On the Prowl (2 page)

Timmons maneuvered around a car in the driveway and pulled up in front of one of the sets of stairs that led up to the front door. Delaine inwardly sighed with relief. The car in the driveway was her black Jaguar, which appeared to have made the journey just fine.

They climbed the stairs together, Delaine helped Timmons put her bags in the foyer just inside the front door. She bid him goodnight and slipped a generous tip into his palm before she closed and locked the door behind him.

Her eyes roamed around the large marble foyer and admired the vaulted ceilings and hardwood moldings. Off the foyer the huge sunken living room, centered by a wide wood-burning fireplace, had her wowing. It was like someone had placed the living room in a beautifully matted picture frame, where the furniture, mantle and fireplace were the picture, and the steps down into the room were the frame, all the way around. And it was huge, perfect for the coming Christmas holidays. The kids would have a ball decorating the place.

Delaine kicked off her shoes and strolled from room to room. Her toes sank into the thick pile of the creamy winter white carpets in each room and allowed her body to appreciate the matching winter white leather furniture in the living room.

In addition, the first floor had a large stone floor gourmet kitchen, a beautiful dining room laid with lacquered wood floors and several more empty rooms. She’d turn one into her office and let the kids fight over the rest of them. At the top of the curved staircase was a landing that could be used as a loft or entertainment area. The rest of the upstairs was her bedroom with a large master bath from heaven.

She could live in the bathroom alone! The tub was the size of a small pool and sunken into the floor. A shower big enough for four people had a wall of creamy tile with two massaging showerheads and a rain-like waterfall showerhead between them. Two walls were made of glass brick with built-in bath benches. Done up in white glass and ceramic tile, miles of glass, gold and sparkling mirrors, it looked like something out of the ancient world.

Sapa purred at the opulence surrounding them and encouraged Delaine to relax and enjoy their new home. She unpacked her suitcases then made her way back downstairs to the fully stocked kitchen for a bite to eat. The fridge was full and the pantry was packed. It seemed her boss really had thought of everything. After a quick dinner she picked up the phone in the kitchen and dialed her girlfriend’s number.

“Hey, Pam, it’s me. The flight was fine and I got in about an hour ago.”

“How about breakfast in the morning?” came the excited, familiar female voice on the other end of the line.

“Sure, but it’ll have to be early. Tomorrow is my first day at the new job.”

“You don’t get any time to settle in first?”

“Nope, but it’s not a problem because this sistah is hitting the sack within the next half-hour. I’m wiped out,” Delaine said on a genuine yawn.

“Well, hurry up and get a pen so I can give you directions to my favorite breakfast spot.”

Pen and notepad in hand, she leaned against the kitchen counter and said, “Go ahead, I’m ready.”

That done, Delaine spent the evening exploring the rest of house. Later, she ventured outside to the back porch, leaned against the wood railing and looked up at the night sky to quiet her mind. Her head seemed to be everywhere at once, her thoughts bouncing from tremendous pride in her children who’d recently headed off to college, to missing the physical companionship of her idiot ex-husband. Then there was the sense of peace and fulfillment at knowing she could be alone and still be satisfied. After all, she had herself and her spirit guide Sapa. Moving to a new place and meeting new people was actually exciting, and this new assignment was the most important of her life. She had a dangerous target to take out and she couldn’t wait to get started. The thrill of the hunt was an indescribable mix of eagerness and caution.

Despite her reeling emotions, she silently thanked the Great Spirit for so many blessings. Her lips tipped up into a grin. If Gary’s trifling butt hadn’t cut out on her and the kids, she probably wouldn’t have accepted the opportunity to move to the East Coast for this assignment. Nor be in this fabulous house, nor reunited with her good friend Pam. She sighed. Well, thank God for small favors.

Delaine climbed into bed, checked her Taurus PT99 handgun, made sure there was a bullet in the chamber and tucked it under her pillow. She lay sprawled under the warm blankets and comforter then remembered the envelope she hadn’t opened earlier. She bounded to the floor, headed for the gigantic walk-in closet and flipped on the light. She pulled her carry-on bag from one of the many cedar shelves and retrieved the envelope from the side pocket.

Back in bed, she ripped it open and dumped the contents into her lap. There was a picture inside of a handsome man with blond hair, emerald-green eyes and a too-perfect smile. So this was Brian Baker? This clean-cut, Opie-Taylor-looking man was her target?

Her spirit guide became restless. Delaine, so used to Sapa’s presence, ignored the cat’s agitation. She studied Baker’s picture and began to plan a strategy to find out what he was up to. Where might he keep any evidence and what would she have to do to get it?

The longer she thought on the man, the more Sapa’s agitation escalated until it flooded through the bond in torrents. Delaine finally gave up trying to strategize and quieted her mind. She meditated until she had the cat’s full attention then summoned her directly.

‘Come to me, Sapa,’ Delaine whispered in her mind. The lioness stalked forward, her image visible to Delaine’s eyes. Sharp incisors were bared and the fine hairs on her neck stood on end. Obviously something about Baker disturbed the big cat.

‘What is it? What’s wrong, Sapa?’ Delaine asked, sending concern to her spirit guide.

The black lioness turned gleaming grey eyes on her and continued to brood but said nothing. Delaine nodded off with Sapa pacing back and forth in her head, a quiet, menacing growl resonating along the bond.

* * * * *

Baker walked into his office, closed the door firmly and turned the deadbolt. It was six-thirty in the morning and no one was around yet, but if nothing else, he was cautiously meticulous. He sat down, opened his briefcase and pulled out the file he’d been looking over during breakfast. He laid the manila folder on his desk, flipped it open and pulled out a picture of the new production process specialist being brought in.

Her name was Delaine Jeris, a technical expert newly assigned to his business unit to develop the new neuromuscular drug Zalactin. He would have to remember to reward the woman in Research & Development for getting him this information. Since the Jeris woman was coming on as a consultant and not an employee, neither Human Resources nor he had been involved. If not for his little bitch in R&D, who’d nicked the info from the dupe she was sleeping with in Purchasing, Baker would never have known someone outside of his “special circle of friends” was joining his team. Yes, he would have to thank…what was her name? Sarah Ann, yes that was it. He’d have to thank Sarah Ann for alerting him. A quick screw up against a wall should do it. He didn’t have the time or patience for a slow one.

He picked up the picture in one hand and studied it closely. This Delaine was a fine-looking woman. Her résumé said she was an expert in systems, database and process analysis. Very impressive. Very beautiful.

A hand found its way down to his crotch and stroked his burgeoning erection through his trousers as he eyes moved over her photo. He noted the intelligence in her dark brown almond-shaped eyes and her flawless cinnamon skin. Imagining his fists knotting in the long natural curls of her hair, he leaned his head back in his chair, her photo in one hand, and unzipped his pants and freed his rock-hard cock.

Baker closed his brilliant green eyes, the image of Delaine Jeris etched firmly in his mind. He spilled his seed into one of the handkerchiefs he kept in a drawer for these occasions and wondered if the woman could be bought or, depending on who she worked for, sold.

* * * * *

Justin Cooley flipped the secure cell phone closed and grimaced at the new intel he’d just received. So a new investigator was stepping into his case, eh? It was a woman who was coming in as some kind of techno-geek. Her cover was to map out the production process and data sources for the new medicine that Brian Baker’s team was developing. So was Baker her target? Justin had no idea. He also hadn’t a clue who she was or what she looked like. But since he wasn’t supposed to know anything about her at all, it was no surprise the information he’d been given was sketchy. His partner Derrick was trying to find out more. Justin would check in with him later.

Thankfully, the manufacturing and corporate facilities at Astin Pharmaceutical were huge. He blended in with everyone else, surveyed who came and went and who had access to what.

Keeping an eye out for this new agent should be easy enough. He was finally closing in on Baker. The last thing he needed was a newbie coming in and spoiling what had taken him months to set up.

Chapter Two

Delaine circled the parking lot at the Arboretum Mall for the third time, relieved to finally luck out on a parking space close to the restaurant. She flew into the spot, jumped out of her sleek black Jag and hurried to the door. She was supposed to meet Pam more than ten minutes ago. Her fingers closed around the door handle when she was nearly tackled by a very excited female.

“I really missed you,” Pam said with a toothy grin. She released Delaine and dragged her through the door to the table where their breakfast waited. “Hey, I ordered some of that frou-frou food I know you like, so eat up.”

“Thanks, woman. Sorry I’m late,” Delaine said, quirking a brow at her friend as packet after packet of sugar disappeared into Pam’s coffee cup. Ick! She shuddered visibly then laughed when Pam stuck her tongue out at her. Delaine took a healthy bite of fruit, yogurt and granola Breakfast Banana Split. Her eyes rolled heavenward in appreciation then her nose wrinkled in distaste when Pam took a gulp of syrupy coffee.

“I’m so excited to see you, Delaine! Girl, I still can’t believe you’re here!” Pam exclaimed, squirming in her chair like a little kid with a new toy at Christmas.

“I know, I can’t believe it either!” Delaine beamed, just as happy to see Pam. It had been eight years since the two women had left their homes in California. Delaine had moved to Denver, and Pam had been all over the place. She still couldn’t believe they’d both ended up in North Carolina at the same time.

“So tell me again why you didn’t like Houston?” Delaine asked around another bite of yogurt heaven. “You were there for, what, two years?”

“Too hot, too humid. Not enough gorgeous men,” Pam jested as she leered over her shoulder at the butt of a nice-looking man being seated across from them. “I had a pretty good clientele, but it got old fast.”

Delaine tilted her head in question and said, “But why Charlotte, of all places? It’s just as hot and humid as Houston. Besides, last year you said you were going back home to Cali.”

“I know, but I changed my mind. You know I’ve always wanted to live on the East Coast somewhere. I didn’t want to live in New York. Too crowded, too expensive. But I didn’t want to live in Florida either.”

“Too many hurricanes,” Delaine mumbled around the napkin she wiped her mouth with.

“You’ve got that right. So I settled for Charlotte. It’s almost right in the middle of the Atlantic states. Close enough to New York to get in plenty of shopping and close enough to Florida to get plenty of sun. And, baby, the Miami strip is just waiting for me.”

Delaine almost laughed at Pam’s screwy logic, but for her friend, it made perfect sense. Pam moving to North Carolina because it sat between New York and Florida fit her personality perfectly. Sun, fun, shopping and hair were her life.

“You’ve been here six months. How long before you’re off to somewhere else, girlfriend?”

“Well, I’ve always wanted to see the South of France. Hey,” Pam exclaimed, changing the subject. The woman was like a gnat, flying from one subject to another and never in a straight line. “My salon is right on the other side of the mall. You only live about fifteen minutes from here. Why don’t we meet here for breakfast again? Afterward, we can walk over to the shop and I’ll do your hair, just like old times. And while I’m hooking you up, you can tell me what you’re doing here without your husband.”

Delaine grimaced. Other than her kids, she’d shared her situation with nobody but her boss Geri, and even that conversation hadn’t been too deep. At the time, Delaine just couldn’t handle getting into the morbid details. She hadn’t wanted to think about how her husband had abandoned their family for the most unbelievably dumb reasons. He’d claimed she wasn’t supportive around the house, but what wife would support a total nag? Especially when he’d nagged her and the kids around the clock. And god forbid there be a dish in the sink! Or a dryer sheet left on top of the clothes dryer. In all his selfish whining, he’d never thanked her for buying him whatever he wanted and standing by him in anything and everything he wanted to do. Not to mention the endless years of boring, uninspired sex. Funny, he was always the one with a headache. It was a wonder they’d ever had children.