Bayou Heat (6 page)

He watched her go and realized he knew nothing about how a
woman’s mind worked. Voices and laughter drifted from the back of the store as
he wandered around, reminding himself that he understood the workings of a
family even less.

* * * * *

Three hours later, Rob leaned against the door to the
store’s office and watched as Eris pored over the business accounts. Shortly
after everyone departed there was a burst of customers and then business
steadily slacked off. He’d spent the last half-hour exploring the store. All
around the shop were pictures of the DuBose family. He now knew she was the
middle child with two brothers on either side. It was never hard to find Eris
in the pictures.

“I locked the front door. What needs to be done next?”

She glanced up and for a few seconds he couldn’t breathe.
The delicate wire-rimmed glasses she wore made her look like one of the brainy
types he’d known over the years, although none of them had blue hair or vibrant
green eyes or a sassy attitude.

Most of the women he knew were more than willing to do
anything he wanted without him having to ask. Not this woman though, she
appeared to look
through
him most of the time. The few times she’d
actually met his gaze, he’d noticed the cool, distant look in her eyes.

“I’ll be done here in a minute. Have you gotten in touch
with Matt?”

Her voice carried a note of eagerness that had him grabbing
for his phone. If she wanted him gone, then he’d try his best to accommodate
her. The phone rang before he could hit redial. Glancing at the display, he
noted that the call was from LD. His partner never called this late unless
something was wrong. His stomach tightened as he answered the phone. “Are Marie
and Kayla okay?”

“Kayla’s sleeping like an angel and Marie, well…let’s just
say she’s going to make it, although I’m not so sure about me.”

Rob immediately relaxed. “Good, then what’s up?”

“I was calling about Matt.”

“You mean the guy I’m going to strangle with my own bare
hands the next time I see him?”

LD didn’t laugh the way Rob expected.

“You won’t have any problem finding him. He’s at Central
Medical Center.”

Rob glanced to where Eris sat with her head buried in the
computer screen then turned and moved far enough away that she wouldn’t hear
the conversation.

“He was on his way to relieve you when he was part of a
multicar pileup on I-10.”

“How is he?”

“He has a compound fracture of the left leg, but he’ll make
a full recovery.”

“Damn.”

“Now you want the really bad news?”

Rob’s heart beat a little faster as he looked through the
office doorway at Eris. “Not really, but I figure you’re going to tell me
anyway.”

“Yeah, you’re stuck with Eris 24/7.”

The thought of being with her day and night no longer
bothered him as it had that morning, but one thought did concern him. “I have
to sleep sometime, LD. I can’t go without sleep forever.”

“I know that and I’m not comfortable turning Eris over to
any of the new people we just brought on board. I’ve been trying to contact
Nate to see if he’s available to help.”

“By the time you get a hold of your disappearing cousin,
this could all be ancient history.”

“I know. I haven’t heard from him in a couple of weeks,
which means he’s off doing something he can’t talk about. Let me make some
calls and I’ll come relieve you for a few hours, so you can grab some sleep.”

“You don’t need to be away from Marie right now.”

“True, but we do need you in top form. I’d hate to tell
Criswell that his granddaughter was dead because of lack of sleep.”

Rob shuddered but wasn’t sure if his reaction was from the
thought of telling Criswell bad news or the thought of harm coming to Eris.
“How about posting a couple of those new hires outside the building from eleven
at night ’til eight in the morning? With them outside I should be able to get
enough sleep and Eris will be taken care of.”

LD grumbled on the other end of the phone. “Damn, if I
wasn’t so stressed over Marie I’d have thought of that.”

Rob chuckled. “Sure you would’ve. Have whoever you put out
there text me once they’re in place and keep trying to contact Nate.”

“Okay, I’ll get things moving from here and call if you need
me. If Nate calls, I’ll let you know.”

“Sounds good. Later.” Eris was gathering her purse as Rob
entered the office and pocketed his phone.

“I heard you on the phone. Did you find Matt?”

“Yes.”

“Well, where is he?”

He followed her through the storage room to the back door.
He checked the alleyway before motioning for her to join him. As she locked the
door, he answered her question. “Matt will be visiting Central Medical Center
for the next few days.”

Eris stopped and started to turn but he gently nudged her
on, not wanting to be on the dark streets any longer than needed. He relayed
the facts to her and by the time they reached her apartment building, he was
tired of hearing about poor Matt. “Look, Eris, I understand that you would much
rather it had been me who was laid up in the hospital with a broken leg, but I
can’t change places with Matt, so you might as well face it, you’re stuck with
me.”

Rob yanked open the old screen door so hard it slapped
against the building. He really, really wanted to yank it off its hinges or,
better yet, find something to hit—hard. He made sure she was behind him as he
started up the stairs.

Her concern for Drew, old Mrs. G, Matt and the way she
interacted with her family reminded him there was no inner-circle he belonged
to. There were times, like today, when he caught a glimpse of something so
different from how he’d been reared that he yearned for a way in. Then he
reminded himself that he didn’t care to belong. His mother taught him long ago
that caring meant pain and he wasn’t about to bleed for anyone. Not ever again.

He slowed his pace when he reached the third-floor landing,
allowing Eris time to catch up with him. He turned to her, intending to ask for
the apartment keys but stopped when he noticed the fear in her eyes.

He followed the direction of her gaze and for a split second
fear clutched his heart. Pinned to the front door, by a long-bladed knife, was
an ace of hearts playing card.

“Drew!” Fear clawed at Eris’ insides as she started toward
the apartment.

Rob stopped her from rushing into the apartment and moved
her away to a safer location at the top of the stairs. “Do you have your gun?”

She couldn’t pull her gaze away from the door. “Drew might
be in trouble.”

He cupped her chin and forced her to look him in the eyes.
“I’ll check the apartment. Do you have your gun?”

“Yes.” She pulled it from a leg holster concealed by her
long skirt.

“Good, I need you to focus for me. Can you tell me if anyone
is in the apartment?”

Eris took a deep breath and focused on his eyes—they
reminded her of a calm blue sea. Slowly, she opened herself to the environment
around her. Rob’s aura was strong and steady, like the man. From there she
turned her focus to the surrounding area. Anger assaulted her like a
thunderhead moving across the plains. Pushing through the evil, she felt a
faint glimmer that distinctly belonged to Drew. “I feel a sick, evil presence
that is almost overwhelming, but I think the person is gone. I can feel Drew. I
just can’t tell if it’s residual aura or if it’s weak because he’s been hurt.”

“That gives me something to go on, now take these and
listen.” He handed her the keys to his car. “If anything happens, you get the
hell out of here and drive directly to the police station on Royal.”

“I can cover your back. Like earlier.”

“Not this time. This bastard is after you. He either wants
to scare you or, more likely, kill you like he did Orbit. Your job is to find a
killer. My job is to protect you while you do that. I need you to trust that I
know what I’m doing. Do you?”

Her heart beat fast and hard in her chest. She tried not to
look at the knife sunk deep into her front door or the ace of hearts card, but
she couldn’t stop herself. Rough fingers gently cupped her chin again and
turned her away from the threat to stare into those calm eyes.

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes.” Her quick, honest response surprised her.

His eyes searched her face and she knew he was looking to
see if her answer was true. Apparently satisfied with her response, he gave a
slight nod. “Wait here and remember my instructions if anything happens.”

She watched Rob move to the door and unlock it. With one
hand on the knob, he looked back over his shoulder and met her gaze. There was
sadness in his eyes she couldn’t begin to understand. Turning away, he pushed
open the door and disappeared inside.

She pocketed the keys he gave her and waited a heartbeat
before moving to stand beside the door. She should have insisted on going with
him, but the sight of the card stuck to her door rattled her more than she
cared to admit. Up until now, she’d blown off everyone’s concerns over her
safety. She truly believed Orbit’s death was a random act of violence by the
serial killer. Orbit would have known if someone was following her, wouldn’t
she? And if she knew, wouldn’t she have told someone?

Eris pushed those disturbing thoughts out of her mind and
forced herself to listen for sounds from within the apartment. Nothing but
silence greeted her and that was worse than hearing a racket because she could
picture Rob’s body unmoving on the floor.

The urge to storm into the room and blow away any threat to
him was strong. She resisted though, reminding herself he was a trained
professional and he wasn’t expecting her to come barging in. If she did, she’d
most likely end up the victim. Not something she cared to become at the moment.

Minutes ticked by slower than a hot, humid August day,
giving her time to think about things she didn’t want to think about.

Like how glad she was that was Rob here with her and not
Matt.

Not that she didn’t like Matt. She did. He was easy to talk
to and appeared to be a great deal of fun. Matt reminded her of her brothers,
and she didn’t need any more of those. Rob, on the other hand, made her feel
safe and secure—that is, when he wasn’t making her feel hot and bothered. Which
was strange in itself because his tall form, piercing, cold blue eyes and his
keep-your-distance attitude should have made her feel quite the opposite.

Eris caught a glimpse of a shadow as it moved across the
open doorway and swung her gun up. Her breath caught in her throat as she
looked down the barrel of the pistol.

“Christ, I told you to stay put. I could have blown you
away. What were you thinking?”

She lowered her gun. “I was worried about you and thought it
would be easier to help you from over here than way over there.”

Rob holstered his gun while she put hers away. When she
straightened, he was staring at her in a way that made her uncomfortable. “What?”

He blinked a couple of times. “Nothing. Why don’t you go
inside and walk around. See if anything is missing but don’t touch a thing. I
need to make a couple of phone calls.”

* * * * *

Thirty minutes later, Eris stood beside her kitchen table
and watched as an army of police officers went through her apartment. She
watched as they searched high and low for evidence of who skewered the card to
her door. The powdery substance from gathering fingerprints appeared to be on
every surface in the place. It would take her a week to get it all cleaned up.

Rob glanced over at her, and she watched as he ended his
conversation with Olson and moved across the room to her. She didn’t like
Detective Olson. He was too harsh, too crude and too opinionated for her taste.
Every time she was around the detective, she wanted to bolt for the nearest
exit.

“Any luck?” she asked as Rob reached her. She crossed her
fingers, hoping it would help.

“Doubt it. Olson says the killer has been extremely careful
not to leave any evidence. It’s not likely he got careless tonight. But they’ll
take all the evidence down to the lab for processing.” Rob stood next to her,
watching the scene.

“This could be a copycat. Someone trying to scare me.” They
accomplished their goal, Eris thought as she moved closer to Rob.

“Maybe,” he conceded. “Except for one thing—how would a
copycat know about the playing card with the yin-yang symbol on the back? That
particular piece of information hasn’t been leaked to the public. Nor was it
mentioned in our meeting this morning, but you knew about it.”

“Yes.” Eris wrapped her arms around herself even tighter and
sidestepped one more time. This time she could feel Rob’s sleeve rub against
her arm.

She knew he was correct about the yin-yang card. Everyone
working the case was sworn to secrecy and she had only spoken about it with
Orbit. She figured there were better odds of having six inches of snow in New
Orleans in July than this being a copycat. She inched closer to Rob, and this time
his arm went around her shoulder as he pulled her next to him. His hand rubbed
her arm in comforting slow strokes and she enjoyed the touch more than she
should have.

“Pretty boy finally showed.” Rob’s words were laced with
sarcasm.

His words pulled her from her mulling. “Who?”

“Tarrington. I swear, with that boy-next-door look, I don’t see
how he ever plays the tough cop.”

Eris studied Charles Tarrington’s profile. His
strawberry-blond hair was slicked back from his face and his hastily tossed on
jeans and t-shirt proved he’d dressed in a hurry. He was too cute for her taste
but she knew women who loved that look. “Not everyone is able to intimidate a
person without saying a word.”

“It should be a requirement for those in law enforcement.”

“I’m sure he’s good at his job.”

Rob snorted as if she’d said the funniest thing in the
world. She was about to tell him to get off his high horse when a loud voice
carried into the apartment.

“That’s my daughter’s apartment, young man. It’s going to
take more than
you
to stop me.”

“Mother.” Eris turned her face into Rob’s shirt.

“Evelyn honey, these men are simply doing their jobs. Don’t
give them a hard time.”

“Father, the voice of reason in an insane world,” Eris
mumbled into Rob’s shirt, wishing she could hide.

It was difficult enough dealing with all of this, she didn’t
need her parents added to the mix, but what choice did she have? She moved away
from the comfort and warmth Rob was providing and reminded herself it wasn’t
something she could afford to get used to. It wasn’t a dream she dared to
dream.

Once before she’d thought she could have it all—love,
happiness, two-point-five kids and her crazy, insane family. Instead, she’d
found hurt, humiliation and estrangement from her family. She’d learned her
lesson well, mended broken bridges and wouldn’t be making that mistake again.

“Wish I could avoid introducing you to my parents,” she said
to Rob, who was walking behind her.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re about to find out.”

* * * * *

Rob stood at the far side of the room and surveyed the
group. He found himself fascinated at the way this family of seven interacted.
Growing up with no siblings, he wasn’t prepared for the way they related to
each other. They were loud, crude and rude, but underneath it all, they
appeared to care for each other. It amazed him how they’d all immediately
dropped what they were doing to come to Eris’ aid.

He watched as Caleb, the cop, broke away from the group and
made his way over to him. Caleb was a couple of years older than Eris, a couple
of inches shorter than Rob and had golden brown hair and stark green eyes that
didn’t miss a thing.

Caleb stopped next to him and for a few moments surveyed the
room. Rob wondered if Caleb’s family baffled him also.

Caleb cut his eyes over to Rob and held his gaze. “I know
who really hired you and you should know you weren’t my first pick. But Granddad
thought Titan Security would be the best for her. Guess he was right.”

The statement surprised him, but Rob kept his face and voice
neutral as he responded. “I haven’t a clue as to what you’re talking about.”

Caleb grinned. “You’re good. Granddad will be glad to hear
that I approve of his choice. I figured some washed-up, retired agent who
couldn’t pull his weight any longer would end up watching after her. I’m
pleased to see you aren’t that old.”

Rob ground his teeth. “I’m not that much older than you.”

“True enough, but you’re what…ten years older than Eris?”

Rob gave up on pretense. “I’m thirty-five. That only makes
me eight years older than your sister. What does any of this have to do with
protecting Eris?”

“Nothing, so long as you keep this purely business.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’ve seen the way you keep eyeing her.”

Rob clenched his fist. “I’ve been hired to keep an eye on
her. I’m doing my job.”

“Not saying you aren’t. Now that I see how you look at her,
I’m not surprised at all that Zane decked you.”

He closed his eyes for a moment and wondered exactly when
he’d lost the ability to hide his feelings. He’d never had this problem before—not
before Eris, at least. “Does everyone know?”

“Oh yeah, the entire family.”

Caleb was smiling when Rob opened his eyes.

“I’ll understand if you want someone else watching her.” Rob
didn’t move as he waited for an answer.

“That won’t be necessary.”

Rob let out the breath he’d unconsciously been holding and
flexed his fingers.

The smile left Caleb’s face and his expression turned hard.
“Let me explain something to you though. I won’t stand by and do nothing while
Eris suffers from another broken heart. If you hurt her, I’ll take it out of
your hide.”

Rob took a step toward Caleb. “Who hurt her?”

Caleb looked toward Eris. “Forget I said anything. Eris will
skin me alive if she even thinks I’m spilling her secrets.”

Rob opened his mouth to demand more information when he felt
a hand come to rest on his forearm.

“Is there a problem here?”

Caleb flashed a big smile at his sister. “No problem, we
were discussing guy things.”

Eris scowled at Caleb. “Were you being pushy?”

“Me? Never.” Caleb feigned innocence as he leaned over and
brushed a kiss across Eris’ cheek. “I have to get back on patrol. See you
later, Sis. Jackson.”

Eris turned to Rob. “If he was hassling you, I can make his
life miserable. I’ll let Mom know that he’s really been spending his off nights
at the gym, not out on dates as he’s been telling her.”

Rob couldn’t remember the last time another person had come
to his defense. In fact, he wasn’t sure there was another time. “You’d do that
for me?”

“In a heartbeat. I’ve already taken care of Zane for you.”
Eris nodded toward the couch where Evelyn, her mother, was lecturing her oldest
brother.

“What did you do?”

“Mom and Dad were finally starting to settle down and
understand that I’m in no danger, especially when you’re with me. Then Zane
comes in a few minutes ago and started in on me. He was telling me I should
move back in with Mom and Dad or worse yet—leave the state. Well, Mom and Dad
got all excited again and started agreeing with him.

“I’d had more than I could stand by that point, so I
casually asked Zane who he was dating since he and Teresa had broken up.”

Eris stopped talking and Rob wondered if he’d missed
something in the conversation because he was lost. “And this is getting even
how
?”

“Sorry, you don’t know about Zane and Teresa. I must be more
tired than I thought.” Eris rubbed her forehead. “Zane and Teresa dated for
over a year. Everyone assumed they would get married. Zane mentioned it to Mom
and Dad two days before he broke it off with her.”

Rob looked over at Zane and almost felt pity for the guy.
“You did that for me?”

Eris leaned into his side and he wrapped an arm around her
shoulder, pulling her closer. He looked down into liquid green eyes and smiled.
“Thanks.”