Nora Roberts Land (23 page)

The kid’s eyelid twitched. He rubbed it with ink-stained fingers.

“Did you know her?”

Ray choked like he’d inhaled a bug. “Yes.”

Tanner led him out. “Let’s go to my office. I want to walk you through some of my comments.”

The minute the door was shut, the kid lunged at him. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“Creating a believable way for us to talk. You can’t come to my house again. Trouble with an assignment was the best I could do.”

Ray paced in the small windowless office. “Man, I almost had a heart attack. What the hell were you asking about Jemma for? There were people out there!”

“Because if I said you were getting bad grades without a reason, people would begin to wonder what the hell was going on with you. Everyone knows you’re an honor student.” He kept his voice low and gentle. “Other students have been upset by Jemma’s death too. It was a good excuse. Plus, you won’t have to fake that.”

He thrust his hand in the air. “No, I won’t have to fake that. I’m freaking out here!”

“Settle down. We don’t have much time. I need you to get me that sample you mentioned. I’m going to have it tested by someone I trust. The autopsy report was a dead-end, Ray.” He almost winced at the pun. “Can you do that?”

The kid ran his hands over his face. “I have the drugs she took. I’ll give you something from that batch and another sample.”

“Good. Bring it to class next time. We can have another conference about your homework. Trust me, Ray.”

“I do, but you don’t know what it’s like. I feel like shit! Every day. A few people have wanted to buy from me to help them cruise through exams. I told them I was out right now, but I can’t keep that up for long.”

“Have you talked to your guy at the garage?”

Ray popped in a stick of gum, chewing hard and fast. “Yes, Kenny called. I told him I needed some time off. I was upset about Jemma. Got backed up at school. People weren’t buying as much. He started yelling at me to grow some balls…He wouldn’t listen.”

Tanner’s gut burned.

“Okay, don’t visit the garage. Call him. Tell him you understand, and you’ll man up.”

Sometimes that’s all the bad guys needed to hear. Bullies never questioned their power of intimidation. They’d expect Ray to fall like a house of cards. And it would buy them more time.

“Listen, I know it’s hard, but you need to keep acting like everything’s normal. Keep saying you forgot your stash at home.”

Ray popped his gum in loud bursts.

“Look, Thanksgiving is next week. I’ll have the drug results shortly after. You said people won’t be partying too much before they take off. You’re going home, right?”

“I don’t know if I can do this, Professor McBride. What if someone else dies?”

Ray’s gum-smacking grated on his nerves. “Jemma’s death was probably related to her heart murmur.”

Part of him hoped Ray was being paranoid about the drugs being laced. He expected shit like this in Afghanistan. He didn’t expect it here.

“So, what am I supposed to do until then? Ask people for their medical history? Fuck, man. You’ve got no idea how this works.”

“Ray, you know I’ve been in a lot of tough situations. You need to follow my advice here.”

When the kid looked up, his acne-pocked face crumpled. “I’ll try, but it’s so hard.”

He patted the kid’s back before he realized it. “Ray, you’ve got a real future ahead of you. Your latest article was incredible. You have everything it takes to make an incredible lawyer.”

His whole face lit up. “Really?”

“Give me a little more time to look into things. The only alternative is for you to leave school.”

Tanner heard voices outside. Tensed. They were taking too long.

“It’ll raise questions though. Staying here and acting normal is better. I know it’s hard, but you need to keep calm. Now, you need to go. We’ll talk after class next time.”

“Thanks. It helps knowing you’re on my side.”

“Thank me by getting through this. Call me if you need to.”

The kid programmed Tanner’s number into his cell, and then scurried out of the room and down the empty hallway. Walking back to his desk, Tanner was reminded of how much pressure he’d lived under while he was overseas.

It had found him again.

People’s lives were on the line. One had already died.

He was tired of it. Maybe he needed to finally consider the worst possibility. Was it time to give up journalism? How could he stand it anymore? Was anywhere safe?

Seeing this kind of death and danger in Dare might finally break him.

He picked up his tattered leather valise. He’d washed blood off it in too many countries to count. He couldn’t seem to throw it away and buy a new one. It had become a part of him.

Fingering the hole a stray bullet had left in the leather, he walked out of his office, listening to every sound—a habit he wasn’t sure he’d ever shake.

Fuck.

Chapter 27

P
retending to date Tanner made Meredith believe in karma for the first time in her life.

Being with him was driving her insane. He was always touching her—at the coffee shop, on the street. Tonight they were at Hairy’s, being blasted by a Denver-based Irish band appropriately named The Bangers.

Tanner was playing with her hair again. It wasn’t a friendly touch either. No siree.

His sneaky hand always reached up to rub her back when they were walking somewhere. He pressed his leg against hers whenever they were sitting close. And who could forget the absentminded kisses on her forehead, cheek, and neck? But he hadn’t kissed her on the mouth.

You want him to kiss you on the mouth again. Admit it.

The familiar voice made her grind her teeth. Did she need medication? Seriously, was she going crazy? Like Howard Hughes and his milk bottles crazy?

I won’t let up until you do what you really want to do.

They’d only been undercover for less than a week. What in the hell was she going to do? Explode probably. He had her hotter than a lead coffee cup, and she wasn’t cooling down any time soon.

“Something the matter?” Tanner murmured close to her ear as the band announced a break in their set. He wrapped his arm around her, of course, looking ridiculously hot in a simple white shirt and jeans.

Yes, she almost responded. My alter ego has gone rogue and won’t stop talking about you.

Oh, stop bitching.

“No. Why would it be?”

He tilted his head to the side. “You need to work on lying. You’re terrible.”

He placed a kiss on her cheek before she saw it coming.

“And stop frowning. You’re supposed to be crazy about me.”

“Believe me,” she replied, thinking of Divorcée Woman. “I am.” She pressed her hands to her ribs, visualizing the pink bustier under her powder blue shirt. She had to reassert her control.

Good luck with that.

She threw up her hands. “Okay, I give up.”

Tanner’s breath tickled her ear. “So you’re finally ready to have wild, exclusive sex with me?”

Her elbow ploughed into his side. She had to give him credit. He didn’t grunt. He had rock hard abs, which she saw every morning at the swimming pool. Damn him. Why couldn’t he have a paunch and that wrinkly skin some older men have?

He’s not that old.

“How much longer do we need to watch Kenny?”

“Until he does something that helps our case.”

They were following Ray’s supplier since they had bupkis otherwise. Gene had kept quiet in the autopsy about the marijuana to protect Jemma’s legacy and her parents, but he hadn’t found anything besides marijuana and alcohol in her system.

And the police hadn’t recovered any drugs from the scene—or so the report said.

They were all waiting for Thanksgiving to arrive. If Peggy didn’t find anything…

Then maybe Tanner’s source wasn’t reliable. Maybe her grandpa’s gut was off.

Maybe she needed to focus on her own problems.

Tanner caressed her palm with his thumb. She broke out in goosebumps. How he fought against his own desire mystified her. If she hadn’t seen the evidence of his arousal, she would have thought he played for the other team.

Oh, please. Now you’re just being bitchy.

Well, he only touches me in public,
she fired back.

She was beginning to see a pattern. Despite how he acted when they were in public, he didn’t want to be alone with her. If they had to be alone to discuss the case, he always invited her grandpa.

He lifted a strand of her hair again, his hot gaze liquefying her insides. “You need to practice your acting skills. You don’t make a convincing girlfriend.”

“You’re enjoying this way too much.”

He kissed her neck as slowly as honey sliding down a spoon. “You have no idea.”

She kept her eyes glued to Kenny. He was ex-military with a few tattoos on his huge biceps. His pretty blond wife sat next to him drinking a light beer. She’d bet a hundred bucks the wife didn’t have a clue her hubby was up to something.

The question was, was it more than marijuana?

The deputy sheriff had written and signed the brief police report, which showed all the investigational prowess of a kindergartner. Had he simply been satisfied with the coroner’s report? Or was marijuana such a small deal he hadn’t pursued it?

She jumped when Tanner’s fingers rubbed her neck. The urge to close her eyes and enjoy it was strong. That third beer hadn’t been a good idea. She was relaxing under his touch. Too bad she couldn’t make him suffer by responding to his attentions.

Why the hell not?

She turned her head and gave him the stink eye. His mouth lifted. He had no remorse.

Why couldn’t she make him suffer?

Because she didn’t believe in public displays of affection.

God, you are such a goody two-shoes.

True. It was sad really. She blamed her mother.

Why not try being bad for a change?

If that’s how Satan had sounded when he’d told Eve to eat the apple, Meredith could understand how mankind had gone to hell in a hand basket.

What would a Nora heroine do? That’s why she was here, right?

She thought of her favorite character. Hot-blooded social worker Anna Spinelli in
Sea Swept
would have tortured her race car driver turned reluctant guardian, Cameron Quinn, until he was eating out of her hand.

Could Meredith do the same?

She decided not to think about her lack of progress on the article. Her boss had granted another week post-Thanksgiving, but that was it. If it didn’t work out, she would have to settle for writing a more general piece about dating. Crikey.

She reached for Tanner’s beer and drank half. They didn’t call it liquid courage for nothing. His eyebrow winged up.

Leaning into him, she slid her hand under the table and rubbed his denim-clad thigh. His whole body bucked forward. She almost laughed out loud. As she trailed her hand down his knee, he kissed her ear.

“You’re playing with fire, honey.” He closed his mouth over her neck, biting gently.

She lurched in her seat. Unlike her, he didn’t hold back the chuckle. It was throaty, and it slid across her skin like warm bath oil. Since he had his arm around her, he had the upper hand, but she was going to change that.

She opened a few buttons on her blue shirt, exposing a flash of her pink lacy cups.

“Meredith.”

Sliding her hand to his belly, she rode the ridges of his abdomen to his ribs and then drew her hand slowly back down.

Up and down. Up and down.

His breath hissed out. “You’re killing me.”

She turned her head. His eyes were dilated, shining hot with lust under the muted lights of the bar.

“Not yet.”

A tick appeared in his jaw when her hand slid close to his belt buckle. His jeans had to be tight, poor guy, but she wasn’t backing down. She half expected him to stop her, but he surprised her. He pulled her closer, one arm still twined around her shoulder while the other stroked her belly. His fingers slipped under her shirt and played with the hot skin above her jeans. She nearly moaned.

“You kids need to get a room,” Jill said, appearing by Meredith’s side.

Focusing was difficult, given that her eyes were nearly crossed with desire, but Meredith managed. Looking at Jill’s bright smile and equally bright dress in aqua blue, she tried to jerk her hand back from Tanner’s chest, but he held her in place.

“There are no nice hotels in Dare,” Meredith responded, her voice saucy.

“Well, go somewhere. People are watching, and as much as I want you two together, I
really
don’t want to see it. So, scram! I’ll even take care of the bill.”

Tanner shifted and dug out his wallet. “I can take care of the damn bill.”

“See, Mere, now you made him grouchy. Go put a happy face on him.”

Meredith kicked at her sister. “Shut up, or I’m going to put all your Abba CDs in the microwave.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.”

Jill pulled at her gold necklace. “Huh, maybe you would. You made a bonfire out of Rick-the-Dick’s Yankee baseball cards.”

Slapping a large bill on the table, Tanner pulled Meredith up with him. “Rick-the-Dick?”

“That’s what we call her ex,” Jill informed him.

Great. Always good to show one’s true colors. Torching baseball cards and calling your ex bad names.

Tanner leaned in to kiss her ear. “Kenny’s leaving. Let’s go.” He gave her sister a killer wink. “See ya, Jill.”

Waving goodbye to Jill, they tugged on their coats and stumbled outside.

The minute they hit the cold air, Tanner wrapped his arms around her. “Give me a sec,” he said, nuzzling her neck. “I want to see where he goes.”

When he turned her by putting his hands on her ass, she almost forgot this was pretend. Her hips settled closer. His curse warmed her like clothes out of the dryer.

“Cut that out, dammit. I’m trying to see where he’s going.”

“Then you shouldn’t put your hands on my butt.”

He let go of her ass and pulled her along the sidewalk, nudging her into an alley. Her back was pressed against the icy cold brick, his body pinning her in place. She craned her neck to see.