that I screwed up. I'm just saying my conscience will take a h.e.l.l of a toll if this girl winds up dead." John retook his seat and leaned toward Cole, his hands c lasped atop his desk. "I underestimated this sick b.a.s.t.a.r.d and it's too late t o stop the ball we put into action."

"You didn't expect him to react so fast?"

John shrugged as he leaned back. "I expected it, but I hadn't antic.i.p.ated his choice of victims." "Who would? Up until now-he's only killed prost.i.tutes. But what makes their life worth any less? I was afraid we would be pushing him into killing again and I think that's exactly what he's done. Only he's getting c.o.c.ky and does n't think we're as smart as he is, therefore we can't possibly catch him. Bu t until we find this girl dead, we can't be sure he made a move at all."

"You don't believe that any more than I do."

"No, I don't."

John exhaled through pursed lips. "I'll just hate to be the one to tell Mayor Stanton when we find her."

After dropping off Cindy's car at her home, Laurie and Cindy drove up Lorai n Road. They had spent the entire day at the mall with little to eat becaus e of Laurie's ridiculous a.s.sumption of being watched. And after being compl etely shopped out, they agreed to go out for a quiet supper.

"I wonder what Damien's up to?" Cindy asked, more for herself than Laurie since she would hardly care. "You think maybe he's been trying to get a ho ld of me?"

"I thought you said he needed s.p.a.ce," Laurie grumbled, knowing what Cind y would ask next.

"You think you could drive by his place? I'd hate to miss seeing him play t onight because I wasn't home to get his message."

"What do you have an answering machine for if you're not going to use it?

If he wanted you to come by, he would have called."

"Damien won't leave a message. He never does. Please," she pleaded again.

Laurie shook her head and wondered at her devotion to Cindy. By doing as sh e asked, Laurie put herself in a position to see Cole and he was the last p erson she wanted to lay eyes on.

Cole had never been far from her thoughts, and though she tried vehemently, t he attraction could not be denied. Nor the ache in her heart. Laurie shifted lanes, put on her signal, and turned left onto West 210 Street.

"Oh, thank you."

Laurie had been right; Cindy was in it deep. She could only hope that Dami en cherished her much-trusted friend's love. But somehow, she doubted he d id.

"You're welcome, but I won't go in. The last person I want to encounter to day is Cole Kincaid."

Moments later, they drove into the apartment complex, where Cole's Ford Ra nger, to her relief, was nowhere to be seen.

The mall had been closed now nearly an hour and Laurie's stomach ached fr om the lack of nourishment.

"Can we make this quick?" she asked as they both exited the car, changing her mind about going in. "I'm famished."

"Yeah." Cindy trotted up to the entrance and knocked on the door. "I'll jus t see what time Damien is going to the club."

The door swung open. Damien looked down at Cindy in surprise, holding her gaze only moments before looking at Laurie. At first, Laurie thought him ready to make excuses and send them both away, but to her surprise he st epped back and allowed them to enter.

"What brings you by?" His normal deep voice thundered. One of his hands ran th rough the hair at the top of his head to rid his face of the strays, though it did little good as it drifted back into place like a silky black curtain.

"I wanted to see if you're playing tonight." Cindy snuggled up to his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Damien's gazeheld Cindy's shortly, but then it again strayed to Laurie. Lauri e shifted her weight to the other foot as the room seemed to close in on her.

She suddenly regretted bringing her friend here, or at least having been a p arty to it. She should have left when she had the chance.

"You coming?" Damien asked Laurie.

"No," she replied, looking down at her hands. Something dark and disturbin g lurked in his eyes. "I have to work tomorrow."

Cindy giggled. "And I don't?"

"You go ahead. I think I'm going to turn in early tonight."

Cindy looked back up at Damien. "Will you give me a ride? I left my car at home."

At first Laurie thought he might refuse as he glanced back at Laurie, then f inding compa.s.sion she did not know he possessed, Damien patted Cindy on the rear and said, "I'll be ready in about five minutes. We'll go get something to eat first. I'm starving."

Damien walked away and disappeared through the door of his bedroom before Cindy turned back to Laurie. "You should at least get something to eat."

"I don't think so, Cindy," Laurie said; her gaze traveled about the small room. Cole's presence stamped every corner. Her heart pained. "You two go and have a good time. I think right now I'd rather go home anyway."

As though Cindy had read her thoughts, she walked over and placed a hand on Laurie's arm. "He'll come around," she said.

"I'm not so sure about that." Laurie came too close to admitting her true feel ings aloud.

"I'm ready," Damien said as his bulk refilled the room. "You sure you don'

t want to come along, Laurie?"

Her name rolled off his tongue like a well-played song. No wonder so many w omen fell prey to the mystery of the man. She could see what attracted Cind y to him. But in Laurie's eyes, she could not get past his dark presence. The door to the apartment swung open, catching them all by surprise, as a s olemn-faced Cole walked in. His gaze landed on Laurie briefly, but he strod e past her without a word.

"Going out?" he asked Damien as he grasped a beer from the refrigerator and twisted off the cap.

"To get some chow. Want to go?" he asked.

"Nope," he replied, then took a long pull from his bottle. "I had a h.e.l.l of a day and right now, I just want to relax...alone."

Laurie caught his meaning: he had no intentions of playing host to her either .

"See you later then," Damien said as he and Cindy headed out the door.

Laurie turned to follow them when Cole asked, "Going somewhere?"

Laurie turned, but held firm where she stood, confused as to what Cole want ed. After all, he had just stated resolutely that he wanted to be alone. An d the more distance between them the better for her, she thought. The door closed behind her, the time to escape now gone. Why in G.o.d's name had she a llowed Cindy to talk her into coming here in the first place?

"I was going home."

"Want a beer?" he asked, ignoring her desire to leave altogether.

"No."

"You're going to make me drink alone?"

"Wasn't that your intention?" Laurie asked. Her heart beat heavily in her c hest. Surely he could detect the pounding rhythm.

"Before I got here," he replied. The truth to his statement registered in his eyes, the only reason Laurie had the courage to step forward. "Now that you'

re here...." His voice trailed off.

Tears stung the back of her eyes; she refused to let them fall. "I wouldn't think you would want me-"

He chuckled, cutting off her words. "G.o.d, you have no idea," he said as he t ook another swig from his bottle.

"I...I think maybe I ought to go," Laurie stammered, the tension in the ro om sizzling like ice water dropped into hot oil. Even his admission of wan ting her could not take the weight from her chest. She knew he desired her , proving as much a week ago. The problem was that she wanted more from hi m, much more.

Cole took another swig from his bottle, then slammed it down on the surface . Fizz rose to the top but did not fall. "Yeah." He laughed again, humor no nexistent in his eyes. "Maybe you should."

"Which is it, Cole?" she asked, taking another step toward him. "You want me to stay or you want me to go?"

Cole placed his palms on the breakfast bar between them and leaned forwar d. "I've never asked for more from you than you were willing to give, Miss Michaels. You have a mind of your own. Do you want to leave?"

The loaded question lay unanswered between them. If she stayed, they would likely wind up in his bed, leaving her as broken-hearted as the first time they had had s.e.x. After all, he had never pretended to want anything more f rom her. Not a friendship. Not a relationship. And yet...

"I'll take a beer," she said, acknowledging her decision. Laurie refused to p onder on the wisdom it.

Cole eyed her carefully, then turned and retrieved one from the refrigerator . Twisting off the cap, he handed it to her. Laurie took a small swig from h er bottle, and prayed that her shaking limbs would not give way to her anxie ty.

Cole wondered at her true intentions. After he had treated her so callously the last time, and after she'd made it clear she didn't want to see him agai n, he would have thought her ready to bolt from the room at any given moment . Instead, to his surprise, she stood mere feet away, with nothing separatin g them but the breakfast bar.

d.a.m.n, he wanted her, the evidence already straining against the inside of hi s well-pressed pants. Thank the good Lord for pleats and the counter or his desire would be evident to her as well. He took another long pull from his b ottle, hoping to dull his now raging hunger.

If it were that simple though, Cole would take what he wanted from her, th en send her packing without a care in the world. The problem: he did care.

Too d.a.m.n much. And that's what had him running scared the past few days.

Laurie Michaels would be too easy to fall in love with.

"Did you eat?" he finally asked.

"No."

Without a word, Cole reached beneath the counter and extracted a skillet. In n o time at all, he put together a chicken and rice dish, simmering over low hea t, then led Laurie into the living area, offering her a seat on the sofa.

Cole took a seat opposite, still not sure what to say. Without talking about the case, they had little in common, and the only thing Cole could think ab out was how fast he could get her between his sheets. But he knew if he allo wed himself to make love to her again, all hope would be lost, and so would his heart.

"Did you see your article in the Plain Dealer? " Cole asked, not knowing wha t else to converse about, and not wanting to bring up his reason for leaving her sitting on the floor last Monday night.

A smile rose on her cinnamon-painted lips. Cole wanted to trace the protrud ing lower one with his finger before drawing it into his mouth and savoring every inch.

"Yes," she replied in slight embarra.s.sment. "I hope you get the results you wanted from it."

A meager stab of guilt pained him as he thought about his day. A girl had been reported missing and here he was contemplating how to skip the meal a ltogether and carry Laurie to his unmade bed.

"We may get results we don't want," Cole grumbled, looking to the floor.

"In what way?"

"We issued this madman a challenge, Laurie. How do you think he'll respon d?"

Laurie's eyes widened at the prospect of what he implied. "You don't think m y article will cause him to kill again?"

"That's a big possibility."

"Oh, G.o.d! How could you allow me to publish it then? If I am at fault for an other girl's death...." Her face mirrored the fright in her voice.

"You only wrote what we told you to. None of this would be your fault."

Her eyes narrowed. "How could you know the consequences?"

Cole shrugged. "Under the circ.u.mstances, I don't think I was given much of a choice. But I'll take the blame for anything that happens. It's my case."

Cole stood, and walked to the kitchen to check their supper. Satisfied, he spun around, meaning to return to the living room when he b.u.mped into Lauri e, not knowing she stood so close behind.

His arm snaked around her waist to keep from knocking her to the floor, but o nly resulted in pulling her flush against the erection that had plagued him s ince her arrival. He knew without a doubt, she felt his reaction to her as sh e looked into his eyes.

Her hand slipped behind his head and she brought her lips close to his. Unable to resist the invitation, Cole met her lips like a magnet pulled toward steel .

His kiss was light at first, meant to caress, to tease, but as she leaned int o him and backed him against the solid surface of the wall, all gentleness le ft him. He grasped both sides of her face and thrust his tongue into her mout h, hearing her answering moan.

Desire spiraled around him, pulling him downward like a fish caught in a w hirlpool. He could not think, could not move. Nothing mattered but this mo ment, here in the arms of a woman so bold....

The phone rang, breaking the web of captivation. d.a.m.n, but he almost allowe d himself to get carried away-a second time. He still had not forgiven hims elf for the last time he allowed things to escalate out of his control. And yet, he had no more to offer now than he had then. The timing could not ha ve been worse. He needed his mind on the case and not a.n.a.lyzing his feeling s for Laurie.

The ring split the air again. Cole stepped away from her and walked to the pho ne sitting beside his recliner. Picking it up, he pushed the talk b.u.t.ton. "h.e.l.lo," he said gruffly into the receiver.

"Cole?" a deep voice responded, tightening every muscle in his body. He d id not need for the caller to acknowledge himself, for Cole would have rec ognized the voice anywhere.

"Charley," said Cole. "It's been a h.e.l.l of a long time."

"Yeah, it has," he said. Cole watched Laurie walk to the sofa, grasp her be er, and head for the door as though she meant to make a quick exit. Somethi ng in the way she looked at Cole made him say, "Don't you leave yet. We are far from finished."

"Did I call at a bad time?" Charley asked.