Give Him the Slip (22 page)

She was saved from any reply by a knock on the door. Kathy hopped
up to answer it. "Well, Luke. We've been wondering when Chief Harper would
get off his high horse and set you free. I don't know what's wrong with that
man. Why did he want to talk to you some more? Did they discover something new
about the killing?"

"No." He sauntered into the house and studied Maddie with
an intense look. "The police chief has a hard-on for me from the old days.
He just likes to exercise his power. You doing okay, Red?"

She didn't bother correcting him about her name. He never
listened, and besides, "Red" didn't sound so bad coming from his
mouth. "Yes."

Luke glanced around. "I can see what you've been up to while I
was otherwise occupied. Y'all have been busy."

"The Garza sisters did most of the work." Maddie cleared
a spot on the sofa for Luke to sit down. "They had my kitchen and
bathrooms put to rights before Kathy and I got here."

Kathy piped up. "I took Maddie by Tranquility Day Spa for an
herbal steam. Thought it might loosen her up."

His eyes smoldered. "Did it help?"

"Not enough," she said with true regret.

He must have retrieved his truck at some point, because he wore
jeans and a T-shirt she recognized from the
Miss Behavin' II.
Her gaze
focused on the bulge of tanned muscle below the shirt's white sleeve and she
had a hard time dragging her attention back to what he was saying as he
answered a question of Kathy's she'd missed.

"...drawn a blank so far. It's early yet, though. They're
hoping forensics will tell them more."

"Like what?" Kathy asked.

"Trace evidence on the body. That sort of thing. Still,
they'll need a suspect before that'll do them much good. I doubt forensics in
Brazos Bend are exactly cutting edge. It may well take them months to figure
out much of anything."

"That's what you intend to work on?" Maddie asked.
"Finding a suspect?"

"I'm going to find his business associates."

"Drug dealers," Kathy surmised. "I'll bet they're
the ones who did it. It's not too big a step from dealing to killing. Poor Gus.
This would kill him if he weren't already gone. I wish you wouldn't get
involved with this, Sin. It could be dangerous. I know it makes me sound hard,
but after seeing what Jerry did to Maddie... well... he deserved what he got.
What does it matter who killed him?"

Luke went serious. "I need to make sure Maddie is safe,
that's why. I thought I'd protected her before, but just look at her. I'm not
leaving anything up to chance. Not again. Kathy, I need your help with this. I
know you're Maddie's friend. You've kept her secrets. I need you to keep mine,
too."

Worry creased her brow. "But..."

"For her, Kathy."

She closed her eyes and nodded. "All right. Don't worry, Sin.
My lips are sealed."

Luke spent an hour on the phone while Maddie and Kathy finished
cleaning up the mess Jerry Grevas had made of Maddie's house. Neighbors and
friends dropped by throughout the afternoon, fussing over Maddie, bringing
casseroles and cookies and hunting for gossip. Each time the doorbell rang,
Maddie watched in amazement as Luke dropped into the Brazos Bend bad-boy role.

"Did you watch a lot of James Dean movies growing up?"
she asked him when they were finally alone after he shut the door behind the
First Baptist minister's wife and Kathy, who'd left to work a shift at the
Dairy Princess. "You've got that curled-lip sneer down perfectly."

"Thanks." Luke grabbed a Snickerdoodle from the church
lady's plate. "I do try."

He broke the cookie in half and offered her a piece. Maddie shook
her head, then watched him savor the sweet. She'd have squirmed in her seat had
it not hurt her to move that way. Good Lord, did the man have to ooze sex
appeal with everything he did? She'd just about swallowed her tongue this
morning when she woke up to see him wearing only a towel. That was
understandable. He was built like a Greek god. But to get turned on by watching
him munch down a Snickerdoodle?
Get a hold of yourself, Kincaid.

She cleared her throat. "So, now that you've let Brazos Bend
know that Sin is back in town, what's your next step?"

"I'll visit a few old haunts. Throw some money around. Let it
be known I'm looking for a local supplier."

"I don't like this, Luke. Maybe Kathy was right and it's
too—"

"It's my job," he said, putting a finger against her
lips.

Maddie kissed it. She couldn't help herself. Instincts took over
and besides, he tasted of Snickerdoodle. "Was your job," she
corrected. "Unless you've rejoined the agency and neglected to mention
it?"

"No."

Her gaze lifted to his, fastened on his, as she drew his finger
farther into her mouth, stroked it with her tongue, and sucked.

Luke pulled in an audible breath. "Holy crap, Maddie."

She nipped the pad of his fingertip, then released him. "It's
fewer calories having my sweets this way."

"Holy crap, Maddie," he repeated.

The heat in his eyes warmed her blood and Maddie tried to tell
herself that the herbal steam had done the trick and her body didn't hurt all
that
bad. Nothing's broken. Right?

The sound of the doorbell settled the question for her. For now,
anyway.

"I hate small towns," Luke grumbled as he rose to answer
the door. "People here are just too damned friendly."

This visitor was simply doing his job, however. "Ron Harrison
with Neiman's in Fort Worth, sir. I'm looking for Mr. Luke Callahan."

"That's me."

Harrison shook Luke's hand. "A pleasure to meet you, sir. I
was able to fill every item on the order. I hope you'll be satisfied." The
man handed Luke a folio.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. Go ahead and bring everything in
here, if you would, please." Maddie's brows winged up in curiosity as Luke
scanned the ticket, scrawled his name at the bottom, then handed it back.
"And the car?"

"Right behind me. The driver stopped to fill the tank before
delivery."

A
short time later, Maddie's living room was once again filled with
clutter, only this time it looked like the aftermath of Christmas rather than a
break-in. Maddie fingered the soft, supple leather of a pair of Magli shoes.
"I take it all this is for Sin Callahan to keep up appearances?"

"Dressing the part is the first thing they teach you in
undercover school."

She glanced out her window, saw a fire-engine red Maserati pull up
to the curb, then turned her attention to a black velvet jeweler's box. "A
gold necklace? Luke, that is
so
not you."

Luke grimaced, then shrugged. "It's expectations. It's who
they'll expect me to be." He turned his attention back to the boxes,
exclaiming a moment later, "Finally!"

He handed a small box and a larger bag to Maddie. Both were as
light as feathers. "Just some things I thought you could use."

Maddie eyed his casual mien with suspicion, then cautiously peeked
into the box. It appeared empty. No, wait. She tugged the white tissue paper
apart to reveal emerald scraps of fabric. "What...?"

"Since you're staying at Branch's for a few days, I thought
you should have a swimsuit."

She had a swimsuit in her bedroom dresser. A nice, modest
one-piece. Not—she held up one scrap— "A thong?"

"I'm told they're really comfortable."

I just bet.
The gift bag, though still lightweight,
was packed full. Of silk lingerie. In a dozen different colors. "Grevas
went through your panty drawer," Luke said as way of explanation.

"There is such a thing called a washing machine." She
pulled a black lace demi-cup bra from the bag along with a matching pair of
panties. A thong, of course.

"You want to try them on?" he asked, a note of hope in
his voice. "Make sure they fit? If there's a problem, we can catch ol' Ron
before he gets too far down the road and have them exchanged."

She could, but then they'd end up in bed and as much as the spirit
was willing, the ibuprofen was wearing off and the body was weak. "I
better wait until tomorrow."

He wanted to argue, she could tell. His gaze lingered on the
lingerie with such yearning that Maddie couldn't help but be flattered. The man
was hot for her. He wanted her for
her,
not for her connections or her
money or her fame. It made her feel good.

"I was afraid of that." Now Luke focused on her lips.
"I gotta kiss you, Red. Just a kiss. I won't hurt you, I promise. No
hands. Just... ah, hell." He leaned forward and captured her mouth in a
long, wet, intimate kiss that left her blood humming when he finally pulled
away.

"I was afraid of that," he repeated.

Giving his head a shake, Luke got back to business and bundled up
his packages to take to the car. "You're about through here, aren't you?
Why don't I take you back to Branch's? You can take a nap there. I told Austin
Rawlings I'd meet him for a beer later, and I don't want to leave you here
alone."

"Austin? He doesn't quite seem Sin's type."

"He's all right. We have a common bond: overbearing,
controlling assholes for fathers. Besides, I want to pick his brains about
Jerry's murder."

"Who could have killed him, Luke? I'm trying to follow the
logic, here, but..."

"I long ago gave up logic where drugs are concerned. It could
have been his supplier, a partner, or a deal gone bad. Who knows? But until I
learn the answer, I'm not letting my guard down where you're concerned, and as
much as I hate Callahan House, you're better off there than alone."

Maddie didn't argue with him. Even though her house was back in
order, she wasn't up to staying here by herself. Built in the 1940s, her place
was small and intimate and perfect for her, but it made lots of noises. She'd
worry over every creak and groan if she were here by herself. "That'll be
fine."

While Luke loaded up his new sports car with his high-dollar
costumes, Maddie stacked a couple boxes of photographs to take along to
Branch's. While Luke went out on the town tonight, she'd spend some time with
her own memories. She had pictures of Liam in here. Liam and some of his
friends.

Just for the grins, she'd look through them, see if anyone looked
familiar. See if she could figure out what her old lover wanted from her.

By midnight, Luke had enough evidence to get half the Brazos Bend
High School football players kicked off the team before two-a-days started in
August. Steroid usage by athletes was a problem all over the country, but this
was Texas, where high school football was as serious as religion. He wasn't the
least bit surprised that the kids were juicers. He wondered whether school
administrators would even do anything about it if he phoned in an anonymous
tip.

Hell, it'd be worth a try. Kids all over the country were killing
themselves with this poison in order to be bigger, stronger, faster. Luke
couldn't solve the country's problem, but he might be able to do some good here
in Brazos Bend.

Luke sat at the bar at the establishment referred to by the locals
as P-2, which stood for Pioneer 2, the second of six establishments owned and
operated by the Terry family. P-l was a downtown Tex-Mex restaurant, P-3 and
P-4 home-cooking concerns on the main highway at each end of town to catch the
tourists passing through. P-5 had blown away in the '79 tornado, and P-6...
well... it wasn't exactly a commercial establishment. P-6 was the lake house
out at Possum Kingdom where the Terry boys went to drink and screw. Luke had
spent some fine times at P-6 back in the day.

"Another red draw while you wait for the table, Sin?" a bleached
blond waitress asked, offering him the local specialty—draft beer and tomato
juice.

"Think I'll hold off a bit," he responded. He'd barely
been able to choke down the one he'd had for old times' sake. His high school
palate hadn't been very picky.

He'd hung around here playing pool for three hours now, pumping
the kids for information while he waited for the late shift at the plastics
plant to let out. That's when he'd see some of his old running buddies, he'd
learned. Bobby Hargett, Brandon Miles, and Scooter Westridge had gone to work
there right out of high school, and they hadn't left. They still met here for
beer and pool every Thursday night.

Scooter had been the grass supplier during their high school days.
Brandon had a thing for chemistry and crime even in high school, so Luke
thought he was a good bet to be a meth cook these days. Bobby had been the
conscience of the group. He tried, at least, to keep the others from straying
too far outside the law.

Well, all except for Luke and Mark.

The men arrived ten minutes after midnight and as he watched them
shuffle inside, nostalgia washed over Luke. Except for his brothers and Terry,
he'd been closer to these three than to any other people in his life. They'd
gone to school together, raised hell together, and sworn they'd always have
each other's backs. Luke lost contact with them completely when he left Brazos
Bend.