Obsession (8 page)

How long had it been? Two years? Three? She shook her head as she tried to remember when she had broken up with Steve DeFoe, her boyfriend of almost two months. The memory of those two months nearly caused her to reconsider going to Charlie’s for dinner.

Steve had been so charming, so attentive when they’d first started dating. Then he’d turned possessive. When he had first started complaining about her bodyguards and their lack of privacy, Kendra had been sympathetic. Then the complaints had escalated into arguments, both with her and with those tasked with protecting her.

When he’d shown up at her house in the middle of the night, demanding that she let him in, Kendra had realized Steve wasn’t who she thought he was. The argument that ensued had turned nasty, and ultimately, Kendra had ended the relationship. Steve’s temper had exploded then, and she didn’t even want to think about what might have happened had her bodyguards not been nearby.

At first, she’d felt bad about the fistfight that had ensued between Steve and Alan Parsons, but then Steve had started giving interviews and spinning lies. After seeing the incident splashed in the tabloids and dealing with the constant media pressure in the weeks following the breakup, Kendra had resigned herself to the fact that dating simply wasn’t worth the effort.

As she considered what it would be like to date like a normal person, without all the bodyguards and security, without any of the paparazzi or hovering fans, Kendra found herself smiling. Then another thought struck her, and her excitement waned.

Perhaps this wasn’t really a date. Maybe Charlie was just being friendly. Kendra moved into the living room and stared out the window at the cabin across the street. Her lips slowly curved up into the beginnings of a smile. Whether dinner tonight was a date or simply a friendly gesture, it wouldn’t hurt for her to get to know Charlie a little better.

* * *

“You already saw her?” Elias Washington’s voice came over the phone.

“Yeah.” Charlie nodded to the empty room. “I invited her over for dinner tonight. I thought maybe I could find out why she’s refusing protection.”

“I don’t have to explain to you that gaining Kendra’s trust will go a long way in helping our investigation.”

“I kind of figured,” Charlie said. “By the way, the weather reports say that this storm is supposed to keep dumping snow for another day or two. Do you have any idea how long it normally takes to get the roads plowed up here?”

“Pinewood is a summer town. They don’t plow the roads up there,” Elias told him.

“Then I guess it’s a good thing I picked up enough supplies in town to last a couple of weeks. If we really get another foot of snow tonight, even my four-wheel drive isn’t likely to make it down the mountain anytime soon.”

“Do what you can to stay close to her. I want nightly updates.”

“Anything else you want me to work on while I’m up here? I have a feeling I’m going to have a lot of down time.”

“I’ve already e-mailed you the case file from the bombing at Kendra’s concert,” Elias told him. “Also, Rick Michaels, in the LA office, was hoping for some more help with investigating the latest serial killing. Sometimes it helps to have a fresh set of eyes read over the case files.”

“I doubt I can do much from up here, but I can at least take a look.”

“Good,” Elias said. “And, Charlie?”

“Yeah?”

“Be careful.”

“I will. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Charlie hung up the phone and walked to the window. Staring out at the snow, he considered what he had to do. His first priority was to keep Kendra safe, and he supposed that meant getting to know her. He didn’t really like the idea of misleading her about why he was here, but this certainly wouldn’t be the first time he’d had to stretch the truth. Over the past two years with the Bureau, he had learned how to skim over details, to twist the facts so he could lead people to think what he wanted them to.

All he had to do was not volunteer too much information. He could play the role of the vacationing lawyer, the guy who needed to get away and hide from the world for a few days. And just maybe he would be lucky enough to gain Kendra’s trust and figure out why she was running from all the people who wanted to help her.

The streets were busy outside Kendra Blake’s condominium as the Phoenix rush hour peaked. He watched the constant flow of people into and out of Kendra’s complex and studied each vehicle that passed into the gated community. Of all of the places she could hide, he thought this would be her first choice. He didn’t know what to make of the fact that she hadn’t arrived yet.

She had said once that she felt safe here. He couldn’t understand why, except that the general population didn’t know that she owned the upstairs unit. She also seemed to like being close to her grandparents’ place, the ancient little house located several miles away.

He had considered that she might hide there, too, but he’d checked it out earlier in the day and hadn’t seen any sign of her. That had been after he’d broken into her condo to make sure it was really empty. Bypassing the front gate had been pathetically easy. There wasn’t a security guard, and the lock on Kendra’s front door had been easy enough to pick.

Now all he could do was wait and stay out of sight. It was only a matter of time before he would find her. Finally, the day he’d been waiting for was nearly here.

* * *

Kendra took a deep breath and then raised a hand to knock on the door. There wasn’t any reason to be nervous, especially now that she understood why Charlie had invited her to dinner. The explanation was simple, really. She was the only person he could talk to within a ten-mile radius.

She clasped her hands together and took a little step back when the door swung open. Her mouth instantly went dry. His long-sleeved T-shirt stretched over his broad shoulders, and his quick grin sent butterflies to battle in her stomach. He might have asked her over for a friendly dinner, but that didn’t negate the fact that Charlie Whitmore was one handsome man.

“Hi, there.” Charlie stepped back, motioning inside. “Come on in.”

“Thanks.” Kendra stepped over the threshold and took a look around as she waited for her stomach to settle.

The cabin was just as she remembered it: a simple A-frame structure, the entire front wall made up of tall windows. Two sofas were angled in the open living area so that anyone sitting on them could enjoy both the view out the front windows and the warmth from the wood stove. The curtains were open, revealing the steadily falling snow. The smell of burning wood lingered in the air, combining with the faint scent of Charlie’s aftershave and the mouthwatering aromas coming from the kitchen.

“Here, let me take your coat.”

“Thanks.” Kendra slipped her coat off and then leaned down to take off her boots as well. After she set them by the door, she turned and asked, “Do you need help with anything?”

“I think everything is set. The chicken just needs to cook for a few more minutes.” Charlie draped her coat over the side of a chair to dry and looked over at her, a sudden look of concern crossing his face. “You aren’t a vegetarian, are you?”

A giggle escaped her. “No, I’m not a vegetarian.”

“Good.” Clearly relieved, he started toward the kitchen, glancing back as though making sure she was following him. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“Just some water would be great. Thanks.” She slid onto a stool by the kitchen counter as Charlie walked behind it and retrieved a glass from a cabinet. After he filled it with ice and water, he set it in front of her. “You know, you really didn’t have to go to all of this trouble.”

“It wasn’t any trouble.” Charlie lifted the lid off the pan on the stove and stirred. “Every time I feel like I need to get away from civilization, I forget one very important thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I like people.”

Kendra grinned. “I know what you mean.”

Charlie replaced the lid on the pan and looked up at her, his blue eyes direct. “So you said you’re planning on staying up here for a couple of weeks?”

“Maybe longer.” Kendra shrugged. She imagined that between the incident at her concert and her sudden disappearance, her name was already being splashed all over the news. Charlie didn’t seem to know anything about her reasons for being here, so she kept her answer neutral. “I was actually thinking about hiding out here for a while so I can work on some songs for my next album. It seems like I never have any time to write anymore.”

“Do you like to write your own songs?”

Kendra’s smile was instant, a dimple flashing in her cheek. “I love it. It’s my favorite part of what I do.”

Charlie smiled in response. “You must be good at it. I can hardly turn on the radio anymore without hearing you sing to me.”

“Really?” Kendra studied the man across from her, amused by his choice of words. “Do you like it when I sing to you?”

Charlie laughed. “I guess I do.”

Before Kendra could respond, a phone rang. Charlie pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and glanced at the caller ID. He looked at Kendra apologetically. “Excuse me for a minute.”

Kendra nodded, her eyes dropping to stare at her water glass.

“Hey, Amy.” Charlie’s greeting was warm, and Kendra found herself envious of the woman on the other end. What would it be like to have a man like Charlie greet her with that same friendly, familiar tone on a regular basis?

He was quiet for a minute and then spoke into the phone once more. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure I’m there, but I can’t really talk right now. Can I call you back later?” He hesitated for a moment and then nodded. “Okay. Bye.”

Charlie put his phone back in his pocket before looking back at Kendra. “Sorry about that.”

“That’s okay,” Kendra said. Then she surprised herself by asking, “Was that your girlfriend checking up on you?”

“No, I don’t have a girlfriend.” A look of vulnerability flashed in his eyes but quickly vanished. He busied himself at the stove for a minute, and then his eyes met hers once more. “That was actually my sister. She’s trying to plan a big anniversary party for my parents next year.”

“Really?” Kendra felt her cheeks heating, and she told herself she didn’t have any reason to be embarrassed. After all, it was a normal curiosity for her to wonder if he was involved with someone. “Do you have any other siblings? You mentioned a brother earlier.”

“No, just an older brother and younger sister.” Charlie stirred the chicken again and then turned off the stove. “What about you? Do you have brothers and sisters?”

“Just my younger sister.” Kendra’s lips curved up. “You might have heard of her. Sienna Blake.”

“Right, the actress.” Charlie nodded. “You have quite a talented family.”

“Sounds like I could say the same thing about you.”

Charlie simply shrugged and then picked up a hot pad. He carried the food to the table and looked up at her. “Dinner is served.”

“It smells wonderful,” Kendra said when he lifted the lid, not quite able to hide the surprise in her voice. “You know, I didn’t peg you for a guy who likes to cook.”

“It’s my sister-in-law’s doing,” Charlie admitted. “I spent a few weeks living with them in Florida to help out when she was pregnant with her second kid. She was determined that at least one Whitmore learn their way around the kitchen—besides my mom, that is.”

“Your brother and sister don’t cook?”

“Not unless you count burnt toast.”

Kendra laughed as she took her seat. Charlie retrieved a tossed salad from the refrigerator and sat beside her.

“Do you mind if I offer a blessing on the food?”

Surprise showed on her face, but she shook her head. She folded her arms, bowed her head, and listened to Charlie’s simple prayer. When he was done, she looked up at him, astonished.

“You’re Mormon?”

“Yeah,” Charlie said, clearly surprised by her question. “How did you know that?”

“The way you blessed the food.” Kendra shook her head as this new development played through her mind. “I’m Mormon too.”

“Seriously?” Charlie asked with the same tone of bewilderment that she had used moments before. “I didn’t know that.”

Kendra’s shoulder’s lifted. “I think that may be the only area of my life the press hasn’t exploited.”

“Have you always been a member?”

“More or less. My grandparents used to take me and my sister to church when we visited them, which was a lot when we were growing up,” Kendra told him. “Then when I got older, I realized I didn’t really like my parents’ lifestyle, and I finally got their permission to get baptized.”

“How old were you?”

“Fifteen.”

“You must face a lot of challenges being LDS in the music world,” Charlie commented as he passed a serving spoon to Kendra.

When Kendra simply shrugged, he changed the subject. “I was kind of surprised when your grandfather called to tell me that you were coming up here. I thought you were on another one of your concert tours.”

Kendra’s hand briefly tightened on the spoon. She scooped some of the chicken and rice mixture onto her plate before lifting her eyes to meet his. “Actually, I just finished my tour and needed a break.” She motioned toward the window. “Of course, I may end up with a longer break than I had planned for.”

“I know what you mean.” Charlie nodded. “I didn’t expect to find this much snow here in Arizona.”

“You sure came a long way for a few weeks off,” Kendra said. “Didn’t you say that you live in DC?”

“Not anymore. I live in Phoenix now.”

“Really?”

Charlie nodded. He hesitated, as though trying to decide how much to tell her. “I love my family, but I needed to get out of their shadows for a while.”

Kendra’s eyes lifted to meet his. Slowly, a smile bloomed on her face. “I guess we have more in common than I thought.”

Charlie looked over the police report from the bombing at Kendra’s concert and shook his head. He had hoped to find some obvious clues as to who had set off the explosive, but clues were apparently scarce in this case. The backstage security had been tight, surprisingly so. The band members, caterers, and concert staff had all worked Kendra’s concerts before. None of the fans with backstage passes had been given access to the area near the stage, which meant they could eliminate that group of people.