Five Alarm Lust (27 page)

“Mm, good morning.” Jack’s sleepy whisper in her ear drew a smile.

“Morning.”

“You sleep okay?”

“Yep.”

“You look awful pensive for someone who had a good sleep.”

“Just thinking of things.” Gillian ducked her head to hide the blush scalding her cheeks. “I’m covered in bruises and bumps, scratches galore, and by rights should have freaked out when you tied me up. But I…”

“You what?”

“I’m not scared with you. I know you’re safe.” She laughed and shook her head. “That’s a rather odd way to look at it, but when you touch me I don’t think of pain. Probably doesn’t make any sense.”

“Makes a lot of sense to me.” Jack pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “It’s the way it should be. Now, you sure you’re okay? Did you get enough sleep?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” Turning in his arms she stared at him. “Multiple orgasms are tiring, you know.”

“Yes, they are. But they’re a lot of fun as well. I suppose we should get dressed. We’re going to have to go down to the detachment and make a statement about that prick’s actions. Then I’ll have to get someone to help fix the front door completely.”

“I am sorry about that.” Gillian patted his bare chest. “I didn’t—”

“Hey, you didn’t break the door.” Jack pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Now, you going to make coffee or should we stop at Tim’s and get some?”

“I wouldn’t mind Timmy’s coffee. So I guess that means we need to get dressed.” Gillian trailed a finger down his chest, following the narrow line of hair to the waistband of his briefs.

“Bad, bad girl,” Jack groused, pushing her into the cupboard. “I say we skip dressing, feast on each other, and call in to tell Rick he can come to us for the statement.”

Gillian laughed, her arms curling around his neck. “You think so, do you?”

“Ooh yeah. Woman as sexy as you makes my mouth water and my blood thicken.” She shivered as his fingers danced up her ribs and back down. His hands pulled her against him. Her hips wiggled at the feeling of his semi-hard dick. “Course, that ain’t the only thing you do to me.”

She lifted an eyebrow and stared at him at the peel of the doorbell. A moment later a familiar voice pulled them apart. “Hey, you two up?”

“One of us is,” Jack complained before he hurried down the hall in search of clothes.

“Good morning, Sally.”

“Morning, you watch the news yet?”

“Um, no, just got up actually.” Gillian adjusted her robe, a faint blush heating her cheeks.

“Well, you should watch it. Seems last night about dinner time there was an arrest made you might be interested in.” Sally turned on the television to the morning news before settling on the arm of the couch.

“In other news, last night RCMP arrested Barbara Krutz in connection with an investigation into the embezzlement of funds from a secured account. Details have not been released, but the local detachment said they are still pursuing other charges and the investigation is ongoing.”

“Oh my.” Gillian sank into a chair. “I didn’t know it would be so quick. They only came to me a few weeks ago.”

“Obviously they’ve been investigating it a lot longer than we thought.” Jack walked into the room, buckling his belt. “Means they’re probably close to resolving it and you won’t have to worry anymore.”

“Except for the trial.” Gillian glanced at him over her shoulder. “I don’t think I can handle it. What if I have to testify, Jack? I didn’t even know about the money.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. You can do it with your eyes closed. No matter what, I’m going to be right there with you.” He offered her a quick grin. “Now, since we’re going to Tim Horton’s for coffee, I suggest you get dressed.”

* * * *

Her hand held tightly in Jack’s, Gillian followed him inside the nondescript building. Several black plastic chairs lined one wall, above them pictures of various uniformed officers hung. Ceiling-high glass enclosed a small lobby. Silver poles with a rope strung through them led to a wide, wooden desk where a woman in a pale pink sweater and slacks stood. Behind her, a large poster with the constitution hung. A clock next to it marked the time.

“Good afternoon, bonjour. How can I help you today?”

“Hi, um, we’re here to see Constable Feller. He asked us to come in today to—”

“Oh yes.” The woman smiled quickly. “Miss Hilliard, right?”

“Yes.”

“Please come this way.” A tiny buzz sounded before the door next to the counter clicked. It swung inward and Gillian walked through, clinging tight to Jack’s hand. Nerves fluttered and beat against her stomach as she followed the receptionist through the carpet-lined corridor to another door.

She paused at a plain wooden door, knocked twice, and opened it with a smile. “Go on in.”

Stepping past her, the heat from Jack’s frame more than welcome, Gillian glanced around the room. It was a typical office, much like the last constable’s office she’d been in. It didn’t, however, make her any more comfortable.

“Jack, Miss Hilliard, please have a seat.” Rick’s booming voice pulled her from her half-formed appraisal of the room. She sat in a chair and stared at the handsome cop. “Thanks for coming in to make a statement. I was willing to go back to your place, but this is easier since we have a few questions about the events leading up to the arrests.”

“Okay,” Gillian squeaked. “I don’t know very much.”

“That’s all right. We have a pretty good case, but we’d like to get a few more details from you about the accounts your mother was draining.”

“I didn’t know anything about them until you told me.” Gillian glanced at Jack. “If I’d known about that money, I wouldn’t have taken out student loans. I could have just paid for my tuition.”

“There are documents bearing your signature from the lawyers dating back to your eighteenth birthday. Apparently, you were able to access the funds then.”

“I didn’t sign them. I’m sorry, Constable Feller, but I don’t have any answers in regards to the accounts. I don’t even know who set them up.”

“If you recall, when I first told you about the investigation, I mentioned your father had set things in motion. We were able to ascertain the how. He took out a rather large life insurance policy on himself with you as the full beneficiary. From the records we were able to obtain it looks like he set it up to allow you to take out living expense money each month in the amount of six thousand dollars. Apparently your mother took out just under that amount and deposited it into her own account.”

“So what are my options then? I don’t expect I’m ever going to get the money back.”

“It’s unlikely.” Rick leaned forward, a frown on his face as he looked from Gillian to Jack and back. “Due to the recent intelligence we were able to obtain, your car accident was brought under the umbrella of this investigation.”

“Why?” Jack demanded. “Granted the car was in good shape, but why would that have any bearing on a fraud case?”

“We got a call from an informant just before your accident, several weeks ago. He advised us he’d been contacted on the inside by a fellow inmate to do a job. The person who contacted us was fresh from prison, on parole, and feared he’d be sent back for his involvement. We set things up so one of our undercover officers could meet with the persons looking for a killer for hire.”

Cold terror gripped Gillian as she gaped at the cop. “Why kill me?”

“Because, Miss Hilliard, you’re worth more dead than alive.” Rick sighed. “At the present moment, you’re worth almost two million dollars, even with what your mother stole.”

Gillian gasped, her heart stumbling in her chest as she gaped at Rick. “Two million … oh my. I, uh, I don’t know…”

“The money’s yours. We will be releasing a bit of it for you to live on.”

“That’s a lot of money, which would explain why they’d want to kill her, but it doesn’t answer my question. Who arranged for the hit?” Jack’s grip tightened around her fingers.

Gillian ignored the question and sank deeper into her chair. Bile rose, scalding the back of her throat, bitter and acidic on her tongue as she strove to keep the meager contents of her stomach down.

“Don’t answer that,” Gillian pleaded. “I think we all know who. I just don’t understand why? Was my car tampered with?”

“No. It hadn’t been tampered with. Your accident was caused when you swerved in the road. There were no indications of foul play involved. We had several experts go over the car, just to be certain.”

“At least the deer got away.” Gillian’s laughter sounded forced to her own ears. She exhaled slowly. “Is there still a danger to me or Jack?”

“No. Mister Kilpatrick has been remanded in custody on a rather extensive list of charges. He’ll be transferred to a federal maximum security facility within the next couple of days. He’s telling everything he knows in hopes of getting a lighter sentence.”

“And Barbara?”

“She’ll be held until the judge either grants her bail or her trial date. She hasn’t said anything at this point, not that we needed her to. Do you wish to see her?”

“No.” Gillian shook her head. “I have no desire to see her ever again. It won’t solve any problem.”

“I would like you to write up a statement on all this. Think of it as a victim impact statement. We’ll enter it into evidence and let you know. I expect you’ll be hearing from the prosecutor within the next few weeks.”

“Thank you.” Gillian made to get up. She paused, her gaze darting between the two men. “Is there any way I could access some of my money? I need to get a few things I just don’t have the funds for at the moment.”

“I’m not sure if you could. I can certainly ask for you.”

“What do you need, baby?” Jack rubbed her back. “Whatever it is we’ll get it.”

“Just things.”

“We’ll get them. Come on. If there’s nothing left, Rick, we’re going to head home.”

“Nope, nothing here. If I need anything more, I’ll be in contact.”

Snuggling into Jack’s side, Gillian allowed him to guide her back through the station. The warmth of his embrace eased the chill clinging to her as they walked. She shivered, her eyes burning. No matter how she thought, she just didn’t get why. Somehow she doubted she ever would.

“You okay?” Jack asked as he held the truck door open for her.

Gillian nodded quickly. “Yes, just shocked. Never thought I’d see the day when someone would hate me so much.”

“I don’t hate you.” Jack cupped her cheek with his palm and pulled her close for a slow, hot kiss. His tongue slipped past her lips to tease hers before withdrawing. “Let’s go home.”

Nodding, Gillian watched him circle the truck and hop in before she slid over to sit against him. She soaked up the warmth, the love in his smile, and curled against him, her palm on his thigh as they pulled out of the parking lot.

Chapter 28

Five weeks later

“You look tired.”

Jack’s soft voice pulled Gillian from the contemplative state she’d fallen into. Her drive back from the clinic had been slow, a nagging weight hanging around her neck as the doctor’s words echoed in her head. Glancing up at him from where she’d sought comfort, she offered a tired smile. “Hey, did you talk to Lenny?”

Jack nodded, a pensive look on his face. “Yes, I did. He said he was sorry for being a raving ass. Said he didn’t want to believe something like this could happen. Asked if I wanted my old job back. I told him no, I was looking at other options. How’d it go with the lawyers?” He squeezed her shoulder before heading for the kitchen.

“Fine. The trial’s going to last another week.” Gillian rose from the couch, followed Jack into the kitchen, and leaned against the counter. Her heart galloping in her chest, she transferred her weight, her mind racing over the hectic pace of the day. Thank God he only knew about her meeting with the lawyers. Deciding to go the safest route, she fiddled with a loose thread on her shirt. “Mom wants to see me.”

“What do you want to do?”

Gillian chewed on her lip and stared at him. Mixed emotions swirled, dragging her into a quagmire of indecision. She knew what she wanted to do, but it wasn’t a healthy option. Doctor Reimer had suggested it might be a good idea. The closure she’d get would be unrivaled. It wasn’t the situation with her mother, however, that had her on pins and needles.

The looks Jack got when they went out said it all. Sooner or later, he’d realize she wasn’t the woman for him. No matter how hot the sex was, there wasn’t enough to hold him. Resolve stiffened her spine as she stared at Jack for a moment before shrugging. “With the trial coming to a close and Michael being transferred out of province, I was thinking maybe I should find another place to live. I can’t live off you forever, and—”

“What in the hell are you talking about? I thought this was settled?” Jack gaped at her.

“I don’t doubt you love me, but we both know I’m not what you need.”

“Says who?”

“I’m not stupid, Jack. I see the pity, the doubt in everyone’s gaze when they see us together. That woman nearly choked on her gum when she saw you take my hand.”

“Shelli’s just a bitch.”

“But she’s pretty! She’s the kind of woman you wanted.” Cursing her own self-confidence issues, she plucked at her shirt. “I can’t, no I won’t, compete with that. I know you think you—”

“She’s the kind of woman I used to sleep with. Doesn’t mean I want her now.” Jack sighed. “Why are you throwing up road blocks now?”

Road blocks? She wasn’t throwing up road blocks. Rather she was trying to keep the small shreds of pride she had left. Sooner or later, she knew, she just knew where this was going even if he wasn’t willing to face it.

“Gilli, answer me. What did I do?” The pain in his eyes ripped at her heart. Guilt settled like a worn old cloak around her as she licked her lips.

“Nothing. It’s me.”

“Catchphrase for everyone who wants to dump someone. What, now things are settled down you want out? I’m not good enough for you? What is it, Gillian? Maybe I don’t treat you like shit so therefore—”

“I can’t give you anything!” Gillian screamed, tears choking her. “Don’t you understand? Can’t you see what’s right in front of you?”

“No, I can’t. All I see is you trying to find a way out of this relationship like it’s suddenly too small for you. Damn it, Gillian, I love you. What do I have to do to make you see, make you believe me? Damn it, I’m not that guy anymore. I’m not out for a random fuck. I love you. You, not anyone else, and I’m willing to fight for us.”