Lisa Jackson's Bentz And Montoya Bundle Part 15

"And I'd feel better having my own wheels."

"Whatever you want." He shrugged. "But I'll walk you to your car and you can drive me back to mine."

"You really don't have to," Sam said, but Melanie had different ideas.

"Hey, he came all the way down here in the middle of the night to see that you were safe. Give the guy a break. Let him walk you-us." She sounded almost envious, and Sam wondered where her boyfriend was, the one she never talked about. Maybe they'd broken up. It certainly wouldn't be the first time Melanie had fallen head over heels in love only to change her mind a few weeks later.

"I'd feel better about it," Ty said, as he fell into step with them. "As I said, I was listening to the program and caught that weird call. From Annie-whoever she was. It freaked you out."

"That wasn't the half of it." Though Sam would have preferred to tell Ty about "John's" call later, at another time, Melanie was fairly bursting at the news and couldn't hold her tongue. As they pa.s.sed the wrought-iron fence encircling the thick shrubs of Jackson Square, Melanie eagerly explained that "John" had phoned the station once Sam had signed off.

"So he'd rather talk to you alone," Ty said solemnly as they crossed in front of St. Louis Cathedral. Lamplight splashed against the white facade. Three sharp spires knifed into the blackness of the night sky, reaching upward to heaven, the cross atop the highest steeple barely visible as it pierced the inky heavens. "What does he want?"

"Retribution," Melanie said.

"For what?" Ty's jaw tightened.

Sam shook her head. "I don't know."

"Your sins." Melanie was reaching into her purse, jingling coins as she searched for her keys. "He's always talking about your sins. It's like he's some...priest or something." They reached the parking structure just as Melanie extracted her key ring. A dozen keys jangled. "I'm here on the first floor." Unerringly she zeroed in on her little hatchback and unlocked the door. "Want a ride up?" she asked.

"I'm just on two." Sam didn't need her a.s.sistant acting as if she were a wimp, and said sarcastically, "I think I can make it."

"I'll walk her," Ty added, and though apart of Samantha still wasn't sure about her new neighbor, she really didn't think he would do her any harm. He'd had plenty of opportunities when they were alone and no one had known they were together; it seemed unlikely, even if he was the caller, which she doubted, that he would risk attacking or kidnapping her when Melanie had seen them together. Besides, truth to tell, she felt safe with him...comfortable.

"Fine."

Melanie was in her car in seconds. She switched on her headlights and engine, then backed out of her spot. Waving with one hand, she honked her horn, and it echoed loudly as she tromped on the gas. The little car zoomed to the exit in a cloud of exhaust.

"Flamboyant, isn't she?" Ty observed, as they took the stairs.

"And melodramatic and extremely efficient."

Sam's red Mustang was the only car parked on the second floor of the gloomy lot. Half of the security lamps were burned out, the few remaining concentrated around the elevator and stairs.

"Right out of a Hitchc.o.c.k movie," Ty said, his bootheels ringing on the dirty concrete.

"That's a little overly dramatic, don't you think?"

"I just hope you never walk here alone," Ty said, scowling.

"Sometimes. But I'm careful."

His gaze swept the empty s.p.a.ces. "I don't like it."

She bristled a bit. She hardly knew the guy. He didn't have to automatically step into the role of protector, or big brother or whatever. "I can handle myself." Oh, yeah, Sam, like you handled yourself when the woman claiming to be Annie phoned in. You lost it, Doctor. Big-time. Oh, yeah, Sam, like you handled yourself when the woman claiming to be Annie phoned in. You lost it, Doctor. Big-time.

"If you say so."

"I've made it this far." She already had her handbag open and had found her keys-the duplicate set she'd had made since her trip to Mexico. "Look, I appreciate your concern. Really. It's...it's nice, but I'm a big girl. An adult."

"Is that a nice way of saying 'get lost.'"

#x2019; "No!" she said quickly. "I mean...I just don't want you to feel obligated somehow, or that you need to take care of me because I'm one of those pathetic, weak, porcelain-doll kinds of women."

One side of his mouth lifted. "Believe me, that's the farthest thing from my mind."

"Good. Just so we understand each other."

"I think we do." He stepped closer, and she smelled the scent of his aftershave, saw the way his eyes had darkened with the night, noticed that he was staring at her lips. Oh, G.o.d, was he going to kiss her? Her skin tingled at the thought of it, her silly pulse kicked up a notch, and as he leaned closer she braced herself, only to feel his lips brush chastely against the side of her cheek. "Take care," he said, then stepped away as she unlocked the car door and swung it open.

Her heart was pounding. Her mind leaping ahead to vibrant images of deeper kisses, of bodies touching, of skin rubbing against naked skin. She started to slide behind the wheel seat when she noticed the piece of paper...an envelope on the bucket seat. "What the devil-?" She picked it up, saw her name scrawled across the envelope and without thinking, slid out the card. "No," she whispered as she read the words.

The inscription, Happy Happy 25 25th Birthday Birthday had been circled in red, then slashed through the middle at an angle. had been circled in red, then slashed through the middle at an angle.

Sam dropped the card as if it burned her fingers. She felt the blood drain from her face.

"What is it?" Ty reached bent down and picked up the folded sheet. "Jesus, what-?" He opened it and saw a single word spelled out in red letters: MURDERER. MURDERER. "How did this get into the car?" "How did this get into the car?"

"I-I don't know." Sam closed her eyes for a second. Remembered the horror that had happened in Houston, the girl who had killed herself. Her head pounded, and she sagged against the back fender.

"Are you okay?" Ty's arm was around her shoulders. "This has something to do with the woman who claimed she was Annie. She said something about it being her birthday Thursday."

"Yes. Annie Seger." Who Who would do such a thing? would do such a thing? Why? Why? It had been nine years. It had been nine years. Nine Nine years. She shivered inside. "I don't get it. Why is someone trying to terrorize me?" years. She shivered inside. "I don't get it. Why is someone trying to terrorize me?"

"And how did they get into your car. It was locked, right?"

"Yes." She nodded.

He looked over the window and door, pointed out the scratches on the paint. "Was this here before?"

"No."

"Looks like it was forced. Does anyone have a spare key?"

"My extra key is at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean,"

she said shaking her head. "I lost the entire set when I was in Mexico."

"So you only have the one key."

"I had a duplicate made. It's in my drawer at home." Some of her fear was seeping away as she stared at the scratches on the door and realized Ty's arm was around her. "David had one, but he gave it back while we were in Mexico-it was in my purse when it went overboard." There were questions in Ty's eyes, and she added, "It's a long story."

"You don't think this David had a copy made?"

"He wouldn't do that," she said, but heard the doubt in her words. "Besides, he's in Houston."

"You think."

"He's not a part of this," she said, shaking her head emphatically, as if to convince herself. Clearing her throat, she stepped out of Ty's embrace. She didn't need to be falling apart and into his arms. Her knees were no longer weak, and the horror she felt was slowly being replaced by anger. She couldn't, wouldn't wouldn't let some anonymous creep threaten her or ruin her life. "It's...it's over between David and me. Has been for quite a while." let some anonymous creep threaten her or ruin her life. "It's...it's over between David and me. Has been for quite a while."

"Does he know it?"

"Yeah."

Ty's jaw slid to one side as if he didn't quite believe her, but he didn't argue the point. His gaze swept the deserted parking structure before returning to Sam. "Who's Annie Seger?"

"A girl who called in to my radio program in Houston. Nine years ago."

"She's the same one who phoned you tonight?"

"She claims to be."

"But Annie's dead," he deduced. "And this pervert, whoever he is, blames you? Is that what you think?"

"Yes." She nodded. "It must be the guy who calls in...John or whatever his real name is. He's always talking about sin and retribution, that I'm guilty of some crime, although lately he's acted like I was a prost.i.tute or something. It...it doesn't make any sense, doesn't hang together. Tonight when he phoned in after the show, he told me I was going to die."

Ty's eyes narrowed. "So he's escalating. His threats are more specific."

"Yes."

"d.a.m.n." He raked stiff fingers through his hair. "So you think he called in, pretended he was a woman...is that it...or that...or that he has an accomplice and...that this is what? Some kind of conspiracy to scare the h.e.l.l out of you?"

"I-I don't know," she admitted and again felt weak, an emotion she detested.

"We have to go to the police."

"I know," she said, hating the thought. She was bone-tired and wanted nothing more than to fall into a long, hot bath, towel off and fall into bed to sleep for about a billion hours.

"Let me call." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. Sam braced herself for another ordeal. How many times had she already been questioned? Four times? Five? She was beginning to lose count.

And the stalker was still at large. She rotated the kinks from her neck as Ty talked to the dispatcher, who promised that the officers who had been at the station less than half an hour earlier would meet them at the garage.

The two uniformed cops made it in fifteen minutes, driving to the parking garage with their siren wailing and lights flashing. They asked questions, checked out Sam's car, put the card in a plastic bag and called for other officers to dust the Mustang for fingerprints as well as check the interior for other evidence, then looked over the structure of the vehicle to ensure that it was safe to drive.

By the time all the officers had finished and driven away, it was after three.

Ty's mouth was a thin, hard line. "I think I should drive you home."

She was touched, but shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous. I can drive."

Ty wasn't having any of it. "Listen, Samantha, whoever did this is sick. We both know that. He broke into your car tonight, right? What's to say that he didn't tamper with it? Drain the brake fluid, or plant a bomb or-"

"The police checked it."

"They can miss things."

"I don't think so, and I'm not going to start jumping at my own shadow. I can't live my life scared. If I do, I lose, Ty. He wins. That's what he wants. To scare me to death. Make me nervous and edgy. He's playing a psychological game with me, and if he killed me, it would be over. And tampering with the car is too...impersonal. This guy calls me up, he sends me letters, he lets me know he's around. He didn't like it when I was on the speaker phone. He wants to be intimate with me. To be personal. To get into my head. I know it. I feel it."

"And do you 'know' or 'feel' that he could be a killer? For G.o.d's sake, Samantha, he's threatened to kill you."

Sam was thinking hard now, rubbing her arms despite the heat, biting her lip and starting to understand the man who called himself John. "I know," she admitted. "But it won't be until I've repented, not until I understand the sins I've committed. He's into some kind of religious thing-sin, retribution."

"You can't take the chance. Isn't this enough proof that the guy's unhinged, that he's going to do you major harm?" Ty asked. "He's accused you of murder. He's spouted a lot of biblical mumbo jumbo, maybe he believes in the old 'An eye for an eye,' type of retribution."

"But not yet." As weary as she was, she was certain that she wasn't in immediate danger. John wanted to terrorize her. He got his thrills by trying to scare her out of her wits and then communicating with her. He wanted her to beg for forgiveness. She glanced at her car. "Don't worry, I-I'm going to be fine. I'm starting to understand him."

"Believe me, no no one understands this creep. Come on, let me drive you home." one understands this creep. Come on, let me drive you home."

"It's nice of you, really, to be so concerned, but I'm okay. A big girl, you know," she said, though she wasn't certain she meant it any more than she thought it was a good idea to let Ty take on the role of bodyguard. She barely knew the guy. He seemed sincere enough, and she had a sense of safety around him, but his timing, showing up when she'd started getting the prank calls made her second-guess his motives. G.o.d, she hated this...this newfound fear. John had stripped her of her independence, but she intended to fight back.

"Okay, then I'm going to check out the car again, and I'll follow you. All you have to do is drive me to my car, and I'll make sure you get into your house all right."

"Promise?" She was too tired to argue any longer. What would it hurt for him to see her to her house? It wasn't as if it was out of his way. "Fine. If that's what you want."

"It is. Now, I don't suppose you have a flashlight."

"Ask and ye shall receive," she said, and opened the trunk.

"Not funny, Sam."

"Oh, ye of little faith and humor." She pulled out an emergency roadside kit-flares, matches, reflective signs and a flashlight. For the next few minutes Ty checked under the hood and the body of the car, lying on the grimy cement, shining the flashlight's small beam across the wheel axles and exhaust system. He tested the lug nuts on her wheels and looked over the ignition and steering column. By the time he'd finished his forehead was damp, sweat running down the sides of his face.

"I guess there's only one way to find out for sure," he said and snagged the keys from her hand. "Stand back."

"No way. I'm not going to let you-"

"Too late." He slid into the bucket seat. "Back off in case I get blown to smithereens."

"This is ridiculous."

"Humor me-the one of little faith and humor-okay?"

"You're impossible."

"So I've been told."

Seeing that he wasn't about to budge, she backed up a few steps, her stomach tightening. He jabbed her key into the ignition, twisted and the Mustang's engine caught on the first try, firing to life. Ty stepped on the throttle, gunning the engine. Exhaust spewed out of the tailpipe, the roar of six cylinders deafening. But there was no explosion. No flying gla.s.s. No twisting of metal.

"I think it's okay," Ty said through the open window. "Hop in." Leaning over he opened the pa.s.senger door. Since there was no changing his mind, she crossed the short span of grease-dappled concrete and climbed into the pa.s.senger side of her car.

"You don't have to baby-sit me," she said, as he drove down the ramp to the first floor and out into the street, where streetlights glowed watery blue and there was little traffic.

"Is that what I'm doing?" He slanted her a glance as he slowed for a traffic light and her heart nearly stopped. There was something about him, something she didn't quite understand that warned her to be wary, yet she couldn't resist him, couldn't help but trust him. As the interior of the car glowed red in the reflection of the stoplight, she caught his eyes, saw promises in his gaze she didn't want to understand. "I'm baby-sitting?" he asked again.

"Seems like." Forcing her accelerating heartbeat to slow, she held up one finger. "You called the station after I got the weird call from Annie." Another finger jutted upward as the light changed and she watched his profile-strong jaw, deep-set eyes, high forehead, bladed cheeks, razor-thin lips. In an instant she wondered what it would feel like to kiss him...to touch him...The car shot forward, and she realized she hadn't finished her thought. "You waited for me at the station door." A third finger joined the first two as Ty rounded a final corner and pulled into a spot behind his Volvo. "You walked Melanie and me to the parking garage." Her pinky straightened. "You checked out the car and drove me here. And" -her thumb raised and she splayed her fingers in front of his face as her car idled-"and you're going to follow me home."

He grabbed her hand. Hard warm fingers wrapping around hers. "And," he vowed solemnly, "when we get back to your place, I'm gonna walk you inside."